"I'm not angry. I'm not," Loki muttered to himself, drawing a slow breath as he cut off his scrying spell. "I wield the Eternal Spear now. I am king of Asgard. I don't need a broken hammer."
The words rang hollow even to him.
Mjolnir had always been the symbol of succession, a weapon meant only for the rightful heir. For centuries it had belonged to Thor. Loki had tried more times than he cared to admit to lift it, and failed every single time. Now Thor was powerless, cast out, unable to raise it himself. And yet a mortal had lifted it without effort.
The thought gnawed at him.
Enough. The larger plan mattered more.
Loki abandoned the idea of tormenting his brother further. Thor was no longer alone, and the mortals around him were proving unexpectedly troublesome. Instead, Loki turned his attention toward Jotunheim. If he moved quickly, before Odin awakened, he could eliminate Laufey, destroy the Frost Giants' realm through the Bifrost, and return as Asgard's unquestioned savior. Then even Odin would have no choice but to acknowledge him.
On Earth, Rowan watched Thor sitting on the ground, knees drawn in, staring at nothing. He nodded to Steve, who lifted Mjolnir with care, and suggested they return to town while waiting for Thor's allies to arrive.
Before they could leave, a battered RV pulled up beside them.
Three people stepped out. The woman in front froze when she saw Thor.
"Thor… are you okay?" Jane asked softly.
After they'd parted earlier, she hadn't been able to focus. Curiosity, and concern, had drawn her back. Erik Selvig had followed out of worry, with Darcy tagging along behind him.
"I'm fine," Thor said, forcing himself upright. He looked like something inside him had cracked. Any thought of regaining his power and repaying Jane's kindness felt impossibly distant now.
"Erik?" Bruce said suddenly.
"Bruce?" Erik blinked, then smiled in disbelief. "And Betty?"
Old colleagues recognized each other at once. Before Bruce's disappearance, they'd worked closely together. Life had simply… pulled them apart.
Then Darcy spotted Tony and Rowan.
"Oh my god. It's Iron Man. And you're that angel guy from Queens!" she shouted. "I saw the video last night!"
Rowan paused. Angel guy?
Before he could react, Darcy's eyes widened again. "Wait. You look like Captain America. And that shield—Captain America didn't die?"
Steve gave an awkward nod.
She turned to Logan. "And you are…?"
Logan grunted. "Figures."
Rowan waved everyone along. "Let's head back to town. We can talk properly there."
That evening, in Jane's rented house, they gathered around the table, Mjolnir resting quietly between them. Together, they pieced things apart until a shared conclusion emerged.
Rowan spoke for the group. "Odin didn't exile you to punish you. He's testing you. A king of Asgard can't rely on war to solve everything. Compassion matters. Restraint matters. When you understand that, the hammer may answer you again."
Thor frowned. "Then why could he lift it?" He pointed at Steve.
"Because he embodies those ideals," Rowan said simply. "Selflessness. Integrity. A willingness to sacrifice without seeking glory."
Thor gestured toward the others. "Then why not them?"
Tony turned his head away. Bruce followed suit. Betty pretended to examine the table.
Rowan smiled faintly. "No one is flawless. Not me either."
"I disagree," Tony said dryly. "I consider myself very noble."
"People who are noble don't usually announce it," Darcy blurted out, then clapped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry!"
Laughter rippled through the room.
Thor stared at Mjolnir, troubled. "I do feel… different. Less eager for war. But I still don't understand my father's lesson."
"That's fine," Rowan said smoothly. "Steve teaches at my school. You could stay with us for a while. Learn from him. There's another professor there too. Charles. He's good at helping people understand themselves."
Thor considered it seriously.
Tony smirked. "Thunder guy, read War and Peace. Might help."
Thor immediately turned to Jane. "Do you have this book?"
She hesitated. "Not here, but Darcy's tablet—"
"No," Darcy said quickly. "I'm watching shows tonight. The bookstore in town has it. Tomorrow."
As the room settled into easy chatter, Rowan watched quietly.
Tomorrow, the Destroyer would arrive.
But far away, in Asgard, events were already shifting beyond his expectations.
"Stand down, Heimdall," Loki commanded coldly.
Before Heimdall could react, frost surged from the Casket of Ancient Winters, encasing him in ice. Loki raised the Eternal Spear and opened the Bifrost himself, allowing Laufey, king of the Frost Giants, to step onto Asgardian soil.
The game had begun earlier than planned.