American Comics: Heaven's Reward

Sending warmth to your door?

Others didn't believe it was merely about "sending warmth."

The thought of a certain god coming to the door in person lifted everyone's spirits.

"I recall Congressman Kate strongly advocating for this nuclear operation, and he had the support of the military. If we're to uncover the issue, we must start with these two elements."

"Member Kate and Colonel Stryker!"

"Hill, tell me what you've gathered."

Nick Fury didn't waste time, immediately addressing the crux of the problem.

"Wilhelm Stryker, the federal colonel, despised Mutants due to his family's history and secretly conducted numerous human experiments. According to some sources, Wolverine Logan of the X-Men was once part of Stryker's experiments but eventually escaped.

"From what we've gathered, Wilhelm Stryker may have conducted hundreds of these secret experiments!"

"Currently, he's at Lake Arkari Dam, a hidden military base that is solely used for Mutant experiments."

"Based on our analysis, he is very likely one of the key participants in this operation and seems to have some sort of special connection with Senator Kate."

"Prior to this, Senator Kate had no known contact with Colonel Stryker, and we have no insight into the details of their dealings."

"We speculate that a third-party force may be involved beyond the two of them."

Maria Hill smoothly summarized the information.

The others listened attentively, all eyes turning toward Fury.

Clearly, this task was being handed to them.

"I've reached an agreement with Charles that the two of you will track Senator Kate and Colonel Stryker, respectively."

"Charles will go out with the X-Men to apprehend those involved."

"Consider this a gesture of goodwill to see if we can further cooperate with Asgard."

"Understood!"

Hawkeye and Black Widow nodded firmly, prepared to execute the plan.

This would be their top priority.

Even Iron Man Tony was willing to take a back seat when dealing with matters concerning the gods.

After all, they could lose a playboy or a billionaire, but offending a powerful pantheon with godly powers would be far more dangerous.

Moreover, this could be an opportunity to forge an alliance with the gods.

"Hill, according to reports from Phil Coulson, the God of Magic seems to have been distracted during the battle. He's likely somewhere on Earth."

"Make sure someone is assigned to track his location. The next time we encounter him, I don't want it to be when we're facing the heat."

Nick Fury rubbed his temples as he spoke.

Hill nodded and took over the task of searching for him.

But things often don't go as planned.

Just as S.H.I.E.L.D. and the X-Men were ramping up their efforts to capture key individuals, Senator Kate, one of the main players, was shot and killed by a mysterious figure, leaving no clues behind except for Colonel Stryker.

S.H.I.E.L.D. activated their resources, and the X-Men headed to the Arkari Lake Dam, hoping to use Charles' telepathic abilities to uncover more information.

Kamar-Taj

Aaron had no idea that his words had led to a historic collaboration between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the X-Men.

Had he known, he would have simply smiled.

When it comes to HYDRA, how could it be so easy to uncover the truth?

The key figures were all dead. Even Charles' telepathy couldn't find useful clues.

HYDRA was too cautious. They wouldn't leave anyone around who could potentially uncover their secrets after learning of Charles' abilities.

As for Colonel Stryker, he was just a fool being used.

How could he be concerned with HYDRA when he was obsessed with Mutant research?

A person like him is the perfect scapegoat, which is likely why HYDRA didn't eliminate him — they needed to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. and the X-Men from digging any deeper.

Meanwhile, Aaron was deep into his studies of mirror space magic with the Ancient One.

In Aaron's plan, mastering mirror space was crucial.

It allowed him to unleash tremendous amounts of magic without restriction, and it would keep Heimdall's gaze at bay.

This way, no one would know how quickly his power was growing.

It was far more convenient than being in Kamar-Taj or Asgard.

The only problem was that learning mirror space magic was much harder than anticipated.

Because Aaron didn't use a Sling Ring, he couldn't enter or create the mirror space with the precision of the Ancient One or others.

Eventually, Aaron upgraded his space teleportation magic to LV6 and gained the ability to find and enter the mirror space.

"It finally worked!"

"It seems that mastering mirror space magic requires a deep understanding of space magic. The difficulty isn't just the power required, but also in pinpointing the spatial coordinates. Only by finding the right method can one truly master this magic."

"No wonder so few have mastered it, even at Kamar-Taj."

Aaron shook his head, shifting his focus to his next plan.

Following his previous idea, he initially planned to promote molecular rearrangement magic.

But now, he had second thoughts.

"Energy Absorption magic can be used to quickly absorb power and compensate for my two major weaknesses."

"But if there's a real battle, I might not have the time to replenish my energy."

"So the best course of action would be to absorb all the magic from the Casket of Ancient Winters!"

"But there's a problem!"

"Can my body handle so much magical energy?"

No one knew exactly how much power the Casket of Ancient Winters contained. However, since it was the holy object of the Frost Titans, it was likely on par with the Eternal Fire.

And Sirte, the one who wielded the Eternal Fire, grew to hundreds of meters tall, with a size far exceeding Asgard's tallest structures. To contain that immense power, Sirte had to transform into an energy-based life form.

Odin, who defeated Sirte, also carried enormous energy, but his power was limited as his body aged and could no longer fully contain the energy.

Aaron feared that if he absorbed the energy from the Casket of Ancient Winters, his body might explode from the strain.

There were only three solutions Aaron could think of.

The first was to enhance his body's magical strength, enabling him to absorb more power. The problem with this method was that there were very few records on this kind of magic in the Marvel universe, and no one Aaron knew had truly mastered it.

If Odin could solve this problem, he wouldn't have faced his current issues.

The second option was to abandon his fragile body and transform into a pure energy life form. This would eliminate the risk of bodily destruction.

Perhaps Kamar-Taj had records on such transformations, given their past battles with Mephista, who had given up her physical body to exist as an energy being.

Even if Kamar-Taj didn't have any records, Aaron could always try to learn from Doctor Strange or search the lost Cagliostro Library, which contained the lost magic of many Old Gods.

However, Aaron didn't want to resort to this method unless absolutely necessary. Who knew if he would still have the same abilities after becoming an energy being?

The third solution was to improve his Energy Absorption magic.

Aaron had a feeling that LV7 would bring a massive improvement — a qualitative leap.

In fact, he had another idea, inspired by Sentry. If he could create his own energy universe and inject the absorbed power into it, it could continuously supply him with energy when needed.

But this required creating a movable space of his own, which meant improving his space magic even further.

In the end, Aaron decided to focus on improving his Energy Absorption spell before proceeding with the molecular rearrangement.

Before starting, Aaron gave a special order to Jean.

Under Wong's guidance, the two of them lived next door, with Aaron keeping an eye on Jeanto prevent the Phoenix Force from running wild and triggering the Dark Phoenix personality.

When Jeanlearned that Aaron would be in the mirror space for a while and wouldn't be returning, she decided to stay outside.

Despite leaving her friends and students in a new world, most people would have felt lonely. But Jeanwasn't like most people — she was fascinated by the world of magic.

This was a supernatural world completely different from the one of ordinary humans and Mutants.

It also made her realize that Mutants weren't evolving toward godhood as Magneto suggested.

Magicians, in some ways, were no different from Mutants.

Yet the magicians of Kamar-Taj silently guarded Earth, despite their immense power.

Jeanhoped that Mutants could unite and contribute to Earth instead of fighting among themselves and dying in civil wars.

With this thought, she eagerly sought guidance from the magicians of Kamar-Taj, hoping to find a new direction.

Seeing Jeanso determined, Aaron didn't say much more.

With the Ancient One around, even if something happened to Jean, it wouldn't be a major issue.

And so, Aaron entered the mirror space and began his next phase of training.

Meanwhile, Back at Kamar-Taj:

Everyone who had been observing Aaron was stunned.

They had expected this god of magic to do something grand.

But what was this?

Becoming a recluse in Kamar-Taj?

Wong, the librarian, even wondered what excuse he could use to persuade Aaron to return if he came to him asking for a forbidden magic book.

But it seemed Aaron didn't even care for their collection!

It was... perplexing.

Especially Kaecilius.

He had been watching Aaron closely, hoping for a chance encounter. He wanted to form a connection, maybe even find a way to save the dead.

Kaecilius' greatest concern was reuniting with his wife and children, but he also craved power and eternal life.

Though he was highly skilled in magic, he was just an ordinary person with extraordinary abilities. After a hundred years, he would turn to dust.

He had been curious about how Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme, had maintained her youth.

But every time he asked, she dismissed him, stating that it was a natural law beyond change.

Kaecilius didn't believe her. He wanted to find another way.

Aaron's arrival had given him new hope, but if Aaron stayed secluded, Kaecilius would be left powerless.

Breaking into someone's home? Kaecilius didn't think he could defeat the god of magic personally trained by the Ancient One.

So, Kaecilius set his sights on Jean.

While Jeanwas willing to converse, their discussions centered on the responsibilities of a magician or how to interact with ordinary humans — far from what Kaecilius desired.

Kaecilius became obsessed with the Phoenix Force.

Though Ancient One had never directly discussed it, Kaecilius had heard that the power within Jean's body was ancient, starting with the dawn of all things.

This immense power was what he longed for.

To obtain it, Kaecilius was willing to pay any price.

So, he delved deep into the library, searching for any clues on how to harness the Phoenix Force.

Meanwhile, on the Other Side:

During Aaron's absence, the battle had ended early.

Despite the enchanted armor Aaron had given them, Sif and the Warriors Three were unable to defeat the Destroyer.

The X-Men contributed, but there was still a significant strength gap.

However, Loki's plans fell apart, as Aaron had anticipated.

Thor's life was never truly in danger.

Even without Aaron's intervention, Thor had proven his worth by lifting Mjolnir.

In a display of self-sacrifice, he chose to trade his life for his friends'.

Mjolnir approved of him.

With Ororo's help, the Destroyer armor was destroyed.

Thor, with Odin's secret assistance, returned to Asgard and thwarted Loki's plot.

Yet, inexplicably, Bifrost was still destroyed.

It was said that, in the midst of the battle, Thor accidentally used too much force while trying to break through Loki's energy shield, shattering Bifrost.

As a result, Asgard lost its ability to traverse other realms freely.

Aaron was left alone on Midgard, his story overshadowed by Thor's heroics.

This time, Odin didn't rush to crown Thor.

He felt the time was not right.

Meanwhile, Thor continued to wonder where Aaron had gone.

Midgard had been his hardest trial. Without Aaron's intervention, he might not have survived.

But even with Heimdall's watchful eye, Aaron was nowhere to be found.

His whereabouts became a mystery.

Twenty Days Later, In Mirror Space:

[You have used Energy Absorption seriously, gaining a little. Energy Absorption proficiency +6.]

[You have used Energy Absorption seriously, gaining a little. Energy Absorption proficiency +6. Your Energy Absorption magic has leveled up!]

LV7 Energy Absorption!

Aaron glanced at the message and felt the changes.

The most noticeable was a further increase in absorption speed.

More importantly, he could now absorb nearly any type of energy without conflict.

The energy would integrate seamlessly into his cells, allowing him to maximize its potential.

This solved part of the issue.

The greatest change, however, was that he could now absorb other energies in possession!

But there were limits.

If the opponent's magic level surpassed his own, or if the absorption was resisted, it wouldn't go smoothly.

This technique was best used against weaker magicians or certain artifacts, like the Eternal Fire.

Without hesitation, Aaron began absorbing the energy from the Casket of Ancient Winters.

He wanted to test whether he could absorb all its energy.