The land of absolute darkness and deathly silence.
Accompanied by a crimson space that seemed to have a life force, flowing like blood, suddenly appearing, Jane Foster was unexpectedly pulled in, only to be pushed out again, stumbling forward.
Ahead lay a bottomless abyss.
Jane's eyes were filled with terror.
The next second.
An arm rested on her shoulder, instantly halting her half-stepped figure from the brink of the precipice.
"Careful."
"..."
Jane instinctively turned around, seeing Hawk in front of her, her expression fearful, instinctively retreating backward.
Then...
With a scream as her right foot slipped, Hawk had to reach out once more to catch Jane, who again nearly fell down the bottomless abyss.
Hawk was somewhat speechless: "For the second time, be careful, I saved you twice, I can't save you a third time."
Once, twice, but not thrice.
If Jane Foster in front of him performed it once more, he would definitely not intervene.
After all, no matter how much he saved, he couldn't stop someone from seeking death, right.
After saying this, Hawk no longer paid attention to Jane Foster but instead looked around this space, then stepped onto a large platform through the stone path beneath his feet.
This platform seemed to be in a state of weightlessness.
Numerous shattered, giant black stone tablets floated inverted at every corner of this platform.
But what caught Hawk's attention was the distant platform, the remnants of a massive, inverted Gothic spire church, as if torn apart.
The remnants weren't the focus.
The focus was on the bottom of the cathedral, a black geometric device exuding a deep and ominous aura.
Inside this geometric device, a liquid thick as blood seemed to flow, jump, and sway.
Reality Gemstone!
Also known as——
Ether Particles!
Among the six Infinity Gemstones, the other five gemstones appeared as solids, but the Reality Gemstone alone presented as a mysteriously flowing red liquid.
But that's not important.
The important thing is, the Reality Gemstone is the Ether Particles, and the Ether Particles are the Reality Gemstone.
This suffices.
Hawk looked at the Reality Gemstone flowing in the strange geometric device, almost within reach, and walked toward it.
The next second.
Crack!
The bizarre geometric device spread arcs of electricity in the dark space, and then a thick arc, like an arm, suddenly struck toward Hawk.
Hawk's sword-like brows raised, his figure instantly vanished in place.
Boom!
The arc passed through Hawk's remnant shadow left on the spot, hitting the giant rock behind, followed by a violent explosion, the giant rock instantly turned to dust, not a single stone splinter the size of a fingernail scattered.
The bizarre geometric device was covered in countless arcs resembling wild silver serpents dancing around.
In a flash, the silver, leaping, flickering arcs almost illuminated the entire sealing ground, the wildly dancing arcs transformed into a storm, covering Hawk fiercely.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
What's happening?
Hawk's figure constantly shifted and transformed in the air, dodging arcs his instincts told him would harm him, feeling quite puzzled.
In the original plot, Jane Foster seemingly hadn't encountered such a scene.
Hawk's thoughts spun rapidly, then it seemed he thought of something, seeing the arcs nearly filling the sealing ground ahead, his figure maneuvered in the air, retreating to the spot he had just stood.
With his retreat, the geometric device sealing the Ether Particles flickered with arcs, but it didn't emit arcs again.
Indeed!
Hawk saw this and thought silently to himself.
Just as he imagined.
Rather than Jane Foster finding the Ether Particles, it was more like the Ether Particles had specifically found Jane Foster to pull her here.
The reason was simple.
The Ether Particles needed Jane Foster to leave this sealing ground.
As for why it had to be Jane.
Because she was Thor's girlfriend, carrying Thor's aura on her.
A long time ago, when Asgard's god king was still Thor's grandfather Bor, the Ether Particles were in the hands of the Dark Elves.
Bor defeated the Dark Elves, intending to destroy the Ether Particles after seizing them.
But...
If the Infinity Gemstones could be destroyed, would they still be called Infinity Gemstones?
So Bor had no choice but to build a device to seal the Ether Particles, which is the geometric device sealing the Ether Particles before him.
Since this device was created by Thor's grandfather Bor, naturally, its attack mode was selective.
Jane Foster was Bor's grandson Thor's girlfriend, from a certain angle, if Thor insisted, in the future, Jane Foster could be Asgard's queen, so this device naturally didn't affect Jane.
As for others?
No need to say, strike them.
Like Hawk.
Hawk couldn't get close to the sealing device.
After all, this thing was created by the previous generation god king Bor of Asgard in his prime.
Hawk needed the Ether Particles.
Bor ignored and sealed the Ether Particles.
Who's strong and who's weak, crystal clear, no comparison needed.
So...
Hawk looked at the geometric device sealing the Ether Particles, its arc light gradually disappearing, returning to calm after he retreated, his eyes glimmering.
Just then.
Jane's voice sounded beside him.
"Who are you?"
"Where is this place?"
Having yet to recover from the mysterious surroundings, she saw Jane standing not far away from the geometric device crackling with arcs of electricity, and reacted from her shock, asking Hawk who stood ahead.
She had only been flustered, but now she's composed herself, clearly, Hawk ahead showed no malice towards her.
After all...
Actions speak louder than words, just the way Hawk quickly dodged the arcs—if he had any intentions—she wouldn't have any chance to resist.
Hawk listened to Jane's voice, turned his head to glance at her, then returned his gaze to the geometric device sealing the Ether Particles not far away.
Jane frowned, seeing the unresponsive Hawk.
"Hello?"
"Don't rush, I'm considering whether to deceive you."
"..."
Jane twitched her lips at his words.
"What?"
"I'm thinking whether to tell you the truth or lie to you."
Hawk turned his head towards Jane.
Jane looked at the serious expression, clearly not joking, of Hawk, opened her mouth, then glanced again at the mysterious and dead surroundings: "Where exactly is this place?"
Hawk shook his head.
"I don't know."
"That's a lie?"
"No, that's the truth."
Hawk shook his head again: "I suspect this might be Watt Alheim, one of the Nine Realms."
He recalled the original plot.
Years ago, when God King Bor obtained the Ether Particles, he seemed to have sealed it at Watt Alheim.
But he's not too sure.
After all, that was from a movie, this is reality, Vatalfheim is the Dark Elves' planet, it's illogical to seal Ether Particles taken from the Dark Elves on the Dark Elves' planet.
It makes no sense.
Jane, slightly stunned, then blurted out: "Dark Elves?"
Hawk snapped back, looking at Jane, chuckled: "I almost forgot, when Thor came to Earth, he shared knowledge of the Nine Realms with you."
Jane, hearing Hawk mention Thor's name, excitedly looked at him.
"You know Thor?"
"I don't know him."
"..."
Jane's expression froze again, opened her mouth, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, forcibly held back a certain crude remark.
After all, this place is very mysterious.
Though she feels Hawk holds no malice towards her.
But what if?
Hawk, seeing this, chuckled softly: "That statement is true too. I know of Thor, but I've never met him, and he hasn't met me."
Jane calmed her inner turmoil, reopened her eyes, remained silent, and followed Hawk's gaze to the strange geometric device emitting Thor's familiar lightning aura.
She also saw the strange geometric device containing the ominous Ether Particles, flowing like thick blood.
Jane then looked at Hawk again: "You want what's inside, right?"
Once again.
She's no fool; fools don't become doctors.
Hawk didn't look at Jane, focused on the Ether Particles within reach, nodded.
"Yes, but with God King Bor's seal, I can't get it."
"Bor?"
"Thor's grandfather."
"Whew!"
Jane gasped, looked at the strange geometric device again, and realized: "You're saying Thor's grandfather made this, no wonder just now the lightning felt familiar."
Hawk said nothing.
Jane frowned again.
"Well, you want this thing, I don't, can you send me back first?"
"Can't."
"Why?"
"I followed you here."
Hawk chuckled, looked at Jane: "You think I brought you in here?"
Jane frowned.
"Then it was..."
"Look."
Hawk raised his hand, pointing at the sealed Ether Particles, said to Jane: "That thing brought you in, it wants you to seal it, while I want to obtain it, so actually, I followed you in."
"Me?"
Jane found it hard to believe, pointed at herself.
"Why?"
"Because you're Thor's girlfriend."
Hawk shrugged: "Only when you approach it, it won't strike you, after all, Thor's grandfather built it."
Jane recalled the scene of the strange device sparking with arcs, unleashing on Hawk, her lip twitched.
"Really?"
"Don't believe me? Then try it yourself."
"I'll try then."
"..."