Seeing that the next step was to head to Earth to confront Malekith, Loki thought for a moment before speaking:
"I don't want to cause any trouble on Earth. With my abilities, I'm no match for Malekith."
Hearing Loki's words, Thor turned to him.
"So, where do you plan to go?"
"Back to Asgard?"
Loki's voice became heavy as he slowly said, "I want to visit our mother."
"Maybe when you return victorious, you'll find me in the dungeons of Asgard."
Thor's gaze shifted, feeling a bit unsure. He wasn't certain how Loki would react once he learned that Thor had lied about their mother to manipulate him.
Thor wondered if Loki might be tempted to stab him once or twice more with his dagger.
"If that's your choice, you can take the ship back to Asgard," Thor responded.
Charles, on the other hand, was curious. Without Loki faking his death to escape, would he still end up impersonating Odin later?
Loki nodded, looking at both Charles and Thor, "I'll leave Malekith to the two of you. I'll be waiting in Asgard for the good news of your victory."
With that, Loki turned and walked away, heading toward the ship they had arrived in.
As Loki departed, Charles turned to Thor and asked, "Aren't you worried that Loki might stir up some more trouble when he returns?"
"After all, breaking out of the dungeon isn't exactly legal."
Thor shook his head, "He's still my brother."
Seeing Thor's confidence, Charles didn't press the issue further.
"Well then, let's head to Earth," Charles said as he waved his hand, using the power of the Space Stone to open a portal before them.
"Let's go!"
Thor watched as Charles stepped into the portal, following right behind him.
On the other side of the portal was Greenwich, the center of the Convergence.
Thor smiled as he stepped through and said, "It's a lot easier for you to travel now, isn't it?"
Charles waved his hand again, closing the portal behind them. It was nighttime, and the square in Greenwich was mostly empty.
Thor glanced around, looking puzzled. "Are you sure Malekith will come here?"
Charles nodded, "This isn't the first time the Convergence has occurred. It happened once thousands of years ago."
"Malekith needs the Aether to destroy the universe, and he must trigger it at the precise moment of the Convergence to affect the entire cosmos. Once the Nine Realms separate again, the opportunity will be lost."
Thor nodded, understanding their enemy's plan. Now they just had to wait for him to arrive.
"The Aether can't be destroyed, so how do we stop him?" Thor asked.
Charles smiled, "The Aether is hard to destroy, but Malekith himself can be killed. Plus, his use of the Reality Stone is very crude."
Hearing Charles's confidence, Thor felt more at ease. He then asked, "So, what do we do now? Just wait here?"
Charles glanced at the sky and estimated that Malekith would arrive the next day.
"Why don't we head back to my base and rest for the night? Jane is there right now."
"Even at Malekith's speed, he won't arrive until tomorrow."
Thor, still concerned, said, "I'm worried they'll show up early and catch us off guard."
Charles reassured him, "Don't worry. Without the Convergence, Malekith can't do much."
"Alright, let's go see Jane, then."
Charles threw a Hiraishin kunai in the corner of the square, then grabbed Thor's arm and instantly teleported them to the base's resting area.
At the base, Jane, Darcy, Shizune, and Tsunade were sitting in the lounge, discussing the possible dangers of the Dark World. Suddenly, Charles, with Thor in tow, appeared beside them in an instant.
"Thor!"
"Jane!"
Thor and Jane immediately embraced each other.
Tsunade and Shizune turned to Charles as Tsunade asked, "Is the enemy defeated?"
Charles shook his head. "The enemy hasn't been defeated."
Thor then let go of Jane and began to explain, "Malekith..."
…
Meanwhile-
On the other side-
As Loki boarded the ship to return to Asgard, he thought about his status as a wanted man. With a surge of his magic, he transformed into the appearance of an Einherjar warrior.
Upon arriving in Asgard, Loki didn't seek out Odin but instead headed straight for Frigga's palace. He wanted to know how his mother was recovering from her injuries.
Standing at the entrance of the palace, Loki hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to push the door open and walk inside.
As he entered, still in the guise of an Einherjar warrior, he thought to himself, 'I wonder how long it will take for her wounds to heal.'
But the moment Loki saw Frigga, he froze in place. His disguise almost faltered as shock overtook him.
In his mind, he cursed, 'Thor, you liar, you scoundrel! You actually lied about our mother! I hope your wife gets sick and you both die miserable deaths.'
Venomous thoughts ran through Loki's mind as he realized his brother had lied. Thor had changed—he had learned to deceive.
At that moment, Frigga looked at the Einherjar warrior who had just entered, smiled, and said, "Loki!"
Loki was startled for a moment before responding, "Your Majesty, I..."
Before he could finish, Frigga approached him, smiling, and said, "Loki, I taught you magic, remember?"
Hearing this, Loki stopped hiding and dropped his disguise, revealing his true form.
"Thor tricked me, saying you were on the brink of death. I came back to check on you."
"Mother, I'm so glad you're okay."
Frigga took Loki's hand, speaking gently, "It was Charles who saved me. If not for him, there really could have been a disaster."
"Have you taken care of Malekith?" she asked.
Loki, deeply moved to hear Charles had saved his mother, shook his head regretfully.
"We're not sure yet. After Malekith extracted the Aether from Jane, he fled from the Dark World. Charles said he's now headed for Earth, and he and Thor are on their way to stop him."
"I didn't think it was appropriate for me to go to Earth, so I came back to check on your condition..."
Frigga's face showed a trace of worry as she responded, "I hope they manage to stop Malekith."
"That Earth girl—is she alright?"
"She's fine. After the Aether was extracted, Charles teleported her away."
Frigga nodded and then said, "Loki, since you've returned, stay with me for now."
"I'll go speak to your father and ask him to pardon you."
"If Thor and Charles defeat the Dark Elves, it shouldn't be a problem."
Hearing his mother's care, Loki's eyes reddened slightly, and he nodded in agreement.
###
Access All Chapters(1400+): pat reon . com/gfdsa