The immense power of the Aether couldn't be destroyed by ordinary means. Ultimately, the Aether was buried deep underground, effectively sealed away to prevent misuse of this overwhelming weapon.
As for the exact location underground, Syd wasn't sure. He knew only that the Aether was hidden in a spatial rift on Earth, accessible only during the convergence of the Nine Realms.
While pondering this, Syd began searching for Jane.
Since he had previously kept an eye on her, it didn't take long for him to find Jane at work.
Instead of revealing himself, Syd used Jane's friend, Daisy, to guide her.
In the studio:
"What's this?" Jane asked, puzzled, as she looked at the device Daisy handed her.
The device, about the size of a palm, was beeping incessantly and displaying some strange data.
"Is it malfunctioning?" Jane asked, tapping the device on the table, trying to fix it.
"I tried that already, but it didn't help. I thought you might use a more scientific approach…" Daisy shrugged.
A few hours later, Jane, Daisy, and a male intern were at a location they had pinpointed.
It was an enormous, abandoned shipping company site, overgrown with weeds and damp, clearly neglected for a long time.
"Is it here...?" Syd, floating a few meters above and invisible, observed the three entering the site with curiosity.
Without much thought, he followed them into the site.
Due to his optical invisibility, Jane and Daisy, two ordinary people, couldn't see him.
Syd watched as they searched the abandoned site. Soon, they made an interesting discovery: the gravity in this area seemed off.
A discarded car, parked in the dimly lit warehouse, floated upward when Daisy accidentally touched it.
"Oh my God…" The astonishing sight left them speechless.
Syd, unfazed by their shock, contemplated briefly before flying to a stairwell.
Instead of flying directly up, Syd walked up the stairs.
On the third floor, he tossed a gray stone down the stairs.
The stone fell rapidly, but Syd didn't hear it hit the ground. It vanished mid-air and reappeared from above, repeatedly cycling through the fall and disappearance.
"There's definitely something wrong with the space here…"
Syd, perceptive as ever, sensed the abnormal spatial fluctuations.
However, he wondered if arriving too early was the issue, as the spatial fluctuations seemed weak.
Normally, when objects were thrown downstairs, they would disappear through a rift and reappear elsewhere. Now, regardless of how he threw the stone, it only appeared from above.
Syd worried that being too early might prevent him from accessing the space where the Aether was located.
After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head.
"If this doesn't work, I'll try using spatial transfer or the Tesseract later. I'll find a way to reach that place."
As he thought, he heard footsteps approaching from nearby. It was Jane and the others.
After a while, Jane noticed the data on the device fluctuating wildly, accompanied by constant beeping.
This situation reminded her of a previous experience when Thor arrived through the Bifrost, displaying similar readings.
Instinctively, she started searching for the most unusual location based on the device's data.
Watching her closely, Syd reflected, "I remember the entrance to the Aether's space being somewhere else."
If he followed Jane, he should be able to reach that place.
However…
While following her, Syd pondered a troubling question.
He recalled that Jane had been blown into that place by a strange wind.
This location was poorly ventilated, and it seemed odd for such a powerful wind to move an adult.
Clearly, some force was operating behind the scenes!
"Is it a Dark Elf, or the Aether's power?"
Syd frowned, leaning towards the Aether's power.
He was nearly certain that Infinity Stones likely had some form of consciousness, choosing their own wielders, or even backfiring on them…
Although they might have some awareness, they probably couldn't exert much power without a user…
As he contemplated, he saw that Jane had arrived at the location.
The device in her hand was beeping incessantly. Suddenly, a strange wind appeared, pushing her forward despite the presence of windows all around.
In mere seconds, she passed through an invisible layer of space and vanished.
Seeing this, Syd was almost certain of his suspicions.
Without hesitation, he followed Jane, attempting to pass through the invisible space.
However, to his surprise, although he could sense the spatial anomalies, he couldn't pass through.
Syd sneered, dismissing the issue.
He pulled out the Tesseract, wrapped in cloth, from his waist.
In the next moment, the Tesseract glowed with blue light.
The previously slight spatial rift suddenly fluctuated intensely.
With the Tesseract's powerful spatial capabilities, the rift opened like rippling water, revealing a dark environment.
Clearly, the Tesseract had forcefully breached the space!
Syd glanced at the dark interior and silently stepped inside.
Inside the dim space, Jane, panicked and calling Daisy's name, was disoriented.
She noticed a large rectangular stone in the distance. Red light flickered from the stone's crevices, with some red liquid flowing through them.
Unable to resist her curiosity, Jane approached the stone.
As soon as she got close, she was pulled towards the stone, and the red liquid began to seep into her body.
Seeing this, Jane was terrified.
Just as she thought things were dire, a layer of red energy shielded her.
"What is this?"
Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching.
Turning instinctively, she saw a mysterious figure in black clothing walking towards her.
Jane was left in shock.
End of Chapter