Heimdall didn't even ask where Thor was taking Clark. He simply activated the portal to Nidavellir. As the passage opened, Heimdall plunged the Bifrost sword down, and Clark and Thor vanished from Asgard.
A streak of multicolored light descended in Nidavellir, and Thor and Clark appeared there.
Upon arrival, Clark looked around at the surroundings. It was completely different from what Thanos had left behind in Avengers: Infinity War. Right now, Nidavellir was thriving.
At the center, a neutron star blazed like a burning sun, emitting a dazzling brilliance that illuminated all of Nidavellir.
Four massive star rings circled the stellar core. The energy from the neutron star flowed through these rotating rings and into Nidavellir's massive forge, producing temperatures hot enough to melt any substance.
"Thor, what brings you here today? What wind blew you this way?"
While Clark was observing this technologically magnificent dwarf kingdom, a towering figure approached them.
Having seen the Bifrost open, King Eitri of the dwarves knew someone had arrived from Asgard, so he came over to investigate.
"Hey, Eitri! Long time no see." Thor turned toward the voice and saw his old friend walking over.
"Clark, let me introduce you. This is Eitri, the leader of Nidavellir. He helped forge my hammer, Mjolnir. Many of Asgard's weapons were crafted by the dwarves here."
"Dwarves?"
Clark looked at the so-called Dwarf King approaching them. He did look a bit like the dwarves of legend—slightly disheveled, with long, messy hair and a thick beard.
But aside from the folklore-like appearance, Clark couldn't help wondering: who in the world came up with calling them dwarves? Eitri stood over four meters tall—if a frost giant showed up, he'd be the one looking up!
Staring at this "dwarf" who was twice his size, Clark wondered if Norse mythology had some serious misconceptions about the word short.
After the introduction, Thor turned to Eitri and said, "Eitri, this is my friend Clark. He's from Midgard. I brought him here today because I was hoping you could forge him a weapon."
Then Thor turned to Clark. "Right, Clark, what kind of weapon are you looking for?"
"Don't worry. Since you're a guest of Asgard, and a friend of Thor's, I'll personally craft a weapon for you," Eitri said warmly.
Though Eitri looked scruffy, he was the greatest smith among all dwarves. However, he didn't forge just any weapon for anyone. Most Asgardian weapons were made by regular dwarven smiths. Eitri only crafted high-tier weapons reserved for royalty—like Mjolnir, Odin's Eternal Spear, the Destroyer, and Thanos's Infinity Gauntlet.
"Actually… I'm not here to forge a weapon." Clark finally admitted, feeling a bit awkward given how enthusiastic Thor and Eitri had been.
"?? You're not here to forge a weapon?" Thor looked surprised. Nidavellir didn't have shops. If Clark wasn't here for a weapon, what was he here for? He didn't seem to have any relatives in the realm either.
"I want to use that." Clark pointed at the rainbow-like ring near the center of Nidavellir's stellar forge.
"???"
"???"
Thor and Eitri looked at the rainbow ring, then back at Clark—wondering if he had lost his mind.
"I mean, I just want to stay there for a while," Clark added, assuming they hadn't understood him.
"Uh… Clark, right? You might not know this, but in Nidavellir, the energy of the entire star is channeled through those rings and into the forge. No one can survive inside the rainbow ring—it contains the power of an entire star."
Eitri explained carefully, thinking Clark might not understand and worried the guy might try to kill himself right in front of him.
"Clark… are you joking?" Thor asked, hoping this was just some kind of odd Midgardian humor.
"It's okay, I just want to give it a try. Normal heat doesn't affect me. I won't dive straight in," Clark said, calmly and patiently.
"Are you sure, Clark? That will kill you." Thor knew just how hot that place was. Even Mjolnir, if left there too long, would melt.
"Yeah, don't worry." Clark turned to Eitri, nodding politely. After all, it was better to ask permission when using someone else's things.
"Don't look at me. If you really want to go, then go. But if anything happens, don't blame me," Eitri said. Since Clark was Asgard's guest, and Nidavellir was under Asgard's protection, he couldn't exactly refuse.
"Thanks, Eitri." Clark smiled, then patted Thor on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I wouldn't joke around with my own life. I've still got plenty of living left to do."
"Alright… just be careful." Since Clark insisted, Thor had nothing more to say.
Whoosh. Clark took a deep breath, then soared toward the rainbow ring. He wasn't entirely sure if it would work—but ever since discovering he was Superman and arriving in the Marvel universe, Clark had been intrigued by the ring of light seen in Avengers: Infinity War.
He figured the ring could help him. After all, Superman's powers come from solar radiation. And in the Marvel universe, there was no distinction between red and yellow suns—just stars.
At the center of Nidavellir sat a neutron star, activated by a ring system. Only stars many times the mass of the sun could become neutron stars. So this forge's radiation output was at least several times that of Earth's sun.
Clark didn't know if he could handle that much solar energy—but he was willing to try.
After all, it's not like Superman could be burned by the sun, right?
As he approached the rainbow ring, Clark could already feel the surge of stellar energy gathering within the light. Though he hadn't entered the ring yet, he could sense his strength growing. Not by much, but definitely several times faster than on Earth.
"Efficient!"
Realizing his theory might actually work, Clark took a deep breath and stepped into the rainbow ring.
"AHHH!"
The moment he entered, Clark let out a howl.
It was hot. Unbearably hot.
But it wasn't like being burned by boiling water. No—this was heat from the inside out. It felt like each of his cells had been plucked from his body and individually grilled.
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