American Comics: Heaven's Reward

"Heimdall, has Thor returned yet?"

After stepping out of the portal, Aaron greeted Heimdall.

"No, he is following the Father of God's orders, completing the trial alone in Vanaheim."

"He has performed admirably and is close to completing the counterinsurgency. I believe he will be back soon."

Heimdall shook his head, but his eyes lingered on Aaron.

He had been paying attention to what had been happening on Midgard.

This wasn't Odin's plan, but rather his own whim.

Initially, he hadn't thought the task would be difficult.

In the common understanding of Asgard, Midgard was still seen as a backward place, one that needed the gods' protection.

Even though the three warriors had suffered losses there, he hadn't taken it seriously.

But it didn't matter if he hadn't been paying attention—just watching it made him feel uneasy.

To intimidate a group of Midgardians, Aaron was so serious that he was prepared to destroy a city over a disagreement.

Although the disturbance was considerable, the effect was clear: the Midgardians regained their fear of Asgard and respect for the gods.

"Is this Asgard? The home of the legendary gods..."

While the two were talking, Qin, who had come through the portal, was looking around at the beautiful surroundings and sighing sincerely.

"Phoenix? You brought her back!"

Heimdall was cautious.

The evil aura surrounding Qin was enough to frighten anyone.

Yes, even he was afraid of the Phoenix force.

Before observing the Phoenix's power across countless light-years, he hadn't felt much. At most, he had simply marveled at its evil and power.

But now, encountering it in person, the dark aura hit him directly, making it hard to breathe.

As the protector of Asgard, he needed to ensure the safety of the realm. Any unstable factors were a cause for investigation. It was best to push such dangerous elements out.

He had even thought of expelling Loki before, to address potential crises in advance.

But Loki was the second prince, after all. Even if Heimdall had his doubts, he wouldn't act lightly.

Now, though, Jean was following Aaron, able to enter and leave Asgard at will. Even if Heimdall wanted to stop her, he couldn't.

This magic god possessed power greater than his own.

Most importantly, the Father of God hadn't given any orders, so Heimdall couldn't act without Odin's command.

"It's fine, she's safe now."

Aaron spoke confidently, tossing the Space Gem to Heimdall.

"Better that way."

Heimdall caught the gem, glanced at Qin, and then began using the power of the Space Gem to repair Bifrost.

Though he was concerned about Qin possibly losing control, he believed that with the presence of the Father of God, no being could act recklessly in Asgard.

No matter how powerful the Phoenix was, it would be suppressed before the King of Gods!

While Heimdall repaired Bifrost, Aaron watched his movements.

He was curious to see how Heimdall would use the Space Gem.

From his expert manner, it was clear that Heimdall was no stranger to Bifrost.

Perhaps, before the gems were placed on Earth, he and Odin had frequently dealt with them. Ordinary people couldn't use the energy of gems to repair Bifrost with such ease.

At least Aaron couldn't do it yet.

It might also be due to Heimdall's understanding of Bifrost. After all, he had guarded it for so long. It was impossible to think Heimdall had no knowledge of how it worked.

However, until Bifrost was fully repaired, Aaron didn't get to see how Heimdall operated it.

He reluctantly gave up on the idea of trying to steal any knowledge.

Anyway, he would have time to study gems in the future, so it wasn't urgent.

Just then, a golden portal appeared before them.

Heimdall frowned but said nothing.

He had already noticed that the portal was identical to Aaron's, likely created by him, so he ignored it.

Sure enough,

The energy duplication that had been set up in the magic library appeared from the portal.

With a wave of his hand, Aaron converted it into energy absorption.

At the same time, he obtained the magical knowledge needed by the other party to collect engravings during this time, including both basic and in-depth knowledge systems such as runes.

As long as he had time to digest it, the next time he encountered a forbidden magic circle set by someone like Dr. Witch, he would be able to break it using his newly acquired magical knowledge.

"The Father of God said, after you return and repair Bifrost, you are to go to him with the Tesseract. He has an important task for you."

After Heimdall returned the gem, he said solemnly.

Important task?

Aaron raised an eyebrow, thinking carefully. Was there something major going on? It seemed there was nothing significant happening lately!

Could it be related to this?

Looking at the Space Gem, Aaron vaguely guessed something.

He walked toward the Golden Hall.

Once inside, Odin sat on the throne as usual.

There were only two guards in golden armor standing beside him.

The massive palace looked grand and luxurious, yet it couldn't hide its emptiness.

This was the burden that a king of gods had to bear.

While other gods and people celebrated, he had to maintain his majesty and wealth.

This was one reason why Aaron wasn't as obsessed with the throne as Loki was.

If he became the King of Asgard, he would have to bear this loneliness. He wasn't sure if he could handle it, and he wasn't ready yet.

Seeing Aaron's arrival, Odin didn't immediately greet him. Instead, he watched the Tesseract sink into his memories.

After a long silence, he waved the guards away.

"Aaron, have you ever heard of the Infinity Gems?"

"Um?"

Aaron nodded.

"Yes, you know, considering you've been to Kamar-Taj, where they keep another mysterious and magnificent Infinity Gem."

Odin wasn't surprised that Aaron knew. It was no secret that Kamar-Taj possessed the Time Gem.

He had dealt with them before, so how could he not know some details?

He assumed that Aaron must have learned some information about the gems during his time there.

"Before the creation of the universe, there were six singularities."

"Then the Big Bang created everything."

"The remnants of those six singularities merged to form the gems."

"These are the Infinity Gems!"

"Each gem holds mysterious and unpredictable power, and only those with extraordinary strength can control them."

Odin stood, slowly walking up to Aaron. He reached out to touch the Tesseract for a moment before sighing.

"Infinity Gems contain incredible power, even greater than that of the gods!"

"I once obtained a few gems and even considered collecting them all to forge an artifact."

"When I was almost finished collecting them..."

"For some reason, I gave up..."

"They are dangerous!"

"Very dangerous!!"

"Dangerous to others, but also to one's own people!"

"If they fall into the hands of those with evil intentions, it could lead to unimaginable disasters. Do you understand?"

Aaron nodded, understanding. This was exactly what he had suspected.

For a god-king like Odin, who had a strong collection instinct, the power of the Infinity Gems would be irresistible. Even before Thanos, Odin had constructed the Infinity Gauntlet.

It was impossible that Odin hadn't once considered collecting all the Gems.

Especially the original Odin, who had been so ambitious and cruel.

Aaron suspected that Odin could have collected the Gems at any time early on, but he eventually had a change of heart.

Perhaps it was due to the Soul Gem.

Suddenly, Odin transformed from a tyrant to a benevolent king, and that change came so quickly that it was almost shocking.

"Actually, I shouldn't be telling you this, and I certainly shouldn't tell anyone else, but now, the problem has arisen."

Odin took a deep breath and picked up the Tesseract. "The Tesseract is one of the Infinity Gems. Its outer appearance is just a cover to mislead those who wish to steal it."

At that moment, Odin exerted a little pressure, and the true form of the Space Gem appeared before them.

"But clearly, our plan has failed."

"Someone has already set their sights on it, discovered its true purpose, and sent their forces to try and take it."

Odin gripped the Space Gem and spoke meaningfully, "Have you seen Loki? Did he tell you something?"

"He wants Midgard! And an unknown ally."

Aaron wasn't surprised Odin knew about Loki. He immediately explained Loki's plan.

He knew there was no point in hiding it now—Odin had probably already guessed Loki's intentions.

Heimdall's abilities weren't limited to monitoring the Nine Realms; as long as he was willing, there was no place in the entire galaxy he couldn't see.

Asgard certainly knew about the Tesseract.

No! They had known about it all along, but had simply chosen to leave it outside Asgard.

Aaron thought Odin's decision to let the Gems wander outside was deliberate—to keep them safe.

Odin knew how dangerous it would be if the Gems were collected.

For safety's sake, they couldn't all be kept in the same place.

They needed to be separated to ensure no one could take advantage of them.

Odin had likely ordered Heimdall to keep a constant watch over the Tesseract's location, ensuring nothing went wrong.

Even if Loki could hide for a while, eventually he would slip up.

Once Heimdall revealed Loki's plot to steal the Tesseract, they would be able to track down the threats.

And sure enough, Thanos' and the Chitauri's presence became evident.

Aaron's theory was confirmed.

Odin's response proved it.

He nodded in approval of Aaron's answer. At least Aaron had proven trustworthy.

"Heimdall informed me that Loki has an army of Chitauri from distant, unknown galaxies. Behind them is a titan named Thanos, who is quite evil and has killed countless people!"

"Thanos seems to be preparing to collect the Infinity Gems for some nefarious purpose."

"I believe Loki is planning to use the Space Gem to make a deal with them and take Earth."

Though the full picture was still unclear, Odin had a rough idea of what Loki and Thanos were up to, based on Heimdall's findings.

"This is a dangerous signal. The dark forces from the unknown universe have targeted Midgard."

"Once their plan succeeds and they gather all the Infinity Gems, the universe will fall into chaos, and the Nine Realms will no longer be able to maintain peace."

"So, I am entrusting you with an important task!"

"Protect the Space Gem!"

Odin handed the Space Gem to Aaron and spoke with gravity.

"This is the important task? To guard the gem?"

"Does this mean my strength is enough to stop most evil forces? Or is it a punishment?!"

"As long as the Space Gem isn't in Asgard, Asgard will be safe."

"Thus, we can continue to ensure the stability of the realm."

Aaron's thoughts turned to this question.

Odin was being unusually generous, having already handed him the Eternal Flame and now the Gem.

However, giving him the Eternal Flame was more important in preventing Ragnarök, while the Space Gem was about keeping Asgard secure from external threats.

The key was that even with Aaron's vast energy-absorbing abilities, he couldn't absorb the power of the Gems.

Odin knew how dangerous they were. Even gods could not control them.

"Now I see..."

Aaron reflected.

At that moment, Odin continued: "Aaron, you need to take the Space Gem and go to Midgard. Stop Loki's plan!"

"If the enemies from the unknown universe are still persistent, use your magic to show them the might of the Aesir gods!"

"Let them know that Asgard is not a place they can conquer!"

Odin's words were strong, but Aaron knew they weren't mere words.

The Space Gem was safest away from Asgard.

Aaron didn't mind.

He understood that this was another transaction.

Just as before, when Aaron's power had grown beyond Odin's reach, there was no longer a master-servant relationship.

Every time Odin requested something from him, it came with an equivalent reward.

Whether magic, artifacts, or other conditions, that was the price of compliance.

This time, the Space Gem was part of their deal.

In the end, Aaron was still loyal to Asgard—but Odin would continue to rely on Aaron's power!

In this regard, Odin outshone all his sons and daughters, including Loki.

For a qualified king, both strength and resourcefulness are indispensable.

Aaron thought for a moment, then nodded.

He also happened to want the Infinity Gems to see if he could safely absorb their energy.

Odin handed him the gem, wishing for it.

After all, it wasn't as if Aaron couldn't return to Asgard again. As long as he needed it, he could always come back to retrieve what he wanted.

Seeing Aaron agree, Odin showed a satisfied smile.

Finally, he had gotten rid of this hot potato...

He was getting old and no longer cared about guarding the Infinity Gems.

He had already expected that his end was near.

Until that day came, he wanted to clear as many obstacles as possible.

The current Thor was too young, not resourceful enough, and not strong enough. Even if his true power awakened, he would still struggle to deal with future crises.

Thus, Odin had to pave the way for Thor and minimize the threats facing Asgard.

The Infinity Gems—if they couldn't be kept in Asgard, they couldn't be kept anywhere.

Not a single one!

Otherwise, the consequences would be catastrophic.

But...

After all, Aaron had been calculated!

Earlier, Aaron had expressed Loki's thoughts without hesitation, which showed that he was truly on Asgard's side.

Although Odin was an old fox, he still felt some guilt. To calculate against a hero's son felt like an insult to the priesthood's name.

But he couldn't help it.

He knew of Thanos's reputation—he was now the most powerful warlord in the galaxy, a nightmare for countless civilizations.

His strength should not be underestimated.

If it were the current Odin, he wouldn't fear Thanos, but Odin was old.

In his prime, Odin could ensure the enemy would never dare step foot in the Nine Realms. But if something happened to him, it would be difficult for Thor to hold his ground.

Odin couldn't even guarantee that Thanos wouldn't acquire more of the Infinity Gems.

With his power combined with the Gems, even Odin himself wouldn't stand a chance.

Moreover, besides Thanos, Asgard faced another crisis...

He was worried whether Thor could make it through everything that was to come.

That's why he needed to secure a guarantee.

Odin couldn't see through Aaron's strength completely, but he wanted to win him over as much as possible.

Guarding Asgard could only be achieved if Aaron remained loyal to Thor.

"Aaron, I have one more thing to ask of you."