The atmosphere fell into a chilling silence.
Thanos, Odin, Laufey, Lothar, and even Hela—all five turned their eyes in unison toward the small, frail cat.
The wide-eyed orange tabby glanced around curiously, its adorable face filled with innocent wonder as it stared at Thanos and Odin.
As a Flerken, it sensed danger radiating from these two n—a rare and thrilling sensation for the creature.
"ow~"
Licking its lips, the tabby prepared to leap back toward Lothar. But mid-air, its motion was halted abruptly—caught by the scruff of its neck in Thanos's massive hand.
????
Trapped in an invisible force field, the Flerken stared in stunned confusion.
It struggled to break free, but every attempt was in vain.
"A Flerken, huh?"
Thanos, worldly and wise, instantly recognized the rare and peculiar species.
Retrieving the Reality Stone from a Flerken's belly wasn't going to be easy—even for Thanos.
The reason was simple: legend had it that a Flerken's stomach contained an entire pocket universe.
Fishing out the Reality Stone from an infinite cosmos? Easier said than done.
"Rua..."
Sensing its restraint, the tabby gave one last twitch before suddenly opening its mouth—and vomiting out nearly half of Svartalfheim's entire undead population!
An endless flood of undead warriors in standard-issue Dark Elf armor, amassed over thousands of years in Malekith's artificial Hel, poured forth. Along with them ca a very familiar object to Thanos: the Mind Stone, and two broken fragnts of a scepter.
After The Other had turned to ash, the curious feline had swallowed both the fallen Mind Stone and the broken scepter in one gulp.
"ow!"
Grasping the Mind Stone in its tiny paw, the kitten gave a sharp, high-pitched cry—and unleashed a terrifying necrotic storm!
Under the influence of the Mind Stone, the undead army accumulated over millennia by Malekith was now mobilized—enough to terrify even the greatest civilizations of the Nine Realms.
Including Asgard.
Odin, after all, had no intention of allowing war to reach his holand.
Though the undead had lost their ability to resurrect infinitely, they retained formidable combat strength—perfect for razing cities and toppling empires.
"ow!"
The Flerken puffed up its fur, owing in an adorably threatening tone as the endless army of undead glared nacingly at Thanos.
"The Mind Stone?"
Thanos narrowed his eyes toward his adopted son.
Lothar clenched his fists, and a cluster of energy ford in his palms.
"Leave it to , Father."
The mont Thanos released it, the Flerken tumbled to the ground, rolled a few tis, then shook off its orange fur. It bared its tiny teeth at the Mad Titan. "ow!"
"Give it up."
The glowing energy orb in Lothar's hand caught the Flerken's eye. Its expression froze, nose twitching as it sniffed the familiar aroma. Then, tail swaying, it casually tossed the Mind Stone to the ground and carefully cradled the energy orb with its two front paws—nibbling at it like a prized delicacy, a look of pure satisfaction on its face.
"ow~"
Munching the energy like it was gourt cuisine, the cat rubbed affectionately against Lothar's tattered pant leg. Then, as if it suddenly rembered sothing, it opened its mouth wide and re-swallowed the massive undead army it had previously expelled, sealing them once more in its dinsional stomach.
Content with its energy snack, the Flerken licked its lips and with a leap, perched comfortably on Lothar's shoulder.
"This Flerken seems to like you."
Thanos, having seen it all, flicked his hand. The broken scepter—once wielded by The Other—flew back into his grasp.
"Maybe," Lothar said, tilting his head. The orange cat, now lazily chewing the energy orb, tilted its own head and stared back with wide, curious eyes.
The Flerken had shown a preference for his energy back in the artificial Hel—sothing Lothar was already well aware of.
Click!
Thanos personally inserted the Mind Stone back into the broken scepter. A mysterious surge of energy pulsed outward from him in all directions.
Crack!
The scepter reford instantly under the power of the Mind Stone. The only difference was the hand now holding it—once The Other's, now Thanos's.
"Co, child. It's ti we return."
Holding the restored scepter, Thanos said no more. His goal in the Nine Realms had been achieved. Although the Flerken had been an unexpected wildcard, it now seed like the perfect vault for storing Infinity Stones.
To absorb the Aether—formless as it was—Thanos would need to use another Infinity Stone. But activating one would divide his strength.
And Thanos had no intention of weakening himself—not while Odin was still around.
Though they were once kings who avoided crossing paths, the connection forged through their children did little to bridge their underlying mistrust.
Their simultaneous presence in Svartalfheim was evidence enough of that.
As for Laufey...
Without the Casket of Ancient Winters, Laufey was no longer a player worthy of Thanos's attention. Unless he could awaken the ancient ancestral power buried deep in the Frost Giant bloodline, the fall of Jotunheim—now without its mighty ally, the Dark Elf King—was only a matter of ti under Odin's heel.
"Yes, Father."
Lothar answered calmly, his indifferent gaze sweeping across the assembled figures. His eyes lingered briefly—just one second longer—on Hela's blank expression. Then, without a word, he followed Thanos step for step into the shimring light of the teleportation beam.
"...Seems like you left quite an impression on Lothar this ti," Odin murmured, not missing that brief second of hesitation.
Hela rolled her eyes, saying nothing.
From beginning to end, she had been humiliated, overpowered by Lothar. Out of sheer pride, she refused to share that disgrace with her father.
Right now, her only desire was to continue refining and integrating the Divine Power of Death. One day, she'd take back what was hers—she'd have Lothar beneath her heel, his throat in her grasp.
Hela unconsciously touched her own throat.
Maybe it was because Lothar always went for the neck, but she was starting to develop a fondness for that move too.
"Father, Laufey fled."
"He won't get far. Jotunheim is still there."
...
Elsewhere in the cosmos — aboard Thanos's flagship
"Lord Thanos."
Ebony Maw respectfully bowed as the transmission system activated and Thanos returned. Lothar, with the orange tabby on his shoulder, wore a cold, distant expression. His golden hair had already faded back to ink-black under sheer force of will.
"Looks like you lost more than usual this ti, Lothar," Ebony Maw remarked, glancing aningfully at the empty space behind him—no bootlicker in sight.
Even the scepter that bootlicker once wielded now lay in Thanos's hand.
"You looking to die?"
Lothar's eyes narrowed. In a flash, he locked his hand around Ebony Maw's throat—leaving him in stunned disbelief.
How is that possible?!
"Enough, Lothar."
Thanos's voice cut through the tension from the captain's seat.
Lothar loosened his grip.
"I know this is cruel to you," Thanos said quietly.
"But this... is reality."
"You have to learn to accept it."
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