Baldur Odinson:The light of Asgard

Chapter 19: The First Challenge

The universe was vast.

Baldur had always known this—both from his former life, when he had watched the MCU unfold as mere fiction, and now, as he drifted through the stars, experiencing it firsthand.

But knowing something and understanding it were two very different things.

He was beginning to understand.

The ruins of the dead world still weighed on his mind. The stories of those survivors—people who had lost everything to Thanos' culling—had not left him. He had chosen not to stay, had chosen to keep moving, but the reality of what had happened there lingered like a ghost.

And he knew that was only one world among thousands that had suffered the same fate.

If he wanted to stand against that kind of power, he had to become something greater.

And so, he traveled.

Not randomly, not without purpose. He followed the whispers of the cosmos, the fragments of information carried through the void by traders, refugees, and warlords. There was knowledge to be gained, challenges to be overcome, and power to seize.

And his first true test lay on a world that burned blue.

Xandar.

Even from space, it was a marvel.

The planet gleamed with artificial lights, its massive floating cities stretching into the sky, interconnected by sprawling networks of advanced technology. Unlike Asgard, which radiated divine authority, or Earth, which was still struggling to understand its place in the larger cosmos, Xandar was civilization perfected—the hub of one of the most advanced and well-organized factions in the known universe.

The Nova Corps was here. A force respected and feared, keepers of order in a galaxy ruled by chaos.

Baldur touched down just outside the planetary entry zone, hovering above one of the transport lanes as automated ships zipped past in precise, orderly patterns. Security drones scanned him immediately, their metallic voices cold and professional.

"Unregistered lifeform detected. Identify yourself."

Baldur smirked. He could have simply ignored them—none of these machines could stop him. But he wasn't here to fight.

"Baldur Odinson," he said, letting his voice carry. "Son of Odin, Prince of Asgard."

There was a brief pause before the drones processed his claim. Then, a different voice—human, this time—spoke through a comm-link.

"Asgardian, huh?"

A patrol ship descended from above, sleek and angular, marked with the insignia of the Nova Corps. A moment later, the side hatch slid open, and a uniformed officer stepped out onto a hovering platform, arms crossed.

He was tall, muscular, and carried himself with the weight of experience. His uniform bore the emblem of the Nova Corps but had additional insignias—a sign of high rank.

Baldur recognized him immediately.

Rhomann Dey.

He had been a side character in Guardians of the Galaxy, a soldier loyal to Nova Prime. A man who had once fought against Ronan's forces and played a role—however small—in the eventual downfall of Thanos' war machine.

Here, though?

He was younger, sharper, and definitely not in the mood for games.

"You're a long way from home, Asgardian," Rhomann said, eyeing Baldur with cautious interest. "What brings you to Xandar?"

Baldur could have said many things. He could have spoken of his desire to get stronger, to prepare for the wars that were coming, to ensure that the mistakes of the past would not be repeated.

But instead, he smirked.

"I was told this was where I could find a real challenge."

Rhomann didn't take him to a grand palace or a secret war room filled with cosmic strategists.

Instead, Baldur found himself standing in the middle of a Nova Corps training center, surrounded by dozens of recruits and seasoned officers alike.

The facility was massive—an open battlefield constructed within a force-shield dome, where warriors trained in both hand-to-hand combat and high-tech weaponry.

Baldur watched as soldiers ran through drills, engaging in tactical simulations against energy-based constructs and remote drones.

"Xandar doesn't fight wars like Asgard," Rhomann said, watching the training unfold. "You people have always relied on strength, on godly power, on your so-called divine authority."

Baldur raised an eyebrow. "And Xandar?"

Rhomann's expression was grim.

"We rely on strategy."

Baldur's golden eyes flickered. "That why you lost to Thanos?"

The Nova officer stiffened, a flicker of pain crossing his face before it disappeared behind a wall of practiced indifference.

But Baldur had seen it.

"We lost," Rhomann admitted, "because we underestimated the scale of what we were up against. We thought that order and law could hold back a force like that. We were wrong."

He turned to Baldur, expression harder now.

"But we won't make that mistake again."

For hours, Baldur walked the halls of Nova Prime's greatest stronghold, listening, observing.

He saw how the Nova Corps prepared for war, how they analyzed every conflict in the galaxy, breaking it down to a science.

He saw holographic records of the Kree-Skrull Wars, of the fallen empires that had crumbled before they even reached their golden age.

And he saw whispers of something greater.

In the deeper archives, there were records—fragmented, incomplete, but there.

• Mentions of a Titan who had shaped the course of history from the shadows.

• References to a warlord who had existed before the Nova Corps itself.

• Unconfirmed reports of a being who had gathered power beyond understanding.

Baldur already knew who it was.

Thanos' name was not spoken outright, but he was here—woven into the history of the universe, a phantom that had never truly been stopped.

This wasn't just an enemy. This was inevitability given form.

And Baldur wasn't ready. Not yet.

When Baldur left Xandar, it was with more than just knowledge.

He had glimpsed the scale of the universe's conflicts, had seen how warriors like the Nova Corps fought battles that stretched across generations.

And he had realized something crucial.

Asgardian strength alone was not enough.

If he wanted to face what was coming, he needed more than raw power.

He needed to become something else.

Something greater.

And the first step toward that goal?

A forgotten battlefield, where the last remnants of celestial warriors still lingered.

Baldur's golden light flared, and with a burst of speed, he vanished into the cosmos.

The next trial awaited.