In the void, Thor had no idea how many years had passed.
As far as his senses could tell, there was nothing but endless darkness.
And all he could do was keep falling.
Thor had never realized how terrifying weightlessness could be.
He had no idea how much time had passed. His thoughts were like the void itself, sometimes clear, sometimes muddled, as though even his memories were gradually fading into the boundless darkness.
He tried to recall his life before: the glorious battles, his close friendships, and the moments that had made his heart race. But everything seemed so distant and hazy.
Whenever he tried to grasp a fragment of memory, it slipped through his fingers like shifting sand, leaving only emptiness and loneliness.
There was nothing he could do but keep falling.
He would keep falling forever, until—
"Good morning, Thor. Been enjoying yourself these past few days?"
Xia Ling yanked the black hood off Thor's head. The Asgardian Prince jolted awake from the darkness and the void. Thor blinked, and the scene before him gradually came into focus.
He still looked dazed, as if he hadn't fully woken up. The person before him seemed familiar, but where had he seen him before?
"Congratulations, Asgardian Prince. You've successfully claimed the throne and taken charge of all Asgard."
There was a hint of mockery in Xia Ling's voice, but Thor had only just woken up and didn't notice.
At those words, Thor's pupils abruptly contracted. His memories surged back like a tide, swallowing him whole. He remembered that he was the Asgardian Prince. He remembered the challenges and trials he had endured for the throne. And he remembered being banished.
"I—I claimed the throne? But wasn't I banished?"
Thor's voice trembled slightly, filled with both incredulous delight and confusion.