Ase gazed upon the sunrise, which casted a ghostly light upon the tranquil oceans. Far beyond the horizon was a land she had only heard in Elliot's stories. Land with tall skyscrapers reaching the sky, buildings as vast as a lake, and people as dangerous as snakes. A place of no magic which did not excite her, yet she had no choice but to go. No, it was her choice. She needed to seek her place in the worlds, the purpose of her hidden existence.

She brought only a small rucksack with her, believing in her instincts alone in the strange new world. She had not told Elliot of this, though she knew he would soon find out before she left. And he did, for she waited for his realisation and arrival. He did not come in haste, somehow not surprised by this discovery.

"I'm leaving," Ase told him plainly. "Towards the mainland you've told me about."

"I am not preventing you," Elliot said calmly. Ase was surprised by this revelation, for Elliot had tried to protect her from the outside world for so many years. "I am here to say goodbye."

"You know this is not goodbye, Elliot, for you cannot stay here forever either," Ase said. "You've been dwelling in sadness and responsibility over me for too long. You must leave eventually."

"I will, but not now," said Elliot, his voice hoarse, as if he had aged into an old man. "I knew this time would come, and nothing can hold your path away forever. I am here only to advise you, my dear."

"I will listen to it."

"Find a purpose as soon as you arrive on the mainland, and always hold on to it. Never use your powers uncontrollably, and never unlock your true power, for he will certainly see you. And you shall be killed like the rest of your kin."

"I am not afraid of death," she said surely.

"Well, you should be, for you are young. Yet the time you will spend out there will harden your resilience, and only then will you understand the true value of your existence."

"Then tell me, what is the value of a monster, Elliot?" she asked back. As she had expected, Elliot could not answer. "Elliot, if even you can never answer it, then others will not as well," she whispered, curving a small smile.

"Even if I cannot answer it, Ase, you must know that I will be there for you. Always," Elliot said slowly. Ase smiled again.

"You are the only one I can depend on, I know. Farewell, Elliot."

oOo

For a long moment, she could only hear the wind rustling in her ears. Then she landed hard on one of the chariots, quite coincidentally. There was a sense of conviction beating in her heart as she opened her eyes, standing face to face with her enemy. The speeding chariot did not bother her, for her balance was kept by the firm assurance of her mind.

The Chitauri screeched ominously, aiming its gun at her. Inertia spun her staff swiftly and artfully fell back, evading a blast from the enemy's gun. She used the momentum of her staff to lift herself up, and swiftly swung it at her enemy. It hit the alien with a loud bang, sending it off its vehicle. Now the vehicle was hers, and Inertia did not even bother to learn how to drive the machinery. Using her powers, she tilted the vehicle towards the nearest warship, which moved like a snake swimming in the sea.

The Chitauris started shooting at her, but she managed to evade all attacks by creating blasts of force around her chariot. Several chariots began gathering in front of her path, trying to create a barricade, she supposed. Ase did not waver, instead quickly leaping from her chariot and landing on the head of the nearest Chitauri. She propelled an incredible force from her feet and finally landed on her destination.

The warship was bigger than she had expected. She began to regret her boasting her capabilities in destroying this thing. She observed the mechanism of the airship, which she discovered was indeed a beast. A living being made for war, to her horror. She tapped its armour with her staff, and realised it was too hard to penetrate even with her durable staff.

Ase jolted when several blasts from the enemy guns hit just behind her feet. Instinctively, she ran towards the middle of the warship, where she deduced would be safer to think.

What can I do to destroy this thing? Inertia pondered, trying aimlessly to break the ship's exoskeleton with her staff. Indeed, as per her hypothesis, it did not even budge. She stopped and tried once more, this time in addition with a jump and a stronger force, but it resulted not far from before.

"Stark, do you have any ideas on destroying the warships?" she asked pensively.

"Other than Banner, no," Tony replied pessimistically. "Wait, you are on the warship?"

"Yes," she replied, scrunching her eyebrows. She ran through all possibilities, the skills and techniques she had used to defeat enemies. None was possible to bring down such a large airship, not even with tremendous force. Her hands touched the skull of the creature and her mind cleared for a moment. Her eyes fixated on her two hands, and a memory came to her.

"What... if the ship is frozen?" Inertia asked, her voice almost ethereal in her tranquil state of mind. "Will it budge?"

"Well, I guess so. It's actually a good idea since this is a living creature we're talking about. At low temperatures you'll at least shatter some structures. At very low temperatures, you can completely destroy it."

"Good," she exclaimed. "At least I have a way."

"But how would you get the ice?" asked Tony. Inertia did not reply, instead disassembling her staff and putting it into her belt. There was no other choice, she had known. Sooner or later she would have to use it, and reveal everything she had tried to hide. But sometimes sacrifices are needed, she had learnt through her years of travelling. People die to protect others, and this is her sacrifice.

"Inertia?" Tony asked once more, worry filling his voice.

"Don't get near the warship, Stark," Inertia warned him, clasping her hands together.

"What—Inertia, you've got company."

Inertia whirled around and saw several Chitauris had landed close to her. She grumbled and lunged at her enemies, kicking the first off its ship. The others fired their guns at her, but she blocked them with force field and punched them away. Her mind was clear, and so was her body. No one could defeat her in such a state.

Except for one.

Inertia loosened her fists when she saw Loki, standing at the edge of the ship. "Hello," he greeted, to her surprise, solemnly.

"Loki," she acknowledged him, though she did not reach her staff to face the armed warrior. Something inside her prevented her from attacking him. She remembered what had happened back in the base, and when she observed his face, realised the truth behind her quick recovery. "You did not kill me back then… Why?"

"I—" He paused a moment, pondering. He drew a deep breath and continued. "I thought maybe you would change your mind, for we are alike, you and I," Loki explained, stepping closer. He looked at her meaningfully. "I see the pain in your eyes, Inertia. You do not belong here, you play a greater purpose than protecting this pathetic world."

"Your mind is being played by the sceptre, Loki," Inertia persuaded him, stepping back towards the centre of the ship. "I've heard from the others that Banner was affected also. You need to snap out of it."

"Do not speak as if you understand me! I do this because I have a purpose, not because that stupid sceptre controls me. " Loki grumbled.

"You're wrong, because I know that deep inside you are still a good man," she said bitterly. "I do not want to hurt you, but I have no choice."

With her last words, she extended her hand, and pushed him. Loki flew in the air like a feather, his eyes widened in shock. Inertia pursed her lips, watching the man fall to one of the chariots. "WHY?!" he screamed.

"You'll understand," she said. She knelt, both of her hands touching the warship's outer skeleton. From the corners of her eyes she saw a beam of blue aimed at her. Loki was targeting her, but she did not waver. There was no more time, for below hundreds of lives were being risked.

Inertia closed her eyes, calling back bitter memories from her past. The ice lake, the red-eyed creature. She remembered the cold air surrounding her, the pieces of snowflakes falling down to her hands. Elliot's face when he saw her, and her expression when she saw her own reflection.

I am a daughter of a monster, her younger voice whispered.

"I am the daughter of a Jotun."

Cold brushed her skin, and in a sudden shift of the air, from her hands arrived frost colder than any winter. Ice crackled at the centre of the warship, spreading as fast as lightning and enveloping the warship in white sheet, turning the creature into a frozen creation. The numerous Chitauris inside the warship tried to escape the frozen judgment, but the frost was too fast for them, and soon they were engulfed in the icy menace.

And within that moment, she sensed something breaking. Something inside her body opened, a channel which had been dammed for hundreds of years. The barrier which had always concealed her out of the Watcher's sight had been broken by the cold ice, and in that moment Inertia felt a surge of power running through her veins.

"The seal has been broken," she whispered to herself as she stood up.

She opened her eyes, and saw her own reflection on the glassy ice. Bloodshot eyes stared back at her pale face, the same eyes which were cast upon her decades ago. It was surprising how, after she had unleashed herself, she felt relieved.

The ice apparently had frozen the warship entirely, halting its movement. The beast began losing altitude, descending at a rapid speed. Inertia swayed, her head aching so much it almost tear her mind apart. She shook her head and assembled her staff, at the same time struggling to maintain her balance. Ignoring the pain in her head, she gathered all her strength, and smashed her staff onto the centre of the warship.

The warship broke like the sound of glass shattering, Inertia lost her ground and, with a horrifying realisation, she fell.

oOo

There were many times Thor could not believe his eyes, but none of those times struck him as magical as this. The beast, enclosed in perfect ice, fractured into several different pieces as an unknown force blasted its back. Thor lingered and observed the scene intently for a moment, before he noticed another being falling together with the pieces.

"Inertia," he realised. Intuitively he spun his hammer, and flew towards the woman. He caught her just in time, and he instantly shuddered, for her body was threateningly cold. What have you been doing? he mused.

Thor landed safely on the ground, the debris still falling above them. He noticed several civilians nearby, all of whom were threatened by the falling pieces. Just as Thor thought he could not save them, Inertia reached her hand and changed the tide. Slowly the debris stopped mid-air, all seemingly as light as the feather. Thor gaped at the sight, for he had never seen her displaying this much power. Furthermore, he could feel something flowing in her body. A strong energy he had never sensed in her before.

Once the civilians were safe from sight, the creature's fractures immediately dropped to the ground. Thor laid Inertia to the earth, and saw that she had not been unconscious after all. He flinched when he saw her eyes. They were scarlet, just like the eyes of Jotuns.

"Inertia. What—"

"I'll explain everything later," she replied, closing her eyes and grimacing.

"Are you alright?" he asked again. She nodded her head.

"It's nothing. Just a painful headache," she explained. When she opened her eyes again, they were no longer red. Thor was once more caught in bemusement. He looked around him, studying the iced creature. Was she the one who froze the warship? Thousands of possibilities ran through his mind, and only one remained as he slowly understood everything.

"We need to regroup with the others," Inertia told him while pulling herself up. "I believe your encounter with Loki did not go well."

"True," Thor said, refraining from asking further questions. All those can be resolved later. "Are you sure you can keep up?"

"In this mess? Sure," she answered confidently, though her steps said otherwise. She could not find her staff. Perhaps it was separated from her during her fall. "Rogers, where are you?"

"You hear the roars of the Hulk? That's where we are at," Steve answered. Inertia smiled at Banner's timely arrival, for at least she would not have to make such a display another time.

"Do you need a lift?" asked Thor. Inertia shook her head, noticing the headache dissipating.

"I can find it myself," she said, before taking a big leap towards a chariot. The Chitauri on-board screamed. Inertia spent no time to waste and kicked him off-board, taking control of the vehicle. Now she knew what to do after her messy first try on the vehicle.

Inertia scanned across the battlefield and saw a green figure punching a warship. She smirked and drove the chariot towards her comrades. When they saw her, she noticed relief in their eyes. It appears they had been worrying about her, which was consolidating considering just how short the time she had spent with them in this ordeal.

She leapt off her chariot and landed beside Hulk, who had just stopped a warship barehanded. "Hello people," she greeted, panting. "What did I miss?"

"The question is, what we missed," said Stark not far. "I saw that thing encased in ice. What the hell happened?" Thor arrived beside her, and looked at her meaningfully.

"It's a long story," she simply answered. "First things first, we need to close the portal. Otherwise we might not hold up—"

All of them looked up when a deafening noise emerged above. More of the Chitauris entered Earth, two warships to count.

"Call it, Cap," Iron Man ordered.

"Alright, listen up. Inertia, you get up the Stark tower and try to close the portal," Steve said.

"Why me of all people?" she inquired.

"With that power of yours, you'll figure something out," Steve reasoned. Such a poor reason it was. "And by that, I mean now."

Inertia sighed. "Yes sir," she responded, sprinting away as fast as she could. The Stark Tower was not that far, but she intended to catch a ride again. She jumped, and easily knocked out another Chitauri before stealing its chariot. The sea of enemies were spreading throughout the city, and it was a wonder whether several of them could keep up with these continuous stream of aliens.

But Inertia was prevented from reaching her destination when a chariot hurdled her off her vehicle. She crashed into one of the buildings. She skidded to a halt and saw her assaulter, a random Chitauri. No, make that three Chitauris.

Inertia stepped back cautiously, knowing she had no weapon against them. No. I have a weapon against them. It was unwise to use her awakened powers instantly without proper training, but she had little choice. Without further hesitance, Inertia swept her hand across the floor. Spikes of ice burst from the ground, penetrating the first Chitauri on its chest. Inertia breathed heavily. Not bad for a first time.

She hurdled the other Chitauris, grabbing its head and concentrating her energy on it. Its skull immediately froze, creating a perfect ice sculpture. She was both impressed and terrified by her powers, but currently that was not the matter. The headache was coming again, and she learnt that if she keeps up she would split her head open. Thus, for her last opponent, she merely took its weapon, and blasted its head off with its own gun.

"Guys, I might need a ride," she reported. As she made her way towards the windows, she coincidentally saw Natasha coming closer on a chariot.

"Got you," Natasha replied. Inertia nodded and jumped away, landing softly onto Natasha's chariot. She must have noticed her eyes, though she thankfully did not say anything. Inertia averted her attention to Stark Tower. Loki was swirling around the buildings, guarding it from any intruders.

"Change of plans," Inertia said. "I'll distract Loki, you get to the portal."

"Roger," Natasha happily accepted. Inertia nodded and braced herself. She waited for the right moment before they faced each other, eye to eye, and she lunged at him. Loki widened his eyes as Inertia hurdled him to Stark Tower, crashing hard on the floor. Loki landed several feet away from her, grunting and cursing.

Inertia immediately stood up and raised her gun. Loki had lost his sceptre, it appears, but she did not lower her guard. Her eyes were still red then, she knew, for Loki widened his eyes when he saw them.

"You… You are a Jotun as well," remarked Loki, his breath hitching. Inertia did not respond, remaining tranquil in her silence.

"I am and I am not," Inertia curtly declared. She held her gun closer to Loki's neck. "Now you listen. You need to stop the portal before anything worse happens. You can still fix your wrongs, Loki."

Loki saw her eyes turning a warm bronze. Was she the same like him? A giant born weaker than the others, thrown away because of her vulnerability. Then why to Earth? None could access Midgard except through the Bifrost, which had been under Asgard's watch since the beginning of time. And how could she keep her identity hidden for those long years, away from the peering eyes of Heimdall?

"Loki, please," she pleaded. "I am running out of time."

"I—"

Out of nowhere, Hulk crashed into the building. Inertia flinched and whirled, expecting an enemy. She was not relieved either when she saw it was Hulk, for suddenly it marched forward and snatched Loki's leg. Inertia jolted back as Hulk slammed Loki repeatedly to the ground, beating his soul out of him.

"Hulk, stop!" she barked. Instantly, he stopped, and looked at Inertia. Loki wheezed on the cratered ground, unable to speak. She sighed and dropped her rifle. His and her talk would come later, it seemed. She glared at Hulk admonishingly. He cowered under her gaze.

Inertia walked towards the beaten Loki. She knelt beside him. "Look how many people you've killed" she said. "You may be the God of Mischief, Silver Tongue, and a warrior of Asgard, but I am sure your conscience, even the smallest bit of it left, is speaking to you right now."

Loki merely looked at her. His gaze was no longer wild, softening in every second that passed. It was as if all the actions he had taken was not of his own. "Tell me how to close the portal," she whispered.

Loki hesitated. When she said those words, the part where there was still a small part of his moral conscience remaining, he could not help but reflect. It was as if she believed in him with every bit of her heart. There had been no one who still believed in him, other than his own brother. But he could not forgive his brother after stealing everything from him, the love of his father, the acceptance of others, and power.

Power, and acceptance. For long he had always craved the former, the only thing he believed which would equal him to Thor, the reason for all his schemes. But now he slowly realised that all along he had only wanted acceptance from the others, the acknowledgement that he was the same as them.

Thus, when came the time when he met his equal, someone from the same race as him, everything he had sought after began falling apart.

"Please."

"I am sorry," Loki whispered, his voice wavering. "But I do not know."

Inertia widened her eyes, hopelessness marring her face. She sank her face to her palm, as if she was hurting. "Shit," she cursed vaguely. She grimaced and grunted, her other hand grabbing her head. Hulk tilted its head slightly, stepping in closer. It glared at Loki accusingly, but Loki could no longer move to escape this monster.

Inertia did not move for a long moment, gritting her teeth. Loki sensed something wrong with her inner energy. It was as if a storm was brewing inside, an uncontrollable surge of energy ready to blow up. He could literally feel her head throbbing in pain. Something was wrong with her, not because he could not give her a satisfying answer, but because of something else.

The air suddenly descended. Frost build up below her feet and cold filled the room.

She's losing it, Loki realised. She has just discovered her powers and she cannot control it just yet. Hulk stepped back, fearing the woman even with its relentless recklessness. Inertia's breath hitched, the energy within her continuing to build up. The frost began spreading across the room quickly, sending Hulk towards the windows. Loki observed that her powers were gnawing her energy and not the energy from her surroundings. At this rate she's going to kill everyone, and herself.

"Help," she gasped, unable to move. He flinched, shaken by the desperation in her voice. None could help her in this room. Other than himself.

With no hesitation, Loki forced himself to rise up and reached for her hand, receiving the brunt force of the coldness. His skin turned blue upon contact with hers, and for a moment she loosened.

"Breathe," he instructed, writhing in pain himself. Inertia slowly lifted her head and looked at him. He gripped her hand firmer as a form of conviction. "Let it go slowly."

And she did. As the seconds passed by, the temperature rose, and frost melted. She gathered her breath and exhaled a cloud of cold air. Loki released his grip immediately, and slunk back to the ground. She panted for a moment, returning her composure. She glanced at Loki, lying limply on the ground after the Hulk's terrible assault.

"I know you still have conscience within you," Inertia whispered. "Thank you." Just then, her comms buzzed to life.

"I can close it," Natasha said. "Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down!"

Inertia's face shone with hope. "Copy. Do it!" she said.

"No, wait," Tony suddenly intervened.

"Stark, these things are still coming," Steve protested.

"I got a nuke coming in, it's gonna blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it."

Inertia knew what the man was about to do. She rushed towards the window, and watched as Tony lifted the missile higher above the ground, towards the agape portal. "Stark, you cannot do this. You will kill yourself."

He did not reply. Inertia could only stand still in horror as she observed Tony's armour flying into the portal. There was a moment of tense silence, in which all waited for the results of Tony's endeavor. An explosion burst in outer space, destroying the battalion of Chitauris and their spaceships.

"Wait," Inertia told Natasha. And they waited, the first, second, third, fourth count. Tony did not return back. He had failed.

"Close it," said Steve. Natasha plunged the sceptre into the heart of the device, closing the portal slowly. Inertia's remained glued onto the closing portal, still hoping for a miracle.

And a miracle indeed happened.

Just moments before the portal closed, Tony flew through the gap and came back to Earth. Inertia let out a small laughter, disbelieving what she was seeing. "Son of a gun!" Steve said. But the slow moment of joy immediately transformed into a terrifying fear, for Tony continued to descend at the very same speed.

"Somebody catch him!" ordered Inertia. Below, she saw Thor preparing himself to catch Stark, but out of a sudden Hulk leapt behind her. He jumped to the air, snatching Tony accurately with his large hands. But he had nowhere to land on.

"Hulk!" she screamed. She reached for him and created a strong pull using her powers, attracting Hulk back to the building. Hulk met the walls of the tower with a loud crash, before sliding down in a series of broken glass. Inertia leapt down, pushing the ground to slow herself down. Hulk laid down Tony on the road, slapping away his broken mask. Inertia landed and rushed towards Tony, checking his vitals immediately after reaching him. Thor and Steve instantly joined her.

"He's not breathing," she said in dismay. Suddenly the Hulk roared and beat Tony's chest. Tony jolted awake and gasped for air, his eyes widened in shock and glanced at the greeting faces.

"What the hell"? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me," Tony frantically said. Steve and the others smiled amusingly.

"We won," Steve declared. Inertia scoffed, then sighed, slumping to the ground. The headache was still beating her head, but the thrill over their victory against a battalion of aliens recovered her slightly.

"Alright, hey. Alright. Good job, guys. Let's just come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day. You ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it," Tony rapped.

"We're not finished yet," Thor interjected, with a frown.

"Yes, we still have Loki to apprehend and the Tesseract and the sceptre to collect," Inertia explained, with a sigh.

"And then shawarma after?" asked Tony.

"Sure," Steve said. "Let's go."

Thor extended a hand towards Inertia. She produced a small smile and accepted it, pulling herself up. "I still have a lot to explain to you all," she told them.

"That, can come later," Thor said. "For now, let us finish our task."

She nodded and patted her trousers. They had succeeded in saving the world, and everything would be fine for the moment. At least, for the Avengers and Earth itself. For her, she did not know. And as she looked up at the sky, waiting for something which had not arrived yet, she could only expect the worst.

A/N: Hey guys! First of all, I am so sorry for delaying the posting of this chapter due to busy schedule. I am apparently back in Singapore after that short holiday and unfortunately have not been productive during the hols. But do not worry, this story will continue on as long as I am alive. Secondly, as much as I wanted to write the battle of New York into several chapters, I just couldn't. Part of it was my lack of creativity's fault and another part was how action filled the battle was and how terrible I am in writing fighting scenes. BUT, as a consolidation, I present to you: Ase's true power. Sure enough, I think you guys can already figure out her true heritage, which will be revealed in the next chapter.

Lastly, thank you again for being so loyal to this story. My email has been filled with several more favourites so thank you for that! I hope you have enjoyed the story so far, and leave your thoughts if you want. I'll see you in the next chapter!