A cave is similar to a slit, only slightly wider than a human body.
After going ashore and entering the cave, Rowe twisted the water from his clothes, released the divine energy in his legs, and sat on the ground to rest, lost in thought.
Before today, though he knew that four-horned goats were notoriously aggressive, he had never truly understood why they were regarded as Asgard's most dangerous beasts. Now, firsthand experience had given him clarity. The ferocity and sheer strength of the creature justified its fearsome reputation.
Across the Nine Realms, aside from the might of ancient dragons or the frozen behemoths of Niflheim, few beasts could compare in raw power and danger.
Hunting a four-horned goat alone bordered on the impossible for most Asgardians.
Even with all his strength, Rowe knew his odds of capturing one were minuscule.
This year's Hunting Festival might truly be a lost cause.
Rowe exhaled a silent sigh of resignation.
As he sat at the cave entrance, his mind wandered, until curiosity tugged at him. He turned his head, peering into the dark interior behind him.
The cave extended deeper than he expected. Its winding path vanished into blackness, the darkness impenetrable without assistance.
Driven by intrigue, Rowe stood and began walking inward. He summoned holy light into his palm — a soft, radiant glow enveloped his hand like a warm bulb, casting away the shadows.
This was Holy Light Illumination — a basic spell not meant for combat. It wasn't part of the sacred tome and required no unlocking ritual to learn. He had received it as a minor reward, its purpose purely functional.
Unlike typical light spells, Holy Light Illumination didn't strain the eyes. That's what the holy decree claimed, though Rowe still had his doubts.
The path proved longer than anticipated. After several minutes, he still hadn't reached its end.
Then, after rounding a subtle bend, a glimmer appeared ahead — faint at first, but undeniably present.
"Huh?" Rowe paused, extinguishing the holy light in his hand. Even without it, the glow ahead remained — soft, pulsing.
He advanced quickly, heart quickening with anticipation.
Another small turn opened into a wide chamber. The space was vast, and floating at its center was a mysterious object radiating gentle light.
Suspended mid-air was a large, transparent tetrahedron — a four-faced geometric crystal. Each edge spanned one or two meters, and faint, rhythmic glows pulsed from its surfaces, like a heartbeat of light.
Rowe's eyes widened with awe as he cautiously approached.
The tetrahedron hovered in place, serene, undisturbed by his presence. It pulsed softly, as if breathing.
After a thorough inspection yielded no clues, he scouted the chamber for a tool. Spotting a long piece of feldspar, he picked it up and gently extended it toward one of the tetrahedron's faces.
The surface rippled like disturbed water. The stone passed through slowly, facing significant resistance. Rowe had to exert considerable effort to push it in.
The object quivered slightly.
He retracted the stone, acting innocent, though nothing appeared to have changed.
Curious, he tried again. The result mirrored the first attempt — resistance, rippling, and successful penetration. Yet again, there was no sign of the stone inside.
The tetrahedron's crystal-clear form should have revealed anything within, but the stone had vanished.
It felt eerily similar to storing items in a Sanctuary space.
His brows furrowed. He tested again, watching closely. As before, the feldspar passed through with effort and disappeared.
That confirmed it: the interior of the tetrahedron likely led to another space.
This time, when he pulled the stone back out, it was ablaze — coated in lava, molten rock dripping down and searing his hand.
"Argh!" Rowe yelped, dropping the stone. It sizzled on the ground.
Lava?
So one of the spaces led to a molten world?
Yet there was no lava visible before. Was this tetrahedron connected to multiple realms, each side leading somewhere different?
The realization hit him hard.
He recalled the Thor films — how Loki mentioned the existence of "back doors" across the Nine Realms, spatial cracks allowing secretive travel. Loki used one such passage to smuggle Frost Giants into Asgard. Thor and Jane also traveled through a back door to reach the dark world of Svartalfheim.
These "back doors" were essentially spatial fractures, hidden portals.
Could this tetrahedron be one?
Rowe's memory sparked — Thor's path to Svartalfheim was through a slit on a remote island. This cave bore striking similarity.
That settled it. The glowing tetrahedron was undoubtedly a back door — a stable spatial anchor connecting different regions of the Nine Realms. One of them was clearly Muspelheim, judging from the lava.
So far, he had identified two — Muspelheim and possibly Svartalfheim.
What about the other two? Could one lead to Midgard — Earth?
The prospect thrilled him.
Driven by that curiosity, he retrieved another stone and tried different sides.
One returned soaked — a watery realm.
Two others appeared unremarkable. The stone returned unchanged, suggesting peaceful or empty spaces.
Rowe considered. Time to investigate personally.
He picked one of the calm-facing sides and pressed forward.
Resistance met him immediately. It felt like trying to move through mercury — slow, dense, suffocating. Eventually, he breached it.
And was immediately hit by suffocation. There was no breathable air on the other side.
Rowe held his breath instinctively. Thankfully, as an Asgardian, he could survive in vacuum or hostile environments, though not comfortably.
Gravity lessened drastically. He felt almost weightless.
Turning back, he saw the tetrahedron still hovering behind him, embedded within another rocky cave.
A narrow passage led away.
Cautiously, Rowe made his way forward. The journey was tight, often forcing him to crouch. At one point, the tunnel constricted so much he had to use his hammer to smash through a thin wall of rock.
This passage was even more suffocating than the previous cave slit.
After what felt like an eternity — likely about thirty minutes — light appeared ahead.
Relief surged through him.
Asgardians may endure space, but comfort was another matter. The crushing silence and lack of atmosphere had worn on him.
Finally, the tunnel's mouth appeared. He emerged into the open, only to freeze in astonishment.
Suspended in the black sky before him was a massive blue planet — Earth.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCE 40+ CHAPTERS
patreon.com/HACKDWORLD