Chapter 2: Return to Earth
A dull rumble of thunder echoed from the far end of the sky.
People hurried through the rainy night without looking up, so almost no one noticed that from the depths of the endless starry sky, a brilliant seven-colored rainbow was rapidly approaching Earth.
Lance Ryder only saw a flash of dazzling light before his entire body was pulled into a tunnel of shifting colors.
He was moving uncontrollably in a fixed direction.
At the same time, an immense pressure crushed down on him, making it impossible for him to move.
If his physical strength hadn't improved during his years in Jotunheim, he might not have been able to withstand the pressure at all. The endless cosmic force would have crushed him long ago.
He didn't even have time to admire the magnificence of the Rainbow Bridge.
The next moment, he was violently thrown out of it.
Smack!
His body slammed hard against solid ground.
The impact felt like being hit by a speeding truck. Pain shot through his entire body.
"Damn it, Heimdall! What the hell was that?" Lance jumped up from the ground and angrily cursed at the night sky.
Heavy rain poured down, slapping against his face and clothes.
Honestly, anyone would be furious in this situation.
He had been living in Jotunheim peacefully. The plants he had recently cultivated had just begun to sprout—yet Heimdall had suddenly thrown him back to Earth.
And this wasn't even the first time.
Years ago, Heimdall had also been the one who sent him from Earth to Jotunheim.
Why?
Because Lance had picked up the Cosmic Cube.
Back then, it was the end of World War II. After sabotaging the Red Skull's aircraft, Lance followed the wreckage after it crashed along with Captain America Steve Rogers.
He tracked the flight path back across the Arctic, studied the unusual gamma radiation patterns, and eventually located the Cosmic Cube.
But the moment he tried to pick it up, the cube suddenly emitted a brilliant deep-blue light.
The energy enveloped him completely.
The next instant, when Lance regained his senses—
He was standing in the frozen wasteland of Jotunheim.
The only reason Lance had managed to survive there—and avoid being eaten by Frost Giants—was his magic.
His magic had a rare ability: it could stimulate and accelerate the growth of plants and living organisms.
In a world like Jotunheim, that ability was incredibly valuable.
The Frost Giants mainly relied on catching fish beneath the thick layers of ice for food. But over the years, the fish population had become smaller and harder to find.
While a complete food shortage was unlikely, their living conditions had clearly worsened.
The loss of the Casket of Ancient Winters had taken away their ability to control Jotunheim's climate, making survival increasingly difficult.
To King Laufey, Lance's plant-growing magic almost looked like a weakened form of environmental control.
That was the reason Lance had been allowed to live.
Of course, Heimdall had been responsible for all of this.
And behind Heimdall stood Odin.
The Cosmic Cube might have been on Earth, but Heimdall had been watching it for years.
When the Red Skull stole it from the church in Norway, he had no idea Heimdall was observing everything.
During the final battle of the war, Heimdall even used the cube's power to send the Red Skull deep into space.
In the end, the Red Skull became bound to the Soul Stone, forced to guard it forever.
Perhaps that was punishment for killing the priest of Odin's church.
Lance's situation was similar.
At the time, he had already begun learning Asgardian rune magic. Because of that connection, Heimdall had been able to manipulate the cube's energy and exile him to Jotunheim.
More than half a century had passed since then.
Now, suddenly, he had been sent back to Earth.
Fortunately, Lance had kept all of his belongings with him at all times, afraid that Frost Giants might take them. Otherwise, everything he owned would have been left behind in Jotunheim.
Still, he had returned to Earth.
And during those decades in Jotunheim, his magic had advanced tremendously—especially his ice magic.
King Laufey had allowed him to study the magic used by Frost Giant shamans.
After decades of practice, Lance's mastery of ice magic had improved dramatically.
Even his lifespan had been extended.
When Lance first arrived in this world, he had thought his timing was terrible.
Instead of appearing during the grand age of superheroes decades later, he had landed right in the middle of World War II.
He had once wondered how he was supposed to survive the seventy years between those two eras.
At one point, he had even considered freezing himself like Captain America or the Winter Soldier.
But in the end, his experience hadn't been much different.
The cold rain striking his face snapped him out of his thoughts.
Now he was finally back on Earth.
Dark clouds covered the sky. Thunder roared. Wind and rain swept across the land as if the entire planet were welcoming his return.
Still, Lance couldn't help wondering—
Why had Heimdall suddenly sent him back?
Or rather…
Why had Odin decided it was time?
He shook his head slowly.
The most important thing right now was figuring out when and where he was.
Only then could he decide what to do next.
Before he disappeared, he had left quite a few things behind on Earth.
If those assets were still intact, they would now be worth an enormous fortune.
Of course, he had no idea whether the person managing them would still be willing to return them.
Just as Lance started walking toward shelter from the rain, he suddenly stopped.
His body stiffened.
Slowly, he turned to the right and stared at a large tree in the distance.
At first glance, there was no one there.
But Lance knew better.
Someone was watching him using invisibility magic.
An oak wand appeared in Lance's hand instantly.
The magic crystal at its tip fired a beam of white light straight toward the tree.
The invisibility spell shattered.
A man appeared.
He wore monk-like robes, had a shaved head, dark skin, and carried a long staff.
"A mage of Kamar-Taj?" Lance raised an eyebrow. His voice was slightly hoarse, but he quickly recognized the man.
The other mage looked equally surprised.
"You're from Earth?" he asked.
He clearly hadn't expected the "alien" who had just arrived to not only look human—but also speak fluent English.
"I was taken away from Earth for a while," Lance replied calmly. "I've just been sent back."
"In that case, I have no reason to interfere."
The mage nodded politely.
"My name is Daniel Drumm. If you need help, you can find me at 177A Bleecker Street."
A sling ring spun in his hand.
A glowing circular portal opened.
Daniel Drumm stepped through it, and the portal vanished behind him.
Only after he disappeared completely did Lance finally relax.
Honestly, he had no desire to fight mages from Kamar-Taj.
Especially not on Earth.
On this planet, battle mages from Kamar-Taj were extremely dangerous opponents.
For the past thousand years, they had stood at the peak of Earth's magical community.
Since establishing the Earth Dimensional Defense Network, their power had only continued to grow.
Across the world, magic itself had weakened over time. Mages had become increasingly dependent on powerful artifacts.
But Kamar-Taj was different.
Their ability to teleport anywhere on Earth allowed them to collect magical treasures for centuries.
While the supernatural world declined, Kamar-Taj only grew stronger.
Of course, they weren't constantly attacked by other magical forces because they carried an enormous responsibility.
They defended Earth against demons and invaders from countless other dimensions.
Few mages wanted that burden.
Lance knew even more.
Kamar-Taj's true strength wasn't just their artifacts—or even the Time Stone.
Their real power came from the Trinity they served:
The Vishanti.
Because of that, Lance had no interest in provoking them.
Fortunately, the rumors were true. Kamar-Taj mages rarely interfered in Earth's internal affairs.
Even if humanity destroyed itself with nuclear weapons, they would only step in when threats came from other dimensions.
Their invisibility spells were extremely powerful.
Even the Sanctums themselves were hidden from ordinary people.
Otherwise, government agencies would have been knocking on their doors long ago.
But while Kamar-Taj's invisibility magic was impressive…
Some people were much easier to detect.
Standing in the heavy rain, Lance turned toward the playground fence nearby.
A figure was hiding there.
He smiled faintly.
Before the person could react—
Lance had already appeared behind her.
"Girl, spying on people like that isn't very polite."
The voice behind her made the girl jump in fright.
She spun around, pointing the tip of her umbrella at Lance like a weapon.
Rain poured down, soaking her clothes instantly.
"Who are you?!" she asked nervously. "What do you want?!"
"It's not what I want," Lance said calmly. "It's what you want."
In the next moment, the umbrella was already in his hand.
He held it over both of them, shielding the girl from the rain.
The storm was heavy, and it was summer.
She wore only a thin white T-shirt, which had already become completely soaked.
But she didn't seem to notice.
She was far too nervous.
Lance sighed helplessly.
"I'm not going to hurt you. Let's start with introductions."
He gave a faint smile.
"My name is Lance Ryder."
The girl seemed to relax slightly after seeing his expression.
"My name is Elizabeth Ross," she said cautiously. "But you can call me Betty."
She swallowed nervously.
"And… don't try anything strange. I'll call the police."
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