Morning classes had just resumed at the University. In one of the lecture halls, the second session of the day had just begun.
Seated by the window, Daniel scribbled notes meticulously into his notebook, all while attentively absorbing the lecture delivered by Jane Foster.
Jane, a renowned expert in astronomy and astrophysics, was presenting research based on Earth's current data from space exploration. Though she avoided references to Asgard or other cosmic realms, her material was far from useless to Daniel.
On the contrary, Daniel found her lectures invaluable. Even though he had only encountered Frost Giants and Asgardians so far, he understood one truth clearly—the universe stretched far beyond the reach of the Nine Realms tied to Yggdrasil. In fact, even if the Nine Realms joined forces, they would still represent only a minuscule sliver of the universe's vast expanse.
The Chitauri, for example—those interstellar marauders who would one day descend upon Earth—were merely low-tier mercenaries in the galactic hierarchy.
In a way, their chaotic, nomadic nature mirrored that of humans: prolific, adaptive, and technologically advanced. But where humans had restraint, the Chitauri had none. Their original home world had long since crumbled. Now, like spacefaring locusts, they wandered from system to system.
Then there were others—the Nova Corps, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the mighty Kree Empire, the elusive Skrulls, the Shi'ar Empire—thousands of living planets, each home to its own civilization, culture, and conflicts.
Earth, by contrast, remained isolated. As far as its current science could see, it was alone in the cosmos.
Which meant that searching for aliens through Earth-based observation was a fool's errand. But reverse-engineering the knowledge to locate Earth from outside the planet? That was a different story—and Daniel knew he would need that knowledge someday.
The Earth's magic was stagnant, inert. Not even Thor himself could alter that fact. And Daniel—driven by the need to grow stronger—knew that eventually, he would have to leave this world in search of richer magical currents and stronger spiritual realms.
And when he left, he'd need a way to return.
By the time Jane Foster wrapped up her lecture, Daniel had committed everything to memory. It wasn't difficult for him—rote memorization came easily.
As the students filed out of the classroom, only Daniel, Jane, and Daisy Louise remained.
"Lunch?" Daniel walked over with a relaxed smile. "Clinic reopens Monday. You should stop by—meet the new doc, Dr. Horst."
After all, the clinic had been Jane's and Donald Blake's project. It was only right she be acquainted with its new lead.
"Sure," Jane nodded. "Just fill me in on his background first."
There were nine cafeterias on campus, each strategically placed near lecture halls and dormitories. All operated under a buffet-style system, yet each had its own theme and signature dishes—high-quality meals at student-friendly prices. Professors and students alike preferred to dine on campus, especially when classes continued into the afternoon.
Daniel chose one of the higher-end dining halls—no private booths, but enough spacing between tables to talk discreetly.
With a soft clink, Daniel, Jane, and Daisy toasted with their wine glasses. Over bites of expertly grilled steak, Daniel began, "Dr. Horst is a med school grad from Boston University. Not as renowned in psychiatry as Blake, but more seasoned when it comes to surgery."
Though both he and Blake were in the same field, Horst's career path had diverged—he was quiet, not one to climb the social ladder. As a result, he'd gradually been sidelined as newer doctors rose in the ranks.
The clinic attracted him with its competitive salary and, more importantly, its structured hours. That gave him time to care for his pregnant wife.
What Daniel didn't mention was that Horst, though American, came from German roots.
"In a year or two, he may move on," Daniel said with a sigh. "Once the baby arrives, family expenses grow. He'll need more."
Life in Manhattan was tough. Even highly paid professionals struggled with the cost of living. Jane, a university professor, spent much of her year conducting funded research, and any meaningful results were quickly converted into cash via publication and licensing.
Her expedition to New Mexico alone was enough to produce a high-impact paper. Even NASA had shown interest. With a few citations, those findings could rake in tens of thousands—maybe more.
Had Jane not still been emotionally processing everything, she likely wouldn't have transferred any oversight to Daniel at all.
"You make the calls," she said casually, though her curiosity about the clinic's new leadership was obvious.
Just as Daniel prepared to respond, he paused mid-bite and turned toward the cafeteria entrance.
Something—or someone—had caught his eye.
The sharp pain in his foot snapped him back. Daisy had kicked him under the table.
"Is she that stunning?" Daisy muttered, eyes fixed on her plate, though her fork now carved into the steak with a bit more force.
"Don't be ridiculous," Daniel chuckled. "Felicia and Harry were attacked a few days ago. They've been absent since. Just surprised to see them back."
He glanced at Jane. "Mind if I go say hello?"
With a nod from her, Daniel stood and approached Felicia Hardy and Harry Osborn, who'd just taken seats nearby.
"Hey! Look who's finally back. What brings you two to campus today? Hi, Felicia. Hi, Harry!"
"Hi, Daniel," both greeted in unison.
"It's under control now," Harry explained. "School's about to hit finals, so we couldn't afford to miss more."
Despite their social standing, both were top students—especially Harry, whose polished demeanor often made people forget he was the son of the infamous, volatile Norman Osborn.
"Studying's important, but it's not the only thing," Felicia said as she ordered. "Just this week, I've had two socialites clinging to me, three elite receptions, and a banquet at the German Consulate—attending on behalf of my mother, no less. Staying home's a luxury I don't have."
"Sounds like a nice problem to have," Daniel grinned. "Meanwhile, I can't even score an invite to a cocktail mixer!"
He looked around. "Just you two today? Where's Flash? And Peter?"
"Parker's with his girlfriend," Harry said, then cast a sideways glance at Felicia.
"Don't ask about Flash," Felicia snapped, stabbing her fork into her steak. "That coward's hiding out, claiming Spider-Man put a target on his back. If he hadn't tried to impersonate him, none of this would've happened. If I see him again, he's getting a beatdown."
Flash Thompson had been chasing Felicia for months. She never gave a clear answer, keeping him dangling—until he'd made the foolish decision to pretend to be Spider-Man and confront Peter Parker. That blunder had spiraled out of control.
"By the way, Daniel," Felicia said, shifting tone, "you free tomorrow night? Need a date for the consulate banquet—thought you might want to join."
Daniel blinked. "Harry's not going with you?"
Harry shook his head immediately. "No thanks. I avoid that scene when I can."
Daniel considered for a moment. "Well, I don't have anything pressing. Could be fun. Might even dust off my German."
"You speak German?" Felicia asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Forgot I'm Dutch?" he smiled. "We're neighbors. Picked it up over the years."
Truth be told, the last time he'd used German meaningfully was during his first meeting with Sunil Bakshi, back when confirming his identity had required it. Before that? Not since the tail end of World War II.
The mention of the consulate had already piqued Daniel's interest—now, it was the perfect excuse to do a little reconnaissance.
"Well, I'll leave you two to your meal," he said with a polite nod. "See you tomorrow night!"
"Tomorrow night," Felicia echoed, watching him return to Jane.
Once he was out of earshot, Harry leaned in and asked in a low voice, "You sure it's safe dragging him into this?"
It looked like things were under control on the surface—police crackdowns on Kingpin's operations, gang leaders being swept into prison. But Felicia and Harry knew better. These moves were just theater, pressure aimed upward, not at the true roots of power.
Felicia had never known all the details of her family's entanglements—but she wasn't naive. Raised by a fiercely sharp mother, her intuition and judgment had always exceeded her years.
She could read people like a book. Flash Thompson had been child's play.
Originally, she'd planned to bring Peter Parker to the banquet. She had a gift—an instinctive sense of who could make her feel safe. It had once been Peter.
Now, it was Daniel.
In response to Harry's question, she answered calmly, "There won't be any accidents tomorrow. Our side is ready. And if they do make a move…"
She didn't finish the sentence—but the gleam in her eye said everything.
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