But Mavuika's gaze did not linger on that scorch mark for too long.
Her gaze fell on the center of the scorch mark.
There, a hammer was embedded.
Square hammerhead, short and thick handle, the overall lines were sturdy and heavy, emitting a dull metallic luster in the night.
It was clearly mjolnir.
Or rather, the mjolnir of today.
Thor's weapon.
She landed beside the hammer, the flames dissipated, and her feet landed gently on the glassy ground.
mjolnir stood before her, as quiet as an ordinary stone.
Why would it be here?
What about Thor?
Mavuika looked around.
The plain was very quiet, with only the rustling of wind through the bushes and the chirping of night birds in the distance.
There was no one in sight, no movement, only that lonely hammer stuck in the ground.
No, that's not right.
Mavuika closed her eyes and extended her perception to its maximum range.
The breath of life.
Someone was there.
Right there—
She opened her eyes and looked at a bush not far away.
There, there were two faint auras.
Very faint, as if in a state of exhaustion after some strenuous exercise.
And, those two auras—
The corners of Mavuika's mouth curled up slightly.
She walked towards that direction.
Behind the bushes was a slightly low-lying terrain, covered with wild grass as high as a person.
The moonlight had just risen, the light was still very weak, but Mavuika's eyes were enough to see everything in the darkness.
Two people were lying in the grass.
One had disheveled blonde hair, a burly figure, wearing armor spliced with some leather and metal, but the armor was covered in dust and grass clippings, looking extremely disheveled.
The other had slightly curly black hair, a slender figure, wearing a robe of dark green and gold, also dirty, with a smudge of mud on his face from who knows where.
Both were lying on their backs, panting heavily, their chests heaving violently.
Mavuika stood beside them, looking down at these two figures who couldn't be more familiar.
She was silent for two seconds.
Then she laughed.
In that smile, there was surprise, joy, and a trace of—nostalgia.
It had been hundreds of years.
These two younger brothers she had watched grow up, these two little guys who had followed behind her since childhood, these two brats who used to fight over who would ride her horse first—
Now they were just lying on the grass like two fish washed ashore.
Mavuika coughed gently.
Thor was the first to react.
He opened his eyes suddenly, saw the familiar face above his head, and bounced up as if electrocuted.
"Big—"
He had just shouted one word when his foot slipped, and he fell back into the grass.
Loki was also startled; he struggled to sit up, propping himself up with his hands, and the moment he saw Mavuika, a flash of undisguised surprise appeared in his cunning eyes.
"Big sister?"
Mavuika squatted down, looking at these two disheveled guys.
"You two..." she said, with a hint of teasing in her tone: "How did you end up on Earth?"
"Did you miss me, and come to visit me on purpose?"
Thor and Loki looked at each other.
Then they both grinned.
"Big sister!" Thor scrambled up and opened his arms to give Mavuika a bear hug.
Mavuika did not dodge.
She let this big man pounce on her like a big golden retriever and hug her tightly.
Thor's arm strength was astonishing, but it was nothing to Mavuika, and there was no aggression in that force, only pure, undisguised joy.
"Alright, alright." Mavuika patted his back: "It's been hundreds of years, but your strength has actually increased quite a bit."
Thor released her, took a step back, with that bright, guileless smile on his face.
"Big sister, long time no see! Loki and I missed you so much!"
Loki, on the side, seemed unaccustomed to such a direct statement, but did not refute it, and rubbed his nose somewhat unnaturally.
Mavuika looked at him.
It had been hundreds of years, and Thor had indeed matured quite a bit.
The contours of his face were more distinct than when he was young, his jawline was firmer, and there was less youthful recklessness and more adult composure in those blue eyes.
Loki stood behind Thor; he didn't pounce to hug her like Thor, but stood a step away, bowing slightly, with that signature, slightly cunning smile on his face.
Mavuika looked at him, and Loki had also changed quite a bit.
He was taller than before, his shoulders were broader, and his handsome face was more angular than in his youth.
The dark green robe, although covered in dust, still showed exquisite dark patterns and gold thread embroidery.
His posture was much more elegant than Thor's; even though he had just crawled out of the grass, he still maintained a certain natural, noble temperament.
Mavuika reached out and gently patted his shoulder.
"It's been hundreds of years." She said: "You two have both changed quite a bit."
Thor grinned.
Loki raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Big sister hasn't changed at all, still so young." Loki said, his eyes scanning Mavuika up and down.
"That's only natural." Thor interrupted: "Big sister is the sun goddess of Asgard, how could she grow old like a mortal?"
Mavuika smiled.
She reached out and, one on each side, put her arms around their shoulders.
"Let's go." She said: "Find a place to sit down and talk slowly."
Thor and Loki looked at each other and nodded.
Mavuika led them away from the low-lying area and found a flat rock nearby.
The surface of the rock was polished smooth by the wind and sand, and it was quite comfortable to sit on.
The silver-white moonlight sprinkled on the desolate plain, coating everything with a cold radiance.
In the distance, mjolnir was still stuck in the ground, casting a long shadow in the moonlight.
The three of them sat side by side on the rock.
Mavuika in the middle, Thor on the left, Loki on the right.
There was silence for a few seconds.
Then Thor spoke up.
"Big sister, do you know, the last time we came to Midgard was—"
"The 11th century AD." Loki took over the conversation.
"That time we were accompanying Father to inspect Midgard, do you remember? Thor, you insisted on competing with a local lord in drinking, and ended up getting drunk, almost tearing down his entire castle."
Thor's face flushed slightly.
"That's because their wine was too strong!" He argued: "It wasn't my problem!"
"The wine was too strong?" Loki raised an eyebrow: "I remember that lord said you fell after only three cups, three cups."
"The cups were big!"
"As big as your head?"
"You—"
Mavuika laughed.
She watched these two younger brothers bickering, just like watching those two little boys chasing and playing in the Asgard palace a thousand years ago.
At that time, Thor was always chasing Loki, because Loki was always stealing his toys.
Loki was always running fast, looking back and making faces while running, until Thor finally caught up to him, and the two rolled on the ground and wrestled into a ball.