Thor's hand tightened on Mjolnir's handle, his gaze narrowing as he stepped forward.

  "Who are you two to dare stand before the All-Father and Queen of Asgard?" he demanded, voice cold and ced with suspi.

  Seph turned slowly, his expression unreadable, while He gave an amused smile, clearly unfazed by her younger brother's imposing stance.

  "Thor," Seph said, his voice steady, "We're not here to challenge Asgard. But perhaps you are the one who o learn the differewees and threats."

  Thor frowned, his eyes narrowing further. "You e into Asgard, the heart of my father's kingdom, unannounced and accuse him before his own family? I call that threat enough. And you have attacked one of my friends."

  His gaze flickered to He, his expression hardening. "And you—who are you to stand beside him, defiant and smug?"

  He raised an eyebrow, her smile growing sharper. "Ah, Thor. Always so quick to defend, so slow to think. I am He, your sister, Firstborn of Odin."

  "Lies!" Thor barked, taking a step forward, lightning crag at his fiips. "You have no cim here. My father..."

  "Your father is why you know nothing of me, brother," He interrupted, her voice cold and anding. "Odin hid me away, hoping you'd never discover his mistakes or my existence. But I am his daughter, as surely as you are his son."

  Thor hesitated, fusion flickering in his eyes, but he quickly masked it with anger, raising Mjolnir. "Enough! I don't care what you cim to be... both of you have tested Asgard's patieand down, or I will see to it myself."

  With a smirk, He stepped forward. "If you're so eager to prove yourself, little brother, by all means."

  Before Thor could react, He unleashed a wave of bck, spectral bdes, each spinning with deadly precision. Thor barely had time to raise Mjolnir, using it to deflect each strike as he was forced onto the defensive.

  He moved with lethal grace, her every motion a calcuted strike desigo test him, to break him down piece by piece.

  Thor fought fiercely, tering every blow with his hammer, but he was clearly outmatched. He had trained under Odin himself; she knew how to dismantle her oppo with minimal effort.

  Within moments, Thor was disarmed and forced to the ground, her bde resting lightly against his throat.

  "Still think yourself unstoppable, Thor?" He asked, her tone mog yet tinged with a deeper anger. "You think a hammer makes you a god? That power alone makes you worthy?"

  "Enough," Seph's voice broke through, calm but firm, aepped back, allowing Thor to scramble to his feet, his pride bruised far worse than his body.

  Breathing heavily, Thor turo Seph, still defiant. "Who are you to speak to me this way? Do you thiing me gives you the right?"

  Seph's expression remained calm. "I don't seek your submission, Thor. I seek to help you uand the weight of what you think you know."

  Thor scowled, chest heaving, but he held his ground, unwilling to look away from Seph's peing gaze.

  "You see us as intruders, as enemies, yet you don't question why we're here," Seph tinued. "All your life, you've been told what to protect, what to fight. But were you ever taught to listen? To see beyond the limits of your own pride?"

  Thor ched his jaw. "I know what my father has taught me. He has led Asgard to greatness, and I have followed in his steps."

  "And that's precisely the problem," Seph replied, his voice steely. "You've followed, but you've never questioned. You wield Mjolnir, yet it is not the hammer that makes a ruler. Strength is not just a tool fhting... it's a responsibility. You ot charge blindly into every fight and expeerge a true king."

  Thor's anger dimmed, his brow furrowing as the weight of Seph's words sank in. Beside him, Odin and Frigga watched their expressions a mixture of pride a, knowing the truth in Seph's words.

  "If you are to lead, Thor," Seph tinued, "you must first learn to look beyond yourself. True strength lies in uanding not only your own power but your limitations. Ruling is more than swinging a hammer. It's more than standing on a battlefield. It's knowing when to listen, when to hold back, and when to extend a hand instead of a fist."

  Thor looked away, his grip on Mjolnir loosening as he absorbed Seph's words.

  "Do not be blinded by pride, Thor," Seph said, his tone softer. "A true king knows humility. He knows passion and the ce it takes to put others before himself. Bee the king Asgard deserves, not just the warrior your father raised you to be."

  Thor took a deep breath, his shoulders rexing slightly as the anger ebbed away, leaving him standing in silence before Seph.

  "I… will think on what you've said," Thor said finally, his voice low, but a newfound respect evident in his gaze.

  Seph nodded, a faint smile grag his lips. "Good. Because Asgard does not need a god of thuhor. It needs a god who lead."

  Thor lowered Mjng at his parents and then at He. With a final nod to Seph, he turned ahe hall, the weight of Seph's words settling on him as he pondered what it truly meant to be worthy.

  As Seph watched Thor leave, he turo Odin and Frigga, their expressions somber but grateful. Though this frontation had shaken the foundations of pride and tradition, Seph khat, perhaps, the seeds of a new Asgard had been pnted.

  As the echo of Thor's footsteps faded down the hall, a faint rustling in the shadows caught Seph's attention.

  He paused, gng at a he edge of the throne room, where a familiar figure lurked in the dim light.

  Loki, silent and watchful, had been listening from the shadows, his expression shiftiween intrigue and guarded suspi.

  "Loki," Seph called, his voice calm yet cutting through the stillness. "You've been listening quite ily. Care to join us openly?"

  Loki's eyes widened for a split sed before he posed himself, stepping out from behind the n with a wry smile, his arms crossed in a show of feigned nonce. "Who, me? Simply ensuring these so-called visitors didn't overstay their wele."

  "Curiosity has always been your strength—and your undoing," Seph replied, his tone wry but ced with insight. He gestured to a spot beside him. "e. You're already here; let's have a word."

  Loki's smile faded as he took a few careful steps forward, though he didn't join Seph directly, opting to stand a few paces away, still cautious.

  --- ? ? ? ---

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