A faint light bloomed on the horizon—the long night had finally come to an end.
The stars faded away, and the deep blue sky welcomed the return of daylight.
Though far from Earth, on this alien world known as Vanaheim, the dawn felt familiar , serene, enchanting, and beautiful in its own way.
The chaos of the night had subsided. The bandits and rebel forces, who came to plunder, had lost their will to fight after their strongest warrior, a fearsome Kurnan, was defeated. They had surrendered completely.
The people of Vanaheim were honest and straightforward—even in war, they remained the same.
To them, power was everything.
If you were stronger than them, you were like a father figure; if they were stronger than you, they believed they had the right to take everything you owned.
So when their mightiest warrior fell with ease, the whole rebel force crumbled like a sandcastle under a wave.
"Thank you for your help. I honestly don't know how to repay you."
As they cleaned up the battlefield, Hogun gave Kagura a firm pat on the shoulder.
"You're our guest, and yet you fought to defend us and protect the village. I feel ashamed that we dragged you into our mess."
"No need to say that," Kagura replied softly.
"It was nothing, really. I promised to protect Auntie Sigrid and little Chisé, and I always keep my word."
"Thor's lucky to have you as a sister," Hogun said with a chuckle.
"Oh, and Asgard's reinforcements should be arriving soon. Once they do, you can ask Thor to bring you back to Earth."
"That would be great," she nodded. "It's been a while since I left Earth... Mr. Stark and the other Avengers might be worried about me."
"Send my regards to that brave tin-can man," Hogun grinned. "Among the Midgardians, Stark is one of the few we actually respect."
"I'll be sure to pass on your kind words."
"Big sis! Big sis!"
Just then, Chisé came running over.
"What's wrong, little Chisé?" Kagura knelt down and gently rested a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Do you have something to tell me?"
"Thank you for protecting us, Kagura-sis!"
Chisé beamed with the purest smile. "Grandma and I will never forget what you did for us!"
As she spoke, the young dark elf girl pulled out a delicate flower crown from behind her back.
"This is for you! It's made from Mulros Lilies, a Vanaheim specialty! They say it'll never wither—not even in ten thousand years!"
"Wow... it's beautiful. Thank you, Chisé!"
The flower crown was as small and intricate as a bracelet, with white blossoms interwoven by two fine silver-like strands of metal.
It shimmered with elegance easily rivaling the finest Earthly jewelry.
"A flower that never wilts, huh? That's incredible." Kagura marveled. "Vanaheim really is full of strange and magical wonders."
"Yup, yup! Grandma Sigrid taught me how to weave it!" Chisé giggled. "These flowers stand for eternity and true feelings! So this has all my gratitude and love inside! Teehee!"
"Then I'll treasure it forever." Kagura smiled warmly. "You be sure to live happily with Auntie Sigrid, okay?"
"Okay!" Chisé nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling like crystals, curving into little crescents as she laughed.
It was a heart-meltingly innocent sight.
'Fwoooosh!'
Suddenly, a radiant rainbow bridge descended from the sky the Asgardian reinforcements had finally arrived.
After Vanaheim's distress signal was sent the night before, it was swiftly relayed to Asgard via special channels.
But by the time the warriors of Asgard had mobilized and crossed the Bifröst, the battle was long over.
Textbook fashionably late.
Still, it was thanks to Kagura's brilliant efforts that Vanaheim had been saved before they even arrived.
No matter how many times one witnessed it, the sight of Asgard's Bifröst bridge was always awe-inspiring.
Pillars of light rained down from the heavens, and from their golden glow, Asgard's forces marched out in full regalia.
Golden armor, golden shields, golden weapons—all shimmering with divine enchantments, radiating a holy and majestic aura.
The Asgardians had never been the humble sort. They didn't believe in hiding or disguising their strength.
Their lavish gear—like something straight out of a fantasy epic—was a reflection of their absolute confidence and pride.
"Today, we reclaim our legacy!"
…That kind of vibe.
"Hogun!"
From within the troops, Thor emerged—his crimson cape billowing and Mjölnir in hand.
"I heard Vanaheim was under attack. Where are the enemies?"
Right behind him were the other two members of the Warriors Three:
The elegant, golden-haired Fandral with his slender rapier, And the burly, ale-loving Volstagg wielding a mighty battle axe.
Also present was the fierce Asgardian warrior lady—Sif.
Always fighting alongside Thor, Sif never left his side.
Rumors said Odin himself had chosen her to be Thor's future wife.
In the original MCU, Jane Foster threw a wrench into that ship, stealing Thor's heart and leaving Sif behind.
But in this world, thanks to Kagura's interference, Thor never even met Jane Foster.
Who knows—maybe this time, Sif's love story would have a happier ending? Hehe~
"Prince Thor, my dear friend," Hogun bowed respectfully. "Thank you and the valiant warriors of Asgard for coming to our aid but the chaos in Vanaheim has already been subdued."
"Oh? Already over?" Thor looked mildly disappointed. "That's too bad."
He gave Hogun a firm clap on the shoulder. "Well done, Hogun!"
"No, the real credit goes to your adopted sister, Princess Kagura of Asgard, though technically from Earth," Hogun said, pointing to the distance. "Thanks to her, we resolved the conflict so swiftly."
"Kagura?" Thor turned in surprise. "She's here?"
"It's a long story, but yes," Hogun explained. "She ended up here due to a space-time disturbance triggered by a cosmic convergence."
"Ah, the Convergence…" Thor mused. "That rare event that aligns all Nine Realms, linking their time and space, makes sense."
He strode over with a wide grin.
"Kagura! My dear sister, it's been too long! What a surprise to find you here!"
"I'm happy to see you too, Thor." Kagura smiled back. "Looks like I'll be needing a ride back to Earth!"