Watching Lucas turn and leave, Odin fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
"This time, he has become much stronger."
"Back when he absorbed the Eternal Flame, I already sensed that this boy was extraordinary."
"And now, I can clearly feel the aura of the Space Stone and the Lantern Ring on him as well. How did he manage to fuse such different powers into one?"
Seated upon the throne, Hela casually twirled a lock of her hair and smiled.
"Lucas is the man I chose. The stronger and more impressive he becomes, the more it proves my judgment was right."
Odin shook his head helplessly.
"Truly my own daughter—once you find a man, you immediately start siding with him."
Hela snorted coldly.
"So what? Did you really expect me to be filial?"
"And besides, old man, weren't you once fearless yourself—determined to trample the entire universe beneath your feet?"
Odin ignored her first remark. His single eye grew deep and distant, as if piercing the ceiling and gazing beyond the cosmos itself.
"That is precisely why I understand how terrifying this universe truly is," he said calmly.
"Those existences that genuinely govern the workings of reality."
"The deeper you look, the more clearly you can see the unspeakable horrors beneath the abyss."
Lowering his gaze, he looked at Hela with solemn gravity.
"He has begun to touch the boundary between life and death. It will not take long before he reaches the truly higher layers of the universe."
"I hope you remember this clearly," Odin continued,
"If one day he reaches for things that should never be touched—"
"Do not lead Asgard into that abyss with him."
"Otherwise, we will face an end far more dreadful than Ragnarök."
Hela glanced at Odin and replied coldly,
"If that day ever comes, I will stand at the front of Asgard."
"As long as I live, Asgard will not fall."
Odin nodded slowly.
"I believe you. Otherwise, I would never have handed the throne to you."
With a hearty laugh, he turned and left the great hall.
---
Elsewhere, having obtained the answers he sought, Lucas once again returned to Earth via the Bifrost.
"What a uniquely complex resonance… With my current ability, I still can't simulate or comprehend it."
As the rainbow light faded, Lucas shook his head slightly.
He had already begun fusing with the Space Stone, earning the qualification to step into the domain of spatial laws.
The Bifrost itself was a ready-made reference for spatial traversal.
Yet he was still far too inexperienced.
The operation of the Bifrost involved the construction of runic energy, the interaction between runes and space, and their layered circulation.
The complexity alone was enough to give him a headache.
It was like asking someone who had just learned basic arithmetic to immediately understand calculus—utterly unrealistic.
Lucas deliberately landed some distance away from his home.
Heimdall could have delivered him directly to his doorstep, but Lucas preferred not to leave scorched marks outside his house.
Just as he was about to head home, a single spark appeared in front of him.
The spark expanded into a circle of flame, and as space rippled within it, the Ancient One stepped out.
Upon seeing Lucas, she smiled.
"You've worked hard. The Kryptonians have been dealt with."
Lucas frowned slightly.
"So you calculated that I would intervene, and simply waited?"
The Ancient One shook her head.
"You know that if I were to act, the consequences could be far greater."
"Too many eyes are watching me from the shadows. They would welcome an excuse to strike."
"If I were to engage them, even a single misstep could put Earth in danger."
"So please understand—this was not indifference."
Lucas knew well that her enemies included dimensional demon lords, higher-dimensional beings, and other abnormal existences.
Unless Earth itself was about to be destroyed—or humanity suffered catastrophic losses—she would rarely intervene directly.
"This time, I came to give you the Time Stone," the Ancient One said.
"And also this—The Book of Thales, which will help you refine and strengthen your mind."
She formed seals with both hands. The Eye of Agamotto appeared upon her chest.
With another gesture, the green-glowing Time Stone floated out from its center.
As its radiance faded, it resembled a flawless, translucent jade gem.
Using magic, she guided both the Time Stone and the Book of Thales before Lucas.
"The taboos and methods of using the Stone will become clear once you make contact with it," she said gently.
"Thank you," Lucas replied sincerely.
Though he disliked those who manipulated others through foreknowledge of time, having such an ally did bring a sense of reassurance.
Staring at the Time Stone, Lucas suddenly asked,
"Tell me, Ancient One—aren't you afraid I might use the Time Stone to damage the timeline?"
She smiled indifferently.
"First of all, that assumes you even can."
"And even if you do, it would merely be the effect returning to complete its cause."
Lucas immediately thought of causality theories in quantum mechanics—where cause and effect can transcend time itself.
The result appears first; the cause merely exists to fulfill it.
"It seems you understand," the Ancient One said, seeing the change in his expression.
"As for the book, its contents are simple—Thales's understanding of mental power and how to condense it."
"I'll return to Kamar-Taj now. When you're finished, I'll come retrieve them myself."
With that, she stepped backward into the golden circle and vanished.
Lucas looked at the floating Time Stone and murmured,
"Now… everything I need is finally in place."
He reached out and grasped the Time Stone.
The moment his hand touched it, a torrent of unfamiliar information surged into his body.
Countless images flashed before his eyes.
Each moment of time appeared like a frozen frame—yet fully three-dimensional—flowing past him like a living film.
If he wished, he could pause any moment.
Or even rewind it.
Yet an instinctive warning informed him: time manipulation always requires a price.
Only by observing time without interference could one avoid paying that cost.
But even then, one could not influence the surrounding reality—only watch from another temporal layer.
Lucas slowly exhaled.
Time… was far more profound than he had imagined.
_____
T/N:
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