The air in the Dark Elf realm felt like the inside of a dead star: cold, dry, and suffocatingly silent. Jagged black terrain stretched to the horizon, broken only by the eerie glow of ancient ruins and the distant hum of dark magic.
Malekith walked ahead with the swagger of someone showing off his empire. "Miss Jane, behold. The domain of the Dark Elves. Magnificent, isn't it?"
Jane Foster eyed the endless wasteland. "Sure. Let's call it… atmospheric." Her tone was flat. "Now, about the T-Particles in my body? You said you'd pull them out quickly. I'm not fond of carrying a cosmic bomb under my ribs. We deal with that, then we cooperate."
Malekith's steps slowed. Suspicion crept into his pale, sharp eyes. "Strange. You're so eager to relinquish such power. Shouldn't you—"
"I don't want it," Jane snapped. Her posture tightened, but her voice stayed steady. She remembered who was watching from the shadows. She wasn't alone. "If you don't trust me, then I can walk out right now. You're the almighty master of dark magic, right? Extracting T-Particles should be child's play. Or… is it too much for you?"
The two clashed with nothing but glares. The air sharpened. The Dark Elf soldiers tensed like wolves smelling weakness.
A dozen of them hissed at once.
"How dare a human speak that way to our king!?"
"Teach her fear. She should kneel before the Dark Elves!"
Blades rose. Dark-forged armor rattled. One command from Malekith and they would tear her apart.
"Enough." Malekith raised his hand. The soldiers froze mid-step. "Step back."
Jane only exhaled when they retreated.
"We begin now," Malekith said. "As long as you cooperate, you will remain our honored guest."
"Good. Where to?"
"To the sanctum. A delicate extraction must be performed in a controlled space."
Malekith traced runic symbols through the air, each stroke leaving trails of pitch-black magic. The very ground vibrated. Every Dark Elf present began chanting as if the ritual was older than the stars themselves.
A swirling void tore open above them.
Before Jane could react, darkness wrapped around her and Malekith both, dragging them through the portal in an instant.
Below, the Dark Elves fell to their knees, trembling with religious fervor.
"Our age is coming," one whispered.
"The T-Particles return home…"
A lone figure in the crowd smirked.
Ryuuto, disguised as a Dark Elf, let his Sharingan spin beneath the illusion.
His voice curled in his mind like a quiet flame.
Shion, track them.
[Tracking. Also, Host, Malekith's haircut is criminal.]
Focus.
[Tch. Fine.]
Ryuuto faded into the shadows, following the king's every move.
Malekith placed Jane at the center of a dark altar. Magic flared around her like living smoke.
"Miss Jane, hold still. I will now remove the T-Particles."
"Just do it," she forced out.
Before she could steel herself, dark magic surged around her body. Pain stabbed through her nerves. She gritted her teeth, refusing to scream.
J-just hold on, she thought.
He said he'd catch me if something went wrong.
Malekith's breath grew heavy, his voice twisted with hunger. "Yes… yes! Come out! T-Particles, your true master awaits! With you, I will reshape the cosmos!"
His power spiked violently. Pale lips. Feverish eyes. Madness dripping from every word.
Jane collapsed. In the air above her, the T-Particles separated from her body, glowing like a tiny white supernova.
Malekith lunged.
A blur of red and black ripped past him.
"What—!?"
A hand closed around the T-Particles.
A familiar voice cut through the chamber like a knife.
"Miss me?"
Ryuuto stood there, illusion shattered, Sharingan glowing like burning moons.
Malekith's world cracked.
"YOU!" he roared. "Give that back or DIE!"
Corrupted magic erupted from him, twisting the entire chamber into a hurricane of darkness.
Ryuuto flipped him off. "Relax, Voldemort's discount cousin."
He slammed his hands together.
"Wind Style: Infinite Sandstorm Break!"
Sand exploded outward, forming a towering barrier around Jane and himself. The entire altar shook from the collision between dark magic and Ryuuto's jutsu.
Ryuuto didn't stop. Chakra flooded through his palms.
"Tsunade-style Healing."
Warm green light flowed into Jane's body, steadying her breathing.
Outside their sandy shield, Malekith screamed in pure rage.
Dark Elves ran in panic.
The sanctum cracked like an eggshell under divine weight.
Ryuuto held the T-Particles tightly.
Shion hummed lazily.
[Host… congratulations. You've just stolen a cosmic artifact from a genocidal space elf. Again.]
Save the sarcasm. We're not done.
[Oh trust me, I know. The angry goth king outside is about to lose his last three brain cells.]
The sand barrier trembled as another blast hit.
Ryuuto slowly stood, eyes blazing.
"Alright, Malekith. Let's dance."