Chapter Seven: The Gate of the Universe

Sanctum II Spaceship – Living Quarters

After returning to his room, Loki, drenched in sweat, set the Scepter of Mind aside and looked down at the Kaidarin Crystal on his chest.

“Hey, this thing isn’t as easy to use as you’d think.” The room was already cloaked in his illusions, so he had no need to worry about any potential surveillance.

Loki took a few shallow breaths. The Scepter of Mind exerted a constant influence over him, while the Kaidarin Crystal’s assistance came in erratic waves. It felt as though his consciousness had been split into two. Still, even under the Scepter's influence, his basic sanity remained protected.

Asgard – Divine Realm Library

After receiving Odin’s reply, Artanis made his way to the library. He had spent the day sparring and drinking with Thor, but tomorrow he would be leaving Asgard, so he needed to seize the time for his research.

Midgard – S.H.I.E.L.D. Underground Research Facility

“The Tesseract’s energy levels are surging uncontrollably! Notify Director Fury at once!” Dr. Selvig stared at the suddenly activated Tesseract with a tense expression, frantically adjusting parameters and trying to shut the device down, but all his efforts were futile. The Tesseract was out of control.

Nick Fury received Dr. Selvig’s urgent message. The moment he learned the Tesseract had gone rogue, he immediately boarded a helicopter bound for the facility.

The long-dormant alarms blared across S.H.I.E.L.D.’s base. All personnel began evacuating the danger zone as Nick Fury’s helicopter arrived.

“What’s the situation?” Fury demanded as soon as he disembarked, turning to Coulson, who had come to greet him.

“The worst, sir. We have no idea.” Coulson’s brow was deeply furrowed. He had checked the surveillance feeds multiple times but could not discern how the Tesseract had become active.

“Dr. Selvig detected an energy wave from the Tesseract four hours ago,” Coulson reported the information he had.

“We never approved any tests.” Fury’s face darkened. Nothing irked him more than subordinates acting on their own initiative.

“He didn’t conduct any tests. He wasn’t even in the lab at the time. The Tesseract activated itself.” Coulson, too, could hardly believe it. Had he not reviewed the footage himself, he wouldn’t have trusted his own eyes.

“The Tesseract activated itself?” Agent Hill was incredulous. She couldn’t comprehend why the Tesseract, which S.H.I.E.L.D. struggled to power up even with great effort, would start on its own.

“What’s the current energy level?” Fury, though skeptical, saw no point in arguing with Coulson when they had so little information.

“It’s still climbing. We can’t stop it, so we began evacuation.” Coulson, worried about the dangers the Tesseract might unleash, had ordered all personnel to withdraw.

“How much longer for a full evacuation?” Fury approved of Coulson’s decision. The agency’s hard work couldn’t be wasted; if the Tesseract went critical, at least their other assets needed to be saved.

“Another half hour,” Coulson replied, somewhat helpless. Getting people out was straightforward, but taking equipment and research data with them complicated matters.

“Speed it up.” Fury ordered Coulson to coordinate the evacuation while he and Hill headed for the lab.

At the laboratory entrance, Fury instructed Hill to secure the second-stage prototypes—various weapon systems developed based on the Tesseract’s energy.

“Tell me the situation, Doctor.” Fury entered the lab. Only a handful of essential personnel remained; the rest had already evacuated.

“It’s bad, Director. The Tesseract isn’t just awake—it’s powering up on its own,” Dr. Selvig reported.

“Did you try cutting the power?” Fury wasn’t an expert, but he remembered how much energy it took to activate the Tesseract the last time.

“It’s a power source in itself. We can’t shut it down. If its energy reaches a peak…” Dr. Selvig’s brow furrowed as he moved to his console, but Fury interrupted him.

“Isn’t that what we wanted, Doctor? To harness cosmic energy?” Fury looked at him intently. If that were so, perhaps this wasn’t a crisis after all.

“But we can’t control it. We’re nowhere near that point. Right now, it’s emitting gamma radiation that’s interfering with our equipment, though so far there’s no direct harm.” Dr. Selvig glanced at the monitor, exhaling softly.

“It might cause harm.” At the mention of gamma rays, Fury’s heart skipped a beat. Ever since learning that a certain green giant was created by gamma radiation, he’d grown wary of it, almost to the point of superstition.

After confirming the situation with Barton, who was standing guard, Fury approached the Tesseract. At that moment, Barton offered a new perspective.

“If something goes wrong, it won’t be on our end, sir,” Barton said, frowning at the Tesseract, which he had always regarded with suspicion.

“Not on our end?” Fury was taken aback.

“That’s right, sir. Isn’t the Tesseract a gateway? If it’s a door, it opens both ways.” Barton’s tone was earnest.

Just then, the Tesseract released an even greater energy surge. The entire base trembled, and everyone in the lab instinctively turned toward the source of the disturbance.

As energy gathered, the Tesseract unleashed a beam of blue light from its rear, forming a glowing sphere several meters away. In seconds, the sphere exploded outward, the remaining energy absorbed by the lab’s specialized containment structure above.

When the blinding light faded, standing where the sphere had been was Loki, clutching the Scepter of Mind.

Asgard – Golden Palace

Night passed quietly, and dawn’s light bathed Asgard. Thor and Artanis entered the great hall together.

“Are you ready?” Odin, holding the Eternal Spear, sat on his throne. In order to suppress his power and avoid ascending, he could no longer freely wield his strength, so he entrusted the task to Heimdall.

Heimdall knelt on one knee. “We are ready, Your Majesty.”

Odin nodded. Ancient incantations flowed from Heimdall’s lips, and the light of the Rainbow Bridge enveloped Thor and Artanis, sending them away from Asgard.

Moments earlier, Heimdall had informed Thor that Loki had appeared on Midgard. Thor was visibly exhilarated; were it not for his inability to travel there directly, he might have flown off at once.

Watching the two depart, Odin’s eyes glinted subtly as countless threads of fate unfolded before him. This time, they would walk toward a future far brighter than before.