Seeing Thor appear, Jane excitedly ran over and hugged him tightly.
Thor, letting go of Jane, asked, "Where did you go? Heimdall couldn't see you."
Jane shook her head, "I don't know either, but when I woke up, I was back where I started."
She then asked, "Where have you been? You promised to visit me at least once a month."
Thor explained, "After the Rainbow Bridge shattered, the Nine Realms were in chaos, full of war and bandits. I had to go restore peace, but now, it's over."
"From now on, I'll keep my promise."
"I believe fate brought us together."
As he spoke, the two were about to kiss.
"Ahem!"
At that moment, Charles appeared beside them, interrupting their moment.
"Perhaps you should deal with the police over there. That young man looks like one of yours."
Jane noticed Ian being questioned by the police nearby. She quickly ran over, calling back to Thor, "Wait for me!"
As Jane left, Thor turned to Charles and said, "Charles, it's been a long time."
"What happened here that brought you to this place?"
Charles shook hands with Thor and, with a serious expression, said, "Jane disappeared earlier—she was gone for five full hours."
Hearing this, Thor's face grew serious. He asked, "Where did she go?"
Just as Charles was about to explain, a red beam of light suddenly shot toward them.
Thor quickly shielded Darcy, while Charles used Merlin's robe to block the attack.
Seeing Jane lying on the ground, Thor rushed over.
"Jane!"
"Thor..."
Thor helped her up, asking with concern, "Are you alright?"
Jane, confused, asked, "What just happened?"
Charles walked over and said, "Something happened during the time you were missing."
At that moment, the police approached and shouted, "Hands on your heads! Step back!"
Thor looked at the officers and said, "This woman is unwell."
But the police continued advancing, some of them drawing their guns and aiming at the group.
"She's dangerous!" one officer shouted.
Charles frowned slightly, seeing the officers pull out their weapons.
"Don't waste time with them. Take Jane to Asgard for a proper check-up. Besides, I need to pay a visit to King Odin."
Thor nodded, lifted Jane into his arms, and called out, "Heimdall!"
The Rainbow Bridge's light descended, enveloping the three of them. Charles turned to Ayan and said, "Escort Darcy and the others out of here."
With Charles's words, the trio was transported to Asgard via the Rainbow Bridge.
As the cosmic scenery around them changed rapidly, Charles marveled at the power of this world-ending weapon.
Soon, the three arrived at the Rainbow Bridge's control room. Jane, filled with excitement, exclaimed, "We have to do that again!"
Heimdall looked at Charles and said, "Welcome, Supreme Merlin."
Then, turning to Jane, he added, "Welcome to Asgard."
…
Meanwhile-
The Dark Elves' fleet arrived at Svartalfheim. Malekith knelt down and grabbed a handful of soil from the ground.
"This is my legacy, Algrim."
"I had almost forgotten what it was like without light."
Algrim walked up beside Malekith, placing his hand on his leader's shoulder.
"Our rebirth is your greatest legacy."
Malekith angrily threw the dirt aside and stood up, "The suffering we endured will be paid back tenfold by the warriors of Asgard."
"I will reclaim the Aether, restore our world, and end this decaying universe once and for all."
...
Thor brought Jane to Asgard's medical chamber, but Charles didn't follow.
Before they arrived, Charles had tried touching Jane and realized there was no system notification—meaning the Aether inside Jane couldn't be recharged yet.
He would need to acquire the Aether itself to recharge it.
Charles made his way to the palace, intending to learn more about the mission Odin had mentioned, which would allow him to select three treasures.
"All-Father!"
"Supreme Merlin!"
Odin, holding Gungnir, looked down at Charles and said, "Your growth has exceeded my expectations."
"I thought it would take another year for you to reach this level."
"But this way, it's even better."
Charles looked up at Odin and asked, "What is the mission you've mentioned before?"
At that moment, a guard approached Odin, whispering something in his ear.
Odin turned back to Charles, "I apologize, but we'll have to discuss the mission later. I need to address something with Thor first."
Knowing that Odin was about to deal with Jane's situation, Charles smiled and asked, "Would you mind if I accompany you?"
Odin glanced at Charles, then nodded.
...
In the medical chamber-
Jane lay on a soul forge bed, staring curiously at the glowing energy lines in front of her.
"What is this?" she asked.
One of the healers glanced at her and replied, "Don't move."
Thor, looking at the red energy near Jane's heart, asked the healer, "This isn't of Earth. What is it?"
"We're not sure yet, but the energy surging inside her is too much. She won't survive it."
Thor's expression darkened as the healer walked away.
Jane, observing the orange projection of her body, asked curiously, "Is this a quantum field generator?"
The healer, while operating the device, responded, "This is a soul forge."
Jane, excited, continued, "Can the soul forge transfer molecular energy?"
The healer gave her a surprised look before nodding, "Yes."
Jane enthusiastically turned to Thor, "This is a quantum generator!"
Thor smiled at her, his expression softening.
At that moment, Odin entered the chamber and sternly said, "Is my word merely background noise to you?"
Thor turned to see his father and Charles approaching, and explained, "She's sick."
Odin, uninterested in Jane's illness, stated, "She's a mortal. They all get sick."
With a wave of his hand, Odin dismissed the healers around Jane, who then moved to stand against the wall.
Thor continued, "I brought her here because we can save her."
Odin walked closer, looking at Thor, "She does not belong in Asgard, just like goat meat has no place at a feast."
Jane, hearing this, sat up in anger and looked at Thor, "Did he just say...?"
She then turned to Odin and asked indignantly, "Who do you think you are?"