"Move to Muspelheim?"
Eitri and the dwarves exchanged uncertain glances. Though their eyes flickered with interest, hesitation weighed them down.
Nidavellir, their home, had been transformed over countless generations into a forge-world without equal. Every mountain and cavern rang with the sound of hammer against anvil. Every street was lined with steel and fire. Yet in this ceaseless creation, all traces of life had long withered. The dwarves lived surrounded by iron, but starved of greenery, warmth, or the breath of a living world.
The thought of relocating to Muspelheim, a primal realm brimming with raw vitality and endless fire, was enticing. It promised more than survival. It promised a chance to grow. But at the same time, unease lingered in their hearts.
For Muspelheim was home to Surtur, the Flame King. Though Odin had once stolen the Eternal Flame from him, Surtur remained a being of terrifying legend an ancient creature who had survived for hundreds of thousands of years. Against such a being, the dwarves dared not raise their voices, let alone claim his land.
Rowan, watching their hesitation, smiled faintly. "Surtur is dying," he said calmly. "You need not fear him. He won't dare move against you."
With that, Rowan unsheathed the Twilight Blade, letting its gleaming edge shimmer in the forge-light.
"The Twilight Sword?"
Eitri's eyes widened. The dwarven king knew this weapon at a glance. This was no ordinary blade but one of the most fearsome artifacts in existence, bound to Surtur's very essence. Yet here it was, in Rowan's hand.
His gaze dropped to the golden Infinity Gauntlet on Rowan's left hand, already bearing the glow of the Power Stone. Cold realization struck. If Rowan carried both the Twilight Sword and the Gauntlet, then it was clear how their former master had lost them.
Eitri swallowed hard and lowered his head. "Lord Rowan, we will follow your arrangements."
Rowan nodded. "Good. Soon I'll use the Space Stone to help you relocate."
After leaving them with that promise, Rowan boarded the vibranium starship once more.
"Aurora, set a course. We're returning to Earth."
"Understood, boss," Aurora's clear voice replied, and the ship's systems hummed as it charted the path back.
Wanda, still dressed in the playful fox-eared costume she had tried on earlier, slipped to Rowan's side. She hooked her arm through his, her curious eyes falling on the golden Gauntlet. "Master, are we really going back to Earth already?"
Rowan chuckled, glancing at the four golden sockets on the Gauntlet. "Yes."
There had been a time when the Ancient One and Odin cast long shadows over his thoughts. Their power made him cautious. But now he carried the Infinity Gauntlet. With it, he had little left to fear. Once he added the three remaining Stones to its power, his strength would surpass anything Earth's guardians could oppose.
And even if it didn't, the Space Stone would guarantee his escape. As long as he lived, he could not be defeated.
…
Three days later, the vibranium starship descended into Earth's orbit. Rowan had been away for eighteen days.
Before setting foot on the surface, Rowan contacted Turk through his communicator. "Turk, what's the situation with that surgeon I told you to watch?"
Turk's voice crackled through. "Boss, there's news. He was in a car accident. To repair his hands, he traveled to Kathmandu in Nepal. My men tracked him as he searched for a place called Kamar-Taj. He entered a narrow alley… and vanished. We couldn't find him after that."
Rowan smiled faintly. "That will be enough. Withdraw the men. You don't need to stay in Kathmandu."
Doctor Stephen Strange had already stepped onto his destined path. The story of the Sorcerer Supreme had begun, and with it, the Ancient One's days were numbered. Rowan had no desire to interfere. In fact, he was eager for her death to come.
And where the Ancient One walked, Odin was never far behind. Both were figures Rowan preferred to avoid. Odin's strength had faded with age, but the remnants of his might were still dangerous. Thankfully, the All-Father seemed intent on living out his final days in quiet peace.
So long as Rowan kept to New York, Odin would likely leave him be.
"Take us home, Aurora."
"Yes, master."
The ship's sleek form pierced the clouds and touched down near the coast where Rowan's vibranium villa stood.
On the balcony above the waves, Tony Stark swayed with Pepper in his arms, a glass of wine in hand. Music drifted softly from hidden speakers as they moved in a slow dance. After weeks of dismantling Hydra's remnants alongside the Avengers, Tony had finally found a rare moment of peace. He intended to use it well.
Their lips had almost met when a streak of silver light tore across the sky. It pierced the horizon like a falling star and vanished beneath the ocean's surface.
Pepper flinched. Tony froze mid-step, eyes locked on the sea. He pressed a finger to his ear.
"JARVIS, did you catch that?"
"Yes, sir. My scans indicate… a spacecraft."
Tony's jaw tightened. Pepper's eyes widened in alarm. "A spaceship? Tony… it's not "
Her memories of the Chitauri invasion flashed vivid and raw. The fear in her voice betrayed the thought: aliens.
But Tony shook his head. "No. Not this time."
"Not this time? How can you be so sure?"
Tony's eyes drifted toward the direction of Rowan's villa. His lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Because of where it landed."
Pepper followed his gaze, then gasped. "Rowan's place?"
"Exactly." Tony's smirk widened. "Do you think aliens would dare drop a ship straight onto his front lawn?"
Pepper shook her head vigorously. "Not a chance."
"Which means that ship belongs to him," Tony concluded. He spread his hands as though it were the most obvious answer.
Pepper relaxed, though awe still flickered in her expression. "Rowan has a spaceship?"
"Looks that way." Tony's eyes narrowed with envy.
Pepper tilted her head, mischief in her tone. "You don't think he went sightseeing across the galaxy, do you?"
Tony's silence was telling enough. His expression twisted with frustration.
He wanted that too.
"Next time," he muttered under his breath, "I'm bringing a bottle of my best scotch and making him take me along."
Pepper laughed softly as they twirled. But their graceful moment shattered when Tony stepped on her heel, and Pepper yelped in pain.
…
Meanwhile, Rowan had no idea Tony was cursing him with envy.
The moment he stepped inside his villa, Rowan turned to Wanda. "Go practice on your own. I need to enter seclusion."
She nodded, and he slipped away into the training chamber, sealing the vibranium doors behind him.
Inside, hidden compartments slid open with a hiss. Three radiant jewels emerged, their light flooding the room: the red Reality Stone, the yellow Mind Stone, and the blue Cosmic Cube that contained the Space Stone.
Rowan closed his fingers around the Cube. Vibranium groaned under his grip as he poured the strength of a mountain into his hand. The Cube cracked, light spilling like molten stars. With one final squeeze, it shattered. From the fragments emerged the true Space Stone, a raw crystal glowing with impossible blue.
Rowan pressed it toward the Gauntlet. The Stone leapt into its socket, locking with a sharp crack. Power rippled outward in blue waves, restrained only by the vibranium walls.
The Reality Stone followed, embedding itself with a crimson flare. Then the Mind Stone, shining bright as dawn.
In moments, the Gauntlet gleamed with four lights: purple, blue, red, and yellow. Energy surged like a storm through Rowan's veins, his hair whipping as if caught in a cosmic gale. For a terrifying instant, he felt he could crush a planet in his palm.
At last, he forced the power down, steadying his breath. He stared at his hand, adorned with four jewels of creation, and his lips curved in a smile he could not contain.
Four Stones. Nearly half the power of the universe itself, resting on his hand.
With this, he could raise armies, conquer galaxies, extinguish stars. He could rival Thanos and surpass him.
But Rowan's ambitions were not so crude. To him, conquest was a waste of time. His true goal lay in understanding the fire of law, the essence of space itself. With the Space Stone, he was closer than ever.
He closed his eyes, mind racing with possibilities. Teleportation without limit. Frozen dimensions. Warps as sharp as blades. Every technique he had read of in fiction, every whispered rumor of cosmic mastery, lay within his grasp.
When he opened his eyes again, the chamber trembled with his laughter.
"The Space Stone… no wonder even Thanos coveted it. With just this one, I could fight a hundred battles and never fall."
Rowan flexed his hand, and a blue vortex bloomed before him. He stepped inside, and in an instant, he was gone.
The universe was now his to walk.
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