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96.07% Meta Essence Gacha in Marvel / Chapter 94: When in Asgard

章 94: When in Asgard

Eidolon P.O.V.

Royal Palace of Valaskjalf

"The problem is that the Aether is feeding on Jane's lifeforce, and we don't know for how long she can withstand this debility." Frigga says as we walk through the fancy hallways of this fancy palace. There's a lot of gold around here, and I don't think it is normal gold.

She voices her worries while holding Jane's hand to comfort the poor woman. She really passes that nice auntie vibe, now I really despise Loki a little more. If she treats us, poor mortals, like that I don't believe she would mistreat him, so he really has no reason for his betrayal beyond his own feelings...

He is already rotten in the core.

Frigga's words and actions help Jane a little. But I'm the type that believes one action helps more than a thousand words, like anyone with good sense.

I step forward a little, to reach the duo of Mother and Daughter-in-law that are walking side by side.

"Excuse me..." It's the only thing that I say before touching Jane's shoulder.

I have a lot of powers that can do the same, but I decided to use Gold Experience's stand power. Probably the most efficient lifeforce bestowal that I have in my belt of powers.

I'm careful to just give her a smidgen of lifeforce to not overwhelm her body, it's better to start slow. I can ask later if she needs more.

"Wha- Oh, I feel... better." She checks herself in surprise. After two bursts from the Aether, she was obviously tired, but it disappeared just like that. "What did you do?" She, and everyone else, turn to look at me.

"If we don't have a solution, we can at least patch things up... Without a cure, we treat the symptoms." Very common in medicine "So I just gave you a little lifeforce. As long I continue, you will not die, it will buy us time too." I explain

"That's excellent." Frigga smiles brightly "The more pressing issue is solved like that. I was already going through my memories to find some spells that could do the same."

"Thank you, my friend. This put my mind at ease." Thor clasps my shoulder.

I just shrugged, it's a little uncomfortable to be thanked so directly like that. I remember Saeko teasing me about it.

"Don't think much about it... Part of a hero's job is exactly giving peace of mind to people." I say dismissively before addressing a little more serious issue that can happen in the future "The thing is this is just a temporary measure. We know little about the Aether, maybe he will need more and more lifeforce, and Jane may not resist the 'transfusion'. We bought time but we should still hurry up." I say

Maybe I'm worrying about them too much, but my overthinking mind can't help but consider all the ways things can go wrong.

"That's true, but don't worry. With my husband working on it, it will not take long." Frigga nods and then smiles "Just enjoy what Asgard has to offer." She says to calm down Jane

I decided to try another method, approaching Jane again I talked with her body "Oy Aether, I have much more lifeforce thatn her... Why don't you come to my body, huh?" I put my hand on her shoulder again and shook her a little, nudging the Aether to jump ships "C'mon~"

"..."

"..."

"..."

The rest look at me strangely and after some time I give up. Raising my hands in the air, my palms horizontally to the ceiling I shrug my shoulders again.

"Well, it cost nothing to try... And I was testing its sentience."

Frigga giggles a little behind her mouth like a mother who saw a toddler do something silly and cute "It was a good try and we really never know. You would be surprised how many times difficult problems can be solved very easily if you think a little outside the box."

The rest also laughs a little.

"Now I don't know if the Aether is dumb and only acts on instincts, or if is smart and knew that was a trap." I can't help but consider the options.

I think is the first option... But is better to keep an open mind.

Eventually, Frigga and our group parted ways. She is going to the library, and I wanted to follow her... It's the library of Asgard, it must have a lot of interesting books there and using the "friend of Thor" status, I think I would be able to read almost everything.

But Thor offered to give us a tour around the palace and promised that I could check it later.

"The Library will not go anywhere, my friend. Come, let me show you some more interesting places. "The God of Hammers unsurprisingly is not a fan of books.

"Like the Mead Hall? Or the Training Yard?" I raise an eyebrow at him.

He only smiles brightly while guiding us through the palace.

But our path is suddenly blocked by a batch of people walking in cuffs, being guided by some Aesir guards and...

"Lady Sif!" Thor greets the woman warrior warmly.

The dark-haired blue-eyed female warrior turns to look at us.

"..." Tch, just my type... Damn, Xena and Diana. You did irrevocable damage to my psyche.

"Thor..." She also opens a smile when she sees him but her face stiffens a little when she spots us.

Well, I don't want to gossip but... I would say that her face stiffened when she saw Jane.

"Ooooh~" Darcy appears to have noticed the same if the way she is poking me with her elbow is anything to go by.

And if we noticed... Yep, Jane is also frowning.

Only Thor appears to be oblivious to the sudden mood shift, chatting happily with his old friend, and I think ex-lover. I heard some stories...

But Thor is not dumb... He is using one of my techniques... "Play Dense". Well done, Thor. Well done. I underestimated you.

"You know them..." Thor turns a little to point at us "This is Jane, Eidolon, and Jane's assistant, Darcy." He introduced us.

"You don't need to add the 'assistant' part every time, you know?" Darcy huffs

"Well met." Sif nods at us, and her eyes appear to purposefully avoid Jane, and decides to focus on me "I remember you from Loki's folly... Thor said a lot of good things about you."

"Probably all an exaggeration." I wave my hand

"No need to be humble, Heimdall also shared your exploits during that battle. I have to say that is a more than excellent display." She retorts, complimenting me.

"Is that so?" But I can only think about the Heimdall part. Tch, I hate it. But okay... It's not like they will reveal my identity or something if he is even interested in it.

"Yes, I hope we can exchange points and spar in the future."

"I will be abusing Thor's hospitality for a while, so it will be my honor." I nod "By the way... those people..." I gesture to the line of cuffed people walking behind her.

"I'm taking those rebels to the dungeons. There, they will wait for the Allfather's judgment." Sif answers easily

"Dungeons, huh?" I scratch my chin "Can I accompany you?" I ask while looking between her and Thor "It's okay to refuse, I don't think is right for a guest to wander around those forbidden places either. But in this special circumstance, I can only ask..."

"It will be no problem. Not the first place that I would choose to start this tour, to be honest" Thor says, accepting my request without a problem.

"I'm just curious..." I say.

Secretly I am looking around the horde of prisoners, they are much more numerous than shown in the movie. Thousands of them...

In the plot of the movie, I remember that there's a "Trojan horse" hidden between those prisoners, but I can't find him even with my eyes. Did he already go? Or it's another batch coming?

I think the safest way is to keep an eye on the Dungeon entrance then, hence why I asked to accompany Lady Sif.

"Follow us." The warrior woman nods in a more serious way and leads us together with the prisoners.

We go down into the depths of the palace, and every area becomes less fancy and more Spartan, but my eyes can still see that the seemingly normal walls are made of incredible materials and filled with enchantments.

"You want to see it, here we are... But there's nothing fun here." Sif turns to say to us as the other Aesir guards lead the batch of prisoners even lower "The most dangerous criminals are on this upper parts."

From our high view, we can see a lot of cells where the walls are made of some golden light instead of iron bars.

"Shouldn't the most dangerous be lower?" Darcy asks a fair question.

"Down there is more spacious, here the enchantments are stronger." Sif explains "Even if you escape the cells in the lower levels you will have no choice but to escape through here. So we guard much heavily this floor."

"I see..." I nod and check the cells "I see some familiar faces..." I comment casually and give Thor a side glance

His face is complicated while he stares at a particular cell.

Then like he decided something, he started walking to the said cell without saying a word.

After the rest of us exchange some glances we follow him.

"Well, well~ Look who deign himself to grace us with his presence..." And drawled voice talks from the cell "What I owe the Son of Odin and the Future King of Asgard this gift that he bestows upon me?"

"Loki..." Thor says in a grave tone as he stops in front of Loki's cell.

"Thor..." The God of Lies says in the same tone of voice, a way to mock his step-brother. His green eyes leave Thor for some moments as he swept over the rest of us "I have to say, brother. In the past, you surrounded yourself with better company." He does some shots at us.

I obviously ignore him... for now. It's Thor's moment to confront his brother.

"I don't think so... In the past, I had a snake in my circle." Thor says while staring at Loki unblinking.

It seems the two are used to exchange barbs. I'm only half interested in what they are gonna talk about, I look around to see the other one that I know...

She is glaring murder at me.

"You are gonna get wrinkles..." I say to Amora, who is Loki's neighbor in this prison.

Shouldn't the two be far from each other? Maybe they hate each other now so it doesn't matter.

"You upstart mortal." Amora says through gritted teeth, her eyes blazing with fury.

"You are the one that was under my feet last time..." I say in the same tone of voice. An even and calm sound of voice, the type that you use when you want to annoy an angry person with your calmness.

"When I get out here. I will slave you and make you kill everything you hold dear." She threatens with a vicious expression.

"Is that so?" I ask in an even tone, still calm...

Till I'm not... I suddenly return her glare with a glare of my own.

!!!

These cells prevent magic from inside out but no prison is perfect. Meta-powers from the outside still work, even with the preventions against space manipulation.

Amora wheezes as my arm appears in front of her, coming from a wormhole, and starts squeezing her neck. That's the limit, only an arm. More than enough to kill her... The scary thing is that the mantle covers my body, so no one saw it coming. Everything went from 0 to 100 too fast.

"If you are so hellbent on vengeance... maybe I should kill you here and now." My voice is cold, and the surroundings are hit by my aura and Will. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed how the people were affected too, my friends and the prisoners.

"Argh! Gah!" Amora claws my arm and tries to open my fingers, but it's like they are locked in space. I wait and wait... Till she notices her efforts are futile.

I wait till I can feel her start to accept death... and release her, letting her fall to her knees, a mess of drool and snot trying to recover her breath.

"But I will not overstep my boundaries..."I look down at her with disgust "This cell is your safe haven, Amora. If I were you, I would not leave it."

I put some countermeasures on her so that she couldn't catch me off guard in the future.

Seeing her still glaring at me, despite the fear in her eyes, I decide to mess with her a little more.

Humming I take a plaque from beneath my mantle and write some words with my fingers and put it in the top of her cell.

"...pfft!" Everyone's eyes go wide upon seeing the plaque before they start laughing. They tried holding back a little, but they couldn't.

"What? What did you do??" Amora asks annoyed, from her cell she can't see what I wrote.

Obviously, no one is gonna tell her, it's much funnier this way. Seeing her desperately asking why they're laughing at her only makes the situation funnier.

Sif is the one that laughs the loudest, it seems she has some grudge against Amora. Thor, you dog!

By the way, in the plaque is written...

Auda City

Population: This Bitch

"It seems that you are a jokester too..." Loki's voice cuts our good mood, making me look at him.

"Better than you... And your mother..." I say "...after all, she spent 9 months to make this sad joke that is you."

"Pffft!" Darcy puts her hand in front of her mouth and hides behind Jane to laugh. Jane on her part closed her eyes and tried her best to control herself, her trembling shoulders a sign of her struggle.

Thor and Sif, and even other prisoners are not that considerate. They openly laugh at Loki.

The God of Mischief's face falls, like most bullies, he can't bear to be the butt of the joke.

"Your mortal words don't affect me..." He is saying before I interrupt.

"Not even trying to clap back? I'm disappointed in you..." I shake my head "At least, I'm not alone on this... Let's see, there's Odin, Frigga, Thor, your army, yourself..." I started using my fingers to count everyone he disappointed.

At this point, some veins are popping on the annoying god's forehead. He glares at me not differently from how Amora did a moment go.

"Are you gonna threaten me too?" I ask, a veiled threat underneath my tone of voice, remembering him what I just did with Amora after she threatened me.

"..." It seems he is too smart to do that.

"If you're not gonna say anything, hear me out then." I approach his cell to stare at him "I met your mom, Frigga, not the Frost Giant one, just now... Good woman, she remembered me of mine. Patient, with a big heart, all forgiving..."

"..." Loki doesn't react at the praise of his step-mother, he knows that some sort of unwanted scolding is coming.

"The difference is that mine is dead." I suddenly reveal, the shift is so abrupt that the mood instantly gets weird "I can't help but think that the universe is unfair that someone like you still has a mother that cares for you despite all that you have done while mine was taken prematurely from me by people that are exactly like you." I shake my head, really trying to pass the message to this guy.

Because this is the last time that I am willing to have a reasonable talk with him, and I am only doing this for Thor.

I continue "I don't know how it was your childhood, but from the little that I saw, I doubt that you are mistreated. Maybe Thor was the golden child or something like that, but that doesn't excuse your actions."

"Their betrayal is not something someone like you can understand." Loki spats in my direction

"What betrayal? Saving you from dying as a baby?" I ask genuinely curious

"I had this talk with Odin. I heard similar words... What makes you think that I will give any attention when they are coming from you?" Loki shows a face full of contempt

"Maybe that is the problem... You only listen to what you want to listen to, you narcissistic bastard. Let me ask something... Did they ever give you the impression that you are gonna inherit the throne of Asgard? If you are not going to inherit it anyway why are you so surprised when your chances drop to zero because of your heritage? What really changed Loki? What really changed beyond you finally having an excuse to act on your inferiority complex?" 

"..." Now you don't have an answer, huh? Bastard...

"I can see their plans for miles away... Odin chooses forgiveness instead of vengeance, taking the son of his enemy to raise him as a better person. He stopped the violence when he was winning so that you and Thor could reign in a peaceful time. He gave a very hard and dangerous first step..." I nod to myself

I wouldn't be capable of doing that. Yes, I suddenly have five step-daughters, but if I suddenly found the Kingpin infant son... *Haah* I would give him to adoption. I would never raise him on my own.

Odin is much more forgiving than me, and this is when Kingpin's son would never threaten me... Loki on the other hand... The Allfather is a great man.

"A pity that his leap of faith failed..." I look at Loki with pity, without hiding how little I think of him "You proved him wrong when he did the right thing. The universe is really unfair."

"..." An uncomfortable silence settles, but I'm too thick-skinned to care about uncomfortable silences.

"Well, thanks for listening to my rant. I doubt that trying to shed some light on your situation is gonna help. You probably will sulk and think something like 'No one understands me' like an edgy teen, but whatever. I only wasted my words on you because of your family." Then I change my demeanor. To the Eidolon that deals with criminals "Now these words come from me..."

I glare at him coldly before I start speaking "Your family still believes that there is a chance of redemption, they are willing to wait for a long time for that moment when you will come to your senses... A hundred, five hundred, a thousand years... I'm not that patient."

"..."

"I believe that you are the scorpion of a famous fable on Midgard... In a few words, a frog was helping a scorpion to cross a river, but the Scorpion stung the frog, making them both drown and die. 'Why did you doomed us both?' The frog asked 'It's on my nature to sting' The Scorpion answered." I explain "Like the Scorpion, it on your nature to be deceitful, God of Lies. You are gonna betray and hurt them again and again. Every chance that they give you to cross the river, you are not gonna resist stinging them, just for the sake of stinging them."

My words hit the sore spot of both Thor and Loki. It's something that they intrinsically understand deep down in their hearts, but they never dared to think much about it. Maybe they don't want to face it yet...

Me saying them out Loud is like forcing them to face reality.

Thor can't help but show a sad expression on his face.

 I continued "Said that, as a hero, I want to believe that everyone has the potential to good... In a million years you may notice that their love for you is much more important than whatever petty feelings you hold in your poisonous heart. But like I said I'm not that patient."

I step close to the cell, our faces only separated by the golden magic screen.

"Stay away from Midgard, Loki. Do you mischief anywhere else." I threaten

"Or what?" He challenges

"I will end up being at odds with Thor..." I let killing intent drip from my words as I stare at him deeply, I'm really fucking serious and I want him to know that.

A part of me does not want that. I don't want to create this rift with my friend, I don't want to bring this grief to Frigga and I don't want to step on Odin's toes...

But I'm gonna fuck do it if Loki pulls another shit on Earth again. I'm Earth's protector, I will defend it from those so-called gods that look down on us even if I have to cut the root of Yggdrasil that connects us with the rest of the Nine Realms.

The surroundings get suffocating because I'm not suppressing my coercion, but after staring at Loki enough to make my point clear, I turn around and start walking away. The pressure disappeared together with my change in demeanor.

"I saw everything here. Let's go." I walk out of the dungeon, the rest following immediately.

Thor gives one last look at Loki before accompanying Jane.

I can't help but give one last shot to the prisoner.

"If you feel lonely, just say it. We can bring you a horse or something." I shout while waving my hand without looking back.

"Hahaha! Did that rumor really gain attention on Midgard?" Sif laughs full of joy

"Lady Sif... So you are involved in this?" I look at her smiling

"He cut my hair. "She defends herself.

"...good job." After holding my laugh for some time, I pat her shoulder and praise her for her good service.

From here, I can feel Loki's anger with my empathic powers.

.....

Third Person P.O.V.

Eventually, Thor and Lady Sif guided the rest of the group around the incredible palace, their final destination being an open training field where they met two of the Warriors Three: Fandral, the thin blonde man and Volstagg the most Viking of the Vikings in Hector's humble opinion. Hogun, the one that Hector thinks looks like a Mongol, is in his birthplace. It seems his land was deeply affected by the rebellions.

"Well met again!" Volstagg doesn't shy away from reaching Eidolon and giving him a bear hug, his huge frame squeezing the black-clad hero "A friend of Thor is a friend of mine!" He declares loudly.

"...likewise." Eidolon doesn't react much to the bone-crushing hug, his face obscured by the Viking's huge red beard.

On the side, Fandral introduced himself to the ladies with great fanfare, he smells like a womanizer from miles away and no one commented on his exaggerated way of introducing himself, bowing deeply, kissing hands, and all that.

"A pleasure to meet such beautiful ladies." Fandral says with an easy smile.

"Eh... thank you..."

Thor pulls Fandral away from the uncomfortable midgardian women

"Stay away from her, you weasel." Thor says but his voice does not show any bad feeling on his face. He playfully traps Fandral in a headlock and starts messing with his hair.

"My perfect hair! Thor you Buffon, you are embarrassing me in front of the ladies!" Fandral fights against Thor's clutches but it's not easy to escape the God of Thunder's grasp.

"Your everything is embarrassing enough." Lady Sif deadpans from the side before laughing together with everyone.

It seems that this is not a first-time occurrence.

The whole altercation eventually evolved into a fight all of a sudden... The Midgardians wisely didn't say anything and just accepted that this is how things are around here.

Lady Sif also ends up sparing with Volstagg, the discrepancy between the "small" lady and the bulky man is a really interesting sight... what is even more interesting is that the small lady is winning.

The three Midgardians simply sit at the side, only watching everyone sparring. There are other people training too around in this, bigger than a Stadium, yard.

Jane is infatuatedly watching Thor. Darcy is taking pictures and filming. And Eidolon is looking around.

"Ah! The Battery!" Darcy suddenly exclaims when the notification of 5% shows on the screen.

Eidolon casually touches her phone and a second later the thing is on 100% again.

"..." Even Jane is impressed by how convenient that is.

"You would be a really good boyfriend." Darcy thanks and takes a selfie with the Hero who is sitting by her side

"I've been told that." Eidolon says calmly, ignoring Darcy putting her head on his shoulder to take pictures.

"People will get so jealous when I post those pictures back on Earth~" She can't contain the smile on her face "Too bad there's no signal here..." She pouts.

'I miss Cortana...' Hector is thinking about something similar. He can't contact his AI girlfriend. 'Hm, the thought sounds a little pathetic... AI girlfriend...'

They are many, many lightyears away from home and Cortana was with him even when he traveled to other multiverses... he can't help but find it unnatural not to have her constant presence on his mind.

"Eidolon, aren't you owing me a fight?" Suddenly Lady Sif calls him after she beat up Volstagg "I really want to feel your prowess." The lady warrior gestures in front of her, calling him to assume the position to start a spar.

But her choice of words has a little of Innuendo that makes Darcy cough a little "She wants to feel your prowess... Give it to her~" She whispers to him.

"Hmmm..." Eidolon appears to be unwilling "Right now?"

"Yes!" Lady Sif answers immediately "Are you afraid?" She taunts in a good-natured way

Obviously, such blatant provocation can't affect him. He remains sitting, like a kid that is gaining time before he needs to go do some errand that his parents sent him.

"Go on, Eidolon. Teach her a lesson!" Volstagg, who just lost, encourages the hero to avenge him.

"Come, my friend. It will be fun!" Thor also calls him.

Even Darcy and Jane are telling him to go, Darcy wants to film it.

It looks like a group of friends trying to convince the shy one to get on the dance floor.

He likes fighting but is not even in the top 10 of his favorite hobbies. It's just a way of using and testing his powers. He fights to live so when he doesn't need to do it, he tends to avoid fighting.

He is also a little afraid of starting to get challenged all the time while he is here. It will get annoying if this cliche becomes a reality.

"Okay..." He eventually relents and stands up. Cheers erupt from his friends as he walks forward and his mantle slides off him. In truth, his mantle stays in place while he walks off it, revealing his incredibly trained body.

Without his mantle, everyone can clearly see his trained muscles in his tight bodysuit, they can also see the way he walks...Those seasoned Warriors only need that one look to evaluate him greatly.

"Rules?" Eidolon casually asks as he walks in front of Lady Sif.

"Just don't kill each other, but it will be hard anyway..." She appears to find his question strange.

"No, I am asking what I am allowed to use..." Eidolon explains "Should I fight only with my physical prowess?"

It's a genuine question. It's a spar after all, it's how he does things with his girls, especially Saeko and Cassandra(and recently Juri). Wouldn't kill the point if he stays out of range blasting her with long-ranged attacks?

But the question seems to annoy Lady Sif.

"You can use everything." She says while pursing her lips, each word laced with confidence and pride.

"..." Eidolon instantly noticed the misunderstanding, but he only sighed instead of explaining himself. He will let the battle explain itself, when it ends she will understand him.

He sees the warrior woman entering into a stance with her sword and shield and he decides to use something similar.

He raises his hand and brings it down in a swing, when his arm stops, there's a weapon on his hand. Something whose shape is vaguely similar to a sword, similar enough to make a good spar...

... but is a stick.

A black stick, one meter long, that looks completely ordinary.

Once again his intentions are misunderstood by Lady Sif.

"Are you looking down on me?" She frowns greatly, someone using a stick against her hurts her pride. Especially because she knows that Eidolon has a special sword, the one he used against Thor and Loki.

Eidolon audibly sighs this time... As predicted things are getting troublesome.

"Don't be fooled by the appearance. This is called the Serpent Punishing Stick..." He starts explaining his recently acquired stick "It was basked in the demonic aura of a Ghost Forest through countless years. It's almost indestructible and inflicts great pain, but does not kill... It's excellent to discipline students." He says with pride, because he likes his stick. Every Man likes sticks.

The people around him raise their eyebrows at his words but don't argue. There's no reason for Eidolon to lie, even Lady Sif believes him and relaxes visibly.

"With this, I will not need to hold back much, exactly like how you want..." He doesn't say that he will still be holding back a lot.

The two combatants eye each other, but there's no signal, so the fight starts when the first attack is made, but Eidolon does not make the first move. He doesn't look down on Sif, but he is stronger. It's a fact.

He keeps the Serpent Punishing Stick raised leisurely in front of him, completely relaxed, but...

'He has no openings.' Sif concludes.

She is not a timid and hesitant woman so in the next seconds she decides to create the opening and attacks first. She does a probing horizontal Slash at his head.

But she missed it. No, she doesn't miss... Eidolon moved. But the thing is that his movement is so smooth that he looks like he slides away while keeping the same stance. It's so fast and controlled that the tip of Lady Sif's sword passes an inch from his face. And it looks like she misread the distance.

It's a subtle and incredible move because he didn't break his stance to defend or avoid her attack, so now he has the total initiative. And he uses it without mercy... With a precise thrust, he hits her neck with the tip of the Serpent Punishing Stick. *Thud*

"Gah! Ugh! *Cough*"

It's not a pleasant experience for Lady Sif, his stick is already specialized in being painful and he attacked a weak spot... He feels a little bad. He has this habit of going for the throat, it's an easy way to end fights quickly, or at least lower his enemy's combat prowess considerably.

Because this is a spar, he doesn't press his advantage and allows her to wheeze her way to recover.

"*Cough* *Cough* That was unpleasant" She clears her throat while the spar is paused.

"He puts his stick on her throat... Sexy~" Eidolon hears Darcy whispering to Jane, which swats her silly friend away "Hey, the camera!"

"Again?" Eidolon asks calmly

"Again." Lady Sif nods strongly, putting a more careful tight stance.

"Then I start this time..." He raises his stick and steps forward... and disappears from his spot.

"!"

He reappears at her side, crouched down and with the stick already in position to strike. A good observer would notice that he is using her shield as a blindspot.

Lady Sif is not any normal human and noticed that quick enough to drop her shield to block the strike that was flying at her legs. Her arm trembles at the impact but she pushes on and goes to bring her sword arm down on him.

A mistake... *PAH* Her sword arm was suddenly struck.

Eidolon is already behind her, he reappeared in the air behind her and with a spinning motion hit her forearm. She looks up to see his smooth spinning movement continue and he disappears again because he doesn't need leverage to move.

"!" Her eyes widen as her senses get sharp, and her body shouts Danger.

Without even moving her head, her pupils move to the edge of her eye to see the tip of his stick slowly approaching her left cheek.

This time is her turn to spin around herself to dodge... Not completely because her cheek was scratched. She jumps a little away from him to "reset" the fight.

She is breathing a little heavily, her body and mind working overtime to keep up with him.

"Good instincts..." He praises

The exchange was brief but not less impressive, catching the eyes of even some Aesir who were training or simply passing by.

Fandral, a guy who also focuses on speed, even whistles in amazement at the display.

"Be careful." He warns her before resuming his assault.

What proceeds to happen can't be called anything less than a beatdown.

Eidolon would never pull the punches just because his opponent is a woman and Sif would get angry if he did it. He is not using everything, but you can say that he is nothing holding back with what he is using...

The observers almost feel like they are watching some sort of bullying, Eidolon appears and disappears around Sif like he is playing with her, leaving after images and strikes. It's like there are ten of him and she is lost trying to keep up with it.

But is beautiful to see, to the inexperienced midgardian women is a super cool display that almost looks like a show, to the others, they can appreciate and admire his technique and abilities.

To put in perspective the difference between the two Fighters... Never once did their weapons clash.

Eidolon fights efficiently.

Yes, sometimes he can do something fancy to have fun, but if you break down his fighting style, one would notice that is very basic.

Hit and not get hit.

Isn't this how fights should go? It doesn't matter how strong your opponent is or his tricks... If you hit and not get hit, you will eventually win.

That's how he can easily deal with monsters like Red Hulk and Abomination. They are absurdly strong, but they are still dealt with by him pretty easily.

The spar gets a little heated, it seems Eidolon is planning to end things by overwhelming Lady Sif. From the outside, it's almost like she is surrounded by a Dome of Eidolons.

Right at the moment a strike takes her off balance, he appears in from of her, his body almost touching the ground and he kicks her chin Rock Lee style. The first time in the battle he hit her with anything other than his stick.

She was sent in the air and *Swish* *Pah* *Whoosh* *Pah* she was swiftly hit by Eidolon after images multiple times to make her open her guard.

In his mind, he praises her again. She kept her guard up even in the most disadvantageous situations... She really is a hardened warrior.

But is not enough... Her body is exactly where he wants and how he wants, a little horizontal to the ground. He reappears one last time above her with a powerful thrust of his stick, he hits her stomach and sends her flying to the ground.

"Guh!" *Boom*

She makes a small crater when she hits the ground, making Jane and Darcy gasp at the sheer brutality of the act. But only they seem remotely worried.

Eidolon on his part smoothly lands on the ground and calmly starts walking to the center of the crater. There, he finds Lady Sif breathing haggardly with her arms spread in all directions. It's possible to see red marks from where he hit her all over her body... Where is not covered by armor, of course.

There are even red marks on her beautiful face! Eidolon truly lives up to his title as an Advocate of True Gender Equality.

He extends her hand at her "Well fought." He says

"You're annoying..." She complains but takes his hand anyway.

He chuckles because he understands the meaning of her words.

He helps her stand up and starts healing her.

"Aaaargh... So frustrating..." She still seems to complain.

Thor approaches them while guffawing "I told you." The rest followed after him.

"I would not like to be in that situation." Fandral shakes his head

"I'm more of a head-on guy... So me neither, I can't even think of how to deal with that." Volstagg nods.

"? Am I missing something?" Jane asks confused, it is almost like they talked about something and she didn't hear it.

"Hm, I guess is hard for you all to see." Thor appears to notice the problem.

"?" Darcy and Jane look confused

"It's the feints!" Lady Sif growls a little and spats annoyed.

The rest of the Asgardians laugh, leaving Darcy and Jane more confused.

Eidolon finally steps up to explain "As I fight, I use subtle ways to feint and trick her senses. It can be a little annoying to be on the receiving end of it..." He says, his eyes showing a little of amusement

"A little?!" Sif snaps again "There are moments that you disappear, then there's two of you, an attack that doesn't exist, and then an attack out of nowhere!" She is almost huffing while Thor and others laugh.

"So, using your super-speed? Must be hard then..." Jane tries to understand. It really sounds unfair to fight against someone so much faster... She remembers some displays of the speed of Eidolon, like catching bullets or saving people before they even notice that they are in danger.

"It's not only that." Sif sighs again, still frustrated

Eidolon chuckles and decides to elaborate further "It's like this... You can't see because it's very subtle but I use some powers to give confusing signs. The premise is that normally people on our level have Enhanced senses, they don't simply trust their eyes to fight, they can hear my movements, feel the wind moved by me on their skin, smell me, and even use some sort of sixth sense to feel danger..."

Then he clicks his fingers and makes some transparent Eidolon appear around him "This is only for you to visualize. I can move the wind in my shape to make it like I'm attacking her from behind, I can become intangible so that I won't move the wind, and I can create some heat in a certain position to simulate a living being, I can make sounds too. Her eyes see one thing, her ears hear another, her instincts say another... that's how I subtle fight people on our level."

"Ooh." Now Jane and Darcy appear to understand.

Imagine Eidolon becoming intangible and not having presence till the moment of the impact, and the enemy distracted by his countless feints. He stops their momentum, tricks their senses, aims for their weak spots... Really a terror of a closed-range fighter.

That's how Eidolon fights subtly against his enemies. He is really a creative person when the topic is using his powers.

"That's why I called him annoying." Lady Siff huffs again, but she doesn't appear to hold any grudge. Even punching the hero playfully, a punch that he lets pass over him because he becomes intangible again "Ugh, annoying." She rolls her eyes seeing his eyes look at her playfully. The rest laughed because she almost lost her balance and fell.

But is all in good sport, in truth... She thinks that she improved a lot in this fight. Eidolon hit her exactly on her weak spots, showing her bad habits and weaknesses, helping see them through the pain. The guy is a low-key good teacher.

"And you all mocked me because I was hit a lot by him." Thor shakes his head

"Not only that!" Fandral raises his finger in interjection "He beat you like an unruly child. Admit it!" The rest also started joking about it

"How could that be? I gave him the most damage." Thor argues he can't let them mock him and get away with it. "I took his arm!"

"Well, I kinda sacrificed it to take the Mjolnir away from you so that I can end the fight without hurting you..." Eidolon chimes in

Sif and the rest say "Oooh~" Throwing wood in the fire.

"Well, I was being controlled and I just reawakened my godhood." Thor shots back

"And we are in the middle of New York, so I held back." Eidolon adds

Each comeback makes the onlookers say "Ooh". None of the two wants to back down. They are still playfully smiling while they brag about their own prowess in a good-natured way.

"Huhu." "Haha." They laugh seeing how childish they are, each convinced that they are the stronger between the two.

It really looks like a casual banter... But there's something in the air... Like inflammable gas that only needs a spark to...

*BOOM*

And the spark happens!

The two punch each other at the same time, and their fist connects with the other cheek. The shockwave was huge and almost sent Jane and Darcy flying, but Eidolon's mantle held them.

Thor and Eidolon are sent back sliding on the ground, but there's an obvious amusement on their faces.

"Only way to solve this." Eidolon comments with a chuckle

"I was thinking exactly the same thing." Thor smiles

*Boom*

Once again they advance and punch each other.

Different from the previous technical battle that Eidolon displayed, this one is just a pure brawl. There's no technique... Scratch that, it doesn't seem that there's a single thought behind this fight.

The two are simply punching each other without putting any effort into dodging.

"Are they crazy??" Jane shouts horrified.

She is watching her boyfriend being punched with blows that are shaking the training yard, those sounds and shockwaves belong in a warzone.

"This is so cool~" Darcy on the other hand is enjoying the moment while being the camerawoman.

"They look like two bilgesnipes fighting..." Lady Sif shakes her head

"No grace at all." Fandral does the same.

Volstagg on the other hand just laughs heartily, holding himself back from joining. He will remember himself to ask Eidolon for a spar in the future.

*Boom* *Boom* *Boom*

The two go like that for some time, none of them giving an inch. Finally, Thor decides to go to the next level...

He extends his hand and the sound of something cutting the air echoes...

The Mjolnir flies to his hands and he smiles while waiting for Eidolon to do something similar.

"Pulling the big guns, huh? Okay then... I also wanted to test this one against you..." He makes a motion with his arm and suddenly he is holding an axe with his hand.

An axe with some glyphs and inscriptions a little familiar to the onlookers... The Leviathan Axe.

The two laugh and throw their weapons at the other at the same time... Axe and Hammer fly at high speed and clash against each other.

The sound is deafening and the flash of blue light almost blinds the audience.

...

A.N.: Hello there. 

If you like this story, consider supporting me in the p.a.t.r.e.o.n... There are chapters ahead there.

Here is the Link: (without spaces)

patreon . com / Evans 269

Hope you all enjoyed it, make a comment because interaction motivates me to keep writing. Thanks for reading.

Till next time and stay good y'all.

Bye Bye~


章 95: Festivities in Asgard

Third Person P.O.V.

Palace of Valaskjalf, Training Yard

"Wow~ Look at this..." Darcy exclaims in amazement as she circles the strange phenomenon.

"I never thought something like that was possible..." Jane adds, not taking her eyes off the thing.

"Magic..." Eidolon deadpans.

Everyone is looking with different levels of amazement at the tree-like object in the middle of the yard.

But it is not a tree, it's frozen lightning! The lighting is encased in ice, and the electricity that spreads around is also frozen, like branches.

That was the result of the clash between the Mjolnir and the Leviathan Axe.

'As expected of something from the God of War universe...' Hector thinks, some items that he gained are a little above his weight class, because they are external helpers. The Mjolnir is a really strong weapon, he is surprised that the Leviathan Axe is on the same level. He is not the only one...

"It's impressive that your weapon can go toe-to-toe with the Mjolnir, rare are the ones that can do the same." Fandral comments, observant.

"Like the Allfather spear, Gungnir." Volstagg adds

"Those inscriptions look familiar, almost like dwarvish runes." Lady Sif says as she looks at the axe in Eidolon's hand.

"So you noticed... I acquired this one in the Nine Realms of another universe." Eidolon lies in an even voice as he raises his hand to show the axe.

That's his cover story about his powers and items in case anyone asks. That and saying that he made them. But the Leviathan Axe is above his skills to make, and it's not like those people care about it.

The most important thing that he needs to hide is the existence of the Gacha. Power Manipulation and Multiverse Travel are secondary after that...

He also has that theory that maybe he is simply playing in a New game+, and his original self already traveled around the Omniverse and got everything he is gaining through the Gacha the hard way. But this will only be proved when he reaches the Peak.

"Another universe?" Sif asks curiously

"Wait! The Multiverse Theory is real??" Jane interrupts, her voice filled with Shock.

"Yes and yes." Eidolon answers calmly "This one..." He shows the axe "... it is the Leviathan Axe made by the dwarves from there. Things are different there... Thor is fat and has red hair, Odin is a Control Freak, and Lady Sif is blonde. This axe by the way belonged to Loki's father, that is his mother there." He tells pieces of God of War lore to them.

They asked a little more about it, but he answered vaguely. Hiding the part that Sif and Thor are married in the God of War universe, he is wise enough to not touch this subject.

"So you can travel to other universes?" Jane asks, it seems that is the one thing that interests her the most.

"Where did you think I trained?" Eidolon turns to her "Martial arts, Science, Magic... In the multiverse, there are infinite possibilities and infinite things to learn. I learned all I could before I donned my mantle. I didn't start being a hero at a whim."

"Respect." Darcy fistbumps his chest.

"But how did you travel? Do you make a portal? Do you have a specific power to that?" Jane seems really interested.

Well, to be fair, any scientist would be interested.

"All of those are possible." Eidolon continues with vague answers 

Jane keeps pestering him and he gives the basics of the Multiverse situation.

"Some words, the parallel ones are not that different... Sometimes only a small change, others derail a lot. Remember that those are the parallel ones. Certain universes are completely different from the beginning... Like one where the inhabitants are pizza or another where only energy exists." Eidolon points to Thor's hammer. "The Mjolnir, for example, siphons energy from another dimension filled with Thunder."

"Really?" Jane looks interestedly at the hammer "Like a gateway to the energies there?"

"I always thought the power came from the hammer itself." Darcy comments

"I remember my father telling me about it." Thor adds he doesn't seem to care that much, to be honest.

Eidolon addresses Jane "I will not go as far to say that there's no 'infinite energy'... But is a little naive to think that Hammer would have it. The other dimension on the other hand... Well, almost infinite, or at least close enough to not make any difference." The hero shrugs his shoulders "Some metas also siphon their powers from other dimensions... Like the Hulk with Gamma radiation." 'Or Cloak and Dagger...'

"Makes sense..." Jane nods "If Dr. Banner had as much radiation as the Hulk emits normally but hidden in some part of his body he would die."

"It's kinda cool." Darcy says

Eidolon chuckles remembering some interesting curiosities "I recently met a meta that is connected with the Ice Cream dimension. She can make any type of ice cream..." He says, but his tone is strange.

"Now this is a power I would like to have." Darcy points

Now Eidolon can't contain his laughter.

"What?" Everyone looks confused

"It's just that... She... emits the ice cream through the... normal human exit." He facepalms

"Hm?"

"..."

"..."

"...."

Realization slowly downs on them.

"You're lying..." Jane accuses, she doesn't want to believe it. She doesn't even want to say it out loud.

"She shits ice cream?!?" Darcy doesn't have her problem and shouts with her mouth agape.

"Yep... Haha, 100% edible ice cream." He adds

"Gross." They show different levels of disgust.

"Did you ever try it Eidolon?" Darcy teases him

"Heck no, but I saw someone trying it and he said and I quote 'The best fucking ice cream that he ever had'." 

Jane's face scrunched even more while the guys started laughing. After the gross part, you can only laugh.

"I bet she would be the dream girl to certain guys with that... shitty fetish." Darcy comments with a funny face

Eidolon has to agree 'Soft Serve is probably the product of some writer not-that-well-disguised fetish.' He thinks, remembering how weird this world is.

After they joke a little more Thor finally says "The festivities are about to start..." He looks at the three Midgardians "Why don't you three change your clothes in something more... Asgardian?" He suggests

"No. I'm good, thank you." Eidolon shoots down the idea immediately

"Why not?" lady Sif asks "You would wear well our garbs." She gives him a look from top to bottom.

"...thanks, but my answer remains the same."

"You are not even gonna take off your mask?" She asks she hasn't commented till now, but is a little weird that he kept it all this time.

"That would destroy the point of wearing one to begin, right?"

"We are between friends here." Thor says

"Yes, I know that. Any Asgardians here would not care about my secret identity. Ms. Lewis and Dr. Foster here also can't recognize me anyway..." He concedes on this part "Buuuut... What if someone searches their memories for my face and finds my secret identity? Or did someone use some power like clairvoyance to check here while I'm now wearing it?" But he does not accept it in the end. 

It's not that big deal and Asgard looks like an okay place to go around without the mask, disconnected enough from Earth. But the Batman on him would not allow that.

"You're kinda of a paranoid guy, you know that?" Darcy looks at him strangely

"I've been told that." He deadpans "If I show my face, I would need to erase your guys' memories... And then it would be meaningless, right?"

"Hm." Darcy appears to be thinking about that... Even if only for a second, maybe is worth it...

"Anyway, I bet you two would be lovely in Asgardian clothes, better go choose a good one." He changes the subjects flawlessly

"And then we can go eat at the feast!" Volstagg speaks loudly while rubbing his huge belly

"Ice cream?" Darcy asks mischievously, making everyone's faces change a little. Volstagg suddenly lost a little of his appetite. But they laughed afterward.

"Ice Cream will never be the same to me again..." Jane sighs while glaring at Eidolon. "Certain things are better not knowing..."

"C'mon, Dr. Foster... How can you say that? You are a scientist." He teases, making them laugh.

They start leaving the training yard, only to come face to face with a certain someone who is just arriving... Balder.

"Balder!" Thor greets his brother with his usual enthusiasm. Lady Sif, Volstagg and Fandral also do the same. 

But there's a little problem...

"..." They noticed the situation suddenly became a little awkward

The last time Eidolon and Balder met, they left on bad terms, so a certain unsettling silence reigns when the two look at each other.

But Eidolon is not just anyone... He is the enemy of awkwardness, and he likes to confront those situations head-on.

"Hello Balder, do you still resent me for what I said last time?" He asks, going straight to the point.

"....."

Everyone's eyes widen a little. Some would call Eidolon tactless, but he couldn't be bothered with drama right now. If Balder doesn't want to be his friend or even if he doesn't want to talk with him, he prefers to know beforehand. This way he can blend in the background and let the others talk normally.

"I'm not one to keep resentment." Balder answers in his strong voice and truthfully. Despite being at odds, Eidolon has to concede that Balder is a good guy overall.

"You should learn to keep some, it can prevent you from being hurt in the future." Eidolon advises

"..."

"About what I said... I will not apologize for it. I still stand behind my words." Eidolon puts the cards on the table. He really wants to solve this now "But maybe I was too harsh in how I said it, so it's okay if you don't want to have anything to do it me." He still hasn't apologized.

"I'm not that childish." Balder says while narrowing his eyes.

His words make Eidolon smile. There's a hidden shot in Balder's words, and he found it funny. Balder can be sassy too. "So I am childish, huh? Hehe. Maybe I'm a baby to your standards but I am not the one being led by the nose by my first crush."

Everyone is wincing a little, it seems history is repeating itself, But Eidolon stops it before it escalates...

"Whatever, you long-lived people can see things differently. Try to fix her for all I care." He can't say much about that part, he is the 'I can fix her guy', what bothers him is how he allows himself to be manipulated "I will just repeat the advice I gave Loki... Do whatever you want, but try not get hurt or hurt the people that genuinely loves you." With those last words, Eidolon walks away "Thor, you promised to show me the Library!"

............

"Whoa!" It's unclear which of the two Midgardian women exclaimed, maybe the two. The Library of Valaskjalf is like everything else in the palace, big and fancy.

Books that fill shelves so high that they would be able to block some buildings' view back on Earth. And it goes till where the sight can see.

"So, what I can't read?" Eidolon asks calmly while looking around

"Hm, nothing here is prohibited." Thor says while thinking, a small frown on his face "I think if something is prohibited, it would be on my father's personal study."

The hero gives him a look and smiles so clearly that is possible to see even with the mask.

"Well, if you excuse me then..." Then he takes off, zooming away, leaving only a black blur that stretches around the library.

Eidolon starts reading at super-speeds, opening books, going through the pages and even stopping to watch some magic books that create visions and other effects.

All of this happens at incredible speeds, Jane and Darcy can only see the blur and the after-images flickering, it's like he is everywhere reading.

"I so wish I had this power too." Jane bemoans.

..............

Now it's night on Asgard, and a huge banquet is happening in commemoration of both the Convergence and the re-establishment of the peace in the Nine Realms.

"C'mon, Eidolon! Drink! Drink!" Volstagg has his arm around Eidolon's shoulders while trying to pressure him to have a taste of the fine mead from Asgard.

'I bet my mother would never imagine that the pressure to use drugs would come from Nordic Gods...' Hector deadpans

"I don't think is a good idea... I can't underestimate your guys' alcohol after all." He says diplomatically

"You're goddamn right!" Volstagg shouts and laughs together with others

Eidolon eventually concedes and with a shrug, downs the whole tankard in a gulp.

"Ooooooooooooohhhhhhh~" The Vikings go crazy.

*Bam* He slams the cup on the table and says in an even voice, not affected by the alcohol "Again."

The Vikings go crazy again and another aesir fills his cup.

He acts unaffected because he is really not affected. He is using one of his powers to store the alcohol in an extra stomach, the alcohol will stay there harmless till he pours it out.

Hector already doesn't like drinking and he will never lower his guard, for many reasons, but especially because he is keeping an eye on Jane and Darcy.

There are many more people here than expected, or maybe he should have expected it... He even met other brothers of Thor too, briefly greeting them. Once again he remembers how many obscure characters exist... Tyr, Hermod, Vidar, Vali, Bragi, Honir... He was able to gauge their personalities, and a part of one or two that were arrogant, they are not evil.

There is another, Ullr, who is a mysterious guy that he didn't meet.

He also knows about Aldriff, or Angela, because of his meta-knowledge. Funny how the only one that he remembers is the one that is not here and few people know of her existence.

'Should I throw the bomb? Say that I saw in another universe? And there's a high chance is similar here?' He ponders but in the end, decides against it.

One thing at a time. He doesn't even remember about her arc... She only knows of Angela/Aldriff because he thought that she was pretty cool and clicked on her page on the wiki.

'It will be very bad to PR if the world sees me massacring angels...' He thinks with a hint of humor as he downs another cup. Unbeknownst to him, he ends up in some sort of competition with the rest... And apparently, he is winning.

At this point, only the heavyweights are still standing in this drinking competition.

"I didn't expect you to outlast Thor's brothers..." He comments to Sif, that is keeping with him as much as Volstagg. Volstagg he understands but Sif?

"Why?" She asks in a challenging tone, her cheeks rosy from all the alcohol.

"I just thought you more... dignified? Mature?" He answers easily, taking another tankard from the tray that a beautiful aesir waiter brought to them. The said Aesir bent over him a little too much, and smiled as she showed him her cleavage.

"..." Eidolon only kept his eyes on Sif while receiving the Tankard, a simple 'thanks' is everything the blond and busty woman received from him.

"..." Sif stares at him in a daze for some seconds... probably because of his casual compliment.

Or maybe the alcohol is hitting. 

Or maybe because he didn't answer 'you're a woman'.

Or because of his self-control in not looking at the huge cleavage in front of his face.

Or maybe because she is finding him handsome...

"... how are you drinking with a mask?" Or because she was thinking about that.

He chuckles and drinks another tankard "Magic..." He answers in a cheeky way

She smiles and shakes her head before accompanying him on gulping down the contents of her cup.

A little after that Eidolon notices something, he stands up and reaches with his telekinesis a little far from him. 

"Sorry guys, this one is mine." He just saved the drunk Darcy from being surrounded by some Aesir who apparently is hitting on her while she is drunk.

"Eidolooon~ I loooove you~~" She shouts at him with her slurred voice, still holding her phone in the hand that is not holding a cup.

"Thank you." Eidolon pats her back, unaffected by her attitude "You shouldn't have drank anything here."

"But we are between VIKINGS! Aaaaand I drank just a little teeny willie few cup~" She puts her fingers together to show how little she drank.

"It would be enough. It could even have killed you." He says

"Relaaaax~ You are such a worrywart!" She swings from side to side on his lap

"It's part of my job."

"Ah yes, you a hero." She suddenly tries to focus and stares at him "Eidolon, did anyone even give you the 'hero reward'?" She asks putting her face close to his.

He gets what she means "No." He answers with a deadpan face

"Then tonight is the night! You deserve the succ-succ 3000!" She shouts and starts going down, leaving his lap and positioning herself between his legs.

"Okay, okay. Calm down." But Eidolon easily brings her back to sit on his lap. At this point, he decides to help her break down the alcohol in her blood with his powers.

"Eidolon, can I see your face?" She whispers to him, holding his jaw lovingly "You are so perfect... I just want to marry you and have your babies." She says between her teeth, horny.

This talk interests Sif. Not the baby part, the part about seeing his face.

"Sorry, it's a secret. I would reveal it, but I would have to erase your memory afterward. And there's a lot of people here, so... no." He denies.

"I would accept having my memories wiped out just for the moment with you." Darcy says, her voice still slurred.

"Drunk people can't make decisions." Eidolon shoots her down.

Darcy's shameless latch on Eidolon, the hero is not bothered by her, even when she bites him he only says "Be careful to not break your teeth."

Eventually, after winning the drinking contest, he decides to end the night with Darcy, finding a room to put her in.

"Eidolon is taking me to bed!" Darcy shouts at the empty hallways, as Eidolon finds an empty room. He puts her on the bed and says.

"I will put some protection..."

"You can do it raw!" She answers immediately

"..." Eidolon's face makes him look like he is dead inside "... in the room. To protect you." He elaborates.

"Aaaah! But Eidolon, I want you~" Darcy whines while trying to pull him to the bed with her, but he doesn't bulge.

"Sorry, I don't do it that easily." He rejects her politely

"But I want to marry you! I will be a good wife! I love you!" She says a lot of embarrassing things in succession but he only stares at her calmly.

"Just go to sleep, Ms. Lewis. Don't worry, tomorrow after you suffer a little with the hungover, I will heal you." He says. It's not that he is petty, he simply believes that there's a lesson to be learned here.

"But I want yooouuu~ When I will have another chance??? I can't find a boyfriend!!" She trashes on the bed childishly

Eidolon chuckles a little seeing her fit, and calms her down.

"Relax, Ms. Lewis. You are gonna find someone." He pats her head

"How do you know? Are you seeing the future?" She asks, a little more subsided.

"No, but I'm sure of it. After all..." He approaches her and whispers huskily and playfully "If we met, me in my civilian identity, I would not let you go. It will not be fair to your future boyfriend... Because after I was done with you, no other man will ever compare." He teases her

"~~~~" Darcy trembled in excitement, but the said excitement was short-lived because she fell asleep right after that.

"..." Eidolon looks at her and shakes his head "She is funny."

.........

As Eidolon leaves Darcy in the dreamlands, he is surprised to find Sif in the hallway to this room... This place is a little far because he made sure to find a quiet room, away from the noisy partygoers.

"Lady Sif..." He greets the still slightly drunk warrior woman with hesitant words.

It's almost like she came here looking for him.

"Eidolon..." She gives him a pointed look before averting her eyes to look at the room behind him "And the... the..."

"Darcy." He helps her. He doesn't know if she simply forgot her name or if the alcohol is affecting her, but he doesn't dwell on that "I put her to sleep, I don't think her physiology goes well with Asgardian beer." He answers with a hint of humor. This situation is a little strange... He doesn't want to sound conceited or anything, but he can't help but allow his mind to wander a little.

"Oh, only to sleep?" She asks suddenly, ignoring his joke.

"Yes... Only to sleep." He tilts his head and answers.

"Good, good." Sif nods to herself "Let's find a room for us then." She suddenly advances and grabs his forearm

"Beg your pardon?" His eyes widen by the sudden and aggressive approach. He was just convincing himself that he was kinda arrogant for thinking that she would want to sleep with him and here they are...

"I said that we should find a room for us." Sif answers like it's obvious and tries to drag Eidolon with her.

But he is having none of that.

"Pause. Stop for a moment, Lady Sif." He keeps his stance and she can't move him even an inch.

"??" She turns to him confused

"..." Eidolon's eyes are serene, maybe even a little cold "I'm flattered, really... But that's not how I do things. Please don't force your way of life into mine."

"..." His cold voice was like ice being poured on her head and she sobered a little "Don't you wanna do it?" Her face shows indescribable emotions.

Eidolon audibly sighs seeing that... 'Now how do I deal with it?' He thinks for a moment before deciding.

"Walk with me a little." He offers her his arm and she grabs his bíceps without hesitation.

But he doesn't guide her to some desert place to do unspeakable things, no. The two walk back to the rowdy party. Eidolon guides her to a balcony where they can observe everyone happening at the party.

No one even looks up, they are somewhat hidden in this slightly dark balcony.

"Sorry, but I will have to refuse your advances." He says plainly as the two walk to the edge of the balcony "But I would like to know you better and talk a little about me." That's what he decided.

The best way to not let any resentment fester is if Lady Sif knows him a little more. Know enough that is nothing personal.

"Know me better?"

"It's somewhat common in Midgard to know your partner a little more before engaging in... the more carnal activity." He explains "Though sometimes it's very abrupt too... There are many styles. Mine is a little more serious."

"Hm, I know you." She snots a little and says

"No, you don't." He says back immediately

"I know enough." She snakes a hand around his waist and pulls him to her aggressively.

Now this is new... The first time Hector is on the receiving end of a hand around the waist.

But he remains calm "And I know that you like Thor."

"..." His words once again make her pause, like he just threw that bucket of cold water on her face this time.

He shows an understanding, barely sad, expression.

"There are many reasons why I think we shouldn't do this... None of them is because you are lacking in anything, lady Sif." He caresses her face, his thumb rubbing circles on her beautiful face. "The most important reason is this thing between you and Thor."

Sif, who was enjoying his touch, moves away defensively "There's nothing between me and Thor!" She exclaims

"There's nothing 'physical' between you and Thor." Eidolon corrects her "Nothing right now at least, but it had in the past, right?"

"..." She can't deny that.

"... and it can happen in the future." He adds, making her face show an unnatural expression.

"So what? You are not saying anything that matters. Past... Future... What matters right now is the present." She says strongly, but her eyes are locked on Thor and Jane.

She watches the two act like lovebirds on a honeymoon with a barely disguised sad expression.

Eidolon obviously didn't miss that.

"What matters is that you like him now... In the present." He says, making her turn to look at him "It's on the bro code to not mess with a bro's ex. I'm not into cheating."

"How many times do I have to say that there's nothing between me and Thor now?!" Sif is getting a little angry. It's like Eidolon believes that she and Thor are in some secret love affair while he is with Jane.

"And how many times do I have to tell you that is not about the physical aspect but about the emotional?!" He says back in the same tone, but in a more low and controlled voice "Sif..." He calls her softly "You like Thor."

"..."

"And you like that you like Thor." He elaborates.

"..." His words surprised her a little, she hadn't thought about that.

"Even with Jane in the play, you don't want to let go of that feeling. Maybe you are waiting for their breakup or her death..."

"..." His words hit a sore spot. It's a little horrible, and she can't deny them.

"But you're not going to give up on Thor, right?"

"..." She looks away, her answer does not need to be put into words.

"That's the thing with me... I refuse to sleep with a woman that has another guy in her heart." He says in a strong tone "I would only do that if the guy was an ass and I want to steal her completely or something., buuut..." He gives her a look

Thor is not an ass, and he is not gonna steal her feelings for him.

Eidolon is a little too possessive maybe. He wants to own the body, mind, and heart of his partners.

"See what I'm talking about?" He asks. To him, a night of carnal pleasure will not be worth it. Maybe in the future Sif and Thor will get together, so it will be awkward. If he sleeps with her now, it's like he is sleeping with his friend's ex and future girlfriend "I refuse to be a rebound."

"Rebound?" She frows, unfamiliar with the term

"Midgardian expression, when someone goes out or sleeps with someone just to distract himself from their romantic feelings for another, generally after a breakup. The Rebound was used as a placeholder, distraction or even to make the ex jealous." He explains

"That was not my intentio-" She hastily defends herself, but he stops her.

She never thought about that, or maybe a little... Seeing Jane and Thor together may make her want to have something with someone too, and Eidolon is the best close option.

But she really got interested in him, enough to share an intimate moment. This is her genuine feelings, not strong feelings of love, but genuine nonetheless.

"Relax, I know that you are not like that. I'm just saying." He calms her down with an easy smile. After giving her a friendly pat on her arm, he continues "So it's like that... Don't be offended. I normally don't do one-night stands. You would be a rare exception by the way, but this convoluted love situation turns me off a little."

If Eidolon was a little less considerate he would not care about the consequences or future awkwardness. He read in the comics about weird romantic pairings... He even remembers that once Thor himself, hook-up with Red She-Hulk, Betty Ross who was Bruce Banner's girlfriend.

Maybe is normal in this Multiverse, but he refuses to be dragged into this mess.

"I want my women, mine. If I can't even try to steal your heart, what is the point of having your body?" He comments while leaning on the balcony handrail. To him, it would be like a strange emotional threesome between him, her, and Thor. He cringes at the thought.

An overthinker mind is a curse most of the time. Yes, he is learning to let go of that and enjoy himself a little more without thinking much, but not on this. On this, he draws the line.

After saying his piece, the two fell into silence. It's not uncomfortable, Eidolon understands that Sif has a lot to think of.

"Do you think they will last?" She finally asks after some time. Her words come out hesitant, her face showing guilty...

"..." Eidolon turns to her, to have a good look at her face "What a pity... I would love to make you fall for me." Instead of answering her question, he suddenly sighs and says those words.

"What??" 

"Nothing, just thinking that Thor is a lucky guy... And met you first." He chuckles 'Now that I think about it, childhood friends always lose, huh' "Even when you like him, you want to see him happy... Even if it is not with you. You're a nice woman, Lady Sif. Very caring, I'm a little surprised. I thought you would be more haughty, serious, cold, no-nonsense, and unapproachable..." 

She doesn't know if he is complimenting or insulting her, but she finds it funny nonetheless and is a little flattered.

"Hmpf. I Thought something similar of you." She scoffs, smiling a little

"Is that so?"

"Obviously, do you even look at the mirror?" She looks at him in disbelief "You have all this aura of a dark warrior. Cold, silent, dark, expressionless, scary... Looking at everything like it's a threat." She explains with a playful smile "But you are all caring and thoughtful. I saw how you treated that assistant woman, and everyone else. Even right now, when you are thinking about our possible future... Any other man would jump at the chance of sharing a bed with me, and here you are... Thinking about a hypothetical relationship between me and Thor in the future, and how this night can impact that."

"..."

"You are a soft-hearted man!" Sif says with an expression of almost disbelief like she just discovered a secret and is teasing him about it. Poking him with her elbow and all that, but she gets a little more serious and compliments him "My eye for people is quite good..." She smiles beautifully at him.

"..." He sighs again "You are really making it difficult to maintain my ideals, woman." He exaggeratedly acts sad for not giving in to her advances. It's another way of complimenting her.

The two laugh a little before he explains himself with a shrug.

"You are not that wrong about the scary part... Back in Midgard, I have a reputation for being scary, but only to the criminals. It's a good deterrent, you know, here there's no need to put up on airs to intimidate everyone."

"I see... And I can understand the principle behind it." She nods. Even the Allfather keeps a stoic visage, she has no doubts that his presence and appearance are enough to strike fear in the Hearts of many dissidents.

"I was inspired by a quote back in Midgard 'A devil make itself beautiful to deceive others, and an angel make itself scary to ward away evil'. To me, having a scary reputation and giving bad first impressions is a small price to pay to prevent bad things from happening."

Sif stares at him and nods to herself "I'm really not wrong about you." She praises him again and he accepts it with a polite chuckle.

After seconds of comfortable silence, Eidolon answers the question he ignored before "I don't know..."

"What?"

"About if they will last..." Eidolon looks at Jane and Thor "I don't know." He repeats himself.

"..."

"I can't tell you how to deal with this sad situation, you are in a bad spot. Loving someone who is already in a relationship is always painful. I will also not counsel you on how to act. People are different, some would not like being the second option even if the two don't last. Some would gladly wait for them to break up..."

"..."

"My only advice is to think about them the less possible." He stares into her eyes deeply "Don't let your happiness depend on other people, Lady Sif. It's out of your hands how their relationship will go or end. And I know that you are not going try to separate them just to have Thor for yourself."

"I would never do that." She says immediately. She is not like that. Lady Sif is a woman with a great sense of justice, she would never do something uncouth like that.

"I know. So I can only say to you to leave the future to the future. Be happy with yourself... Who knows? Maybe you will find another love, maybe they will break up when you less expect, or maybe you will discover that you are happier alone." He says while shrugging. "You are more than a maiden that loves Thor, right? You are a strong and honorable woman. Beautiful and with a good personality. Are you gonna sit and wait for an unsure future or are you gonna do another something that you enjoy?"

Eidolon believes that people should search for self-improvement, and this is not only about constantly improving or becoming the better version of themselves. It's also about being happy with yourself.

And if you are not happy with yourself, try to become a version of yourself that would make you happy. Without depending on other people... When someone can do that... They will become really strong.

Lady Sif was a little moved by his words. Yes, she is more than those feelings of jealousy and sadness that she is having because of Thor.

"... are you sure that you don't want to come to my room?" She asks in a half-joking tone, raising an inquiring eyebrow. 

That made Eidolon audibly laugh "Please don't tempt me more. I"m almost folding." He begs in an equally playful tone.

The two share a moment, making jokes and laughing together on that balcony. The two can't deny that more than once the mood shifted to something a little more than a talk between friends.

But with the better understanding that they have of each other, none of the two act on that and they had a good and free talk.

"...then the guy punched me with his new super-strength and broke his hand." Eidolon tells a story of one of his captures, making Sif laugh "And then I took him to the hospital."

"Pffft! Hahahahaha!" She throws her head back and laughs loudly "He was all cocky with his new strength and still needs to be tended by his enemy!"

"Hm, he was not my enemy..." Eidolon says "He was just going down a bad path and I stopped him. I hope he calms down and can do better."

"..." Once again Sif was a little impressed with Eidolon's way of seeing life "You are a nice guy, Eidolon."

"Damn, I went from almost sleeping with you to 'nice guy' in less than an hour... What a downgrade." He says in an exaggerated sad tone.

"Is that a Midgardian joke?" She tilts her head, not catching the reference

"Yes, and a pretty funny one. A pity that you didn't understand." He chuckles.

"Maybe I should visit Midgard again, I saw that a lot changed." She comments, curious about the world from where Eidolon came from, and Thor visits so much.

"I bet you would like it... the good parts at least." Eidolon nods "I can show you around. Or as Eidolon or maybe I can disguise myself if you want to have a normal experience."

"Disguise? Can't you simply remove your attire?" He looks at his hero suit.

"Hmm, complicated... People can still trace you and find out about my real appearance." He says 

His words make Sif pause "Can I see your face, Eidolon?" She asks seriously "I promise that I will not tell anyone."

"...like I said, someone can see your memories." He denies

"No one will look into my memories if no one knows that you showed me your face." 

"That's... a solid argument." He thinks about it. And as "Eidolon", his facial features are a little different from "Hector's" anyway.

He thinks about it a little more... He is lightyears away, no one would know... Should he try? If leaks, it will be a small leak he can control. It can even be a good experiment.

Maybe he can make a civilian persona that looks more like "Eidolon" to be bait when he goes back to Earth... And is not like he gonna tell her his name.

He remembers that episode of Justice League where Luthor switched bodies with the Flash and checked his secret identity only to say "Who is this?"

"Fine, come here." He agrees and goes behind a pillar that will hide them from the party below. Not that anyone is paying attention to them.

Lady Sif was surprised by his acceptance, she asked just to ask. She still finds the mask a little weird, she wants to give a face to her friend in her mind. But she would respect his decision.

"Don't be disappointed." After they are hidden from view, Eidolon turns around and his masks slowly recede from his face.

Like he said, there's nothing much. No Beard or scars, just some moles close to his mouth and eyes. The lower part of a face doesn't reveal much anyway, but seeing everything finally shows how handsome he is.

Everything is in the perfect place that it should be, it's harmonious, almost perfect. Even as Hector, some things are hidden, like his eyebrows and eyes.

Now Lady Sif is seeing him at full glory, after many powers and assimilations that made him flawless.

"Oh..." Her eyes widen and she releases a soft sound "You are very... *Ahem* very handsome Eidolon." Her voice squeaked a little and she needed to clear her throat to continue.

"Thank you. My mother and grandmother always said the same." He jokes, making her laugh. His small smile mesmerized her a little.

She pauses again, debating with herself, hesitating... But Lady Sif is no coward. She steps forward, raises her chin, and says

"Eidolon... give me a kiss."

"What?" He recoils a little in surprise.

"Just a kiss. We become friends today and I feel that it will last for a long time, hopefully, as long as we live. To remember this day, to remember this night... Kiss me. I swear that we will stop with it." She says strongly, her blue eyes on his and she walks closer.

"..." 'Well, a kiss is nothing much...'

To him, a kiss is not that big deal. He kissed some other ladies in the One Piece world, beyond Yamato and Hiyori. Ladies he didn't make anything official. Ladies that he liked enough for a kiss, that he liked enough to be willing to carry that memory for the rest of his life.

Lady Sif pass the requisites.

After making up his mind, there's no hesitation on his part. He pulls her by the waist and neck and kiss. Sif was surprised for only a brief second before she started reciprocating, kissing him was surprisingly super good to her. It ends up being not as brief as they expected, but brief nonetheless.

It was like an explosion of passion where the two use that small time frame to satiate whatever lust they have for each other. They feel each other bodies, mashing them together, Eidolon even grabs a handful of her toned ass.

After things start getting a little too heated, they stop.

"Well... Friends?" He raises his hand, as always tackling the awkwardness headfront.

"Yes, friends." Sif laughs and takes his hand

After another bout of laughter, they disengage even more and Sif decides to say goodbye.

"I'm not gonna try anything anymore... I don't want you to think I'm a desperate or easy woman." She starts walking away with an easy smile and a little bounce on her steps.

"I would never think that of you." He shakes his head "Good night, Lady Sif."

"Good night? I'm still gonna drink!" She turns back to say, almost outraged "It's your fault, you sobered me up!" She accuses playfully

He shakes his head again while smiling, a smile that disappears because his mask covers half of his face again.

"And here I thought that you are more like an amazon. You are a Viking through and through." With that, they say their goodbyes.

Eidolon watches her go all the way till she disappears from his sight. Lady Sif is not wearing her armor or a dress, she is wearing something that Hector can swear he saw some female characters wear in the Witcher game. A loose blouse and tight pants made of leather of some unknown animal.

Now that he is seeing from this angle, he can see how nicely those pants hug her figure. Amazons Always have incredible lower bodies...

Only after she disappears from his vision, his calm expression disappears... He almost cries.

"I turned down a hot Amazon." He covers his mouth, 

He is half proud of himself for his self-control and half sad for fumbling the woman who is really his type. And she is nice too... At this moment, the two would be shaking this palace together, but no...

"I disappointed all my nerd brothers." He looks at the ceiling "But you guys understand from where I came from, right?" He pleads for forgiveness.

He playfully clutches his chest, like he is in great pain.

"Gacha... Hurry! Give me Xena or Wonder Woman next so that I can soothe my aching heart!"

.............

Alfheim

Alfheim is the Real of the Light Elves. It is considered the most peaceful of the Nine Realms, its inhabitants are friendly and live happily in this Realm that is close to Yggdrasil. Nothing lacks here, and the Light Elves had few conflicts with other Realms and races through the years.

Maybe because this race is very diverse already, being composed of many tribes like the Sea Elves, Moon Elves, Cat Elves, and so on. The Light elves in general really live up to the good stereotypes given to them.

But right now, this Realm is not peaceful at all. The Dark Elves are ruthless and suddenly invade the unprepared Alfheim, seizing the capital Ljosalfgard.

"You are not getting away with it, Malekith." A relatively young-looking woman stares at the Darl Elf Leader with extreme displeasure in her eyes.

Even this mild-mannered Light Elf, the Quen Aelsa got angry ebcause of his actions. She looks young despite being older than even Thor, her features are as one would expect. Of an elf, pointy ears, white skin, and white hair. Her body is slim and graceful, but she doesn't appear ashamed of that, because her dress is very tight.

"I don't plan on getting away from anything." The Dark Elf answers with a haughty face "When I'm done, I will fear nothing! No retribution or consequences will reach me."

"You delusional man! I will enjoy watching you fail and we will celebrate years for years to come." She taunts

"Why so? I was hoping that you would ally yourself with me..." Malekith says with a small mocking smile.

"In your Dreams. You are really a delusional man, I pity the people who follow you.

To her words, Malekith's smiles turn mysterious. Right at that moment a hand shoots from behind Aelsa and grabs her head.

The Queen of the Light Elves opens her mouth and widens her eyes in surprise, but no sound comes to her. Her eyes shine with strange colors before she faints and falls limply on the ground.

"It's done?" Malekith looks at the fallen queen without pity in his eyes

"Yes, don't forget your part of the deal." The person that suddenly attacked Malekith reveals herself, it's a beautiful woman.

"A promise of mine is worth gold. When we attack Asgard, we will free your sister Amora." Malekith answers dismissively

"I will trust you." Lorelei answers, but her eyes narrow while she pays attention to Malekith's every move. This alliance was not born from trust, only interest "When she wakes up, you will be able to command her." Lorelei finally stops looking at him to look at the sleeping Aelsa.

"Excellent, then we should prepare the ceremony." The Dark Elf says emotionless.

"..." Lorelei only looks at him with impassive eyes. Thinking that Malekith is really a scum.

He will take the queen of the Light Elves hostage and force them to be the spearhead in attacking Asgard. His two enemies kill each other first. But obviously, she doesn't care.

"When are you gonna start your plan?" She asks, curious

"The earlier the better. So after amassing those disgusting Light Elves troops... we will attack tomorrow."

............

A.N.: Hello there. 

If you like this story, consider supporting me in the p.a.t.r.e.o.n... There are chapters ahead there.

Here is the Link: (without spaces)

patreon . com / Evans 269

Hope you all enjoyed it, make a comment because interaction motivates me to keep writing. Thanks for reading.

Till next time and stay good y'all.

Bye Bye~


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