"This is the power of a Dimensional Lord."
Within the depths of Genesis, Ben observed his transformed state as an Anodite called Ascendant, the ethereal glow surrounding his entire being like living starlight. The radiance wasn't merely cosmetic—it was the physical manifestation of his overwhelming Mana, so potent it seemed to bend reality around him.
Ben raised his arms experimentally, and with a single focused thought, the entire fabric of Genesis's natural energy began to resonate in response. The effect was so profound that even Odin and the Ancient One felt its pull, their bodies instinctively responding as if compelled to kneel before the master of all Mana.
The sensation wasn't entirely uncomfortable—more like recognition on a cellular level. Both visitors possessed traces of natural energy within themselves, and Ben had become the primordial source, the wellspring from which all such power flowed.
However, both seasoned practitioners quickly shook off the influence. Odin's millennia of experience as a god-king served him well, while the Ancient One's expertise in dealing with overwhelming mystical forces—and her legendary skill at evading cosmic creditors—made the adjustment almost routine.
"I can feel everything within Genesis," Ascendant mused, his voice carrying harmonics that seemed to echo from multiple dimensions. "Every grain of sand, every breath of wind... it's all connected to me."
"As it should be," the Ancient One nodded approvingly. "This realm exists because of your will, sustained by your energy. Everything touched by Mana falls under your dominion. It's the fundamental nature of dimensional lordship."
Odin stroked his beard thoughtfully, though his expression remained cautious. "While impressive, young Parker, don't let this power go to your head. Though the World Tree has taken root here, and both the Supreme Sorcerer and I have established anchors in your realm, Genesis is still in its infancy. Among the countless dimensions that exist, yours would be considered... promising, but not yet formidable."
Ben considered the All-Father's words carefully. The integration of Yggdrasil had indeed brought tremendous changes to Genesis, but the process of converting the World Tree's cosmic energy into Mana would take time—possibly centuries. Still, the symbiotic relationship had already established a positive feedback loop that would only grow stronger.
"You set your sights too high, All-Father," the Ancient One chuckled, her tone almost maternal. "Genesis has developed at an extraordinary pace. Most dimensional realms are pathetic pocket universes barely worthy of the name. From the moment of its birth, this realm has surpassed the vast majority of dimensional spaces in both stability and potential."
She gestured around them at the pristine landscape stretching to the horizon. "Odin's perspective is skewed because he's spent eons dealing with powerhouses like Dormammu's Dark Dimension. He's comparing a newborn to ancient titans."
"Speaking of other dimensions," the Ancient One's eyes gleamed with familiar mischief, "our next step should be... strategic resource acquisition. I have numerous contacts who might be willing to contribute to Genesis's growth."
Ben raised an eyebrow. If different dimensions were banks and dimensional energy was currency, then the Ancient One had been the multiverse's most successful con artist for centuries. She'd "borrowed" power from every cosmic entity willing to make a deal, using increasingly elaborate schemes to avoid repayment. Her reputation among dimensional lords was legendary—and not in a good way.
The borrowed powers had become a burden over the centuries, a chaotic mixture of conflicting energies that would have driven lesser beings insane. It was one of the primary reasons she'd been so eager to pass on the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme and seek eternal rest.
But now, with access to Mana, she could transmute those borrowed powers into pure life force, solving her centuries-old problem while simultaneously strengthening Genesis.
"What exactly are you planning?" Ben asked, though he suspected he already knew.
"The same approach as always—borrow their power, then convert it to Mana," the Ancient One replied with practiced innocence. "Simple, elegant, effective."
"The question is," Ben said dryly, "who's going to be foolish enough to lend you anything at this point? Your reputation precedes you."
The Ancient One was universally known as the ultimate deadbeat among dimensional lords. Even demons had written her off as a bad investment. Surely no one would be stupid enough to—
"Many believe I'm dying," the Ancient One said with a serene smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Terminal cases often receive more... generous terms."
Ben stared at her with newfound respect and horror. "You're planning to fake your own death to run another con."
The logic was diabolically brilliant. When a Sorcerer Supreme died, all borrowed magical energies returned to their sources—typically with interest from centuries of cultivation and refinement. Dimensional lords who had written off their investments as total losses might be tempted to double down, hoping to recoup their losses with compound interest.
Of course, they had no idea that the Ancient One had already converted their "loans" into an entirely different form of energy...
"I'm not lying about stepping down as Sorcerer Supreme," the Ancient One clarified. "With a dimensional lord like you protecting Earth, and Strange showing real promise despite his limitations, it's time for me to pursue other interests."
She gestured around Genesis with genuine enthusiasm. "I'm thinking of relocating Kamar-Taj here entirely. The magical community has already begun practicing Mana techniques, and when we eventually pass on, that energy will return directly to strengthen your realm. It's a perfect symbiotic relationship."
The Ancient One's expression grew thoughtful. "Besides, Ben is different from those other dimensional entities. He remains fundamentally human despite his ascension. Earth isn't just under his protection—in many ways, it's already become an extension of his domain."
"I think the Vishanti might have some objections to you essentially defecting with their entire Earth operation," Ben said nervously.
The Ancient One waved dismissively. "The Trinity can complain all they want. You're powerful enough to handle them if necessary, and frankly, I've been doing all the work for centuries while they sat in their cosmic ivory tower."
"Still," Ben mused, looking around the pristine but empty landscape, "Genesis feels too sterile right now. We need more life, more diversity."
Including the Asgardian refugees and the soon-to-be-born Anodites, the realm still felt like a beautiful but lifeless museum. He was already planning to introduce Earth fauna and perhaps even create new intelligent species to populate his growing world.
"Under the influence of Mana, any creatures you introduce will likely evolve into unique subspecies," Odin observed. "It's not necessarily a problem—every dimension should have its own characteristics."
Ben nodded, already formulating plans. As he shifted back to human form, the three beings prepared to attend to their various schemes. Odin needed to maintain his deception while monitoring Malekith's movements. The Ancient One was eager to begin her final con against the dimensional lords. And Ben had a realm to populate.
He made a mental note to assign Dr. Connors to genetic collection duties. The man would be thrilled—
"That's incredible!" Connors practically vibrated with excitement when Ben contacted him. The scientist had been limited to small-scale ecological projects on Earth, but now Ben was offering him an entire continent to design and populate from scratch.
"I can create completely new ecosystems! Imagine the possibilities for genetic diversity and evolutionary adaptation under the influence of Mana!"
As the three cosmic powers went about their business, none of them noticed the subtle distortion in spacetime that rippled through Genesis's carefully ordered reality.
The distortion tore open like a wound, and several figures tumbled through—broken, bleeding, and barely conscious. They hit the pristine ground with sickening thuds, their bodies bearing the marks of a desperate, running battle.
"Cough... cough..." Cable struggled to his feet, his cybernetic arm sparking from damage, but his organic arm remained protectively curved around a small bundle. Despite his obvious agony—several ribs were clearly broken—he never loosened his protective grip.
As he looked down at the infant in his arms, relief flooded his battered features. The baby appeared unharmed, her unusual gray hair catching the light of Genesis's artificial sun. She looked up at him with intelligent eyes that seemed far too aware for someone her apparent age.
"Cable, are you okay?" Magik limped over, her teleportation circles flickering weakly. Colossus was helping the White Queen to her feet, both of them looking like they'd been through a meat grinder.
"The child is fine," Cable replied, his voice rough with exhaustion and emotion. He lifted the baby higher, his mechanical arm whirring as damaged servos strained to function. "This is our last hope—the future of all mutants. She will be the true Messiah!"
The baby made soft gurgling sounds, as if she understood every word.
My name is Hope, that's certain enough, the infant thought with irritation that no baby should possess. But why did that spell turn me into a baby? And this Mana saturation... could I actually be back in Ledgerdomain?
Charmcaster—currently trapped in an infant's body due to a catastrophic magical mishap—was having difficulty processing her situation. She'd been studying advanced temporal magic with her mentor uncle Hex, planning to return to Ledgerdomain and claim vengeance against whoever had killed her father.
Instead, a spell had gone wrong, depositing her in another universe where she'd been transformed into a baby and immediately declared some kind of chosen one by desperate mutant refugees.
Being called a messiah is... actually rather flattering, she admitted to herself, a faint blush coloring her tiny cheeks. I suppose once I deal with my real business here, I can help these people with their robot problem. They seem nice enough, and the title does have a certain ring to it...
Cable and his team had no idea they were harboring a powerful, revenge-seeking witch in infant form. To them, she was simply Hope—the prophesied mutant messiah who would restore their people's future.
They'd fled their dying timeline with her, and now they'd find sanctuary in this strange realm saturated with beneficial energy. Here, they would raise their messiah in safety, preparing for the day she would fulfill her destiny.
If only they knew what that destiny actually entailed...
{Charmcaster real name is Hope}
Earth - Plumbers Orbital Station
Coulson and Thor lay in advanced medical pods while Ben reviewed the mission reports with Melinda May and Jemma Simmons. The two agents had waited outside the dimensional anomaly as planned, but when distress signals began broadcasting from inside, they'd had no choice but to attempt a rescue.
They'd found both men unconscious on the factory floor, the containment cube empty and the Aether nowhere to be found. The suit recordings told the story—a robed figure had overpowered both agents and vanished with the Reality Stone.
"She called herself Requiem," Coulson reported from his medical bed, his voice still weak but determined. "Thor activated Ben's protective charm, but even with that power boost, she was too strong."
"Not surprising, considering she's wielding an Infinity Stone," Ben replied grimly. This wasn't his first encounter with that name.
When he and Brunnhilde had investigated the Soul Stone's energy signature, the Red Skull had informed them they were too late—Requiem had already claimed it. The guardian had confirmed the mysterious figure's identity: Gamora, the adopted daughter of Thanos.
"First the Soul Stone, now the Reality Stone," Ben muttered. "What is Gamora planning?"
The pattern didn't make sense. After acquiring the Soul Stone, Gamora had vanished completely. No energy signatures, no sightings, no activity. If she was planning to use the stones for some cosmic purpose, why remain hidden?
Maybe she's trying to prevent another Thanos situation by collecting and hiding the stones? Ben considered the possibility, but something felt wrong about that theory.
"Unfortunately, I still have plans for the Reality Stone..." Ben rubbed his temples in frustration before activating his communicator. "Eunice, issue a universe-wide bounty for Requiem. Also contact Nebula—inform her that Gamora has two Infinity Stones and ask her to begin tracking her sister."
"That won't be necessary," Eunice's voice replied immediately from the orbital headquarters. "We've detected Reality Stone energy signatures and are triangulating the location now."
Ben's eyes lit up with possibility. "Excellent. Looks like we can recover both stones in one operation."
As if summoned by his words, a brilliant rainbow streak blazed across Earth's atmosphere, leaving behind a shimmering bridge of prismatic light. Ben recognized Heimdall's handiwork—the gatekeeper had used his final moments to transport the Warriors Three to Earth, both to seek the Plumbers' aid and to provide Thor with the motivation he desperately needed.
But the Bifrost could wait. The Infinity Stones took priority.
"Prepare the Space Stone," Ben ordered, already analyzing the tactical data from Thor and Coulson's encounter. Something was definitely wrong with Gamora—her power levels had increased dramatically since their last meeting.
This situation called for personal intervention.
A brilliant blue portal tore open before him, leading directly to Requiem's location. Ben stepped through, ready to face whatever Gamora had become.