VALKYRIE SMASH

In many of the potential futures seen through the Needle, Nathaniel Carter manages to gain enough influence over the Awakened to form a separate faction, which leads to a bloody war with mostly dead ends as the conclusion. The same happens whether the humans and Nephilim remain homogeneous or unite under one flag.

The Awakened were as much of a curse as they were a blessing. Previously Sam didn't have to worry too much about bringing the Nephilim into his world but after everything he learned the consequences because a lot more complicated.

"Merging societies, huh…" Thor muttered, staring at her reflection in the clear surface of her drink. She seemed to ponder over his suggestion for a while, and though her expression hid it well, Sam could tell that she didn't like it very much. "I doubt that it's possible."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"I'm aware it would be extremely difficult but…"

"General Sanderson, I'm sure you're aware that not everyone was opposed to my sister's actions so far." The statement drew a reaction from Mimir who didn't seem too pleased with her queen revealing something so sensitive. "I don't want to admit it but… quite a few believe we were justified in our attempt to eradicate humans. The reasons might differ, but the conclusion is the same."

"... I see…"

Of course, Sam was already aware of that much. Even if she's their queen it was difficult to believe Hela would've gone ahead with her massacre if there was a significant opposition to it. One could argue that most Nephilim didn't understand the repercussions of their actions since all of them were still children at the time, but now that they know most of them are reincarnations it could be said that their previous lives influenced their actions making them liable for what happened.

Either way, that would only mean the chasm between humans and Nephilim was much wider than one would think. It was easy to assume discrimination would come from humans, but Freyja's Children aren't the innocent angels their appearance makes them out to be.

"If we attempt to force our worlds to merge it will only lead to catastrophe. One doesn't need future sight to know that much." She added. "Still, it is undeniable that we need each other, and we might find ourselves in a position where we have to form alliances in order to achieve our goals. For the time being all we can do is try and work together. Of course all of that depends on whether our interests align or not."

Sam held back a sigh as he looked into the queen's eyes and then glanced at her consultant. He never expected it to be easy, of course. Though they didn't have much experience when it came to dealing with politics the Nephilim weren't about to fall in line easily. Mimir seems to be aware of his intentions of absorbing them into his forces and thus she has been taking the necessary precautions to ensure it doesn't happen.

'And here I thought we were on the same page…'

"Rescuing Alice is still our foremost priority." He said. "That isn't going to change."

"I'm glad." Thor replied. "Once our great sister is back with us, everything will fall in place naturally."

Once again Sam found himself having to suppress his emotions, though this time he plastered a polite smile on his face. Thankfully neither the queen nor her consultant asked the obvious question. With the power to see the future on their side it should've been easy to see how their quest would turn out. Theoretically, at least. Though she made an attempt, Nino was unable to find a Path that got them close to defeating Loki and rescuing Alice and Freyja.

It is for that reason Sam has been concerned about the humans Awakening. If they manage to get the original Alice back then they would have the option to create more Valkyries and make up for their lack of numbers. The fact that they didn't do it meant they failed to attain their goal leaving them vulnerable to an uprising from the humans.

'How is she doing it…'

After pondering over it again and again Sam began to suspect that Loki knew about the Needle and was actively taking measures to ensure her presence wasn't detected in the potential futures. The Artifact shows the future through the user's own point of view, which means unless the user is aware of something there is no way for their past self to see it.

It was another limitation of the Needle, one that could be exploited by the enemy to avoid falling victim to its incredible power.

'Things would've been much simpler if we didn't have it.' Sam thought, sighing on the inside. 'It does make a lot of things easier but… who could've guessed that knowing what the future holds was as stressful as being in the dark…'

"As for your request." Thor's voice severed his line of thought. "I do not mind landing you a few Cleansers, however I want something in return."

Sam smiled wryly.

"As long as it is within my power." He replied.

"North America." Just as Sam began to wonder what her payment would be, the Nephilim queen spoke in an even voice. "I want the continent of North America as our territory."

Sam could only stare back at her, his expression frozen. After a while he could no longer suppress the urge and a sigh escaped him. He picked up his cup and noticed that its contents had long since gone cold. He was at a loss for words trying to comprehend what the queen was saying, but no matter what he did it failed to make sense to him.

"North America, huh…" he muttered, his eyes meeting those of the woman sitting in front of him. "A piece of land no longer holds as much value now that we have access to the multiverse. Wouldn't it be much better if you were to find a new world to call your own?"

"That sounds great, but it won't do." She replied. "For our alliance to last we need to ensure we're nothing is hindering our communication."

Once again Sam found himself in deep thought. Several hypotheses formed in his mind and soon enough he had a guess as to what their objective was.

"I understand." He said eventually. "Unfortunately we would have to decide on another territory. As you might already know North America was the first place to fall in the war. Now that it's finally back in our hands I have no intention of giving it up."

None of the six Generals had laid their hands on the two Americas but that didn't mean it was up for grabs. A memorial would be built to honor the victims of the long Calamity War and the location would be Syracuse, the place where the first attack took place as well as Sam's hometown.

The Doctor has plans of his own for that region so he couldn't just hand it over.

"... I see." Thor heaved a sigh. "We are in no rush to establish ourselves in this world. Once the Ritual is taken care of we can further discuss the topic."

"I'm glad you understand, your highness." Wearing his usual smile, Sam felt a bit of relief as he responded to the crimson queen's suggestion.

Still, one more thing was added to the pile of stuff he needed to worry about. He always knew the Nephilim were going to be a pain to deal with, however he failed to anticipate for their negotiations to turn in this direction.

The Nephilim world was infested by the Fallen and there was no hope of them reclaiming it. It was clear that he would have to put up with them until they found a different world to take as their own, but what he didn't anticipate was that they would insist on staying in his world, probably to keep an eye on the humans in case they get ahead of themselves.

'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, huh…'