Two days later.
The long-missing Thor returned to Asgard with Jane through a rift in the World Tree.
Though he had saved Jane from death on Svartalfheim, Loki had been ambushed and died right before his eyes.
His heart was heavy; the bond of a thousand years with his brother was real.
As a result, he returned with a dark face, met with the finally reappeared All-Father, and then sent the recovering Jane back to Earth.
With "Odin" back, the rumors of the princes being deserters vanished instantly.
The King of Asgard held absolute prestige.
Upon his return, "Odin" praised the fallen warriors and then "fairly" punished Thor for disappearing during the war.
Ultimately, Thor was confined to the same "luxury" cell Loki had occupied for a year.
Omniscient Library.
Harvey was chatting with Iden.
With the war over, "Odin" was holding a victory banquet. The sorrow of sacrifice was quickly being pushed aside, but neither wanted to attend the boring celebration.
Listening to the festivities outside, Iden's face was grim. "That All-Father out there is a fake!"
"As physicians, we know the All-Father's condition best. This is clearly a scheme by Prince Loki."
"If it weren't for his status, I would have exposed that annoying prankster long ago."
Harvey acted non-plussed. "Prince Loki just likes his mischief. Haven't you realized that after all these years?"
Iden picked up a wooden cup and downed a draught of celebratory wine, a flush quickly reaching her ears and cheeks.
She didn't smash the cup like a typical Asgardian; Harvey thought that was stupid.
They hadn't joined the banquet, but for the occasion, the All-Father had brought out many thousand-year-old vintages.
They weren't going to miss a chance for free goods. Harvey had swiped some wine and pastries from the party to set up their own small feast.
Ever the quiet physician, Iden persisted:
"Prince Loki is over a thousand years old, how is he still so childish? To commit the taboo of impersonating the All-Father...?"
Harvey took a sip from his own cup and chuckled. "Loki is only a thousand. He's just a kid; a good beating would fix him."
After a few rounds, Iden grew bleary-eyed and soon slumped onto the desk, mumbles trailing off.
Once she was passed out, Harvey stood up unhurriedly, cast a Disillusionment Charm, and slipped out of the library invisibly.
Ignoring the open-air banquet, he found the palace unguarded. "Odin" had ordered everyone to participate in the revelry.
The usually guarded palace was empty.
Harvey had learned that Thor had accepted his punishment like a beaten dog, walking into his cell without a fight.
Using Heimdall's memories, Harvey wound through the corridors and entered the modified side wing.
Thor was confined behind an energy barrier. The cell was fully furnished; aside from not being able to leave, it was comfortable.
Clearly, "the Prince is equal under the law" was a lie everywhere.
Gulp, gulp, gulp...
Thor was hugging a massive barrel of ancient wine, drinking himself into a stupor. He didn't even notice the figure watching him from outside the barrier.
Harvey noticed at Thor's feet, beside the haphazardly tossed Mjolnir, was a golden disk carved with numerous Runes.
Lost in his alcoholic grief, Thor didn't notice the golden disk slip into a small portal and vanish.
Securing the Reality Stone so easily made Harvey suspicious.
"This feels a bit too much like it was fed to me on a silver platter."
After triple-checking that the Aether was indeed sealed within the disk, Harvey stopped worrying.
"This treasure has a destiny with me. Time to leave."
He retraced his steps, returning to the library without a single hitch.
In a great mood, Harvey sat back down, ate a few more delicate pastries, and had a few more drinks.
He hadn't expected the thousand-year wine to have such a kick.
As the drunkenness hit, Harvey stared at the unconscious Iden. Her lithe figure and impressive curves were exactly his type.
He'd been holding back for a month to keep his cover. Now that his "studies" were complete, it was time for a reward.
Staggering slightly, Harvey scooped up Iden and opened a portal back to the New York villa.
He tossed the tan-skinned, drunken beauty onto the bed and decisively engaged in a deeper "emotional exchange."
...
Iden was jolted awake by a sharp pain. Seeing her long-time crush working away at her, she struggled for a few seconds before giving in to her budding desires and responding clumsily.
But soon, as the rhythm intensified, she saw her lover, "Heimdall," gradually morphing into a completely different, strange man.
Thinking it was a hallucination, a dazed Iden asked:
"Mnn... Heimdall, you know... shapeshifting magic too?"
"Shapeshifting?" Harvey froze for a second, realizing the Polyjuice Potion had worn off.
Following the "Master Scumbag" rule of just rolling with it...
He coaxed the girl in his arms while picking up his thrusting speed to distract her.
"Yes, exactly. It's for variety. You don't like it?"
"Oh, you... do you and Windsor do this too? Heimdall, she is your wife after all..."
"Just tell me: do you like it or not?"
"Ah... yes... harder...!"
...
For the next three days.
Harvey stayed in New York with a thoroughly lovestruck Iden, shopping and living a domestic life.
During this time, he used his true face the whole time.
Iden was a bit hesitant at first, but after several sessions of intense fucking, she became obsessed with this "handsome version" of Heimdall.
But happy days always come to an end.
After sending the increasingly clingy Iden back to Asgard...
Harvey finally had the time to study the golden disk. It took a week to extract the Aether, and he began trying to integrate it with his psionic mana.
He went into seclusion for two months.
Having perfected his craft, Harvey successfully fused the Aether into his body, gaining a portion of the Reality Stone's powers.
For example, he could now turn mana into matter out of thin air.
Anything from a simple piece of wood, a bullet, or an AK-47, up to a 2-million-ton yield nuclear missile.
He could manifest whatever he wanted by sheer will—a low-tier version of "wishing things into existence."
This game-breaking ability made Harvey feel invincible for a time.
But very soon, a sudden, unforeseen event forced him to behave himself again.