Marvel: Starting as a Time Criminal, Stealing Powers

Russell raised his fingers and tapped the table twice.

Loki, who was lying on the ground, trembled slightly. He quickly lifted his head, forcing a smile onto his face.

"O mighty one… what do you want from me?"

Russell nodded with a satisfied look.

"Very cooperative. But I still don't trust you."

"Come—look into my eyes."

Loki instinctively glanced over. The moment their eyes met, a green light flashed across Russell's pupils and reflected into Loki's.

In an instant, Loki's mind went blank. Several seconds passed before he suddenly snapped back to awareness.

"Huh? Why am I kneeling on the ground?"

"Ugh, why does my face hurt?"

Loki stood up slowly, confused, glancing around for answers. Finding nothing unusual, he straightened up.

Then, his eyes fell on the golden apple on the table—half-eaten.

He froze.

A chill ran down his spine.

"What the hell...?"

Without thinking, Loki turned and quickly left, deciding he'd crash at Thor's place for the night.

As soon as he disappeared, a ripple of green light shimmered in the room.

Russell appeared, holding the bitten apple in hand. He took another bite, watching Loki's retreating figure with an amused smile.

Asgard's skies were simulating dawn.

The next morning, Thor, Loki, and the Four Warriors of Asgard passed through the first golden gate, riding Pegasus toward Bifrost.

Heimdall stood in their path.

Thor ignored him completely, even barking a harsh order:

"Do not report this to the All-Father."

Heimdall narrowed his eyes but remained silent.

The gatekeeper's icy gaze turned instead toward Loki.

The Four Warriors looked on like they were watching a drama unfold. They had disagreed with this reckless adventure but didn't have the courage to oppose Thor directly.

Under Heimdall's gaze, Loki felt uneasy.

Then suddenly, a faint voice echoed in his mind:

He's just a watchdog of Asgard. How dare he look at you like that?

You are a prince—the heir to the throne.

Loki blinked, his face hardening. He responded coldly:

"Step aside, gatekeeper."

"Do you dare defy the will of the royal family?"

The Four Warriors were stunned. Was this really Loki?

The same timid Loki they knew—the one who could only talk tough?

For a moment, they even felt a strange chill in their hearts.

No longer lingering, they followed Thor through the gate.

Heimdall, though furious, silently made way.

He planned to report this to the All-Father soon enough.

They thought this would be like one of their usual missions—quelling a rebellion and returning triumphant.

They had no idea that this time, heading into Jotunheim... they were walking into death.

As Loki passed Heimdall, his expression was cold and unreadable.

Then, just as he passed, he suddenly turned and patted Heimdall's shoulder.

The gatekeeper frowned and looked back—only to see Loki's pupils glowing faintly green.

A voice echoed in Heimdall's mind:

"Infiltration successful."

Loki withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened and quickly caught up with Thor and the others.

Moments later, the Bifrost activated—teleporting them directly into the realm of the giants.

Inside the Bifrost.

Russell appeared in the shimmering light, but Heimdall—now compromised—didn't react.

Even with his hardened will, Heimdall's mind was no match for Russell's influence.

Russell walked slowly to the edge of the rainbow bridge. A faint green glow shimmered in his eyes as he peered into deep space—as though he were seeing another world entirely.

Jotunheim.

The land of eternal winter. The land of endless night.

Snow powdered the skies, and cold starlight lingered above a desolate, lifeless world. No plants, no animals—only the frost giants survived here, creatures who neither ate nor drank.

Fandral looked around and instinctively shrank into his cloak.

Suddenly, he regretted coming.

But Thor, proud and unwavering, pressed forward with the others into the icy landscape.

Soon, they encountered the King of the Frost Giants amidst the ruins of a shattered fortress.

What came next was no surprise—Thor, provoked, lashed out.

He struck down a frost giant without hesitation.

Battle erupted.

Soon, the Asgardians began to falter. The tide was turning.

Meanwhile, back in Asgard...

Russell, watching the battle unfold through Loki's eyes, made no move to teleport in via the Bifrost.

He was waiting—for the perfect moment.

The first target: the Frost Dragon.

It hadn't appeared in Thor 1, so clearly it required a specific trigger.

The second objective: to complete the Ritual of Desperate Creatures.

And for that… he needed things to get much, much worse.

Russell suddenly seemed to sense something and turned around.

He saw two ravens flying in from outside—one ahead, one behind—landing silently on a pair of decorative statues, both staring down at him.

Russell clicked his tongue and looked up at them with a smirk.

"As expected of King Odin. Can't hide anything from you, huh? Why not come out yourself?"

One of the ravens responded in a calm, ancient voice:

"I can sense the blood of the Aesir gods within you—more concentrated than Thor's."

"But I've never seen you before. That's... curious."

"As far as I know, there are no Aesir left wandering outside of Asgard."

Russell shrugged, spreading his hands.

"Maybe you just forgot."

"The Aesir have existed for hundreds of millions of years. With that kind of history, I wouldn't be surprised if a few black sheep slipped through the cracks."

"From what I hear, even Thor has a thing for werewolf women. Doesn't seem like species really matter much. Shouldn't you be more concerned about that?"

The raven said nothing—just stared at him intently.

After a few long seconds, it suddenly asked:

"You're not from this timeline, are you?"

Russell paused, then chuckled.

"As expected of the All-Father. You know more than you let on."

He didn't confirm or deny it.

In a flash, the raven exploded into a burst of golden lightning.

From within the light, Odin emerged, holding the Spear of Eternity—Gungnir.

He didn't look like he intended to fight. His expression was calm, and he spoke evenly:

"You'll learn that, with enough time, some secrets become impossible to ignore."

"So don't be surprised."

Russell raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued.

"Then let me ask you something. Do you know of an Ancient One—a being with a blue glow?"

Odin looked slightly surprised.

"You mean the Sorcerer Supreme? The Ancient One of Kamar-Taj?"

Russell nodded.

"Yes. Looks just like her, but her entire body glowed blue."

Odin furrowed his brow, thinking deeply, then shook his head.

"No… I've never encountered such a being."

"But I do know of the Sorcerer Supreme Alliance. Perhaps the one you met was one of them."

Russell was genuinely surprised.

The Sorcerer Supreme Alliance?!

This secret had never appeared in any Marvel movie. There was no way this was part of the original sacred timeline.

So the sacred timeline really isn't that simple...

Odin continued casually:

"If you're that curious, perhaps you should ask the Ancient One directly. She's decent—aside from being incredibly stubborn."

"Though… I'm in no hurry to see that old woman again."

Russell decided not to press the topic any further and quickly changed direction.

"So then—what does the All-Father plan to do next?"

If he couldn't find the Frost Dragon this time, he'd come back later. But this opportunity to speak with Odin face-to-face was rare—and could prove useful for dealing with other versions of Odin in the future.

Odin didn't appear interested in a fight. He merely looked at Russell and said:

"You carry the lingering aura of the Three Norns—the goddesses of fate."

"You've touched the parchment and begun the trial… So you are this era's King of Trial, aren't you?"

This time, Russell was genuinely shocked.

The longer someone lives, the more they see.

He nodded in silence, not denying it.

Odin sighed softly, with a trace of regret:

"So you've received the World Tree's blessing."

"When your divine power awakens, go to the Fountain of Wisdom. You might discover something... unexpected."

Then, without warning, Odin said:

"How about a deal?"

Russell blinked, intrigued.

"Let's hear it."

Odin's expression grew solemn.

"Since you carry Aesir blood, you must know the tale of Ragnarök."

"But it isn't just a myth—it's a prophecy. A truth."

He looked at Russell, waiting to see his reaction.

But Russell remained unfazed.

Odin's eyes widened slightly.

"You already knew?"

Now he was the one surprised.

This truth had been passed down only among the Aesir gods—and without divine awakening, Russell couldn't be one of them. That made his origins even more mysterious.

Still, Odin wasn't too concerned.

After all, not just anyone could receive the gift of the World Tree. It had been so long since the last one that it had faded into legend. Clearly, the ancient goddess Gaea, who had left behind the World Tree, had foreseen something.

Odin finally spoke again:

"Ragnarök exists across all timelines."

"When I hung myself upon the World Tree and gazed into the Fountain of Wisdom, I caught a glimpse of it—just for a moment."

"Something terrifying… hiding in the shadows."

"I've devised a way to delay it—but nothing more."

Russell immediately understood—Odin was referring to the events of Thor: Ragnarok.

So he really did leave Hela sealed away on purpose…

Odin continued:

"That's why I want to make a deal with you."

"If, someday, you break into the multiverse... come find me at this point in time, and I'll grant you a gift."

"Believe me—you won't regret it."

Russell considered it. The goal seemed far off, but not impossible.

"And what do you want in return?"

Odin turned his eyes toward the depths of space.

He didn't hide his intentions, nor did he sugarcoat them.

"Fate will guide you."

"One day, you'll find yourself face-to-face with the ancient gods. At that point, you won't be able to stay neutral—even if you want to."

Russell didn't respond right away.

He wasn't the type to make impulsive decisions. The future was too uncertain.

Better to wait and see.

Then suddenly—his eyes lit up with a green glow.

As if he had seen something through space and time.

He turned to Odin.

"It's my turn now."

"This isn't something Thor can handle."

Odin nodded.

The Spear of Eternity crackled with tree-like lightning, and the Bifrost roared to life!

In the next instant, a blinding torrent of color surged toward the Realm of Eternal Winter—Jotunheim!

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