On the pages of the ancient book, a Dark Elf held aloft a substance resembling living flame, while countless others knelt in worship around it.
"Malekith sought to use it to plunge the entire universe back into darkness," Odin said gravely. "And the Aether does indeed possess such power."
He turned another page, golden runes once more sketching vivid scenes.
"After a prolonged and bloody war, my father, Bor, finally prevailed. He drove Malekith and the Dark Elves into the unknown, and only then did the Nine Realms enjoy thousands of years of peace."
The runes formed the image of a towering warrior wearing a horned helm, plunging a sacred blade into a Dark Elf.
"Legend says that the Aether was destroyed along with them," Thor said, frowning. "Then why has it appeared again?"
"In the stories we heard, the warriors of Asgard eradicated the Dark Elves and annihilated the Aether itself."
Jane cut in immediately, her concern far more practical.
"Does the book say how to get this… Aether out of my body?"
She had no intention of being drained into a withered husk by some ancient cosmic relic.
"I'm afraid not," Odin said, closing the book. The golden runes faded away.
---
Aboard a blade-shaped warship, Malekith stood before a massive display showing nine planets—the Nine Realms under Asgard's protection—slowly aligning into a single straight line.
"The Convergence approaches," he said coldly. "And you, Algrim, will become the final Curse Warrior of the Dark Elves."
He produced a glowing stone dagger and approached the towering Algrim.
"You will merge with darkness. You will become darkness. And you will remain so until your final breath."
With a swift motion, Malekith drove the dagger into Algrim's body and forced a crimson-glowing stone deep into the wound.
"I will destroy Asgard," Algrim growled through the pain. "I will destroy every Asgardian and return the universe to darkness."
Another Dark Elf stepped forward with a horned mask. Algrim took it and placed it upon his head.
---
The Bifrost activated once more. This time, the Warriors Three and Sif returned to Asgard, escorting prisoners—including one wearing a long-horned mask.
The captives were locked into individual cells. From one side of the prison, Loki slowly rose, watching them with faint amusement.
"Odin always sends me new friends," he said lightly. "Such a considerate father."
"Did you not like the books I sent you, Loki?" Frigga asked gently, seated nearby with a tome in her hands.
"Is this how my life ends, Mother?" Loki replied, sitting beside her. "Reading books until I die?"
No matter how deeply he despised Odin, Loki had never hated Frigga. She had raised him as her own, and before her, he could never muster resentment.
"I have done everything I can to make your confinement comfortable," Frigga said softly. "But you know your father—stubborn as stone."
"Mother, you always told me I was born to be king," Loki said quietly. "Now I see it was nothing but a lie. I'm just a prisoner, aren't I?"
"A true king would never slaughter the innocent," Frigga said, closing her book and meeting his gaze. "Look at what you did on Midgard. How many lives were lost?"
"Compared to the old man?" Loki scoffed. "What I've done is nothing at all."
From childhood, he had heard endless tales of Odin's conquests—of uniting the Nine Realms, of exterminating giants—stories soaked in blood.
"You have always seen through others, Loki," Frigga said, holding his hand. "Yet you have never truly seen yourself."
---
Thor accompanied Jane through the splendor of Asgard, showing her its wonders.
"When you came to find me," Jane asked as they sat beside a fountain, "did you already know I was in trouble?"
"Heimdall lost sight of you in an instant," Thor replied. "That's how I knew you were no longer on Earth."
He continued, explaining patiently:
"The Nine Realms are bound to the World Tree, with Asgard at its center—just as Earth orbits the sun. Every five thousand years, the realms align in a straight line. We call this the Convergence. During that time, the boundaries between worlds weaken. Travel becomes possible anywhere."
"That's why Heimdall couldn't see you," he said softly. "You were caught in that state. It was sheer luck that you returned—had the passage closed, you might have been trapped forever."
"And what will happen to me?" Jane asked quietly. "Your father said there was no solution…"
"My father is not omniscient," Thor said, trying to reassure her. "To know everything is also to face the unknown."
He was careful to keep his voice low—Odin's ignorance of certain things, like Karl's origins or the true nature of summoned beasts, was proof enough.
"Try not to let your father hear you say that," Frigga said as she approached, having just left Loki.
"Jane, this is my mother, Frigga—Queen of Asgard," Thor said quickly.
Jane immediately pulled her hand from Thor's, flustered, and nodded respectfully.
---
At the agency office, Karl sat slumped in his chair, deeply troubled.
The system's mission had left him at a complete loss. He didn't know when the Convergence would occur, where Jane was, or what was happening in Asgard. Worse still, the convergence point wasn't even in New York—it was in London.
Completely in the dark, irritation gnawed at him.
"Let me think," Karl muttered. "If I remember correctly, Malekith first attacks Asgard, kills Frigga… and then ends up in London…"
The pieces were there—but the clock was already ticking.
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