When Heimdall returned to Asgard, the first thing he reported was not his adventures in the cosmos, but rather a startling observation he made after regaining his vision of Earth. As a mere observer, he noticed changes happening on Earth.
"Earth's dimensional consciousness? And the Earth itself has become more resilient..." Upon hearing Heimdall's report, a flicker of apprehension crossed Odin's eyes as he fell into silence.
Just like Diana found no records of Earth's dimensional consciousness in the Olympian pantheon, Odin, a veteran of the Age of Gods, had never known that Earth's consciousness could develop its own awareness.
Odin had heard of gods related to Earth. Many gods were born from natural forces on Earth, like Zeus from Mount Olympus, who inherited the Sky God's mantle. The first King of Mount Olympus, Uranus, embodied the sky itself, and his mother, Gaia, was the Earth Goddess, often said to represent Earth's very body.
But neither the sky nor the earth could truly represent Earth in its entirety. They were merely parts of it.
Now, this newly emerged consciousness tied to Earth's dimension was possibly the best candidate to represent Earth itself. The appearance of this consciousness made Odin uneasy, as he couldn't understand how it came into existence or what it truly signified.
As for Earth becoming more resilient, Odin wasn't too concerned. It likely meant that the dimensional consciousness was closely tied to Earth and did not wish to see its physical form damaged.
"I need to think about this carefully. In the meantime, stop spying on Earth. I worry that new complications might arise..." After a long pause, Odin sighed, unable to make sense of things, and gave instructions to Heimdall.
"This isn't just about Earth's dimensional consciousness. There are also those two individuals. Their strength is beyond what Asgard can handle, and we have no reason to provoke them further."
Odin never imagined that in his twilight years, he'd encounter so many unexpected events. Had he been younger, he might have taken steps to investigate further, but now that he was old, these matters seemed increasingly distant.
Originally, Odin had planned for Thor to visit Earth after waking up to settle things with Robert. However, with Earth now facing new and unpredictable changes, Odin couldn't risk sending Thor there. If Earth were damaged, Asgard would be without hope.
So, Odin decided to distance Asgard from Earth. His priority was to train Thor as quickly as possible. After Thor's encounters on Earth, he had gained some of the ruthlessness needed to be a king. Combined with the power he acquired from Yggdrasil, Thor was more than capable of stabilizing Asgard as its new ruler.
Asgard, suspended between dimensions and the universe, could close itself off and mind its own business if necessary. After all, these divine realms were experts at hiding themselves from the world.
What Thor would do after Odin's death was no longer his concern. Odin believed that once Thor inherited the throne, the responsibility and pressure of ruling Asgard would change him. Thor would have to think about his people rather than just himself.
With Odin's decree, Asgard's presence in the cosmos diminished. Even their ties to the Nine Realms weakened. Rebellions in some realms were left unchecked, as though Asgard no longer governed them.
However, Odin overlooked one critical matter: the Dwarf King Eitri was already under Thanos's threat. Now that Asgard had ceased communication with the outside world, Eitri's situation was bound to worsen.
As Asgard's presence faded, Earth appeared outwardly peaceful as well. The conflict between Wakanda and America had subsided. Wakanda could no longer pretend to be a backward agricultural country to request aid from international organizations. Nobody would believe that anymore.
Despite joining the international community, Wakanda maintained its monopoly on vibranium. Even with international pressure, the price of vibranium remained high. After all, Wakanda claimed that extracting vibranium was a slow process, and no one could refute them, let alone inspect their mines.
Following its introduction to the world stage, Wakanda purchased land from neighboring countries to rebuild parts of the nation while keeping certain areas hidden behind protective barriers. Only Wakandans, or more specifically the royal family, had access to the true core of Wakanda.
Vibranium was essential for many technological advancements, particularly with the incorporation of alien technology. Special metals were necessary for these advancements, and vibranium fit the bill perfectly.
Many countries began purchasing vibranium, though the Avengers were excluded from this market. Few knew that the Avengers had their own vibranium meteor, containing enough for them to use at will.
Though everything seemed calm on the surface, a hidden current of unrest was building. Several factions from the secret meeting had quickly formed a new organization, pooling their resources and technology to begin a new wave of research.
Neither the Avengers nor Clark were aware of these developments. After the war in Africa ended, Clark only rested briefly before resuming his role as Superman, saving people wherever he could.
The organization formed from the secret meeting was well-protected, hidden behind lead, rendering Clark's vision useless. He had no reason to suspect these areas.
The Avengers, meanwhile, were focused on the supernatural world. With official institutions seemingly behaving themselves, the Avengers were content, unaware that some were already conspiring anew.
Part of the Avengers' confidence came from the Martian Manhunter's undercover operation. To the Avengers, the Skrulls posed the greatest threat to Earth. Despite the limited intelligence gathered so far, the operation had still diverted much of their attention.
During this time, a coup occurred in a small European country. A man who had returned from America took control as a dictator. This country was Latveria, and the man was Victor von Doom.
Yes, this was the same Doom known to Reed Richards. Previously, the investor James had failed to capture Doom because Doom, determined to enter the supernatural world, had already returned to Latveria.
Doom returned because his mother, Cynthia, had been a sorceress, and she had left behind books on magic. Upon his return, Doom successfully mastered these magical powers.
Doom's talent for magic far exceeded his expectations, rivaling Reed Richards' genius in science. He quickly absorbed everything from his mother's books, and after learning magic, Doom found himself even more intelligent. Scientific problems he had struggled with before now came easily to him.
This sudden increase in magical and intellectual prowess caused Doom's strength to soar, but he soon reached a bottleneck. Cynthia's books were limited in their power, and Doom's rapid progress left him with little room to grow.
This was also because Doom had not signed any dark contracts with dimensional entities. After his rise in power, Doom discovered that his mother's soul was trapped in Mephisto's realm, where she was subjected to eternal torment.
This discovery infuriated Doom, making him more volatile. Yet, he understood that his anger alone was useless. With his current strength, he couldn't even fight powerful demons, let alone Mephisto.
Once he calmed down, Doom devised a plan. He first unified Latveria under his control, becoming its absolute ruler. Then, he mobilized the country to collect magical texts to further enhance his abilities.
However, Latveria's magical resources were limited, and many books weren't as advanced as Cynthia's. While Doom made some progress, it wasn't enough to achieve his goals.
Fortunately, Doom soon caught a break. He found clues about Kamar-Taj and learned that it was Earth's most powerful magical organization, a sanctuary and guardian of the planet.
Doom had no interest in protecting Earth, but the idea of joining the strongest magical organization captivated him. Without delay, Doom set out to join Kamar-Taj.
At the time, Kamar-Taj wasn't easy to enter, especially after the Ancient One's disappearance. Without a clear leader, the organization had stopped accepting new students for some time.
When Doom sought entry, he was rejected. But Doom was no ordinary man. After discovering that some of the students at Kamar-Taj were relatively weak, he used his magic to subtly manipulate and persuade them, eventually gaining entry.
Once inside, Doom thrived. Even without the Ancient One, the basic training at Kamar-Taj greatly benefited him. Doom's magical talent quickly became evident as he mastered the common spells in no time.
As Doom's power grew, his ambitions naturally led him to the restricted areas of the library. Despite Wong's efforts as librarian, he couldn't stop the rapidly progressing Doom. Before long, Doom had learned many of Kamar-Taj's most powerful spells, surpassing even Wong, Kaecilius, and Baron Mordo combined.
The gap between top-tier magical talent and mere aptitude was stark. Before Doom's arrival, Kaecilius and the others had considered themselves among the most gifted. But Doom made them realize what true magical genius looked like. As they lay on the ground, beaten, they stared helplessly at Doom, who stood silently over them.
"Now, can I become the Sorcerer Supreme?" Doom asked calmly, looking at the three.
Originally, Doom hadn't planned to reveal his full strength. But after seeing the higher-level powers that Kamar-Taj had to offer, which only the Sorcerer Supreme could access, he was immediately tempted.
Especially when Doom realized that only the Sorcerer Supreme could contend with beings like Mephisto. This was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
Only by becoming Sorcerer Supreme could Doom amass enough power to challenge Mephisto and rescue his mother Cynthia's soul. Since stepping into the supernatural world—or even before that—Doom had craved power, as long as it was within his reach.
"Your temperament isn't suited to being Sorcerer Supreme. I can see your ambition and hunger for power. A Sorcerer Supreme must
be humble and balanced, and you clearly lack those qualities..." Baron Mordo struggled to his feet, shaking his head at Doom's question.
"Moreover, we've investigated your past. You didn't join Kamar-Taj in good faith. You came with ulterior motives, even using magic to manipulate the students to gain entry. How could someone like you be worthy of becoming Sorcerer Supreme?"
"And who says the Sorcerer Supreme must be humble and balanced? Does humility work against dimensional demons? I'm already a part of Kamar-Taj, and I'm stronger than all of you. If I'm not qualified to be Sorcerer Supreme, then who is?" Doom scoffed, challenging their notions.
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