Absolute darkness. A deathly silent void.
Out of nowhere, a crimson dimension stirred—like living blood, pulsing and flowing—and Jane Foster, dragged into it without warning, stumbled violently forward.
Straight toward a bottomless cliff.
Her eyes went wide with terror—until a hand clamped her shoulder, yanking her back before she could tumble over the edge.
"Careful."
Jane spun around, still trembling, to find Hawk behind her. Her nerves frayed, she instinctively backed away—only to misstep again. With a startled scream, she teetered over the brink a second time.
Hawk sighed and caught her again. "That's twice. Don't count on a third."
If she insisted on throwing herself to death, even he wouldn't bother.
Turning from her, Hawk advanced across a narrow stone path. Soon, the terrain opened into a vast platform suspended in void. Around it drifted massive black monoliths, cracked and inverted, as though gravity itself was broken.
But it wasn't the monoliths that seized his attention.
At the far end, a ruined Gothic spire hung upside down, torn apart mid-collapse. And beneath its shattered base, a dark geometric construct pulsed with malignant energy. Within it flowed a viscous red substance, writhing like liquid blood.
The Reality Stone.
The Aether.
Unlike the other Infinity Stones—solid gems of space, mind, power, time, and soul—the Reality Stone existed as liquid, constantly shifting and alive.
But its form didn't matter. Its power did.
Hawk stepped forward—
CRACK.
Bolts of silver lightning lanced from the construct, one slamming where he'd stood a heartbeat earlier. A boulder behind him disintegrated into dust.
The air filled with wild arcs of energy, snaking like maddened serpents. They illuminated the void in searing flashes, striking at Hawk from every angle.
He danced away, teleporting and twisting, avoiding each one—but his frown deepened.
This hadn't happened in the original tale. Jane had never been attacked.
He retreated. The barrage ceased instantly. The construct quieted.
So that was it.
The Aether hadn't chosen him. It had chosen Jane Foster.
It needed her to leave this prison. Her alone.
Why? Because she bore Thor's scent. Odin's bloodline had built this prison—King Bor, Thor's grandfather, had defeated the Dark Elves and sealed the Aether here. His device would naturally recognize an Asgardian heir's consort as exempt.
To Jane, harmless.
To anyone else? Death.
Hawk exhaled slowly. Against Bor's craftsmanship, even he couldn't force his way through.
Jane's voice broke his thoughts.
"…Who are you? And what is this place?"
Still shaken, but sharper now, she studied him. If Hawk had meant her harm, she'd already be dead—his reflexes against the lightning had proven that.
Hawk didn't answer immediately, eyes still fixed on the Aether.
"Hello?"
"Thinking," he said flatly. "Whether I should lie to you."
"…Excuse me?" Jane blinked, incredulous.
"Debating whether to tell the truth… or not." He finally looked her way, expression utterly serious.
She swallowed hard. "Then at least tell me—where are we?"
"I don't know."
"That's a lie?"
"No. Truth." Hawk's lips quirked. "But if I had to guess… Svartalfheim. The Dark Elves' realm."
Jane froze. "Dark Elves?"
He smirked. "Forgot Thor already taught you Nine Realms 101?"
Her heart lurched at Thor's name. "You… know him?"
"No."
"…What?"
"I know of him. He doesn't know me."
Her jaw clenched. A thousand retorts burned on her tongue, but she swallowed them down. This place was too strange, too dangerous for arguments.
She turned her gaze back to the construct, to the ominous red liquid within. "You want that, don't you?"
"Of course." Hawk didn't deny it. "But Bor's seal keeps me out. I can't touch it."
"Bor?"
"Thor's grandfather."
Jane's breath caught. "That explains it. Those lightning bolts… they felt almost familiar."
"Exactly."
Silence stretched. Finally, Jane asked, "Then… can you send me back?"
"No."
Her brow furrowed. "Why not?"
"Because I only got in here by following you. You think I dragged you in? Wrong." Hawk pointed toward the construct. "That thing pulled you here. It wants you. You're the key. I'm just tagging along."
"Me?" Jane stared, stunned.
"Thor's girlfriend," Hawk said with a shrug. "Bor's device won't attack you. It'll only open for you."
Her mind flashed back to the storm of lightning, the way it had targeted Hawk but ignored her. Her lips tightened.
"…Are you serious?"
"Don't believe me? Go test it."
"I will."
"…Suit yourself."
(End of Chapter)
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