She's unrecognisable. Her entire body is gleaming flames, black for the most part, silver fire wreathing around her head, the red armour now the only solid part of her and burning white. Tora steps up beside her and they nod. Tora speaks first.

"The Dragon and Death's Left Hand. I shall aid the Thunderer. You defeat the Worthy."

And Etana nods softly and the words echo around my head.

We shall change the course of history.

"I'll turn fully. I'm trusting you to help the Avengers."

Of course… You know what I may be required to do…

"Yes. Now no more words! We fight!"

And Etana takes off as Tora's armour enlarges and she changes with it, becoming a silvery-blue dragon with a size to rival the Serpent, huge wings spreading out. But where the Serpent is snarling and dark, this dragon looks beautiful, wise, kindly… And Tora, or whatever Tora has become, takes off and hits the Serpent full on and they start grappling, the graceful silver claws digging into green scales as his claws slide off hers.

"Dragon… Why do you fight me…? You aren't of this world…"

And Tora's reply is in a voice so ancient it makes the Serpent's terrible voice sound like that of a child.

I. Am. HUMAN! I am Tora and I am Dragon! And this is MY world!

Etana's wings flare open and silver fire rains down, somehow not hitting the Avengers or civilians, only the Serpent's followers. And each one hit screams as their bodies wither away. Then I hear Tora screaming as the Serpent bites down on her neck. Silver blood falls and she writhes in pain, her long tail somehow managing to hit one of those with the hammers and sending them flying.

"You are WEAK Dragon… Once a god could not halt your advances… But I shall be the one to kill the Dragon… You should never have taken the human form. It shall be your undoing. You are so FEARFUL!"

I am strong. Not because of the weight of ages. I am strong because I. Am. HUMAN!

And she lunges, breaking free and slamming into him.

And it is not because I feel fear that I shall lose. I shall win because I feel fear and I can conquer it! Little Thunderer! NOW!

She bites the Serpent's neck, slams his head back and Thor drives the sword directly into the wide-open mouth. And I hear Etana screaming NOOOO! in her unearthly thought-voice and then Tora falls, a huge gash in her neck from where the Odinsword passed through the Serpent's head and into her…

The two great beasts fall from the sky, Thor a tiny speck next to them as the Asgardians come through and Etana flies furiously towards them, burning so intensely I can't bear to look directly at her. I realise that Sin is half-dead but at the moment I couldn't care less because Etana is flying directly towards danger and I don't care what she is, because she's still my wife and I'm not letting her get hurt…

I run and Odin and Logan are running beside me, all of us desperate to get to the one we care about most. And we reach the crater and Logan runs to Tora, who is shrinking back to her normal size, the terrible wounds already fading and Thor crawls towards Odin and falls into his arms and all I can do is stare at Etana, who is standing so still, staring at Thor. And Odin raises his eyes to her.

"You have come for him? He truly is…"

She nods, so sadly.

He is a man at heart. And men die. Gods fade but men die.

And she walks forward and gently crouches down beside the All-Father.

Do you trust me, All-Father? Do you trust me with your son's soul?

"Who else do I have?"

I will carry him like my own child. Odin Borson, your son will be my greatest Chosen. His saga will never be forgotten as long as I exist. And I shall live as long as Death exists.

Then she holds out her arms and a tiny spark of electricity flickers around her and she holds out a hand and it gathers there, in a sparking ball of blue and Etana stands, taking the orb with her and fading into oblivion as I scream her name.

"ETANAAA!"

And Odin fixes me with a dull, one-eyed glare.

"She is not your 'Etana'. She is the Malach Hamavet. She is Death Incarnate…"