Time flows like water, passing by hastily.
In the blink of an eye.
New York University and Imperial University started their terms.
Blink again.
And it's holiday time again.
"Wow."
"It's snowing."
On the first morning of the holidays.
Gwen, who had just gotten out of bed, put on her pajamas and was about to pull back the curtains and start a new day, when suddenly a bright scene caught her eye. Seeing the backyard covered in snow, and snowflakes falling heavily, she couldn't help but exclaim and then turned her head to look at Hawk, who was still lying in bed.
Since they were already engaged, it was normal for them to live together.
Helen did not oppose this, but hinted between her words for them to be a bit more careful.
For example, she had raised Howard and Simon, finally able to catch her breath, and if possible, she'd like a few years of peace and was not eager to become a grandmother too soon.
A simple sentence.
No accidents allowed before the formal wedding.
Hawk and Gwen naturally agreed to Helen's sole request without hesitation.
So ever since starting college, Gwen stayed at Palm Street during weekdays, only occasionally going to Helen's place for a night on the weekends.
After all, this was where her future home was going to be.
She was very happy.
Hawk was also very happy.
Helen was quite happy too, as the relationship between her future son-in-law and daughter had been going smoothly.
She could see this clearly.
Howard and Simon aside.
Then there was George.
Uh...
Don't mention George.
Seeing the snow outside, Gwen returned to bed and looked excitedly at Hawk.
"It's snowing, Hawk."
"I see it."
"Get up, let's make a snowman by the door."
Gwen quickly followed up, glancing at Hawk, "Yesterday I even chatted with Madam Smith next door about how to decorate outside for this Christmas. I didn't expect it to snow today."
While speaking, Gwen began pulling Hawk, trying to forcibly get him up.
Hawk, pulled by Gwen, couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh, looking at Gwen: "Gwen, do you know what time I got back last night?"
Hearing this, Gwen paused, then recalled: "Oh right, you went for a match with Thor last night. When did you get back?"
Hawk said calmly: "Just a minute before you woke up. I just flew back from Mars, so can I sleep for a while?"
Yes.
A fight on Mars, between him and Thor.
And this wasn't their first match; last night marked their tenth duel.
From September to this December, they kept a frequency of about a match every week.
At first, he and Thor had their fights outside the atmosphere.
But...
After two or three times, S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't sit still anymore.
Hawk didn't care much.
Mostly it was because of Thor.
Though he still identified as a Hammer God, his divine authority was thunder-related, and when fighting near the atmosphere, the thunder arcs erupting from Thor could inevitably affect some of the more delicate equipment.
A single instance could be overlooked.
Hawk aside for now.
Then there's Thor, who is truly the god from legends.
Moreover, after the Battle of New York, the Five Good Men also realized the risks beyond Earth. Given their current inability to leave Earth, forging good relations with a god could somewhat boost their capacity to resist risks.
After all, this was reality, not a movie.
There may be those who wish to dethrone gods, and many at that, but the Five Good Men were definitely not foolish.
So after Hawk and Thor's first fight, looking at the satellite loss report, the Five Good Men reluctantly accepted it.
But seeing the fight frequency almost being once a week, who can bear it, especially without using all their newly allotted Vibranium to replace satellites.
The Five Good Men had plans for using Vibranium.
Replacing satellites wasn't among them.
Thus...
Sharon came to visit, first looking for Hawk, tactfully expressing the Five Good Men's thoughts.
Hawk refused to take the blame at once, but said changing location wasn't impossible, though he couldn't decide alone.
So Sharon went to find Thor.
Thor was furious, saying Earthlings were insulting the divine spirit.
Gods must not be insulted!
Sharon didn't speak, just quietly handed Thor a damage cost summary sheet for Earth's satellites.
Thor took a look, his anger dissipating, and said he would discuss a new location with Hawk.
Then...
The fourth match happened on the Moon.
However, once again, as Thor wielded Mjolnir and summoned lightning, the erratic serpentine thunder again obliterated the lunar exploration devices belonging to both the Eastern and Western Good Men.
After that, seeing Sharon visiting with a look of something unsaid, before she could speak, both declared they would go much further.
So they planned together where the next fight should be, and Jane casually suggested next should be on Mars.
Hawk and Thor looked at each other, pondered, and decided to move the battlefield to Mars, empty and vast.
Though a bit farther, it could stop the Five Good Men from nagging and allow him and Thor to fight heartily, Mars indeed was a good choice.
Moreover, during these Mars challenges, while Hawk's inner Little Cosmos still appears somewhat desolate at first glance,
the stars have clearly increased.
Hawk estimates that with the current pace of weekly battles, he is not far from advancing to the Silver Peak.
Therefore, he is quite willing to continue scheduling these challenges with Thor.
Thor is also very happy.
Although he settled on Earth for love, deep down he is still that reckless Thor, and being able to have a thrilling battle once a week is naturally great.
The most important point.
During the course of these challenges, while Hawk gains something, Thor also gains something.
At least...
Thor has now made progress in mastering his thunder powers.
Not much.
But indeed there is progress.
At the very least, when Hel emerges in the future, Thor's eyes should be able to be preserved.
After Gwen left, lying down on the bed again, images of last night's fight with Thor on Mars flashed in Hawk's mind.
However, he didn't continue sleeping for long, instead, he let his spirit enter his Little Cosmos, but after failing to sense the Seventh Sense, he opened his eyes and got up.
Very quickly.
After breakfast with Gwen, he was pulled outside by his fiancée who was still fretting about a yeti, and started building snowmen on the lawn at the entrance.
Other residents of Palm Street with children also came out excitedly to build their own snowmen.
Eventually.
The snowman that Gwen built received unanimous praise from the local kids and won the new round of the Palm Street Snowman Building Contest.
In front of their house on the lawn, there was now a chubby snowman with a carrot nose, wearing a Santa hat and a red-and-white scarf, being photographed by neighboring residents.
Hawk watched Gwen chatting and laughing with the neighbors and smiled.
When he used to live here alone, he couldn't say he knew the neighbors well; frankly, they were strangers to each other.
But since proposing to Gwen and moving in as his fiancée, things have changed.
On the first day Gwen moved in, she pulled Hawk and took the homemade baked goods they spent a morning on visiting the neighbors.
Within just a month, Gwen became familiar with all the neighbors in Palm Community, and they all came to accept her.
Usually, whenever there's a weekend event among the community's ladies, they almost always think of Gwen.
Indeed.
In the afternoon, Gwen went with Mrs. Smith next door to volunteer at Saint Mark's Church.
Hawk tagged along.
However…
Instead of staying outside with Gwen and the other neighbors to distribute cold-weather blankets and free food to the local homeless, he went to the cemetery behind the church to visit his sister's grave.
Hawk tucked his hands into his pockets, silently gazing at his sister's portrait on the tombstone before him.
In the photo, his sister Anya still wore a sweet smile.
He listened to Gwen's laughter coming from the church entrance and reminisced about Anya's smile, his lips slightly curving upwards.
Hawk met the gaze in the photograph of his sister Anya on the tombstone.
"Next year."
"I'll go to Hell and bring you home."
"I promise."
Originally, he planned to visit Hell this year to bring his sister home.
Clearly.
Hawk has to eat his words.
To freely traverse between life and death, understanding the Eighth Sense is crucial.
But as of now, the Seventh Sense is already a distant goal for him, let alone the Eighth Sense.
Although his strength now, while not being a divine spirit, barely equates to that of a divine spirit, he can enter Hell without much trouble.
However, if Mephisto wholeheartedly refuses to let people go, even if he goes to Hell now, he still cannot resurrect his sister.
Furthermore…
The Hell Dimension is likely no longer near Earth now.
This is what Thor told him.
It was because of the Nine Realms' brief convergence.
Although, to those in the Nine Realms, the convergence appears as a short-lived, once-in-thousands-of-years spectacle.
In reality, it's an energy storm triggered by the World Tree's tremors, not occurring before or during the convergence but after.
This energy storm is colorless, tasteless, and shapeless, but deadly to-dimensional spaces.
Following the convergence, all dimensions connecting to Earth, such as the Witch Dimension, or dimensions of White Magic and Black Magic, including Hell, have almost sealed their portals to avoid the energy storm's sweep.
Even if Hawk wishes to go to Hell now, he cannot.
As night fell.
After dining at Saint Mark's Church, Hawk and Gwen strolled their way home.
In the next moment.
He spotted a long-unseen acquaintance before the fireplace in the living room.
The Hell Witch, blazing blue flames, reappeared in front of their fireplace.
Gwen was startled by the flaming Hell Witch.
Before Hawk could manage an explanation.
The Hell Witch rushed to Hawk, and the soul within her spoke urgently one after another.
"Hawk, help us."
"Our descendant…"
"Someone is bullying her, just like we were bullied back then."
"Her energy is spiraling out of control, and I'm afraid she might harm herself."
"…"