[A/N]: The first GOAL of the week is to achieve 250 Power Stones and unlock TWO bonus chapters. Comment, share, and you know the drill đâ¨
This was Lady Death herself.
"So this is the little outsider you've been protecting?" Death's voice dripped honey-sweet poison, and Jay's heart stuttered hearing it. "How absolutely delightful. He's even more interesting up close."
Jay's mental shields flared, working overtime. His breath came in short gasps. "Lady Death. It's an honor. Though, uh, I was hoping we wouldn't meet for another sixty or seventy years."
Death's laugh made his bones ache. "Oh, I like him! He's got spirit! Queen, won't you give him to me? I promise I'll take very good care of him." She turned to the Queen, her expression playful like a child asking for a toy. "I'll even trade you. Name your price."
"He's not a toy to barter, Lady Death." The Queen's voice carried steel beneath the warmth. "He's a being with his own thoughts and agency."
"Oh, you're no fun." Death pouted, then turned back to Jay. Her expression shifted from playful to predatory. "But you're right, he has agency. So instead of hiding behind mommy, he can face his punishment like a big boy." Her eyes fixed on Jay. "Don't you think so, little outsider? After all, playing with death always has consequences. And you played on quite the scale."
Jay's brain fired at maximum capacity, and sweat plastered his body. His voice came out steadier than he felt. "With all due respect, Lady Death, this isn't the first time death's been cheated. The Hand's been doing it for centuries."
"Oh sweetie, that's not the same at all." Death's smile sharpened like a knife. "They loan souls to the Beast. A demon. Those souls never entered my realm. They're still walking around in borrowed time. You, however..." Her presence intensified, pushing down on him like atmospheric pressure. "You reached into MY domain. Into MY realm. And you stole what belonged to ME."
Jay's words tumbled out faster. "Okay, what about the Avengers? They time-travelled and brought back quintillions when they undid the snap. That's way more than twelve hundred."
"They did it because it was their destiny. Not to mention they were using the Infinity Stones, which gave them the right." Death leaned forward, towering over him. Jay's knees threatened to buckle. "Plus, you didn't just rewind time for the dead. You took their souls from my realms and infused them back into their bodies. You violated the natural order."
Jay felt the walls closing in. His voice cracked slightly. "I had Franklin Richards' power. The embodiment of hope itself, the harbinger of the Ninth Cosmos. Doesn't that bring enough authority?"
"Stolen. From. An. Infant." Death's aura crashed outward, and the white void cracked. Jay's legs gave out, dropping him to one knee. He couldn't breathe.
"AND IT WOULDN'T HAVE WORKED IF THE HARBINGER HIMSELF DIDN'T ALLOW IT!" The Queen stepped forward, her own power rising like a tidal wave. The void stabilized. Two cosmic entities faced each other. "YOU KNOW THIS, DEATH! DON'T PLAY GAMES!"
Power crackled between them all the while, Jay remained frozen on one knee.
Then Death laughed.
The sound was like wind through a graveyard. Her power retracted, and the pressure vanished. Jay finally gasped, sucking in the metaphorical air.
"Oh, you're so easy to rile up, Queen." Death's tone shifted to amused affection. "I was just having a little fun. The boy's panic was absolutely delicious. How could I resist?"
She turned to Jay, her expression deadly serious. "But listen carefully, little outsider. You get one. One violation of my domain. One theft from my realm. If you try this again, if you dare reach into death's domain without proper authority, I will take something from you in return. Something you can't bear to lose. Are we clear?"
Death then vanished with grace, dissolving into dark mist.
Jay's legs nearly gave out completely. He remained kneeling, his entire body shaking.
"She's being real, isn't she? Am I marked by Death now?"
The Queen moved closer, her hand settling on his shoulder. "Who among you humans isn't marked by death? As for her threat, it's her right to warn you. So, tell me Jay, do you regret it?"
Jay thought back to every face and every name. Twelve hundred lives given back, and his trembling slowed.
"I don't regret it. Especially if I'd dealt with the consequences on my own and dealt with Loki beforehand. But that would have led to weakening Earth's defences, leaving them unable to enter the age of heroes. So, I guess I took the best route available."
"A good answer." The Queen's expression softened. "And your act wasn't without merit or reward. Look at yourself, Jay. Really look at what you've achieved."
Jay examined his form in this space. His body hummed with new energy. Where before reality manipulation had felt like acid waiting to burn through him, now it felt manageable. He concentrated, and the white void rippled around him.
"Using Darwin's adaptation and merging it with your inherent abilities, your body has grown to accommodate much grander power than was possible before." The Queen's voice carried pride. "And since you carried the highest order of reality warping, you're now resistant to it. At low to mid-levels at least, you're effectively immune."
Relief flooded through Jay. "So, I can actually deal with reality manipulators now without worrying they'll accidentally erase me?"
"To a degree. Beings from universes like 616 would still pose a significant threat. But most Earth-based reality warpers in your universe? You're safe against most of them." She smiled.
Jay's form began to blur at the edges. "It's time to go back, isn't it?"
"Yes. But Jay..." The Queen's expression grew serious. "Your actions didn't just attract Death's attention. My beloved noticed as well."
Jay's eyes widened. "You mean Eternity himself?"
"Go. Reach Eternity first in your universe. He's waiting." The Queen's form began to fade.
The white void collapsed inward.
Jay's eyes snapped open with a gasp.
Domino gripped his shoulders, her face inches from his, eyes wide with panic.
"Jay! Fuck! You've been staring into space for five minutes! I was about to slap you!" She shook him.
"I'm okay." Jay's voice came out rough. He realized his hands were trembling, sweat soaking through his shirt. "I'm okay, Dom. I was just... remembering."
He told her everything. The Queen's warning. Death's threat. The fundamental changes to his physiology. And finally, the summons from Eternity himself.
Domino listened without interrupting, her expression cycling through disbelief, terror, and finally settling on grim determination.
"So the universe itself wants to meet you," she said flatly. "And you're just going to go?"
"It's actually an opportunity for us," Jay mentioned, the cards he gave her. "Now that we have bargaining chips with us."
Domino moved closer, her hand finding his and holding tight. Her voice trembled slightly, but her grip was iron. "When do we leave?"
"We don't. I go alone."
"Like absolute fuck you do." Her other hand came up, cupping his face, forcing eye contact. "Not happening. Not a chance. Not in this universe or any other."
"Dom, it's dangerousâ"
"Everything we do is dangerous!" Her grip tightened. Nails dug into his skin. "You're exhausted. Still healing. About to meet a cosmic entity that could blink you out of existence. And you think I'm letting you go alone? Are you fucking insane?"
Jay started to argue. Then saw the absolute refusal in her eyes. The fear underneath. The determination to face cosmic horrors with him. Regardless of the cost.
"Together," he said softly, turning his hand to lace fingers with hers. "Like it should be."
"Damn right together." Domino pressed her forehead against his. "So how do we find Eternity?"
"We just wait for the All-Father's envoy to come and fetch his son."
"That sounds extremely dangerous."
"Everything I do is extremely dangerous." Jay squeezed her hand. "At least this time we know the direction we want to go."
Jay took one last look at the Savage Land base.
Blue energy began to ripple around them. Space folded, preparing for teleportation.
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