Marvel: AS A PRINCE IN ASGARD

Although the passage of time on Sakaar is notoriously chaotic, its distortions are extreme even by cosmic standards. Time flows unpredictably—sometimes accelerating, sometimes slowing—relative to the outside universe. When Thor and Loki were ejected from the Bifrost, mere seconds had passed in Asgard, yet by the time they reunited on Sakaar, weeks had elapsed. This represents a staggering time dilation ratio of approximately 180,000 to 1.

In practical terms, five hundred years in the outside universe might amount to a single day on Sakaar. Conversely, if just one day were to pass on Sakaar, five hundred years could elapse beyond its atmosphere. The temporal fluctuations of the planet are largely assessed through the "Eyes of the Devil"—a reference to the Grandmaster, Sakaar's ruler, whose knowledge of time's irregularities allows him to exploit them for his own amusement.

The debris that constantly rains down from the countless wormholes scattered across Sakaar's skies is a testament to this time distortion. Items and people that enter through these portals often take an inordinately long time to fall, further proving that time on Sakaar moves at a drastically different pace compared to the wider cosmos. For instance, during Ragna's extended stay on Sakaar, the wormholes ceaselessly spewed mountains of refuse—starship wreckage, discarded technology, and even unfortunate beings swallowed by cosmic anomalies. He quickly deduced that time was creeping unbearably slow compared to the outside world, and he was desperate to escape.

But when he finally succeeded… a thousand years had passed in the rest of the universe.

Sighing at the immense loss of time, Ragna wasted no energy lamenting. After verifying the galactic calendar, he immediately set course for Earth. His voyage took more than ten days of continuous space-hopping, but eventually, he arrived.

At that moment, a starship drifted stealthily beyond Earth's orbit, hidden from detection. Within the vessel resided a group of aging Skrull refugees, sheltered by the rogue Kree scientist Mar-Vell. Yet, the ship also harbored something far more valuable—a cosmic artifact of immeasurable power. The Tesseract, containing the Space Stone, lay concealed aboard.

If Ragna could secure the Space Stone before pivotal events unfolded, he could potentially prevent untold disasters from ever occurring.

Upon arriving on Earth in early 1995, Ragna found himself with ample time. He took the opportunity to explore Midgard, bringing his companion, Varina, along to indulge in earthly delicacies rarely found in Asgard. Their dynamic had shifted—no longer just master and servant, but something deeper, though undefined.

Despite Asgard's advanced civilization, blending magic and technology, its culinary culture remained archaic, still largely bound to medieval traditions. If Asgardian food were any less palatable, Ragna doubted he would have survived to adulthood.

While indulging in Midgard's offerings, he discreetly observed Nick Fury from the shadows, refracting light around himself and Varina to remain unseen. He had no intention of intervening in Fury's affairs—neither the man nor S.H.I.E.L.D. held any significance to someone of Ragna's stature. Instead, he was waiting for Carol Danvers to appear.

Her return to Earth would mark a critical moment—he needed her ship's coordinates.

Ragna had already scoured Earth's orbital space but found nothing. The Skrulls aboard Mar-Vell's ship either obeyed orders with absolute discipline, or the Kree's cloaking technology was far superior to expectations. Days of meticulous searching yielded nothing except rumors of an unidentified object lurking in Earth's orbit.

Then, finally, the moment arrived—Carol Danvers plummeted from the sky.

Outside a Blockbuster Video store, Ragna and Varina remained invisible, observing as Nick Fury and Carol Danvers exchanged words. The story was now in motion.

"Can you believe that square-faced woman harbors an incomprehensible power within her?" Ragna murmured, his gaze fixed on the future Captain Marvel.

A complicated expression crossed his face. After being infused with the Space Stone's energy, Carol had not only absorbed its power—she had bonded with it. She could channel its raw energy instinctively, granting her the potential to rival, or even surpass, Thanos without the Infinity Stones.

The power gap at the fourth-tier level was immense. Some ascended to the rank of All-Fathers, shaping the fate of galaxies. Others, despite their might, fell short—like Thor, who, even after his "awakening," struggled against Hela.

If fourth-tier beings were ranked in specific levels:

• "Awakened" Thor, unarmed, was on the lower end.

• With Mjolnir or Stormbreaker, he reached a stable fourth-tier combat strength.

• Throughout the universe, many relics existed that amplified power significantly.

• Laufey, King of Jotunheim, wielded the Casket of Ancient Winters, powerful enough to gouge out one of Odin's eyes.

Ragna, having recently ascended to fourth-tier divine power, could now harness a fraction of solar energy. He had reached standard fourth-tier strength but still required time to refine his abilities.

Meanwhile, Hela, upon being freed from her millennia-long imprisonment, immediately displayed fourth-tier combat prowess—an exceedingly rare feat. A single one of her full-powered strikes could obliterate a star.

Thanos, without Infinity Stones, stood at a high fourth-tier level. His sheer dominance over the cosmos had earned him the title "Mad Titan"—a warlord who dictated terms to empires, obliterating half the lives of entire civilizations at will.

Carol, once freed from the Kree's constraints, alongside the Ancient One, who wielded the Time Stone, approached the upper limits of fourth-tier power. Beyond that threshold, they would enter the realm of "Heavenly Father-tier"—where cosmic titans like Odin, Zeus, and the Celestials reigned supreme.

The Infinity Stones were simply too powerful.

"How is this possible?" Varina scrutinized Carol with disbelief.

The Kree Empire's elite Starforce soldiers were equipped with Universal Weapons and advanced space armor, but none could rival Ragna in raw power. If mere Kree equipment could create such a powerhouse, the Kree Empire would have long since conquered the entire universe, not just been one of its dominant factions.

"You don't understand." Ragna's tone was grave. "Her strength doesn't come from her armor. In fact, that suit is a limiter, not an amplifier."

He turned to face Varina. "The source of her power is why I left the Reincarnation Pool and came to Midgard."

He fixed her with a serious gaze.

"No more drinking. Whether you obtain this power or not, I will begin my journey."

Varina blinked in surprise.

"Your strength is still too low. I don't want you to meet your end in some forgotten corner of the universe."

"Until you reach third-tier divine power, you are forbidden from drinking. You must focus on training. I will help you however I can."

Varina—Ragna's first and most loyal servant—had already crossed countless battlefields with him. In their long travels together, they had shared moments that likely should not have happened.

But no matter their relationship, Ragna refused to let her die.

"Okay, okay, I get it." Varina sighed, nodding. She never disobeyed Ragna when he spoke in this tone.

Then, in an attempt to change the subject, she pointed at Nick Fury.

"That black Midgardian looks weird. His hair is awful."

Ragna smirked slightly.

"He'll be bald soon," he said knowingly. "And he'll lose an eye."

His expression grew contemplative. Why hadn't the Ancient One intervened yet?

Had the Sorcerer Supreme sensed his presence? Or was she simply waiting for something…?