Stonehenge.
Also called the Salisbury Ring, the Ring of Stones, the Sun Temple—one of Europe's most famous prehistoric sites.
Tourists flock there almost daily to marvel at it.
But Hawk only spared the ancient stones a glance before dismissing them. Just a pile of broken rocks, real or fake, he didn't care.
What mattered was the power humming beneath them.
Today was the Convergence of the Nine Realms.
The cosmic roots of Yggdrasil quivered, causing the Nine Realms to overlap like nine planets in alignment. Earth might have fallen out of the World Tree, but its roots remained tied. That connection meant the event was happening here.
It was why Jane Foster had stumbled into the Reality Stone's prison yesterday.
And it was why Malekith, lord of the Dark Elves, would come today.
Because only during this alignment could he permanently reshape the Nine Realms into darkness. The Aether alone could only make temporary alterations. Even Thanos had known that—otherwise why bother gathering the other Infinity Stones? The Reality Stone by itself could twist, but not lock reality.
Only with power funneled from this convergence could it anchor the change.
Hawk's goal was no different.
If he could make his cosmos real, anchored by this eruption, the Phoenix constellation's parallel universe would manifest forever.
So the Reality Stone was his. No matter what.
He stood silently among the stones when his eyes flicked sideways.
"Your spider-suit—always carry it?"
"Not really," Peter said from where he crouched on a pillar, limbs sprawled like a gargoyle. "I wear it under my clothes. Jacket off, mask on—done."
"Where are Gwen and Mary?" Hawk asked.
"Out for a girls' day. So I figured I'd chill too. Mary dragged Gwen off anyway."
Hawk chuckled.
Peter swung down beside him on a line of webbing. His gaze turned toward the stone circle's pulsing core. "Need a hand?"
"Do you know what I'm about to do?" Hawk asked.
"Nope," Peter admitted. "But if you're doing it, then I'm with you. Brothers' day."
Hawk's expression hardened. "Watch if you want. But don't interfere. Even if I die—don't."
Peter tilted his masked head.
"Relax," Hawk added. "If I fall, I'm reborn. Phoenix doesn't die—it's rebirth."
Because to truly master the Sixth Sense, one had to brush the edge of death itself.
Peter's silence stretched before he nodded. "…Alright. At least tell me who you're—"
"They're here."
Hawk's head snapped toward the circle's heart. The Aether's pulse surged.
A ripple warped the air.
Out stepped Malekith. His face half-scarred, pale as stone, eyes sunken and white, heavy with ancient malice.
Peter's spider-sense screamed. Every hair on his body stood on end.
Hawk and Malekith locked eyes.
"Child," the Dark Elf's voice was like frost. "Something of mine rests in you. Hand it over."
Hawk smiled faintly. "Afraid not."
Malekith chuckled. He'd expected as much—he could feel the Aether already merged with Hawk's body.
"Alien power," he mused. "What you wield is impressive, but to stop me with it? You'll fall short."
"Then test me."
The Dark Elf's eyes gleamed. "If you die, the Aether returns to me. If I die, it's yours."
"Fair trade," Hawk agreed.
Malekith's gaze slid to Peter. "And the spider?"
"Spectator," Hawk said easily. "Every fight needs an audience. If I fall, he can bury me. No need to trouble you."
Both men laughed softly.
Then the Dark Elf's body flared red. Liquid fire surged into the shape of a spear.
"Move!" Hawk barked at Peter as the weapon shot forward. He met it head-on with a clenched fist.
The spear shattered like glass—
—then reformed in an instant, curving around his blow to stab straight into his chest.
Impact thundered. Hawk's body smashed through the protective wall built around Stonehenge, tumbling outside in a cloud of debris.
Peter clung to the stones, torn between instinct and Hawk's warning.
Malekith stepped forward, each stride carrying him through the ruined wall to where Hawk lay. Dust swirled.
And Hawk rose, battered but unbroken, ash streaking his face.
The Dark Elf's lips curled in amusement. "Care to continue?"
"Of course," Hawk growled.
(End of Chapter)
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