{Chapter: 338 Going To Asgard}
Thor stood atop the scorched land, crackling with residual lightning. His blue eyes glared with divine fury, Mjölnir clenched tightly in his hand as if the heavens themselves were waiting on his judgment.
"William," he snarled, the name like thunder. "You—you took the Tesseract. That power is not yours to wield."
William stood calmly, arms folded across his chest, a smirk dancing at the corners of his lips. "You want the Tesseract? Well, it's in my hands now, so by that logic... it's mine. If you think you're strong enough to take it back, be my guest. Come on, give it your best shot."
The tension in the air was suffocating, electric, ready to snap.
Jane stepped forward, worry written across her face. "Thor?"
Her voice softened Thor's rage for a fleeting moment. "Jane... get away from him. He's dangerous. You don't know what he's capable of."
But Jane shook her head slowly. "I do. And he would never hurt me."
Thor's jaw tightened. "You're too smart to fall for this. He's not some charming rebel or misunderstood hero. He's chaos, Jane. I've seen what he's done."
"And I've seen the man he is when no one's looking," she shot back, stepping closer to William. "You might see a threat. I see someone who cares about me more than anyone."
William's grin widened, and he gently reached for her hand. "You're going to make me blush, Jane."
Thor looked between them, disgusted and angry. "So you're siding with him now?"
"I'm standing where I want to stand, Thor. You should know better than to order me around." Her voice didn't waver, even as a storm swirled above.
Thor exhaled sharply and turned to William. "Let's not pretend this is about love. This is about the Tesseract. It belongs to Asgard. It was left on Earth over a millennium ago. I've come to take it home."
William rolled his neck with a lazy confidence. "Ah, the age-old claim of 'we were here first.' Come on, Thunderboy. The Tesseract belongs to the universe. And in this universe, the strong make the rules. If you want it back, you'll need more than your hammer."
"Blasphemous worm," Thor growled, and in the next breath, lightning surged from the sky.
The bolt slammed toward William like the wrath of a god. Jane screamed his name—"William!"—but before she could move, he'd already stepped in front of her.
With both hands raised, William caught the lightning as it danced wildly in his grip. The air sizzled. Sparks flew. The rooftop cracked beneath the sheer force of it. The current wrapped around William's body like a wild serpent, but he held firm, the glow of raw power illuminating his wicked grin.
"Come on, Thor," William said, his voice rich with mockery. "You call that a lightning strike? I've had static shocks scarier than this."
"You dare mock me?" Thor exploded into action, hurling Mjölnir straight toward William's chest.
William dodged with a smooth sidestep, the hammer blasting through a stone pillar behind him. "If you wanted to flirt, you could've just said so."
"Stop it, both of you!" Jane yelled, fury in her voice now. "You two are acting like overgrown boys with god complexes!"
"Only one of us is a god," Thor said under his breath, summoning Mjölnir back.
"And the other just caught your lightning with his bare hands," William added with a wink at Jane. "Points for style, love?"
Jane rolled her eyes, but a faint smile tugged at her lips. "You're impossible."
William spread his arms. "Irresistible, too."
Thor stepped forward again, visibly trying to restrain himself. "Enough games. Are you or are you not willing to hand over the Tesseract?"
William raised an eyebrow. "Why is everyone always so dramatic about these things? Look, I'm not handing it over. You can't take it from me. But if you're really that desperate to return to Asgard, I can help you with that."
Thor paused. "You'd send me back?"
"Of course. I'm generous like that. I was even considering using the Tesseract's energy to help you repair the Rainbow Bridge. Call it a... peace offering."
Thor narrowed his eyes. "Why? What's your angle, trickster?"
"I don't have one this time. Well, maybe just a tiny one: imagine the headlines—'Public Enemy Number One Rebuilds Bifrost—Thor Weeps in Gratitude.' You could sign my cape."
Jane stepped forward again, her expression serious. "William... are you really willing to help them?"
"I'm willing to do a lot of things," William replied softly, glancing down at her, brushing a stray hair from her cheek. "For the right reasons."
Jane's heart swelled at his touch, the gentleness in his gaze. Her voice softened, "You're reckless and arrogant..."
William smiled. "You're the anchor in my storm, Jane. As long as you believe in me, I'll keep trying."
Thor shifted uncomfortably. "Enough of this melodrama. So you're offering to rebuild the bridge. But what do you get?"
"Using the energy of the Tesseract to repair the Rainbow Bridge... it's certainly a clever idea," Thor muttered, brow furrowed. Then his eyes narrowed. "Wait. No. You—" He pointed at William, his tone shifting into a warning. "You also want to go to Asgard?"
William lifted his hands casually, fingers spread in mock innocence. "Why so surprised, Thunderer? If I'm going to use the Tesseract's power to fix your bridge, I kind of need to be there, don't I?"
Thor's eyes burned with distrust. "Absolutely not. You are banished from Asgard. For eternity. The crimes you've committed against the realm… they are unforgivable."
Jane, standing between them, turned slightly toward William, her voice quiet but probing. "What did you do… to Asgard?"
William shrugged, almost playfully. "Nothing too dramatic. I may have, you know… almost leveled the entire capital. Asgard came this close—" he pinched the air with his fingers "—to being wiped off the cosmic map."
Jane's jaw dropped. "You what? That's… that's insane!" She looked at him in disbelief, then cast a glance at Thor. "No wonder you despise him."
"He's not exactly even a human," Thor growled, fists clenched. "And no, Jane. He cannot be trusted. He cannot love anyone. Not for a second."
William offered a smirk and tilted his head toward Thor. "Oh please, don't look so heartbroken. Your jealousy's starting to show."
"I'm not jealous," Thor snapped, his voice rising like thunder. "I'm protecting Asgard."
William sighed dramatically. "This again. Don't worry, I'm not going there to cause trouble this time. I've turned over a new leaf. I'm practically a saint now."
"You expect me to believe that?" Thor scoffed, stepping forward.
William turned toward Jane, ignoring Thor. "Anyway. Jane, how about it? Want to see the realm of the gods firsthand? It's beautiful this time of cycle—golden towers, endless skies, and me."
Jane blinked, caught off guard. "You're serious?"
"No!" Thor's voice boomed like a hammer strike. "She's not going anywhere with you."
Before another word could be spoken, Thor hurled Mjölnir at William with furious speed. But in a blur of motion, William wrapped an arm around Jane and vanished into thin air, the hammer missing its mark entirely.
A split second later, a flash of light shimmered behind Thor, and William reappeared—only to give the God of Thunder a swift kick to the rear.
"Ah!" Thor stumbled forward and fell face-first into the dirt, landing in an undignified sprawl.
Jane gasped, hiding a smile.
William clapped his hands. "Graceful as ever. Honestly, Thor, you're not very good at this whole 'stopping me' thing."
"Fight me properly!" Thor roared, standing and turning, Mjölnir flying back into his hand. "Face me like a warrior, without your cowardly teleportation tricks."
William rolled his eyes. "What, you want a fair fight? What next, tea and cookies afterward? No thanks. I fight smart, not stupid."
"You arrogant—"
"I'm going to Asgard, Thor. You can either throw another tantrum or come along."
"Wait." Thor lowered his hammer slightly, breathing heavily. "You… you really plan to take Jane with you?"
"Of course," William said with a sly grin, brushing Jane's hair gently from her face. "She deserves to see the stars—not just read about them in books. And don't worry, I'll keep her safe."
Thor gritted his teeth but said nothing.
Jane's expression softened as she looked up at William. "You'd really take me to Asgard?"
"For you?" William said, his tone dropping into something tender. "I'd steal stars and rewrite constellations. A visit is the least I can do."
Jane's heart fluttered, her gaze locked with his. "Then… I want to go."
Thor clenched his fists, clearly torn between duty and emotion. "You're both insane."
William chuckled. "Well, at least we're entertaining."
Thor sighed deeply. "Fine. But you're not going alone. Not without supervision."
"Oh, bring a chaperone if you must," William waved casually. "But make it quick. Time is literally a factor when you're traveling through space."
With a rumble of thunder, Thor took off into the sky, his red cape flaring like lightning across the clouds. William followed, holding Jane gently in his arms as they soared after him.
Eventually, they arrived at a remote location—an abandoned attic tucked behind broken ruins on the outskirts of the city. The air was stale and thick with silence.
Thor pushed open a creaky door, revealing a dimly lit room. In its center sat a chained figure—slouched but alert. The silver shackles shimmered faintly with magic, bound tightly around his wrists and ankles.
"Brother," Loki said smoothly, raising his head. "Did you bring guests to gawk at the family disgrace?"
Thor stepped aside without a word.
Loki's smile widened when he saw William. "Well, well. William the Destroyer. What a rare pleasure."
"Nice to see you haven't lost your silver tongue, Loki," William said, stepping forward with a half-smile.
Jane glanced nervously between them. "You two… know each other?"
Loki tilted his head, eyes gleaming. "Oh yes. We go way back. He nearly killed me once. Or maybe it was twice?"
"Water under the Bifrost," William said, waving it off.
"Hmm. That's not how I remember it." Loki smirked. "But if you're going to Asgard… I suggest you be very, very careful. The gods have long memories."
William's grin turned wicked. "Good. So do I."