Marvel: The Enlightened One#118+119: The Selective Seal, The Aether, Divided

A dead-silent realm of absolute darkness.

Suddenly, a crimson dimension tore through the void—a space that seemed to writhe with a life of its own, pulsing like a river of blood.

Jane Foster, who had been yanked inside without warning, was just as abruptly thrown forward, stumbling blindly into the unknown.

Right in front of her was a bottomless cliff.

Terror flared in Jane’s eyes.

The next second, a hand clamped down on her shoulder, stopping her cold just as her foot stepped out over the edge.

“Careful.”

“...”

Jane spun around, her eyes wide with fear as she saw Hawk. She instinctively scrambled backward.

And then, with a terrified shriek, her right foot found only empty air. Hawk shot his hand out again, grabbing her arm and hauling her back from the abyss a second time.

Hawk was speechless. “Again, be careful. I’ve saved you twice. I’m not doing it a third time.”

Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, but three times is a choice. If Jane Foster tried for a hat-trick, he was letting her fall. He couldn't save someone who was determined to die.

With that, Hawk turned away from her, his attention focused on their new surroundings. He followed a narrow stone path to a large, open platform.

The platform seemed to exist in a state of zero gravity.

Countless massive, shattered black monoliths floated in the void, hanging upside down in every direction.

But the thing that truly captured Hawk’s attention was in the distance: the shattered remains of a colossal, inverted Gothic cathedral.

The ruin itself wasn’t the focus.

It was the black, geometric device suspended at the cathedral’s base, radiating an aura of profound, ancient malice.

Within the device, a viscous, blood-like liquid swirled and pulsed.

The Reality Stone.

Also known as—

The Aether.

Of the six Infinity Stones, five were solid gems. Only the Reality Stone existed in this strange, fluid state.

But that didn’t matter.

What mattered was that the Reality Stone was the Aether, and the Aether was the Reality Stone.

That was enough.

Hawk’s eyes locked onto the prize and started walking toward it.

CRACKLE!

Arcs of raw energy began to writhe across the surface of the strange device. A thick, writhing tendril of lightning shot out, aimed directly at Hawk.

He raised an eyebrow, and his figure blurred, vanishing from the spot.

BOOOOM!!!

The lightning bolt tore through the afterimage he’d left behind and slammed into a massive stone monolith, which instantly disintegrated into fine dust. Not a single pebble remained.

The device was now alive with a storm of silver serpents, arcs of electricity dancing wildly across its surface.

In an instant, the entire sealed dimension was illuminated by the strobing, silver light. The storm of energy gathered itself into a torrential downpour and unleashed hell, blanketing the area where Hawk stood.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

What the hell is going on?

Hawk weaved through the air, dodging the bolts of energy that his instincts screamed would do serious damage.

This didn’t happen to Jane Foster in the movie...

His mind raced. He thought for a moment, then, after dodging another volley, he retreated to his original position near Jane.

As he moved back, the storm of lightning subsided, the arcs of energy receding back into the geometric device.

Knew it.

It was just as he’d thought.

It wasn't that Jane Foster had found the Aether. It was that the Aether had found her.

The reason was simple.

The Aether needed Jane to escape its prison.

And why only Jane?

Because she was Thor's girlfriend. She carried the scent of Asgard, the scent of Odin’s bloodline.

Long ago, when Thor’s grandfather, Bor, was the All-Father of Asgard, the Aether had been in the hands of the Dark Elves.

Bor had defeated them and taken the Aether, intending to destroy it.

But…

If an Infinity Stone could be destroyed, it wouldn't be called an Infinity Stone.

So Bor had settled for the next best thing. He had built this device to seal it away for eternity. And since the device was built by Thor’s grandfather, its targeting system was… selective.

Jane Foster was the girlfriend of Bor’s grandson.

From a certain point of view, if Thor had his way, she would one day be the Queen of Asgard. So, the device recognized her as an ally.

As for everyone else??

Kill them.

Right now, there was no way for him to get near the device. This thing was built by the All-Father of Asgard in his prime. Hawk needed the Aether, Bor had sealed it. The difference in their power levels was laughable.

Hawk stared at the now-calm device, his mind racing.

Just then, Jane’s voice cut through the silence.

“Who are you?”

“Where are we?”

She had finally recovered from the initial shock, her eyes now fixed on the strange, crackling device that hummed with a power she vaguely recognized. She looked at Hawk.

She had been terrified at first, but now, she was calm. It was clear that this man meant her no harm.

After all, based on the speed he’d just displayed, if he had wanted to hurt her, she would already be dead.

Hawk heard her voice and glanced at her, then his gaze returned to the sealing device.

“Hello?” Jane frowned.

“Hold on. I’m thinking about whether I should tell you the truth, or just make something up.”

“...”

A muscle in Jane’s jaw twitched.

Hawk turned to face her.

Jane looked from his deadpan face to the bizarre, silent landscape around them and took a deep breath. “Where are we?”

Hawk shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

“Is that the lie?”

“No, that’s the truth.”

He shook his head again. “My best guess is that we’re in one of the Nine Realms. Svartalfheim.”

He was trying to remember the movie.

It seemed that after Bor had captured the Aether, he had sealed it away in Svartalfheim.

But he wasn't sure.

This was reality, not a movie. Svartalfheim was the home of the Dark Elves. Logically, it made no sense to imprison the very thing you had just taken from them on their own planet.

That didn’t make any sense.

Jane’s eyes widened. “The Dark Elves?”

Hawk turned to her, a slow smile spreading across his face. “I almost forgot. Thor gave you the beginner’s course on the Nine Realms when he was on Earth.”

At the mention of Thor’s name, Jane’s expression became animated.

“You know Thor?”

“Nope.”

“...”

Jane’s face froze. She closed her eyes, took a deep, steadying breath, and fought back the urge to scream a string of curses at him.

This place was too strange.

And while she didn't think this man was a threat…

What if he was?

Hawk just chuckled. “That’s also the truth. I know of Thor. But I’ve never met him.”

Jane composed herself and opened her eyes. She said nothing, her gaze following his to the geometric device, which still hummed with the familiar energy of Thor’s lightning.

She saw the swirling, malevolent liquid inside it, the thing that looked like living, viscous blood.

She looked back at Hawk. “You want the thing inside that device, don’t you?”

Again, she wasn't an idiot. You don't get a Ph.D. in astrophysics by being slow on the uptake.

Hawk didn’t look at her. His eyes were fixed on the Aether. He nodded.

“I do. But with Bor’s seal on it, I can’t get to it.”

“Bor?”

“Thor’s grandfather.”

“...” Jane drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes darted back to the device. “You’re saying Thor’s grandfather built that thing? No wonder the lightning felt so familiar.”

Hawk said nothing.

Jane frowned again. “So… you want this thing, and I don’t. Can you please send me back now?”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I followed you to get in here.” Hawk laughed and finally looked at her. “You didn’t think I was the one who brought you here, did you?”

Jane’s brow furrowed.

“Then…”

“Look—” Hawk pointed at the sealed Aether. “That thing dragged you in. It wants you to help it escape. And I want to get my hands on it. So, the truth is, I’m only here because of you.”

“Me?”

Jane pointed at herself.

“Why?”

“Because you’re Thor’s girlfriend.”

Hawk shrugged. “You’re the only one who can get close to that thing without being vaporized. Because his grandfather built it.”

Jane thought back to the storm of lightning that had just been unleashed on Hawk. A corner of her mouth twitched.

“Are you serious?”

“Don’t believe me? Go on. Try it yourself.”

“Fine, I will.”

“...”

<><><><><><><><>

She said the words.

But Jane didn't move. She was rooted to the spot, as if her feet had been glued to the floor.

Hawk saw this and couldn't help but laugh.

"Scared?"

"No."

Jane shook her head. She looked from the sealed Aether back to Hawk. "You said this was sealed away by Thor's grandfather, Bor?"

"I did."

"And he sealed it away because it was dangerous, right?"

"...Yes."

"Then there's no way I'm going near it..." Jane threw her hands up, her expression resolute. "You want me to help you unleash something that dangerous? Not a chance!"

Hawk just raised an eyebrow.

Jane’s expression was firm, the look she was giving him no different from the way one would look at a villain, as if she were prepared to die for her principles.

If she didn't know the truth, it would be one thing. But now that she knew this was some kind of superweapon that even the All-Father of Asgard had feared, she wasn't about to let it out.

Jane paused, her gaze still locked with his. "But thank you for being honest with me. You could have lied, but you didn't."

"Don't mention it." Hawk smiled faintly and said nothing more, his attention returning to the Aether.

A man has to have a code.

He could have lied. He could have manipulated her into doing exactly what he wanted.

But… Deception, like killing, is a line you only cross once. After that, there's no going back.

If he started using underhanded tactics now, he'd eventually become an underhanded person.

As they both fell silent, the chamber was once again plunged into a dead stillness.

Jane looked at Hawk, who was standing as still as a statue. She opened her mouth to say something, then thought better of it and closed it again.

After a few more moments of silence, she couldn’t stand it anymore.

"Look…"

"That thing brought you in here. If we don't let it out, we're not getting back." Hawk, who had been waiting for her to break down, cut her off. "That's our only option, for now."

"For now?" Jane caught the key word.

"Yep."

Hawk nodded. "If you don't want to do that, we can wait. We can wait until I'm strong enough to just brute-force my way through All-Father Bor's seal and take it myself. Then we can leave."

The seal was powerful, no doubt.

But…

Bor was long dead. And this seal had been here for millennia. The divine lightning that powered it had weakened over time.

Honestly, Hawk could probably break through it now if he went all out—Phoenix Armor and all.

But he would be injured.

Badly.

He hadn't even mastered the Sixth Sense yet. His Cosmo was barely at the level of a rookie Silver Saint.

And even if he did manage to get the Aether, it would be useless.

The Infinity Stones were powerful, but they came with a price.

The Reality Stone, in particular, was a parasite. It fed on the life force of its wielder. If you were weak, it would drain you dry in an instant.

If he was seriously injured when he took it, the Aether would consume him before he could even begin to use it to manifest his Cosmo in reality.

But if he could fully awaken his Sixth Sense, it would be a different story.

He was confident that, with the power of the Sixth Sense, he could break the seal without a scratch.

"And how long would that take?" Jane frowned.

"Ten months." Hawk said it casually.

He had no idea how long it would take to master the Sixth Sense. It was a matter of inspiration. Just like when he had fought the Demon Hulk. A flash of inspiration in the heat of battle had allowed him to crack open a corner of the door to the Sixth Sense and learn to fly.

"HOW LONG??" Jane looked like she was about to snap.

"Ten months. Maybe longer. Who knows."

Hawk glanced at her wide, disbelieving eyes and smiled. "Are you in a hurry?"

Jane was speechless.

"Aren't you?"

"Nope."

Hawk shook his head, his gaze returning to the sealed Aether. "This is what I came for. I'm not leaving without it."

Jane fell silent.

After a long moment, she looked at the Aether, took a deep breath, and then, slowly, took a single step forward.

Hawk, who had been watching her out of the corner of his eye, smiled to himself.

This was the other reason he hadn't lied.

He didn't need to.

There was only one way out.

So, instead of manipulating her, he had just told her the truth and let her make the choice herself.

As long as he wasn't in a hurry, the pressure was all on her.

And now, she had cracked.

After all, he could afford to wait ten months.

She couldn't.

Jane slowly walked over to Hawk’s side, stopping just at the edge of the seal’s effective range. She looked at him again. "Are you sure this thing won't attack me?"

Hawk's voice was calm. "I haven't lied to you yet. This is just my theory."

A flash of anger crossed her face.

Hawk immediately added, “But you can try. If it does attack you, I promise I can get you out.”

Jane's jaw tightened. She took another deep breath, then, without looking at him, she faced the seal, squared her shoulders, and took a single, deliberate step forward.

The next second, nothing happened.

Jane blinked, then a look of relief washed over her. She took two more steps.

Still nothing.

The seal was completely inert.

Even though he had expected it, Hawk couldn't help but feel a flicker of surprise.

Jane, realizing the seal wouldn’t harm her, quickly walked right up to it.

The moment she got close, the Aether inside began to stir.

She watched as the swirling, red energy began to slam against the inside of its prison, and took a step back, startled. She didn't dare get any closer. She turned to Hawk. "How dangerous is this thing?"

"Depends on who’s using it." His voice was even.

"What do you mean?"

"It used to belong to the Dark Elves. They tried to use it to plunge all Nine Realms into eternal darkness. That's why All-Father Bor defeated them and sealed it away."

"And you?"

Jane's brow furrowed. "If you get it, what are you going to use it for?"

Hawk met her gaze and smiled, his voice still perfectly calm.

"To save my sister."

"...Your sister?"

Jane had imagined a dozen different, terrible scenarios. But this was not one of them.

The guarded, suspicious look on her face softened into one of confusion. "What happened to your sister?"

“She died in an accident on September 10th, 2009.”

“She died?”

"Yes."

"Then…"

"She's in Hell, waiting for me to bring her home."

"Hell."

Jane thought back to what Thor had told her. "You mean… Mephisto?"

Hawk smiled and nodded. "Yes. Mephisto's Hell."

"Okay..."

Jane looked from the swirling, malevolent Aether back to Hawk. "You haven't lied to me. I believe you. So, how do I help you?"

Hawk shook his head.

"My original plan was to just follow you in here and then take it."

"But I didn't realize until we got here that you didn't find it. It found you."

"As long as Bor's seal is active, I can't touch it."

"Only you can release it. The moment you do, the seal will break."

"But…"

"The instant you touch it, it will try to possess you. And no matter how fast I am, I won't be able to absorb all of it."

Even if he could, it wouldn't be the complete Aether anyway.

If he remembered correctly, there was another fragment of the Aether still in the hands of the Dark Elves—the fragment that was used to create the Kurse.

The monster that had killed Thor’s mother, Frigga.

If he wanted the complete Reality Stone, he would need all the pieces.

But for now…

Hawk pushed the thought from his mind.

One step at a time.

Jane's eyes were wide. She looked from the swirling red mass back to him, her voice trembling slightly. "So, I'm going to die?"

Hawk snapped out of his thoughts.

"No. It will just start feeding on your life force. If we don't get it out of you in time."

"And how do we do that?"

"I don't know."

"You—"

"But you won't die. I promise."

By now, Thor has probably noticed his girlfriend is missing.

Hawk thought to himself.

Jane, who had been on the verge of a complete meltdown, swallowed the curse that was on the tip of her tongue and glared at him. "So, to get out of here, we have to let this thing out, and you promise I won't die. Right?"

Hawk nodded.

"Correct."

"Then let's do it."

Jane had given up trying to find another way. This was it. She took a deep breath and stood before the seal. "I'll count to three."

Hawk's senses went on high alert. He watched as she slowly raised her right hand.

"Do it."

"One."

"Two."

"THREE!"

BOOOOOOM!

"..."