14 Eternal-Deviant Thor Part IV
It was eager, it felt his presence and was overjoyed. Thor couldn't tell you how he knew such a thing, but he could feel it within him. Mjolnir had been by his side, it had been his greatest ally, something he could always rely upon no matter what. And yet, as he pulled upon Mjolnir, it didn't move.
He strained, teeth grit and face scrunched up as he attempt to lift the stone hammer and yet not even a budge. His feet dug into the ground, cracks spreading out as he himself seemed to sink further into the ground as he attempted to lift Mjolnir. However, no matter how hard he tried to lift the hammer, Mjolnir refused to move and it seemed to go silent within his hands.
Eventually, Thor stumbled away, looking upon his hands which were imprinted with the red markings in the form of Mjolnir's handle. All around him the ground had seemingly being destroyed, huge cracks and crevices formed. Dust beginning to settle upon the ground and yet, Mjolnir remained firmly embedded into the ground.
'Why can't I lift you?' Thor wondered.
Lifting Mjolnir had never been a problem, even with its short handle. However, wielding it had put an immense strain upon his body, Járngreiper had been forged in order to help him deal with the strain. Yet Mjolnir was not simply just a densely forged hammer, it was also enhanced magically and possessed deep wells of power that originated from the very source of the Yggdrasil, just as Odin's power of the Odinforce derived from it also.
It had enabled Thor when he was young to focus and control his powers and as he grew older and more experienced, enhanced them further. Even if he couldn't wield it, Thor knew that he should have been able to lift it with his strength. Then, while mayhap's not able to wield it in battle as he would have liked, he would have been able to keep it as his side, that connection alone enough to enhance his powers a hundredfold.
But that all relied upon the fact that he could lift Mjolnir and he had failed to do so. Mjolnir had refused to be wielded by him, going still and almost latching to the ground, refusing to allow itself to be lifted by his hands. That feeling, that sense of its acknowledgment of him dulled until the light became dark. Mjolnir did not recognise him, but it recognised who he used to be at one point. He was but a shadow of his former self and Mjolnir recognised that fact. It had been the weapon and ally of Thor Odinson and while he may bear the name, he was not the man himself.
In the distance, Thor felt the clash of powers, whether the Proemial Gods were clashing against one another or allied against the World Eater and the Fallen One, Thor did not know. He just knew that he couldn't wait here forever.
'I can't allow anyone to get their hands upon Mjolnir.' Clenching his fists, Thor looked towards where he could feel the clashing of cosmic beings. 'Even if I can't wield it, I must do all I can to ensure that the World Eater, the Fallen One or any of the Proemial Gods can not get their hands upon it.'
And with that affirmation, Thor burst off, the ground exploding beneath his feet as he shot through the air, a boom sounding in his wake.
-X- Line Break -X-
It was a trap.
The warring Proemial factions realised that very quickly after the Fallen One arrived. As a Herald of the World Eater, it was his duty to find planets that would satiate his master's hunger. His practice of killing the most powerful defenders of said planet non-withstanding, Earth was perhaps the ripest planet at this time.
The energy formed from the war between the Eternals and Deviants alone had caught many peoples attention. Then the arrival of the Celestials and ones 'death' had only attracted more gazes, including that of the World Eaters.
They should have known that one such as Antiphon, one who desired for the Cosmos to evolve and grow on its own without Celestial interference would bring them here. After all, he despised the Celestials and the World Eater for their actions and interferences in the Cosmos. It only made sense for him to host this meeting here and draw them in turn to do the same.
But as rogue Proemial Gods, their powers had not waned, but their understanding of the Cosmos had. Even those who had resisted the rogues had also strayed from the path that they had originally set out to follow and so, they too were the same as them.
Only Antiphon had remained untouched and he had used that to his advantage. After all, not much was known about the World Eater, but his Herald, the Fallen One was known for his love of battle and death.
As soon as he arrived and witnessed them all, he struck.
They resisted, they fought against him, even discarding all grudges and rivals, forced to ally against one another against the Fallen One. And they began to win, began to damage the Fallen One and nearly succeeded in killing him. Only for his master, the World Eater to arrive then.
A towering figure clad in purple armour and possessing power beyond anything they had imagined. They abandoned the Fallen One, the figure laid injured upon the ground as they in a desperate gamble for survival, fought against the World Eater.
After all, just as not much was known about the World Eater, little was also known about his power. Considering the Fallen One's actions of killing those upon a planet that could pose a threat, many had deemed that a sign of the World Eater being weak. It was that theory that gave the Proemial's courage despite sensing the World Eater's power. They attacked and one by one were slaughtered.
Their numbers dwindled and their confidence and morale shattered. However, surrender was not an option and like a cornered animal, they struck out harder, fuelled by desperation.
Antiphon watched it all unfold, his Watchers beside him, their energy lancing out and conjuring powerful shields to protect themselves. "What do we do?" Uatu asked.
"…I do not know," Antiphon admitted after a moments pause. "I have interfered with the order of the Cosmos." That alone was a shock to Antiphon, he had thought that his actions were done in order to stop the World Eater but had he been wrong? 'Or is it something else?'
Either way, Antiphon could no longer understand the flow of the Cosmos, he could not see what was to come next. He, for the first time in his life, was blind to the future, just like a mortal.
"Proemial!" A voice roared, the injured Fallen One rising from the ground as he glared out upon them.
"Leave," Antiphon told his Watchers. "I may no longer be able to guide your future. But I can preserve it. Fulfil your duties where I have failed." They were smart, even if his Watchers had a desire to protect him, they were much like himself, it was why he chose them. Even if they formed a personal connection to anything, their duty would always come first.
It was with no surprise that he felt the Watchers leave, the Fallen One shooting towards him, blasts of Dark Matter rushing towards him. While not as powerful as his fellow kin, nor as powerful as the Fallen One, Antiphon didn't need to be as he angled the barriers he created.
As soon as the beams struck them, they exploded but they still put up enough resistance to knock the beams off course. However, the Fallen One continued towards him, but in that instant, something came shooting out of the sky and slammed into the Fallen One. There was a loud boom, a noticeable shockwave blasting outwards as the Fallen One rocketed to the ground at high speeds, striking against it with enough force to shake the entirety of Earth.
"Thor Odinson," Antiphon spoke. "I shall leave the Fallen One to you."
The Herald of the World Eater was injured, quite severely but his powers were still vast. On the other hand, Thor was fully healed and rested, though adversely to this, his powers were not as great. The two were on even footing but the same could not be said for the clash between his kin and the World Eater.
The World Eater had to be brought away from Gaea, far enough away that Gaea could fully absorb and then disperse the Celestial energy. Then and only then, would it divert the World Eaters attention to somewhere else. Antiphon didn't need to sense the flow of the Cosmos to know that the World Eater would return eventually, but at least it would buy some time.
"Very well." Thor nodded his head, looking down upon the dark figure below who was rising up from the dust. A wave of energy erupting outward from his body and dispersing the crashing waves that attempted to swallow him up.
Even from this distance, Thor could tell this would not be an easy fight. But he was prepared, mentally to give this everything he had in order to save not only Midgard but to keep Mjolnir from the hands of this being. He may not be able to wield it, but someone would and perhaps in the future he too would be able to. Until that time, he would watch over it and ensure that none could steal it for their own.
That meant facing beings such as these.
And in response to the Fallen One who shot towards him, Thor gathered his powers, dark storm clouds gathering overhead. The Celestial armour and the energy that had latched onto his body from the Celestial that once inhabited it enhanced his powers a hundredfold and Thor unleashed it all in a single concentrated bolt of lightning.
The Fallen One met the attack, vast quantities of Dark Matter gathering around his fist as he struck the lightning bolt head-on. From it, a loud explosion erupted, a blinding light that shined brightly across the Cosmos.
