The old man's next words shook the entire Marvel Universe.
He rested his weathered hands on the third artifact—a rugged cloth bag slung over his shoulder like an old shepherd's satchel. It didn't shine or glow, and it wasn't adorned with mystic runes or divine symbols. It looked... ordinary.
But what he said next changed everything.
"This is the Bag of Extinction. And it can hold anything. Even disasters."
The chat exploded.
"WHAT?!"
"A bag... that contains hurricanes?!"
"This guy has an infinity-bag for global annihilation?!"
"Why is this not in a vault somewhere?!"
Even James, calmly seated a few feet away from SCP-1440, leaned forward in surprise. He had suspected the bag was special—after all, it was one of the three artifacts won from the gods of death themselves—but this?
Kamar-Taj.
The Ancient One nearly dropped her teacup.
"Even natural disasters..." she whispered, staring wide-eyed at the screen.
"If that bag is real... we could protect the entire Earth."
She imagined it—Kamar-Taj shielded from cosmic destruction, natural catastrophes sealed away like minor inconveniences. That level of power... was divine.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury rubbed his forehead, overwhelmed. "We need that bag," he muttered.
"Internally, we could end all terror threats. Externally, it would make Earth untouchable against alien forces."
But as the initial awe began to settle, a dark realization dawned.
"Wait… if this bag still works…"
SCP-1440 nodded slowly.
"The Bag of Extinction is the most durable of the three. But even it is fraying. Its seams are weakening. It can only be used one more time."
The room fell silent.
One use.
Just one.
And he hadn't used it.
Not to protect himself. Not to end his curse.
Not even to save his wife.
James asked, almost holding his breath, "Why haven't you used it?"
The old man looked up, his eyes clouded but clear.
"Because it's my last chance to end this. If I can trap the third brother—Total Annihilation—I can finally force them to release me. To let me die."
The audience gasped.
He wanted to die.
Eternal life had become eternal torment.
The immortality he won wasn't a gift—it was a curse. A punishment. A slow unraveling of everything he once loved and stood for.
"I've tried," he continued. "I've searched across continents, through dimensions. But the third brother never shows. He never comes. Not even to mock me."
He stared off, as if seeing something far away.
"When death comes by accident, there's no feeling. No presence. Just... silence."
He looked back at James. His voice was calm but hollow.
"And now, I walk endlessly. Cursed. Forever."
"Immortality."
"Endless wandering."
"And everywhere I go—destruction follows."
James didn't speak.
No one did.
Until the old man looked toward the tavern's window.
His tone shifted. His body stilled. His eyes turned to glass.
"He's here."
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the tavern.
Flames shot into the sky.
The pub windows shattered, shards of glass slicing through the air. Some even cut across James' face, leaving streaks of blood.
But he didn't move.
He sat there, eyes locked on the old man.
"Who are they?" he asked, softly but firmly.
SCP-1440 stared at him. He seemed surprised by James' calmness.
Then, slowly, he began to speak.
"Shangmie—the third—he is death itself. He controls birth, aging, sickness, and the harvest of souls. He leads an army of the dead."
"Jiemie—the second—is the embodiment of chaos. Disaster incarnate. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse answer to him. When he walks, the Earth cracks beneath his feet."
He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"But the worst… is Total Annihilation."
"The first."
"Not death. Not disaster. But the absolute end. The unmaking of existence. The return to non-existence. He is... the metaphysical void."
James' breath hitched.
Even in the Marvel Universe, filled with cosmic titans and reality-warpers, this... was something different.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury stood motionless, his fingers digging into the table.
Natasha whispered, "He's not just talking about gods…"
"He's talking about the concept of oblivion itself."
Outside the tavern, James stepped through shattered glass and burning debris. The street was devastated—as if a meteor had struck it.
The field agents who had been hiding?
Gone.
A crater remained where they had stood.
"Total annihilation..."
The words echoed in the hearts of every viewer.
Kamar-Taj.
The Ancient One, once filled with awe at the artifacts, now sat pale and silent.
She had dared imagine possessing the Bag of Extinction.
Now, she was glad she had only seen it on a screen.
Because what came with it… was terror itself.
The Observer Dimension.
Watcher Uatu let out a long breath.
He had observed cosmic gods, the end of civilizations, even multiverse collapses.
But the Three Death Gods...
They terrified even him.
He whispered, "They are on par with the Crimson King. Maybe worse."
Back in S.H.I.E.L.D., agents muttered, trying to grasp what they had just witnessed.
Nick Fury shook his head grimly.
"We thought the Earth was dangerous."
"Now we know—we were just lucky."
Then, the screen shifted.
A new location.
Back at the Foundation.
Dr. Kondraki stormed into the room, waving a report.
"Are you insane?" he shouted at James.
"You went to see him?"
He flipped through the pages, muttering, "Shangmie. Jiemie. Total Annihilation… unbelievable."
James stood calmly. "Do we have any more records on them?"
Dr. Kondraki looked up, surprised. Then he smirked.
"Of course we do. You think we don't document the gods of death?"
He handed over a sealed file.
"They're recorded by the Theological Division. They're known as 'The Three Yamas'—Supreme beings that rule over death."
"Before creation, there was void."
"They are the darkness that followed."
"The end of all things. They created the concept of endings itself."
Even the Marvel audience—used to threats like Thanos and Galactus—fell into stunned silence.
They hadn't imagined just how deep this rabbit hole went.
Dr. Kondraki leaned back in his chair, lit a cigarette, and exhaled slowly.
"If those weren't just projections… If those had been the real Three Yamas…"
"Reality would've shattered."
James didn't reply. He just nodded.
"So… what will the Foundation do?" he finally asked.
Dr. Kondraki grinned.
"Neutralized."
James blinked. "We're… neutralizing him?"
He nodded. "We can't kill him. We can't contain him. But we can ensure he's avoided. Categorized. Monitored. And… forgotten."
James turned to leave.
But before he could reach the door—
Dr. Kondraki called out, "Wait!"
He tossed a new file at him with a sly grin.
"Congrats, kid. The O5 Council just promoted you."
James caught the folder.
The label read: "SCP-999"
"You're the new Chief Researcher."
---
To be continued…
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