Outside Westview, a rainbow-colored pillar of light struck the scarlet dimensional barrier surrounding the town like a spear of divine judgment.

At the center of the beam stood Thor, his golden hair whipping wildly in the storm, his eyes burning red.

He gripped Stormbreaker with all his strength.

The six Infinity Stones embedded within the axe radiated chaotic, unstable light. Again and again, Thor unleashed their vast power, trying to force even the tiniest crack into the flawless prison before him.

He had been hacking at it for three straight hours.

Wrapped in thunder and the cosmic might of the Infinity Stones, Stormbreaker descended once more.

BOOM!

Lightning and Chaos Magic collided violently.

For a brief instant, a crack appeared in the scarlet barrier.

Without hesitation, Thor transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot through it.

The moment he crossed the barrier, the world spun.

The scenery around him twisted and dissolved like oil paintings dropped into water.

The golden halls of Asgard.

His father Odin’s stern single eye.

His mother’s gentle smile.

Memories engraved upon his soul were being forcibly washed away by an irresistible power.

Thor roared and struggled.

But it felt as though molten iron had been poured into a mold around his body.

His bones, muscles, and even his divinity were being reshaped.

Before darkness consumed him entirely, he saw a man standing across the street.

The man wore ordinary casual clothes and gently held the hand of a heavily pregnant red-haired woman.

He simply watched.

A faint smile rested on his face.

His eyes were terrifyingly indifferent.

As though he were looking at an ant that happened to wander into his path.

It was Levi.

Thor wanted to roar that name.

But his lips refused to move.

The next second, darkness swallowed him whole.

---

Levi withdrew his gaze and gently patted Wanda’s hand.

Moments earlier, he had already read and sealed away all of Thor’s memories.

For the time being, the outside world was stable.

Clark had returned with the others. As the Silver Superman, he had become someone even the Anti-Monitor viewed with caution.

Though it might simply be the calm before the storm, at least for now the Multiverse was peaceful.

Once the child is born, Wanda should recover.

Until then... Thor can stay here quietly for a few days.

Levi pondered silently.

Conveniently enough, Westview had just opened a new gym.

It needed a suitable mascot.

---

At a Westview intersection, a heavily muscled blond giant stood looking around in confusion.

He wore a white tank top stretched tight by his chest and biceps.

A pair of flip-flops slapped against the pavement beneath him.

In his hand was a ridiculously oversized black dumbbell.

Crude white paint covered one end:

1000 KG

Thor stared at the lump of iron, frowning deeply.

For some reason...

He felt this thing used to look different.

It didn’t feel right either.

It should have been sharper.

More natural in his grip.

"Hey, new guy."

A mailman in a blue uniform coasted up on a battered bicycle and casually shoved a flyer into his hands while chewing a burrito.

"Welcome to perfect little Westview. I’m Dennis. Or Wade. Most dedicated mailman in town."

Thor accepted the flyer automatically.

Across the top were the words:

NORDIC STRENGTH GYM

Beneath them was the silhouette of a muscular man lifting a dumbbell.

"This... is my gym?"

He pointed at the flyer.

Then at himself.

"Obviously."

Wade rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Buddy, you’re standing in the middle of the street carrying a one-ton dumbbell while contemplating existence. If this isn’t your gym, then you’re performing avant-garde performance art."

Thor absentmindedly hefted the dumbbell.

The weight felt reassuring.

Yet the feeling that it should have been something else only grew stronger.

"Seriously though, impressive physique."

Wade climbed back onto his bike.

Before leaving, he called over his shoulder:

"Way better than that movie guy. He needs special effects to lift a hammer. You’re carrying an actual dumbbell. Practical."

Thor froze.

A hammer?

A blurry image flashed through his mind.

A silver war hammer crackling with lightning.

Ancient runes.

Power.

Then the image vanished.

A dull pain stabbed behind his eyes.

Thor shook his head.

The thought disappeared.

Only one clear instruction remained:

The gym opens today. Don’t be late.

He hoisted the dumbbell onto one shoulder and walked away, his flip-flops making rhythmic slapping sounds against the stone streets.

---

At the next corner, he nearly bumped into a strolling couple.

"Hello."

The man stopped first, smiling warmly.

"You must be the new fitness coach. I’m Anthony, and this is my wife, Wanda."

Thor nodded.

His gaze settled on the man.

For reasons he couldn’t explain, a dormant alarm deep within his instincts quietly activated.

An inexplicable sense of danger arose.

"Nice dumbbell."

Levi glanced at the massive chunk of metal.

"One ton? If you’re only working as a coach, that seems a little light."

Thor opened his mouth to argue.

Then discovered he had no response.

He carried the dumbbell through three more streets before finally stopping outside a building bearing the sign:

NORDIC STRENGTH

---

The moment he entered, the scent of fresh construction greeted him.

The walls were covered with enormous posters depicting Norse mythology.

Odin, the One-Eyed Allfather.

Loki, the God of Mischief.

And one poster of...

Himself.

Standing amid thunder.

Holding a hammer.

Majestic and invincible.

The instant Thor saw it, his heart lurched violently.

Pain exploded behind his temples.

It felt as though lightning had detonated inside his skull.

Sorrow.

Rage.

And an overwhelming sense that something was terribly wrong.

The sensation nearly made him nauseous.

"Boss! Finally!"

A skinny receptionist named Daryl hurried over and shoved a registration sheet into his hands.

The interruption broke Thor’s trance.

"I... own this place?"

He pointed at himself again.

Even more confused than before.

"Of course."

Daryl laughed.

"Who else in town can handle the one-ton monster outside?"

He pointed toward the reservation list.

"You’ve already got clients today. The flower shop owner wants leg training, and Mr. Anthony is bringing his wife over for prenatal yoga."

Thor frowned.

"I teach that too?"

"You’re the most professional trainer in town."

At that moment, the front door opened again.

Levi entered holding Wanda’s hand.

He had changed into a light-blue polo shirt.

The perfect image of a comfortable middle-class husband devoted to his pregnant wife.

"I heard your dumbbells weigh a ton."

Levi’s gaze shifted between Thor and the giant dumbbell.

His expression carried a trace of amusement.

Thor instinctively straightened his back.

"That’s right."

"Only one ton?"

Levi shook his head regretfully.

"I have a decorative stone in my backyard. About two tons. I use it for warm-ups every morning."

Thor stared.

This man had to be lying.

Yet the utter sincerity in his expression made arguing impossible.

"Dear, stop teasing him."

Wanda lightly smacked Levi’s arm with a smile.

Thor remained silent.

He simply stared into Levi’s eyes.

That feeling of danger only intensified.

Suddenly, the dumbbell on his shoulder vibrated.

Very slightly.

But the moment it happened, a jolt shot through his entire body.

Deep inside the dumbbell, the six sealed fundamental energies resonated with something greater.

At the same time, Wanda paused.

She felt a ripple spread through reality itself.

The borders of Westview trembled.

The external energy was interfering directly with her Chaos Magic.

Levi’s smile remained unchanged.

His eyes, however, turned cold.

The power of the Infinity Stones interacting with Wanda’s magic was not a good sign.

Anything that threatened Westview’s stability had to be dealt with immediately.

His hand moved almost imperceptibly.

An invisible layer of law instantly wrapped around the dumbbell.

The resonance was brutally severed.

The vibration stopped.

Thor blinked.

He shook his shoulder and glanced at the dumbbell.

Probably muscle fatigue, he thought.

Nothing more.

"Better get started."

Levi smiled like a friendly neighbor and patted Thor’s shoulder.

"Opening day is always busy. If you need anything, come find us."

Thor nodded blankly and headed deeper into the gym.

Levi watched his broad, somewhat simple-looking back and silently sighed.

Turning a fellow king of gods into a gym coach wasn’t exactly honorable.

But Westview was the only sanctuary Wanda had built from her dreams.

Anything capable of destabilizing it had to be suppressed before it became a problem.

Thor was simply too powerful.

Powerful enough to threaten the foundation of this world.

So for now...

Being a lovable muscle-brained trainer would have to do.

---

"Anthony, what are you thinking about?"

Wanda asked softly.

Levi smiled.

"I was thinking that after the baby is born, he’d make a pretty good bodyguard."

"Him?"

Wanda glanced toward Thor.

"He looks kind of dumb."

The two laughed and walked hand in hand toward the yoga studio.

---

At the street corner, Mailman Wade slowly pedaled into view again.

He slipped another flyer into the gym’s mailbox.

In one corner, written in crooked pencil marks, was a tiny note:

> Hammer turned into a dumbbell.

God of Thunder turned into a fitness coach.

Who the hell wrote this script?

One-star review. Absolutely one-star review.

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