On a barren, shadowed world, a gate of light opened and lit the darkness around it. From within stepped Josh and Margaret.
"What a desolate, gloomy planet," Margaret said softly, glancing around.
This was once the realm of the dark elves—Svartalfheim. Everywhere, thick black matter drifted like mist. Strangely, though this world looked swallowed by darkness, its gravity, atmosphere, and other conditions were all suited for human survival. Otherwise, in the original story, Jane Foster would have died the moment she stumbled into it.
Still, even if humans could breathe here, they were not creatures of the night. In a place without light, where all seemed lifeless and suffocating, no one could last long before losing their mind.
"Bleak, yes. But not worthless," Josh said. "Can you locate where the dark elves are?"
For a short time, humans could manage here. And who knew how many ruins the dark elves had left behind? From what the movie showed, their technology was quite advanced.
"Not by thought alone. The dark elves were skilled at hiding, and Bor's seal was no small feat. I'll need some time," Margaret answered. She crouched, laying her hand on the ground.
Golden Celestial energy seeped from her fingers into the soil, spreading deep into the planet.
Josh wasn't surprised. Celestials were far stronger than gods like those of Asgard, but they were not omnipotent. Their actions still took process and time.
"No dark elves here… but I've found the Reality Stone," Margaret said after several minutes, withdrawing her power.
"Then let's go," Josh replied at once.
Margaret nodded and opened a portal.
Passing through, the two arrived in a ruined site. At the center stood the ancient sealing pillar—once shown in Thor: The Dark World—where the Reality Stone was bound.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Josh stepped closer. Within the cracks of the pillar, the Aether glowed like molten blood, the Reality Stone's dark red light flowing faintly.
"It is. But under that beauty lies no peace," Margaret answered.
As her words fell, the Reality Stone stirred, sensing their presence. After a pause, it surged toward Josh.
The seal had been ancient, dating back to the war between Asgard and the dark elves—long ago, when Odin's father Bor was young. Seven or eight thousand years had passed since then, likely before Odin himself was even born.
Bor had been dead for millennia. The seal had weakened to its limit. It could still cloak the Stone's power from leaking outward, but it no longer restrained the Stone itself.
The only reason the Aether remained here was that Svartalfheim held no life. Without hosts to seize, it lingered. Now, with Josh present, it leapt to claim him.
"Looks like it likes me," Josh smiled, not resisting. He stretched out his hand, letting the Reality Stone rush into his body.
"Likes you? Or maybe it just thinks you're easy prey," Margaret said, the corners of her lips curving into a small smile.
Like the other Infinity Stones, the Reality Stone had a will of its own. As Margaret implied, it hadn't chosen Josh out of fondness at all.
The Reality Stone hadn't chosen Josh because it "liked" him at all. It was because it sensed danger from Margaret. Knowing it couldn't draw any life energy from her, it chose instead to latch onto Josh—whose power was far weaker by comparison.
"Margo, saying it out that plain takes all the fun away," Josh rolled his eyes. Of course, he knew the real reason the Stone had picked him. But did that mean he couldn't act cool about it? Margaret's blunt honesty left him feeling a little embarrassed.
So, he vented his frustration on the Reality Stone itself.
Yes, compared to Margaret's current level, his power was far behind. But he was not so weak that a single Infinity Stone could bully him.
Just as the Reality Stone began burrowing into his body, preparing to feed on his life energy, a surge of violent purple power flared up, guided by a strand of golden Celestial energy.
It slammed directly into the Aether.
The liquid-like red mass that had flowed through his body was forced to contract, pulled together until it condensed into a solid crimson jewel—the Reality Stone—resting in Josh's palm.
That wild purple energy, of course, came from the Power Stone, which Josh already held.
In his past life, countless rankings online had placed the Power Stone at the bottom of the six, calling it the most "simple" one. But in truth, the opposite was likely the case.
The Power Stone could amplify the strength of the other five, making it perhaps the most dangerous of all.
This was the conclusion Josh had reached after testing it against the Space and Time Stones.
Each Infinity Stone had strange, wondrous abilities, but they also countered each other. When two or more Stones clashed, their powers could cancel one another out.
That was why, in Infinity War, Doctor Strange couldn't use the Time Stone effectively against Thanos—because with four Stones already in hand, Thanos made its power meaningless.
Once their abilities canceled, all that was left was raw, unfiltered energy. And in that contest, nothing matched the overwhelming surge of the Power Stone.
That was why it could strengthen the others. To strengthen also meant to suppress. It was likely the very reason Thanos had made it his first target.
And now, as the Power Stone forced the Reality Stone to reveal its true form, Josh's theory was confirmed again.
"I've found them. They're not on this planet at all," Margaret suddenly said, lifting her head and looking outward, past the horizon.
She had just sensed a faint ripple of dark energy from somewhere in the star system.
"The dark elves?" Josh blinked, suddenly remembering. Of course—they hadn't been here.
In the original story, the dark elves awoke aboard their mothership.
And if it was a mothership, the most likely place for it was in space.
"Yes," Margaret nodded.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go pay them a visit," Josh smiled.
"No need. They're already heading straight for us," Margaret said, shaking her head.