Kill Her

Seeing the surprised look on Zane's face, Odin, pleased with himself, patted Zane on the shoulder and asked, 

"Can you do it?"

"Of course I can, but what I'm about to do might go beyond your understanding," Zane replied without hesitation.

"How are you going to do it?" Odin asked nervously. After all, Jane Foster was carrying his future grandchild, so he couldn't help but feel anxious. Even Queen Frigga was bent over beside the worried Jane, trying to comfort her. At this moment, this ordinary Earth woman had suddenly become the most important person in all of Asgard.

Zane continued calmly, "The Aether is currently residing within Jane Foster, draining her life force and rejecting any foreign interference. I can't guarantee that I can extract the Aether while keeping her fully intact."

"So…" Zane stopped at a crucial point, casting a playful look at Odin, whose expression shifted with every word Zane spoke. When Zane mentioned keeping Jane "intact," Odin's face twitched slightly. And as Zane paused right before the key moment, Odin's anxiety skyrocketed.

"So what? Speak up, damn it!" Odin growled through gritted teeth. "Name your price, whatever it is!"

Odin was ready to pay a heavy price, knowing that Asgard had no way to extract the Aether. Zane, seeing Odin almost ready to brawl with him, couldn't help but enjoy the moment. However, he knew it wasn't the time for jokes, so he decisively continued, 

"I have no conditions. The Aether itself is reward enough for me."

"But to extract that thing, I'll have to use some unconventional methods."

"I'll have to kill her... and the child inside her."

"Once the host is dead, the Aether will naturally seek a new host and will emerge from her body on its own."

"What?!" Odin erupted in anger upon hearing that Zane planned to kill Jane Foster and his future grandchild for the sake of the Aether. His emotions got the best of him, and the tip of his Eternal Spear suddenly blazed with light. In that moment, Odin resembled a lion protecting its cubs, ready to fight Zane right then and there.

"Calm down, calm down," Zane said casually, "Everyone's watching."

"After I extract the Aether, I'll bring them both back to life. They'll be perfectly fine. Ask your son if you don't believe me."

Zane remained as composed as ever, gesturing toward Thor, who had been standing in the medical room with his eyes fixed on Jane Foster the whole time. Thor, upon hearing Zane's words, turned and gave Odin a solemn nod.

Instantly, the aura Odin had been building up receded, and the light on his Eternal Spear dimmed. 

"I'm sorry, I acted rashly," Odin said apologetically to Zane.

Zane smiled warmly, not minding at all. He patted Odin on the shoulder without saying anything further and then calmly walked over to Jane Foster's side.

When Thor's girlfriend, Jane Foster, saw Zane slowly approaching her, a deep fear flickered in her eyes.

The events Zane had caused in the center of New York just a few days ago were still fresh in her mind. Seeing Zane now, it was hard for Jane to reconcile the tyrant-like figure who single-handedly destroyed an entire civilization with the cheerful young man standing before her.

And now, this same Zane was here to treat her.

As Zane walked up to Jane Foster, he turned his head and gave Odin a look, signaling him to clear the area around Jane to avoid any casualties when the Aether inevitably flared up.

Not that Zane really cared if anyone else got hurt—his primary concern was making sure the Aether didn't latch onto a new host. That would just be a headache he'd rather avoid.

Following Zane's signal, Odin dismissed all the medical staff and guards from the room, leaving only himself, Queen Frigga, and Thor standing at a distance, watching Zane's every move with anxious eyes. Their intense gazes made Zane feel as if he were assisting with childbirth in a delivery room.

"Don't worry, I promise you won't feel any pain—just think of it as taking a nap," Zane said, smiling gently at Jane Foster. "When you wake up, both you and your child will be perfectly fine."

Despite Zane's reassurances, Jane couldn't help but feel her nerves rising. After all, she was facing death itself, and no one could remain entirely calm in the face of death. Even someone as ancient as Odin couldn't stay completely composed in such a situation, let alone Jane, who wasn't even 30 years old yet.

After offering Jane a few more words of comfort, Zane's eyes flashed with sharp focus. He amplified his perception to its fullest, tracking the flow of the Aether within Jane's body. Gradually, he began to release the death energy from his divine core, intertwined with faint threads of the rules of death, allowing it to hang silently like a veil over Jane's body.

At the same time, Zane noticed the Aether within Jane starting to speed up, sensing her rising tension and preparing to resist his divine energy. This confirmed Zane's hypothesis: the Aether reacted defensively according to Jane Foster's emotional state.

This was evident from the original story as well. No matter how Thor held her, the Aether never reacted. But when others—like guards or Asgardian soldiers—touched her, they were immediately blasted away by the energy the Aether unleashed.

Now, if Zane wanted to save Jane and the child inside her, he needed to make sure she had no fear or wariness towards him. Knowing the root of the problem meant half the battle was already won.

A thin strand of gray death energy coiled around Zane's eyes and throat, vibrating at a specific frequency. Then, Zane locked eyes with Jane Foster and spoke in a soft, soothing voice:

"Relax, relax… I mean you no harm."

"Imagine yourself giving birth to a beautiful little baby, watching him grow up slowly…"

For a moment, Jane felt as if Zane's eyes were like black holes, irresistibly drawing her in. His deep, magnetic voice sounded almost like the enchanting song of a mythical siren, soothing her body and mind until she unwittingly relaxed completely.

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