The Royal Palace - Asgard
Under Thor's lead, Ernst stepped into the magnificent, golden halls of the Royal Palace.
High upon the dais sat the All-Father, Odin.
His single eye stared down from the throne, radiating the absolute, crushing authority of a God-King.
Thor approached the throne, dropping to one knee to report the skirmish.
Odin raised a weary hand, cutting his son off.
"I already know what happened," Odin rumbled.
"Step back. I will deal with it."
Thor obeyed instantly. To him, his father was omnipotent.
Odin leaned over, speaking in hushed tones to the regal woman beside him.
Ernst recognized her unparalleled beauty immediately. Queen Frigga.
He watched her cast a comforting, motherly glance at the bruised Thor.
Suddenly, Odin's piercing gaze snapped directly to Ernst.
The atmospheric pressure in the room spiked. It was a divine, heavy aura meant to force lesser beings to tremble and fall.
Ernst didn't flinch. He simply offered a faint, relaxed smile.
Facing the sleeping titan of the cosmos, Ernst placed his right hand over his chest and bowed slightly.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," Ernst said smoothly.
"Earthman Ernst Shaw salutes you."
Ernst wasn't foolish. Odin might be old, but a weakened All-Father was still a cosmic terror capable of shattering worlds.
Odin's solitary pupil contracted slightly at Ernst's casual resilience.
"I am genuinely surprised," Odin said solemnly, "to see such a formidable being rise from Midgard."
"Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty," Ernst replied.
"However, I prefer the term 'Earth'. 'Midgard' feels a bit antiquated to me."
Odin's gaze turned freezing cold.
"Are you claiming sovereignty over that realm? No matter. You have intruded upon Asgard. You will be banished."
"Wait, Father!"
Thor stood up abruptly, his voice echoing through the hall.
Odin glared at the interruption, deeply displeased.
Despite the crushing weight of his father's stare, Thor pressed on.
"Father, I fought him and suffered a defeat. But I am not reconciled."
Thor took a step forward.
"Allow me to fight him again. If I win, I end him. If he wins, cancel his punishment. Grant me this chance."
Odin's jaw tightened. Thor's willfulness was infuriating.
But this was his heir, standing before the royal court.
"Are you serious?" Odin asked heavily.
"Yes, Father. Allow me the opportunity to redeem my honor," Thor pleaded.
It wasn't blind arrogance.
Frigga had secretly counseled Thor, analyzing Ernst's energy absorption and devising a counter-strategy.
Thor was completely confident.
Observing the burning determination in his son's eyes, Odin slowly nodded.
"Sorry," Ernst interrupted, his voice cutting through the tension.
"I refuse this meaningless challenge."
The Great Hall erupted.
"You cannot refuse!" an armored warrior bellowed.
"We must determine the victor!"
"Why?" Ernst shrugged lazily.
"Is winning truly that crucial to your fragile egos? Fine. I concede."
"Concede?!" the warrior spat in disgust.
"What glory is there in surrender? You are no warrior!"
"Glory?" Ernst laughed dryly.
"What does that have to do with me? I am a scientist. Strength is merely a byproduct of my research. It was never the goal."
The Asgardians bristled with open, confused hatred.
"A scientist?" Thor frowned.
"What is that?"
Heimdall stepped forward, coughing awkwardly into his fist to clear the air.
"They are seekers of knowledge, my Prince," Heimdall explained.
"The top minds are equivalent to the Sages of Asgard."
"Sages?" Thor asked.
"But Sages are frail seers."
"Usually," Heimdall nodded.
"But on Earth, some scientists alter their own biology, gaining terrible power through their experiments."
Thor stared at Ernst. He finally had a strategy to win, but the human simply refused to play the game.
Frigga saw her son's bitter turmoil. She stepped gracefully to the edge of the dais.
"As a scientist," the Queen smiled warmly, "you must thirst for truth. You wouldn't throw away a chance to acquire new knowledge, would you?"
Ernst looked at her, his interest genuinely piqued.
"Knowledge is the greatest wealth in the universe," Ernst agreed.
"I would sacrifice much for the truth."
"Then let us wager," Frigga proposed.
"Fight Thor. If you win, the Royal Library of Asgard will be open to you."
Ernst's eyes gleamed. "I accept."
Frigga's smile sharpened.
"But a wager requires two stakes. We offer the wisdom of the gods. What will you offer?"
Ernst paused. The Library of Asgard was priceless.
He reached into his dimensional bag.
He pulled out a small, uniquely shaped crystal vial. Inside, a brilliant, emerald-red liquid swirled like living fire.
"I offer this," Ernst declared.
"A Resurrection Potion."
The Great Hall went dead silent.
"It is derived from the blood of a Phoenix," Ernst explained, his voice echoing in the quiet room.
"If a person dies, and their soul has not yet departed the veil, within three hours, this will return them to life in a burst of flame."
Even Odin leaned forward, his single eye wide with shock. True resurrection eluded even the All-Father.
"Is this miracle truly as claimed?" Frigga asked sharply, trying to corner him.
"What is the drawback?"
"You are as sharp as they say, Queen Frigga," Ernst smiled, acknowledging her wisdom.
"The price is power. The resurrected soul is cleansed. A wizard would wake up with zero magical energy and have to start over."
Ernst held the vial up to the light, a rare look of proud affection on his face.
"But their physical vessel is permanently cleansed. The power they regrow will be infinitely purer."
It had taken him decades of unwavering perseverance on Skull Island, carefully harvesting the Phoenix, to perfect this single draft.
Frigga descended the golden steps.
"May I test its efficacy?"
"Of course," Ernst said without hesitation, handing her the priceless vial.
He knew she wouldn't steal it. Odin's pride wouldn't allow theft in his own throne room.
Frigga unstoppered the vial. A peculiar, golden brilliance radiated from her palm as she began her arcane appraisal.
Ernst just stood there, smiling confidently.
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