Chapter 59 – "Fate Shifts in the Heavens"
The air was still thick with smoke and heat from the battle. The desert shimmered faintly under the fading sun as Tony Stark knelt near the smoldering crater. His armor hissed quietly, small jets of air cooling the plating as he scanned the twisted, glowing remains of the Destroyer.
"JARVIS, give me a material read," Tony said, his voice echoing through the suit.
The HUD flickered, lines of data scrolling rapidly. "Material composition: unknown. Traces of high-density metallic compounds… unlike any earthly alloy. Energy readings remain unstable."
Tony frowned. "Unstable? It's literally a pile of melted junk."
"Correction," JARVIS added, "this 'junk' is still radiating residual energy consistent with high-level unknown enery."
Tony leaned closer, brushing off a clump of cooled metal with a metal-clad finger. "high-level unknown enery.… you mean magic."
Before JARVIS could respond, a heavy step approached behind him. "Do not mock what you do not understand, Man of Iron," came a deep voice.
Tony turned, finding Thor standing tall again, the wind tugging at his tattered coat. The sadness in his eyes had dimmed, replaced by quiet resolve.
"Magic, science…" Tony shrugged. "Same thing with a different user manual."
Thor gave a faint, tired smile, then looked down at the slag. "That armor that was destroyed are call 'The Destroyer'… it was forged of Uru, a metal born from the heart of a dying star. Nearly indestructible, and a conduit for the All-Father's enchantments."
Tony raised a brow inside his helmet. "Nearly indestructible, huh? Guess your definition and mine differ, because I just saw our golden friend slice it like birthday cake."
Thor's gaze turned toward Gaius, who stood a few meters away, silent beside the hammer resting in the dirt. The towering warrior's armor gleamed faintly in the low light, gold and blue catching the sunset. He reached up, unlocking his helm and removing it. The magnetic clasps sealed it neatly to his side.
For a moment, the Asgardians saw his face fully, stern but calm, marked by discipline and the faint weariness of countless battles. His eyes held the stillness of someone who had been in countless wars.
Gaius looked around the field once more, confirming no more threats lingered. His deep voice broke the silence.
"It seems everything is done. I should return to my world."
Tony looked up at him, then around at the tired group, Thor, the Warriors Three, Sif, all catching their breath amid the wreckage. The billionaire smirked lightly. "Well, it does look like quitting time. But before you warp off to where you came from, Gaius, won't you eat first?"
Gaius paused. It was hard to tell through his stoic expression, but there was a faint softness in his gaze. "...Very well," he said simply. "One meal, then I depart."
Tony grinned. "That's what I like to hear. Let's pack up before something else from space drops in."
They came back to the small desert town was quiet again. The people here are unaware of what happen as that was quite far away and was sealed by the S.H.I.E.L.D Agents, they came to a diner where Thor, Tony, and Gaius first met.
Tony sat at one of the booths, armor mostly off, sipping coffee with one hand and poking at a burger with the other. Across from him, Gaius mostly stood as there are no chair that hold his size. Even in his armor, Every movement of his hands was controlled, precise and deliberate.
On the next table over, Thor and his friends laughed quietly, eating as if they hadn't seen food in years. Sif's usual stoic manner had relaxed; even Volstagg seemed more subdued after the battle.
For a while, there was only the hum of the lights and the clinking of dishes.
Tony leaned back in the booth, stirring what was left of his coffee. "You know," he said, glancing around the small diner, "I didn't think Asgardians actually did normal stuff like this. Eating, sitting, talking. I figured it was all lightning and battles."
Sif smirked. "We do enjoy more than war, Stark. Feast, drink, song, these are parts of life too."
Fandral leaned in with a grin. "Especially the drink."
Tony chuckled. "Yeah, I got that impression from Thort"
Volstagg laughed, the sound booming through the room. "Indeed, Thor is one of the best drinker on Asgard!"
Tony rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it seems good to be proud of that."
Sif crossed her arms, amused. "Our ways are different from you mortals."
Tony took another sip and smirked. "Maybe. You people make the world a little less boring."
Gaius said nothing. He simply eating to his meal, and the rest continue their conversations.
Far away, in the golden halls of Asgard, the night burned with cold light. Loki sat upon the throne, one leg crossed over the other, the gleam of the Casket of Ancient Winters fading nearby. His expression was sharp, but his hands trembled slightly.
The moment he lost connection with the Destroyer, a chill crawled through him. He stood from the throne abruptly, anger burning beneath his fear.
"That… thing," he hissed. "That man destroyed my father's greatest weapon."
He paced the steps of the throne room, every movement quick and restless. "Thor's friends defied me, left Asgard without my consent, and now Midgard stands unpunished."
His eyes flicked toward Heimdall's sword, the key to the Bifrost. Cold determination filled him. "Then I shall finish what I began. Jotunheim falls first. Midgard after."
Grabbing the sword, he strode toward the Observatory, frost still clinging to the door from where Heimdall lay frozen earlier. He stepped inside and slammed the sword into the control pillar. The Bifrost roared to life, casting a blinding column of light across the cosmos.
As the portal aligned toward Jotunheim, a soft voice echoed behind him.
"Stop it, Loki."
He froze. Frigga stood at the entrance, her eyes sorrowful. "This is not the way, my son."
"Do not call me that!" Loki's voice cracked, pain mixing with rage. "I was never truly your son. Just a monster taken from the cold!"
He raised the sword again, ready to release the beam, when a firm hand gripped his shoulder.
"Stop it, Loki."
That voice, older, deep, unyielding.
Loki turned slowly. Odin stood behind him, the weight of his presence filling the chamber. His single eye burned with quiet disappointment.
"Father…" Loki's voice faltered. "You were~"
"Sleeping?" Odin finished. "No longer." He reached forward, easily pulling Heimdall's sword from the console. "I am disappointed in you, my son."
Loki stumbled back, the strength leaving him. Frigga rushed forward, holding him as he sank to the ground.
Odin turned to the guards who had followed. His command was clear and cold. "Imprison Loki Odinson, for deception of the throne and endangerment of the Nine Realms. He will remain in the dungeons until he repents."
The guards hesitated only briefly before obeying. Loki said nothing as they took him away, only casting one last look toward his father, half hatred, half sorrow.
When the chamber emptied, Odin stood alone at the controls, the Bifrost slowly powering down. He gazed into the shifting lights of the cosmos.
"Fate has changed," he murmured. "Someone has altered destiny."
He focused his sight toward Midgard, toward his son Thor. But it was not Thor who had felled the Destroyer.
The image shifted. Odin's gaze fell upon the golden warrior sitting calmly in a small diner, eating beside men and gods alike.
"The one who destroyed the weapon of Asgard…" Odin whispered. "Who are you, warrior of gold?"
At that same moment, Gaius paused mid-bite. His eyes narrowed faintly, sensing something distant, an ancient, watchful presence pressing faintly against his mind.
He slowly turned, looking upward at the diner's ceiling, though his gaze seemed to pierce far beyond it.
Tony noticed. "Uh… you good, big guy? Ceiling fan giving you a hard time?"
Gaius blinked once, the faint hum of his armor rising before fading again. "...Nothing." He looked back at Tony. "It's nothing."
Tony raised an eyebrow but didn't push it. "Right. Sure. Nothing. You know, you really gotta work on your poker face."
Outside, the night settled over the desert, quiet and calm. Yet far above them, unseen by all, the eyes of a god still watched, curious and uncertain of the future.
End of Chapter 59 – "Fate Shifts in the Heavens."
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