The wild wind on the helipad had yet to die down when Thor's burly body slammed heavily into the granite ground.
The seven-colored rainbow light shattered inch by inch, turning into countless fading motes. Atmospheric ripples torn open by the high-dimensional spatial passage spread in all directions, kicking up waves of scorching ionized air.
Thor planted one hand on his hip and, with the other, flamboyantly hooked Mjolnir onto his belt buckle. His red cape flapped loudly in the wind.
"Midgard's air! It's still this refreshing!"
Thor grinned broadly and lifted a foot, about to head over to Chen Xiao's lounge chair.
Tony nearly failed to keep hold of the bone china coffee cup in his hand.
He tugged his sunglasses down half an inch, his gaze fixed directly on the face of the Divine Realm's eldest prince.
"Good God, Thor, where did you moonlight as a human shield? Some underground bare-knuckle ring? Or is this... striped battle-damaged makeup trend all the rage in Asgard?"
Thor's entire face was swollen. His cheeks were puffed out, dense dark-red marks ran horizontally across both sides, crossing in neat rows. The bloody scabs over his torn skin had yet to fully harden, and even the corners of his eyes were bruised.
Chen Xiao slowly took a sip of iced cola through a straw, his gaze brushing over Thor's face. The instant the Bifrost tore open the dimension, an object tucked into his inner chest pocket suddenly trembled lightly, sending out a faint yet anxious karmic resonance.
It was the worn silver ornament Kaecilius had entrusted to him before leaving, stained with his deceased wife's obsession and blood. To salvage two fragile wandering souls from the depths of the Dark Dimension, where even the concept of time and space had been devoured, this token