SWWW Chapter 227: Aether Particles, Elf Invasion
The instant the Scarlet girl opened her eyes, the burning divine flame on Prince's fingertip vanished. A surge of crimson energy burst outward, the air churning with destruction and chaos. The shockwave sent the elf-witches fleeing from the Asgardian hall in terror.
Whoosh—!
Prince stood still near the stone bed, her hair fluttering in the scarlet shockwave but otherwise untouched.
The red cloak swirled downward, shielding them and cutting off the raging energy.
Wanda sat up slowly, glancing around in confusion. The unfamiliar surroundings filled her with fear. But when her eyes landed on the familiar figure by the bed, her emotions overwhelmed her, and she leapt forward.
"Miss Diana!"
"You're back. That's all that matters."
Prince let out a breath of relief and pulled the small, trembling body of the Scarlet girl into her arms. Yet her brows stayed tense—the crimson energy clearly still dwelled inside Wanda.
This wasn't over.
"Where's Young Master Xi Nian? Is he okay?"
Even though Wanda had just been rescued, her delicate frame was still trembling with fear. Her wide eyes anxiously searched the hall for him.
"Uh… he's fine, I can guarantee that." Prince blinked.
Could he say that the one hugging her right now was actually her young master?
"God-King!"
At that moment—
The fleeing witches halted, bowing low with reverence toward the doorway of the Asgardian hall.
Odin stepped inside with a nod, and behind him followed Thor, still sulking after a scolding.
"Father, didn't you once say that no outsider is allowed to step into the Asgardian hall?" Thor scratched his head.
"They are not outsiders. They are guests."
Odin's weathered face was solemn. His one eye fixed on Wanda sitting on the stone bed, catching the flicker of crimson energy on her skin. His voice turned grave.
"Where did you encounter this energy?"
"On Earth, of course. Old man, do you know what the energy inside Wanda is?" Prince asked curiously.
Old man?
Thor's mouth twitched. No one had ever called his father that before.
Odin didn't care. His gaze stayed on the crimson leaking from Wanda's body, his expression heavy.
"Of course I know. That is… the Aether!"
"The Aether?"
Thor froze. "I think I heard about it when I was a kid, but I forgot the details."
"It's normal you forgot. Even for me, it was an age long ago."
Odin waved his hand, dismissing the witches from the hall. Once they were gone, he spoke again, his tone laced with memory.
"Nearly one hundred thousand years ago, when my father ruled Asgard, the Nine Realms faced a great evil race—the Dark Elves."
"The ones from stories, who tried to steal light itself?" Thor frowned as fragments of bedtime tales came back to him.
Odin nodded. "Their leader, Malekith, forged a doomsday weapon called the Aether. Its particles could turn any matter into dark matter. The Dark Elves intended to use the Aether to plunge the universe into eternal darkness."
"Later, my father led the armies to crush the Dark Elves' plan and sealed the Aether deep underground in a hidden corner of the cosmos."
Hearing this, Prince was stunned. "Then why is it showing up on Earth now?"
Odin's eye grew more complicated. "Because of the Convergence of the Nine Realms."
He explained further. "Though the Nine Realms are divided, they all exist within the same dimension. Like an eclipse on your Earth, the Nine Realms align at rare intervals. Their boundaries overlap, and space between them connects. Of course, the overlap does not last long."
"I get it now," Prince murmured.
Lucky or unlucky—
During their family trip, they had stumbled right into the once-in-ten-thousand-years Convergence.
And that abandoned factory in Paris just happened to link with the ancient burial ground of the Aether.
But the Aether…
Xi Nian was certain—the Aether itself was actually one of the six Infinity Stones. Malekith had used it much like the Ancient One used the Time Stone, crafting a weapon from its power.
Just like the Tesseract and the Mind Scepter.
The Aether was nothing more than a vessel for an Infinity Stone!
Which raised the real question—
Prince's gaze flicked toward Odin.
Did he know about the Infinity Stones?
Xi Nian didn't believe for a second that he didn't.
Even Loki, during the invasion of New York, knew exactly how to use the Tesseract and the Scepter.
So Odin knew—but wasn't telling.
Diana whispered in Xi Nian's mind: "That means he's hiding the truth about the Infinity Stones. Or perhaps… hiding a secret even greater than the stones themselves."
"That explanation makes the most sense," Xi Nian agreed with his aunt's thought.
Yes, Odin was definitely concealing a secret behind the Infinity Stones.
"Dark Elves…" Wanda muttered, eyes widening as if she realized something. She leaned close, her voice trembling.
"Where are we right now?"
"A place called Asgard. Why?" Prince gently patted her head.
"Ah!" Wanda gasped, her eyes flashing in panic. "The Dark Elf fleet is coming here to attack!"
Odin's expression hardened.
"What? You can't joke about that!" Thor exclaimed in shock.
"I saw them leaving with my own eyes. If this is Asgard, then it's certain."
Wanda tilted her head in confusion. "Unless… there's another place called Asgard?"
"Impossible!" Thor shouted. "Asgard is unique!"
Odin slowly shook his head, murmuring.
"Of course. If the Aether has awakened, then the Dark Elves must have awakened too. They're not just coming for the Aether. They're coming for Asgard itself…"
Before he could finish—
Boom—!!
From outside the hall, toward the rainbow bridge, a thunderous roar erupted.
"It's true…" Thor's face changed.
Enemy attack!
Odin strode out decisively, Thor right behind him, leaving Prince and Wanda inside the hall.
"Miss Diana, what do we do?" Wanda asked nervously.
"Forget them. First, I'm going to extract the Aether from your body." Prince said firmly.
Before, neither Xi Nian nor Diana could remove the Aether without harming Wanda.
But now—this was the perfect three-in-one fusion state.
[Please give powerstones if you're enjoying the story.
500 stones = 1 extra chapter
patreon.com/GuessMyName33 10$ for 80 chapters ahead]