Elizabeth Rose was visibly curious. Though she remained wary of Daniel, her eyes had been filled with fascination ever since she witnessed his brief exchange with Daniel Drumm—particularly the magic both had performed. After all, it hadn't been long since Tony Stark publicly declared himself Iron Man. The age of superheroes was starting to bloom, and the word "magic" was no longer met with scoffs.
Daniel didn't mind her curiosity or cautious glances. He'd already sensed her presence earlier, just as Drum had. The reason Drum had left so readily was simple—he trusted that Daniel could handle this situation on his own.
Now, as Daniel observed the soaked young woman before him—slender, beautiful, with drenched clothes clinging to her figure and a noticeable bust—he momentarily raised his wand as if considering a memory-erasing spell… then thought better of it. Who knew what consequences tampering with her mind might cause? What if someone noticed or retrieved a fragment of her suppressed memory later?
"I just returned from… somewhere far," Daniel said, his voice warm and calm, laced with a subtle magical charm. "Could you tell me where I am exactly, what month it is, and perhaps help me find somewhere I can make a call?"
Elizabeth hesitated, her expression flickering with confusion—but then, she nodded. "I still have an apartment near the university."
"Thank you, Miss Rose." Daniel shifted the umbrella slightly to cover more of her side as they began walking toward the lights in the distance.
His gesture, though small, made Elizabeth's heart stir faintly. She glanced at the leather-robed man beside her with glimmering eyes and added, "Actually, you can call me Betty."
Of course he was wearing a leather robe. Where he had been—the frozen realm of Jotunheim—temperatures averaged below minus sixty degrees year-round. In some deeper caverns, Daniel suspected they reached near absolute zero.
To survive, he'd worn fur-lined robes crafted from the hides of fierce, local beasts, each one enchanted and reinforced with elemental magic. He wasn't a Frost Giant, after all. He couldn't simply fly through glacial storms bare-chested like they could.
That robe was not something he'd part with easily, either. If scientists on Earth got their hands on it, they might uncover remarkable properties. But asking Daniel to surrender it? That wouldn't happen.
Smiling faintly, he glanced at Elizabeth again. "Alright then, Miss Rose—no, Betty…"
He suddenly stopped.
The smile on his face faltered. A cold tension replaced it, deepening the lines at the corners of his mouth. His eyes narrowed as he spoke again, this time slowly: "Betty Ross. But… didn't you just say your name was Elizabeth Rose?"
"Yes?" she replied, brows rising slightly at his tone. "Is there a problem with that?"
"My full name is Elizabeth Tarbert Ross," she clarified. "My parents always called me Betty. Elizabeth, Beth, Betty—it all fits."
That made sense. It was a common enough nickname, but the name still struck Daniel like a lightning bolt to the chest.
Betty Ross.
General Ross's daughter. Bruce Banner's former girlfriend.
A person Daniel could never forget.
His mental senses expanded in an instant—like mercury spilling out across a smooth surface—reaching through every corner of the nearby campus. He scanned for military presence, hidden troops, surveillance drones. If this really was the Betty Ross, he expected her to be under tight protection.
But… nothing. No soldiers. No agents. No snipers on rooftops. Just scattered students, late-night dorm lights, and a few questionable activities he didn't want to focus on.
Still, his mind remained on edge. Years of survival in Jotunheim had made him cautious. Life and death hadn't always loomed over him there, but the Frost Giants were far from friendly. They hadn't known what to make of an Earth mage like Daniel. Weak in appearance, alien in power, he was challenged constantly.
Despite the loss of the Casket of Ancient Winters, the Frost Giants had retained fragments of their ancient magical traditions. Most Frost Wizards had long since vanished, but the remnants of that legacy clashed with Daniel's presence. Battles broke out often. They tested him, underestimated him, tried to break him.
At first, it was brutal.
Only after years of study, mastery, and persistence did Daniel finally reach the level of a true legendary mage. Only then did the Frost Giants leave him in peace.
But now? He had been thrown back to Earth without warning. First exiled, now returned. Odin and Heimdall were moving pieces again.
Why?
He had practiced Asgardian rune magic. That alone might have made him a threat. Perhaps his exile had been punishment. If so, then his sudden return meant something had shifted—something important.
Daniel wasn't naïve. He knew Asgard was on the verge of upheaval. Odin's silence was rarely empty. Heimdall's decisions were never random.
As he glanced at Betty again, part of him wondered if he was overthinking things. Maybe this really was just a girl who shared a famous name.
Still…
He couldn't help but ask, carefully: "Betty… do you happen to know the current whereabouts of Dr. Bruce Banner?"
Her expression turned puzzled. "Who?"
"Dr. Bruce Banner," Daniel repeated, watching her closely.
She blinked, thoughtful. "The name sounds familiar… I think I read something by him years ago, maybe in a journal? Some old article online. But I haven't heard anything about him lately. Most people in the academic circles don't mention him anymore."
She didn't seem to be lying.
Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly.
It made sense that she would have at least heard his name. Bruce Banner had been one of the brightest minds in modern science, with several groundbreaking papers to his name. But for her not to know him personally? That was unexpected.
Could it be that this Betty Ross wasn't the one he knew after all?
In America, sharing names wasn't unusual. People often reused names across generations. Sons named after fathers. Daughters after grandmothers. Even full-name matches weren't uncommon.
Still… the coincidence gnawed at him.
He could dig deeper. He could simply ask her who her father was. If she said "General Ross," that would confirm it.
But something stopped him. A quiet dread crept into his heart.
Because if her father really was General Ross… and she didn't know Bruce Banner… then something was terribly wrong.
It would mean one of two things:
Either Daniel had returned to a time before Betty and Bruce had ever met—
Or Bruce Banner didn't exist in this world at all.
And that… would change everything.
Thinking hard, Daniel walked beside her in silence, rain tapping gently against the umbrella they now shared, the flickering streetlights casting long shadows on the wet pavement.
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