Marvel: Ned the Master of Mystic Arts

"Why don't we seal it first, and then Ned can take it back to the Ancient One of another universe? With the Ancient One's extensive knowledge, they would definitely recognize this thing," Strange suggested, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"But transporting items from one universe to another recklessly could cause severe consequences," Wong immediately disagreed, shaking his head in opposition to Strange's plan.

'Ahhh!!! This damned fat man! Does he really have to imprison me?!' Hearing Strange's suggestion, the Red Demon Stone felt a momentary sense of relief—at least Strange's plan offered some hope of seeing the light of day again.

However, that hope was ruthlessly crushed by this infuriating fat man, who mercilessly obliterated its last chance. Outrageous!

"What do you think, Ned?"

Since there was a disagreement, Strange and Wong left the final decision to Ned.

Ned nodded and said, "I think we should follow Wong's idea for now. Let's layer it with dozens of sealing spells, lock it up, and I'll keep it safe."

"When I return, I'll immediately take it to the Ancient One for inspection. With so many seals in place, no matter how sinister this stone is, it won't be able to cause any significant trouble."

"Alright, let's do that," Strange agreed, nodding.

The three of them then brought the stone to a secret chamber underground. Together, Strange, Wong, and Ned cast layers upon layers of mysterious and intricate spells, sealing the Red Demon Stone completely. Eventually, even the stone's consciousness was locked away, plunging it into a state of dormancy.

"Alright, it's all yours now," Strange said, holding out a levitating magical box to Ned.

(The box looked quite similar to the one in Spider-Man: No Way Home.)

"Don't worry," Ned said solemnly, taking the magical box with a nod.

"Thor."

After resting for a day at Kamar-Taj, Ned went to New Asgard on Earth to find Thor, who was no longer the King of Asgard.

"Oh! My friend! Asgard welcomes your arrival!" Thor laughed heartily, giving Ned a bear hug.

"Thor, I'm here to ask for a favor," Ned said after returning the hug. "I remember you now have the ability to open the Bifröst Bridge at will. I'd like you to take me to the land of the dwarves."

"Ah, so this must be one of those 'you only come to visit when you need something' situations," Thor quipped.

"But the dwarves' forge has gone cold. Last time, I nearly lost my life forging Stormbreaker. Whatever weapon or tool you're planning to create, it's impossible now."

"I'm well aware of that," Ned replied with a smile, revealing a strange gemstone glowing ominously red in his palm. "Otherwise, why do you think I kept it for a few extra days?"

"Alright."

Seeing the gemstone in Ned's hand, Thor immediately understood. He raised Stormbreaker above his head and summoned the Bifröst.

"Ha!"

With a roar, a beam of rainbow light descended, and the two of them disappeared, leaving behind a massive scorched mark on the grass.

Outer Space, Nidavellir, the Land of the Dwarves

At this moment, the once-proud dwarf king Eitri lay in despair, as he had for years. Ever since that purple devil had taken his people and crippled his hands, he had lost all hope.

Even Asgard's prince, Thor Odinson, had failed to defeat that monster. Eitri had long given up, waiting for death. But his strong body wouldn't allow him to die easily, especially since he lacked the courage to take his own life.

"Boom!!!"

After so many years, the familiar rainbow light descended upon Nidavellir once again. Eitri squinted against the glare and, with annoyance, closed his eyes, leaning back against the ruins of the forge as if nothing had happened.

"Eitri! It's me, Thor! Eitri!"

As the rainbow light faded, Thor and Ned stood on Nidavellir's soil. Looking around, Thor noticed that the place was even more desolate than five years ago.

The sight of grotesque cosmic spider webs everywhere gave Thor a dreadful thought: Could Eitri have...

"Bang!"

Thor's shout triggered years of pent-up rage in Eitri. The dwarf hurled a replica of the Infinity Gauntlet at Thor before leaping high into the air to deliver a flying kick.

"Eitri!"

If this had been the overweight Thor, he might not have avoided Eitri's anger-fueled attack. But with Ned's help, Thor had shed his excess weight and regained his agility. His sharp combat instincts kicked in, and he dodged the strike effortlessly.

"Eitri! What are you doing?! It's me, Thor!"

Thor had initially assumed that Eitri had been killed and that this attacker was the culprit. He was ready to wield Stormbreaker for vengeance but froze when he realized the assailant was Eitri himself.

"Thor!!"

Eitri roared in fury, "How dare you come here?! Why didn't you kill that devil?!"

"I..."

Thor was struck silent, haunted once again by the memory of the axe he had buried in Thanos's shoulder five years ago.

Fortunately, the events had been undone, and Thor's mother's guidance during time travel had helped him come to terms with his failures. He called out to Eitri, "Calm down, my friend!"

"Humph."

Eitri knew he couldn't defeat Thor. A mere swing of Stormbreaker would end him, and he was all too aware of the weapon's power—it was his creation, after all.

Reluctantly, Eitri let out a heavy sigh and said, "I don't care why you've come. Asgardians are no longer welcome here. Leave!"

"I'm sorry, Eitri, but—"

"Leave!!" Eitri interrupted Thor's apology with another furious roar.

"I can reignite the forge's star and restore Nidavellir to its former glory, the way it was before Thanos came," Ned said, stepping forward.

"Hah...hahaha...hahahahaha..." Eitri froze for a moment, then burst into laughter as if he'd heard the most absurd joke.

"Reignite the forge? Who do you think you are?"

Eitri laughed for a few moments before his expression turned cold. Pointing at Thor, he said, "Ask him if he felt the heat of a dying star when forging that axe. That was just for a few moments, and you dare to say you can reignite the forge?!"

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