Loki refused to accept such an explanation. He didn't want to believe that Odin brought him back merely out of pity. That would make him feel like a pathetic creature who only survived thanks to the mercy of others.
Such reasoning was unbearable for the proud Loki. He would rather believe that Odin had brought him back for some grander purpose.
"I believed that one day we could unite, form an alliance, and bring eternal peace.Through you.But those plans are gone now. They no longer matter."
Seeing Loki on the verge of collapse, Odin still tried to give him a reason.
"So I'm no different from those stolen relics you keep locked up—something to use when the time is right?!"
Odin's words made Loki feel as though he was just another pawn. All the love, all the care—it had all been a lie.
"Why are you twisting my words?" Odin asked, seeing Loki descend into despair.
"You could've told me the truth from the very beginning. Why didn't you?"
"Because you are my son," Odin said quietly in response to Loki's accusations."I wanted to protect you from the truth."
Maybe when Odin had first brought Loki back, he did see him as a strategic tool. But after more than a thousand years together, Loki had become family—a son he truly loved.
"Why? Because I'm the monster parents tell their children about at night?"
"No... it's not like that."
Odin lowered his head awkwardly. Perhaps he was feeling guilty. On top of that, his divine power had dropped to almost nothing from suppressing Hela. He was nearing the threshold of his Odinsleep.
"Now I understand why you've always favored Thor all these years... Because no matter how much you claim to love me, you would never let a Frost Giant sit on the throne of Asgard."
But before Loki could finish speaking, Odin could no longer hold on—he collapsed into the deep slumber of Odin's sleep.
Seeing Odin pass out before him, Loki snapped out of his emotional state. No matter how much resentment he held toward the man who raised him, Odin was still his father—the man who raised him with his own hands.
"Guards! Someone, help!"
Meanwhile, outside New Mexico, Clark arrived at Tony Stark's Malibu mansion.
When he got there, he discovered the villa looked like it had been torn apart—shattered and in ruins. Clark thought back and realized he didn't recall a scene in Iron Man 2 where Tony's house got destroyed.
After circling around, Clark found Tony and Nick Fury sitting on a ruined balcony, drinking coffee.
"Hey Tony, what happened to your place?" Clark asked as he landed and retracted his flight suit, glancing around at what used to be Tony's living room—now reduced to rubble.
"You got any booze left?"
"This is just water, you know," Tony replied, holding up his glass.
"Forget it. I don't like plain water. I prefer drinks with a little taste."
Clark shook his head, declining Tony's offer.
"So, what are you two talking about? If it's private, I can step out."
"Nothing much. Director Fury here told me I haven't tried all the elements yet, then handed me this big box and said I couldn't leave until I cracked its secret."
Tony pointed to a box on the floor.
Clark looked down and saw it was filled with notebooks and what appeared to be... tapes? At least that's what Clark guessed—he'd barely ever seen such things in his life.
"What is this?" Clark asked, confused. It clearly wasn't a city model or anything like that.
"Howard Stark left it for Tony," Fury explained. "He said the key to a new world was hidden inside. We don't know what it is, but we've safeguarded it for nearly 20 years. Now it's time Tony took over."
Fury's tone was more cautious now that Clark was here, unlike how commanding he had been with Tony alone. He gave a quick summary of what was going on.
"Fury, this doesn't sound like you. You really held onto this for over two decades without cracking it yourself?" Tony sounded skeptical. He suspected the reason the box was still around was simply because S.H.I.E.L.D. had never managed to decipher its contents.
"I've got a meeting at two. I'll leave it with you. Figure it out."
Fury's face remained completely unfazed by Tony's sarcasm. Clark had to admit—the man was a true S.H.I.E.L.D. director. His poker face was impressive.
"By the way, Natasha will continue undercover at Stark Industries. Also, remember this guy—Agent Coulson."
"And Tony… I'll be keeping an eye on you."
Fury gave Tony a sharp look with his single eye before throwing on his coat and leaving with the others.
Watching them go, Tony turned to Clark.
"Clark, can you help me?"
"Alright. If what's in here can really help you, I guess I'll give you a hand."
Even though Clark didn't remember the exact plot, he knew that eventually Tony would crack the mystery and discover the new element.
"Nope." Seeing Clark couldn't help immediately, Tony looked at Coulson and gave him a playful smile.
"I'm going to work out, then hit the lab. Be a pal and grab me a burger or something?"
"Not my job," Coulson replied. "Director Fury ordered me to keep you here no matter what. If you try anything sneaky, I'll tase you and watch TV while you drool on the floor."
While speaking, Coulson shot a glance at Clark. He knew he had to gauge Clark's stance before acting too aggressive. If he really had to go against Clark, he could already imagine himself getting slammed into the floor and dragged like a mop.
He glanced at the shattered glass all over Tony's floor. If someone was dragged across this… yeah, it would definitely hurt.
Clark had no idea what Coulson was thinking and simply gestured casually, indicating he understood—they were all doing this for Tony's benefit, after all.
Besides, if there weren't people keeping Tony in check, Clark wasn't sure he'd bother with solving such a tedious mystery.
"Fine, but at least help me carry this box to the lab."
After helping Tony move the box to his lab, Tony opened it.
"Alright, let's see what secret Dad left behind."
The first thing they saw inside was a design blueprint for the arc reactor. At the top were two surnames: Vanko and Stark. That referred to the original inventors of the arc reactor—Howard Stark and Anton Vanko, the father of Ivan Vanko.
Tony gave the blueprint a glance, then casually tossed it aside. Clark stuck around for a bit but quickly got bored. Without any background knowledge, reading this stuff was like trying to decipher the Bible—it made no sense.
"Tony, I'll leave you to it. Let me know if you need anything."
Just as Clark was about to head back to New York, he suddenly felt like someone was watching him. Then, right in front of him, a spark of energy appeared, opening a portal in midair.
It was so sudden and close that Clark didn't even have time to react—he was pulled straight into the portal. And just as he passed through it, the portal vanished behind him, cutting off any chance of flying back.
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