Marvel: AS A PRINCE IN ASGARD

As the agreed time arrived, Ragna activated the power of the Space Gem, tearing open an unstable space portal. Whether traveling through this passage would be comfortable or not was of no concern to him. The Tesseract, after all, was originally designed as an Asgardian relic—meant to be wielded by those capable of stabilizing its power, not for mere mortals or lesser beings.

On the other side of the cosmos, Thanos sensed the fluctuation and gave Loki a meaningful glance. Loki, ever the opportunist, smirked slightly before taking the Mind Scepter and stepping into the wormhole without hesitation.

As Loki vanished into the rift, Ebony Maw, the most cunning and devoted of the Black Order, turned to his master.

"My great Lord, you would entrust your treasure to him so freely?" Ebony Maw's voice was smooth and persuasive. "Loki is, after all, the God of Lies and Mischief. What if he fails to uphold his end of the bargain?"

For a moment, Thanos did not respond, his gaze fixed beyond the horizon. Ragna's words still lingered in his mind. The so-called Mad Titan, the great equalizer of the universe, had long sought balance. Yet, doubt gnawed at him.

Once, he had culled half the population of a barren, war-torn planet, believing it would lead to prosperity. He had returned centuries later, only to find the world crumbling—its remaining survivors squandering resources in reckless desperation. Fear, not order, had driven them to destruction.

Balance was fleeting. Order was an illusion.

And so, Thanos had adapted. He no longer took half—he took three-quarters. The longer the balance lasted, the better. If the universe could not sustain itself, he would ensure it endured, even if it required more drastic measures.

Now, however, his golden eyes glowed with quiet certainty.

"Loki is weak," he said, his deep voice unwavering. "Odin is old, and Asgard no longer stands as it once did. He cannot protect the boy, nor will he bother to. Loki knows what awaits him should he fail. He will not escape his fate."

His words carried the weight of an unshakable conviction. Even with the Mind Scepter and the Tesseract, Loki was insignificant in Thanos' eyes. The Infinity Stones were only as powerful as the ones who wielded them. And Loki—desperate, vain, and craving validation—was nothing more than a pawn.

With that, Thanos turned away, his grand design still in motion. He gestured for Ebony Maw to follow. Their next destination: Nidavellir.

Ragna and Loki: The Exchange

The unstable wormhole spat Loki out in an unceremonious tumble. He hit the ground hard but quickly recovered, brushing off his dark green robes with feigned grace.

Loki scowled, glaring at Ragna.

"My dear brother," he drawled, forcing a smirk, "for someone with such divine power, I must say—your space channeling abilities leave much to be desired. I was beginning to wonder if I'd arrive in Midgard as half a god."

His joke fell flat. Ragna merely regarded him with cold amusement, his gaze drifting toward the Mind Scepter in Loki's grip.

Loki hesitated.

He wasn't foolish. He knew the difference in strength between them. Whatever he thought of himself, he was no match for Ragna. In truth, he had never been in control of this game.

Sighing, he relented. With a forced smile, Loki extended the Mind Scepter as a gesture of goodwill.

"My dear brother," he said smoothly, "I have upheld my end of the agreement. I trust you will honor yours?"

Ragna took the scepter, turning it over in his hands. He didn't remove the Mind Gem from its setting—not yet.

Even with his command over divine energy, he could not yet harness multiple Infinity Gems simultaneously. He needed the artifact that was still being forged. Only through that creation could he wield their combined power safely.

Loki, growing restless, hovered near Ragna, watching him study the scepter.

Finally, Ragna looked up, his expression unreadable.

"Do not worry," he said, his voice smooth yet unsettling. "I will fulfill my end of the deal."

He let the words linger before adding, "In five days, I will open the portal for the Chitauri fleet."

Relief washed over Loki's features. He had no reason to doubt Ragna's word.

Now, he only had to wait.

S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Hunt for the Tesseract

Inside a high-tech command center, the glow of computer screens cast an eerie blue light across the room. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. frantically analyzed incoming data.

A sudden energy surge—brief but unmistakable—had just registered on their instruments.

A young agent, eyes wide, turned to his superior.

"Director Fury! We've detected another massive energy reaction! The duration was short, but it was definitely consistent with Tesseract activity!"

Nick Fury's one good eye narrowed. He knew what this meant.

"Find it," he ordered, his voice sharp. "Even if we can't pinpoint the exact location, lock in the general vicinity and sweep the area. If anyone's using the Tesseract, they need a high-tech lab to stabilize its energy. Check every facility, every abnormal energy signature—leave nothing unchecked."

He turned to the assembled Avengers.

"We cannot afford to let the Tesseract fall into the wrong hands. HYDRA once tried to use it to conquer the world. Now, someone else is trying again."

His words hit their mark.

Steve Rogers clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. He had fought against HYDRA before—he had seen firsthand what they were capable of with the Tesseract's power.

"We can't let history repeat itself," Cap said firmly.

On the other hand, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner exchanged knowing glances, neither as enthusiastic as their patriotic teammate.

Tony yawned, stretching lazily.

"Yeah, yeah, world-ending threats, alien artifacts, all that. Look, Fury, just remind me—are we actually the good guys here?"

Bruce chuckled, shaking his head.

It wasn't that they wanted chaos. But something about S.H.I.E.L.D.—and their obsession with controlling powerful forces—rubbed them the wrong way.

What was the real goal? Was it protecting the world? Or was it monopolizing power?

Hulk. The Tesseract. Even the Avengers themselves.

Were they truly weapons for peace? Or just weapons?

The Church of the New God

Across the city, inside a grand temple adorned with statues and divine iconography, Ragna sat in quiet contemplation.

He had been on Midgard longer than expected. Yet, instead of weakening him, he felt his soul evolving.

It was strange. Being here had sharpened his control over the solar force and the Space Gem. His understanding of cosmic energy had grown.

But before he could dwell further, he sensed unwanted visitors outside.

A smirk played on his lips.

The Avengers had arrived.

Perhaps with HYDRA's help. Perhaps with the Skrulls' interference. Either way, it didn't matter.

He turned to Loki, amusement in his eyes.

"The appointed time has come."

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