The Guardian chosen by the Moon

The icy wind swept across the dark rocks of Svartalfheim as we stood atop a cliff, silently watching Malekith's massive ship slowly descend from the sky. His army of Dark Elves aligned below, theirebony armor faintly gleaming under the reddish glow of the stormy sky. The air was thick with tension and anticipation.

But I didn't stay put. I knew Loki's plan. I knew it was all a deception. So, I let the wind carry meabove the clouds, rising above the battlefield to observe. From up here, I watched, ready to strike the moment things went wrong.

Thor glanced at Loki before unlocking his shackles. The metal fell with a sharp clang. Loki rolled his wrists before raising an amused eyebrow at Thor.

"You trust me?" he asked with a smirk.

Thor stared at him for a moment before replying, "And you? Do you trust yourself?"

Loki gave a twisted grin and shook his head. "Not in the slightest."

Without warning, he pulled a dagger from his cloak and plunged it into Thor's side. I clenched my teeth as the God of Thunder staggered from the pain. But Loki didn't stop there.

With a vicious kick, he sent Thor rolling onto the rocky ground. Thor groaned, barely lifting himself up before Loki lunged at him, striking him in the face, then again in the stomach.

"You've always been blind, brother," Loki murmured, grabbing Thor by the hair and pulling him up forcefully. "You never see beyond your own pride."

Thor looked at him, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "And you've always loved talking too much."

Loki smirked before bringing his dagger down. The blade cut clean, and Thor's right hand fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Thor let out a cry of pain, collapsing to his knees, clutching his bleeding stump. Around us, the DarkElves watched the scene with cruel satisfaction.

"This is what I wanted," Loki declared, turning to Malekith. "Odin and Thor at my feet."

Malekith stepped forward, wary. "And what do you want in return?"

Loki tilted his head slightly toward Jane Foster. "A front-row seat to watch Asgard burn."

Jane, weakened, trembled slightly, watching the scene with a mix of horror and helplessness. Herlegs wavered, and she had to grip a nearby rock to keep from falling. Her breathing was short, her gaze shifting between Loki and Thor, unable to comprehend how everything had unraveled so quickly.

Kurse approached, his fiery gaze fixed on Loki. "He speaks the truth," he growled. "He is an enemyof Asgard, locked away in their dungeon."

Malekith did not reply, extending his hand toward Jane. The Aether surged from her, forming amenacing red mist. That was my signal.

I dove from the sky like an arrow, propelled by the wind. Just before reaching the ground, Iunleashed a freezing gust, scattering the dust and forcing the Dark Elves to look up. The groundbeneath them turned slick as a layer of ice instantly formed.

"You're not alone," I called out to Thor as he began to rise.

Mjolnir sliced through the air, returning to Thor's grasp just as a bolt of lightning tore through the sky,striking the Aether. But at the same moment, Thor extended his severed arm... and his hand was still there.

An illusion. It had all been a trick.

With brutal force, Thor hurled Mjolnir straight into Malekith's chest, sending him flying back with a thunderous impact. The explosion from the Aether rippled across the battlefield, unleashing adevastating shockwave.

But then horror struck: the Aether had not been destroyed.

Before our eyes, it reformed, binding itself to Malekith, enveloping his body in an aura of blazing darkness. His form twisted and strengthened, radiating an untamed power.

Without hesitation, I raised my staff and, gathering all my energy, unleashed a freezing blast straightat the Aether. The impact created an icy explosion, sending glittering frost waves through the area. But even then, the Aether did not break.

Jane watched, unable to look away. Her face was pale, her fingers clenched around her own arm inan effort not to collapse. Every moment unfolding before her felt unreal, a senseless tragedy she was powerless to stop.

"Take care of them," Malekith ordered before vanishing into the shadows.

Kurse wasted no time. He threw a black hole grenade into the air. Within seconds, a gravitational force began devouring everything in its path, sucking in stone and dust into a swirling abyss.

Jane tried to step back, but her strength failed her. Her gaze locked onto Thor and Loki, desperately searching for a way out, a solution.

Loki, without hesitation, rushed toward her. In a swift motion, he grabbed her by the arm and threwher out of the black hole's pull. He winced as the force began to drag him in, but Thor reacted just intime, grabbing him at the last second and pulling him back.

Seeing Malekith retreat toward his ship, Thor cast one last glance at Loki and Jane before taking off,his hammer crackling with energy. He launched into a direct assault on the Dark Elf, determined tostop him before he could escape.

But Kurse, with a brutal motion, struck Thor mid-flight, sending him crashing hard to the ground.

I tightened my grip on my staff, ready to intervene.The battle had only just begun.