Angela

When mortals hear the word “heaven,” their minds conjure up images of endless cloudy plains where worthy souls can find eternal peace. But only those who have seen the realm of Heven firsthand know the truth. It is a nigh-impenetrable fortress designed to prepare the Angels who dwell there for one thing, and one thing only: Glorious war!

None knew the reality of Heven better than Angela. Stolen from Asgard as an infant and long thought dead by her royal family, the daughter of Odin was secretly raised as an Angel, eventually becoming one of the Queen of Heven’s most trusted and capable soldiers. Like her “sisters” in Heven, Angela lived by the belief that nothing is given and that everything has a cost. And there were no costs greater than the ones that both Angela and Heven paid when the Timestream Entanglement rippled across the fabric of reality.

Long ago, Odin had removed the Tenth Realm from its rightful place on the World Tree, Yggdrasil, as retribution for the Queen of Heven’s brazen affronts. While Heven’s place in reality was eventually restored, allowing Angela to reunite with her long-lost siblings, the realm’s tether to its home dimension had been substantially weakened. And the time had finally come for that connection to be broken for good.

On the eve of the Timestream Entanglement, Angela had taken her baby sister, Laussa, to visit one of the wonders of Heven, the Scintillant Sylvanias. Little did Angela realize that this peaceful moment of sisterly bonding would soon end in unspeakable tragedy. The Hand of Heven was caught off-guard when the Dísir — undead Valkyries devoted to Hela — attacked and snatched Laussa from her arms. Angela tried to give chase, but just as she was about to reclaim her sister from the Dísir’s cursed clutches, a massive wave of chronal energy washed over the Tenth Realm.

As time and space began to unravel, Heven found itself unmoored. The entire realm was swept up in the Timestream Entanglement and deposited in another collapsing timeline. And all those who dwelled in the Tenth Realm, including Angela, found themselves caught in the undertow. For all of their centuries-long lives, the Angels of Heven had readied themselves for battle, but none could have been prepared for the conflict they had suddenly found themselves thrust into — an unending struggle between ancient gods and ruthless demons.

As the Hand of Heven, the captain of the Angelic army, it was Angela’s duty to put her personal strife aside and lead her fellow warriors into the fray. Though they fought valiantly, countless Angels fell in the brutal conflict. Before long, even the Queen of Heven herself became a casualty of war. As next in line for the throne, Angela reluctantly ascended to rule the Tenth Realm. And though she wished to avenge her fallen sisters of Heven, the fate of her real sister, Laussa, had never left her mind. She blamed herself for the child’s disappearance and was determined to repay the debt she owed. Angela vowed that she would do whatever it took to find Laussa, even if it meant abandoning the confrontation at hand to scour every realm across every reality for the lost child.

Fortunately, during her time on the battlefield, Angela had struck up an allegiance with the Queen of Limbo, a powerful Mutant sorceress. With a wave of her hand, the Queen of Limbo could summon portals that bridged the gap between dimensions. Thanks to her, Angela was able to return to her own dimension and resume her search for Laussa — and for the vile witch who had dared to steal her away.

According to one of Heven’s all-seeing Hierophants, Hela had last been seen vying for control of Asgard itself, so Angela first traveled to the fabled land of her birth. There, in the realm now known as Yggsgard, she found the golden palace in disarray. Her father, Odin, was locked away in his chambers, deep in his Odinsleep. It was clear that a great conflict had taken place there recently, and while Hela may have taken part in it, all signs pointed to the fact that Angela’s adopted brother Loki had orchestrated the scheme. But neither Hela nor Loki were present now. Nor was Angela’s true brother, Thor. If she knew her siblings, they had likely lost interest in the affairs of their own realm and had gone off to fight in some other conflict on Midgard, as they were wont to do. Angela decided to follow suit to see if she could gain any further insight into Hela’s whereabouts.

When she arrived on Midgard, Angela found the human world in a state of complete chaos. She watched from a distance as the heroes of that realm — including her brothers and her former allies, the Guardians of the Galaxy — battled against sinister forces that had thrust one of Earth’s most vibrant cities into unyielding darkness. Angela decided to move on before she found herself swept into yet another war against her will.

She next ventured to ancient Vanaheim, hoping that her mother, Queen Frigga, might be able to aid her in her quest where her father and brothers could not. But this was the first that Frigga had heard of Laussa’s disappearance. Though she was grateful that one daughter had returned to her, the potential loss of another weighed heavy on Frigga’s heart. Frigga implored Angela to continue her search for Laussa while Frigga herself rushed off to consult the mystical seers known as the Norns about the child’s fate.

Then, Angela paid visit to the fiery realm of Muspelheim. It had been said that a piece of Surtur’s soul resided within young Laussa, so perhaps Hela had made a deal with the Queen of Cinders, who sought to bring that infernal power back to her realm. But as Angela held the Queen of Cinders at the point of her spear, the Fire Demon swore on her father’s sacred Twilight Sword that she had no inkling where Hela or the child could be. Angela could tell from the way Sindr’s flames trembled that she was not lying, so she spared the Queen of Muspelheim’s life and journeyed on.

Angela’s voyage across the realms continued, taking her to the icy peaks of Jotunheim. Though King Laufey had no information to share regarding Hela or Laussa, Angela still enjoyed slashing her way through his battalion of Frost Giant guards nonetheless.

In the mountain tunnels beneath Nidavellir, King Eitri gave Angela a warm welcome, offering her Dwarven ale and finely crafted weapons truly befitting a queen… but Angela was perfectly content with her Ichors and had no desire to partake in revelry until after her quest was complete.

Moving on to Alfheim, she was welcomed by Queen Aelsa Featherwine of the Fay. As was always the case, Aelsa insisted that Dark Elves must be the true villains behind Hela’s ploy. Angela considered that, perhaps, just this once, the Light Elf Queen might be onto something…

Angela swiftly traveled to Svartalfheim and interrogated a band of Dark Elf mercenaries she encountered in Bloodmuck Swamp. They claimed that they had not seen the missing child themselves, but their king, Malekith, had spoken of her after he was paid a visit by Hela not long ago. After Angela bested Malekith in combat, he grudgingly admitted that Hela had indeed come to him, inquiring about how she could use Laussa’s unique abilities to manipulate the subconscious of Nidhogg the Black Dragon to make the beast do her bidding. Angela knew that her next stop had to be beneath Asgard, where Nidhogg was often found gnawing on the roots of Yggdrasil.

When she reached the base of the World Tree, Nidhogg was nowhere to be seen. However, Angela did find herself in the company of another unexpected guest — Munnin, one of her father’s beloved ravens. The bird had often served as one of Odin’s most trusted messengers, but this time, Munnin had a message of his own to deliver to Angela.

Munnin claimed that he had just returned from a distant world called Klyntar. While there, he had witnessed Hela fighting in the name of a dark god called Knull. Angela instantly decided she would change her course and venture to Klyntar to confront Hela directly, but Munnin advised her against it. He claimed that Hela’s time as Knull’s Queen in Black was short-lived and that she had fled from Klyntar when her scheme failed. Though Munnin admitted he had not seen where Hela had run off to after her fall from grace, Angela had fair reason to believe Hela would take solace in her own dark fortress in Niffleheim, protected by her army of the dead. And for an Angel of Heven, there was no place less welcoming than the realm more commonly known as Hel. Still, she thanked Munnin and set off for the Asgardian underworld.

After what seemed like an eternity, Angela arrived on Nastrond — Niffleheim’s infamous Shore of Corpses. There, some of the most dangerous souls in Hel wandered in perpetual anguish. Countless undead soldiers dared to attack Angela the moment she set foot on Nastrond’s icy shore, but all were quickly dispatched with her legendary spear… save for one…

This soul was different. It radiated with an intense energy unlike anything Angela had ever felt before. Even though the warrior it once belonged to was no longer alive, it was clear his spirit had not been snuffed out quite yet. As the warrior’s soul approached, his fist began to glow. The green and yellow tatters of his clothing fluttered in the frigid breeze, revealing a dragon-like symbol tattooed onto the withered, decaying flesh of his chest.

“Hold, warrior,” Angela said. “I mean you no harm. It is only your Queen I wish to shred to ribbons.”

“Not… my queen…” the undead warrior said with what sounded like a chuckle, “I… only serve… Shou-Lao…”

“Shou-Lao?” Angela questioned. “I have never heard that name before.”

“You will… soon enough…” the warrior replied, “…if you want… to find Hela…”

“Is this Shou-Lao here in Niffleheim, then?” Angela queried.

“No…” the warrior groaned. “She’s there… in K’un-Lun…”

Angela had heard of K’un-Lun. It was an enchanted realm that served as one of the so-called Seven Capital Cities of Heaven. Hailing from the one true Heven, Angela had always dismissed K’un-Lun and its sister cities as nothing more than cheap imitations. But if Hela had taken sanctuary there, perhaps it was finally time to see if these realms lived up to their name.

“How does one get to K’un-Lun?” Angela asked.

“It’s a long… winding road…” the warrior replied, “…but if I could find it… so can you…”

With that, the undead warrior reached out his hand and opened his glowing fist, revealing a dazzling crystal floating above his palm. It sparkled a brilliant green and was shaped like the dragon on the warrior’s chest.

“This… should lead you there...” he said. “A bit of Shou-Lao’s Chi… in crystal form…”

“What can I do to repay you?” Angela asked.

“This one’s… on me…” the warrior replied.

“Everything has a cost,” Angela responded sternly.

“Fair enough…” the warrior said, as he began to walk away. “How about this…? If you happen to meet… someone named Luke… tell him, I said ‘hi’… and ‘bye’…”

Angela watched as the warrior lumbered away, looking to the sky with an air of relief when he reached the Shore of Corpses.

“Now… if you’ll excuse me…” the warrior continued, “…my ride is finally here…”

Within moments, an armored woman descended from the skies on a winged horse. Angela recognized her as one of Odin’s Valkyries, tasked with ushering the bravest, most noble souls to their final heroic reward in Valhalla. The warrior climbed aboard the steed, which soon vanished into the thick clouds hanging over Niffleheim.

With that, Angela took flight once more as well, letting the strange, spirit-infused crystal guide her across the realms until she finally reached the mystical city of K'un-Lun. When she arrived, she soon discovered that she was not alone. An assemblage of heroes had gathered in that ancient land, preparing for an impending invasion. Among the champions, Angela spotted someone vaguely familiar… a man who wore green and yellow and had a dragon emblem on his chest — the same symbol sported by the undead warrior she encountered in Hel.

“You!” Angela demanded. “Are you the one they call ‘Luke’?”

“No,” the man replied, confused. “I’m Lin Lie. But you can just call me Iron Fist.”

“I see…” Angela said. “Then I must seek audience with Shou-Lao.”

“Get in line, lady,” Iron Fist said with a smirk. “The big guy’s asleep right now… and as his Immortal Weapon, that means I’ve got to deal with a mountain of problems. Doom is planning an attack on the Heart of Heaven. The Eighth City of Dizang somehow had merged with the other seven as well. Oh, and I’ve been stuck babysitting the itty-bitty goddess that the Prince of Orphans took in. So, unless you’re planning to join the fight —”

“Indeed, I am!” Angela said, raising her spear and charging at full speed toward the unsuspecting Iron Fist.

Angela had thought she had caught the faintest trace of Laussa’s unmistakable scent on the man’s garments. And when he mentioned the “itty-bitty goddess,” her suspicions were confirmed. Whether this Iron Fist was working with Hela or not, Angela didn’t know. But she did know this:

When she finally found those who had taken her sister from her, the cost of their transgression would be high. Perhaps the highest they would ever pay.