Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jane made her choice. And now she had to follow through on that choice for however long her body would allow her to. As Valkyrie’s steed, Warsong, opened up a portal into a large dark room filled with massive busts of figures she knew little about, she looked towards the edge of the room. Thor, her lover, was on the ground, struggling to hold against the Necrosword held by Gorr, who was pushing it into Thor.

Without thinking, she threw the broken Mjolnir at Gorr from afar, allowing blue electricity to strengthen its impact. As fortune would have it, she hit her target, and Gorr was sent a few meters away from Thor. She then heard cheering from the children that she, Thor, Valkyrie, and Korg had longed to find. Gorr had kidnapped them as leverage in order to eventually gain Thor’s axe Stormbreaker.

She briefly glanced down, noticing that the children were all glowing with golden electricity – hopefully, they can fend for themselves for now. As Thor got up, Jane summoned Mjolnir back to her hand and jumped off of Warsong. Though a mortal, the temporary godly boost she got from Mjolnir caused the stone floor to crack when she landed.

Jane nervously looked at Thor, who gave her a look of disappointment. Six months ago, Jane was diagnosed with (likely) terminal cancer. Despite her efforts, she could not solve it with science, so she took a gamble on a trip to New Asgard in the hopes that Mjolnir’s promise of good health would do the trick.

To Jane’s surprise, the broken hammer responded positively to her, transforming her into a feminine version of Thor and allowing itself to be wielded by her. But her cancer remained, as Jane found out the hard way. After the recent encounter with Gorr in the Shadow Realm, she was left in such a dire state that Thor concluded that the next time – this time – she wielded Mjolnir would kill her.

But, she made a choice. Not only did she sense Thor struggling (somehow), but it seemed as though Gorr would have killed Thor had Jane stayed in the Infirmary – but Jane had suspected that she would die regardless.

Jane made a quick nod, as if to say, I’ve made my choice. We need to make the most of it.

“Jane!” Thor muttered.

There was a pause before Jane decided to jump into action, hoping Thor would oblige. To her relief, he obliged – summoning Zeus’ golden-solid Thunderbolt. The two engaged the God-Butcher. Thor got a hit in, and Jane knocked him to the ground. Thor stabbed the thunderbolt into the ground, knocking Gorr a few yards away.

Before he could recover, Jane knocked him into the air. Thor jumped up and knocked him back to the floor.

“We destroy that sword, and he’s dead!” Thor said.

Jane, noticing Stormbreaker and what it was doing, remarked, “The gateway’s almost open. You've got to stop Stormbreaker!”

Thor briefly looked at her.

“It’s okay, I got him,” Jane assured him.

As Thor went to try to stop Stormbreaker, Jane engaged the God-butcher, who was a lot more formidable when only fighting one opponent. After a few blows were exchanged, Gorr managed to twist her arm before bringing her in front of him.

“You’ve lost, Lady Thor!” Gorr growled.

Jane head-butted Gorr, causing him to throw her a distance away. After stabilizing her glide with Mjolnir, she snarled.

“First off,” Jane growled. “The name is mighty Thor!” As she said this, she spun around and threw Mjolnir at Gorr. Gorr flicked the Necrosword, deflecting Mjolnir to his 5:00.

“And secondly, if you can’t say Mighty Thor,” Jane said as Mjolnir flew back into her hand. “I’ll accept Dr. Jane Foster!” She smashed Mjolnir into the floor, sending a burst of lightning that pushed Gorr back.

“And thirdly, eat my hammer!” She lightning-jumped and attempted to smack Gorr with Mjolnir. Gorr held his own until Jane sent a burst of power that broke the two of them apart. Meters away, Thor finally managed to free Stormbreaker – though the portal appeared to be open.

“AXL!” Thor yelled. “Get them home.” He threw Stormbreaker in the direction of the Children. Seconds later, the Bifrost descended upon them, and the children were gone.

But Jane started to feel the familiar weariness, even becoming aware of a stinging scrape on her left shoulder. Gorr jumped towards her but was intercepted by Thor. The two exchanged blows before Thor caught the sword between the split of the Thunderbolt.

Jane, however, was struggling to focus on the fight. After Thor looked over towards her and noticed, he charged the Thunderbolt with his own electricity. Gorr began to yell in desperation.

Jane struggled to throw Mjolnir towards the Sword Thor had locked in, and to her relief, Mjolnir broke the sword into pieces, causing Gorr to fly back. From the ground, Gorr summoned the handle, prompting Jane to summon Mjolnir. Mjolnir broke apart, flying back to Jane and intercepting the shards of the Necrosword that were still in the air next to Thor.

When Jane caught Mjolnir, it felt heavier than ever, and she wasn’t sure if it was due to the shards of the Necrosword lodged within the chunks of Mjolnir or her rapidly depleting strength. To her alarm, a couple of shards escaped Mjolnir to become part of the Necrosword once more. As this kept happening, she hesitated, wondering if she had enough strength to destroy the Necrosword completely. She had been present on Swarvelheim when Thor tried and failed to destroy the Aether.

But after locking eyes with Thor, she realized that the window to try was rapidly narrowing. She was doomed regardless, but she had a shot to end the fight. Steeling herself for a rapid demise, Jane raised Mjolnir and summoned the largest bolt of lightning, desiring to incinerate the shards of the Necrosword. As Jane lit up the whole room, she felt her body become numb. As she let the lightning go, she held Mjolnir for a couple of seconds, fighting against the numbness of her body, and forced herself to smash Mjolnir into the floor.

To her relief, she noticed the handle in Gorr’s hand collapse into dust. And not a moment too soon, for Jane was on her knees, unable to fight any more. For a few seconds, she was still dressed as the Mighty Thor, but her outfit quickly reverted to her hospital gown.

Gorr, meanwhile, continued to lie on the ground, twitching a little, before Jane was too weak to look up. Fortunately, Thor rushed over to her and flipped her up, holding her head in his hand.

“Not too bad for a human,” Jane muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Not too bad for a god,” Thor said.

“I think I finally found my catch phrase,” Jane muttered, disappointed she hadn’t thought of it sooner. After whispering it into Thor’s ear, he said, “It’s perfect!”

Jane felt that death was seconds away. Her body now refused to move. Only her lips could still move.

“I love you,” she whispered as her vision blurred, and time seemed to stretch out to infinity, while she felt herself stuck in a prism in which she had no movement, ever diminishing thought.

As Thor held Jane in his arms, it took him a few seconds to decide that she was gone. Her lifeless eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. After begrudgingly closing Jane’s eyes, Thor contemplated.

Frigga, Odin, the realm of Asgard, Heimdall, Loki, the Warriors Three, Natasha Romanoff, Tony Stark, and most of Asgard’s people were now gone. And now Jane was gone. Thor couldn’t help but feel that he was cursed.

His first thought was to return to Asgard and deliver the news to Darcy, Selvig, and some of Jane’s other friends. But as Thor stood up, he noticed that the gateway to Eternity’s realm was open. Gorr was lying, meters away. Kneeling, while carrying Jane, Thor noticed that Gorr was as lifeless as Jane.

Thor then turned to the portal to Eternity’s Realm and hesitated. This was a one-time wish throughout all of eternity. It has to count. He could wish Jane back to full health. But would Jane want that? Should he wish Jane back when so many people would love to make a comparable wish? Maybe he could wish for Cancer to no longer be a thing. But could there be side effects he could not foresee? Besides, Eternity was not the only Cosmic Entity of the Universe – there was also Infinity, Entropy, and Death. Could any of the others emerge and bring Cancer back once Thor wished it away?

If Thor left this place with Eternity still around, could he account for whoever might arrive after Thor left? And what wish would they make? Maybe the creator of the Necrosword could emerge and finish what Gorr could not.

Thor decided to carry Jane through the portal, causing a blinding flash of light.

After the flash, Thor found himself in a sea of water with blue skies stretching for what could be infinity. He then saw the figure of Eternity. Eternity was a silhouette of a being what appeared to be a direct portal to the cosmos. Was the figure kneeling or sitting. Thor wasn’t sure.

What wish should he make?

Suddenly, he had a vision of New Asgard, but it was not New Asgard as it was today but a frozen Iceland, with armored Frost Giants guarding every corner. Flashes of various places throughout Midgard showed them under similar conditions: cold and firmly controlled by Frost Giants. Thor then saw a darkened figure lean forward. Violet lasers shot out from where the eyes should have been. New Asgard, as well as the rest of Midgard, saw the Frost Giants blasted away and the ice melt, restoring these places to their former glory. And then Thor saw the realm of Eternity again.

Should it be Jane he restores? Or Loki? Heimdall was a worthy candidate. His Asgardian friends and family were likely in Valhalla and would not appreciate being ripped back to the realm of living. Jane, on the other hand, her fate was unknown.

Thor slowly crept up towards Eternity, still unsure of what his wish should be. He felt cold, and he saw himself back on Jotunheim, standing before a palace. The Palace was far larger than even the one on Old Asgard, with three distinct sections, a wide base, a somewhat wide tower, and a thick spire on top. Thor turned and saw Jane standing there, in her Mighty Thor form. But rather than throw Mjolnir at the palace, Jane instead sent a burst of violet lasers from her eyes, prompting the palace to explode.

Thor wondered if Eternity had a specific desire for the wish Thor was about to make. If it was, it seemed to align with Thor’s own desire. Or at least, the wish Thor was tempted to make. Thor knelt down before Eternity and raised his arm.

I wish for Jane to be restored to full health! Thor thought. I wish she could have the kind of health I enjoy.

Thor allowed this thought to play on repeat in his head. Jane had made her choice. Now he made his. But would his choice be granted by the fates? The question became paramount as Eternity burst into a blinding flash of light that even Thor had to shield his eyes from.

“Thor?” he heard Jane mutter.

Chapter Text

“How are you feeling?” Thor asked.

“Mighty!” Jane muttered, now wearing the armor of her Mighty Thor form.

Thor looked up. Eternity was no longer present. As Jane got to her feet, Thor felt the overwhelming urge to ask her what death was like. However, it seemed an insensitive question, and Thor resisted the urge. Jane, however, paused, looking out into the distance.

“What?” Thor asked, looking in the direction Jane was.

“Do you see her?” Jane asked.

Confused, Thor asked, “Who?”

“Never mind,” Jane said.

Though Thor was concerned, he pressed his thoughts down. Right now, he and Jane needed to leave. But how?

“Tell me the lightning bolt is around here somewhere!” Thor growled.

Jane, almost as if under a trance, walked a distance away and found it. “Gorr’s gone,” Thor said.

“We should get to Asgard,” Jane said.

But Thor hesitated. It seemed wrong to simply leave Gorr’s body where it lay. He had heard about the Necrosword in stories and knew that it likely had a massive influence on Gorr’s mind. He didn’t know how Gorr would behave if that sword’s influence did not come into play.

“We can’t leave Gorr in that chamber,” Thor said.

“But,” Jane stuttered. “He did kidnap a bunch of children and almost wiped all of you out.”

“Was it truly him that did that or the sword that clouded and swayed his mind?” Thor asked. “He was an enemy, but was it by his own choice? Or the choice of some other entity with more malevolent motives? Besides, with the Thunderbolt, the task of tending to him should not take more than half an hour, as we can easily escort him to his final resting place.”

Jane handed Thor the thunderbolt. Thor used its power to transport them back to the chamber where Gorr lay. Zeus had once visited the chamber a couple of millennia ago, hoping to be the one to gain Eternity’s wish, hence why the Thunderbolt recognized the location and was able to escort Thor to his needed destination. What Zeus’ wish would have been, only he knows for sure, though Thor could come up with a few guesses.

As the two stood over the body of Gorr, Jane spoke. “Where can he be taken? If you look at the scars on his body, it might become clear that he renounced his god or gods. Whatever community he came from might not accept his body for proper burial.”

Thor knelt and examined the scars on Gorr’s head. “If I had to guess, the markings are of one who was once devoted to a sun god by the name of Rapu. He is a deity overseeing the light of Rapolla. You are correct. If we brought him to the villagers from whom he may have once hailed, he would be regarded with disgust. He did speak of a daughter of whom death rendered her the lucky one, according to his perspective. I sense that Zeus had travelled to Rapolla as well and should therefore be easy to get him there.”

Jane knelt to pick Gorr up. “Then perhaps we can find the burial of his daughter. I know nothing of the rituals to which his people subscribe. You probably would know what needs to be done better than I.”

Thor transported them to a vast desert. Within a few feet, there could be observed a reddish pile of eroded stone, next to which a slight hill of sand could barely be observed.

“Sadly, I know very little about his former customs,” Thor admitted. “But a simple burial will have to make do.”

“We have found the right place,” Jane said, laying Gorr’s body upon the stone structure. “I feel that the body of the girl is right there,” she claimed, pointing to the flattened mound a meter and a half away.

Thor began to manually dig into the sand between the stones, and the area where the girl’s body is believed to lie. He hoped that he would not encounter the girl himself. Though he did not know the customs of the people of Rapolla, he doubted that digging up the bodies of those at rest was featured among them.

Once he was satisfied that the hole was deep enough, he took the body from Jane and laid it at his feet. Thor then jumped out of the hole, and Jane began covering the body with the sand Thor had piled. Thor joined her, and before long, there was but a mound comparable to the mound Gorr had once lain next to.

“It is done,” Thor said as he took Jane back to New Asgard. “You should check in with the Infirmary.”

Jane growled. “I find that place to be a nightmare,” she said, her stomach dropping. “It is the place where I was at my weakest. I was close to death there and would likely be dead right now had I stayed.”

“Which is why you should check in with them,” Thor asserted. “They know not what became of you and would likely have to report your absence at some point. I also know that you long to report to Selvig and Darcy about your recovery. My wish for you was to be restored to full health and to enjoy the type of health I enjoy. I can hope that Eternity removed the cancer that had been plaguing you as part of the fulfillment of that wish. While I likely think he did, it would help to get a formal declaration of remission.”

“Then let this be a step I could handle quickly,” Jane said, walking towards the Infirmary. Once they entered, the doctors quickly urged her into the room she had been in before, with a couple of them unable to hide the displeasure over her temporary absence.

Thor heard Jane sigh when they refused to discharge her immediately. He couldn’t blame them. The last time they saw her, she was weak from advanced cancer and needed to know what had happened before they let her go. They had begun some tests, and while Thor was confident they would show remission, it often took time before the results were available. Plus, they may pick up traces of either his power or Eternity’s touch, and he wasn’t sure how that would look on their equipment. Thor decided to wait on a nearby bench.

After a while, a man approached him. The man appeared formal, but at the beginning of his senior years. After a few seconds, Thor thought about Director Krennic from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and how this man could pass as that character.

“You must be Thor,” the man said.

“I am,” Thor said.

“I’m an ally, or associate, of Nick Fury,” the man said. “Sent here to monitor the God-Butcher situation. I take it that the situation has been resolved, or does he still pose a threat?”

“It’s resolved,” Thor said. “Why?”

“It might help to talk somewhere more private,” the man said. “Is there a place you could recommend?”

“There should be a safe room in the city court,” Thor said, getting up and taking him to the town center. Valkyrie, who was still recovering from her wound from the Shadow Realm, was not present. There were a couple of the new Einherjar standing guard, but they did not wish to defy Thor.

Once they were in a soundproof room, the man continued. “This may come as a shock, but I’m actually not a human, or Midgardian, as you refer to them as.”

The man suddenly morphed into a creature with a slightly goblin-like appearance with tight vertical crevasses on his face and bald head. His skin was a turtle green.

“I’m actually a Skrull by the name Talos,” the Skrull said. “I wonder what you know about our conflict with the Kree?”

“I know that you two have been at war for centuries and that the conflict became a cold conflict a couple of decades ago,” Thor answered him.

“Do you know how that conflict became a cold one?” Talos asked.

“Not particularly,” Thor admitted.

Talos sighed. “Carol Danvers, whom I believe you met with for a time, was charged with protecting us – finding a series of colonies where we could be safe from the Kree. Naturally, after a couple of years, Thanos entered her radar, and she felt duty-bound to thwart his activities, bursting through the vast fleet he commanded. Well, he had enough ships that he could divert enough to attack us. Carol took the threat seriously, and the two agreed. He and his allies would leave us alone, and she would leave him alone. His allies happen to include the Kree we were dealing with, so as long as Carol didn’t attack Thanos, the Kree wouldn’t attack us.”

Thor frowned. Carol Danvers could have possibly stopped Thanos before Thanos ever went to Asgard. Then again, Asgard could have turned its attention to Thanos, so Thor couldn’t judge.

“I take it the Kree had something to say about Carol Danvers fighting Thanos outside Avengers HQ?”

“Oh, they had more than words,” Talos said. “They spent months mobilizing their forces, but they finally resumed their war against us. Even with Carol Danvers helping, this is not a war we could win. Maybe if you could join the fight, perhaps Skrull-kind can survive.”

“It sounds like you need an army,” Thor said. “I tried to raise one to fight the God-Butcher. It didn’t work out. And Asgard is not in any position to commit to a full-time war.”

It dawned on Thor that he could potentially empower the Skrulls with his lightning like he did with the children. But that was a last-minute decision, and if the Kree saw him doing that with the Skrulls, they may be able to firebomb New Asgard in retaliation.

“You should know, then, that my cousin Krolos seems to agree with you on that,” Talos said. “So, he is trying to get the Frost Giants to join our cause, though I’m not yet aware of whether he will be successful or not.”

A surge of icy panic flowed through Thor, though he made a serious effort to suppress it. If the Frost Giants can protect the Skrulls, then they can establish themselves as the dominant realm. If they do that, could they one day seek revenge on Asgard?

“If the Frost Giants come to your aid, it would be best if I do not,” Thor said. “We aren’t exactly on friendly terms, and if we end up in a brawl, it would make us more vulnerable to a Kree attack.”

“But if the Frost Giants don’t show up?” Talos asked urgently.

“I can check in on you guys from time to time,” Thor suggested. “If the Frost Giants don’t show up, I can aid you in a battle or two. But I also want to go on my own separate missions – smaller scale. The Kree must not believe I’m acting under the orders of Asgard when I fight them. I must come across as a free agent – and these separate missions are meant to do just that.”

“Very well,” Talos muttered begrudgingly, deciding that this was the most he was going to get out of Thor.

Chapter Text

After a couple of hours, the doctors at the infirmary begrudgingly released Jane on the condition that she return in a week for a second checkup – or to return if her health suddenly took a turn for the worse before then.

“So, what now?” Jane asked once the two were outside the infirmary.

“An ally of Director Fury came to me and informed me about the reignited Kree-Skrull war,” Thor said. “I feel that it is worth observing and seeing where our intervention should be necessary.”

“A couple of agents, Skrulls actually, led by a Monica Rambeau, had actually arrived not long before the God-Butcher appeared and you returned here,” Jane said. “They too spoke of the war and implored for our aid. Valkyrie, however, felt that it was not worth the risk. She feared that the Kree might retaliate by firebombing New Asgard and that our forces were woefully unprepared for such an onslaught, even with Carol Danvers defending us.”

“Did they mention the possibility that Jotunheim might join the Skrulls?”

“They either omitted that information, or that information had not been available yet,” Jane replied. “Though I am currently barred from participating in this conflict, despite strongly desiring to do so, Valkyrie might change her mind if news of potential Frost Giant participation is a large enough concern for her.”

“Then let us find her and consult with her,” Thor said, leading Jane to the Town Hall. Though Valkyrie still wasn’t at her office, she did have a secretary who was. This Secretary was a Sakaarian insectoid with a robotic exoskeleton – albeit one outfitted with a Midgardian secretary robe. This Secretary was named Miek and had been present when Thor had been chained on Sakaar alongside a soft-natured Kronan named Korg. From their time on Sakaar to the aftermath of the five-year blip, Korg and Mike operated as a duo.

Korg and Miek were present when Valkyrie, who had previously enslaved individuals like Thor to Sakaar, had a change of heart and decided to release the slaves, arming them for a “revolution” as Korg had put it. They then helped Thor and Loki rescue Asgardian refugees from Thor’s shock-sister Hela and her undead army. The two, alongside Valkyrie, were survivors of Thanos’ assault on the Asgardian refugee vessel, eventually setting down in New Asgard, where the two became Thor’s video game buddies. It was during this time that they learned Miek, who was thought to be male, was actually female.

When the five-year blip ended and the victims of Thanos’ mass dusting were restored, Korg and Miek went their separate ways. Korg joined Thor on his adventures with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Miek remained in New Asgard to serve as the secretary for Valkyrie (whom Thor had informally passed on the mantle of Asgard’s King).

Korg, meanwhile, was stuck in the infirmary. An encounter with the Olympian Skyfather, Zeus, in Omnipotence City left Korg without a body and in need of regeneration.

Miek, meanwhile, was able to inform Thor and Jane that Valkyrie was currently strolling in the City garden, where small trees had been planted. The two found Valkyrie sitting on a bench, eyes closed, deep in thought.

“How did it go?” Valkyrie asked, her eyes remaining closed.

“We were successful,” Jane said.

Valkyrie opened her eyes. “So, you joined him?”

“Against my wishes,” Thor said.

“And are you feeling fine?” Valkyrie asked.

“Great, actually,” Jane said. “Annoyed that Doctors think I might drop dead all of a sudden…”

“Well,” Thor began, but Jane shot him a dirty look.

“I take it you are better?” Valkyrie asked, making a double-quote gesture when saying the word better.

“Much better,” Jane asserted.

“Okay, good,” Valkyrie said. “So how did the fight go down?”

Since Thor had started the fight before Jane had arrived, he told Valkyrie about how he empowered the children with his powers when Gorr summoned his monsters. He mentioned that they held off the monsters while he engaged Gorr, and that Jane arrived just as Gorr almost killed Thor.

Once Thor reached the part where Jane managed to destroy the Necrosword, he hesitated. He hadn’t told Valkyrie how Jane was showing fatigue at that point, and didn’t want to be the one to say that Jane died for a time.

Jane took over, telling Valkyrie that though the Gate of Eternity had been opened, Gorr died before he could reach it.

“Instead, Thor got to wish for me to be restored,” Jane said.

“I suppose that is fortunate,” Valkyrie said. “It is a pity that we couldn’t come up with a more substantive wish.”

“Actually,” Thor said. “It felt as though Eternity wanted me to make the wish I made, else the entire realm would be covered in Ice and in the hands of Jotunheim.”

“I suppose Jotunheim’s ascendence would be possible after Ragnarök,” Valkyrie sighed.

“An agent of Nick Fury came to us earlier,” Jane said. “To Thor, more specifically.”

“He wanted my help in helping the Skrulls fight off the Kree,” Thor said.

“They came to me earlier,” Valkyrie said. “Jane was present.”

“Well now,” Jane said, “there is a chance that Jotunheim might be helping the Skrulls soon.”

Valkyrie’s eyes widened. “That changes things,” she said. “I feared that any involvement that Asgard, or Jane, had in this conflict would provoke the Kree into attacking this place – but we may risk an even worse fate if we stay out of it entirely. I still do not believe Asgard is ready for such a commitment, but if you and Thor were to get involved, it might at least stall Jotunheim’s ascension to the prominence Asgard used to enjoy.”

“Do you change your stance on my involvement?” Jane asked.

“I do,” Valkyrie said. “But I do not change my stance on Asgard’s involvement. Were you to join this conflict, you need to come across, at least to the Kree, that you are operating as Avengers – or at least some Midgardian organization like SHIELD, SWORD, or SABER. Not as warriors of Asgard.”

“Understood,” Thor said.

From the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor and Jane secured a vessel through which they could travel the cosmos. Thor’s experience with the Guardians enabled him to fly the cruiser properly and maintain fuel levels. Whenever they weren’t maintaining the ship or themselves, they monitored reports of Kree and Skrull incursions.

Eventually, they came across such an incursion. As Thor and Jane flew overhead, they observed that Kree forces had a massive assembly and were gunning at a small fortification of Skrulls. Jane could observe a possible figure from the small fortification, from whom subtle blue flashes could be seen.

“I’m going to land this thing a distance away,” Thor said. “Then I’ll summon a Thunderstorm. You can engage the Kree, and I should join you in short order.”

Thor did as he suggested, landing a few miles away from any Kree position. This was not a big deal; Thor and Jane could easily jump to the battlefield. As Jane began to do so, Thor raised Stormbreaker, and clouds began forming. Lightning began to strike various Kree positions.

As Jane observed the storm forming around her, she wondered if she was able to summon a storm that large yet. Thinking she’d have the opportunity to find out eventually, she focused on finding the region where the Kree frontlines were engaging the Skrulls and their allies. She landed and twirled around, causing shards of Mjolnir to fly at various Kree soldiers. Jane then sent the main shard, attached to the handle, at a nearby Kree tank, causing it to flip over.

Jane turned to the figure she had identified earlier and recognized her as Monica Rambeau – only now her body had a bluish glow, and on occasion, Kree fire passed harmlessly through her. She held a gun with which she fired back at the Kree. Monica simply nodded in relief, especially once there was a huge electrical explosion behind Kree lines and Thor burst through their lines soon after.

Despite this, Jane was hit by Kree fire, and though it didn’t actually damage her, she felt it. Fortunately, Thor’s arrival seemed to cause the Kree to organize a retreat.

Once the battle seemed to be over, Monica staggered and breathed a sigh of relief. “Glad you two could make it,” she gasped.

“I’m glad too,” Jane said.

“Are you in contact with Nick Fury?” Thor asked.

“I am,” Monica said. “Why?”

“Our aid to the Skrulls is contingent on being able to pass ourselves off as operating on Midgard’s behalf, not Asgard’s,” Thor said.

“Understood,” Monica said.

She summoned a couple of ships to escort the fighters back to SABER. “Do you have your own ship, or did you arrive here mystically?”

“We have a ship,” Jane said.

“Okay, I need to give you the coordinates and clearance,” Monica said.

Monica joined the Thors on their ship while the other fighters took the SABER-provided ships. Once Monica entered the required information and the ship took off, she inquired about what New Asgard had been up to since she last visited. Jane told her about the sudden emergence of Gorr, the return of Thor that night, and the kidnapping of the children. Thor told of their trip to Omnipotence City (leaving out the part where Zeus stripped him naked), their encounter with Gorr in the Shadow Realm, and his journey to Eternity’s Realm.

“If only we could have coordinated this wish,” Monica said. “Come to think of it, couldn’t you guys have gone to Eternity after Thanos snapped?”

“The thought only dawned on me after Zeus mentioned him,” Thor said. “It’s as if Eternity had in mind what wish he would grant.”

“I see,” Monica said.

The SABER station was now in view. It was a large space station above the Earth, with a long rod-like bottom, a disk-like structure near the top, and a rounded top. Thor and Jane watched as Monica flew the ship near a docking bay in the Disk-like Section of the station. The Docking Bay she flew into was small – just large enough for their ship. Once inside, the ship was engulfed in darkness, and alarms flared.

“The chamber we’re in is being filled with air so that we can exit the ship,” Monica explained.

The alarms ceased, and the lights in the chamber flared open, signaling to the crew that it was safe to leave. Monica escorted Thor and Jane to one of the hallways while contacting Nick Fury.

“So, Thor,” Fury said when the two finally encountered each other. “Are there other Asgardians not far behind?”

“Sadly, no,” Thor said. “Just me and Jane here.”

“I figured,” Fury said. “As I understand it, you guys had an abduction issue to resolve?”

“We resolved it,” Thor said. “But Valkyrie is afraid to commit Asgard itself to your cause. She expects Jane and me to present ourselves as operating on Midgard’s behalf.”

“Did Talos warn you that his cousin Krolos was reaching out to the Frost Giants?” Fury asked.

“Is he making progress on that?” Monica asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Fury said grimly.

“How close do you think they are?” Jane asked.

“Krolos said that they should be ready to deploy in a week or a week and a half,” Fury said. “And that was a week ago.”

“It sounds like we have a little bit of time,” Thor said. “Are there any engagements for which Jane and I can provide reinforcements?”

“Not at the moment,” Fury said.

To all of their shock, a Blue-lighted portal opened up and a Skrull walked through, followed by three armored Frost Giants, all of which (Thor could tell) were just barely taller than Nick Fury. The three Frost Giants tensed up when they saw Thor, who gently raised his hands.

“You didn’t mention Thor would be here?” the first Frost Giant, a dark-blue one, growled.

“I thought Asgard wasn’t coming,” the Skrull said. “Apparently, Talos managed to bend their elbow a bit.”

“Princess Thena?” the first Frost Giant gasped, turning his attention to Jane.

“Okay,” Jane groaned, her eyes glowing blue. “My name is Mighty Thor, or Dr. Jane Foster.”

Thor, who appeared stunned when the Frost Giant mentioned Princess Thena and still seemed dazed, walked next to Jane and put a hand on her shoulder. “Jane, he might be talking about a Princess from Vanaheim named Thena,” he said.

“Krolos, I thought you guys weren’t coming for another half week,” Fury said.

“I said the armies wouldn’t be fully ready for half a week,” the Skrull, Krolos, said. “I figured we could at least begin the integration between Frost Giant and Skrull so that each of our colonies could have detachments in three to four days. So, I invited Lieutenant Rorzan and his guard to begin the process.”

“Is it possible for the two Thors to fight alongside you guys?” Monica asked the Frost Giants.

“My understanding is that the Frost Giants might view it as akin to a super-powered Bin Laden joining the Avengers,” Krolos said.

“The feud is that bad?” Fury gasped.

“Who’s Bin Laden?” Rorzan asked.

“Someone who would never be allowed to join the Avengers after he killed three thousand civilians and dragged America into a long-drawn war,” Fury said.

“Well,” Rorzan growled, “Thor’s previous female accomplice managed to secure a pardon, though much of what was in her favor is not in Thor’s. Never may be a strong word, but I won’t deny that if you joined our ranks, many of us would be eager to repay you in kind for the attack you levied against us long ago.”

“Well,” Jane stuttered. “It seemed like Thor, and I could still do what we came here to do, which is kick Kree ass, as long as you guys don’t slit our throats in the middle of the night.”

“I know,” Thor gasped. “But tensions between me and Jotunheim are going to be high, and I cannot guarantee that no skirmish will break out, skirmishes that can only help the Kree.”

“But…” Jane gasped.

“We can’t help everyone, Jane,” Thor said. “It’s clear to me that our presence will hurt the Skrulls more than help them at this point. But there is always someone out there we can help.”

“Well,” Fury said. “I guess we’re going with the Frost Giants.” He nodded to Monica.

As Monica began to escort Thor and Jane back to the Docking Bay, Rorzan growled, “Runaway little Princess.”

“Are you just going to take that?” Jane hissed.

“I was banished the last time I didn’t,” Thor replied.

Chapter Text

“I still want to at least monitor this conflict,” Jane said ruefully.

“I do wonder if that could be arranged,” Monica said as she escorted them to a meeting room.

“You’re not worried about the Frost Giants coming here?” Thor asked, looking around the room.

“For now, no,” Monica said as she went through a drawer of communication devices, picked one out, and began to configure it. “From my understanding of that encounter, they just sent the envoy – though you will definitely have to deal with them later.” She handed Jane the communication device. “I’ll try to keep you updated on any developments.”

“Thank you,” Jane said, as they began to walk back towards the Docking Bay.

Because the time for Jane to return to the Infirmary drew near, she and Thor flew back to New Asgard – Jane begrudgingly. Thor sat in the lounge while Jane went through with her appointment.

After about three-quarters of an hour of waiting, Thor’s heart gave a jolt when Lady Sif walked around the corner, and he knew that it would take time to get used to seeing the stump that was once her left arm. She was wearing the leather trousers she usually wore in battle, a simple white T-shirt, and a red short-sleeve button-down sweater.

Sif made a glance towards Thor (who could not read her expression) before walking up to the receptionist. It dawned on Thor that he had visited Jane and Valkyrie during their stays. But after rescuing Sif from Alfheim, he hadn’t stopped by her ward.

After Sif was checked out, she looked again at Thor and paused before slowly walking towards him.

“I take it you have had a busy few weeks,” Sif said cautiously.

“A bit,” Thor breathed.

“It wasn’t Thanos that destroyed Asgard, was it?” Sif asked.

The question caught Thor off guard. “No!” he said. “It was Surtur. Loki restored him… on my orders.”

Sif sighed in frustration when Thor mentioned Loki’s role, but turned to Thor in shock when he admitted that he ordered Loki to resurrect Surtur. “Why?”

“It was the only way to get rid of my sister Hela,” Thor said. “Turns out, I had an older sister named Hela that Odin hid from the lot of us.”

“So, she did exist,” Sif sighed.

“You’ve heard of her?” Thor asked.

“Princess Amora and her daughter Thena mentioned her,” Sif said. “Odin or Loki sent me to Korbin to spy on the Frost Giants. Turns out the Frost Giants and the Korbinites were fighting off Thanos. Apparently, Amora has been training Thena to fight Hela. I imagined Hela was a myth that Amora made up.”

“So, why did you think Thanos destroyed the place of Asgard?” Thor asked.

“Thena and I were on Xandar when Thanos came to collect the power stone,” Sif said. “We… obviously… failed to stop him. After Thanos decimated Xandar with the Power Stone, I realized he might go to Asgard to get the Tesseract. It took us a while to find a ship, and by the time we arrived in Asgard, it was just asteroids. We thought Thanos used the Power Stone again.

“And then she and I blacked out and woke up five years later in an Xandarian garage,” Sif said.

Thor remembered asking Sif’s mother what she knew about Sif’s whereabouts and was told that Sif had blipped. It was strange hearing Sif explain where she was when the blip began and where she ended up when it ended. He also dimly remembered Amora visiting early in the blip’s tenure. She had mentioned Sif and Thena fighting Thanos on Xandar. Sif likely assumed Thanos destroyed Asgard because she knew what Thanos was up to and had no idea Hela was running amok on Asgard.

To Thor’s alarm, Sif had broken into tears. Slowly and reluctantly, Thor reached out to put his arm around her shoulders. It was at that moment that he noticed Jane walked into the lobby – pausing as she saw where Thor’s arm was.

“She’s… having a rough time,” Thor told Jane.

“I can… see that,” Jane said softly.

After a few seconds, Sif became quiet. She then stood up and, without even looking at Jane or Thor, walked out of the infirmary.

“You didn’t see her just walk through a blue version of herself, did you?” Jane asked.

“No, I just saw her,” Thor answered.

“It’s the second time I saw this figure,” Jane said. “I first saw her in Eternity’s Realm.”

“That’s… odd,” Thor said.

“Any idea why?” Jane asked, concern rising in her voice.

“I do not,” Thor said. “If indeed you are seeing this one figure that none else could, then there is possibly something about the wish I made that entangled you with her. I know not what it could be, but I could think of one person who might be able to explain it.”

“Who?” Jane asked.

“Sif’s mother, Sylvan,” Thor answered her, escorting her out of the infirmary. “A healer, a friend of my mother’s, and one of the few survivors of Ragnarök.

Thor looked around the area and, to his relief, he spotted Sif in the distance heading towards the rocky shores – they weren’t going to run into each other if they stopped by Sylvan’s residence.

Thor took Jane up a gravel street until they came across a series of white houses. Thor scanned the address numbers of these houses before he went to the porch of one of the houses and rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, the door opened and Jane had to suppress a gasp.

Before her stood Eir, the healer Jane had conversed with previously during her trip to Old Asgard. It was Eir who, alongside her fellow healers, examined Jane after the Aether entered her body, and it was Eir who unintentionally confirmed their soul forge to be a Quantum Field Generator.

“Eir,” Jane said softly.

The woman smiled. “It’s Sylvan when I’m not on any official duty,” she said. “Any idea how my daughter is doing?”

“She was released from the infirmary, not too long ago,” Thor said. “She was somewhat distraught, and I saw her heading towards the shore. The real reason why we are here, though, is due to a conundrum we are facing, and that you are the most qualified person we know to resolve it. Since our encounter with Eternity, Jane has twice seen a figure that I myself could not. First, she saw her in Eternity’s Realm and then at the Infirmary lobby where Sif sat for a couple of minutes.”

Sylvan had a look as if she was contemplating something. “Come inside,” she instructed the two.

“So, you know what might be going on?” Jane asked as they followed Sylvan to her living room.

“I have the beginnings of an idea but wish to hear more about your visions before I pursue this idea further,” Sylvan said. “What does this figure look like?”

“She has dark hair, maroon eyes, a blue outfit with a grey cape, and light-greyish blue skin,” Jane said. “She wore horns kind of like the ones Loki wore when he tried to take over Earth. But they were silver and instead of arching circularly as his had done,” Jane made a hand gesture with a clear arc path, “they were more like,” she made a second gesture, this one having her hand travel horizontally for a couple of inches before taking a sharp turn upwards and kind of arching.

Sylvan sighed. “There is an individual I could think of that matches the description you have provided,” she said. “To elaborate on who this individual is would require me to break the Secrecy Command Odin had delivered to us healers – though thankfully, it would break no covenant.”

“More of Odin’s secrets,” Thor growled. “And after Hela, as well.”

“Indeed,” Sylvan said. “What you were told was a mysterious illness Sif had endured in the lead up to your millennial celebration was actually a pregnancy. Loki… was the father, and because he was a Frost Giant, the child within was half-Frost Giant, whose energy absorption had made Sif’s pregnancy taxing. We eventually had to move Sif to Muspelheim so that she could survive her pregnancy.”

“Sif had mentioned moving to Muspelheim for a few months and cites family issues as a reason she might not make it to my Celebration,” Thor said. “Now I know what she had meant.”

“It was on your Millennial Celebration that the child would be born, a girl Sif would name Sylene,” Sylvan said. “Because her energy absorption was so potent, even compared to her father, Odin could not enchant Sylene to appear Asgardian like he did with Loki. So, he had Sif take Sylene to Midgard, where Sylene could learn to control this nature of hers. Once we were satisfied she could, we attempted to greet her, but Sylene opted to remain on Midgard, refusing to return to Asgard.

“Unfortunately, Loki would attempt to destroy Jotunheim, and Sylene observed this,” Sylvan continued as Thor shifted uncomfortably. He remembered hearing of Sylene in discussions on what was going on with Jotunheim – chiefly between retrieving Loki from Midgard with the help of the newly formed Avengers and the conflict with the Dark Elves. Thor, still reeling from having been banished for attacking Jotunheim, tried not to pay too much attention to these conversations. “From what I understand, she journeyed to Jotunheim using the magics she learned on Midgard and sent the Bifrost energy back to Asgard until the Bridge broke.”

Thor remembered how, deep into Loki’s plot, the Bifrost Observatory became inaccessible due to the energy overloading the Bridge. So that’s what was happening! Thor thought.

“Because Loki had killed Laufey, the line of succession fell to her,” Sylvan explained. “The horns Loki and Sylene wore were the horns of Jotun royalty. Now that you know who you have been seeing, perhaps you can let me know what happened in Eternity’s Realm. It would be an essential clue to figure out why you are seeing her.”

“Well…” Jane began, hesitating.

“You can trust her,” Thor said.

“In the lead up to Eternity, I was struggling with a horrendous Midgardian disease we call Cancer,” Jane said. “Our medicine wasn’t doing the trick, so I took a gamble on a trip here to see if Mjolnir could grant me great health, as some of the texts I’ve read have suggested.

“Mjolnir did grant me respite, but it came at a cost of accelerating the disease to the point where Thor accurately predicted at one point that one more round with Mjolnir would be my last. If not for Eternity, he would have been right. It was right before Eternity’s Realm, where we would get the children back to Asgard. Though Thor and I managed to destroy the Necrosword that the God-Butcher was using, it was at that point that my strength waned drastically.

“I... I think I actually died for a bit,” Jane said. “It is through Thor’s wish to Eternity that I am here today.”

“What was the wish?”

“I wish for Jane to be restored to full health! I wish she could have the kind of health I enjoy,” Thor said. “Before I made that wish, I saw visions of Midgard and Asgard as frozen wastelands, being patrolled by Frost Giants. I also saw this frozen wasteland being warmed up when Jane arrived, using powers I had never seen her use. I also get the sense that Eternity was subconsciously influencing my actions.”

“When did you first see Sylene?” Sylvan asked Jane.

“Seconds after I regained consciousness, which would have been right after Thor made that wish,” Jane said. “She just stood there, looking blankly at me.”

Sylvan sat back and thought about everything she had heard.

“Do you…” Thor asked after a few seconds, “know what’s going on?”

“I don’t know what is going on, but I can speculate,” Sylvan said. “Sometime after taking the throne of Jotunheim, Sylene mysteriously disappeared. There were rumors that she had been killed. I think that she may have died at some point, and like you, has been restored somehow. As her grandmother, I hope she is alive today, wherever she is. Eternity is someone who would know everything that has happened and everything that could happen. I suspect that there is a massive event that Sylene would be a catalyst for, and Eternity sought someone who would play a pivotal role in preventing this event from coming to pass.”

“Me?” Jane said weakly.

“Well, much of this is speculation on my part,” Sylvan said. “Sif’s presence in the infirmary might be why you saw Sylene a second time. In Asgard, mothers develop a magical bond with their children and with their own mothers. We can feel each other’s presence. Sif’s maternal connection with Sylene likely triggered your second viewing.

“Now, my knowledge of Eternity is not much greater than your knowledge is, Thor,” Sylvan said. “Because of that, I could be completely wrong about why Jane is seeing visions of Sylene. I also have no advice for Jane on how to tell if she is seeing a vision of Sylene or if Sylene is physically present in front of her. There is someone who would know more about Eternity than anyone else.”

Sylvan sighed. “Again, I am about to reveal another massive secret,” she said. “Frigga is not your only mother. Though she provided your maternal heritage, it was in the womb of Midgard in which you grew.”

“GAIA!” Thor gasped.

“It might be why you fell so hard for a Midgardian maiden rather than an Asgardian one,” Sylvan said.

“Does Gaia have a connection with Eternity?” Jane asked.

“She does,” Sylvan said. “She is Eternity’s Avatar, and I do not doubt that she has been alerted to the wish you had made. There are four fundamental beings of the Universe: Eternity, Infinity, Entropy, and Death. And it is said that four elder deities serve as avatars for these beings. Gaia, who also serves a role in the history and genealogy of the Olympians, serves Eternity. Oshtur serves Infinity and has a great interest in exploring beyond the Universe. Chthon, known for creating the Darkhold, serves Entropy. Set, not to be confused with the Ennead named Set, serves Death.”

Chapter Text

Sylvan could offer them no information on how to find Gaia, but assured them that Eternity might guide them in the correct direction. Overwhelmed with the thought that a being representing all of time had a task for her, Jane flew out towards the shores for some time to process everything.

Thor, shocked that he had a second mother out there, stayed behind for more information about that.

“This maternal connection you mentioned,” Thor said. “Would I have noticed it with Frigga or would I notice it with Gaia?”

“You would likely notice with Gaia,” Sylvan said. “Although Gaia is not what we would consider Asgardian, whether the bond between you and her would exist is unclear. It depends on in whom you grow at your very beginning – hence why we don’t see similar connections between a father and his children.

“Unfortunately, I am not part of your maternal line, so I could not read you and sense such connections.”

The next couple of days were uneventful. Jane eventually caught up with Sif, who expressed concern that Thor didn’t really care that much about her or any from Asgard. Sif even speculated that Thor, after learning that she was in danger, had played around a bit before going to rescue her. Jane had an initial flare of anger towards her suggestion before she remembered Thor being more focused on her wielding Mjolnir than fighting off Gorr’s monsters in New Asgard. Jane declined to bring up Sylene. Sif probably didn’t want to talk about Sylene’s fate, especially when Jane wasn’t sure of what ultimately became of her.

Monica sent a couple of updates to Jane regarding the Kree/Skrull war. The Frost Giants were very effective in holding off the Kree (Maybe a bit too effective, Monica wrote in one of her updates). Apparently, she and Carol Danvers had been swapping places whenever she and Carol Danvers used their powers. Jane responded by telling Monica to let her know if they ever wanted Jane to look into this phenomenon.

Three days after the chat with Sylvan, Valkyrie, who had largely recovered by that point, summoned Thor and Jane to her office. With Miek at her side and a raven on her shoulder, she gave them quite the update.

“It has come to my attention,” Valkyrie said, massaging the neck of the Raven on her shoulder, “that Rock Trolls are surrounding the body of Fallagar the Behemoth on Alfheim.”

Thor growled when he heard this news. “They cannot be up to any good,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we have little information on what they are up to,” Valkyrie said. “And I think you both should go, given that Ulik might be among them.”

“Who’s Ulik?” Jane asked.

“Ulik the Conquerable,” Thor said, “though he calls himself Unconquerable. He has led plenty of uprisings against Asgard over the centuries and often participated in various Marauder Pillaging parties. I usually beat him every time we face off, but he is a formidable opponent.”

“So, see if they are doing anything unseemly,” Valkyrie said. “And if they are, feel free to disrupt them. We should have a prison cell for Ulik if it comes to it.”

“Very well,” Thor said. “Anything else?”

“Nope!” she said.

Thor and Jane left Valkyrie’s office. As they rushed towards the outside of the Town Hall, Thor said, “The way I see it, the best place to approach is by using the Bifrost, since this is on Alfheim and thus accessible as a destination. We’ll land several miles away and jump towards our destination, so that they don’t scatter before we can figure out what they were doing.”

“I’ll follow your lead,” Jane said.

Once they reached an area on the gravel a distance away from the Town Hall, Jane checked one of her devices.

“What’s going on?” Thor asked.

“Monica and Carol recently reinforced the Skrulls and Frost Giants on a place called Aks’lo,” Jane said. “I really wanted to help them, but at least we have this new mission we can do.”

Thor nodded as he raised Stormbreaker and brought the Bifrost down upon Jane and himself. Once they landed, Jane was shocked to find a large, snowy mountainous landscape waiting for them. “This way,” Thor said as he lightning-jumped away, prompting Jane to follow. Thor made several jumps before the corpse of Fallagar came into view. Before him, there was a flat of snowy plains, before he jumped to a familiar site.

“This is where I found Sif right before I returned to New Asgard and encountered you,” Thor said once Jane caught up with him. “Hopefully, the Rock Trolls are on the other side.”

With that, he lightning-jumped close to Fallagar and crept around the mouth of the slain God. As Jane crept up behind Thor, Thor held out an arm to signal where Jane should not cross.

There were dozens upon dozens of Rock Trolls either carrying full buckets away from Fallagar, waltzing towards him with empty buckets, or extracting blood from various gashes they made in Fallagar’s hide.

“I take it they shouldn’t be doing that?” Jane asked.

“No,” Thor said. “Okay. I’m going to throw my axe at one of them. When I do, engage a different group a few meters away.”

“Got it,” Jane breathed.

Thor backed away and swung Stormbreaker around, charging it up before jumping into view of the Rock Trolls. As Stormbreaker flew towards one group, Jane lightning-jumped towards the group next to them.

Stormbreaker struck one of the Rock Trolls, causing a huge explosion of lightning to strike a few Trolls nearby. As the group Jane jumped towards became distracted by that explosion, she landed, twirled around, and sent shards of Mjolnir at the distracted group. By this time, Stormbreaker was summoned back to Thor’s hand, and he was rushing in to join the fight.

 Thor’s eyes then glowed blue, and thunder clouds gathered overhead. “HOW DARE YOU DEFILE THE CORPSE OF FALLAGAR SO SHAMELESSLY!” he bellowed.

Strands of lightning struck plenty of other Trolls. Some of them started to scatter while others decided to charge at the two Thors. The fight lasted for a few minutes.

“Yaa!” Jane yelled as the pieces of Mjolnir broke into multiple pieces again and sought out some of the dwindling number of Rock Trolls before her.

Suddenly, a Rock Troll, larger than any of the ones they had fought before, emerged. He had dark reddish hair, a basic metallic vest attached to a metallic thong. The vest had a turtle-blue tint with a Skull design throughout the Troll’s belly.

“Jane,” Thor said nervously. “That is Ulik. Simply throwing Mjolnir is not going to be as effective.”

“So, what’s your plan?” Jane asked.

“I’ll engage him with Stormbreaker, you try to get a hit in wherever you can,” Thor said.

“Got it!” Jane said as Thor rushed up and Thor’s axe crossed with Ulik’s axe. Jane spent a couple of seconds looking for an opening while trying to ponder who was stronger. It seemed Thor was, or maybe that was Jane’s bias talking. Even if Thor was stronger than Ulik, it wasn’t by much.

Ulik eventually started to push Thor back, but Jane was on Ulik’s side by this point. She charged up Mjolnir and hit Ulik’s right arm with a blast of blue lightning. Ulik staggered a little, allowing Thor to push back.

“Okay, you can throw Mjolnir in that position,” Thor said.

“Okay,” Jane breathed as Ulik slowly regained the upper hand.

Within half a minute, she had the opportunity to do just that, throwing Mjolnir as hard as she could – this time into his left arm. Ulik was thrown to his right by several feet and on the ground, with Thor charging towards him. Ulik managed to kick Thor to the side before charging at Jane, who lightning jumped over him. But Ulik quickly recalibrated, managing to grab her by the leg and smash her into the ground.

Just as Ulik stood over her and prepared to punch her (Jane just noticed that he was wearing armoured knuckles), a strange energy suddenly materialized in her head, and she saw bright purple – the background hard to see. But she heard Ulik scream, and when Jane’s purple vision ended, almost as quickly as it began, she saw that Ulik was staggering back, one of his fingers bleeding heavily.

As she stood up, she saw that Thor was rushing towards the two, shocked at what had happened.

“Did you do that before?” he asked, shocked.

“No!” Jane said. “I don’t know what I did.” Looking towards Ulik, still shocked at whatever she did, she added, “I didn’t know he could bleed like that!”

“I don’t think they’re made entirely out of rocks,” Thor said.

Ulik, though, regained his composure and, with great anger, charged them both. Thor swung at the Fist that Ulik attempted to use. Jane ducked below and swung Mjolnir into his back. Jane then had a blast of blue lightning from Mjolnir hit Ulik.

Thor joined in, hitting Ulik with another few blasts. “A few more blasts and he’ll be too tired to resist for a couple of days,” Thor said, summoning a few more bolts until he was satisfied Ulik could not retaliate again.

With that, Thor raised Stormbreaker and allowed the Bifrost to return them to New Asgard.

To Thor’s alarm, the journey close to the end became unstable, as if they were in a tube and the tube kept jerking violently, threatening to spew them out of the side. The last time Thor had exited the Bifrost in such a manner, Hela had pushed him out, and he ended up being sent to Sakaar.

To their relief, they managed to make it to New Asgard, but neither Thor nor Jane saw a large blizzard on the forecast. Wherever it came from, it must have been the reason that the Bifrost was so unstable at the end. Winds, carrying hail, roared around them. To Thor’s relief, he could still see trees in the distance, but the snowfall came from nowhere.

Valkyrie descended from a portal above, atop of Warsong.

“You summoned another storm!” Valkyrie demanded.

“I summon thunder-storms, not Blizzards!” Thor said, exasperated. “Who did you piss off?”

“I don’t know!” Valkyrie said.

“Is his cell ready?” Thor said, gesturing towards Ulik.

“Yes!” Valkyrie said. “I can take it from here!”

“No!” Thor said. “Ulik is very dangerous! Until he’s locked up, he’s not leaving my sight.”