Shadow of the Beautiful World

Thor had a dream.

He felt a heavy weight in his chest, something was pressing there.

In that dim dream, he groped and struggled, trying to lift the thing up before the thing in his chest crushed him.

He touches what's holding it down, he touches...

The cold metal, the not-so-smooth appearance, the nicks, the traces left by the war, and the handle that I am most familiar with, the handle wrapped with dragon leather.

At the end of the handle, there is a binding strap, a leather strap.

As heavy as a thousand jun.

It just pressed against Thor's chest.

It was like a mountain, almost breaking his breastbone and tearing his skin.

There is a numb thunder and lightning beating on that thing, so violent, restless, and angry.

It says it has been abandoned.

No!

In the dream Thor held the cold thing with both hands, and he tried to push it away, but couldn't.

No, Mjolnir, no!

He called it by name.

But got no response at all.

It treats Thor like a stranger, without mercy.

Ah yes.

Thor remembered.

He had been abandoned by the Hammer, the connection between them had been severed, and Mjolnir was no longer his.

And now, this warhammer, which used to be like an arm, is going to kill him.

It's a dream!

swish

The next moment, Thor opened his eyes. He finally got rid of the nightmare related to Mjolnir, and it was not too late.

And the moment he opened his eyes, the collector's gentle, teasing voice reached Thor's ears.

You were dreaming just now.

The guy grinned maliciously, and he said softly:

I can see that I'm good at it.

I often observe the appearance of my collection when I wake up from a dream. I am familiar with the expression on your face. I just had a nightmare, right?

The Collector standing in front of Thor's cage was still dressed as before, but he had a golden wooden staff in his hand, like a cane.

He stood there, looking at Thor who woke up from his sleep through a layer of glass.

With an oddly pleasant smile on his face, he said:

An annoying nightmare that follows you like a shadow. It's really annoying. You may not know it, Thor Odinson. Sometimes I have dreams myself. Of course, it is not as frequent as when I was young.

But I'm over 3 billion years old, what else can I ask of myself?

Where is this?

Thor stood up, moved his arms, and found that there were strong chains around his arms.

Between shaking, the thing will make a rattling sound.

With the return of reason, Thor remembered what happened before the coma, so he glared at the collector in front of him, and he roared:

You seduced Loki! You seduced my brother! You, damn thing!

Facing Thor's roar, Collector didn't care much.

Like looking at a monkey in a circus, he continued his speech without being interrupted by Thor's roar.

Rubbing the cane in his hand, he said:

Although there are many differences between us, I think there should be little difference in our dreams. We all dream, things that we can't get, right?

The collector leaned against the glass, watching Thor angrily beating in the cage, with a rather strange smile on his face, he said:

But we are different after all, and our difference is that...

Snapped

A light lit up behind the Collector, illuminating the huge space in front of Thor's eyes.

Illuminating this treasure house, which is dedicated to the throne of life, the space in front of Thor is filled with various glass display cases, which are suspended in the air, forming a very three-dimensional form.

Those glass cages filled with collectors' items, life...

All kinds of life.

The difference between us is that I have almost everything you can think of, even you!

The Collector opened his arms, and in that light, he said to Thor in the cage in a superior tone:

And you... Thor Odinson.

You have nothing left, even your name, Thor... Ah, in the thousands of worlds, I have always longed to collect a unique Thor, and now I have got my wish.

With a nasty grin, Tanya Tiwan stretched out his finger, flicked Thor's cage neck, and said:

The Demigod, Thor...

You're really unique. I've seen enough of you flying around wielding that damned warhammer, but this kind of you, you who are weak, you who are open-minded and calm, are really rare.

You're going to be my best collection, of course...

Tiwan suddenly showed a somewhat regretful smile.

Leaning on a cane, he was slowly planning to leave the treasure house of life. He waved to Thor in the cage, and said in a disappointed tone:

If you can come back from Saka alive.

What's the meaning?

Thor sensed from the collector's sudden change in tone that something bad was about to happen.

He rattled the chains that bound his hands, and roared loudly:

Say it clearly! Tanya Tiwan! Make it clear! Star Saka... what is that?

A hell of a fight, Thor.

The Collector disappeared into the treasury, and his last words came to Thor's ear, saying:

My annoying cousin has re-run his own arena in this small universe, and it is still in the stage of opening. He needs some famous gladiators to open his business for him.

Unfortunately, he chose you... well, I hope you don't get spoiled like the rest of my collection.

Tiwan! Timan! Come back!

After the Collector left the Vault of Life, the lights dimmed again, and Thor bellowed from his cage:

That's not right! Loki told me she'd switch me back! You can't! You can't do that!

His roar echoed in the treasure house, like a harsh noise, which quickly aroused the dissatisfaction of the residents in the cage beside him.

Hey! Silly big man, shut up.

A hoarse, very hoarse, very strange voice sounded from the cage on Thor's left.

There was a hint of despair and bewilderment in that voice.

Of course Tanya Tiwan can do that. He's the elder of the universe, you know, right? In his eyes, we are all playthings that can be occupied and classified.

It's presumptuous for him to say there's nothing in this group of stars that he's not entitled to get his hands on, but it's true.

The despondent voice said to Thor:

In short, stop yelling and save some strength. It's a long way from here to Star Saka. I will pray for you here, and pray that you can come back alive.

This voice...

Thor's eyes blinked.

Although he has lost his divine power, he is still an Asgardian after all, and his memory is very good.

He quickly found the source of this recognizable voice from his own memory. He stuck to the strange glass of the cage, and he shouted to the cage on the left:

I've heard your voice, on Earth, in Nevada, in the Pegasus base...it's a projection, a talking duck, claiming to be from another universe.

Your name...what is it? Merlin clearly told me.

Thor rubbed his forehead, thinking hard.

Seconds later, there was a dispirited voice from the cage to his left.

My name is Howard, Howard. T. Duck (howardt. duck).

I have indeed been to Earth, and I have had contact with those agents, but as you can see, I am now from a traveler to a collector's plaything, a collectible, which is a shame.

You know? Brother Thor, although I've only just met you, I've already confirmed that you, like me, belong to the kind of person whose life is full of hellish troubles.

Our lives are derailed, I'm 99.99999% sure!

The voice of this duck sounds very decadent....

Well, probably because I was a little out of breath from being overwhelmed by the heavy and bad life.

How long have you been here?

Thor asked, and Howard the Duck replied:

A few months? A few years? Ten years? I can't remember clearly. This treasure house of life is very strange. The flow of time inside it is different from the outside world.

Then do you know how to escape?

A guy like Thor would never bow to life.

It's just that he was imprisoned here, and after knowing that the Collector had deceived Loki and he didn't intend to keep the contract at all, Thor immediately wanted to find a way to escape.

Don't think about it, it's impossible.

The decadent Howard Duck poured cold water on Thor, saying:

I've never seen anyone escape. I thought about escaping when I was locked in, but...my duck kung fu can't break through the cage, let alone escape.

You have to know that this space is very unique. There is no external force stimulation, and the interior of this treasure house remains constant.

Shut up! Shut up!

Just when Howard Duck and Thor exchanged information.

On the right hand side of Thor's cage, another guy who was imprisoned was woken up. This guy didn't look like the good-natured Howard Duck.

It's rougher, more savage, more vicious.

If you disturb Tori's sleep again, Tori will murder you! Eat you! Well... there is a new one!

The guy hit the glass of the cage with his head, and he said to Thor in a vicious voice:

Hey, bearded man, let Tori eat some of your fingers, please?

Faced with this request, Thor refused.

But the guy screamed endlessly:

hurry up!

Don't be a stingy person! Anyway, you don't need your fingers anymore, just let Tori take a bite.

Thor was still wondering who was being imprisoned next to him, and Howard Duck, who was already familiar with him, took the initiative to introduce him:

That's Tori, a hellhound. It looks no different from other hellhounds, but collectors cherish it very much. Maybe it's because of the blood?

I don't understand these things, but when it's idle and crazy, it always yells something I don't understand...

Shut up! Duck! Murder you! Get Tori out! Tori will show you how good at murder Tori is!

The bad-tempered hellhound was enraged.

It was yelling at the cage like a chattering devil, yelling murder or something.

Well, murder is the dog's mantra.

This guy can associate the word murder with almost anything.

Uh, apart from the fact that it occasionally breathes fire and has a bad temper, this hellhound locked next to Thor is actually quite cute.

then...

The first day of Collectibles Thor Odinson was over.

in a cage.

Chatting with a duck, quarreling with a dog, this is a crazy life that Thor has never experienced.

The Collector's maid brought him food, which was not bad and nutritious.

But maybe this is more to let Thor keep up his spirits to meet the upcoming gladiatorial trip on Saka.

In the middle of the night, after Howard Duck and Thor the Cerberus fell asleep, Thor leaned against the cage alone.

There was a melancholy light in his eyes.

Loki has played him again, putting him in danger, taking him farther and farther away from home and love, and it may take him a long time before he sees Jane again, sees Sif again, sees his parents again.

But this time, it's different.

This time it was different from all the pranks Loki had pulled before.

Thor even...

He couldn't even bring up the hatred and anger towards Loki in his heart.

Before he fell into a coma, what Loki said to him was probably the first time the two brothers talked about this issue in so many years.

Loki says Thor is her shadow and she has to get out.

So, my brother...

Ever been jealous of yourself?

why?

Why did it become like this?

why is he so jealous...

It's very simple, because Rocky himself is a jealous person, you just didn't realize it, your brother is very different from you, very different in every sense.

She's jealous of you, Thor, you have everything she doesn't have, and she's desperately trying to catch up with you, as good as you, better than you...

Although in my opinion, a prince who has been immersed in wars, battles and wine for 1,500 years is not very good.

A gentle, teasing voice suddenly sounded in Thor's heart, like a greeting from an old friend after a long time.

It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Thor, causing him to jerk his head up.

Merlin? Is that you? Merlin...

Yes, it's me.

In the darkness, the shadows behind Thor gathered together, like a raven made of shadows, and landed on Thor's shoulder between flapping wings.

It said to Thor:

It's really hard to hide from the senses of the elders of the universe, but fortunately, in this closed universe, Tanya Tiwan was also suppressed. But the bad news is that even if he is suppressed, he is still Pretty tough opponent.

Let me make a long story short, Thor, you are leaving and need a chance. I can't get involved, because there is a little...conflict of interest between me and this collector.

Raven said to Thor:

I can only think of a way to create an opportunity for you. You have to escape by yourself. In addition... do me a favor.

What?

asked Thor.

When you leave, help me bring one thing back from the collector. It is the Norn Stone you gave him. I need it.

No.

Thor snorted. In the darkness, he opened his eyes and looked at the strange lives that were locked up in the treasure house of life, the lives that lost their freedom.

Like him, being bound up as playthings by collectors, beings without dignity.

There was anger brewing in his heart, and he said softly:

I have a better idea, Merlin.

When it's time to escape, let's loot this place... Smash that bastard's collection and teach him a lesson!