Dane looked around the room as the color seemed to drain from his companions' faces. After a while he raised his hand and waved at them slightly. "Um... new guy here. Who's Desak?"
"Desak is a monstrous being of immense power from a faraway planet. A future version of Tarene the Designate empowered him as a failsafe against divinity when his gods extinguished all life on his planet out of some petty perceived slight. She made him immune to the effects of all godly magic and sent him on a quest to rid the universe of any who would call themselves gods. When we first met him, he claimed to have slain thousands of gods already. Could've been mere boasting, but I can't say I seriously doubt his ability to have made good on that claim."
"Geez. You're telling me that nothing even you guys can do will stand up to him?"
"Divine magics are absorbed by his jewel easily. But we are not defenseless against him. He felt the sting of Mjolnir propelled by good old-fashioned muscle well enough last time we fought. But each time he returns, I've found the jewel empowers him further. He wasn't even quite my equal at first, but those other times..."
"Other times, Thor? By my reckoning, thou hath faced Desak but once, on a distant planet with Hercules and Beta Ray Bill by thy side."
Donald Blake coughed as if he'd lost all his words. "Yes, well, uh... I must've been mistaken, then."
Dane noticed a strange sadness in Don's eyes, but couldn't figure out what it meant.
"Regardless, this is definitely bad news. Did he say anything? Some clue to why he might've attacked you?"
"Well, now that you mention it he did say something about expanding his hunt from the divine to magic of all kinds. I didn't understand what he meant at first, but that does seem consistent with what you guys are telling me about this god-killer. He said that godly magic was just one branch of the problem, and that for the mundane races of the universe to truly be free, he would have to remove all traces of the occult from their grasp."
Donald's brow furrowed as he contemplated Dane's words. Eventually, Sif spoke what was on all their minds. "Od's blood, if he wants to rid the world of all magic, he won't be stopping at just your Ebony Blade, Dane. He'll be coming after all the magic artifacts he can find."
"That's crazy, though! I've been around the magical block a few times, and I'm sure I don't have to tell you guys that there's a whole hell of a lot of occult stuff sitting around this little mudball of ours. If Desak managed to get his hands on all of it--"
"He might well become powerful enough to doom the whole universe. The Ebony Blade itself is a powerful artifact, but there are even greater out there. Valkyrie's Dragonfang, Balder's Sword of Frey, the many artifacts in Dr. Strange and other mystics' possession, Skurge's Bloodaxe, the--" Don swallowed hard, recalling memories he'd long tried to forget. "The Destroyer armor itself."
"The armor Odin constructed to stand against the Celestials themselves in the hands of this mad slayer of gods... the thought alone doth chill my bones."
"You're not the only one. We have to make preparations. Balder, head back to Asgard and tell Odin about this. Try to see how much muscle you can scrounge up to mobilize against Desak. Sif, you try to contact Valkyrie and the other mystical types and warn them about Desak, if it's not already too late. Let's go."
Don waited until the others had left the room then closed the door. He transformed into Thor and turned to Dane.
"You're hiding something from them."
"Aye, and what I tell thee now can ne'er reach their ears. Do thou understand?"
"My lips are sealed."
"Very well. When I mentioned fighting Desak other times and Balder inquired my meaning, I lied. I was not mistaken. I fought him once more in present times and killed him with the very Bloodaxe of which I spoke. Then, more than 100 years in the future, after I had mistakenly expanded Asgard's kingdom to rule all of Midgard as well, I fought him again. He merged with the Destroyer armor and very nearly killed my son."
"Whoa, what are you talking about? You had a son? More importantly, you--you--conquered Earth? Come on, Thor, you're one of the most responsible guys I've ever seen with the amount of power you wield. No way would you go bad."
"My intentions were not villainous, but I was misguided. Odin had fallen in battle with Surtur and I had finally, after long years of prolonging my adventurous days, accepted my destiny and ascended to the throne of Asgard. But in my impetuousness, I had decided that my humanity was nothing more than a stumbling block to my rulership. 'Twas hubris, pure and simple, but I rejected my humanity and e'en, in a blind rage, killed Jake Olson, the vessel which carried it. I became more and more focused on bettering mankind, but without the lens of humanity to see man through, I had no concept that my 'help' was indeed harmful.
"Still, 'twas not all bad. I took a wife, the Enchantress, and though my lack of humanity blinded me to the fact that Sif was the right woman for me, Amora and I were happy together in our own way. We had a son, Magni, who became no less than the very embodiment of strength in all its myriad forms, and 'tis him, if nothing else, that impresses 'pon me the reality of my folly. For I could ne'er wipe away the memory of these things as sheer fantasy when confronted with the pride and joy I felt gazing 'pon my son's strong, righteous face. My love for him was real, beyond any shadow of a doubt, but in the end, I had to give him up with the rest to right my prior wrongs."
"Wow... heavy stuff, Thor. But I can't help wondering, what happened? How did everything get set right again?"
"As I said, Desak returned and gained unimaginable power by merging with the Destroyer. He was nigh unstoppable, but I managed to defeat him after a long and arduous battle. Tarene assisted me in rolling back the years and restoring my lost humanity. Furthermore, I restored Odin's life as well and set him once again in his rightful place 'pon the throne of the golden realm. The memories of my entire reign were wiped from the minds of all, for in truth, they had ne'er occurred, but the shame I have for my deeds are not at all dulled by this knowledge. That is why I must keep it from my fellow gods now."
(OOC: Yeah, I know I altered the story from the comics a bit, but it's intentional to make everything fit together better.)
"Well, like I said, you can trust my word. I won't tell a soul. But you say you've witnessed firsthand how to beat Desak? That seems like great news to me. What's the catch?"
"When I defeated Desak in that future place, I wielded the Odinpower of my father. Now I possess only what natural strength and power are mine by birthright. I fear I may not be able to triumph 'gainst Desak as I am now."
"Well hey, that's what friends are for, right? We'll figure out how to take this guy down. I mean, really, who's got friends in higher places than you, right?"
Thor smiled. "Thy confidence is most reassuring, Dane. Come, let us see how the others' are faring in their efforts."
Meanwhile, just outside Dane's room, Eve pulled her ear away from the door and scurried off, contemplating the story she'd just eavesdropped on and what it might mean...