"Thought you went to rest?"
Looking at Fane, Thor asked.
"Yeah, going now!"
Fane stood up, stretched, and replied. He had absolutely zero interest in getting involved in the romantic drama Thor was likely about to face, so he prepared to make his exit.
Thor didn't pay it any mind and turned to look at Fandral and the other two. He completely missed the somewhat complicated look in Sif's eyes as he happily pulled Jane forward to introduce her. "Hey, guys, remember her?"
"Jane Foster! You've met her before!"
Back when Thor had been banished to Earth, the Warriors Three and Sif had all come to Earth to save him, so they had met Jane once before.
"Hello everyone!"
Looking at the three in front of her, Jane offered a slightly awkward greeting. A woman's intuition told her that none of these three seemed particularly welcoming of her arrival.
Sif's unusual gaze, in particular, gave her a faint inkling as to why.
But Jane was no ordinary woman. This was clear from the fact that she had dared to enter the sealed land all by herself after Fane left, with absolutely no protection.
So, while she still hadn't figured out what to do about the future, she had no intention of backing down at this moment. She tightly grasped Thor's hand and met Sif's gaze head-on.
Looking at Thor, who was grinning happily and completely oblivious to the silent battle already unfolding between his childhood friend and his current girlfriend, Fane rolled his eyes in exasperation. No wonder Thor ended up with no girlfriend at all by the end of the original storyline.
After bidding the group farewell, Fane returned to his quarters in the palace.
Lying on a soft, large Asgardian bed, Fane thought about what to do next. Without the original plot to serve as a reference, he was entirely in the dark about how things would unfold.
At this thought, he couldn't help but sigh. He condensed the Aether in his hand into the shape of a stick figure and said with earnest gravity, "Tell me, how am I any less than those Dark Elves? Wouldn't sticking with me be better than following them?!"
While conducting this lecture, Fane controlled the dark red stick figure, making it perform various movements on his palm.
After doing some ideological work and seeing that the Aether remained utterly indifferent, Fane sighed silently, preparing to recall it.
Before pulling it back, however, he asked casually, "Speaking of which, since they can find your location, do you know theirs?"
Fane hadn't actually expected the Aether to answer after asking. So, when he saw the Aether suddenly begin to change on its own in his palm, he couldn't help but freeze in place for a long time.
In the blink of an eye, the dark red stick figure crumpled into a ball and then transformed into a sphere.
Looking at the sphere before him, Fane froze again, somewhat bewildered. But immediately following that, his expression grew rather grim, because he realized the sphere in his hand looked more and more like Earth the longer he stared at it.
"They're on Earth?!"
Fane asked in a heavy voice.
But the Aether did not answer. It merely maintained its sphere-like form in silence, rotating slowly.
Seeing this scene, any trace of sleepiness Fane had instantly vanished. He immediately pulled the Aether back into his body, opened a portal directly to the Bifrost, found Heimdall, and said, "Try to see if you can find the Dark Elves on Earth!"
Seeing the anxious look on Fane's face, Heimdall didn't waste any words either. His eyes glowed as he gazed out into the starry sky. After a moment, he shook his head and said, "I cannot see them."
Fane's brow furrowed tightly. The Dark Elves' ships possessed cloaking technology that Heimdall's eyes could not pierce through.
Therefore, the fact that Heimdall couldn't see them didn't entirely mean the Dark Elves weren't on Earth!
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Fane's demeanor, Heimdall inquired.
Fane didn't keep it from Heimdall, explaining, "The Aether told me the Dark Elves might be on Earth!"
"The Aether?!"
Heimdall found this a bit strange.
Fane didn't say much more. Instead, he summoned the Aether into his hand and asked, "The Dark Elves' location!"
The Aether cooperated perfectly, transforming once again into the shape of Earth within Fane's hand.
Looking at the Aether in Fane's palm, Heimdall's brow also furrowed as he asked, "Could this be a trap set by the Dark Elves?!"
Fane couldn't quite answer that question. Things had already derailed from the original plot, so no matter what situation arose, he wouldn't be surprised.
But since the Aether could display the form of Earth, even if it was a trap, it meant the Dark Elves likely knew something.
Therefore, Fane felt he could no longer continue to stay and guard in Asgard. While it was safe here, it would also make it difficult for the Dark Elves to approach.
"I'm leaving!"
Looking at Heimdall, Fane said in a heavy voice.
Heimdall looked at Fane and advised, "I think you should speak with His Majesty first and hear his advice. I will keep a constant watch on Earth from now on. The moment I discover their tracks, I will notify you immediately."
"Alright!"
Fane exhaled a breath, calming his racing heart. In truth, with Ancient One on Earth, the Dark Elves wouldn't be able to run rampant. What he worried about was his identity being exposed, bringing danger to his family and friends.
Returning to the palace, Fane hurriedly found the guards. After being announced, he met with Odin.
"What is the matter?"
Seeing Fane's anxious look, Odin was somewhat surprised. This was the first time he had seen such an expression on Fane's face.
"The Dark Elves might be on Earth right now!"
Fane didn't waste words and got straight to the point, then summoned the Aether once more to demonstrate.
Seeing the Aether in Fane's palm, Odin's expression instantly turned solemn. He stepped closer to look, then asked with a tight frown, "When did you discover this?"
"Just now!"
Fane replied, "I wanted to try communicating with it, so I asked for the Dark Elves' location, and it turned into this."
After examining the Aether in Fane's palm carefully, Odin pondered for a moment before replying in a heavy voice, "This could be a plot by the Dark Elves to lure you out of Asgard."
Fane naturally understood this point. But to him, this matter was less of a plot and more of a threat, so he replied, "But if they went to Earth, it might mean they know my identity!"
Hearing Fane's words, Odin thought it over and replied, "I will send a squad of soldiers in a moment and have Heimdall transport them to Earth to investigate this matter."
Fane did not object to Odin's decision, but he didn't want to continue waiting around like this either. Thus, he said, "I've thought it over, and I still believe it's best for me to leave Asgard first!"
Ultimately, the Dark Elves' target was him. As long as he left Asgard, the Dark Elves would be able to sense it immediately.
"No!"
But upon hearing Fane's words, Odin refused decisively, stating in a heavy voice, "You are safe in Asgard, do not worry. We will handle this matter."
Fane's gaze instantly turned sharp as he stared at Odin and asked, "Are you planning to imprison me?!"