Book 2: Phantasm [Thor]

Chapter 5

The sensation of traveling between the realms barely lasted a minute. Thor's feet touched the ground, walking out of the swirl of colors into a golden room. Anya didn't recognize it at all, head swaying to the left and seeing the familiar sight of the golden gatekeeper.

"Welcome back to Asgard, Lady Anya," Heimdall greeted with a nod. "You have been getting into trouble as of late."

The young woman's lips twitched in a small smirk. "It wasn't my intention to do so, but I'm glad it caught your attention."

He smirked back before looking at the prince. "Your father will know of her coming. Go to the healers with haste before he intercepts your movements."

Thor didn't waste any time. Taking Mjolnir, he twirled it in his grasp to take flight. Now was not the time to sightsee.

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The healers were a bit stunned when the prince entered their wing. And then surprised to see a familiar person accompanying him.

"This is the mortal..." the head healer commented, recognizing Anya's face.

"Something is wrong," Thor stated. He laid her on the table in front of them. "Please help her."

All set to work without hesitation as a hologram of Anya's body projected over her for examination. The healers began picking through her system, ruling out probable causes and stripping down to her core. That area didn't look normal the deeper they went. As through the orange glow the hologram seemed to be tainted with something.

"This is not of Midgard, what is it?" Thor questioned.

"We do not know," a healer answered quietly, having come to his side.

The god stood back a bit from the table to allow the women to work and not be in their way. The longer he watched, the more worried he became.

"But one thing is certain. Though her gifts have most definitely been able to withstand what has happened and learning to slowly adapt, she will not survive the amount of energy surging within her in the end."

"How long?" Thor questioned gravely.

"We can't be sure yet. But time is against us."

"What is this?" Anya asked.

She had been staring up at the hologram the entire time in interest and curiosity. Wishing to reach out and touch it, but didn't want to disturb their work.

"It's a soul forge," the head healer answered.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. needs one of these."

Thor chuckled off to the side, her intact personality putting him a bit at ease. There was some hope that she would be able to push through this, despite how exhausted she felt moments ago. There was color returning to her features–

"My words are mere noises to you or you ignore them completely?"

The voice at the door caused their heads to turn abruptly. The healers instantly pulled away from the table with bowed heads. Even Thor grew nervous as the hologram disappeared. Odin, the King of Asgard, stood at the door with an unpleasant expression on his face.

"She is ill," Thor defended.

"She is mortal," the king stated. "Despite the fact that she contains a gift, illness is their defining trait."

"I brought her here because I believe we can help her."

"She does not belong here in Asgard any more than a goat belongs at a banquet table."

"Something is within her, Father," the prince pressed. He could not allow Anya to return to Midgard without finding out what ailed her. Without knowing she would be safe and well. "Something I have not seen before."

"Her world has its own healers. They are called 'doctors'. Let them deal with it. Guards, take her back to Midgard!

The warriors that followed behind Odin entered the room and marched towards the table without further hesitation reaching for the mortal.

"No, I wouldn't–!"

The warning didn't come fast enough as one of them gripped the agent's arm causing the same red explosion to rock the room and throw all off its feet. Even the king. Though for Thor closer to the wall it only slammed up against it before falling back to his feet once more as the chaos died down.

"... Touch her."

The god rushed forward, cupping the young woman's face with a hand. Her eyes had closed once more and condition worsened. Each burst seemed to take a lot out of her and that didn't help his growing alarm.

"Anya, are you well?"

"Yeah..." she groaned. But he was unconvinced.

Movement at the prince's side drew his attention. Odin joined him and took the mortal's arm in his grasp. He stared at the pale skin in wonder as Thor watched the surface almost become transparent as it revealed her veins. The two noticed a red energy circling and pumping through them that hadn't been entirely visible through the soul forge.

"It's impossible," Odin whispered.

"The infection... It's defending her," the head healer stated in awe.

"No. It's defending itself," Thor stated.

The king released the agent's arm as the prince helped her sit up. The color in her face paled considerably, nearly matching the color of her hair. Her freckles stood out in stark contrast. She swayed from the head rush due to the movement as his hand pressed against her lower back for support. So the young woman didn't fall off the side of the table. Anya's head turned in an attempt to look the god in the eye, but it was sluggish and lazy as her eyes blinked trying to clear the fog from her mind.

"Come with me," Odin ordered.