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The next morning
The desert sun rose slowly over the temporary Arasaka structure. Inside, the atmosphere was calmer than the night before. Thor stood near the exit with Jane, Erik, and Darcy beside him. He looked calm now as if he have accepted his fate.
"We will be going then " Jane said.
Thor nodded once. He turned toward Ethan.
"Thank you… for allowing me to stay," Thor said. "But now I must learn how to live on Earth… as a mortal."
Ethan gave a small nod. "Good luck. Earth isn't easy—but you'll manage."
Darcy gave a small wave. "It was fun staying here, I got to see lot of good Arasaka tech, Can I take some?"
Jane elbowed her again, embarrassed.
Ethan smiled as he said " This techs are not for public"
Coulson watched quietly from the side as the four of them walked toward their van. Within minutes, the vehicle drove away across the desert, leaving only dust behind.
Ethan stood still for a moment, watching them leave.
But unlike everyone else… he wasn't surprised by Thor's sudden change in attitude.
Because during the night, Ethan had checked the hidden surveillance system inside the guest rooms.
And he had seen Loki.
The Asgardian had appeared silently inside Thor's room while everyone else slept—disguised, calm, and manipulative. Ethan had watched the entire conversation through the hidden camera feed.
Loki had told Thor that Odin was dead.
That his banishment had broken Odin's heart.
That Thor was the cause.
Ethan knew it was a lie.
Back inside the structure, Sharon walked over. "They've left the area," she reported.
Ethan nodded absentmindedly.
"You look like you already expected this outcome," she said, studying his expression.
"I did," Ethan replied calmly. "Thor had a visitor last night."
Sharon's eyes narrowed slightly. "Visitor?"
"His brother," Ethan said simply. "Loki. Illusion-based powers… extremely skilled. If I didn't have layered surveillance, we wouldn't have noticed."
Storm's posture stiffened slightly when she realized someone had come and left without her knowing.
"I didn't let others know, so don't worry about it," Ethan said seeing her face. Sharon nodded, understanding that she hadn't received any alert because Ethan had overridden the system himself.
"And?" Sharon asked.
"He lied to Thor," Ethan said. "Told him Odin is dead and that it's Thor's fault. Broke whatever confidence he had left."
Sharon frowned. "Do you want to interfere?"
Ethan shook his head slowly. "No. This is a family problem… and part of whatever test Odin set for him."
He walked toward the large window, looking out toward the distant crater where the hammer still rested silently.
"Though there's one thing I don't understand," Ethan said.
"What?" Sharon asked.
"Why would Loki lie about Odin's death?" Ethan replied.
Sharon thought for a moment. "If Loki is Thor's brother, then it's simple—he wants the throne."
Ethan nodded. "Yeah… royal family drama. It happens everywhere. Not even the so-called god race is free from it."
"Don't tell me we're just going to leave him like that," Coulson asked as he walked over.
Ethan shook his head. "We aren't. My men have already gone after them—stealthily."
Coulson nodded. "Good. I don't think it's wise to let someone as powerful as Thor roam free—even if he no longer has his powers," he said.
Ethan led everyone back into the main room and turned on the large wall screen. Security footage appeared immediately—it showed Thor sitting inside a car with Jane and the others.
"Here," Ethan said casually. "Watch as much as you want."
Coulson sighed and dropped onto the couch. Sharon sat beside him, quietly observing the footage while analysts' windows opened on smaller screens.
After making sure everything was running, Ethan left the room and returned to his private quarters. He closed the door behind him and sat down on his bed.
"…Monthly tech gacha," he muttered.
A familiar holographic wheel appeared in front of him—glowing symbols spinning rapidly. The wheel slowed… then finally stopped.
An image appeared—a man whose body was breaking into pixels.
"…Second Son… Eugene," Ethan said quietly.
A notification appeared.
[Reward Obtained: Ray Sphere – Conduit Awakening Prototype]
[Bonus Ability Unlocked: Video Conduit Power – Direct Integration Successful]
Ethan blinked as a wave of information flooded his mind—blueprints, biological data, energy structures. He understood instantly what it meant.
"…Ray Sphere creation," he whispered.
The knowledge allowed him to create devices capable of awakening superhuman abilities in others… though the risks were extremely high.
Before he could think further, another surge of energy ran through his body. His vision flickered—lines of light forming around his hands like digital fragments.
"…So this time I got the power directly," he said, watching small pixels form and disappear around his fingers.
Screens in his room turned on automatically. Static shifted into moving holograms responding to his thoughts.
"Video Conduit…" he murmured.
With a small gesture, a floating holographic drone formed from pure light and data—then dissolved again when he relaxed.
Ethan leaned back slightly, thinking.
"…Interesting. Extremely useful for surveillance… illusions… and most importantly in combat."
He stared at his hand for a few seconds longer before closing his eyes.
When he opened them again, a tiny chibi skeleton holding a small sword appeared in his palm.
"The Video Conduit power is really cool," he mumbled as he watched the cute little skeleton jump down and start moving around the room, following his silent commands.
He tilted his head, watching the tiny skeleton march proudly across the floor like a miniature knight on patrol. A faint grin tugged at his lips.
"…Alright. Let's push it a little further."
Ethan raised his hand again. The air shimmered—pixels and fragments of glowing light weaving together like threads. One… two… three more chibi skeletons appeared, each with a different tiny weapon: a spear, a shield, and an oversized hammer that looked ridiculously heavy for its size. They saluted him in unison before scattering around the room.
The tiny army immediately burst into motion—one skeleton climbed the table like a seasoned adventurer, another stood guard near the door, and the one with the oversized hammer attempted to lift a coin before toppling over with a dramatic clack.