Chapter 54. Gwen: “Finally, I can experience everything this world has to offer!”
"Yes, it's me, Gwen, the Summoner," Gwen said with a smile, adjusting her stockings and dress, which had gotten a bit rumpled when Noah hugged her.
"Summoner?" Noah pondered the word before smiling at her. "Well, welcome to this world, Gwen. You can call me Noah."
"Alright, Noah. I'm really looking forward to getting to know this new world. Please help me experience everything it has to offer."
Noah nodded. He knew that Gwen had once been a doll, and now, as a human, she cherished her newfound state. He recalled her story.
Gwen, the Hallowed Seamstress from League of Legends, had been sewn by a seamstress named Isolde in the kingdom of Camavor. The doll loved her mistress, who later fell in love with the king of this kingdom.
But their happiness was short-lived. An assassin from an enemy kingdom accidentally struck the queen while trying to kill the king. Isolde died, but King Viego couldn't accept it. Learning of the Blessed Isles, which held the Waters of Life that could revive the dead, Viego led an army to the island.
Upon reaching the Waters of Life, he placed Isolde's body into the sacred waters. She did return to life but as a specter. Taking Viego's Enchanted Blade, she pierced his heart.
At that moment, the blade, having slain its master within the Waters of Life, unleashed a curse. A terrible force engulfed all of the Blessed Isles, turning all living and dead creatures into ghosts, forever trapped on the island, later known as the Shadow Isles.
The island, once filled with wisdom and magic where Ryze and his mentor Tyrus had studied, was now a place of darkness and death, shrouded in black mist and inhabited by specters.
During this catastrophe, Isolde's soul was split into many parts. One was absorbed by the doll Gwen. Thousands of years later, the doll transformed into a human, becoming the present-day Gwen.
Gwen cherished every second of her human existence. She loved the world and was prepared to fight Viego to stop his attempts to destroy it for Isolde's resurrection. Despite her desire to see her mistress again, she knew Isolde would never sacrifice the world for her. Thus, Gwen joined the Sentinels of Light to stop Viego and seal him away.
This was Gwen's story. In truth, her time as a human was very brief, which is why she was intensely curious about everything in the world. Her voice lines in the game reflected this: Gwen loved the world and her new human state.
Noah nodded, deciding to show Gwen this world in all its glory. And in the Marvel universe, there were even more possibilities. Beyond Earth, countless civilizations existed in space, and he planned to travel among the stars with Gwen.
"Ahem, Gwen," Noah cleared his throat, feeling a bit awkward, as he had been thinking too much about the future even though they had just met.
"There's going to be a banquet soon, which could serve as your welcoming party in this world. Shall we go?"
Gwen, of course, had no idea what Noah was thinking. Hearing about the banquet, she looked excited and happy.
"Oh, a banquet, yay! I love banquets! I used to see Isolde attend various banquets, but I never had the experience myself! Now, I finally have the chance! Let's go, Noah!" Gwen eagerly grabbed Noah's hand and pulled him towards the exit. Her eyes shone with the same joyful excitement as a child seeing their favorite toy. And that wasn't surprising, considering she was quite young by human standards.
"Um... where to?" Gwen paused in the empty corridor and turned to Noah after stepping out of the room.
"Gwen, no rush," Noah smiled. "We still have time to make it to the banquet. Let's go slowly; I'll show you around."
"Ooh!"
They began moving down the corridor, and Noah told her about Asgard. She looked around with interest, marveling at the luxurious decorations and exclaiming whenever she heard tales of gods and their great deeds.
After a long and winding corridor, they finally reached the doors of the banquet hall. Noah thought that Asgardians clearly liked complicated paths – straight lines seemed too boring for them.
As they approached the hall doors, the guards opened them, and golden light poured out from inside. Along with it came the thick scent of wine and pleasant music.
Noah and Gwen entered the hall. Wealth and nobility – those were the words that described the interior. Noah, seeing the hall, immediately thought of Asgard, while Gwen, who had never seen anything like it, looked around in awe.
Many details in the hall were made of gold: the throne where Odin usually sat during banquets, columns, and various other elements. Besides gold, bronze and stone were used, giving the room a distinctly Norse style.
The hall was filled with an atmosphere of celebration: Asgardians chatted, laughed, musicians played pleasant tunes, and tables were laden with a variety of dishes. Asgardian warriors feasted, drinking and eating meat.
"Noah, you're finally here," a voice called out from the side. It was Thor, with Jane, Darcy, and Erik Selvig beside him. The three looked around curiously, as this was their first Asgardian banquet, which they had always considered a legend.
Thor had just arrived on the scene. After meeting with his parents, he rushed back to Earth for Jane. Jane and her friends waited for him at the designated spot, and upon seeing his return, they sighed in relief. They didn't know what had been going on with him, but now, reassured he was okay, they gladly agreed to travel with him to Asgard. Thor summoned the Bifrost, and a beam of light transported them to Asgard.
This quick transition had taken Nick Fury and Agent Coulson by surprise, as they had only managed to see the beam of light.
"And who's this with you?" Thor asked, noticing Gwen beside Noah. He remembered Noah coming alone and didn't recognize the girl. She was clearly not one of the Asgardians he knew.
Not waiting for Noah to introduce her, Gwen took the initiative.
"Hello! I'm Gwen, and I'm a doll~" she said in her lovely voice.
"A doll?"
After she introduced herself, everyone present seemed a bit confused. Why did she call herself a doll? Darcy, who often browsed the internet, suddenly gave Noah a strange look, deciding that he and this girl were part of some unusual performance.
Noah noticed Darcy's gaze and felt a bit perplexed.
"Yes, that's right."
Then she transformed into a cute rag doll in a puff of blue smoke.
The Asgardians around them gasped in surprise. The Earth trio was also stunned, feeling that their perception of the world had been seriously shaken today.
"Is that perhaps the work of Midgardian sorcerers? Simply amazing," Thor marveled.
Noah didn't argue with him, merely looking at Gwen, who was now in doll form and brandishing a tiny pair of scissors.
"Gwen, return to your human form; the banquet is about to start."
"Got it, Noah," Gwen reverted back to her human form, but the scissors she held remained small. Noah noticed another pair of blue scissors hanging at her waist, which he hadn't seen before.
"Thor!" a gruff voice called from the side.
The Warrior's Three and Sif approached them, with Sif casting a slightly complicated look at Jane.
"Thor, now that you're here, the banquet can begin. After all, this is a celebration of your return! We can't start without the guest of honor. Do you have anything to say?" Volstagg boomed, and the others nodded in agreement.
Upon hearing this, Thor stepped to the center of the hall.
"My friends, Asgardians! I, Thor, the God of Thunder, was exiled to Midgard by my father for certain reasons. But I understand my father, for he was right. I used to be arrogant and selfish, without respect or care for others. However, while on Midgard, I realized my mistakes and changed. And here I want to express my special gratitude to one person – that's Jane," Thor brought Jane closer to him.
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