Spoiler Artist in Marvel

"And where's the next point?" asked Thor from the passenger seat.

"We should be close," replied Jane, checking the data on her tablet.

For the past few months, they had been tracking areas where the fabric of space behaved abnormally—places that, during the Convergence, could act as portals between the Nine Realms. But their main goal wasn't just any portal. Among them, they were searching for the ones that didn't match the pattern—the only ones where the Aether could be hidden.

SHIELD had offered logistical support, but that didn't limit Jane's exploratory spirit. She had decided to follow some leads on her own.

What had started as barely twenty locations now exceeded five hundred, so there was enough work for both. None had been confirmed yet.

"Do you think this is the right place?" asked Natasha from the back seat.

"I thought the location was in Manhattan," replied Jane, frustrated.

"I already told you. That site wasn't it" Loki cut in firmly. "That was magic."

"It was full of unusual energy signatures. The space there was so fragmented, it probably has some kind of stabilizing barrier. It's by far the most suspicious site we've seen," insisted Jane.

That first stop in Manhattan had been an ancient-looking structure, seemingly ordinary. But as they approached, Jane's instruments went haywire. Multiple energies, pulses, spatial fluctuations—a storm of the unknown. And the most unsettling part: the changes seemed to respond to someone's will.

It was a paradise for any scientist.

But Loki had denied her further investigation. "It's magic" he had said, as if that explained everything.

Jane's look said it all. Magic is just science we don't understand yet.

"SHIELD is investigating the site too," added Natasha. "If you want to join in, there are ways."

"Let me guess" said Jane sarcastically, "I'd have to join SHIELD for that?"

Natasha didn't reply. She just gave a sideways smile.

"Doesn't matter" Thor interrupted. "We're here."

They were standing in front of an abandoned factory in Greenwich, London. From the outside, it looked like any forgotten ruin—crumbled walls, broken windows, weeds growing unchecked. At night, it could pass for a horror movie set. But in broad daylight, the place intimidated no one… especially not them.

Jane was the first to get out of the car, eager to analyze the surroundings. Darcy, who had remained silent until then, raised her voice.

"Guys… something's off."

The team stopped instantly. When it came to spatial anomalies, caution was mandatory.

"What is it?" asked Natasha.

"The readings just spiked. They were within the usual range before, now they're way off," explained Darcy, showing them the data.

Jane frowned at the screen.

"And… it stopped. Stabilized again," she said a few seconds later.

Still on alert, they decided to continue.

"There it goes again. It's rising… and now dropping," warned Darcy, puzzled.

"Do we know what's causing it?" asked Natasha, trying to identify a pattern.

"No. But something is clearly interfering."

At that moment, Loki raised both hands. A green magical wave spread from his body, enveloping everything around them. An instant later, everything returned to normal.

"What did you do?" asked Natasha.

"Magic" replied Loki, with that almost-provocative smile of his.

"I've anchored the surrounding energy to its current state. If anything alters it again, we'll know exactly when. It will act like a natural sensor."

"That's actually pretty useful" commented Natasha, surprised.

"It's simple. If the fluctuations go up or down, it means something or someone is interfering. We just have to find something with the same scales," said Jane, downplaying Loki's magic.

"I could have done it with science."

Ignoring the dispute, the group entered the factory.

"I've got it" announced Loki suddenly, his smile returning.

"What is it? You look far too pleased" asked Natasha.

"Because the cause… is you" he said, pointing at Jane.

She blinked, confused. But then she understood.

"It's reacting to me?"

"There's only one thing that would react to you like this" said Thor, his tone grave. "The Aether."

The Aether, like the other Infinity Stones, couldn't be used by just anyone. But unlike the others, this entity had a will of its own. It chose who could wield it—and parasitized them like a host.

The Aether wasn't just being searched for. The Aether was searching too.

"Which direction?" asked Loki.

Jane pointed toward the center of the building and began to walk.

"Jane, stop," ordered Thor, worried.

But Jane, as if something were guiding her, didn't stop. She walked until she stood directly in front of one of the central walls. At that moment, something strange happened. Like an invisible fist punching glass from the other side, a distortion rippled through the air in front of her. The energy stirred violently—but didn't touch her.

That was enough to break the trance.

"Are you alright?" asked Thor, taking her by the shoulders.

"Yeah… just… I lost control for a moment," murmured Jane, holding her head.

Loki, fascinated, approached the epicenter of the disturbance.

"This… this isn't regular space" he said more to himself.

"Regular space?" repeated Thor.

"I mean this isn't just a crack. It's not a portal. It's a cell. A cage in space made with cosmic-level magic."

"Who could have done something like that?" asked Thor.

"The Space Stone," replied Loki without hesitation. "This was the work of the Tesseract. The Aether wasn't sealed here during the Convergence—the Convergence weakens it's cage by weakening space.

The Convergence isn't its prison. It's its escape key."

"And is that useful to us?" asked Natasha.

"As a reminder. Not even Odin's father could seal the Aether on his own. He used another Stone to do it. Just like you did—using the Scepter to breach the Tesseract's shield.

From the beginning, the only way to counter an Infinity Stone… is with another.

That's how dangerous they are."

Everyone fell silent.

The Aether had been found.

But the most important truth was clear: it wasn't just about finding it…

It was about learning to control it.

______________________________________

+20 chapters in advance on Patreon.

p-atreon.com/IAMME26

(just delete the hyphen)

80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)