HISD Chapter 115 A Year in Marvel
"Wanda, Wanda, Wanda…"
Calling out the name of his dream anchor, Yi Meng's consciousness detached from the DC universe.
He rose.
He spiraled.
He fell.
His never-awakening dream-state finally reached its destination.
Yi Meng opened his eyes—golden electronic irises completely unlike Doomsday's crimson glare. The restless, destructive power and burning heat of his ancient form faded away, replaced by a body of pure mechanical precision and absolute rationality.
The dreamscape here had been frozen. But at the moment of his return, everything resumed, time flowing forward once more.
From the DC dream, he shifted into the Marvel dream.
By now Yi Meng was already adept, having traveled back and forth over twenty times. He could thread through both dream worlds seamlessly.
Returning to the Marvel dream—
In his form as artificial intelligence, inhabiting the body of Vision, Yi Meng sat cross-legged on a circular platform suspended thousands of meters in the air. Below, New York skyscrapers floated upside-down and fractured like shards of mirrors. Space itself here bent and twisted into countless mirrored planes.
This was Marvel's New York, inside the mirror dimension.
Vision-Yi Meng stood, looking at the Ancient One, who stood with her hands behind her back at the edge of the platform.
Ever since their first encounter, the Ancient One had drawn him here at irregular times, teaching him how to control the Mind Stone.
Thanks to her guidance, Yi Meng had come to understand the gem embedded in his brow more deeply than ever before.
If before, he could only use ten percent of its full power—then now, Yi Meng could wield at least thirty percent.
That was no simple increase. It meant he was no longer just a vessel for the Mind Stone. He was gradually becoming its master.
Because of this, the projection of his mind into the DC universe grew stronger, allowing his Ancient Doomsday form to retain sanity for up to three whole months.
The Ancient One kept her back turned, gazing at reflections of the real world through the mirror surface. "That will do for today," she said softly. "Outside, your little girlfriend is looking for you."
A flicker of light passed through Vision-Yi Meng's eyes.
As expected, even with the Time Stone, the Ancient One could not detect the way he leapt back and forth between different dream worlds. Only when his dream-consciousness entered did time and order resume here. Otherwise, everything froze at the instant he left.
So was this dream universe truly an existing dimension—or merely a phantom realm granting him power?
Even now, Yi Meng could not answer that question.
"Master," Vision-Yi Meng suddenly asked, "did you not once say you would rather do nothing than make mistakes in the little time you had left? Then why choose to help me—help me master the Mind Stone?"
It was a question he had never understood.
The Ancient One gave no reply. She only waved her hand.
In the next instant, mirrored space overlapped with reality. Yi Meng's surroundings blurred, and he was back in the Avengers Tower apartment.
Just then, the front door opened.
A young woman with auburn hair hurried inside, arms full of shopping bags. She wore a stylish jacket and short skirt, with long white socks above the knee. Between the skirt's edge and the stockings stretched a flawless strip of pale, youthful skin.
"Xiao Meng," she sighed, kicking off her boots and pouting. "I'm exhausted."
Vision-Yi Meng smiled warmly, shifting his form into a silver-haired youth in casual clothes. He stepped forward to take her bags. "Didn't I say I'd go with you this afternoon?"
"I just wanted a peek ahead of time… but I couldn't stop myself. Ugh!" Wanda puffed her cheeks, then whimpered in complaint. "My feet are killing me."
"Then lie down and rest," Yi Meng said, guiding her to the sofa. He lifted her slender legs into his lap, and his warm hands massaged them with a gentle vibrating rhythm.
"You're amazing, Xiao Meng…" Wanda sighed, her tense muscles softening, her small feet relaxing completely.
"I'm a professional at this," Yi Meng answered with mock seriousness. Looking at her happy face, he couldn't help recalling her tears of sorrow a year ago in the Marvel dream.
Yes. Since deciding to alternate between the two dreamscapes, balancing power and mind—
Four years had passed in the DC dream. One year had passed in the Marvel dream.
Together, Yi Meng had spent five years in dreams, switching back and forth without once returning to reality awake.
Time in these dream-universes flowed many times faster than in reality. Yet this was his first time remaining immersed so long with full consciousness.
So long that sometimes he felt like a native of Marvel or DC, rather than an intruder.
But dreams were dreams. One day, he would wake and leave them behind.
Vision-Yi Meng's gaze grew distant.
"What's wrong, Xiao Meng?" Wanda noticed, touching his cheek with her hand.
"Nothing," he said, shaking his head gently and meeting her eyes.
Even so, they continued living together like this—two lonely souls leaning on each other. Their bond resembled love, yet even more like family.
"No matter what happens, you must tell me," Wanda said firmly. "We are each other's only one."
"I promise," Yi Meng nodded seriously.
"Oh, right." Wanda rummaged through her bag, pulling out two documents. She handed one to him. "Stark told me to deliver this to you."
Yi Meng took it without looking. He already knew what it was.
The Sokovia Accords.
One year ago, Ultron's betrayal had destroyed Sokovia, erasing a city from Earth. Since then, governments across the globe grew fearful of the Avengers' unchecked power, their battles leaving devastation in their wake.
At Wakanda's urging, more than a hundred nations signed the Accord, seeking to bind the Avengers with laws.
If the Accord was here already—then the civil war was close at hand.
Wanda tilted her head. "Xiao Meng, will you sign or not?"
"What about you?" he asked in return.
"Your choice is mine," Wanda answered without hesitation.
"I see."
Yi Meng smiled faintly—and tossed the Sokovia Accords into the trash.
(TL/N: Calling someone with Xiao prefix is a form of affection if you don't know. Literally translates to Little Meng. Much like -chan in japanese but used more romantically in this case.)
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