At night over the skies of xico, a bright, colorful light pierced through the darkness, followed by a figure plumting rapidly toward the earth.
Unbeknownst to most, only a select few were able to notice the event.
Leon and Wanda were among them.
Wanda, having just finished her training for the day, had returned to the New York Manor. Lazily reclining on the sofa, she was flipping through the Darkhold.
Suddenly, she sensed a peculiar energy entering the world. The strange presence instantly heightened her awareness, stirring the instincts of the Scarlet Witch.
She straightened up instinctively, glancing toward Leon. He sat across the room, legs crossed, focused on his laptop. Without looking up, he seed wholly unbothered.
"Leon~~" Wanda called softly, her tone laced with curiosity.
Leon barely acknowledged her, replying matter-of-factly. "Asgardians. If you're interested, you can check it out."
"Ooh~~ Asgardians?" Wanda's interest was piqued, but her body remained relaxed. She had no plans to spring into action without good reason.
However, as the realization set in, she shifted slightly and asked, "Why are Asgardians on Earth?"
Leon, still typing on his keyboard, responded without looking up. "It's a test. Part of Odin's plan for the future."
"Odin, the All-Father?"
"Mm-hmm~~" Leon affird with a faint nod.
Wanda's curiosity deepened. "Interesting..." she murmured, thinking of Odin's mythical stature. She'd read about the All-Father in books from Kamar-Taj, tales of a being of imnse power who ruled over the Nine Realms.
Beyond Odin himself, Wanda found her interest leaning toward Asgardian magic. Their spells and legendary artifacts were said to be extraordinarily powerful, rivaling any mystical force in the universe.
Her excitent rose. "Guess I'll go take a look."
With that, she snapped the Darkhold shut, tucking it neatly into her storage space. With renewed energy, she stood up, a mischievous grin on her face, and made her way upstairs to change.
A short while later, Wanda returned, dressed in stylish, modern attire, her hair neatly pinned up, and sunglasses perched confidently atop her head.
Bounding down the stairs, she threw herself onto the back of Leon's sofa, playfully kissed his cheek, and chirped, "I'm heading out now~~"
"Go ahead. Sergei and the others will probably stop by too," Leon replied, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
"Got it. See ya~~" Wanda said cheerfully, opening a portal with a wave of her hand before disappearing through it.
As the portal closed, Leon leaned back, a quiet chuckle escaping him as he returned to his laptop. On the screen, he was deep in conversation with soone on a chat application.
The person on the other end seed to be a young girl, judging by her chat tone. Not only that, she was a hacker—one with surprisingly decent skills. Leon had discovered her presence when she'd tried to breach his network.
Despite her efforts, she couldn't make it past his firewall.
Leon's network defenses, though casually set up, were leagues ahead of conventional systems. His knowledge of cybersecurity, honed alongside Natasha during their training in the Ural Mountains, combined with his superior intellect, made him one of the world's top computer experts.
Even without the full capabilities of Sky Blade backing him, his network was nearly impenetrable. It was far more secure than even the Pentagon's systems.
The girl had stubbornly tried for days, rallying a group of hacker friends to help, but none had even breached his first line of defense.
Eventually, frustration got the better of her. After hitting wall after wall, the girl turned to social dia, finding Leon's account and sending him a friend request.
Amused by her persistence, Leon had accepted. Their chats since had been lively, with her throwing out heaps of technical jargon in a desperate bid to impress him.
However, her tone was humble and full of admiration. Even without seeing her, Leon could easily imagine her sitting with a puffed-up face and a cautious deanor, speaking as though addressing a great deity.
Leon found it amusing and had no qualms chatting with this persistent little hacker when he was bored.
As for her identity, Leon didn't dig deeper. He simply treated her as a regular netizen—a curious little fangirl, perhaps—and a source of mild entertainnt during his downti.
anwhile, in a small town in the state of xico, sothing extraordinary had stirred up a commotion several dozen kiloters away.
A mysterious hamr had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, embedded in the earth and surrounded by a massive crater spanning hundreds of ters. The first person who stumbled upon it tried to pick it up but quickly discovered it was immovable. No matter what thod they used, the hamr would not budge.
Curious and determined, the individual posted about the hamr's location and peculiar properties online. The post quickly went viral, sparking widespread intrigue.
Soon, people from nearby towns and cities began flocking to the site, drawn by curiosity and the desire to be the one to lift the mysterious object. However, just like the first person, their attempts—whether through sheer strength, ropes tied to vehicles, or even digging around the hamr—proved futile.
Under the blazing sun, crowds of hopefuls arrived daily, so setting up camp or even grilling food, creating an impromptu festival-like atmosphere. The site quickly gained notoriety, with locals speculating it could beco a popular tourist destination.
However, the lively scene ca to an abrupt end when a convoy of more than a dozen black Chevrolet SUVs arrived.
The vehicles surrounded the area, and a group of individuals in suits and sunglasses stepped out, presenting badges that identified them as governnt agents. They began dispersing the crowd, citing FBI authority. While most were disgruntled, they didn't dare challenge these formidable agents.
Within minutes, hundreds of curious onlookers were ushered away. The agents then began setting up a temporary base, complete with equipnt, tents, and a cordon that sealed off the area around the hamr.
At the center of the activity, a slightly bald, middle-aged man in a suit and sunglasses stood near the pit, staring intently at the mysterious hamr. Holding a phone to his ear, he made a call.
"Director!" he said sharply.
"Coulson," the voice on the other end replied.
"We've arrived and are ready to begin testing."
"Coulson, we've detected a significant amount of anomalous energy in the area," the Director said. "I'll be sending reinforcents to assist you. In addition to uncovering the origins of that hamr, you'll need to keep an eye out for strangers."
"You're suggesting this might not be of Earthly origin?" Coulson asked, his tone serious.
"You and I both know the truth. Alien visitors are no longer a novelty," the Director replied.
"Understood," Coulson responded, his voice calm but firm.
With that, the call ended, leaving Coulson staring down at the hamr, his thoughts racing as the team around him prepared for whatever ca next.
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