Asgard.
Inside a room, four well-dressed warriors of the palace gathered.
A tall, anxious man was pacing back and forth. A large, overweight man was busy stuffing food into his mouth.
Suddenly, the pacing man stopped angrily in front of the large man, flipping over the plate of food and shouting at him:
"Our dearest friend has been banished, Loki has taken the throne, Asgard is on the brink of war, and yet you can still eat four wild boars, six pheasants, a large slab of beef, and two barrels of beer? It's shameful! Do you even care?"
The large man, enraged, stood up and shouted back:
"Don't think that just because I'm a big eater, I don't have a heart!"
"Enough of the shouting, both of you!"
The only woman among them shouted loudly.
She and an Asian warrior pulled the two apart.
"We know what to do!"
She said in a low voice to the others.
"We need to leave quickly!"
The Asian warrior added.
The four looked at each other.
"We need to find Thor."
He continued.
The anxious man hesitated. "This is treason!"
The large man snorted in defiance: "Who cares about treason? This is suicide!"
The woman warrior quietly observed her companions.
"Thor would do the same for us."
Silence fell among them.
Indeed, if it were them in trouble, Thor would stop at nothing to find and help them.
Suddenly, the large man, as if remembering something, covered his mouth and whispered:
"We need to be quiet. Heimdall might be watching us."
Right on cue, the door opened, and a soldier appeared.
"Heimdall wishes to see you."
The four exchanged worried looks.
After a long pause, the large man muttered, "We're doomed."
...
"You dare rebel against Loki, our king? You've broken your warrior's oath and committed treason to save Thor?"
Heimdall stood above them, his tone icy.
"Yes," the female warrior answered without hesitation.
"Very well."
To their surprise, Heimdall didn't punish them but stepped down from his platform.
"Will you help us then?" The female warrior's heart stirred, and she asked Heimdall.
Heimdall walked past them and out of the hall.
"I am loyal to the kingdom. I cannot open the Bifrost for you."
With that, Heimdall left.
"That guy's tough to deal with, huh?" The anxious man grumbled.
"So, what do we do now?" The large man was out of ideas.
The woman warrior, watching Heimdall's retreating figure, grew suspicious.
He didn't punish them, but he didn't help either. What was his intention?
Could it be...
She looked up.
Sure enough, the sword controlling the Bifrost was still in place.
"Look!" she excitedly tapped her companions on the shoulders, pointing towards the sword. "We can go now!"
With that, she moved forward, and the others gathered around her.
Activating the sword, the four were instantly transformed into beams of light, shooting out from Asgard to distant lands.
A flash of light, and the four found themselves standing on a mysterious pattern in a barren wilderness.
"Are we here?" The large man looked around, confused.
"Seems like it," the woman warrior surveyed the surroundings.
"Let's head this way."
The four began their journey toward Thor's location.
After a long walk, they spotted a small town.
Ignoring the curious stares from the locals and the unfamiliar sights, they headed straight for Thor.
Finally, they reached a glass door, and through it, they saw Thor.
Excited, they rushed forward, knocking on the glass and shouting in unison, "We found you!"
Thor turned, a look of joy crossing his face.
They embraced one by one, then studied each other.
"You actually came!" Thor said excitedly.
"What do you mean, 'actually'?" The female warrior asked, puzzled.
"Nothing. How's my father?" Thor asked, his face bright with an old smile.
"Your father has fallen back into his slumber."
Thor nodded, as if expecting this.
"Who are these people?" Jane, standing nearby, asked, wide-eyed.
"My friends," Thor smiled.
"This is Lady Sif and the Warriors Three."
The large man smiled and added, "And this is Jane, and that's Lynch."
Thor introduced the four warriors to Jane.
Lynch smiled politely.
"So, why are you here?" Thor asked, confused.
"We came to bring you home," the large man said, excited.
"I can't go back now..." Thor's face darkened.
"I've been banished by my father, and Loki's sitting on the throne..."
"That's all Loki's trick! You have to return and reclaim the throne!" The large man said defiantly.
"Guys, if we're going to chat, make it quick. Something big is coming,"Lynch interjected.
Thor, who had wanted to say more, shook his head and turned to Jane and Lynch.
"You two should leave."
Not long ago, Lynch had informed him of the arrival of the Warriors Three and Lady Sif.
And of course, along with them came the Destroyer.
The Destroyer was a big deal. Odin had once worn it to fight the Celestials.
The Celestials were powerful, single entities, and Odin had used the Destroyer to battle them, showing its immense strength.
Although its portrayal in the movie was weak, that was due to the plot.
First, the Destroyer was being remotely controlled by Loki, who wasn't exactly skilled. Second, Thor only knocked it down with lightning; he didn't destroy it.
So Lynch had already told Thor that he wouldn't help fight the Destroyer.
This was his trial. How could Thor grow without a beating?
How could he be reborn by lightning if he wasn't almost destroyed?
If Lynch were to punch the Destroyer out cold, Thor wouldn't have anything to do!
That's why Thor wanted Lynch to take Jane away, to avoid accidental harm.
"I'm not leaving!" Jane stubbornly held her head high.
"If you're staying, then so am I!"
"Fine, I'll protect her. Don't worry." Lynch sighed.
He regretted not bringing Natasha along; he was getting bombarded with their sweet moments.
"What are you talking about? Who else is coming?" The large man asked, puzzled.
"Yes," Thor's eyes sharpened, and he glanced at the four warriors.
"You should return to Asgard!"
"Why?" Sif asked.
"If you're facing an enemy, we should stay and fight!" The anxious man added.
"No." Thor shook his head.
"This is my trial. I must face it."
As they spoke, a powerful storm began to roll in from the distance.
Everyone turned to look.
"It's here."