"F*ck! Is that an Ether Particle?"
"Hey! Aether appearing on Terra? Seriously?"
"My God… something powerful enough to destroy an entire universe is actually right there on Earth?"
"No, no, that's probably not our Earth! Didn't you see Jane was in another realm?"
"I'm just gonna say it, the world is completely f*cking insane!"
"Is that still the Earth we know? Everything we're used to is like a frog staring up from the bottom of a well!"
"Come on… are these people really from other worlds?"
"If so, then Earth back then was way too dangerous!"
"Can people from other worlds really step onto Earth?"
[Suddenly, the imprisoned Ether Particle began thrashing violently. A faint crackling sound echoed; it looked as though it slipped directly into Jane's arm. With a heavy bang, the cracked ancient pillar instantly sealed shut again.]
[Jane jolted in shock. She stumbled backward, instinctively trying to run. But after only a few steps, her body swayed, and she collapsed, fainting right onto the ground.]
"?? The Aether… Jane absorbed it?!"
"No way, Jane's courage is insane!"
"That scared the hell out of me."
"How does that even happen?! The Aether can destroy the universe!"
"So in the end… was it Jane who destroyed the universe and rewrote Earth's entire historical age?"
"This footage is too shocking."
The screen jumped again.
[A massive space opened into view, and a swirling ring of black matter rotated silently. Inside a colossal cross-shaped aircraft, dormant equipment began powering up on its own. A figure stepped out, the Dark Elf King, Magakis. He descended from the activation platform as more Dark Elves awakened in rows beneath him.]
"The Ether awakens us."
"The Gathering has begun!"
[Countless Dark Elves rose from their hibernation chambers.]
And across the live broadcast, every viewer's heart tightened at once.
"The Aether is inside Jane now."
"Magakis will definitely track it."
"And that means he's coming to Earth! Earth is doomed."
"Not 'doomed', already doomed!"
"Magakis is way stronger than the Chitauri! Earth of that era could barely resist alien threats!"
"Unless Tony steps in… there might be a chance."
"Damn it! Why didn't they destroy the Ether immediately? Now they're bringing disaster to Earth again!"
"Our Terra… do we ever stop attracting hatred? Why does every cosmic force want something from us!?"
"It's so pale it's practically albino! Damn!"
The Dark Elves clearly intended to hunt down the Aether.
Earth's era was about to be struck by alien forces once more. Everyone in the Terra Federation felt a wave of discomfort.
At the Supreme Council, the expressions of the Councilors remained stiff as stone. Countless thoughts churned through their minds.
Councilor Hyeon let out a bitter laugh, "The Chitauri creatures… that unknown purple monster… the Nine Realms… and now Dark Elves. Terra still managed to survive back then is honestly a miracle."
Councilor Kennedy spoke solemnly: "We always preach: 'explore the universe, push into space.' But watching these clips… I finally understand. We've always judged cosmic exploration from our own perspective."
He scanned the hall with heavy eyes, "But in terms of combat power, whether Terra or Earth, we're at the very bottom."
Councilor Sith nodded. "From today onward, we must rise far higher. We must step beyond Terra, view the cosmos from the universe's perspective. Stars, life, physics, all of it."
Councilor Gladwin added, "Newton's gravitational laws were formulated for Terra. But in a universe so vast, there must be rules that transcend time and space."
Another Councilor asked, "Has Terra's history ever recorded the existence of Ether Particles?"
Gladwin shook his head, "None. Not a single reference so far."
The elder sighed heavily, "If Terra never found it… Then the Dark Elf Malekith probably took it. To destroy the universe… to return everything to darkness? Or perhaps it was seized by something even more terrifying, that purple-faced monster."
Hyeon said, "Regardless of which is true… Earth's era was likely one of the universe's major focal points. Not the center of Asgard, but the center of catastrophic events."
Everyone grew contemplative. Then the realization hit them at once.
Gladwin looked up at the screen, "There is never love without reason, nor hatred without reason. Earth, and Terra, must hold something unique."
Councilor Sith murmured, "So… Earth's era was destroyed by the Dark Elf Malekith?"
The screen shifted again.
[A towering golden hemispheric structure appeared, and a long radiant bridge stretched outward like a river of light. Thor entered the building and approached an armored gatekeeper.]
["You're late," the gatekeeper rumbled.]
["Sometimes celebrations are more exhausting than battles," Thor replied with a faint grin.]
[The gatekeeper stared forward. "Then you must have celebrated too much."]
[Thor stepped closer. "Maybe. Are the stars still steady?"]
["As always," Heimdall replied calmly, "I can see nine kingdoms and billions of lives."]
[He stepped down, locked eyes with Thor, and said, "Remember the celestial convergence my brother mentioned?"]
[Thor nodded. "Each realm aligning in a straight line."]
["It's nearly here," Heimdall said. "The last time it occurred, my watch hadn't begun. Few even sensed it. Fewer still saw it. Dangerous, yes… But beautiful."]
[Thor blinked. "I can't see anything."]
["Because it's not what you truly seek," Heimdall replied.]
Thor smirked, "How is she?"]
["Your mortal woman is clever," Heimdall said. "She studies the convergence herself, though she doesn't yet realize it."]
[Suddenly, Heimdall froze.]
[Thor's expression sharpened. "What is it?"]
["I can't see her anymore."]
Odom, a physicist from the expert group, murmured, "Celestial convergence? Nine stars aligned? Connecting all realms in a straight line… that's exactly like our Star Alignment!"
Tonio frowned, "This gatekeeper can see beings across realms? He could see Jane earlier… then that means we, on Terra…"
Everyone stiffened. In Earth's era, this gatekeeper could see Earth. Did that mean Terra had always been under the watch of such beings? Or perhaps another gatekeeper entirely?
They felt chills race down their spine. Last time, the Council had already warned him about strange anomalies in the southwest region. Now… Could that strange voice have been his?
"If it was him, then fine, God-Realm beings aren't our enemies." But if it was a Dark Elf…" Astrophysicist Hawking spoke gravely:
"Star Alignment, an extremely rare astronomical phenomenon. When nine planets align on the same side of the sun, it forms the Nine-Star Link. The nine planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, move at different speeds, making alignment rare. The cycle is roughly once every hundred years, sometimes every 130, sometimes 180." He paused, then glanced around.
"However, based on the cosmic conditions described by Thor and the others… It's completely different from the universe Terra understands today. But Earth must still be the same planet as Terra. So my conclusion is Earth's era and Terra's era exist in two different universes."
The words struck like thunder. Silence and dread blanketed the entire video conference.
The chief felt as though he'd stepped into hell itself. "Impossible. How can there be two universes? It makes no sense…"
The panic of the expert group didn't stop the audience from flaring:
"No way! Can they see every world?!"
"What the hell! Can he peek at baths too?!"
"Of course Heimdall can't see Jane, she's infused with the Aether."
"This guy's basically a clairvoyant!"
"Honestly… it fits!"
"Nine-Star Link? That thing that happens once in a century?"
"Damn… did anything happen last time!?"
[In an abandoned factory, Jane slowly opened her eyes. Thunder rumbled outside.]
[Darcy rushed over, "Jane! Where were you?!"]
[Jane sighed. "Don't tell me you called the police."]
[Darcy groaned, "What else was I supposed to do?!"]
[Police cars surrounded the facility.]
["I'm going crazy here," Darcy muttered.]
[Rain suddenly poured heavily outside, and Jane frowned, "Once you call the cops, S.H.I.E.L.D. storms in and turns this place into Area 51. We found a stable gravitational anomaly, we should've been studying it freely. Our only rivals were actual ten-year-olds."]
[Darcy cut her off. "Jane! You were gone for five hours!"]
["Five hours?" Jane gasped.]
[Darcy suddenly noticed something strange, where they stood, not a single raindrop fell. But everything else around them was drenched.]
["This is so weird," Darcy whispered.]
[Jane reached out toward the invisible barrier.]
[At that moment, someone appeared at the doorway. Holding a hammer. Cloaked. Soaked in authority. Thor.]
[Jane handed her equipment to Darcy and hurried toward him. As she moved, the force field shifted with her, leaving Darcy instantly drenched.]
[Thor greeted her softly, "Jane."]
[Before he finished speaking...]
The viewers leapt from their seats.
"F**k!!"
"Holy sh*t!"
"Genius! I want to laugh so bad!"
"Only Jane could dare do THAT to the future king of the Asgard!"