Everything had already deviated from the storyline Alan initially knew. However, as long as the main events remained unchanged, minor shifts in the side plots wouldn't cause too much trouble.
With that, Thanos truly wouldn't have a single Infinity Stone in his possession.
Snatched away yesterday, returned today—Thanos probably hadn't even had the chance to hold the stone properly before losing it again.
"This is…?"
Hank Pym rubbed his eyes in disbelief. A person had appeared out of nowhere. Though their face was obscured by their hood, making it impossible to discern their features, their voice was also ambiguous, making it difficult to tell if they were male or female.
Alan felt the same, but he had no interest in figuring out Ancient One's gender—it was irrelevant.
"This is Ancient One from the Sanctum Sanctorum. The Time Stone has returned?" Alan wanted to know how the stone had made its way back.
There was no way Ancient One had personally stormed into Thanos' domain to retrieve it. Even though she was a sorcerer, her body was still that of a human.
A single misstep, and she would die on Titan!
Besides, why was she appearing at Hank Pym's house? Was there something she needed to discuss with him?
"Hey, wait, what's going on?"
Scott, realizing that the newcomer had no ill intent, immediately returned to his normal size. However, he was so unaccustomed to the ant companions that he nearly got buried by them on the ground!
"A sorcerer? Never heard of one. Wasn't all that just some fancy trick?"
Scott leaned towards believing it was some kind of advanced technology—or, at worst, just a magician's sleight of hand.
"Don't lump a children's party magician together with Ancient One."
Alan sighed, glancing at Scott. His chatterbox nature combined elements of both Quill and Tony. No wonder Nebula, upon meeting Scott for the first time, thought he wasn't the brightest.
Who else would sit next to a Quinjet landing site while snacking?
If Scott ever teamed up with Quill and Tony, the sheer chaos was easy to imagine. Alan could already feel a headache just thinking about the noise.
"Fine, fine…"
Noticing Alan's serious expression, Scott reined in his usual flippant attitude.
"There are far more things in the universe that you haven't seen."
Ancient One slowly removed her hood and locked eyes with Scott.
She knew only Alan could alter their fates. The moment she saw Scott, she had already understood.
"Let's put that aside for now. Ancient One, how did the Time Stone return?"
Alan hurriedly pressed her for answers. Who had retrieved the Time Stone?
"Hela."
Ancient One directly named Hela.
She hadn't expected herself to be part of Hela's calculations. As expected of Asgard's unyielding goddess.
"Hela came to Earth?"
Alan massaged his temples.
It seemed she hadn't stayed put in Asgard. Did she have no concerns for her people?
Then again, given Hela's temperament, she was probably itching for a fight. Otherwise, she wouldn't have clashed with Odin and sent him somewhere even Heimdall couldn't locate.
Asgard had essentially placed Odin under house arrest. Though it was called exile, Odin was likely enjoying a rare taste of freedom.
"That's right. I sought you out specifically because of Hela. Only you can stop her."
Alan took a deep breath, bracing himself for what was to come.
What kind of trouble was the Goddess of Death stirring up this time?
What intrigued Alan slightly was that, unlike before, Hela hadn't immediately rushed to find him and cling to him the moment she arrived on Earth.
...
❇❇❇
Support me on Patreon - Read Up to 70+ Advanced Chapters There!
patreon.com/RedX43
❇❇❇