The majestic halls of Asgard glowed with divine radiance as Soren was led past the sentries and into the throne chamber. Odin sat regally on his throne, his one eye sharp as ever.
"Healer." Odin said, arching a brow as he saw the man's rather disheveled appearance.
"What brings you back so soon? Judging by the scorch marks, I'd wager lightning was involved."
Soren gave a helpless smile. "You'd be correct. King Odin, I need a favor. I have a pet, well, 'pet' might be underselling… it grew a bit too big for Earth."
"My backyard is… let's say it no longer qualifies as safe."
Odin chuckled. "You seek to bring it here?"
"If possible." Soren said. "Asgard's energy density and terrain are ideal. And I'd rather not have Manhattan Beach declared a disaster zone."
"I see." Odin said, amused. "Well, the Realm Eternal has housed worse. One pet is no trouble. Bring it forth."
Moments later.
A portal split the air open with a thunderous crack.
And Zilant emerged.
Coils of glacial blue scales intertwined with flickering arcs of silver lightning. His icy breath froze the very air around him, and his fangs glimmered like obsidian blades. The ground trembled beneath him.
Even Odin paused. "…This is your pet?"
Soren nodded casually. "Frost Thunder Python. His name's Zilant. I modified him a bit. Used to be just a forest anaconda. Now he's an apex predator with a love for snowstorms and sushi."
Odin squinted. "Used to be?"
"He had a growth spurt..."
Zilant slithered forward, gently lowering his head in a display of submission to Odin, though a crack of thunder still echoed when his tail twitched.
"…This is a creature of Midgard?" Odin asked, incredulous.
"Technically." Soren shrugged. "But I think he vibes more with Asgard now."
After a moment's silence, Odin nodded. "Very well. Let him make his lair in the northern forests. That region has few visitors and more than enough energy to sustain him. You may come visit him as you please."
"Thanks, your majesty. He's house-trained. Mostly."
Back on Earth, Everlife Medical Center
With Zilant safely housed in Asgard, Soren returned through the portal and reopened the Everlife Medical Center.
Patients began trickling in again. Then dozens. Then hundreds.
From sick children to hardened SHIELD agents with bullet wounds, they all passed through Soren's doors. Most never understood the full scope of the man who healed them.
Some suspected he wasn't fully human. But none questioned the results.
And Soren?
He barely spoke to them.
All he watched was the system.
+10 Mission Points
+25 Mission Points (High-Risk Patient)
+50 Mission Points (Rare Recovery)
It was about gratitude. Not fame. Not money. Helping people.
A familiar knock came at the Everlife's door.
Phil Coulson stepped in, clean suit, clipboard in hand, and that ever-present, mild-mannered smile.
"Soren." Coulson greeted. "I trust Asgard was... still standing when you left?"
"Barely." Soren said dryly, not looking up from his tablet.
Coulson chuckled and engaged his friend in conversation about the mysteries of the other world, but Soren seemed not to give all his information.
Then, with a small smile, Coulson shifted the conversation. "By the way, I heard Tony's been facing a lot of trouble lately. Stark Industries almost went under. Shouldn't you help him out?"
Soren nodded thoughtfully, hearing the news. It seemed that Stark Industries had managed to navigate through the rough patch.
"I heard Tony's been through a lot recently." Coulson continued.
"In fact, he's no longer the CEO of Stark Industries, Pepper Potts has taken over. Just the other day, Tony was in a race when he was attacked. Barely survived. If it weren't for the armor protecting him, he might not have made it. It was touch and go for a while."
Coulson's voice grew more serious as he spoke, his earlier smile fading.
"Tony's been struggling recently, and he mentioned some... intense headaches lately. He's been asking for your help."
Soren was caught off guard, but a moment later, it all clicked.
"Sounds like the new chapter's about to begin." He murmured under his breath.
"I saw him just the other day." Coulson added, "And he's planning to reach out to you soon. He needs someone he can trust right now."
Soren's glanced around, gathering up his things, then met Coulson's eyes. "I think I should pay him a visit. After all, I still have a substantial stake in Tony Stark's future."
The soft crash of waves echoed as Soren stepped onto the marble-tiled patio of Tony Stark's beachside villa. The afternoon sun bathed the coastline in golden light, but the man who answered the door didn't seem to share in the warmth.
Tony Stark looked tired. Skin pale beneath the stubble, and his signature smug energy dulled behind the weariness in his eyes.
"Look who showed up at my door uninvited." Tony said, managing a weak smirk.
"You forget to bill me for something?"
"I heard a superhero called Iron Man wiped out during a race and decided to check if the ground was okay."
Tony rolled his eyes and stepped aside. "It was barely a wipeout. Just a small... controlled explosion. I walked it off."
"Right. With your face."
"Some people want to be famous. So they build murder whips and ruin perfectly good racetracks."
Soren didn't push further. Instead, he looked Tony up and down and asked more seriously, "You don't look great, Tony. What's going on?"
Tony paused. The banter dropped for a moment.
"I'm dying."
Tony waved a hand dismissively. "Okay, not dramatically dying. Just... slowly being poisoned by the thing keeping me… Iron Man."
"The arc reactor." Soren said.
"Yeah." Tony exhaled, rubbing his chest. "It uses palladium. Radiation's building up as I use the suit. I've tried everything, chelators, synth blood, even a few radical alkali blends. Nothing's working. If I don't find a replacement element..."
"You will." Soren said confidently. "In fact, you already have. You just haven't looked at it the right way."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Is this going to be one of your 'wise doctor' speeches?"
"Nope. Just science."
Soren walked across the living room, glass walls opening up to the beach, and pointed to a dusty model sitting in a display case near the fireplace.
"That's from the Stark Expo, right? The one your dad dreamed up?"
"Yeah. Tony said, now curious. "He built the whole thing like a city of the future."
Soren turned, a small smile on his lips. "It's not a city. It's a map."
Tony blinked. "What?"
"A frame." Soren clarified. "To an element. Your father couldn't synthesize it in his time. But he knew you could."
Tony's eyes widened.
"J.A.R.V.I.S." He said quickly, "Pull up the 3D scan of the Expo model from my office. And isolate it. Remove all non-structural elements."
"Right away, sir."
As the lights dimmed, the holographic projection lit the room. The detailed city model floated midair. One by one, components disappeared, walkways, benches, landscaping, until a geometric lattice remained.
Tony stepped closer, the gleam returning to his eyes. "Look at this… The pavilion structures… the center spine… It's a molecular layout. He left me a freaking atomic structure."
He laughed under his breath, a sound of disbelief and awe.
"Using the pavilions as proton anchors... and the pathways as valence shells... My God."
Then, suddenly, he clapped his hands. "That's it! That's the missing structure! It's a theoretical element. He built it in the 1970s, and I've had it in my office this whole time."
Soren watched silently, arms crossed, amused.
Tony turned, eyes burning with excitement. "You knew."
"Yes." Soren said. "You just completed your father's work, Tony."
Tony stepped back, still taking it in. "You know what this means? If I synthesize this, I can replace palladium. No more poisoning. I get to keep living."
Soren gave a small nod. "It's not only a cure."
Tony looked like he was about to hug him, but stopped himself and settled for a very heartfelt, "Man... thank you. If you hadn't pointed it out, I'd still be chasing unicorns in the periodic table."
Soren waved him off. "It's your legacy. I just nudged the telescope in the right direction."
He casually walked over to a sleek bar in the corner and picked up a deep red bottle of wine.
"When I came in, I saw this bottle. 1964 Château Margaux. You were obviously saving it for me, right?"
Tony laughed. "Take it. You just bought yourself a lifetime pass to my wine cellar."
"Already had it." Soren said smugly, uncorking it like he owned the place.
Tony smirked, then narrowed his eyes. "Hey, quick question."
"Yeah?"
"How does a guy who runs a magical medical clinic know anything about high-energy physics and atomic structures?"
Soren took a sip of wine. "I'm versatile."
Tony raised a hand, surrendering. "You're terrifying. But in a cool, possibly godlike way."
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Dare you peek into my other tales? The opening three chapters of select stories are free to all.
PhantomDream