Nighttime, New Mexico
After the off-road vehicle's engine shut off, the silence of the desert washed over them like a tide.
Jane Foster jumped out of the car, her flashlight beam piercing the darkness and casting shimmering spots of light across the sand.
The towering cactus cast a menacing shadow in the interplay of light and dark—like a silent guardian standing watch.
"Thor, are you sure the hammer's here? There doesn't seem to be a single trace of it."
Jane swept the beam around, scanning every crevice in the nearby rocks—but found nothing.
Thor stood beside the SUV, head tilted back in rapture. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if attuned to a rhythm invisible to ordinary ears.
"There's no mistake! Mjolnir is here! I can feel it calling to me—just like—"
Before he could finish, a bolt of purple lightning tore through the clear night sky.
Like a spear hurled by the gods, it struck the desert a hundred meters away. The blinding flash forced Jane to raise a hand to shield her eyes.
BOOM—!!
A deafening clap of thunder followed. The blast wave whipped up sand that crackled against the SUV like static fire.
"Get down!"
Thor yanked Jane behind him.
When they looked again, a crater twenty meters wide had opened in the distance. The sand and gravel at its rim had melted into glassy crystals, and heat shimmered in the air above it.
Sizzle… sizzle… sizzle…
Thor approached the crater's edge cautiously. Jane's flashlight beam cut through the haze, illuminating the bottom.
There, lying quietly at the center of the scorched earth, was a silver-gray, short-handled warhammer. Ancient runes along its surface glowed faintly in the moonlight.
"Mjolnir!"
Thor's voice trembled with excitement.
Without hesitation, he leapt into the pit, boots hissing as they struck the still-molten glass.
"Watch out! That sand's at least 500 degrees!" Jane cried from the rim.
But Thor didn't listen. He was already striding toward the hammer.
Kneeling, he reached out with his right hand and gently gripped the leather-wrapped handle. A victorious smile spread across his face.
"Old friend… we're finally together again—"
The smile froze.
His arm muscles bulged. Veins stood out like cords. But Mjolnir didn't budge—not an inch. It might as well have been fused to the planet itself.
"No… this can't be…"
He switched to both hands, braced his feet, and pulled with every ounce of his godly strength.
Sizzle…
Sweat beaded on his brow—only to evaporate instantly in the searing heat, leaving salt stains on his skin.
Still, the hammer lay unmoved, silent and mocking.
"No, no, no—! Why, Father?!"
His voice cracked with panic. He tried again—fingernails snapping from the strain, blood smearing the leather grip.
"I am the God of Thunder! I command you—"
Just as he summoned his power for a third attempt, Mjolnir erupted in a blinding explosion of silver-white lightning.
BOOM—!!
Thousands of volts surged through Thor's body. He was hurled into the air like a ragdoll.
"Thor—!"
Jane's scream cut through the night as he arced through the sky and slammed into a distant dune, carving a long furrow through the sand.
"Thor! Thor, wake up—!"
She stumbled toward him, flashlight beam shaking wildly.
Kneeling beside him, she gasped—his blond hair stood on end, and a charred, radiating scar marred his chest.
"Breathe… please, just keep breathing…"
---
Atop a distant dune, Loki adjusted the gold-thread embroidery on his cuffs, watching Thor's ignominious defeat with a satisfied smirk.
But just as he prepared a cutting remark—
"A true warrior does not rejoice at his opponent's fall. He proves his worth with the sharpness of his own blade."
"Your pleasure is nothing but the shadow of the weak."
A cool female voice cut through the night air behind him.
Loki's pupils snapped shut tight.
Without hesitation, he spun and thrust his dagger—its edge flashing cold in the moonlight.
But the strike met only empty air.
Three meters away, Raiden stood motionless on the dune. Her kimono sleeves hung still despite the night wind, and electric sparks danced through her violet hair, casting stark light across her icy profile.
"The power struggles of Asgard have no place here. You—and he—must leave this world."
Loki narrowed his eyes. The dagger vanished in a graceful arc between his fingers as he offered a slight bow, a confident smile curling his lips.
"Lovely lady, permit me to introduce myself—"
He never finished.
Raiden flicked her right hand lightly to the side.
BOOM—!!
The "Loki" before her popped like a soap bubble.
At the same instant, the air to her right twisted violently—the real Loki was hurled backward by an invisible force, crashing through three dunes in a spray of sand and shattered rock.
Dust plumed into the sky, carving a scar hundreds of meters long beneath the moon.
Cough… cough…
From the rubble, Loki groaned, struggling upright. Blood—mixed with shards of ice—dripped from his mouth onto his pristine suit.
He knew then: his famed illusions were child's play before this woman.
Before his vision even cleared, those violet eyes were inches from his own.
Raiden hovered three inches above the ground, her kimono hem utterly still.
Loki let out a low chuckle, crimson tracing his jawline. He met her gaze with feigned sincerity.
"Strange God… we need not be enemies. I freely admit—you've bested me."
"But I pity you. A being of your power and nobility shouldn't be chained to this tiny world as its warden. You deserve a far grander stage!"
"Join me. Help me claim the throne of Asgard… and in return, I'll summon the mightiest warriors in the cosmos—just for you to duel!"
"A perfect bargain, wouldn't you say? Two birds, one stone."
"So noisy."
Raiden cut him off, lightning flashing in her eyes. Disgust twisted her features as she spoke, voice colder than the void:
"Asgard—founded on conquest—has bred a prince who scorns true warriors."
"No wonder Odin would sooner name a brute heir than cast you even a glance."
Loki's smile shattered. His fingers clawed into the rock, knuckles white.
Those words struck deeper than any blade—piercing wounds a thousand years old.
But Raiden showed no mercy. Her gaze held only ice… and intent to kill.
Purple lightning coiled around her, radiating annihilation, as she declared:
"Return to your realm. Now. Or I'll send your corpse back in p
ieces."
The desert fell deathly silent. Even the wind held its breath.
Loki's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
For the first time in centuries… he truly felt death.
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