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"Aether Particles?!"
Odin's voice echoed in the cavernous Hall of Science, the disbelief palpable. The Allfather rarely showed surprise, but the mention of that ancient scourge shook him.
"Quickly! Take her to the Soul Forge!"
Odin's order snapped the Asgardian healers into action. Guards lifted Jane onto a golden, hovering table. The device—a seamless blend of magic and quantum scanning technology—hummed to life. Beams of amber light swept across Jane's body, peeling back the layers of biology to reveal the energy beneath.
A moment later, a clear, 3D holographic projection appeared in mid-air.
It was terrifying. A churning, surging mass of dark red fluid was rampaging through Jane's circulatory system. It moved with a predatory intelligence, consuming her life force like a parasite.
"It really is the Aether..." Odin whispered, his face darkening.
He recognized it instantly. It was the crowning jewel of the Dark Elves, the liquid form of the Reality Stone. Five thousand years ago, during the First Convergence, Malekith had tried to use it to plunge the universe into eternal darkness.
Odin's father, Bor, had waged a bloody war to stop him. The victory had come at a terrible cost, and the Aether was supposed to be buried deep where no one could find it.
Yet here it was, pulsing inside a mortal woman.
Odin looked at Hermione. He was shocked not just by the Aether, but by the girl. He had needed the Soul Forge to confirm it. She had diagnosed it with a glance.
"This is troublesome," Odin said gravely. The reappearance of the Aether heralded war.
"Is it possible to remove it?" Thor asked anxiously, gripping the edge of the table. His eyes were fixed on Jane, blind to the geopolitical nightmare unfolding. "Father? Hermione?"
"It's no longer a question of removal," Hermione said, shaking her head. She looked at Odin. "The reactivation of the Aether is a beacon. It means the remnants of the Dark Elves are awakening. Malekith knows."
"Malekith?" Thor looked bewildered. "But... the stories say they are all dead."
Odin sighed, looking at his son with the weariness of a thousand years. "Thor, besides fighting and feasting, can you read a book? Even the mortal child knows our history better than you."
Thor flushed, looking down. On Earth, he was a god. Here, he felt like a truant schoolboy.
Frigga walked over to the table. She placed a gentle hand on Jane's forehead. Her magic—softer and more nurturing than Odin's—flowed into the girl.
"This child..." Frigga murmured. "The energy is consuming her. Is there truly no way to extract it safely?"
Hermione hesitated. Her grimoire was running calculations.
[Parsing Time: 5999h 55m 13s]
"There is a way," Hermione said slowly. "But it requires time. The Aether defends itself. To extract it without killing the host requires precise magical surgery over weeks, maybe months. Jane's body won't last that long."
The simplest way, Hermione thought pragmatically, would be the Avada Kedavra.
The Killing Curse kills the host instantly. The Aether, having no living vessel to inhabit, would precipitate out naturally. Then Hermione could just scoop it up. Clean. Efficient.
Thor would probably frown on that, she decided. He gets touchy about his girlfriends being murdered.
"It's alright," Jane whispered, forcing a weak smile despite the pain. "I'm... I'm just happy to see all of this. Science and magic... it's the same thing here."
"Hush," Thor said gently. "We will save you."
Odin frowned. He had initially wanted to send the mortal away, but now he had no choice. The Aether could not leave Asgard.
The Royal Gardens.
Jane was taken to the healing chambers, with Thor hovering like a nervous mother hen. Odin retreated to the throne room to brood. That left Frigga and Hermione.
"Come this way," Frigga said, taking Hermione's arm. "Let me show you the gardens. It is better than staring at medical charts."
They walked through the lush, golden-lit gardens of Asgard. Strange, bioluminescent flowers bloomed in the twilight. The air smelled of ozone and nectar.
"By the way," Frigga said softly, "we owe you a debt for your help with Loki's mess on Earth. Eliminating the Frost Giants... it spared us a difficult war."
"No need for thanks, Your Majesty," Hermione replied politely. "I was just cleaning up my own backyard. Earth is my territory, after all."
Frigga smiled. She liked this girl. She was sharp, dangerous, and practical.
"Thor has lived a charmed life," Frigga sighed, looking at a statue of her son. "He has never known true loss. He thinks being King is about glory and battles. He still needs to grow."
"He's not really suited for the throne," Hermione observed bluntly. "He's a warrior. An adventurer. He'd be happier chasing storms than sitting on one."
A flicker of agreement crossed Frigga's eyes. "I think so too. But Odin... Odin sees only the line of succession. And with Loki in a cell..." She trailed off, a shadow of grief passing over her face.
Isn't there Hela? Hermione thought. The Goddess of Death locked in the basement?
Better not mention the secret evil sister.
Frigga turned to Hermione, her expression earnest. "Hermione, you and Thor are friends. Can you help him? Guide him? He listens to you in a way he doesn't listen to his father."
Hermione blinked. Help Thor? How? By giving a 1,500-year-old thunder god therapy?
"I'm fourteen, Your Majesty," Hermione deadpanned. "But I'll do what I can to keep him from accidentally destroying the Nine Realms."
Just then, footsteps approached. Sif, the Lady Warrior, rounded the corner. She wore silver armor and a troubled expression.
Her eyes lit up when she saw Hermione. "Hermione! What brings you to Asgard?"
Hermione smiled, giving the warrior a quick hug. "Long time no see, Sif. I'm here on a medical consultation."
Sif hesitated, looking between Frigga and Hermione. "I saw Thor carrying the mortal woman. Jane Foster. Is she... staying?"
There was a note of wistful jealousy in her voice that she couldn't quite hide.
Hermione glanced at Frigga, who nodded. "She's ill, Sif. It's complicated."
"Oh," Sif said, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I see. That is... unfortunate."
She forced a smile, chatted for a moment longer, then excused herself to 'check the perimeter.'
Hermione watched her go. Poor Sif, she thought. Friend-zoned by a god who prefers astrophysics nerds.
Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet trembled.
BOOM.
A deep, reverberating explosion echoed from the direction of the dungeons.
Frigga's head snapped up. Hermione's eyes narrowed.
The Convergence had begun. And the prison break was starting.