{Chapter: 357 The Price of Power And Taking Out The Aether}
The cursed warrior Algrim stood silently, his crimson eyes locked onto Jane Foster. He inhaled slowly. Yes. There it was—undeniable. That trace of Aether pulsing within her. Faint, yet unmistakable. She was the one.
Then, the sky trembled.
A light tore across the broken horizon as Odin, Thor, and the few remaining Asgardian warriors arrived in haste. Their armor was scorched, their expressions grave. Odin's once-steady gaze now flickered with anxiety and exhaustion. He could no longer feign control over this catastrophe. Asgard was burning on both ends—besieged by the vengeance of the Dark Elves and the fury of a man they once underestimated.
His lips tightened. A bitter thought passed through him.
Had I not tried to manipulate William... perhaps none of this would have happened. But it was too late for regret. The wheels had turned. And they had turned against him.
William turned, unbothered by the thunderous arrival of royalty. He flashed a charismatic, almost taunting smile at Algrim, as if greeting an old friend at a masquerade.
"Cursed Warrior Algrim," William called out, his voice carrying like a spell through the wind.
Algrim turned to him. His large, war-scarred form radiated menace. "Who are you?" he asked, voice mechanical and hollow, yet tinged with curiosity. "You're strong… but not Asgardian."
William smirked. "I know you well. You're looking for the Aether, aren't you?"
Algrim's eyes narrowed slightly, scanning William with caution. "That woman," he growled. "She carries it. It belongs to us—Dark Elves."
Jane stepped closer to William instinctively, her hand brushing his. He reached back and wrapped her fingers in his, gently but firmly. His touch was grounding, and despite the chaos, Jane felt the strange comfort of being exactly where she was meant to be.
"William… be careful," she whispered, her eyes flicking between the towering Algrim and Malekith's ship above. "They're monsters."
"I know," William said softly, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear with unexpected tenderness. "But I'm a monster too. One that could fuck them up deeply."
Jane's eyes welled, despite the storm around them. He'd said it—finally, clearly. Even in the face of gods and demons, he made her feel safe.
Across the battlefield, Sif watched the interaction with a hollowed gaze. Her fists clenched, knuckles white. Every whisper, every glance, every intimate touch between the two was like a dagger twisted in her ribs. She hated him. She loathed him for what he made her give up—for humiliating her, for forcing her to betray Asgard.
And yet...
She couldn't deny that part of her—the part she had buried even before Jane arrived—still remembered the charm in his smile, the terrifying brilliance behind his madness, and the fleeting moments where she imagined what could've been... if only he had chosen her.
Thor stepped forward, Mjolnir crackling with impatient thunder. "Enough riddles!" he barked, eyes blazing. "What game are you playing, William?"
William turned, still holding Jane's hand, and looked at Thor as one might look at an overeager student. "Oh Thor, still swinging hammers like they'll fix everything. This isn't a game. This is the reckoning of old sins—your father's included."
Odin's eye gleamed with anger, but he kept his calm. Barely.
"Cursed warrior," Odin addressed Algrim directly, "You trespass in the realm of Asgard. You court annihilation."
Algrim's reply was cold. "It is because you tried to annihilate us that we return, Odin All-Father. Your time of light is ending."
"Enough with the dramatics," William interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Odin, you don't get to preach peace after orchestrating centuries of war. Shut up and sit down."
"Insolent cur!" Odin roared.
"Save your breath, old man," William snapped. "You can't intimidate me, and your threats are as empty as your throne."
The Asgardian warriors around Odin did not move. William's power was raw, terrifying, and very real. No one dared challenge him openly.
Algrim said to William: "Are you Asgard's enemy?"
"Of course, aren't you Asgard's enemies too?" William said with a smile, "How about we unite and destroy Asgard?"
Then a heavy thud echoed as Malekith descended from his black warship, his face pale and carved with age-old hatred. He walked forward slowly, his soldiers watching from above like vultures on the wind.
"Who are you to offer me alliance?" Malekith sneered. "Why would I trust a man who kisses Asgard's handmaidens and spits in the king's face?"
William gave a small, sardonic chuckle. "I wouldn't trust me either," he admitted. "But we share something—vengeance. I have no love for Asgard. And the Aether doesn't belong to me. It's killing her," he said, nodding toward Jane, "so if you want it, I'm more than willing to hand it over. Consider it… a peace offering."
Malekith's eyes narrowed, suspicious—but interested. "You would give us the Aether?"
"I didn't come here to hoard power," William said coolly. "I came to break chains. Starting with theirs." He tilted his head toward Odin.
Sif stepped forward, unable to stay silent. "You're nothing but a deceiver. You say you came to break chains, yet you've enslaved hearts."
Her words shook with rage and sorrow.
William met her gaze. "Chains can take many forms, Sif. Yours were forged long before I arrived."
"You will regret this path, William," she said, voice icy. "I will make you regret it."
He gave her a look that softened—just a touch. "Maybe. But you'll have to live with me to try."
"Don't test me."
"Then don't betray what you still feel," he whispered, barely audible.
She turned away sharply.
Jane pulled his hand tighter. "Let's go. Give them what they want and let this end."
"Soon," William said, nodding at her. "But when this ends, it won't be the way they expect."
"You are a straightforward man," Malekith said, his voice echoing across the ruined golden court of Asgard. "Give me The Aether, and we will destroy this realm together."
William didn't respond right away. Instead, he turned to Jane, his expression softening into something unusually gentle for a man so feared. "Jane," he said softly, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek, "what's inside you… it'll be gone soon. You'll be okay."
Jane stared at him, her voice low but sharp with concern. "I know The Aether is dangerous… it's draining me. But it's also powerful. It's not like you to hand something like this over so easily. That's not your style."
William chuckled quietly, then raised his voice deliberately, so even the farthest Dark Elf could hear. "Nothing is more important than you, Jane. If I can't take it out myself, then I'll give it to someone who can."
Jane frowned and crossed her arms. "Why are you yelling? I'm right here."
"I just want our 'guests' to hear me clearly," he replied with a smirk, then leaned in and whispered near her ear, "Don't worry… I'm not letting it go."
Jane looked at him with wide eyes. "You're scheming something again, aren't you?"
William gave her a wink, but behind the charm was worry. He couldn't extract The Aether from her—not without killing her. And he refused to let that happen. The Aether was consuming her, burning her from the inside like a star trying to escape a fragile shell. Only Malekith could truly draw it out… and if he did, William would take it back, one way or another.
A short distance away, the voices of Asgardian warriors carried across the battlefield.
"Sif! Why are you standing there?! Get over here!" Fandral shouted, his voice ringing with disbelief.
Sif stood firm, her dark eyes unreadable, her grip on her sword so tight her knuckles whitened. "From this day on," she said quietly, "I am no longer an Asgardian."
"What?!" Volstagg thundered, his voice almost choked. "You can't mean that!"
"There's no need to explain," Sif said, her voice pained but resolute. "I follow William now. That is enough."
"Follow him?!" Hogan barked in disbelief. "Sif, have you lost your mind?! He's the enemy!"
Thor strode forward, thunder rumbling faintly in the sky as if echoing his fury. "Sif! This is betrayal!"
But Sif didn't respond. Her face turned away, but her eyes shimmered with something far more human than rage—shame, confusion, a flicker of something she couldn't name. She hated him. And yet… there had been a moment when she didn't. When she admired his strength. When she envied Jane.
William stepped between her and the accusations, raising a hand with mock reverence. "You trolls sure talk a lot. Maybe if you listened instead of yelling like drunken goats, you'd realize how much this decision cost her." He glanced at Sif. "You think she made it lightly? You know nothing about her pain. Instead of shaming her… why not show some damn respect?"
Jane gave him a side glance. "Since when did you become a motivational speaker? Or are you just trying to win Sif's heart too?"
William grinned. "Come on, Jane. You're the only one I'd let carry a death crystal inside her."
She shook her head and tried not to smile. "You're unbelievable."
Pointing lazily toward the broken palace steps, William added, "Oh, and speaking of your so-called honor guards—Heimdall's right over there, by the way. Still breathing, if that matters to you. I promised Sif I wouldn't kill him… and unlike Odin, I actually keep promises."
Malekith scowled. "Enough of your games. I want The Aether. Now."
William narrowed his eyes, voice dropping to a cool whisper. "And you shall have it… soon. But are you really that eager to walk into Odin's wrath?"
"Odin cannot stop me," Malekith growled. "My people have suffered centuries of exile. We will rise again."
At his cry, the dark elves roared, their weapons gleaming with black energy. "FOR THE BLACK SUN!"
William laughed darkly. "There's your answer, Odin. You lose either way."
Odin, battered and weary, roared across the battlefield, "Asgardians! Fight to your last breath! Do not let The Aether fall into darkness! ATTACK!"
A tide of golden-armored warriors surged forward, clashing against the shadowy ranks of the dark elves. Above them, the sky cracked with lightning and screams.
Algrim drew his blade, leading the charge. "DARK ELVES! FOR OUR FUTURE—KILL THEM ALL!"
As the chaos erupted, Malekith reached out his pale hands. Jane gasped as her body began to levitate, The Aether responding to its call. Her eyes glowed crimson as tendrils of red energy began to swirl from her chest like smoke from a dying flame.
William's eyes burned. He stepped toward her, shielding her even as the power surged. "Jane, hold on. I've got you."
Through the pain, she reached for him. "I trust you… always."
Behind them, Sif watched the two. Her jaw clenched. Something inside her cracked. Hate? Envy? Regret? She wasn't sure. But as she raised her sword again, her heart was not in it.
This was the beginning of the end—and possibly the rise of something far more terrifying than Odin or Malekith ever imagined.