Jay sat in silence with Domino after teleporting the Cameron siblings back to Surfer's Paradise. The Savage Land base felt quiet. Too quiet. The waterfall crashed behind them, and Pterodactyls called in the distance. But inside, neither of them spoke.

  The weight of what they'd just done sat between them heavily.

  Jay stared at his hands. Heather's powers settled inside him. Now a part of his arsenal.

  Domino's hand found his and squeezed.

  "Even though we've got good intentions," she said quietly, her voice softened, "even though millions, hell, billions maybe, will benefit from this whole thing. It's still heavy as hell asking a sweet girl like Heather to give up her powers. To give up part of who she is."

  Jay held her hand and squeezed back. "This never gets easy, babe. No matter how many times I've taken powers from people, the guilt stays. You just learn to carry it and live with the weight pressing down on you every damn day."

  Domino hummed and leaned against him. Her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that. Minutes passing, but neither moving.

  After a long moment, Jay stood.

  "You rest here for now. I need to meet with Master to finalize the ritual proceedings."

  Blue light flashed, and he was gone.

  Kamar-Taj

  Jay materialized in the ritual chamber. The space hummed with ancient power.

  The Ancient One knelt before one wall, writing Sanskritic symbols in patterns of 108 words. Each character glowed with mystical energy as her brush moved. Connecting and forming intricate mandalas that pulsed with barely contained force. The air tasted like ozone and incense. The kind of magic that predated written language.

  Sensing Jay's arrival, she turned and smiled.

  "I trust you convinced Ms. Heather to agree?"

  Jay's expression was heavy, and his shoulders tight. "The girl was too eager to help people. Even though it hurt, even though I could see her breaking inside, she gave up her power after listening to my plan. Watching her make that choice, taking what she offered, it was..." He stopped and shook his head.

  The Ancient One stood and moved to him. Her hand settled on his shoulder with understanding in her ancient eyes.

  "Well, the ritual's preparations are almost complete. But you still need a medium to open a portal to Gaea's domain. And take it from my experience, without Franklin's power, you're still not ready to handle the raw force of the Space Stone, which to use to open a portal to an Elder God's domain."

  Jay heard this and felt the truth of it. He'd been incredibly powerful with Franklin's reality-warping abilities. Almost untouchable.

  "Well, it's a good thing the one month's time is finnaly up."

  The Ancient One's expression shifted as concern bleeding through her serene mask. "Please, this time don't antagonize the Allfather too much! You've already threatened his wife and humiliated him in front of his entire court. Push any further and even Odin's patience will break. And when an Allfather's patience breaks, worlds burn."

  Jay laughed. The sound carrying more bravado than confidence. "I'll be on my best behavior. Scout's honor."

  Blue light enveloped him as he vanished.

  The Ancient One stared at the empty space, sighed, returned to her symbols and prayed quietly that her student's definition of "best behavior" wouldn't start another war.

  Royal Court of Asgard

  Jay appeared at the center of the royal court. Right in the middle of a meeting between Odin and his ministers. The moment reality folded around him, warriors reacted. Weapons pointed, spears raised, and bodies moving toward the intruder with trained precision.

  Jay sighed and lifted his hand to snap his fingers.

  "HALT!"

  Odin's voice didn't rise, but the command carried weight that made reality itself pause. Everyone froze mid-motion. Warriors with spears raised. Ministers with mouths open. One courtier caught mid-stumble. All held perfectly still by the Allfather's Odin Force pressing down on them like a physical weight.

  But the intruder moved freely. Unaffected and looking around at the frozen tableau with growing amusement.

  Only then did they recognize him. Jay, the mortal who'd humiliated the Allfather. Who'd brazenly demanded payment and blindside-robbed him and threatened the Queen herself. Their collective hatred was palpable even through the enforced stillness.

  Jay, seeing their frozen positions, their twisted expressions, their weapons pointed uselessly at him, laughed. "HAHA! I really needed this, Allfather! Thanks! Your hospitality has certainly improved since last time!"

  Odin's jaw tightened as a vein pulsed in his temple. "Everyone, leave!"

  The court emptied. Warriors backing out and ministers scurrying. No one wanted to witness whatever came next. As the doors boomed shut, only the Allfather and the mortal remained.

  Jay, seeing them finally alone, grinned. "Queen Frigga isn't here to greet me? And where's my dear friend Thor? I was hoping for the whole family reunion experience."

  Odin studied Jay. His single eye seeing beyond flesh, beyond power, into the fundamental nature of the being before him and confirming what he'd suspected. That wellspring of power inside Jay. He had been hiding his true strength during their first encounter very cleverly. The kind of deception Odin himself would employ.

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  He thanked the Norns he hadn't taken rash action back then. This mortal was dangerous, even diminished.

  "Your antics last time caused my wife to fall ill with grief, and now she's resting in her chamber. As for Thor, since the Bifrost has been repaired, he's busy going around the Nine Realms to stabilize the upheaval that's been caused by its destruction and by your broadcast to the whole Cosmos."

  Jay nodded but impatience bled through his casual demeanor. "King Odin, last time you made a promise to me. I have come to claim it now that the month's deadline is finally up."

  Odin stood from his throne and slammed Gungnir against the golden floor. The sound rang like a bell, and space folded.

  Both were teleported instantly.

  Nidavellir

  They appeared on a platform of black metal suspended in space. Heat hit Jay like a physical wall as his enhanced body immediately began compensating, but sweat broke out across his skin within seconds. The air shimmered, distorted, and every breath tasted like molten copper.

  But Jay barely noticed the discomfort. He was staring.

  Nidavellir sprawled before him. A massive ring station orbiting a neutron star. The star itself pulsed with barely contained energy, burning blue-white, casting everything in harsh, primal light. Forges dotted the ring's inner surface. Each one a cathedral of industry. Dwarves as big as giants moved among them, their hammers rising and falling in perfect rhythm. The sound was musical, hypnotic even. Metal singing as it was born and shaped, and perfected.

  Jay's mouth opened slightly as his analytical mind with Taks Master's Kinesic Recognition cataloging everything. The engineering, the magic and the impossible fusion of cosmic forces and skilled craftsmanship. This was where Mjolnir had been forged. Where Odin's spear had been born and where legends like the Infinity Gauntlet became reality through skill and fire and the heart of a dying star.

  Then he heard them. Heavy footsteps like thunder walking.

  Eitri emerged from the largest forge. The King of the Dwarves was massive even by his people's standards. His skin was dark, weathered by millennia of forge work. His arms were thick as tree trunks, scarred by countless burns. His eyes carried the sharp intelligence of a master craftsman who'd dedicated eons to perfecting his art. In his hands, he carried a chest. Small by his standards. For Jay, it was the size of a steamer trunk.

  Eitri greeted Odin with a nod of respect. Then his eyes found Jay, and a grin split his face.

  "So, you're the mortal who demanded a weapon from the Allfather in the middle of his court! The nerve to demand the Bifrost itself! HAHA!" His laugh boomed across the platform. Genuinely delighted by the audacity.

  Jay greeted him back, matching his energy. "Eitri, King of the Dwarves, it's an honor to meet you. Your works of craft are invaluable treasures. Mjolnir alone is legendary, but your other creations... they're art and function perfected."

  Eitri, hearing genuine appreciation rather than empty flattery, laughed harder. "HAHA! Such a silver tongue you have, boy! We must find some time to break open the divine rum made from the golden apples! Drink and talk about craft and creation!"

  Odin, a vein throbbing in his temple, cut in. "Eitri. The weapon."

  The Dwarf King chuckled. Unrepentant as he set the chest down before Jay and opened it with surprising gentleness.

  Inside, nestled in velvet that probably cost more than Earthen city, lay a band. Made of silver Uru. The metal gleamed with its own inner light as runes were etched along its surface in unclear patterns. And in the center was an empty space. Waiting and meant to hold something precious.

  Eitri's voice dropped and lost its jovial edge. "I was stumped what to forge for someone who could rewrite death, so instead of a weapon, I made this here. Go on, Jay. Touch and mark this Band. I named it Tether. Bind it to your will and speak your binding vow."

  Jay stared at the band, at the empty space in its center and at the craftsmanship that had gone into every detail.

  He reached out as his fingers touched the Uru, and surprisingly, the metal was warm.

  It recognized him and waited for his words.

  Jay closed his eyes and thought of Domino. Of Bobby and friends. Of Franklin. Of everyone he'd sworn to protect.

  When he spoke, his voice carried the power of Unshakeable conviction.

  "Whosoever I bind to this band, if they face mortal danger and I cannot reach them in time, bring them to safety. Protect them from harm. Return them to me whole. Let my love be the anchor. Let my will be the shield. Let this band be the tether that ensures no one I cherish will ever be beyond my reach when they need me most."

  The band flared in binding energy as runes ignited along its surface. The space in the center began to glow, still waiting for something. For someone. For the moment it would be needed.

  Then the light faded as the band shrank and turned into a ring fit for a human hand. But power hummed beneath its surface.

  Silence stretched across the platform. Broken only by the distant rhythm of hammers and the pulse of the dying star.

  Eitri stared at the band, then at Jay, his expression complex. "That's an unusual binding vow if I ever heard one, boy. Usually these are made on power and worthiness. On strength and ability to wield great force. But never on love."

  Jay said quietly, his eyes still on the ring, "There's no better power than knowing your loved ones' safety is assured. All the strength in the universe means nothing if you can't save the people who matter."

  Eitri and Odin both heard those words and felt their weight. The Dwarf King's expression softened and became almost gentle.

  "Truly, you really have a way with your words, my friend. That band will serve you well. May it never be needed, but always be ready."

  Jay looked up at Eitri and saw the genuine friendship offered. And suddenly, a vision flashed through his mind.

  This forge stood cold and silent, its dwarven craftsmen long dead. The only one left, Eitri, had his hands brutally taken by Thanos as a twisted reward for forging the Infinity Gauntlet.

  Jay couldn't let that happen. Not in this timeline.

  With a snap, he materialized a card. His own image made in the shape of an Ace.

  He held it out to Eitri.

  "Eitri, you've made a friend today. This here's my card. If you ever need help, if danger comes to Nidavellir, if anyone threatens you or your people, just call for the Power Broker and tear up the card. I'll appear. And I'll help. This I swear."

  Everyone on the platform realized the weight of this gift. A direct line to someone who could rewrite death itself, bend reality and threatened gods and lived. Eitri held a guarantee that if danger came, the most dangerous being in their sphere of influence would answer his call.

  Eitri took the card. His massive hands cradling it like something precious.

  "Thank you, Jay. This..." He paused. "This means more than you know. I accept your friendship. May we never need this card, but may it always be ready if we do."

  Jay smiled warmly. Then he turned to Odin.

  The Allfather studied them both. His expression unreadable. But something flickered in his single eye. Approval, perhaps. Or maybe just relief that this transaction had ended without another threat to his family.

  Jay took the ring and held it carefully. Felt its potential thrumming against his palm.

  "Thank you, King Odin. For honoring your son's promise." He bowed slightly, respectful but not subservient. "And thank you, Eitri. For your craft and for..." He paused. "For your friendship."

  Eitri grinned. "Come back anytime, boy. We'll crack open that divine rum. Talk about craft and creation. I think you and I have much to discuss."

  "I'd like that."

  Jay gave them both one final nod. Then blue energy enveloped him, and space folded.

  He vanished.

  Eitri and Odin stood on the platform. The dying star pulsed behind them. Hammers rang in the distance.

  Finally, Eitri spoke.

  "That mortal. He saw something. Some future where I needed that card. Where danger came that even you couldn't stop."

  Odin nodded slowly. "Yes. He did."

  "Do you know what he saw?"

  "No. But I trust the instincts of someone with his powers." Odin's grip on Gungnir tightened. "Keep that card close, old friend. And if the day comes when you need it, don't hesitate. That mortal keeps his promises."

  Eitri looked at the card. At Jay's image frozen in an ace of spades. At the power contained in such a small thing.

  "I believe he does. I truly believe he does."