Chapter 1
I was only eleven... technically eleven, when we invaded Asgard. Then we invaded Earth... sort of...
Now you’re probably asking me to stop typing more ellipsis. I should explain all these technicalities. Thousands of years ago, my people wanted to shed the nine realms in darkness with the help of the aether. Obviously, in the eyes of others, that was bad, so the Asgardians waged war upon us. The war raged on for many years. I was born amidst the war. Everyday, we lived in fear, hoping that we’d still be alive the next day. When I turned eleven, the nine realms aligned, and my people were going to use the aether. The Asgardians tried to destroy it, but failed. Finally, they sent it to an unknown location.
My people hibernated for thousands of years, children as well as the elderly too. We awaited the day the aether would be found, and the nine realms aligned themselves once again. I was only a child, in the care of my mother. My father was lost in the war. My mother promised that once we woke again, we would leave our people and find a safe realm to dwell on.
So, thousands of years later, though it all felt like just one night, a girl by the name of Jane Foster, found the aether. This awoke my people from our thousands of years of hibernation. She was located on Asgard and my people decided to attack. Though it thousands of years passed, I still retained the body of a child, but my mind had developed in my long sleep. During the attack on Asgard, my mother hid as one of our soldiers, hoping to put me in this realm. However, she was killed, and I ran back to the safety of the ship. I didn’t want to live in a realm my mother was killed on, no matter how safe it was said to be.
The second stop was our home realm, Svartalfheim. I stayed hidden the entire time we were there. Finally, we invaded Midgard. While an Asgardian known as Thor, fought our ruler Malekith the Accursed, I ran away and tried to blend in as a human.
Give me a break! I was technically nine! Humans ran away in fear from me. I wasn’t quite sure why. I was dressed in Harudheeniksel robes and wore my father’s military mask.
“That thing’s going to attack us!”
“Run!”
Everywhere I tried to blend in with others, people would run away from me.
“We have to run away?” I tried to say in one of the human languages, English. I was rather fluent in it though. The humans seemed more scared that I spoke in their tongue and ran further away. I thought of how weirdly they dressed, compared to how I was. Perhaps, to them, I was the strange kid.
I kept a mental note of their attires and found a place that sold similar wear. I took an odd shirt that seemed the least bright. The other shirts had odd colours that looked too bright. I also grabbed a pair of long cloth that was suppose to be worn on our feet. I struggled to get in them and walked out of the place. A man yelled at me,“Hey! You gotta pay for that!”
I turned to him, my mask on, and the man shivered away.“Y- you’ve gotta pay-” I pulled out a plasma gun I had stolen from the ship.
“Year?” I asked.
“You mean what’s the year?”
“What’s the year.”
“2-2013.”
“Thank you,” I said and grabbed an odd satchel from one of the racks before walking out. I placed my robes in them and carried them over my back. Now I looked less conspicuous- I took off my father’s mask. Now I was less conspicuous.
Giant bolts of lightning shook the ground, which I figured meant my people were pretty much getting killed, many cheered the name, Thor. I didn’t get why they were cheering. Perhaps they were focusing on the success rather than the destruction around them. They was rubble everywhere and large pieces of metal were turned upside down. Debris was falling from the top of buildings. As much as I feared our ruler, I didn’t feel satisfied that my people were losing.
We were the first species to walk the multiverse. We were more technologically advanced than everyone else. No doubt, the humans were going to steal our weapons.
I turned back and ran towards the fight. I saw the aether, a dark viscous liquid, swirling around Malekith the Accursed. Thor was waving around his hammer, Miljnor, and swinging it in his direction. The hammer threw off limbs of our ruler, sending them into the other realms. It was a pretty terrifying sight to see.
From the corner of my eye, I saw a little girl, a human girl, with blonde little pigtails. She was half my age, blonde pigtails and a bright dress. She was dangerously close to the battle. As the aether swirled closer to her, I could see her screaming, probably for help, or maybe cheering on Thor like the other humans. I ran swiftly and shielded her with my body. She was definitely crying for help. I could hear her shouts bursting my poor eardrums.
I felt the aether hit me and I held back any cries.
“My, my. What do we have here, a little hero boy?”
“W-what! W-who’s saying that!” I demanded.
“Your people have used for so long, yet you don’t know who I am?”
Unfortunately, I did. “You’re the aether.”
“Pfft. The aether. That was my physical form. I am the reality stone!”
There was an awkward silence between me and this stone.
“No reaction? Fear? Where is your cowering!”
“You’re a rock.”
“How incompetent! Youth these days. Nothing impresses you lot.”
“How are we conversing?”
“Simple. You are in a fine line between life and death. I’m reaching out in your state of vulnerability to make a deal with you.”
“That sounds like dark magic.”
“Oh it very much is. Aren’t you a kid? Doesn’t this kind of thing interest you?”
“I- I guess?”
“Right! Where was I... Ah yes! A deal! I need a physical form. Mine is currently being destroyed by hammer god right now and I require another.”
“Can’t you just possess another rock?”
“What is wrong with you! No! That’s boring! I want organic life-”
“I saw a few winged creatures. I believe humans call them birds-”
“I want your form!” the aether exploded into a thousand tiny red dusts and formed back together.
“Are you going to kill me then use my body like an undead?”
“No. I prefer you alive.“′
“That... doesn’t sound any less creepy. And why me? Why not Malekith? Or that Thor guy? Why a ten year old as a host?”
“Why? Malekith is out of the question. I have a strong hatred for that elf. He used me as a weapon. And that Thor guy is a descendant of Bor. He waged the war and cast me away. I was left as the aether for five thousand years! Neither shall be my host. Meanwhile, you are a child. The possibilities for you are endless, but it seems that you are not like your brethren. You will not use me as a tool for destruction and instead, wield me wisely.”
“Who’s to say. I may be like my kin.”
The aether dropped down closer to me. “Then I shall live with my grave mistake. However, I can tell that you are not. You were born while the war raged. You have seen what using me results in. I can tell, that you will wield me honourably.”
“What do I need to do? To host you?”
“All that is needed, is for you to accept me.”
“I accept you.”
The aether split into a thousand dusts again and pierced me. I felt an unbearable amount of pain. I let out a huge scream and collapsed on the ground, still holding the little girl close. When I awoke, every fibre of my being stung. I opened my eyes and I was in a white room, lying on a white bed, and a human wearing a white robe.
“He’s in stable condition. We almost lost him. May I know your relation to this boy?”
“He saved our daughter. Thank you doctor. Did the blast cause his strange colouring?”
“His colouring seems natural. We have no idea how it is possible.”
“Where am I?” I asked the humans.
“In a hospital. You were hurt in the battle just now. These people are the parents of the child you saved.”
Standing next to the human in white robes, were two adult humans. Both had similar features to the screaming girl, blond hair. What strange hair they have. Back on Svartalfheim, all adults had long white hair and blue eyes.
“We are so grateful! You saved our Lexi! We felt awful that you got hurt and we wanted to repay you. What’s your name?” the female human said.
“My name? My name is Pak Minjoon.” I responded.
“Um... are you Korean?”
“Korean?” I tried to run through my knowledge of earth. Korea... there were two. Why were there two- oh right! A war! My name was Korean? I guess?
“You look korean. Or was that racist?”
“I’m Korean,” I lied and nodded my head.
“So we guessed right. Where are your parents?”
“They’re dead,“I casually said. At least I didn’t have to lie for that one.
The two humans looked shocked. “Oh. I’m so sorry. Are you an orphan?”
“Recently one, yes.” I was hitting them hard with the sympathy.
“Oh no! Do you want to live with us?” the male offered. I bit back a smile. That was way too easy.
“Isn’t that a huge bother?”
“Not at all! You saved our daughter after all!” the female nodded.
“Well... if it’s not that much trouble, yes please.”
After they left, assuring that they would take me in, I felt a sting on my ear.
“That was sneaky,” a raspy voice spoke.
“Sneaky, but necessary. It wasn’t like I was really lying.”
“Technicalities.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask, why do I feel so much pain. It’s like every part of me has a thousand needles poking.”
“That’s what it means to be alive, doesn’t it? Feeling pain?”
“Pretty sure I didn’t feel so much pain when I was alive.” I then realized I couldn’t see where the aether was. “How am I talking to you?”
“Touch your ear.”
I did so and felt a cool metal. I looked out a window and my reflection shone through. I looked mostly like I did, dark hair and blue eyes, ‘Korean face’? I believed that’s what led them to believe I was from there. On my left ear, was a red metal ear cuff. “That’s me. I figured it’d be weird to be in you, and from my short stay in Jane Foster, I’ve learnt that being in someone is very uncomfortable. Thus, a ear cuff. I saw it on the adult male that chose to take you in.”
“You couldn’t let this be your physical form then?”
“I told you. I want a human! And you agreed already! No take backsies.”
“Yea... my price for being alive.”
“Your price for wielding me.”
“Right. How do I address you?”
“Well not the aether! That’s traumatizing! Call me Reality. You hold my power and wield it.”
“This is a great birthday present.” At that, the aet- Reality chuckled.
“You are now Reality.”
