The Guardian chosen by the Moon

The light engulfed us, and in the blink of an eye, the warehouse was replaced by a stream of rainbow shards. A wave of vertigo washed over me as my body seemed to stretch in all directions. It felt like being hurled through a current of pure energy, a living tunnel of light and force. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, everything stopped.

My feet touched solid ground—cold and smooth beneath my boots. Before me, a shimmering golden expanse unfolded, stretching to the horizon. The next moment, a brilliant flash nearly blinded me, forcing me to squint. And then… I saw it.

Asgard.

A city suspended between sky and sea, an architectural masterpiece blending myth and technology. Golden towers rose toward the heavens like divine spears, their peaks gleaming under the light of an unfamiliar sun. The Bifröst, the rainbow bridge on which we stood, extended into the vastness, a river of pure light cutting through the cosmic void. Every step on its crystalline surface resonated with a subtle note, as if the place itself hummed beneath our feet.

Beside me, Jane was speechless, her breath uneven from shock. Her eyes shone with boundless fascination as she gazed at the legendary city. A rational scientist, confronted with the impossible made real.

A metallic glint caught my attention. A warrior in gleaming armor stood a few meters away from us. His stature was imposing, his golden eyes burning with supernatural intensity. Heimdall. I recognized him instantly.

"Thor." His voice was deep, echoing in the still air. "You have returned."

The god of thunder nodded, placing a firm hand on Jane's shoulder. "We must take her to the healing chambers. The Aether resides within her, and we do not yet understand what that means."

Heimdall did not respond immediately. His gaze pierced through Jane, then briefly landed on me. For a fraction of a second, I felt as though he saw through me, as if his eyes were scrutinizing my very essence. Then he nodded and led the way.

We crossed the bridge in silence. Asgard's buildings felt alive, vibrating with mystical energy yet rooted in ancient tradition. It was a city where magic and science were one, where medieval Nordic splendor intertwined with technology beyond anything humanity could conceive.

And yet… something felt off. A faint sensation, an underlying whisper I couldn't quite understand.

Asgardians had gathered along the streets, watching our passage with a curiosity tinged with restraint. Jane, as a human, drew wary glances, but it was me who received the most perplexed expressions. They did not openly reject me, but there was a weight in the air, a subtle distance I could feel in every gaze upon me.

I was not welcome here.

Still, I refrained from using my powers. Revealing my abilities here would have been a monumental mistake. The Asgardians had ancient conflicts with the Jotunns, and a display of ice and snow would only worsen my situation. So, I remained discreet.

Then, something strange happened.

As we walked, a voice brushed against my mind. A faint whisper, a breath of pure emotion. A child crying. Not here, not in this world… but somewhere.

I shook my head, unsettled. This wasn't normal. Was it a side effect of the interdimensional passage? Or… was my power evolving?

We finally reached the palace's great hall, a colossal space adorned with massive columns and dazzling gold. Everything, from the polished marble floors to the suspended frescoes, radiated grandeur and majesty. At the end of the hall, upon a towering throne, sat Odin.

The King of Asgard.

His piercing gaze fell immediately upon Thor, then Jane, and finally me. His expression hardened at once.

"Thor."

His voice struck the air like a hammer blow.

"You dare bring outsiders into this realm?"

Thor met his gaze. "Father, listen to me. Jane has been touched by a force we do not understand. She needs our help."

Odin narrowed his eyes at Jane, scrutinizing her with severity. "A human in Asgard… is already an anomaly. But you…" He gestured toward me with his chin. "I do not know what you are, but I do not like what I do not understand."

I tensed under his gaze but remained silent.

Suddenly, a red glow pulsed on Jane's skin. The Aether reacted violently when one of the guards touched her. A wave of energy rippled through the throne room, forcing everyone to step back. Even Odin straightened slightly, his features hardening further.

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Then, Odin murmured a single word, and the air itself seemed to tremble under its weight.

"The Aether…"

The air was thick with tension as Odin scrutinized us, his piercing gaze shifting between Jane and me. His displeasure with Thor was evident, but his focus quickly turned to the Aether pulsing beneath Jane's skin. A shiver ran down my spine—this power was unnatural, and even I, a so-called spirit of winter, could feel its suffocating influence.

Odin slowly rose from his throne, draped in divine majesty and presence. His very existence commanded instinctive respect. He stepped toward Jane, observing the dark energy crackling beneath her skin like tendrils of blood-red smoke.

"This should not be possible…" he murmured, more to himself than to us.

He gestured, and an enormous book appeared in the hands of a servant, who presented it to him with reverence. The Book of Yggdrasil.

Odin opened it slowly, and the pages seemed to glow with a golden light, casting shifting reflections on the richly adorned walls of the throne room. He ran his fingers over a few lines before lifting his eyes to us.

"What you carry within you, mortal, is far older than anything this age can comprehend. The Aether is not merely a force of destruction. It is a fragment of what existed before this universe was even born."

A reverent silence settled over the hall. Jane was fascinated, but I could sense her growing unease. I myself remained motionless, hanging on to every word the King of Asgard spoke.

Odin turned a page, and as if projecting his tale into the air, spectral images appeared above the book.

"In the beginning, before the stars ignited, before even the first realm took shape, there was primordial chaos. An endless darkness. And within this darkness, certain forces emerged—primordial entities seeking to shape the void. Thus, the six Singularities were born, one of which was the Aether."

I held my breath. The Infinity Stones… This thing was one of those overpowered artifacts?! Jane seemed to have arrived at the same realization, her gaze shifting between fascination and horror.

Odin continued, impassive.

"The Aether never took a physical form. Unlike the other Singularities, which became stones, it remained fluid, elusive. But it was no less dangerous. Quite the opposite. Where the stones grant immense power to their bearer, the Aether binds to them, consumes them, until nothing remains but its will. A weapon of absolute destruction."

He gestured, and the projected images shifted. Dark silhouettes with sharp features stood beneath a blood-tinted sky.

"The Dark Elves were the first to understand its power. Malekith, their leader, sought to use it to reshape the universe in his vision. During the Convergence, when the realms aligned, he attempted to unleash the Aether and plunge all existence into eternal night."

An image of battle appeared: lightning tearing through the sky, ships crashing to the ground, Asgardians clashing with Dark Elves under the banner of Bor, Odin's father.

"My father, Bor, stopped him before he could succeed. He took the Aether and sealed it away where none could ever find it…"

His gaze darkened.

"Or so we thought."

Silence fell over the hall. Jane clutched her chest as if she could still feel the imprint of this force within her. I had no words. This wasn't just a curse—it was a walking cosmic bomb. And I was caught right in the middle of it.

Thor took a deep breath and finally dared to break the silence.

"Father… Is there a way to extract it without harming her?"

Odin closed the book with gravity.

"That is what we must discover."

And I couldn't help but wonder if I could truly trust the Asgardians with this…