****
After calming Thor down, Link piloted the ship back to New York and landed off the coast. He quickly notified Stark before using the Space Stone to transport himself, Thor, and Jane Foster to Asgard's Bifrost Bridge. Respecting Asgard's customs, Link didn't appear directly inside the palace, knowing that doing so might cause issues.
Thor, holding Jane, immediately flew towards the palace, while Link paused to greet Heimdall before following. The reason for Link's visit was strategic: he knew the Dark Elves were already awakening and preparing an assault on Asgard. His goal was to prevent their plans, and he came alone without other Avengers to showcase his own formidable strength.
In Asgard, power was respected above all else, and Link intended to demonstrate his might to gain their respect. While the people of Earth valued his intelligence, in the cosmic realms, strength was the ultimate currency. Thor, already aware of Link's immense abilities, had promised to keep them secret, even if he didn't fully understand them.
Upon reaching the palace, Asgardians employed their unique soul forge technology to examine Jane. Link was familiar with the device but didn't know how to operate it, as Asgard's science evolved differently from Earth's. Asgardians had an average lifespan of five thousand years—something beyond Earth's current capabilities, a result of their civilization's advanced evolution. In Link's understanding, this longevity was a product of a significant evolutionary leap, something humanity could only achieve through long-term technological progress.
Human lifespans had gradually increased with advancements in science and medicine, but it would take more time to reach the limits of human biology. After that, further evolution would be necessary to extend life even further, something that could not be artificially accelerated. There were some exceptions, such as Peggy Carter, whom Link was currently studying. He was working on a gene therapy for her involving super-soldier serum and a bit of dragonbone to help her body undergo a major transformation.
Link knew it was a risky endeavor; given Peggy's advanced age, any treatment had to be administered with extreme caution. One misstep could be fatal, and Link wasn't prepared to bear that responsibility.
---
Suddenly, Odin, the Allfather, entered the room. "Link, welcome back to Asgard."
"Honorable Allfather," Link respectfully greeted, before getting straight to the point. "This woman, as you likely know, has something strange within her. Our scans have shown that its energy matches that of the Tesseract."
He paused and showed Odin his ring, where the Space Stone was embedded. "In other words, it's another Infinity Stone in disguise."
Odin's expression grew serious as he approached Jane and placed his hand over her arm. After a brief moment, he declared, "This is the Aether, the Reality Stone."
With a wave of his hand, he deactivated the soul forge and gestured for them to follow. Thor carried Jane as they followed Odin to a chamber adorned with historical murals. From there, Odin retrieved a book and began explaining the history of the Dark Elves, who had once wielded the Aether in their attempt to plunge the Nine Realms into eternal darkness. Asgard had defeated them and hidden the Aether away, but now, with the imminent celestial event of the Convergence, the Aether had re-emerged.
Odin explained that the Aether had parasitic properties, draining the host's life force.
Curious, Link asked, "If all six Infinity Stones possess infinite energy, why does the Aether need to drain life force?"
Odin shook his head. "No one truly knows. The Infinity Stones were born alongside the universe, and very few truly understand their nature. Perhaps Malekith, leader of the Dark Elves, has some insight into its mysteries."
Thor urgently asked, "Father, is there a way to extract the Aether from her?"
Odin sighed. "No, only Malekith can do that. The Aether belongs to him."
Link considered this and proposed, "What if someone with a stronger life force were nearby? Could that lure the Aether out?"
Odin hesitated but eventually nodded. "It's worth a try. I hadn't considered that."
"I'll do it," Thor volunteered bravely.
But Link intervened. "Let me handle this. I'm stronger than you."
Thor looked at him in disbelief, but Link turned back to Odin and asked, "Do you have any methods we could try?"
Odin agreed. "Follow me."
They returned to the soul forge chamber. Odin instructed the attendants to set up a second machine next to the first. "We'll attempt to use molecular energy to coax the Aether into making a choice."
"And if it fails..." Odin trailed off, the consequences obvious.
Link nodded in understanding. "We'll give it a shot. Jane's life energy isn't strong enough to satisfy the Aether, so it might work."
Soon, a second soul forge was ready, and Link lay inside it. The Asgardians activated the machines, manipulating Link's molecular energy, which was exceptionally vibrant—an indicator of his immense life force.
Everyone held their breath as they waited for the Aether to respond.
Finally, the red Aether particles began to emerge from Jane's body, drawn towards Link. They floated through the air, moving slowly at first, then rapidly gathering around Link's hand. The Aether swirled around him, but it was unable to penetrate his body.
With a sudden motion, Link closed his fist around the Aether, gripping it tightly. A faint crackling sound filled the air, like glass shattering. Red dust floated around him before condensing into a solid, red stone in the palm of his hand.
"We did it!" Thor exclaimed, elated.
(End of Chapter)