Five hours of sleep combined with the effects of the elixir left Solomon feeling refreshed as he strolled toward the Healing Ward with the wind goddess, Ganna. Breakfast was a secondary concern at this point. Ganna had mentioned that the Queen of Asgard was aware of the situation and had asked Solomon to investigate. Even the All-Father was reportedly on his way there.
The wind goddess, as usual, couldn't keep a secret.
According to her, no one in the palace had eaten breakfast yet. Even the staff at the Healing Ward hadn't rested, as they'd been treating injuries from a drunken brawl the night before. Although Solomon hadn't been involved, Volstagg had participated and emerged victorious. Then, at dawn, Thor had arrived with a mortal in tow. As they couldn't refuse the future king of Asgard, they naturally couldn't refuse the mortal either. The goddess of medicine, Eir, had been summoned to personally assess the situation.
"You? Here?" Jane Foster's eyes widened in shock when she saw Solomon. Her sudden outburst interrupted Ganna's endless chatter. Before the wind goddess could react, Jane launched into a tirade. "I thought you were on Earth! Darcy wanted to celebrate you getting into college, but she couldn't reach you! She thought you went missing!"
"This is official business, Professor," Solomon said with a faint smile at Thor. "The work of Kamar-Taj cannot be disclosed."
"But you lied to me! You said you couldn't just come to Asgard!"
"I didn't lie. I came through the Bifrost. Magic has a cost; the Bifrost does not."
"You two know each other?" Ganna asked, surprised and a little annoyed. "I was going to introduce you. What's her name?"
"Jane Foster, ma'am," Thor answered.
"I can handle this, Lady Ganna," Solomon said, slipping a potion into her hands as a token of thanks. Ganna left reluctantly, perhaps disappointed at losing her conversation partner. Now it was just the doctors at the Healing Ward and Jane Foster, staring each other down.
"You've deceived me too, Solomon," Thor said, seizing the opportunity to speak. "You didn't tell me the full truth about her."
"Heimdall can satisfy your voyeuristic curiosity, Thor," Solomon retorted with uncharacteristic sharpness. "Jane Foster is a citizen of Kamar-Taj, and I cannot disclose information about her without the Sorcerer Supreme's permission. That applies to everyone in Asgard, including you. Heimdall's surveillance of Earth must remain within agreed limits, or Kamar-Taj reserves the right to retaliate."
"Wait, since when do I have a king? I only have a queen…"
"You've always had one, Professor. You just didn't know. From birth, you've been under the rule of the Sorcerer Supreme. Earth has always been Kamar-Taj's territory. But we're open to challenges of our sovereignty. Anyone seeking to seize control will face forceful resistance." As Solomon spoke, he locked eyes with Thor, reminding him to steer clear of meddling in Earth's affairs. Earth's sovereignty, hard-won by the Sorcerer Supreme, was a matter of human dignity that Solomon refused to compromise. If Thor wished to dispute this, he would become Solomon's adversary.
This was a matter for the future King of Asgard to consider carefully.
The arrival of Eir, the goddess of medicine, broke the tension. Thor quickly ushered Jane toward treatment. However, the atmosphere in the ward remained tense, and the All-Father's arrival only heightened the unease.
"Did my words mean nothing to you?" Odin demanded, his presence silencing the room.
"She's ill," Thor protested meekly.
"She's a mortal!" Odin snapped, slamming shut the Soul Forge. The healers backed away as Odin turned to Solomon. "She doesn't belong in Asgard, just as a goat doesn't belong at a feast. Have Heimdall return her to Midgard. Solomon Damonet, you have the authority to handle her."
"He said… You think you can decide for me?" Jane's defiant outburst earned Solomon a moment of silent dread.
"I am Odin, King of Asgard, protector of the Nine Realms."
"Oh," Jane said, momentarily stunned. "I'm…"
"I know who you are, Jane Foster," Odin said impatiently, stepping away from the Soul Forge.
"You told your dad about me?" Jane's expression suggested she'd heard something positive. Solomon hurried over to warn her to keep a lower profile, but she seemed to rediscover her teacher's instincts. She threatened to assign Solomon an impossible project and make him revise it twenty times.
"I'm still an undergrad, Professor. Grad school papers are years away. And don't forget, I'm majoring in magic," Solomon said helplessly. "It's best to tread carefully here; this is Earth's suzerain state."
"Father, there's something inside her—something I've never seen before," Thor interjected, trying to defend Jane.
"Her world has healers, called 'doctors.' Let them deal with it," Odin said dismissively. "Guards, escort her back to Midgard. Solomon Damonet, ensure her safe return. Heimdall will bring you back."
"Don't touch her. I advise—"
A surge of crimson energy erupted the moment the guards touched Jane. Solomon, prepared for trouble, shielded against the blast, but the energy overturned two guards who had made contact with her.
"—not to touch her," Thor finished, rushing to Jane's side as she briefly lost consciousness. "Jane, are you okay?"
Odin strode to the Soul Forge, his hand passing over Jane. "This cannot be," he murmured, staring at the crimson substance coursing through her veins. "This is impossible."
"This substance infecting her—it's protecting her," Eir observed.
"No… it's protecting itself," Odin corrected, his single eye locking onto Solomon.
He knew the Sorcerer Supreme's machinations weren't so simple. If Agamotto, the all-seeing one, was aware of this substance, then so was the Sorcerer Supreme—and by extension, Solomon Damonet, the Sorcerer Supreme's disciple.
"This is the Philosopher's Stone," Solomon explained to Thor, also defending himself. "It's the Fifth Element, the Aether—a miracle that creates something from nothing, defying balance. Neither water can dissolve it, nor fire destroy it. Its utility and refinement align with the mind, while its strength and durability align with metal. I've only read about it in the Kamar-Taj library. Earth's alchemists have spent lifetimes trying to replicate or create it."
Turning to Odin, Solomon added, "I assure you, Kamar-Taj has no interest in the Philosopher's Stone. The Sorcerer Supreme would never allow it to remain on Earth."
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