In many records from the past, many civilizations across Earth had reported a strange new light in the heavens: a bright emerald star. At night, it burned brighter than Venus, its radiance a calm and steady green, and people named it the Verdant Star…a symbol of hope. In some civilizations, it was seen as a divine omen, a promise of good harvests. Children born under it were said to be blessed, destined for greatness. Priests made offerings beneath it. Poets wrote verses about it. Lovers made wishes upon it.
It would come and go. Sometimes it stayed for months, a constant companion in the night sky; sometimes it appeared for a day or two and then vanished, leaving people to wonder at its sudden disappearance.
But it was no star.
High above the planet, suspended at the edge of the thermosphere, a colossal green structure floated. It resembled Barad-dûr, the Dark Tower of Sauron, a massive spire that stretched miles into space. It even had a burning green eye at its summit that slowly rotated, ever watchful over the Earth.
Inside, in a vast chamber, stood Max, the one and only Green Lantern of this universe.
He hovered cross-legged, his body faintly aglow with green light, his eyes fixed on a block construct roughly the size of a human head. It shifted constantly, its internal structure rippling and reorganizing. Now and then, electric charges crackled across its surface. It pulsed irregularly bright, dim, bright, dim, the rhythm never quite settling.
"Run the resonance scan again," Max commanded.
"Resonance pattern inconsistent," Jade reported. "Density has dropped by 0.14 percent in the last cycle. You're losing harmonic stability."
Max sighed, rubbing his temple. "Yeah, I can feel it. It's collapsing."
The block began to tremble. Small cracks of light appeared on its surface, spreading like fractures in ice. Then—
BANG!
It exploded.
Max, protected by his vibranium-mimicking shield, was unharmed. The shockwave tore through part of his floating citadel, splintering walls of light that he quickly reformed with a thought.
He'd been here for months now, working on this project. Agamotto had kicked him out of the Sanctuary after the first two incidents which took part of his home with them "for the safety of the world itself," the sorcerer had said. So Max decided to build this space station, a Barad-dûr look-alike, in orbit. It even had the eye of Sauron on it or the eye of Max as he called it.
"So number sixty-nine is a bust as well," Max said, a little frustrated. He waved his hand, and the scattered energy dissipated.
"You are attempting to replicate one of the most complex substances in existence," Jade replied. "Statistical models predicted this outcome with ninety-eight percent certainty."
Max nodded. Jade was correct. He was trying to replicate the properties of Uru, after all one of the rarest and most powerful metals in existence. The metal of gods. The metal that could channel divine power a metal used to make weapons like Gungnir and Mjölnir.
Max had decided to begin his research into more magically resistant constructs after Dormammu's invasion and his own battle with Umar two months ago.
While he and the Avengers had stopped the invasion with ease, their combined might more than a match for the Lord of the Dark Dimension but Max's duel with Umar exposed a weakness he couldn't ignore. He had hurt her, yes; his raw will had overwhelmed even her mystical defenses. But when it came to defending against her attacks countering that kind of eldritch energy he'd found himself at a disadvantage. Her magic bit through his shields in ways nothing else ever had.
So he set out to fix that.
He revived a project he'd started months earlier something he'd put off because he'd been busy with the Avengers: imitating the properties of Uru in his constructs.
Max had scanned Mjölnir thoroughly for an entire week. In return, he'd given Odin the Will-Spear a fair trade while asking the Prince of Asgard to reveal what he could about the hammer and the metal it was forged from. Odin had even shared additional lore about Uru from his lessons with the dwarves.
Max shook his head, thinking of Odin.
He and his first and best friend since arriving in this universe hadn't spoken much for the last two months. It had started because of Firehair. Both men, in their own ways, had pursued the fiery redhead's affection. It caused friction—enough that Fan Fei noticed. She pushed them to talk it out, and they did. Odin admitted he was jealous and that his behavior was unworthy of a prince—and of a sworn brother. Max admitted he'd been an ass, calling Odin a "teenager" and other insults. They reconciled; Odin even said he'd support Max if he continued pursuing a relationship with Firehair, promising to stand by him as a brother.
If it had ended there, things might have stayed fine.
But then something Odin said set Max off, and it turned into a big argument.
=====
Odin took a swig of Wakandan beer. "Well, I suppose Firehair should be with one of us. We are the only ones truly worthy of her," he said casually, as if it were a simple fact.
Max blinked, lowering his drink. "What does that mean?"
Odin chuckled lightly, as though it were obvious. "The others they are mortals. Brave, yes, but fleeting." He gestured vaguely. "Even if you don't remember your origins, Grænlaðr, I am sure they are of something more. Something greater. You and I, we're—"
For a moment, silence hung between them.
Then Max spoke, his tone sharp. "You mean to tell me you look down on our teammates? On Azzuri? Fan Fei? Nur?"
Odin's eyes widened. "No, I—"
Max didn't let him finish. "Because despite this…" he gestured to himself, to the ring glowing on his finger, "...I don't think I'm above any of them. Or the humans we protect. You shouldn't either." He stepped closer, his voice intensifying.
"You are not a god, Odin. You're like those Mortals as well. You'll live for maybe five thousand years, maybe ten thousand maybe more but you will die. Just like them. Just like everyone."
"Grænlaðr, I didn't mean—"
"Didn't you?" Max's voice was level but harsh. "Everyone else is as equal as you. Their lives aren't worth less because they're shorter. Their struggles aren't less meaningful because they don't have your power. Azzuri bleeds for his people. Fan Fei has dedicated years to protecting humanity. Nur fights for the future of his people. Ghost has lost everything he cared for and still stands with us to fight for what's right. Agamotto…his courage to stand against the horrors that threaten this world is the reason we're here. They're as worthy as either of us, maybe more, because they do it without the advantages we have."
Odin was silent, his face a mixture of shame and stubbornness the look of someone whose worldview was being challenged and who didn't want to admit it might be flawed.
"Your father had a reason to banish you, my friend. It was to better yourself. Don't forget that."
Max stared at him for a moment longer, then turned and left.
======
"Max," Jade said, breaking him out of his thoughts. "You are distracted once more."
"No, I'm not," Max said reflexively.
"Perhaps you should talk to Odin," she added dryly, "before Firehair finishes home-wrecking your beautiful bromance."
Max snorted. "I'm officially regretting teaching you humor."
"I enjoy humor," Jade replied. "It pairs well with existential dread."
"Well, at least you're over your dark-humor phase," Max said, shaking his head with a smile.
"I still maintain that my 'extinction-event probability' jokes were statistically amusing."
"Alright, let's get back to it," he said, nodding toward the Uru-mimicing project.
If he could pull this off, he could create weapons and more importantly armor and shields using it. Maybe he could craft constructs that combined the properties of vibranium and Uru: the kinetic absorption and redistribution of vibranium merged with Uru's magical conductivity and near-indestructibility. With something like that, he'd be unstoppable.
He could even challenge Firehair.
"Uru is not a simple metal," Jade began, her tone shifting into lecture mode. "According to Odin, it originated from the first moon to form after the universe's birth residue from the primordial forge of creation itself."
"Where are you going with this?" Max asked, though he was already listening intently.
"Meaning its atomic structure exists in a state of quantum superposition across multiple dimensional frequencies simultaneously," Jade explained. "Each atom acts as a node, storing energy not in conventional molecular bonds but in dimensional phase-space. ItIt demonstrates non-local entanglement properties, enabling it to couple with any form of energy—kinetic, thermal, electromagnetic, or mystical with near-perfect efficiency. The energy doesn't simply dissipate; it's converted and stored in extradimensional lattice structures that exist perpendicular to normal spacetime. In essence, every atom of Uru functions as a microscopic dimensional gateway."
Max's eyes widened. "That's… that's insane."
"It is also alive, in a way," Jade continued.
"Alive?" Max asked.
"In a limited sense. Not sentience as you would define it. But Uru exhibits emergent properties consistent with responsive matter. That is why Dwarven and Asgardian enchantments bind so deeply to it. The metal, as one might say, listens."
"I see."
"Your constructs can imitate its structure but not—"
"—not the mystical parts of it," Max interrupted.
"No," Jade corrected firmly. "You can. I have explained its traits in scientific terms. What you call 'mystical' is simply physics operating on dimensional axes you cannot directly perceive. It is up to you to build on that information."
Max focused again, considering Jade's words. Another construct a small sphere this time formed in front of him, hovering at eye level. He began shaping it atom by atom, his eyes glowing faintly as his will bent to the task.
"You're close, but the resonance field is off by twelve hertz," Jade said.
The sphere pulsed once, flared brilliant green… then fractured before shattering.
"Okay. That's… progress," Max muttered. "It didn't explode this time."
"Partial success," Jade confirmed. "Thirty-four percent structural cohesion achieved. The construct briefly displayed Uru-like magic-absorption properties before destabilization. This represents a significant advancement over previous attempts."
"Okay, I'll take that as a win," Max said with a grin.
Max continued for hours, making no progress beyond what he'd already achieved. Sphere after sphere formed and was destroyed. Each time, he got a little closer thirty-five percent cohesion, thirty-seven, once even forty-two but never stable.
"I wonder," Max said, forming another attempt, "if, after I'm able to mimic it, I'll be able to make a weapon like Mjölnir?"
"I do not think that is possible," Jade replied. "As you know, the hammer was forged by the dwarves and enchanted by them. The metal itself is not the source of many of the hammer's powers. The enchantments woven into the Uru by the dwarves are."
Max nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe it's time we looked into what Mimir had in his head."
Max had had an opportunity to access Mimir's so-called all-knowing knowledge when he first arrived here, but Jade had told him it would take almost a year to extract all the data from his head. At the time, that wasn't feasible soon after, Odin and he battled Surtur, and then Bor took the Space Stone and Mimir's head.
"I thought you did not want to risk the ire of Asgard for Odin's sake," Jade said.
"Well, I have this plan, and it involves—"
He was interrupted by a voice in his head.
"Max."
He heard Firehair in his mind.
Speak of the devil, he thought.
"Red?" Max asked. "I thought I closed the link to me."
The Avengers' link made by Agamotto to connect all eight of their minds all except Vnn could be used to communicate anytime, but they could also choose to close it to stop receiving messages and open it whenever they wanted. Max had closed his and had been in his Barad-dûr construct for a week straight.
"Yes, I know," Firehair said. "Fan wanted to get in touch with you, so I decided to contact you with my mind." There was a pause. "I hope you don't mind the intrusion."
"My mind is open to you anytime," Max replied regretting the corny line the second he thought it.
"You trust me that much?" Firehair asked.
"You? Yes. The Phoenix? Not that much."
Firehair laughed. "She is annoyed at you for that."
"Oh, is she going to burn me out of existence?" Max asked with mock concern.
"Don't tempt her."
"And here I thought you'd offer to protect me," Max said.
"Oh, I will," Firehair replied warmly. Then her tone shifted slightly. "You need to come down from your sky fortress. Fan wishes to go south with Vnn."
"To the Savage Land?" Max asked.
"Yes." She paused. "I'm going to visit my family, so I can't take them. And Fan also does not want to use Agamotto's so-called portal."
Max chuckled, remembering how Agamotto had managed to replicate the portal magic Umar used. Azzuri had volunteered as the test subject and lost all his hair in the process. He'd been a good sport about it, but he'd made it very clear he would never volunteer for experimental magic again.
"Yeah, I'll go meet her soon," Max said.
"Very well. I shall see you when you return," Firehair said, preparing to disconnect.
"Wait," Max said quickly. "I wanted to ask you something."
"What?"
Max took a breath. "You know there's a planet called Ivern in the Iva System? Its night skies are breathtaking, probably the most beautiful in the universe." He continued, trying to sound casual. "I remembered you liking auroras and the night sky and stars. I was planning on leaving the planet for a few weeks anyway. Would you want to come with me?"
"And I also need your help with something," he added quickly.
There was a moment of silence.
"I would love to come," Firehair replied.
"Great," Max said, grinning.
"What did you want help with?" Firehair asked.
"I'll tell you in person," Max said.
"Very well," she replied, and then cut the connection.
Max sat there grinning, feeling very pleased with himself.
"Shall I add 'interstellar romantic getaway' to the schedule?" Jade asked.
Max groaned. "Shut up, Jade."
"I am merely noting that your heart rate increased by thirty-seven percent during that conversation."
"I said shut up."
.
.
.
"So why are we here again?" Max asked as he walked with Fan, Vnn's large form lumbering ahead of them. They were in the Savage Land, moving through thick jungle, surrounded by the calls of animals and dinosaurs. The air was humid and heavy, rich with the scent of vegetation.
"Vnn needs to do something, and we're here to support him," Fan said simply.
"What is it?" Max asked.
"You'll see," Fan replied, an almost sad look on her face.
Max's interest sharpened. After speaking to Firehair, he had returned to the Sanctuary, where Agamotto, Ghost, Fan Fei, and Vnn were present. Odin had apparently left with Nur for Egypt to see Nur's clan, something Max found odd, though he didn't dwell on it. He'd set out with Fan and Vnn, as Vnn had been very impatient.
Fan glanced at him as they walked. "So, I can see you and Odin still haven't mended things. Do you both love Firehair so much that you're willing to end your friendship?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Max said.
Fan gave him a look the kind that said she would wait as long as necessary but would get an answer.
Max sighed. "Fine. We did talk, and we resolved our issue which happened to be centered on Firehair."
"And yet I see the divide between you has only deepened," Fan observed.
"Odin said something afterward, which caused an even bigger fight," Max admitted.
"What?"
Max explained what Odin had said the comment about mortals, about worthiness, about how he and Max were somehow above the others. Fan listened without interrupting, her expression thoughtful. When he finished, there was a brief silence, and then Fan spoke.
"I understand Odin's thinking," she said.
"You do?" Max asked, surprised.
"I lived in K'un-Lun," Fan explained. "And there was a time I looked down on humans the way Odin looks down on mortals. I thought myself wiser, stronger, more deserving because I lived in K'un-Lun because I lived longer and knew more." She paused. "But I changed. I came to care for humans. I taught them kung fu to protect themselves. Because of that, I was exiled; I killed the Immortal Dragon and took his power. The people of K'un-Lun saw my love for humanity as weakness as something beneath me."
"For me, that change took a long time," Fan continued. "Maybe Odin will change as well. Or maybe he won't. But what I didn't have was someone like you, a good friend who challenged me, who made me see differently. Odin has that. He has you."
Max understood and nodded. "I'll talk to him again."
Fan smiled. "Good." She looked ahead and spotted a large cave opening in the rock face, half-hidden by hanging vines and ferns. "Ah, looks like we're here."
"Where is 'here'?" Max asked.
Fan's expression grew serious. "This is where Vnn received the Starbrand." She hesitated. "This is where his lover died."
"Oh," Max said quietly.
Vnn stopped at the cave entrance.
Fan walked over and laid a hand on his massive arm. "It is fine, my friend. You can do this."
"Grr grr grr," Vnn growled low. (No, I can't.)
"Yes, you can," Fan said gently. "Do it for Brrkk."
"Grr grr grrr." Vnn's voice broke, the growl becoming almost a whimper. (It was supposed to be him, not me. He should have lived. He should have been given this.)
"Do not think like that, sweet Vnn," Fan said, her voice filled with compassion. "Now come. Let us give Brrkk proper rest."
Vnn walked in with Fan, and Max followed silently.
They traversed the cave, the passage narrow and winding. In places, the ceiling had collapsed cave-ins that blocked their path. Max helped clear the debris, creating constructs that lifted massive boulders away. Where the cave walls looked unstable, he reinforced them with support-beam constructs.
Soon they arrived at a large opening: a vertical shaft that plunged deep into darkness.
Max lit it with constructs dozens of small orbs that floated down like fireflies revealing the depth. All three dropped in: Max using his flight to control his descent, Fan landing with perfect grace, and Vnn simply falling and hitting the ground with a heavy thud that echoed.
Max gasped when he saw what lay at the bottom.
It was a fossilized T. rex perfectly preserved, its massive skeleton still in the position in which it had died. Max was sure it had died millions of years ago, the bones turned to stone by time. And some distance away, partially covered by debris, was the skeleton of a man.
Vnn walked over and knelt beside the human remains. Then his form began to shrink the Starbrand's energy receding until his massive frame was reduced to that of a regular man.
Max watched as Vnn grieved his fallen lover. Fan stood a few steps away, giving him space, her own eyes glistening.
That was when Max noticed something glinting at the edge of the pit. He frowned, walked over, and crouched to see what it was. Embedded in the shattered rock was a faintly shimmering vein of a very familiar metal.
"Vibranium?" Max murmured, disbelief on his face. "What the hell is this doing here?"
The vibranium looked different to him. He quickly pried a small shard free to scan later.
After a long moment, he turned back toward Vnn and Fan. Max walked over and knelt beside Vnn, his voice gentle. "There's a place near the cliffs, by the northern waterfall. We could bury him there."
Vnn turned to him, tears streaking his face, then smiled. "Yes. I know that place."
"May I take the remains? We can go now."
Vnn nodded. "Yes."
Max created a construct box and carefully placed the skeletal remains inside.
Vnn looked at the T. rex fossil and gestured. "The Starbrand, as you call it it was within that."
"Yeah, I thought so," Max said, studying the ancient creature. The Brand had probably lain dormant for eons, waiting in the fossilized remains until someone until Brrkk and Vnn found it.
"Let's go to the cliff," Fan said.
Max, Vnn, and Fan left the cave, and Max flew them toward the spot on the cliff. It was breathtaking a high promontory overlooking a waterfall that crashed into a crystal pool below. From here, one could see most of the Savage Land: jungles, mountains, herds of dinosaurs, and other animals.
There, they buried Brrkk.
They spent hours there while Vnn shared memories of his life, how he'd been an outcast in his tribe, how he met Brrkk, and how Brrkk had tragically lost his life protecting him.
"I can feel your soul healing," Fan said to Vnn, resting a hand on his shoulder.
Vnn turned to her. "Thank you." Then he looked to Max. "Sorry for how I acted. The Brand enhances many feelings within me anger, pride, aggression. It makes me… less than I want to be."
It was true that Max and Vnn had not gotten along, mostly because Vnn hadn't liked being beaten by Max when they first met. The loss stung his pride, and the Starbrand amplified that into ongoing hostility.
Max smiled. "I only took it as a friendly rivalry, and I expect it to continue."
Vnn chuckled. "I'm sure it will when the Brand returns."
"Can't you just control it?" Max asked.
Vnn was quiet for a moment. "That is something I cannot do. Perhaps it's because I don't want to feel weak, and part of me wishes to stay that way powerful, unchallengeable."
Max nodded.
"Ready to go?" Fan asked.
"No. I wish to stay for a few days," Vnn said, looking at the grave.
"Then I shall stay as well," Fan said.
==========
Max returned to the Sanctuary without Fan and Vnn.
On the way, he had Jade analyze the vibranium samples he'd found in the Savage Land, and her results were surprising.
This form of vibranium destabilizes molecular bonds of metals, Jade explained. Meaning it does the opposite of regular vibranium. Where standard vibranium absorbs and redistributes kinetic energy, this variant which I am designating as Vibranium B for classification purposes actively breaks down the atomic structures it contacts.
Max hadn't known this variant existed, and it caught him off guard. There was a lot of Marvel lore he didn't know this was one of those gaps.
"We could design very powerful weaponry once you learn to mimic it," Jade said.
"I already have some ideas," Max replied, his mind racing through applications.
Arriving at the Sanctuary, he landed to find Odin waiting. Their eyes met as Max walked toward him.
"Grænlaðr," Odin said.
"Odin," Max replied.
There was a moment of awkward silence.
"Agamotto said you went with Nur to his clan," Max said.
"I did," Odin confirmed.
Before Max could continue, Agamotto walked in. "Max good, you're here. I've finally found another power source similar to the artifact we found in the Savage Land."
"Where?" Max asked immediately.
"It's not on this world," Agamotto said, gesturing to a hovering projection of star charts maps Max had given him a few years before.
"Then you're in luck. I was going to go off-world anyway," Max said.
Odin looked to Max. "I will come as well. It has been some time since we had an adventure in the stars."
Max nodded, smiling until he remembered that Firehair was supposed to come with him, and that he would be going to Asgard as well. Odin couldn't know about that. His smile faltered slightly.
"There is also the matter of the energy spike I detected in the Arctic," Agamotto continued. "I will take Firehair and Ghost with me to investigate."
"What kind of energy spike?" Max asked.
"Massive," Agamotto said gravely. "As if something powerful had come alive."
"I see," Max said. Then, carefully: "Well, Firehair is actually coming with me, so you can't take her."
Agamotto raised an eyebrow. "Very well just me and Ghost, then."
Max was about to suggest Odin go with them so he could slip off to Asgard and steal Mimir's head when Odin spoke.
"No, I will come with you as well, Agamotto." He looked at Max and smiled, giving a subtle nod. "Grænlaðr will have Firehair with him more than enough to watch his back."
Max smiled back, a flicker of guilt rising about the heist he was planning in Odin's home.
"Then it's decided," Agamotto said, providing coordinates. "The artifact is at these coordinates. Be careful if it's similar to the Savage Land find, it may have guardians or defenses."
Max rose through the Sanctuary's open ceiling. "Don't destroy the planet while I'm gone."
"Grænlaðr," Odin called up. "We should talk. After."
Max hovered, looking down at his friend. "Yes. We should."
Then he flew off toward where he knew Firehair would be.
He had a heist to pull, an artifact to find, and a date to plan.