{Chapter: 358 Pitting My Son}
Malekith extended both hands, his pale skin glowing faintly under the swirling shadows of the battlefield. Jane's body, trembling, slowly levitated into the air. Her hair fluttered around her face like a halo as a stream of dark red, liquid-like energy began to seep from her chest—The Aether.
William stood motionless, eyes fixed on Jane and the Reality Liquid with a complexity that bordered on obsession. As the shimmering particles of The Aether poured from her body like liquid starlight, something sinister flickered behind his eyes. He had learned everything he needed. Malekith's method of extraction had revealed a weakness—a way to take it for himself.
Across the field, Malekith's eyes gleamed with manic devotion. "Finally..." he whispered to himself, arms trembling with excitement. "My Aether returns. The darkness will blanket the Nine Realms, and I shall rise as their eternal ruler."
The Aether continued to spiral toward Malekith, coiling like a sentient serpent seeking its master.
But just as the last thread of energy left Jane's body, Odin burst through the battlefield, driving Algrim to the ground with a deafening crash. He charged straight toward Malekith, his voice a furious battle cry.
"You will never possess The Aether!" Odin roared, lightning crackling across the head of the Eternal Spear.
Malekith turned with a snarl. "And you will never stop me!"
As Odin lunged, a shadow moved faster than either of them—William, grinning wickedly, appeared between them in a burst of dark mist. The Aether suddenly redirected, slamming into his chest with a sound like thunder meeting flesh.
"No!" Malekith screamed, fury twisting his face. "You dare?!"
William's expression was almost playful. "Screwing people over is sort of my thing. You should've seen this coming."
Malekith raised his hands to attack, but a brilliant golden beam from Odin's spear knocked him off his feet. Smoke and dust erupted as the dark elf leader hit the ground, cursing in Elvish.
William tilted his head with a mock sigh, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "It's really quite sad, isn't it? All these gods and monsters, and none of them saw this coming. If I don't screw my enemies, they'll do it first. Better to strike preemptively."
Odin roared, "You dare claim The Aether as yours?!"
With a dramatic flair, William held out his hand. "Too late!"
A pulse of deep blue light surged across his chest. The Aether vanished, absorbed into the void of space itself. Odin's face twisted in outrage.
"Go to Helheim!" Odin bellowed, his voice shaking the skies as he launched the Eternal Spear again.
But William was already gone—vanishing in a blink—only to reappear beside Jane and Sif. He draped one arm over each of their waists like they were old friends on a summer stroll.
Jane clung to him tightly, pale and breathless, but her eyes burned with affection. "You really just did that," she whispered against his chest.
He stroked her hair gently, the edges of his sharp demeanor softening. "I always will. You matter more than any artifact, any war, any throne."
Jane smiled faintly, leaning against him. "Even when you lie, it sounds lovely."
Sif stood rigidly on his other side, jaw clenched. Her glare could've melted stone. "Don't touch me," she growled, shrugging off his arm.
"Still angry?" William grinned.
"Anger is easy," she replied, voice cold. "It's everything else that's... harder to kill."
For a moment, something unspoken passed between them. In her eyes burned fury, betrayal—but also something softer, something buried and bitter. Maybe she still did. And that infuriated her more than anything.
"Come on, don't be like that," William chuckled. "Let the past be a burning ruin. You can curse me later."
Then, without warning, he shot into the air.
"You won't escape!" Odin shouted, launching himself upward.
"Give me back my Aether!" Malekith screamed in unison, rising as well.
From the skies, bolts of energy rained down. The battlefield was lit with chaos—every warrior, both Asgardian and Dark Elf, turned their sights upward and launched attacks at William.
William hovered above the clouds, calm as a storm's eye. With a smirk, he raised one hand. The Casket of Ancient Winters appeared before him, glowing with icy malevolence.
"Time to cool down," he muttered.
A frigid wave of dark blue frost burst forth, swallowing the battlefield in an instant. Warriors froze mid-strike. Blades halted inches from flesh. Energy bolts locked in place like glass sculptures. It was a vision of absolute stillness.
William laughed, triumphant. "Goodbye, idiots. This isn't the end. You'll know when it is."
Above him, the Tesseract shimmered into view, humming with cosmic power. A star map blossomed in the sky, constellations spinning within it like a living galaxy.
Jane reached for his hand, their fingers interlocking tightly.
Sif stared straight ahead, saying nothing.
"Let's go," William whispered.
"Together," Jane said with love in her voice.
The star map surged with light, and in a final flash of brilliance—they were gone.
CRACK!
The ice shattered on Odin's body, and he looked upward with grim finality. "Too late…"
The map dissolved into the sky, fading like a memory.
"Damn it!" Malekith snarled, breaking free of his own frozen bonds. He stomped forward, blackened teeth bared. "He stole it! He tricked me! He tricked me!"
Algrim landed beside him, still smoldering from frost. "We will find him, master. And we will burn him to ash."
Odin's eyes locked on the dark elves. His voice was thunder. "No more shadows. No more hiding. This ends today."
"Then come, All-Father," Malekith sneered. "Let us see whose world truly deserves to burn."
The Eternal Spear blazed again, melting the battlefield's ice. The warriors unfroze like statues returning to life. Screams filled the air once more.
And with a roar, war resumed—this time with rage hotter than ever before.
---
Above Earth's Oceans –
In the sky above a vast stretch of open ocean, shimmering blue energy surged and twisted like a spiraling portal of cosmic power. A massive ripple exploded outward as three figures were hurled through it—William, Jane, and Sif—tumbling toward the sea below.
William twisted midair, teeth clenched, eyes narrowed against the rushing wind. With a sudden exertion, he stabilized himself and shot forward, catching both women in his arms—one on each side.
"I got you," he growled, as they plummeted. "Hold tight."
Jane clutched him tightly, her face buried in his shoulder. "I never doubted you…"
Sif, arms crossed despite being carried like a princess, merely glared. "Don't touch me like that again."
William smirked. "Next time I'll let you fall and see how you feel."
After a few strained minutes of flight over the endless ocean, William's body began to tremble slightly. His breathing grew ragged, his energy flickering.
"I'm dying. I swear, I'm gonna drop dead at this rate!" he shouted over the wind. "We're flying blind, there's no land in sight—ugh, we'll have to swim."
"Then transform into a turtle and carry us back!" Jane yelled, half teasing, half panicked.
"I'm serious!"
Sif said nothing, still watching him coldly. Her silence was heavy—judging, skeptical. Yet somewhere, deep in her eyes, a flicker of concern betrayed her.
"Are you alright?" William asked, glancing her way.
"I'm fine," Jane replied coolly. "Ever since that cursed thing was torn from me, I feel... lighter. I thought you'd hand The Aether over to Malekith. But... you tricked him."
William grinned with a glint of mischief. "Yeah. I like keeping people on their toes. The dark elves and Asgard should be at each other's throats by now."
Sif narrowed her eyes. "Then why did you flee, trickster?"
"Because…" William hesitated for just a second. "Because I missed Earth. Asgard was never my home."
"Don't lie to me."
He gave a tired laugh. "Alright, fine. My energy's drained. Half of it went into breaking that cursed world tree barrier. If I'd stayed, I'd have been swarmed like fresh meat at a Frost Giant feast. Honestly? If I'd had more juice, I'd have reduced Asgard to ashes."
Sif scoffed. "Fool. That barrier is forged from the roots of Yggdrasil itself. It cannot be broken so easily."
"Explains why it drained me like a vampire at a blood bank..." William muttered. "Can't hold on much longer—I'm going down!"
"William!" Jane shouted, eyes wide in fear.
"There!" Jane pointed ahead, voice urgent. "A small island! Just a few miles—hold on!"
But the last of William's strength gave out.
SPLASH!
All three crashed into the water, sending waves rising like bursts from underwater explosions. The ocean swallowed them whole, deep blue ripples masking their descent.
Underwater, William's form began to flicker. Golden and green "X-particles" peeled away from his skin like fireflies in reverse returning to his bones. His body reverted—no more enhancements, no more power. Just a man, treading in the sea's embrace.
Back on the surface—
"Ah! I can't swim!" Jane flailed, struggling to keep her head above the water.
Sif swam with powerful strokes, graceful and sure. She caught Jane with ease, holding her afloat. "Stop flailing. You're alright."
Jane gasped. "T-thank you..."
Sif looked around coldly. "Where's the cockroach?"
Jane's face fell. "He's not... he's not gone."
Sif's tone was flat. "He sank."
Jane shook her head violently. "No. I don't believe it. William's the kind of man who survives a supernova with a smirk. If the universe died, he'd be the last thing left behind—just to annoy the void."
Suddenly, with a splash and a gurgling sound, a "turtle-shaped" head bobbed out of the water, exaggeratedly slow.
"Jane," William said, his voice bubbling up from beneath, "your faith in me is flattering... and 100% accurate."
Jane's face lit up with joy and relief. "You idiot! I thought you were dead!"
William chuckled and pulled himself close, whispering, "Don't worry. I'd never leave you. Not even the Nine Realms could drag me away."
Sif's face twisted—not from anger, but from something deeper. Bitterness. Pain. And something far more dangerous: longing.
"You always did enjoy playing the hero saving the beauty," she said with a sneer.
William turned his head. "Why does it feel like you'd rather see me drown than admit you were worried?"
"I don't care about you." Sif's tone was sharp as ice, but her eyes... lingered on him longer than they should have. "You're a selfish, treacherous bastard."
"I get that a lot."
"And yet..." she whispered under her breath, too quiet for him to hear. And yet, I still couldn't let you drown.
"Alright, ladies," William said with exaggerated cheer, treading water. "Seven miles to the nearest island. I hope you're both good swimmers."
"I'll swim," Sif said, already powering ahead.
Jane wrapped her arms around Sif smiling lovingly. "William, you're carrying me."
He grinned. "My pleasure, my queen."
And with that, under the bright sun and vast ocean sky, the trio swam—dragging with them their tangled pasts, unspoken emotions, and unresolved futures—toward the island on the horizon.
Behind them, the portal's remnants vanished, and the wind whispered as if laughing.