For Odin, the removal of a being like Dormammu, a cosmic predator that endlessly sought to devour reality, was unquestionably good news.
Add to that Rowan Mercer's promise to deal with the lingering Dark Elf threat, and the decision became easy.
Five thousand years earlier, Odin's father Bor had led Asgard's armies against the Dark Elves, defeating them and sealing away the Aether, the artifact later known as the Reality Stone. Their king, Malekith, escaped with the remnants of his people and vanished into deep space.
Malekith was broken.
But broken enemies were still enemies.
Odin's remaining years were limited. Thor had not yet reached the stage where he could fully wield divine power without Mjolnir. And when Odin eventually fell, Hela's prison would weaken.
There were too many unfinished dangers.
So lending the Infinity Gauntlet was not charity.
It was an investment.
Two Asgardian guards in golden armor soon entered the hall, carrying a long, ornate case. Inside rested the Infinity Gauntlet, forged long ago by the dwarves at Odin's command.
Rowan accepted it, then stored it away within his personal dimensional space.
"The surviving Dark Elves are hiding in space not far from Svartalfheim," Rowan said. "I'm heading there to draw them out. Would you like to come?"
The invitation was deliberate. Rowan wanted Odin to know that he did not take without giving.
Odin shook his head.
"I will remain here. Let Thor and Loki go with you."
With a thought, Odin signaled Heimdall to recall both princes to the palace.
Asgard was safest when Odin remained on the throne. Unless absolutely necessary, he did not leave its borders.
"That works," Rowan replied.
Loki had changed.
Since becoming king of the Frost Giants, he no longer obsessed over Asgard's throne. With Frigga's guidance, his relationship with Odin and Thor had slowly healed.
Thor, on the other hand, spent most of his time on Earth with Jane.
They were married now.
Asgardian physiology differed greatly from that of humans, which made conception difficult. But after Thor sought Rowan's help, Jane's body had been subtly altered to resemble Asgardian biology.
Her lifespan had lengthened.
Her hidden cancer had been cured.
And she was now pregnant.
No shortcuts. No replacements. Just careful, precise modification.
Five minutes later, Thor strode into the hall, Mjolnir hanging from his wrist.
"Rowan! I thought you'd be locked in some basement lab again," he said with a grin.
Rowan smiled. "How's Jane?"
"Great. Healthy. In about two and a half years, we'll have a child," Thor said proudly. "They're calling you godfather."
Asgardian pregnancies lasted roughly three years.
Loki arrived a step behind Thor, deliberately positioning himself where Thor's broad frame blocked most of Rowan from view.
He had not forgotten past humiliations.
Becoming Frost Giant King had not closed the gap.
If anything, Rowan now felt even more terrifying.
And now he was supposedly planning to hunt Dormammu.
Loki knew what that meant.
Even Odin required Asgard's full power to resist a dimensional demon.
Rowan drew a line through the air.
Space folded open.
A portal to Svartalfheim formed inside the Golden Palace.
Loki's pupils shrank.
Casting a portal across realms was nearly impossible even on Earth.
Inside Asgard, where Odin's power, Yggdrasil's influence, and layered spatial defenses saturated reality?
Only the Bifrost should work.
Yet Rowan had done it casually.
Was he already beyond Odin?
Thor didn't dwell on such questions.
He stepped through the portal immediately.
Loki hesitated, glanced at Odin.
Odin nodded once.
So Loki followed.
After the portal closed, Frigga turned to Odin.
"You rarely include Loki in missions like this."
Odin smiled faintly.
"I should have done so more often."
Regret lingered behind the words.
Frigga reached for his hand.
"I think he'll understand."
Svartalfheim was a dead world.
The scars of ancient war still covered its surface. No wind. No wildlife. No light beyond distant stars.
Rowan emerged with Thor and Loki onto the barren ground.
He produced the Aether.
The Reality Stone's crimson essence pulsed within its containment.
Without hesitation, Rowan released the seal.
Red energy unfurled into the air like living smoke.
The bait was set.