The moment we appeared from the portal, Gungnir glowed as Father cast an invisibility enchantment, making us vanish from view whilst the people on the street went about their business after he cast another enchantment as well.
"Memory wiping?" I asked as the portal closed and he looked at me with an eyebrow raised before answering.
"Memory alteration. The ability to erase memories is something that one must not use unless you truly wish to erase all other memories related to the one you wish to erase."
"I did not know that."
"You would if you had paid attention during your magic lessons with your mother. Why do you think your brother always tries to manipulate someone's memories instead of just outright erasing them?" He asked and I caught the slightest smirk appearing on his face as I sighed and nodded.
"I know. Hah, perhaps I should have spent more time studying instead of trying to prove myself to be the strongest."
"It is never too late to learn, my son." He spoke and I gave a slight smile at that before shaking my head and slapping myself lightly.
Well, it was lightly for me, but Father sighed as he thumped Gungnir on the ground to disperse my shockwave before it could do anything harsh.
"…I apologize for that." I spoke with a smile and he shook his head as the both of us looked to the building across the street from us.
The old warehouse itself was not something to take note of as it appeared to have been abandoned for some time, but both Father and I were more focused on the dome of Asgardian runes drawn around the warehouse to suppress the potent cosmic energy surging within.
'Hiding, Repel, Suppress and Avoid written over and over again to the point that they all form a powerful pattern, one strong enough to even suppress the cosmic energy of an Infinity Stone. It is only through the usage of the Space Stone that I can even feel it.'
"Seeing my father's work after all of these millennia does make me feel a slight joy." Father spoke and while I didn't see a smile on the man's face whilst looking at the barrier, there was no hiding the look of nostalgia in his eyes when he raised Gungnir towards the barrier.
"Uråldriga runor som skyddar denna skatt, låt dig vila och återvända till den som gav dig liv och syfte.(Ancient runes that protect this treasure, be put to rest and return to the one that gave you life and purpose.)"
'I may have underestimated his power even with his old age.' I thought in shock as Father's voice made the air rumble, his one eye giving off a golden glow while Gungnir shimmered as it shot out a blast of Odinforce into the barrier itself.
The barrier did not last more than a few seconds before it began to tear at the point that the Odinforce blast was pushing against it, both Father and I walking over the road and entering the barrier right before it snapped shut behind us.
"Do you feel it?" He asked and I took a deep breath as I felt my mind connecting with the Space Stone, the world in front of us warping before I reached forward and physically grabbed the air with a tight grip.
Tearing my hand away, the air popped before opening another blue portal in front of us and as we walked through, I rose an eyebrow at the dreary condition of the chamber we were in.
"This must be the chamber Grandfather sealed the Aether within, correct?" I asked as we walked forward, Father only giving a hum as we walked over to the sarcophagus standing in the middle of the room.
"It is of Asgardian make. However, the runes on the walls and sarcophagus itself appears to be more than just simple Asgardian runes."
"I can recognize a few Dwarven ones as well." I spoke up as I looked at the sarcophagus, noting how a few of the runic patterns on it matched a few of the runic patterns on Mjolnir itself.
"Indeed. However, we can admire the runes at another time as we're on a tight schedule. Please proceed."
"Will do." I nodded as I walked closer to the stone coffin, the glow of the Space Stone growing brighter as brilliant azure-blue lightning began to arch off of my body.
In response, the cosmic energy in the room nearly tripled as red sparks of electricity began to flow off of the case, lifting my right hand covered in blue lightning that flew off of the limb and connected with the red lightning that the case gave off.
"Do not attempt to force the stone to obey. They are sentient and will attempt to take control if you try to command them. Instead, like with the Space Stone, cooperate with it. Think of the stone not as a servant that you can command, but a partner that is capable of looking after you on the battlefield just like you do with Mjolnir."
'That…is easier said…than done…' I thought with a slight frown as I took deep breaths, feeling the cosmic bolts of lightning ignoring the blue lightning freeing its originator from its seal and ripping into my body.
With each bolt, I took a deep breath despite the pain as I slowly walked forward, Mjolnir giving off golden sparks of lightning as well as I looked over the edge of the sarcophagus and stared at the blood red sludge-like fluid twisting and warping upon its own nexus point.
"Warp reality. Let it succumb to your desires." I frowned as I heard another voice inside my head, but I was surprised as I felt the Space Stone's cosmic energy flushing over my form and swiftly forcing the temptation away.
"Father! Did I just try to do something?!"
"Nothing of the sort! Is it speaking to you?!" He asked and I gave a strained nod as I reached out to touch the sludge of the Reality Stone, gritting my teeth as I felt it crawling into my skin and sinking into my body.
"Let me help you achieve what you truly want."
'No, I do not wish to achieve anything but the safety of my family.' I answered back, feeling the energy of the Space Stone aiding me in staying sane as its energy reached into my body and pulled out the Reality Stone from my body.
I could feel it trying to reach back into my mind, but Mjolnir sparked with electricity and I watched as the sparks coming from the hammer was enough to force the sludge back into its stone-like form.
"Wonderful, Thor. Is it working together?" Father asked and I decided to pull away both the Space Stone and Mjolnir's power while grasping it firmly, taking a deep breath at the red electricity racing across my form as well as the presence entering my mind.
This time, it didn't feel as invasive as before as it seemed to just be sifting through my memories, but as it finished, a smile grew on my face when I felt its electricity going from irritating to comforting.
The stone itself floated out of my grasp and sunk into the spot besides the Space Stone, a soft gasp escaping my lips when I felt its cosmic energy synchronising with that of my heartbeat and the energy that the Space Stone was giving off.
"It…it is." I whispered as I reached out towards the side while pulling upon its energy, grinning at the picture-perfect replica that appeared in my grasp when I did so.
"With this, you are effectively one of the strongest beings in the universe." Father spoke with a slight smile as he placed a hand on my back, his soothing energy getting rid of some of the pain still lingering whilst I nodded and stood up straight.
"That is also one stone that Thanos will no longer be able to get."
"Indeed. However, do not let yourself become arrogant just because you have two stones."
"I won't, but I do have a question Father." I began and the man simply hummed as we walked back through the portal, the hole in reality snapping close with but a thought as I continued.
"Why can't I just…snap my fingers and transport Thanos into a singularity or to a point in the universe where he will never be able to find us ever again."
"…Thanos is known by the aliases of Mad Titan and Warlord of the Cosmos, Thor, but do you know what his third title is?"
"I do not." I answered and the man nodded as he cast an invisibility rune again when we exited the warehouse along with a levitation rune that helped us fly out of the city.
"His third alias is the Philosopher and I was the one who gave that name to him. Do you wish to know why?"
"I assume it has to do with his intelligence, yes?" I asked before being surprised by the chuckle that left Father's lips as we stopped high above the city, the god shaking his head as he looked up at the clouds.
"I did so, because no matter what I tried with the stones, he found a way to survive my attempts to rid this world of him. Try to throw him in a black hole and he'll simply survive the temporal distortion whilst using that time to find a way out. Throw him into a pit of magma and he'll force his body to resist the heat while he crawls out. Throw a star at him and he'll have found a new usage of runic patterns to not only survive the attack but also return it back at you with twice the strength."
"Wait, he knows of runes? Does that mean he's a master of magic as well?" The Thanos I knew was just a simple close-ranged fighter, but as Father looked at me with a wry smirk and gave a simple nod, I sighed as I realized that this might not be the Thanos I was familiar with.
"Not just magic, my son. He holds mastery over the Mystic Arts of Sorcery, the Psionic Arts of the Titans and with his blood being that of both an Eternal and a Titan, he has been granted a body that is nigh-indestructible. To be truthful, the only reason he has not attacked us is the same reason that we have not attacked him. The battle between us two would bring ruin to the universe itself."
"…Father, just how powerful are you?" I asked and rolled my eyes as the man simply smirked before I created a portal in front of us.
"I am but the All-Father of Asgard, my son, a man past his prime."
"And yet you do not fear any being you face?"
"Because every being I have fought in my lifetime have not grown the courage to face me for a second encounter." The man spoke as he flew through and I smirked as I followed after him, the two of us appearing back inside the helicarrier's control room right as the agents turned to us with their guns aimed and ready.
"…We really have to stop entering people's safety spaces like this."
"Dr. Banner! How goes it, my friend?!" I asked with a happy smile as I burst through the lab door, Banner jumping out of his seat with a hand rested on his chest as he looked at the watch on his left wrist.
"Calm down, calm down, calm do-Huh?" He sounded confused as I focused my cosmic energy around him, the Reality Stone glowing as I caught sight of my eyes being a deep scarlet red in the reflection of the windows behind him.
"Wha…what is happening?"
"Ah, right. Right now, I am keeping the Hulk at bay by making it so that you never underwent the process that made the Hulk itself."
"…Can I have that?" He asked with a hopeful look and I chuckled before disappointing him as I sat down on one of the chairs and gestured for him to do the same.
"Unfortunately, not. Your mind would crumble in upon itself and your body would be torn asunder."
"Compared to what I am going through, I'd say that's an upgrade." He muttered and I frowned slightly before his eyes widened at the figure that appeared besides us.
The Hulk himself was a behemoth that cracked the metal ceiling above us, the monster snarling as he went to raise a fist only for me to stop him with a hand raised.
"Hulk, my friend. Please do not hurt him. Banner did not mean his words."
"Hulk knows he did, but Hulk knows Banner cares." The Hulk growled out as he strained to move his fist and my eyes widened as I caught him moving a centimeter before I quickly forced the two back together.
"I…I…I couldn't hear his voice. What…what did you just do?" Banner however was sitting still in his chair with a stunned look while I shook my head with a chuckle as both the Space and Reality Stone dimmed.
'Space to hold him still and Reality to remove all of his power…and yet he is still able to force himself to move a simple centimeter…Hah, the Hulk is truly the monster that I expected him to be.'
"That was the same application of me removing him from your mind except this time, I split you both into different entities."
"Do it again." He answered with a pleading stare and I sighed as I shook my head and crossed my arms.
"I wish I could, but doing so may have some unforeseen consequences that either of us may not be able to stop. Have you tried to talk with Hulk?"
"Heh, you think I haven't? For years, I've tried talking with him, meditating with him and even simply shouting at him, but no matter what I've tried, he doesn't want to. Instead, all he does is fight, fight, fight!"
"…Hah, what if you could get help from someone that has managed to come to peace with who they are?" I asked and he frowned slightly before I activated the Space Stone, his eyes widening as a portal opened and Emil walked through.
"Since when can you use telepathy to talk to me from trillions of miles away?" He asked with a frown and I chuckled before shrugging.
"Since this morning, but we are not here for me. We are here for-!"
"You~!" I sighed as I heard Hulk's voice echoing from Banner's throat, the Reality Stone glowing as the man's body bulged slightly before his eyes widened as I forced the Hulk back with a strained frown.
"I understand how you feel about Emil, but remember that he is here to try and simply talk to you." I spoke and Bruce glared at both of us as his eyes kept rapidly flickering between his usual brown and the Hulk's dark green before he took a deep breath and nodded.
"…You have one minute. After that, I'm letting him loose." He growled as he sat back down and I gave a thankful nod before looking at Emil who frowned.
"Why the hell have you brought me here, Thor?"
"To see if you can't teach him how to become partners with the Hulk just like how you and Abomination became one."
"You do understand that the Abomination and I, while being two different personalities, were always the same person with slight differences, right? Accepting him simply happened because I decided to embrace that side of me and think of us two as one. He and the Hulk are actually two different entities forced into the same body. For him to become partners with the Hulk means that the two of them would have to actually fuse into one person."
"I…can help with that, but only if BOTH of you want to and not just you, Banner." I said as the man looked hopeful before he frowned and scoffed whilst crossing his arms.
"Good luck getting the Hulk to agree to that. If anything, he'd probably kill himself before agreeing to something like that."
"Can I ask him, myself?" I asked and both him and Emil looked surprised as Banner slowly took off his glasses.
"You…you want to talk…to the Hulk?" He asked and shook his head as I nodded before pinching the bridge of his nose as Emil spoke up.
"You are really a suicidal guy."
"I do not agree with that statement, but I do agree with the fact that Hulk is someone that we may need for the coming battles and if we can have his strength be separated from your brains, that would be perfect."
"…Hah, sure. Whatever you say." His eyes widened as I let go of Hulk's presence before quickly shifting the three of us through space itself, connecting my mind to Father's as Emil took off his jacket while his clothing grew along with him as he transformed.
You have to love that flexible Asgardian leather.
"Father, I may be busy for the next few minutes."
"I can feel the rage of Dr. Banner. I assume you are going forth with your plan to separate Dr. Banner and the Hulk from each other?"
"Only if both agree to it."
"Very well. I wish you the best of luck." He spoke and I nodded as the Hulk tore away the lab jacket and shirt that was constricting his body, dismissing the connection between us but not before saying one last thing.
"Thank you, Father. I may need it."
"You!" Hulk growled as he stared directly at Emil, who frowned before I stepped in between the two behemoths and forced Hulk to look at me.
"Hello, Hulk. Do you remember me?" I asked and didn't flinch as the gamma monster looked at me with a glare before my eyes widened slightly along with my smile as he answered.
"Friend."
"Yeah, that's right. I'm the friend that helped you escape from Ross in New York. How have you been since then? Have you been good?" I asked as I slowly walked closer, stopping in my tracks as he snarled when I moved too close.
"Right, right. Ross has probably been hunting you all this time so I'm guessing not that good. Well, I'm sure you heard of what Banner and I have been talking about. Do you think such a process will be good?"
"Hulk…does not like Banner!" I was surprised to find that he was actually speaking perfectly, but then I remembered that he and Banner were both using the same brain so perhaps he was evolving as he continued to live inside the man.
"I understand completely. Then, what of the process to separate you two?"
"Hulk does not want Banner to be free." He answered and I was slightly confused at his conflicting responses.
"So, you don't want to be fused together with him, but you also do not want to become your own entity? Am I…Am I getting that right?" I asked and shook my head as Hulk simply nodded before looking at Emil as he spoke up.
"Then what do you want?"
"You." Hulk answered with a growl as he clenched his fists and I frowned as Emil did the same, raising a hand up to stop the both of them as Mjolnir flew to my grasp.
"Okay, both of you. Calm down and cease this need for battle. There is no need for us to fight at all."
"Hulk does not want to fight. Hulk wants to dominate." The Banner-monster growled as he thumped his fists against the coarse snow of the Antarctic snow and I frowned as Emil lowered himself to a crouch.
Quickly activating the Reality Stone, I went to pull Banner back into the driving position and watched as the Hulk gritted his teeth, watching as the beast slowly began to shrunk down before my eyes widened as the Hulk's head snapped up and his body grew to be slightly bigger than its original size.
"You…mess with Hulk's mind. Hulk dominate you first!" The beast roared as he charged forward and I quickly shifted him up into the air before leaping upwards, slamming Mjolnir into his arms and sending him blasting up into the sky.
"Emil!"
"We're fighting?!" He asked as the Hulk fell back down into the ice with a thunderous shockwave that cratered the ground for a few yards.
As the snow began to settle though, I sighed as I saw the beast glaring up at me with his body having grown slightly once more before I nodded and sparks of electricity began to radiate from my body.
"It seems we are! For ASGARD!"
A/N: And the Hulk has made himself a threat as he seems to somewhat resists the effects of the Reality Stone to some degree.
Basically, I'm going with the 'If he gets angrier, he becomes stronger and more powerful' trope for the Hulk as he isthe first berserker that I came to learn of.
Next chapter: A Monster vs A God and An Abomination.
Also, Thor bonds a bit with his Father and this Thanos is going to be MCU Thanos with the abilities of comic Thanos since I'm already adding elements of some of the comics into the story.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
Anyways, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next chapter...
Ba-Bye~!