He knew that blocking was worse than channeling.
Only by letting her create her own desires with her own hands, then destroy them with her own hands, could she truly walk out of the shadows of the past.
Through repeated cycles of creation and destruction, Wanda gradually learned how to face her own heart.
She stopped running. She stopped being afraid.
She began to understand that power itself has no good or evil. What matters is the heart that wields it.
Her feelings toward Cloud also underwent a fundamental change during these daily soul-guidance sessions.
He was no longer merely the man who had saved her.
He was more like a teacher, a guide, a harbor she could completely trust and rely upon in this world.
The way she looked at Cloud was filled with a young girl's hero worship, a student's reverence for a mentor, and a love that had almost merged into her very soul.
...
A training regimen filled with mutual growth for a spy.
A course of soul-healing magic guidance.
Cloud, this "retired Sovereign" from another world, was simultaneously conquering two women of completely different personalities but equal charm—using his unique and utterly unreasonable methods.
The penthouse of Stark Tower had quietly become his most fortified, and most dangerous, battlefield.
...
While Cloud was enjoying his "decadent" lifestyle at the top of Stark Tower—surrounded by beauties and playing teacher—
At the other end of the universe, the Rainbow Bridge that spanned the Nine Realms blazed with light.
Thor, escorting his dejected brother Loki—who looked as if all his vitality had been drained—along with the Tesseract sealed in a special container, finally returned to their homeland: Asgard.
The magnificent golden palace remained as grand and imposing as ever.
The loyal, valiant Asgardian warriors remained as fearsome as always.
But Thor's mood couldn't have been less cheerful.
His trip to Earth had been a complete "worldview reconstruction tour."
First, he'd been fought to a standstill by a mortal in a tin can.
Then, a mysterious man named Cloud had appeared from nowhere and nearly made him wet his pants with a bizarre black flame capable of leveling mountains.
What frustrated him most was that this man had treated the whole thing like watching an amusing circus performance.
His venomously witty commentary, transmitted through the comms, had stabbed directly into his heart.
"Physical lightning?"
"Weaker than a woman's?"
"Muscles growing into your brain?"
The more Thor thought about it, the angrier he got. Mjolnir began crackling with electrical sparks.
He, the Prince of Asgard, future King of the Gods, Son of Odin, Master of Thunder!
Had been looked down upon by a mortal (at least, he looked mortal)?
And looked down upon so thoroughly he couldn't even argue back!
This was worse than admitting Loki was smarter than him!
"My child, you have returned."
An aged, majestic voice tinged with weariness interrupted Thor's self-doubt.
Odin, the All-Father, stood before the throne leaning on Gungnir, his eternal spear, watching him quietly.
"Father." Thor immediately set aside all emotion, dropping to one knee in the standard Asgardian salute.
"Rise." Odin's gaze lingered briefly on the dispirited Loki, a complex emotion flickering across his face, before settling on Thor.
"It seems your journey to Midgard was quite... eventful."
"Father, I..." Thor wanted to say something but didn't know where to begin.
Should he mention nearly being defeated by a mortal?
Or nearly being melted along with his hammer by black flames?
It was too humiliating!
"You met an interesting person, did you not?" Odin seemed to see through his thoughts.
"You... knew?" Thor was startled.
"Within the Nine Realms, nothing escapes my eye." Odin's tone carried the confidence and pride befitting the King of the Gods.
He slowly walked back to his throne and sat down.
"Before your return, I observed everything that transpired on Midgard through Yggdrasil, the World Tree."
"The man called Cloud... is special."
"Special?" Thor's brow furrowed.
In his view, that man wasn't just "special"—he was a monster!
"Yes, special." A weight settled into Odin's single eye. "He bears no trace of fate upon him. The branches of the World Tree cannot reflect his past, nor predict his future. He is like a variable appearing from nowhere, a ghost that doesn't belong to this universe."
"I attempted to use divine power to perceive his true nature."
Odin paused here, and an expression rarely seen on his face—lingering fear—appeared.
He closed his single eye, as if recalling that unforgettable psychic encounter from not long ago.
...
Just a few hours earlier.
While Cloud was enjoying Natasha's massage in Stark Tower's hot spring pool—
Odin, far away in Asgard, had already locked onto this "anomaly" through the World Tree.
Sitting on his throne, he tapped Gungnir lightly against the floor.
A vast, boundless force—the Odin-force, fusing the laws of the Nine Realms—activated instantly!
His divine consciousness crossed endless space like the most skilled hacker, infiltrating Earth, infiltrating Stark Tower, attempting to analyze Cloud's "soul code."
At first, everything went smoothly.
His consciousness easily penetrated Stark Tower's physical defenses and bypassed the seemingly casual "aura" surrounding Cloud's body.
He "saw" Cloud's body.
A physique that appeared ordinary, but whose every cell contained explosive energy—a perfect vessel.
Interesting, Odin thought. Seems like some kind of... ultimate biological modification.
He pressed deeper.
Attempting to peer into Cloud's "soul."
...
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