Happy New Year, everyone! Here's to hoping this year is way better than the last. Let's aim to live past 2080, or even longer!
I would like to inform you that a new work is available. If you find it interesting, please consider adding it to your libraries: "I evolved as an intelligent zombie in the multiverse."
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{Chapter: 220 - Conquering Who?}
Lorelei's proposal was sudden, cunning, and seductively calculated. It caught Aiden's attention—and May's alarm.
Standing a few steps behind him, May narrowed her eyes. She hadn't expected Lorelei to surrender so easily. No tricks? No fight? Just like that? It set off every red flag in her years of instinctual training.
Aiden, meanwhile, didn't answer right away. He gave Lorelei a sideways glance, amused and intrigued. That was her play? A power grab through charm?
He crossed his arms and said slowly, "I'll admit... it's tempting. You get to avoid S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar, and I gain a resource with… unconventional talents."
Lorelei smiled, slow and alluring, her every motion purposeful. "Not just a resource," she purred, walking closer, each step a display of confidence and sultry grace. "An asset. A partner. I can help you build something eternal. With my power to sway, to manipulate... imagine what your War Legion could become. Armies kneeling. Leaders obeying. The world at your fingertips."
She stopped just in front of him and placed her delicate hands on his shoulders, locking her emerald gaze into his. Her voice dropped, low and smoky. "I could make you the only king on Earth... if... you surrender to me."
The phrase was slipped like a dagger wrapped in silk.
May's eyes went wide. She took a step forward, hand hovering near her weapon. "Aiden—don't listen to her. She's trying to—!"
But it was already too late. Lorelei was moving.
With a graceful swirl, she glided behind Aiden and wrapped her arms around his neck, her breath brushing against his ear as she whispered, sultry and commanding, "Kill her."
A spark of panic crossed May's face.
"Aiden!" she shouted. "Snap out of it—she's controlling you!"
Lorelei chuckled, a sultry, triumphant sound. "Don't waste your breath, agent," she said, tightening her grip possessively around Aiden. "He's mine now. I thought he might be different, something special. But in the end…" she sighed with mock sadness, "he's just like the rest—weak."
For a moment, the desert air went silent.
Then Aiden's voice cut through it, sharp and controlled.
"So, you only surrender to a king?" he said, eyes still forward, not even glancing at May. "You're looking for someone to conquer you...?"
Lorelei blinked.
Aiden slowly turned his head toward her, a confident smirk playing at his lips. "You Asgardian women really do have a type."
Her hands dropped from his shoulders like she'd been burned. She stumbled back a step, completely thrown. "W-What…?"
"How—?" Her voice faltered. "You should be under my control. That's not possible!"
Aiden rolled his neck casually, as if brushing off dust. "Maybe you've met men who fall at your feet. But I don't kneel so easily."
He stepped toward her, his presence radiating control, heat, and dominance—not of power, but of presence.
"Maybe," he continued smoothly, "I'm the king you've been searching for."
Lorelei stared at him, utterly stunned. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, lips trembling with both disbelief and something dangerously close to admiration.
What she didn't know—what Aiden was waiting for the perfect moment to reveal—was that he had copied her ability the moment he met her just for the safety shake if the Reality Ring didn't work. Through his unique power, he had unlocked a counteracting energy that nullified the effect of her magical mind influence. He had let her believe she had him. He wanted her to think she'd won. Because watching the shock dawn across her face now?
That was priceless.
"I wanted to see the look on your face," he said with a grin. "And you didn't disappoint."
Before Lorelei could respond, a sudden roar split through the sky—like a sonic boom, followed by a flash of green energy. A ripple of magic pulsed in the air as the clouds above swirled ominously.
A swirling column of rainbow light surged down from the heavens and encased Lorelei. Her eyes went wide with panic.
"No—no, not now!" she cried, her voice trembling with frustration. She turned to Aiden, desperate. "This isn't over! I'll come back for you!"
Aiden gave her a half-smile, unbothered. "You know where to find me."
With that, the green light exploded in a flash—and Lorelei vanished, whisked away by the magic of Asgard, likely retrieved by force.
Aiden turned to May, who was still tense, staring at the spot where the seductress had stood.
"Well," he said, dusting off his hands. "That went smoother than I expected."
"You let her get that close," May said sharply. "You let her touch you. You knew what she could do."
Aiden shrugged with a grin. "I told you—I wanted to see what she'd do when it didn't work."
May rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress the tiniest of smirks. "You're insane."
"But effective," he said, walking past her.
"You're lucky," May added, "that whatever countermeasure you used worked. Otherwise, I would've shot you myself."
Aiden laughed and glanced over his shoulder. "Then it's a good thing I'm a man worth resisting, huh?"
May shook her head, following him toward the extraction point. "You're lucky that the world tolerates you."
After the swirling green glow faded and Lorelei vanished into thin air, the desert around them fell into an eerie silence. Aiden stood still, squinting at the spot where she had disappeared, his hands still faintly crackling with residual energy.
"Teleportation magic?" he muttered to himself, a note of surprise in his voice. "Didn't think she had that trick up her sleeve."
He raised his hand slightly and sent a pulse of magical energy into the air. He tried to locate Lorelai's position, but found that he failed. Nothing. The signal dissipated like smoke in the wind.
However, if he wanted to stop her, it would be easy, just stop time, but he didn't do that.
She probably gave Aiden a sense of challenge.
"So she's hidden herself... clever." Aiden's expression darkened for a brief second, before a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "But you'll come back. That much I'm sure of. Let's see, Lorelei—will you conquer me… or will I conquer you?"
He chuckled under his breath. Lorelei was dangerous, yes—but she was also a challenge. A part of him welcomed it.
"She got away?" May asked, walking closer, her stance guarded and skeptical.
Before Aiden could answer, a shimmer of light burst in front of them—a swirl of radiant golden energy laced with subtle runes. May instinctively raised her weapon, but Aiden simply smiled and lowered her arm gently.
"Who is this now?" May muttered, eyes narrowing as the figure came into focus.
Emerging from the arcane light was a woman clad in gleaming silver armor, her posture as regal as it was battle-ready. Her long black hair framed her striking face, and she bore a sword on her hip and a shield on her back. Her very presence exuded strength and grace.
Aiden's face lit up with a genuine warmth. "Still an Asgardian," he said, "but this one's family."
He opened his arms wide as Lady Sif stepped forward. She hesitated, as if weighing the emotion of the moment against her warrior's discipline, then allowed herself a small smile and moved into Aiden's embrace.
May arched a brow as she observed the rare moment of vulnerability between the two. She knew enough about Aiden by now to understand what that gesture meant—and how rare it was for someone like Sif to return it.
"I thought you'd arrive sooner," Aiden said softly, letting her go.
"You knew I was coming?" Sif asked, her tone curious, a faint hint of surprise flickering in her expression.
He nodded with a knowing smirk. "You were always the one Asgard could count on for cleanup. Lorelei breaks out of prison, chaos spreads, and of course they'd send their sharpest sword. Her abilities are special, so you are the most suitable candidate. What's more, I'm here, so I think you will definitely come down. But more than that..." He leaned in just a bit closer. "I was hoping you'd come."
Sif paused, then smiled—not with flirtation, but something softer, more meaningful. "I came the moment I found her trail. She's clever. Cunning. And more dangerous than Asgard remembers. By the time I traced her to Midgard, she'd already given us the slip."
She looked him over, her expression becoming more focused. "But you—are you hurt?"
Aiden spread his arms theatrically. "Do I look hurt? Her charms didn't lay a finger on me."
Sif tilted her head, skeptical. "That's... impressive. No one has resisted her once they've heard her voice."
"That's because they're not me," Aiden said with a smirk. He stepped a little closer, lowering his voice to a teasing whisper. "I'm not just anyone, am I?"
Sif's brow arched. "Modest as ever."
"I learned it from the best." He leaned in, his tone dropping. "How can I be your man? If I were just anyone."
The warrior maiden's composure faltered for a breath, a faint pink touching her cheeks, but she recovered with impressive speed. "You speak like a bard, not a warrior."
"And yet, here you are," Aiden said, grinning. "Still standing beside me."
"I didn't say I minded," she said plainly, her voice steady. That was as much affection as anyone might expect from the sword-maiden of Asgard.
"But I must say," she added after a pause, "I suspect I'm not the only one you stand beside these days."
Aiden cleared his throat. "Well, you know… diplomacy requires flexibility."
Sif gave him a long, slow look. "And by diplomacy, you mean—?"
"I plead the fifth," Aiden said, raising both hands in surrender.
To his relief, Sif didn't press. There was no bitterness in her tone—just a calm acknowledgment. She had expected as much. After all, Aiden was not a man easily tied down, not even by someone like her.
Fortunately, Sif only said one sentence and did not mean to ask further questions, so Aiden was relieved.
"I came here with a mission," she said, returning to her more formal tone. "Lorelei must be returned to Asgard. She is far too dangerous to be left free on Midgard. I'll need your help to track her down."
"Of course," Aiden said. "You don't even need to ask. Even if we didn't hunt her... she'd come back to me on her own. She always wanted power—and now she thinks I might be the key."
"That's why she's so dangerous," Sif said, stepping closer, her armor glinting in the desert sun. "She seduces not just men, but ambition itself. You're stronger than her magic, but I wonder if even you are immune to the game she plays."
Aiden's smile returned, more restrained this time. "I never said I was immune to the game. Only that I know how to play it."
May, who had remained silent for a while, finally cleared her throat. "If you two are done exchanging destiny-laced banter, can we head back now? We still have a debriefing, remember?"
Aiden chuckled and turned to her. "Always the grounded one, May."
Sif glanced at May curiously, then back at Aiden. "She watches over you?"
"More like watches out for me," he replied. "And occasionally threatens to punch me if I get too dramatic."
May didn't even blink. "Still might."
"See?" Aiden grinned. "Balance."
He turned to Sif, offering his hand. "Come on. Let's fly home."
"I'm not fond of Midgardian planes," Sif said, placing her hand in his.
"We won't be flying commercial," Aiden said with a smirk, as his Reality Ring glowed and wrapped them both in shimmering light.