American Comics: Heaven's Reward

After sensing the presence of someone spying, Aaron looked over.

At first, he wondered if it was Heimdall.

He didn't perceive any human presence, though, so on second thought, it was impossible.

Having failed to contact Heimdall earlier and seeing Loki dispatch the Destroyer armor, it was clear the Patronus had failed again.

Moreover, this time it was dealt with by Loki, who didn't even have a box of cold water.

Aaron wasn't surprised that Heimdall had lost to Loki.

Loki's spells may seem like mere tricks, but when used correctly, they could easily defeat opponents of similar strength.

Except for those who are overpowered like Hulk and Thor—along with Sif and the three warriors—all of them could easily be defeated by Loki.

Loki excels in invisibility and illusion, and in the original story, he even managed to deceive Odin for a short time.

It wasn't surprising that Heimdall had been tricked.

Aaron shook his head in regret. When he took out the invisibility cloak, it was partly to test whether the opponent could see through the invisibility magic, and partly to make Heimdall more vigilant to prevent being approached by an invisible enemy again.

But it was clear that Heimdall hadn't taken his test seriously.

Maybe he thought, aside from Aaron, no one else was worthy of his all-seeing eye.

So, who was Heimdall looking at?

This sense of voyeurism gave Aaron the feeling that whoever was watching was both far away and very close.

He was sure that the other party wasn't using invisibility magic.

Right now, no one could surpass him in terms of stealth.

It seemed like the person didn't even exist in this space.

He suspected that the other party had been here for a while.

Now, he could sense it—it was all being done intentionally by them.

"Could it be her?"

Aaron thought of a possibility: the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One!

On Earth, there were only a few well-known magicians Aaron knew.

Agatha, the Ancient One, and so on.

Among them, the Ancient One seemed most likely.

This imperceptible sense of spying reminded him of a well-known magic from Kamar-Taj: the Mirror Dimension.

The user could create a special space, between reality and illusion, and manipulate it freely.

They could trap or even kill enemies in this space, all while monitoring reality.

It was difficult to find someone in the Mirror Dimension by ordinary means.

Since most people didn't know the principle, and the magic wasn't strong enough to reach the level of a Dimensional Lord, it was tough to detect.

"Aaron, what did you find?"

Sensing Aaron's unease, Thor's expression turned serious.

"Maybe... I can't help you deal with the Destroyer anymore. A 'friend' wants to see me," Aaron mused.

If it was truly the Ancient One, then the timing of this visit was suspicious.

"Friends from Midgard? Who are they?" Thor looked puzzled.

They all knew that Aaron hadn't left Asgard for over a thousand years.

The only two occasions were when he went with them to Vanaheim and Jotunheim.

It was impossible for him to have been to Midgard and formed any friendships there.

"Who knows? At least she's inviting me," Aaron said with a shrug.

After those words, a golden door suddenly appeared, coming towards Aaron with a speed beyond ordinary comprehension.

Aaron didn't try to stop it.

He wanted to see what the other party was planning as they fought.

But before entering, Aaron glanced at Jean and quickly pulled her with him.

No way—while they knew how dangerous Jean was, Loki didn't.

If Loki were to do something "stupid," the other party could remain relaxed in Asgard while Aaron would face the consequences.

Thor originally wanted to stay with Aaron and confront the upcoming enemy together.

But it was clear that the owner of the golden door didn't want Thor to enter.

Even though Thor held onto Aaron, the door rejected him, bringing only Aaron and Jean inside.

Thor was momentarily stunned, but quickly realized that they didn't want him there!

"What's going on? I'm so unwelcome? You're treating me differently!" he exclaimed.

After passing through the golden portal, Aaron found himself in a desert-like area, indistinguishable from the outside world.

This was the temporary battlefield, with Thor expressing dissatisfaction and the Destroyer in a state of agitation.

"Where is this place?"

Jean walked around the space curiously and noticed that Thor, who should have been right in front of her, was nowhere to be seen.

When she raised her hand, she could pass right through him as if they were in different spaces.

Aaron, too, was examining the place.

He had heard about the Mirror Dimension for a long time, but experiencing it firsthand was much more enlightening.

He had to understand its principles—this would help him deal with similar enemies in the future.

Maybe using a portal to leave would work?

No matter how special this place was, it was still just a projection of reality, a special space.

By using spatial power, one could likely enter and exit at will.

Perhaps even breaking the space with immense energy was possible.

He wasn't sure if the power stored in the Casket of Ancient Winters had that ability.

"It's Mirror Dimension magic, just a trivial little spell," said the owner of the space, finally appearing.

She entered directly, materializing in front of them without warning.

Familiar attire and a discerning bald head.

"Welcome, the God of Magic from Asgard, and the strongest host of the Phoenix Force."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both!"

The Ancient One looked at Aaron and asked, "You seem to know who I am?"

Aaron nodded, acknowledging her, "Before coming here, Her Majesty Frigga mentioned Kamar-Taj to me, and the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One."

The Ancient One humbly replied, "I can't be called the strongest magician, but I've studied longer than most, and compared to Asgard, the hometown of the gods, I'm far behind."

"Maybe so," Aaron said, unconvinced.

Kamar-Taj is the frontline defense against Dimensional Lords on Earth.

Countless Dimensional Lord who tried to spy on Earth all left frustrated after facing the Ancient One.

And Dimensional Lord are no pushovers.

Even the weakest among them has power above that of first-class superheroes.

Slightly stronger ones could even rival Odin.

The most powerful among them could destroy an entire universe—or even affect multiple universes.

But the Ancient One had kept those formidable beings at bay, proving her strength.

While she may rely on the magic circle formed by the three sanctuaries and the Time Gem, her original strength was still impressive enough to protect Earth for centuries.

Perhaps as suspected, the Ancient One possessed power equal to Odin's.

But unlike Odin, her body was fragile, not much stronger than an ordinary person.

She was the opposite of the "fragile magician" stereotype.

Just like Loki, even if his magic was poor, Hulk could easily treat him with contempt. Try that with the Ancient One instead?

Aaron saw that even she would likely find a way to improve her physical strength with magic eventually.

But for now, that idea was postponed.

"So, Sorcerer Supreme, why did you invite me here?" Aaron asked bluntly.

The Ancient One kept her warm smile. "I came because of the request of the All-father. He hopes you won't interfere with Thor's affairs for the time being."

"Thor needs to grow. He must understand the responsibility of being Thor and a king."

"If he only relies on Mjolnir, he will never understand the true power flowing through his veins."

Aaron frowned.

He hadn't expected the Ancient One's visit to be ordered by Odin.

It seemed that Odin had secretly made deals with the Ancient One.

Perhaps Earth still belonged to Asgard in name.

As the father of the gods, Odin couldn't possibly ignore the mysterious forces emerging on Earth.

Perhaps he was also hoping to use Kamar-Taj's power to fend off the Dimensional Lords prying eyes.

After all, those beings were a constant headache.

One by one, they sought to invade Earth.

Aaron wasn't sure what Odin truly intended, but he was still intrigued by the idea of studying in Kamar-Taj.

"Will you?" Aaron asked.

Letting a foreign magician learn from his own territory—if it were Asgard, that would be unthinkable.

Magic is precious.

If you're not one of your own, why share that knowledge?

"Definitely yes. The God of Magic is willing to come to Kamar-Taj—why would we refuse?" The Ancient One said sincerely. "Whether you are from Earth, Kamar-Taj, or anywhere else, as long as you protect Earth, the Nine Realms, and this universe, Kamar-Taj will always welcome you."

"Also, your ability is the best I've ever encountered."

"I am looking forward to the rise of a great magician who will master all magical knowledge."

"You will bring hope to the world!"

It was clear that the Ancient One was genuinely eager to invite Aaron.

It made Aaron wonder if she had seen his future through the Time Gem.

Would he save the Earth countless times with magic in the future?

It was an exciting thought.

Aaron decided to study in Kamar-Taj for a while.

If Odin was really trying to push him out to give Thor time to establish his reputation, then refusing the Ancient One's invitation wouldn't work.

Better to go straight to Kamar-Taj.

At least no one would be hiding from him there.

But before heading to Kamar-Taj, Aaron had one more thing to do.

"I'll take you to Asgard first to meet the Queen of Heaven. In a short time, you might be with her in the Golden Hall. You should be safe there."

Safe for at least two years, Aaron added in his mind.

He wasn't sure if Heimdall would mess up again and allow the Dark Elves to break in.

If necessary, he would move Jean ahead of time.

After speaking, Aaron opened a portal and left the Mirror Dimension with Jean.

The Ancient One didn't stop him.

As she had said, she admired Aaron's ability.

She sincerely hoped that he would learn magic at Kamar-Taj.

Such a capable person would be wasted if he didn't learn more magical knowledge.

And the Ancient One was thinking carefully.

Once Aaron entered Kamar-Taj, maybe he would stay there for good, resisting the dimensional threats from Dimensional Lord.

His power was incredible—maybe even more terrifying than the future successor she first selected.

Aaron's future was limitless!

Golden Hall.

Aaron arrived in Asgard with Jean through the portal.

He notified the guards directly and went to find Frigg.

As the God of Magic, he had his own residence in the Golden Hall.

Meeting Odin and Frigg directly was also one of his privileges.

When he entered the place where Odin slept, Frigg was still sitting beside him, seemingly unmoving.

Odin was still lying in bed, his eyes closed, his breath weak.

If not for the Ancient One's message, Aaron might still be in doubt.

But he didn't point it out and instead told Frigg about Jean.

Odin, still asleep, listened to the news from the outside world in silence.

When he heard that Aaron intended to keep Jean in Asgard, he almost jumped out of bed to object.

Putting such a time bomb in Asgard? This would add to his troubles!

Asgard already had enough problems.

He didn't want to add another explosive issue.

Jean's violent and powerful force deeply shocked Odin.

He wasn't afraid before, but now it was different.

If she exploded in Asgard, even if he could suppress her, it would hasten his collapse.

He couldn't risk that.

Thus, Odin firmly disagreed with letting Jean stay in Asgard.

Never!

Frigg, however, was ready to agree.

If keeping Jean could bring stability to the Nine Realms, she was willing to keep her by her side and guide her to master her power.

She believed that as long as Jean remained rational and kind, she could live in harmony with herself.

In this world, with the right heart, nothing was impossible.

But when Odin's The God's Telekinesis arrived, Frigg hesitated.

She looked at Odin, still asleep.

With a slight apology, she said, "Aaron, I'm afraid you'll have to take Jean with you. The All-father… we don't know when he'll wake."

"Besides, Jean isn't familiar with Asgard's ways. The unfamiliar environment might aggravate her worries."

"Perhaps you could take her with you to Kamar-Taj, where lost magic and dimensional knowledge are recorded."

"There, you might find a solution to the Phoenix."

Aaron quickly picked up on the underlying issue.

His eyes swept over Odin, then he nodded. "In that case, I'll take Jean to Kamar-Taj."

"Please, Aaron!" Frigg said sympathetically.

Though she sympathized with Jean's situation, she understood Odin's position.

Between Jean and Asgard, she chose the latter.

Jean didn't mind.

If they could continue to stay on Earth—even outside the Mutant Academy—that would be fine.

At least she could go back and visit her professors and friends whenever she wanted.

Back on Earth, the Ancient One didn't refuse Jean's arrival like Odin did.

She trusted Aaron's magical abilities.

As long as Aaron was there, the ancient and mysterious force within Jean wouldn't pose any risk to the sanctity of Kamar-Taj.

Maybe even the Phoenix Force would eventually submit to the guidance of Kamar-Taj.

But Jean needed time.

With Aaron's help, she would one day become a force for good on Earth.

And Aaron… Well, Aaron would certainly learn magic—because he was ready!