Suddenly, a loud, piercing horn echoed through the golden halls of Asgard.
Thor ran to the large open balcony.
He looked up at the sky.
Giant, dark ships began to appear out of thin air.
They uncloaked from their invisible magic, shaped like massive, sharp blades blocking out the sun.
"The Dark Elves,"
Thor said, his voice hard. He gripped his hammer tightly.
"Malekith has come. He is looking for the Aether."
Tony looked down at his silver briefcase.
He tapped the thick glass container that was supposed to hold the ancient magic.
It was completely empty.
"Uh, Sam?"
Tony asked, looking very confused.
"Where did the angry red space liquid go? It was just here a minute ago."
Sam smiled calmly. He walked out onto the balcony to stand next to Thor.
He slowly raised his right hand.
A bright flash of light filled the air.
Sam's main flying sword appeared in his grip.
But it looked very different now. The warm pink Qi was mixed with a deep, powerful, shifting red glow.
The blade looked like it was made of fluid glass. It hummed with terrifying cosmic power.
"I couldn't absorb it into my body,"
Sam explained, admiring the beautiful new weapon.
"My mortal shell cannot handle the Reality Stone yet. So, I fused the Aether directly into my sword."
Thor looked at the red-glowing blade.
He could feel the ancient magic rolling off it in heavy waves.
"Is it safe to carry it like that?"
Thor asked cautiously.
"It is perfectly safe,"
Sam said confidently.
"In the cultivation world, a weapon like this is bonded directly to the master's soul. We share the same life. No one can steal this sword, and no one can take the Aether out of it."
Sam looked up at the dark sky, thinking of the purple alien warlord waiting in the stars.
"If Thanos ever wants the Reality Stone,"
Sam smirked coldly, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light.
"He will have to come down here and kill me first to get it. And I am not an easy man to kill."
Down below, thousands of Dark Elf soldiers poured out of their massive ships.
They wore thick black armor and held heavy, dark energy rifles.
They marched forward, completely ready to slaughter the Asgardian army.
But they were not met by Asgardian soldiers.
Sam stepped right up to the edge of the golden balcony.
He pointed his red-glowing sword down at the invading army.
"Let me show you what Reality magic can do,"
Sam said softly.
He swung his sword forward.
Instantly, the air in front of the palace completely warped.
One sword turned into ten. Ten turned into a hundred. A hundred turned into many thousands.
But these were not normal Qi.
Because they were made with the Reality Stone, every single sword was perfectly real, perfectly solid, and completely deadly.
"Go,"
Sam whispered.
Like a massive, red rainstorm, thousands of heavy flying swords shot down from the sky.
The Dark Elves raised their shields, but it was completely useless.
The reality-bending swords cut through their advanced dark metal armor like it was warm butter.
*Clang! Slash! Boom!*
In just a few short minutes, the fierce, terrifying invasion was completely destroyed.
The entire Dark Elf army was wiped out without a single Asgardian soldier having to lift a shield.
Tony stood on the balcony, watching the absolute destruction with wide eyes.
"Remind me,"
Tony muttered, swallowing hard as he looked at Sam.
"Never, ever make you angry."
Sam chuckled warmly.
He waved his hand, and the thousands of red swords vanished, leaving only his main blade which returned safely to his side.
"They are just a few flying swords, Tony,"
Sam smiled playfully.
"Nothing to worry about."
Down on the ground, the dust slowly cleared.
A few hundred Dark Elves were still standing.
At the front of the group was their leader, Malekith.
His pale face was completely frozen in terror. He looked around at his destroyed army.
Then, he looked up at the man standing calmly on the golden balcony.
Malekith slowly raised his hands. He let his heavy, dark weapon fall to the ground.
*Clang.*
Seeing their powerful leader give up, the rest of the Dark Elf soldiers quickly dropped their weapons, too.
They fell to their knees in the dirt.
They surrendered completely.
They knew the cold truth. If they tried to fight, or even took one more step forward, those glowing red swords would return and kill them instantly.
Malekith stared at Sam. His dark eyes were full of pure shock and bitter defeat.
"Thousands of years,"
Malekith whispered, his raspy voice echoing in the quiet courtyard.
"I waited in the dark for thousands of years for this exact day. I planned for everything. But my entire grand plan... laid to waste in a single minute."
Malekith pointed a shaking finger up at Sam.
"Who are you?"
Malekith demanded, his voice breaking with fear.
"You are not Asgardian. You are an unknown being. How can a mortal control Aether so easily?"
Sam looked down at the defeated king.
He didn't look arrogant or angry. He just looked peaceful.
"My name is Sam,"
He answered simply, letting his voice carry over the wind.
"I am a Cultivator. You tried to steal a treasure that belongs to me. That is why you lost."
Malekith slowly lowered his hand.
He turned his head slightly to look at Thor, who was standing tall next to Sam.
"I fought your grandfather, Bor,"
Malekith told Thor, shaking his head in absolute disbelief.
"I watched your father, Odin, conquer the Nine Realms. I feared the All-Father's mighty spear."
Malekith looked back at Sam. A deep sense of awe mixed with his terrible fear.
"But this man..."
Malekith said softly, speaking to himself as much as to Thor.
"He is not a normal man. He is a monster. He is stronger than the All-Father even at his absolute prime. The universe has grown truly terrifying while I was sleeping."
Thor gripped his hammer. He looked at Sam with deep respect.
He knew Malekith was telling the truth.
Odin was incredibly powerful, but Sam's magic was on a completely different, cosmic level.
"The universe is ever changing,"
Thor agreed firmly, looking down at the defeated army.
Tony crossed his arms and leaned over the golden balcony railing.
"So,"
Tony called down, breaking the heavy tension with a quick smirk.
"Are you space elves going to pack up your ships and go home? Because we have a victory party to plan inside, and none of you are invited."
Malekith bowed his head completely.
There was no more fight left in him.
He knew that as long as Sam breathed, the Dark Elves would never touch the Aether again.
Sam turned away from the edge of the balcony. He looked at the God of Thunder.
"This is your home,"
Sam said gently, stepping back to give him the floor.
"You are the future king of Asgard. I am just a guest here. I will let you decide their fate."
Thor looked down at the broken Dark Elves.
He thought about his father. Odin would probably lock them in the deep dungeons forever, or execute them on the spot.
But Thor wanted to be a different kind of king.
He wanted to rule with wisdom, not just a heavy hammer.
"There has been enough death today,"
Thor called out, his deep voice carrying a heavy, kingly weight.
"Take your broken ships and leave, Malekith. Go back to the dark. If you ever threaten the Nine Realms again, we will show you absolutely no mercy."
Malekith didn't say a single word.
He stood up slowly, keeping his head down.
He turned around and led his surviving men back into their silent ships.
Within moments, the dark vessels lifted into the air and disappeared into the sky, running away like frightened dogs.
Queen Frigga walked out onto the balcony.
Jane Foster was right behind her, looking completely healthy.
Frigga looked at Sam with deep, absolute gratitude.
"You saved my son's heart, and you saved our world,"
Frigga said softly, bowing her head slightly.
"Asgard owes you a great debt, Sam. Is there anything you want in return? Name your prize."
Sam smiled and tapped the red-glowing sword floating by his side.
"I already took the Aether, my Queen,"
Sam replied respectfully.
"That is a priceless treasure. I do not need anything else."
Frigga shook her head and laughed a warm, musical laugh.
"The Aether is not a reward, Sam,"
Frigga explained, placing a gentle hand on his arm.
"It is a terrible curse. It is a heavy, dangerous burden that we could never control. By taking it away from Asgard, you did us a massive favor. Letting you take care of it is the best choice for the whole universe. Please, name a true reward. We have gold, ancient metals, and deep magic."
Sam crossed his arms. He thought about his memories of this universe.
He remembered a dark, dangerous goddess locked away in a magical cage.
He knew what she would do when Odin eventually passed away.
He wanted to deal with that problem before it could destroy Asgard.
"There is someone I would like to meet,"
Sam said quietly, his deep eyes turning very serious.
"Name them,"
Frigga smiled perfectly.
"Any friend of yours is welcome in these halls."
"I want to see Hela,"
Sam said, looking directly into Frigga's eyes.
"The Goddess of Death. The eldest daughter."
The warm smile instantly vanished from Frigga's face.
The color drained from her cheeks.
She looked at Sam in absolute, pure shock.
Thor frowned. He stepped closer, looking completely confused.
"Hela?"
Thor asked, looking back and forth between his mother and his friend.
"Eldest daughter? Mother, what is he talking about? I am the firstborn. I only have Loki."
Frigga took a deep, shaky breath.
She ignored Thor's question and stared at Sam with a mix of deep fear and wonder.
"How could you possibly know that name?"
Frigga whispered, her voice actually trembling.
"Odin erased her from history. He painted over the walls. He swore us to absolute secrecy thousands of years ago."
"I know many things that are hidden in the dark,"
Sam answered gently.
"She is a ticking time bomb, my Queen. I know she draws her power from Asgard, and I know she is locked away. I want to see her, if it is possible."
"See her?"
Frigga asked, her eyes wide.
"She is a monster, Sam. She is full of pure hatred and a thirst for endless war. If you let her out, she will burn everything."
"I am not going to let her out to burn the world,"
Sam said calmly, the glowing red sword humming softly beside him.
"I just want to have a little conversation with her. I want to see if the Goddess of Death is ready to listen to reason."
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