Mjolnir struck the shimmering wall of space with a thunderclap that shook the ruins.
When the dust settled... the barrier stood untouched.
No crack.
Thor scowled, shoulders tensing as he yanked Mjolnir back to his side.
"Again!"
One by one, the warriors took their turns.
Spears of light, blades wreathed in magic, even pure force, everything they had, they threw at the invisible shield.
But after what felt like hours, all they had to show for it were bruised hands, spent weapons, and a barrier that looked as pristine as it had five thousand years ago.
Sif staggered back from her latest strike, the tip of her sword still vibrating in her hand.
She winced, clutching her wrist.
"Damn thing almost snapped my arm clean off."
Thor watched in silence, frustration brewing inside him.
Mjolnir couldn't solve this problem.
"…"
A memory flickered, half-buried in the dusty corners of his mind.
"Wait." His voice cutting through the exhausted grumbling of the men. "I remember something... There was a single line..."
He closed his eyes, forcing himself to recall the ancient script he had once dismissed as old men's ramblings.
"The dark elves rose because of a secret place, untouched by gods, unseen by men. Their strength... came from within it."
His eyes snapped open.
"That's why my grandfather never destroyed this place."
"He meant for someone, someday, to open it."
The realization hit him.
Sif wiped sweat from her brow.
"Thor... was there anything about how to break it?"
She nodded toward the shimmering wall, her sword hanging heavy in her grasp.
Thor offered a wry, almost apologetic smile.
"If the gods had known how, Sif, we wouldn't still be standing here."
That simple truth sucked the air out of the group.
A few muttered curses. A few defeated sighs.
Volstagg, beard bristling, crossed his arms.
"So... what now? We just hope the elves aren't tucked away in there plotting our end?" He growled.
Thor didn't answer immediately.
Something else... something crazier than anything they had tried so far... tugged at the edge of his thoughts.
And then it clicked.
He straightened suddenly, eyes wide.
"There is one other way. One person." Thor almost in disbelief at the words leaving his mouth.
Sif caught the change in his tone instantly.
"You mean..."
Thor nodded.
"Soren."
Without another word, he spun on his heel.
"Back to Asgard! Now!"
Everlife Medical Center
The swirling lights of the Bifrost faded, and Thor stepped out into the quiet halls of the Everlife Medical Center.
He wasted no time, marching straight through the doors as space itself rippled to accommodate him.
Soren leaned casually against a counter, glancing up from a thick ledger of glowing runes. His white coat was wrinkled, a sure sign of too many long nights.
Thor plastered a wide grin on his face as he approached.
"Soren! Still saving lives and charming maidens, I see!"
Soren raised an eyebrow.
"Thor, you show up grinning like that, and I already know I'm about to regret this."
He snapped the ledger shut with a loud thunk.
"What do you need?"
Thor chuckled, scratching the back of his head like a boy caught sneaking sweets.
"Come on, old friend. You make it sound like I never just visit."
"Because you don't." Soren deadpanned.
"You only show up when you need something, or when something's about to explode."
"Or both."
Thor clapped a hand on Soren's shoulder, nearly bowling the man over.
"This time, it's important. Ancient, mysterious, probably very dangerous, exactly the kind of thing you love!"
Soren stared at him, unimpressed.
"Thor. Last time you came to me, I ended up fighting a universal maniac."
"This will be easier! Probably." Thor grinned wider.
Soren sighed, the kind of sigh that said 'I'm going to regret this but I'll do it anyway..
"Fine." He set the ledger aside. "Tell me everything."
"I took a team to Vanaheim."
"Found something. A place." He lowered his voice. "We think there might be dark elves inside."
Soren looked up sharply.
"What did you just say?"
There was a flicker of disbelief across Soren's face, this wasn't in the script he knew.
But that unfamiliar thrill of the unknown stirred inside him.
"Explain. Everything."
Thor nodded and started recounting their discovery: the indestructible space, the fruitless attacks, the ancient whispers of a secret the dark elves had hidden away.
The more he talked, the more Soren's mind raced.
"A secret that helped them rise?" Soren interrupted, thoughtfully.
Thor scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah. The dark elves were weak once, and needed the gods just to survive. Then they found... something."
"Aether particles. Other artifacts. They got stronger. Too strong."
"Started thinking they didn't need anyone. You know the rest… war, blood, extinction."
Hearing Aether particles made Soren's heart skip a beat.
He casually leaned back, but his mind was anything but relaxed.
The Aether is already in his hands... but how to use it... that's another story.
Maybe this place had the answers he needed.
He grinned, the decision easy.
"Well, after you went all that way, it'd be downright rude of me not to help."
Thor laughed, clapping him on the back hard enough to make Soren stumble.
"Knew I could count on you!"
Soren shook his head, smirking.
"You're lucky I'm a sucker for lost causes."
Later, the Everlife Medical Center hung a small, handwritten sign outside the door:
Closed — Out Saving the World (Again)
Everyone just sighed. It was becoming a pattern lately.
At Asgard, Soren barely had time to catch his breath before Thor dragged him straight to the Bifrost.
Heimdall was waiting, stoic as ever in his golden armor, eyes like twin suns.
The God of Dawn gave a rare, faint smile when he spotted Soren.
"Healer."
"Heimdall." Soren dipped his head respectfully. "Still pulling the endless night shift?"
"As always." Heimdall said, lips twitching with dry humor. "Guarding the realms isn't a job for those who like to sleep in."
After the briefest nod, Heimdall turned, plunged his sword into the Bifrost panel, and the rainbow bridge exploded into life.
"Good luck, travelers."
The world blurred into roaring colors, and~
Soren stumbled slightly as he stepped out into Vanaheim.
The air was thick, heavy with an ancient sadness.
Gray skies hung low.
The ground beneath his boots crunched, not stone, but ash and shattered bone.
All around them lay the remnants of a battlefield frozen in time: rusted swords half-buried in the ground, shattered shields, scraps of banners fluttering weakly.
Even Soren, who had seen the worst the cosmos had to offer, felt the weight of it.
He knelt, brushing fingers over a scorched breastplate.
Ancient runes, nearly faded to nothing, whispered of a proud house that had died screaming here.
"Five thousand years, and still it remembers."
Thor's face was tight with something almost like guilt.
"We ended them here." His voice was rough. "But not without a price."
Soren straightened and glanced around.
"Alright, no sightseeing. Which way?"
Thor pointed toward the distant horizon, where the light itself seemed to give up and crawl away.
"That way."
"Into the dark."
Even Soren couldn't see clearly that far, and his vision could cut through most illusions like a blade through silk.
The air trembled in that direction.
A place the light wouldn't touch.
"Sounds cozy," Soren said dryly.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Thor by the shoulder.
"Hold tight. We're not walking the whole way, unless you want to trip over a few thousand corpses."
Thor grinned, gripping Soren's wrist.
"Teleport away, mighty sorcerer!"
Soren smiled, the air around them crackling faintly.
And with a snap of reality folding inward, they vanished into the heart of darkness.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Check out the new story: Garfield Across the Multiverse
PhantomDream