Deep within one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s underground bases, the atmosphere buzzed with energy.
Though the Cosmic Cube had long been taken by Kurogai, its disappearance only pushed S.H.I.E.L.D. to intensify their research on advanced energy technology.
The experintal beam weapons once provided by Kurogai had already beco the foundation of their breakthroughs.
Their energy research had progressed so far that S.H.I.E.L.D. now stood capable of facing even alien armants.
Amid an ongoing test, thunder roared across the base's containnt chamber.
A blinding flash of blue light burst forth — and as it faded, a tall figure stood in the center, a strange scepter gripped tightly in his hand.
It was Loki.
"Who's there?!" one of the agents shouted, aiming his weapon.
Several others followed suit, surrounding Loki with weapons drawn.
Among them stood a sharp-eyed man holding a bow — Clint Barton — his expression cold and ready.
"Tch," Loki muttered, his voice laced with irritation.
"Without the Cube's power, I had to find a place dense with energy to manifest. Risky, even for ."
He looked pale.
His arrival hadn't been through a stable portal — rather, he had forced his way through one of Earth's volatile energy fields.
The toll was obvious.
"Identify yourself!" one agent demanded.
"State you're purpose or be treated as a threat to S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
Loki gave a low laugh, twirling the scepter in his hand as a faint light pulsed from its tip.
"So… this is Midgard," he said softly, a smirk curving his lips.
"Then let the ga begin."
The agents barely had ti to react before Loki's scepter flared with a brilliant, sinister glow.
Elsewhere, inside a quiet manor on the outskirts of New York, Kurogai Blackwood suddenly paused what he was doing and looked toward the horizon.
"What's wrong?" asked Rogue, glancing at him curiously.
"You sensed sothing?"
Kurogai frowned slightly.
"There's a surge of energy sowhere far off… sothing familiar mixed within it."
He leaned back, eyes narrowing in thought.
After a mont, he sighed and let it go.
The world was full of erratic forces — scientists experinting with unstable energies, soldiers turned into enhanced beings, or monsters like the Hulk.
Strange events were nothing new.
But that faint trace he sensed — it tugged at his mory.
Monts later, another pulse of energy rippled across the atmosphere.
This one was different — divine in nature.
A beam of multicolored light descended upon a barren desert, and from it stepped Thor Odinson, God of Thunder, returning once more to Earth.
"Thor's back," Kurogai murmured.
He didn't seem surprised.
Thor had ntioned his intention to return to join Earth's defense against Thanos.
There was no need to interfere.
Thor, anwhile, headed straight for Kamar-Taj — a place where he now felt the most familiar presence on Earth.
Yet half a day later, news from the Sanctum reached Kurogai.
Loki was missing.
Thor's visit had not been solely about joining Earth's defense.
He had also co in search of his brother, Loki — hoping to bring him back to Asgard before greater chaos unfolded.
The ssage was relayed to Kurogai by the Ancient One's disciples, requesting his aid.
With his reach and influence on Earth, Kurogai was their best chance to locate Loki quickly.
"Loki's missing…" Kurogai muttered.
His eyes glinted as he recalled that earlier energy fluctuation.
"So that power I felt… it was him."
If that was the case, then events were already shifting from what he rembered.
"The Avengers' story is beginning," he thought quietly.
"But this tiline's off. Thor hasn't yet faced his trial or lost his divine power. Things are moving too fast."
The world had already changed since Kurogai's arrival — tilines twisted, events altered.
Ebony Maw and the Black Order had descended on Earth earlier than expected.
The usual sequence of events was collapsing.
"But there's sothing else," he said aloud.
"If Loki's here, then… does he also have the Mind Scepter? Thanos wouldn't be foolish enough to hand it over again, would he?"
The thought made him smile faintly.
The Mind Stone was one of the most dangerous and valuable Infinity Stones.
Thanos had already lost several, so devoured by Kurogai himself.
Sending another to Earth would be reckless.
"Well," Kurogai said, standing and brushing off his coat.
"No point sitting around. I suppose it's ti to pay Loki a visit."
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"I wonder how he'll react when he sees again."
With that, Kurogai vanished from the manor in a fash of light, his aura rippling through the air as he set off.
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