Asgard's night sky glittered with stars, vast and profound.
Late at night, insects chirped softly, and few people traveled the roads. Before long, a sturdy figure draped in a heavy burlap cloak emerged from the eastern side of Asgard City. His golden hair was hidden beneath the cloak's hood as he entered a secluded forest.
"Stephen!" Seeing that there were no Asgardians around and that the place was remote, Thor pulled back his hood, revealing his concealed face.
He did not want the Asgardians to know that he was meeting with Earthlings.
Ever since He-El had defeated Odin, the King of the Gods of Asgard, and Earth had gained independence, Earthlings had invisibly torn a wound in the hearts of the Asgardians, dealing their pride a severe blow.
If the gods and Asgardians learned that Thor, the heir apparent, was not on the battlefields of the Nine Realms but had instead gone to meet Earthlings, there would inevitably be resentment and suspicion.
Recently, and for some time to come, Asgardians had avoided speaking of Earthlings.
To avoid trouble, Thor could only don a cloak and discreetly slip past the many Asgardian gods. He arrived at the place Stephen Strange had named and found Stephen Strange and the other two.
Pietro Maximoff and Wanda Maximoff stood nearby, looking at Thor.
"Thor!" Stephen Strange, who had been sitting cross-legged while resting and waiting, opened his eyes. Seeing Thor appear, he rose and stepped forward. Without wasting words, he said, "Thor, I need your help."
"What happened, Stephen?" Thor asked as he approached.
Logically speaking, with He-El—whose Battle Power was so immense that he had defeated Odin, the King of the Gods—stationed on Earth, and with Stephen Strange himself being both an earthling and a member of the Avengers, anything beyond the scale