"I..."
Wanda took a slow, unsteady breath as she looked at Thor's carefree grin.
At the same time, Tony, still held by Thor, slowly opened his eyes and asked weakly,
"I thought you came here to save me, Thor."
"I did," Thor replied cheerfully. "But I'm also here to guide two lost children."
"As the future King of Asgard, destined to become its greatest ruler, it's my duty to guide the younger generation like a wise father."
"Believe me, once they bask in my glorious wisdom, they'll enjoy a wonderful youth, just like every child in Asgard."
Smiling confidently, Thor spread his arms toward Wanda as though welcoming her with divine compassion.
"What do you think, Wanda? Killing isn't your only choice. Letting a flashy scoundrel like Tony spend the rest of his life suffering is a far better punishment."
"I don't like that suggestion."
Wanda's voice was cold.
"Even if I needed no other reason, I'd still rather use Iron Man's life to honor my parents."
"They shouldn't have died for nothing."
"Someone has to pay."
With Tony standing directly before her, Wanda's emotions were already reaching their limit.
If Quicksilver had been the one listening to Thor, perhaps there would still have been room for compromise.
Unlike his sister, Pietro's mind hadn't been warped by Chaos Magic.
Chaos Magic granted Wanda overwhelming power over minds and reality itself, but it also slowly eroded her own grip on reality.
Any rational person understood Tony Stark wasn't truly responsible for her parents' deaths.
He wasn't even indirectly responsible.
But Wanda wasn't searching for justice.
She wanted a sacrifice worthy of her grief.
Without another word, she waved her hand.
A cloud of crimson energy drifted toward Thor.
Thor simply smiled.
"Enough playing around."
"I'm Thor, God of Thunder."
"You don't seriously think a teenage sorcerer can affect me with magic."
"Your spells won't work..."
His confident smile suddenly disappeared.
The world around him changed.
He stood alone inside a narrow corridor.
Rain echoed faintly somewhere outside.
The surroundings felt painfully familiar.
Thor instinctively shivered.
This place...
It looked exactly like the site where he had once found Mjolnir after being banished to Earth.
He would never forget that day.
Being rejected by his hammer had shattered his arrogance and forced him onto a new path.
Instinctively, he looked down.
Relief washed over him.
Mjolnir was still...
Thor froze.
His right hand was empty.
"...Where's my hammer?"
He stared blankly.
"Where is Mjolnir?!"
Panic spread across his face.
"No..."
"Don't do this."
"You are really starting to annoy me, kid."
He stretched out his hand, desperately trying to summon the hammer.
"Come on."
"Mjolnir."
"This has to be an illusion."
"But how am I falling for the tricks of a teenage sorcerer?"
"Even Loki can't fool me every time."
Closing his eyes, Thor searched desperately for the familiar connection.
Nothing.
He couldn't feel Mjolnir at all.
He knew this was only an illusion.
Yet terror still seized his heart.
Looking around frantically, he shouted,
"Fine!"
"You've made me angry, you Midgard brat!"
"I know where the hammer is!"
"Trap me here if you want!"
"But once I get it back, you're finished!"
Thor exploded into motion.
His incredible strength remained intact.
He tore through the corridor at tremendous speed before reaching the crater where Mjolnir rested.
The hammer stood quietly in the earth.
Thor inhaled deeply.
"This isn't the same day."
"I've already proven myself."
"A test?"
"Only Father has the right to test me!"
Roaring, he rushed toward the hammer.
He stared at its handle.
"I am worthy."
"You know I am."
He gripped Mjolnir with both hands.
"AAAAAH!"
Every muscle in his body strained.
He pulled with enough force to send ten Lokis flying.
The hammer didn't move.
Not even an inch.
His hands slipped free.
Breathing heavily, Thor glared at the motionless weapon.
"This illusion is complete nonsense."
"I am worthy!"
He reached for the handle again.
Just before touching it, an aged hand stopped him.
Thor slowly looked up.
"Odin..."
His father's stern gaze met his own.
After a long silence, Thor spoke.
"Father."
"I passed your trial."
"I am worthy."
Odin shook his head.
"My son."
"Learning to sacrifice yourself for peace is only one lesson a king must learn."
"You know the truth."
"You cheated."
"What allowed you to wield Mjolnir wasn't your growth."
"It was your willingness to die."
"My enchantment wasn't broken because you changed."
"It was broken because your life reached its end."
"You found a shortcut."
Odin grabbed Thor's wrist.
Thor's heart trembled.
Looking into his son's conflicted eyes, Odin sighed.
"You see?"
"You're afraid."
"A king does not fear."
"So why are you afraid?"
"Because..."
"You still aren't worthy."
"No!"
Thor cried out in anguish.
He tried pulling his hand free.
Crack.
Odin's arm suddenly shattered.
His armor crumbled into ash.
His white hair scattered into the wind.
His warm smile faded away.
"Father!"
Thor stared helplessly.
The flesh on Odin's arm disintegrated until only a skeletal hand remained gripping his wrist.
Behind Odin, the world transformed.
A ruined wasteland stretched endlessly.
Lava flowed through shattered earth.
Countless craters scarred the landscape.
Bodies covered the battlefield.
Loki.
Sif.
Fandral.
Heimdall.
Frigga.
Everyone lay dead among rivers of blood.
Thor's breathing stopped.
Slowly, he looked toward the crimson sky.
Rows upon rows of enormous warships filled the heavens.
On the bridge of the largest vessel stood figures with nine distinct pairs of eyes.
Different in appearance.
Identical in cruelty.
Identical in ambition.
Everything vanished.
Thor found himself standing inside the restroom once again.
Mjolnir rested firmly in his hand.
Yet somehow...
The hammer no longer gave him comfort.
He stared at Wanda.
"What did you do?"
"I don't know."
Wanda frowned.
"I don't know what you saw."
"But I do know one thing."
"It was the future."
"Impossible."
Thor immediately shook his head.
"That future can never happen."
"Asgard cannot fall like that."
"And those nine..."
"Who are they?"
"Why do they all have those same eyes?"
"Tell me everything!"
"I don't know!"
Wanda answered firmly.
Thor turned toward Tony.
Tony was just as shaken.
He remained on the floor, staring blankly ahead.
"You saw it too?"
Thor asked.
Tony nodded slowly.
"I don't know exactly what I saw."
"But it looked like the end of everything."
"And somehow..."
"I should have done more to slow it down."
He looked at Wanda.
There wasn't the slightest trace of attraction in his eyes anymore.
Only sincerity.
"Listen."
"I understand why you hate me."
"I lost my parents too."
"I'm willing to compensate you."
"But my life isn't something I can give."
"If that vision really is our future..."
"I can't die today."
"I have something far more important to accomplish."
Without waiting another second, Tony activated his battered armor and blasted toward the hole in the wall.
Before he escaped, a silver blur crashed into him.
Normally, Tony could have shaken Quicksilver off with aerial maneuvers.
But Wanda had already destroyed his helmet.
Pietro grabbed Tony's face and drove two fingers straight toward his eyes.
Just then, a blue figure flashed past.
Clark seized Quicksilver by the back of the neck and effortlessly pulled him away.
"Looks like you needed some help, Tony."
Only then did Tony realize how close he had come to dying.
His racing heartbeat still hadn't slowed.
"Thanks, Clark."
"You saved my life."
"I can't die today."
"I've still got work to do."
"When this is over..."
"Drinks are on me."
His damaged armor roared to life as he shot into the sky.
Outside, Wanda wrapped herself in crimson energy and pursued him.
Before she could catch up, Mjolnir came hurtling toward her.
Feeling the wind behind her, Wanda spun around and raised both hands.
She couldn't physically lift Mjolnir.
But her magic could restrain it.
Or rather...
As long as she believed it could.
Although Wanda still didn't understand the full extent of her own abilities, her instincts alone revealed extraordinary potential.
She caught the hammer in midair.
Unfortunately, she lacked experience.
While her attention remained fixed on Mjolnir, Thor had already closed the distance.
He grabbed the hammer and lightly tapped Wanda on the forehead with its handle.
Her body immediately went limp.
Moments later, Thor gently laid the unconscious Wanda on the ground.
Watching his sister collapse, Quicksilver struggled furiously against Clark's grip.
"Let my sister go!"
"I didn't hurt her."
Thor frowned.
"I don't make a habit of killing kids."
He looked out the nearby window.
Hydra troops were still launching attacks throughout the City Hall plaza.
Normally, the sounds of battle thrilled him.
Today they only irritated him.
His thoughts remained fixed on Wanda's vision.
Was it truly the future?
Exhaling slowly, Thor looked toward Clark.
"Buddy."
"This may be our first meeting."
"But you seem like a decent guy."
"Watch these two."
"After I deal with those Hydra soldiers..."
"I'm going to get some answers from that mysterious girl."
The moment he finished speaking, Thor hurled Mjolnir.
The hammer smashed through the wall before tearing across the battlefield.
With a single pass, dozens of Hydra soldiers were obliterated.
Before the remaining troops could recover, Thor landed among them.
Dark storm clouds swallowed the sky above New York.
Blinding lightning rained down without mercy.
Every bolt struck with perfect precision.
More than four hundred Hydra soldiers surrounding City Hall were wiped out within moments.
The smell of scorched earth and burned flesh filled the air.
Quicksilver swallowed nervously.
He cautiously glanced at Clark.
"You know..."
"If you'd shown me that earlier..."
"I probably would've surrendered before you grabbed me."
"I'm fast."
"But I'm definitely not faster than lightning."
"So..."
"How about letting me go?"
"I think it's still a good time to surrender, don't you?"