"Thor's hammer? Wait—are you serious? The Thor you're talking about can't possibly be the Thor, right? Odin's son? The god of thunder from Norse mythology?"
Natasha Romanoff's voice cracked with disbelief, her eyes wide as she stared at Henry across the table. "Are you trying to tell me that Odin and the rest of the Norse gods are real? What's next—Zeus shows up for brunch?!"
Henry, who was calmly finishing his meal, didn't flinch. He simply raised an eyebrow. "You've already accepted that mages exist. Is it really that much harder to believe gods might too?"
Natasha's mouth opened, closed, then opened again. She paused, shook her head, and sighed. "This job is going to kill me."
"Do you have a photo of the hammer?" Henry asked, returning his attention to the subject at hand.
Natasha nodded, pulling her phone from her coat. "Yeah. Here. It landed in a small town in New Mexico yesterday. Caused a pretty big shockwave—left a massive crater where it landed."
She handed the phone over.
"Coulson's already on site with a full team. S.H.I.E.L.D. is currently studying it. The readings from the energy burst were... significant. We're trying to figure out if it poses any threat to Earth. That's why I wanted your opinion."
Henry studied the image.
There it was: Mjolnir—unmistakable. The legendary weapon was half-embedded in the center of a scorched crater, surrounded by tents, vehicles, and equipment. S.H.I.E.L.D. had clearly mobilized fast.
He quietly put the phone down and picked up his glass of water.
"Yeah," he said between sips. "That's definitely Thor's hammer."
"So Thor is real?!"
"Yes," Henry confirmed. "And if the hammer's here, that probably means Odin's banished him."
Natasha nearly dropped her fork. "You're telling me Odin grounded his son and tossed his weapon to Earth?! Is this some kind of god-level punishment?!"
"Something like that," Henry said nonchalantly. "But you don't need to worry. The hammer itself won't harm anyone—unless they try to misuse it. Which they won't be able to, because only the worthy can lift it."
Natasha narrowed her eyes. "That's a lot of mythology turning out to be true."
Henry chuckled. "Mythology is just history with a broken record."
Despite her disbelief, Natasha felt herself relax. If Henry didn't seem worried, then maybe the hammer wasn't a threat after all.
"Well, that's good to know," she said, leaning back in her seat. "We were beginning to think it was some kind of cosmic warning—maybe a hostile alien race trying to intimidate Earth."
Henry shook his head. "Not this time."
He polished off the last bite of his food and stood up, grabbing his coat. "Anyway, I need to get going."
"What? You're leaving already?" Natasha asked, slightly disappointed. "You just got here."
"I have something urgent to take care of," Henry said. "But hey—look forward to our next meeting."
With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a portal. A glowing golden circle opened in the air beside him, and in the blink of an eye, he stepped through and vanished.
The restaurant was instantly abuzz.
"Did someone just disappear?!"
"I swear I saw one of those glowing portals from the news!"
"It was the Soul Mage! That was him! I was eating dinner next to him?!"
"No way!! Why didn't I ask for an autograph?!"
The quiet rooftop restaurant had erupted into a wave of chatter and disbelief.
Still sitting in her booth, Natasha smiled, shaking her head.
"He really does know how to make an exit," she muttered, gathering her things and heading to the counter to pay the bill.
Meanwhile, far across the globe, Henry reappeared in the main hall of Kamar-Taj.
The moment he arrived, he spotted the Ancient One sitting cross-legged on a raised platform, her eyes closed, lost in meditation. But she was far too aware not to sense his presence.
Her eyes opened slowly, and a serene smile played across her lips.
"Master Henry," she said, rising to her feet with a calm grace. "You've returned. Is something troubling you?"
Without waiting for an answer, she poured two cups of tea and handed one to him.
Henry bowed slightly. "Yes, Supreme Mage. I've encountered something... unusual. And I'm not sure how to handle it."
She gestured to the cushions beside her. "Come. Sit. Let's talk."
Once they were both seated, the Ancient One looked at him carefully. "Have you reached a magical impasse?"
Henry hesitated, then shook his head. "No. This isn't a matter of theory or comprehension. It's... a decision. One I have to make for myself."
The Ancient One's eyes sharpened. "Then tell me what weighs on you."
Taking a deep breath, Henry raised a hand and summoned a glowing sigil. A moment later, a sealed portal opened beside him, and from within it, he carefully extracted a black, heavily warded tome.
It radiated a low, pulsing energy—dark, ancient, and alive.
When Henry placed it between them, the Ancient One's expression changed instantly.
Her pupils constricted. Her hand, still holding her tea, paused mid-air.
"…The Book of Darkness," she whispered.
For several long seconds, she simply stared at it. Then she looked at Henry again, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Where did you find this?" she asked.
"In a restaurant," Henry replied honestly. "It was just… lying on a booth seat. I didn't sense it right away. But once I picked it up, I knew something was wrong. I opened it. It confirmed my suspicion."
The Ancient One was silent.
For a woman who had seen centuries of conflict, who had bent space and time to protect the realm, it was rare for her to be visibly shaken.
But this book? This book changed everything.
She set her tea down.
"I've spent decades watching power-hungry sorcerers crawl through every dark corner of the universe, all seeking this book. And yet, somehow, you found it—on accident—during dinner?"
Henry nodded solemnly.
"It chose me," he said quietly.
The Ancient One rubbed her forehead. "Of course it did."
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The soft hum of the wards surrounding Kamar-Taj filled the silence.
Then finally, the Ancient One sighed.
"I don't know how to help you," she admitted. "This isn't a matter of right or wrong. The Book of Darkness doesn't come to someone by chance. Sithorn sees something in you. He's watching now."
Henry's stomach twisted.
"So what do I do?" he asked. "Destroy it? Seal it away?"
She shook her head. "The Book of Darkness cannot be destroyed—not by anyone alive. Its power is tied to Sithorn's essence. The only choice you have… is whether to use it."
Henry looked down at the tome. "But if I use it, I'm feeding him. Becoming his follower."
"Yes," she said. "But if you don't, someone else might."
She rose slowly, her robe gliding across the floor.
"The world will always need defenders, Henry. And sometimes... the power we need to protect it comes at a cost."
Henry looked up, surprised. "You're not stopping me?"
The Ancient One's eyes softened.
"Kamar-Taj forbids black magic—for good reason. But you… you are not just another mage. You carry the Time Stone. You've been entrusted with the safety of this realm. If anyone is allowed to walk the line between light and darkness—it is you."
He felt a lump in his throat.
"But I thought—"
"I've walked that line myself," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "For centuries, I drew power from the Dark Dimension. It was the only way I could keep Earth safe."
Henry stared at her.
She gave him a bittersweet smile. "In the end, it isn't about which god you borrow power from. It's about why you borrow it."
He understood.
There were no pure paths. Only choices—and the reasons behind them.
After a pause, the Ancient One looked back toward the book.
"You may be… something different. Perhaps even something more," she murmured. "The Book of Darkness chose you. The Time Stone accepted you. Vishanti bless you, and now even Sithorn takes notice."
A wry chuckle escaped her lips.
"Are you some kind of blessed body, Henry?"
Henry couldn't help but laugh. "If I am, it's a dangerous kind of blessing."
She nodded. "Indeed. But sometimes, the ones most burdened... are the ones who must carry the flame."
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