{Chapter: 174 - Unexpected Encounter in Odessa}
The world around him twisted. The light bent inward and upward, folding into itself like origami. Gravity reoriented. Color bled from one shape to the next until finally—snap—everything crystallized again.
Aiden's boots landed softly on cracked pavement.
He looked around, senses sharp. The air was different—heavier somehow, dense with secrets and tension. The sky was a pale, stormy gray. In the distance, half-constructed buildings loomed like skeletons of forgotten dreams.
The place looked abandoned.
Concrete dust coated rusting steel beams, and wind whispered through broken glass. He narrowed his eyes, adjusting to this world's physics.
Then—
A scream.
High-pitched, short, sharp.
His head snapped in the direction of the sound. He moved instantly, boots grinding against gravel as he ran toward the edge of the structure. Below, on the side of an old construction site, a cheerleader was falling from a steel frame.
No—leaping.
She wasn't screaming in terror. It was exhilaration.
Aiden halted just before his instincts forced him to jump.
He observed.
The girl was young—blonde hair tied in ponytail, her face flushed with excitement. She wore a classic cheerleading uniform, midriff exposed, and knee-high socks. Her limbs pinwheeled for a moment as she plummeted from a 20-meter high platform, right toward hard concrete.
But then—crack!
Her body collided with the ground in a sickening impact that would've killed a normal person instantly.
Aiden winced on impact as if he felt the pain...
As he saw bones snapped back into place with grotesque precision. Skin stitched together like living fabric. Blood reversed its flow, sucked back into closing wounds. Her fingers flexed. Her legs straightened.
The girl blinked, took a breath, and sat up—completely unharmed.
A camera shutter clicked nearby. A teenage boy, barely older than her, stood nearby with a camcorder, clearly recording everything with awe and disbelief.
"Claire…" the boy whispered. "That was insane."
Aiden raised an eyebrow. Claire Bennet.
He knew her now. The self-healing cheerleader. The one who couldn't die, no matter what.
Her regeneration wasn't just rapid—it was nearly godlike. The girl possesses an extraordinary regenerative ability—something far beyond mere rapid healing. Her resilience borders on the supernatural, akin to the regeneration seen in undead beings. Even if her body were dissected or torn apart, she wouldn't die; she would survive, piece herself back together, and keep moving. Her regeneration is comparable to Wolverine's iconic healing factor, but surpasses even that of those enhanced by Extremis.
Unlike typical regenerative cases—where wounds seal shut but foreign objects remain lodged inside—her body actively rejects and expels bullets, shrapnel, or blades before knitting itself perfectly back together. There's no need for surgical extraction or medical intervention. Her biology does it all. She doesn't just heal—she resets. Much like Logan or Wade Wilson, her flesh reweaves, bones snap back into place, and damaged organs regenerate in moments.
She's not just hard to kill—she's nearly impossible to keep dead.
"She's a living cheat code," Aiden muttered under his breath.
This world had so much potential.
Flight. Immortality. Power mimicry. Space-time manipulation.
And now, Aiden was part of it.
"System, what's the quest?" Aiden asked, his voice calm but edged with curiosity as he looked around at the dusty, sunlit horizon of Texas. He had just transitioned into a new plane—one filled with heroes, secrets, and potential powers waiting to be devoured.
He'd already encountered one of the major characters, meaning the plot of this world had officially begun. Yet, strangely, no objectives had been displayed. That left him slightly baffled.
Suddenly, the system's mechanical chime echoed in his mind.
[Main Quest: Devour at least 3 abilities]
Aiden raised an eyebrow, waiting for more details or another prompt. After a few seconds of silence, he frowned.
"What about the side quest?" he asked again, expecting something to guide his next few moves.
[Side Quest will be assigned as the plot develops!]
"You've got to be kidding me…" Aiden muttered, his shoulders slumping slightly. The system was supposed to be his guide, yet often it left him navigating in the dark. Still, he couldn't complain too much. Power like this came with its own chaotic rhythm. He was just starting to see the pattern.
"Well, I suppose it's getting harder to level up now… but I still have the main quest."
His eyes sharpened with resolve as he began walking again. If he wanted to survive and thrive in Marvel world, he needed powers—strong ones. And his first opportunity had practically dropped into his lap.
Claire Bennet. High school cheerleader. Immortal girl.
He had seen her earlier—plummeting off a steel framework at least twenty meters above the ground. A fall that should have shattered every bone in her body. Instead, she'd simply gotten up, her wounds already closing, her bones clicking back into place like puzzle pieces.
And that made her his first target.
---
Odessa, Texas — Later That Day
Claire Bennet walked alongside her friend Zach, her cheerleader uniform clinging to her athletic young frame. Despite the cool air of evening, her heart was pounding. Not from fear… not quite. From confusion. From dread.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow at school. I promise," she said to Zach with a soft, apologetic smile.
Zach smiled like she'd just handed him a golden ticket. He didn't know how badly she needed someone to talk to—anyone who would believe her. But even then, she didn't tell him everything. How could she?
How do you tell your best friend that you can't die? That you threw yourself off a bridge last week and walked away?
As she turned a corner and Zach faded into the distance, Claire felt that same cold isolation crawl into her chest again. No one really knew what she was going through.
That's when she heard footsteps behind her.
She turned around quickly, expecting Zach. "Zach, I already said—"
But her voice caught in her throat.
A man was walking toward her.
Not a student. Not someone from school.
He was tall, with soft black hair styled with a confident lift, neatly trimmed sides, and sharp, angular features. His skin was fair, his eyes intelligent. There was something… foreign about him. Not just in the way he looked, but the way he moved—with a calmness and certainty that didn't belong in a sleepy Texas town.
Claire's heart skipped. She didn't move. The man smiled as he approached.
"Hi," she said nervously, tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"Hello," the man replied, his tone smooth, polite, and friendly. "Didn't mean to startle you."
He had an accent that matched hers—fluent, native English—but with a rhythm that felt somehow practiced.
"I'm Aiden," he continued. "Are you from around here?"
Claire relaxed just a little. "Uh, yeah. Claire. Claire Bennet. I go to Union Wells High."
"Claire Bennet," Aiden repeated, as if tasting the name. "A cheerleader, right?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "How did you…?"
He glanced at the fading red stains on her uniform and gestured subtly. "You've got blood on your top."
Claire looked down and cursed inwardly. She hadn't noticed. The wounds had healed, yes—but the blood stayed. A rookie mistake.
"Oh, I-it's nothing! Just a nosebleed," she said quickly, waving her hand. "Happens during practice sometimes."
"You sure? That's quite a bit of blood for a nosebleed," Aiden said, his smile never wavering, though his gaze was sharp and observant. "Are you hurt?"
"I said I'm fine," she replied, more firmly this time. But her voice wavered at the end. Her fear was growing.
Aiden took a small step closer, lowering his voice. "You know, you don't have to hide it. The things you can do."
Claire blinked. "W-What are you talking about?"
"Special abilities," he said casually, as if talking about the weather. "Gifts. Powers. I saw you fall earlier from the scaffolding. That should've killed you. But it didn't."
She froze, breath caught in her lungs. Her mind screamed to run, but her legs wouldn't move.
"I… I don't know what you think you saw…" Claire murmured.
"I saw you heal," he said plainly. "And that's not something ordinary people do, Claire."
For a moment, the silence stretched between them. The wind blew a few dry leaves across the sidewalk.
Claire stared at him, unsure whether to scream, punch him, or cry. She was terrified. She had told no one. Not her father, not her mother. Only Zach, and even then… only the smallest fraction of the truth.