The world Rebecca stood in was neither dark nor light — a realm balanced forever on the edge of twilight.
The sky shimmered in hues of violet and silver, and the air felt alive, heavy with memories of dying worlds.
This place was called the Between — a realm that existed in the silence between universes, where lost echoes drifted and broken realities faded into mist.
Rebecca stood upon an endless field of glowing flowers that pulsed softly like heartbeats. Her golden hair shimmered faintly in the light, and her eyes, deep and steady, watched the horizon where stars bled into fog. The faint glow of her aura rippled each time the realm shifted — as if the Between itself breathed in rhythm with her.
Her voice was quiet when she finally spoke.
"I told them not to come here."
But even as she said it, she smiled. The vision of Silvanna — her sister's fierce, uncertain face — still lingered before her eyes. For the first time in centuries, she had felt something more than stillness.
Hope.
Rebecca turned and began walking toward the distant forest, her boots sinking into the soft, misted ground. The trees there towered impossibly high, their bark streaked with veins of starlight, their branches filled with whispers of forgotten universes.
Each step she took echoed softly, and with each echo, fragments of reality flickered — worlds that had been, worlds that would never be.
It was a place only she could survive.
And only she could control.
Rebecca reached a clearing and stopped before a vast pool of mirror-like water. It wasn't ordinary — it reflected not her face, but countless versions of herself, scattered across infinite timelines.
"Every choice," she murmured. "Every path that might have been."
Her reflection shifted — showing Silvanna standing beside Tony, Vanessa watching with awe, Thor tightening his grip on Mjolnir. She could see them working, preparing something powerful. A bridge.
Rebecca's heart softened.
"They're coming for me…"
Then the pool darkened. A ripple broke the surface, spreading outward like a heartbeat.
A voice rose from the shadow beneath.
"You should not let them."
Rebecca's expression hardened. "You again."
From the water emerged a faint figure — tall, and wreathed in lightless mist. It was not a monster, not in form, but in weight. The pressure of its existence bent the air around it.
"You disturb the order," the shadow said. "You have carried every power, every gift, every burden. You are not meant to cross back."
Rebecca's eyes glowed faintly. "Then stop me."
The shadow hesitated. "You misunderstand. We do not stop what cannot be stopped. We only remind what must not forget."
It touched the water, and countless images burst around Rebecca — flashes of her past.
Her first meeting with Silvanna on the mortal plane.
Her battle with Juggernaut, fierce and wild.
The night she fell in love, the child she held, the day Silvanna left.
Each memory burned and faded into light.
The shadow spoke again, quieter now.
"When they come, the Between will shift. Paths will break. The more power you bring, the more unstable the bridge will become. You cannot return without consequence."
Rebecca's hand clenched at her side. "Then I'll bear it. I've carried every power in existence — I can carry this, too."
She turned away, walking back toward the horizon. "Tell your master the balance won't shatter because of me. It will hold."
The shadow watched her leave. "If it breaks, it won't be the balance that dies, Rebecca. It will be you."
Rebecca did not answer. Her gaze lifted to the sky — to the faint shimmer of energy where the connection to Silvanna's realm still lingered.
Even through the rift of dimensions, she could feel her sister's energy — the determination, the love, the fear.
A soft smile crossed her lips.
"You never did know when to give up, Silvanna. That's what I always admired about you."
Then, closing her eyes, she whispered, "I'll be ready when you come."
---
Back in Stark Tower
The lab was even louder now — a symphony of energy, metal, and controlled chaos. The faint hum of reactors filled every corner as Tony Stark and Bruce Banner worked side by side, surrounded by walls of holographic data.
They had learned from the first contact — stabilized the frequency, calculated the Between's strange pulse rate, and built a new kind of gate: one that could adapt to the shifting fabric of the realms.
Silvanna stood nearby, observing silently, her hands resting on the table edge. Her armor shimmered faintly under the flickering blue light of the holograms. She hadn't slept in days.
Tony pointed to a projection of the realm's map — though "map" was a generous term. It was more like a fractal storm.
"She's in the middle of this mess," he said. "A place that technically doesn't exist. You sure she's still stable?"
Silvanna nodded. "She's Rebecca. She doesn't break."
Bruce glanced up from his calculations. "Well, that makes one of us. The energy we're dealing with could vaporize the entire city if it misfires."
Tony smirked. "So we don't misfire. We do this right."
Natasha stepped forward, watching the swirling data. "What happens if you open it and she doesn't come through?"
Tony's voice softened slightly. "Then we bring her back anyway."
For a long moment, the lab fell silent except for the hum of machines.
Silvanna closed her eyes, reaching inward — searching again for that faint connection. It was there, deep within her, like a thread of light stretching across infinity.
She could feel Rebecca watching her, somewhere beyond the veil.
Tony's voice broke the silence. "Cross-realm gate alignment: phase three complete. Reactor stable. Coordinates locked."
Bruce added, "Dimensional frequency synchronized to the Between's quantum rhythm. If she's really there, this will open a doorway straight to her location."
Silvanna took a step forward, standing before the massive portal frame.
It glowed faintly now — not blue, but a soft white, like the first light of dawn.
"She'll feel this," Silvanna said quietly. "She'll know we're ready."
Tony turned toward her. "Then let's bring her home."
As he activated the final sequence, arcs of energy surged through the frame, weaving together until the air rippled like liquid glass.
The lights dimmed, and the ring began to hum — slow, steady, powerful.
For a moment, everyone held their breath.
Then the portal's center began to shift, forming a window of light. Through it, faint but clear, was a field of glowing flowers under a violet sky.
Rebecca's world.
Silvanna's eyes widened. "She's waiting."
Tony exhaled. "Well… then let's make sure the universe doesn't explode when we shake hands with her."
The portal stabilized — just enough for the air to grow still.
For the first time in ages, two worlds stood on the edge of connection.