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As one of the six Infinity Stones, the Soul Stone's power was immense.
Its primary function was the manipulation of life and death, but it also excelled at sensing, stealing, and imprisoning souls. Its core ability was to grant access to the Soul World.
But the method of obtaining it was uniquely, brutally cruel.
Especially for someone like Hawk.
To claim the Soul Stone, one had to sacrifice the soul of the person they loved most. Only then would the stone reveal itself.
'I'll stick to the grind. Keep leveling up, awaken the Eighth Sense, and when the time is right, I'll walk into Hell and take my sister's soul back from Mephisto myself.'
Hawk thought, decisively erasing the idea of seeking the Soul Stone from his mind. He washed his hands, and at Gwen's urging, walked out of the bathroom.
When they got down to the hotel lobby, Mary Jane and Peter were already waiting.
They were here to see London, not to sleep in.
And so, after a relentless series of texts from Mary Jane, Hawk and Gwen had dragged themselves out of bed to continue their tour.
...
Meanwhile, Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, who had finally escaped Africa and were supposed to be on a much-needed break in London, were not having nearly as much fun.
They were still working overtime on Salisbury Plain.
Hawk had soloed the final boss—the Dark Elf leader Malekith—and then simply left.
Thor, with his trusty hammer, had speed-ran the remaining Dark Elves who had shown up for a last-ditch revenge attempt—and then he, too, had simply left.
But while they could leave, Natasha and Clint could not.
Natasha rubbed her forehead, surveying the battlefield. It was a sea of Dark Elf corpses and a massive gaping trench torn through the earth—and countless glittering, golden fragments of what looked like a suit of armor.
In short, it was a complete mess.
Fortunately, their job was mostly supervisory. The S.H.I.E.L.D. cleanup crew had been on standby from the moment the incident began.
Now, dozens of agents, moving like diligent bees, were meticulously clearing the area. Some were bagging the bodies, some were stripping them of their alien equipment, and several specialized teams were carefully collecting the golden armor fragments scattered across the plain.
All Natasha had to do was watch.
After all, a senior agent picking up trash? It was beneath her pay grade.
Just then, Clint finished his call and walked back over.
Natasha shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun and gave him a wry smile. "So, how mad is Laura that you're not coming home tonight?"
Laura Barton. Clint's wife. He had hidden his family so well that less than five people in all of S.H.I.E.L.D. even knew he was married with kids.
Barton sighed. "It is what it is. The job comes first."
Natasha shook her head. She knew he hated talking about his family in the field, so she changed the subject.
"What about Thor?"
"Gone. Told his girlfriend he'd be back soon."
"The last time he said that was during the Battle of New York last year."
"I know."
"And Hawk?"
"Our agents in London report that the four of them just bought tickets to the British Museum."
"...Of course they did."
The corner of Natasha's mouth twitched. "I was supposed to go to the museum today."
Barton sighed again. "I know. Don't forget, I'm the one who bought the tickets."
Natasha frowned.
"Can you get a refund?"
"Nope."
"..."
They looked at each other, then back at the sprawling chaotic mess of Salisbury Plain, and fell into a grim, resigned silence.
And in a corner of the scene, unnoticed by either of them, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent glanced quickly at Natasha and Barton. Then, with a swift, practiced motion, he bent down, picked up a blood-stained golden fragment from the ground, and slipped it into his pocket.
His movements were seamless. A moment later, he was back to work, collecting other fragments as if nothing had happened.
...
The cleanup on Salisbury Plain continued long after nightfall.
Meanwhile, Hawk and his friends had returned from the museum, had dinner at the hotel's buffet, and gone back to their rooms to sleep.
They were moving on tomorrow.
Their trip was a full fifteen days, and London was just the first stop on the itinerary Mary Jane and Gwen had planned.
The next morning, they checked out of the hotel and headed for Rochester.
Rochester Castle, a historic fortress in the ancient town, was the next stop on their list.
Now that he had the Reality Stone and the final obstacle to his growth had been removed, Hawk was able to relax and simply enjoy the trip with Gwen, Mary Jane, and Peter.
The days flew by.
Soon, their tour of London and the surrounding area was coming to an end. They returned to their original hotel for the last night before their flight back to New York.
Gwen and Mary Jane were sitting on the sofa in their room, huddled together, excitedly sorting through the hundreds of photos they had taken.
Peter was out. A few days ago, Felicia Hardy had called, asking him to stop by Harry's old apartment in London. There was a photo album she wanted him to bring back.
...
Hawk was standing alone on the balcony, his consciousness immersed in his Cosmo.
The Reality Stone, now the Eye of the Phoenix, radiated a Crimson fire, illuminating every corner of his inner universe.
With every breath of the Phoenix Heart, his Cosmo turned, and with every turn, he could feel it expanding, growing stronger.
It wasn't an illusion.
The power of a Silver Saint was exponentially greater than that of a Bronze Saint.
The legendary five were the exception, of course.
But Hawk could feel it. He was still far from his limit.
His speed had increased to roughly Mach 300. If he burned his Cosmo at full power, he could push it to Mach 500.
It sounded impressive.
But the strongest of the Silver Saints could move at speeds approaching the Speed of Light.
(PS: Light travels at roughly Mach 874,030)
He still had a long way to go.
Just then, he slowly opened his eyes, turned, and walked back into the room. "Gwen, I'm going down to the lobby for a minute."
Gwen looked up from her photos and nodded, then immediately went back to her discussion with Mary Jane.
Hawk walked out the door.
A few moments later, he stepped out of the elevator and saw him. He was sitting in the lobby, not in his usual armor, but in a casual suit, his messy blonde hair tied back, an umbrella resting against his chair.
Thor.
Hawk's mouth twitched as he walked over.
"Thor."
"Hawk."
Thor, who had been sitting with Jane, stood up and greeted him with a booming laugh, pulling him into a warm, enthusiastic hug, as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in years.
Jane smiled, a look of fond exasperation on her face. "Hawk."
"Jane."
"Sorry about him," she said. "He's been… extra excited since he got back."
"Of course I'm excited!"
Thor released him and explained, "I'm staying this time. Unless Asgard is in grave danger, I'm not going back. I was worried it would be boring, but with you here, I think things will be interesting."
Hawk glanced at Jane, a look of surprise on his face.
Jane nodded.
Hawk feigned understanding and smiled back.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Jane said. "Thor got here yesterday. He found out from S.H.I.E.L.D. that you were still in London and insisted we come and find you."
Hawk wasn't surprised that S.H.I.E.L.D knew his location. He didn't mind. It was their job, and as long as they didn't interfere with his daily life, he was happy to cooperate.
He smiled.
"I'm heading back to New York tomorrow."
"Excellent! Jane, when do we go back?"
"Our flight is the day after tomorrow."
Jane looked at her boyfriend—a God of Thunder on Asgard, a lovable goofball on Earth—and just shook her head.
Thor turned back to Hawk. "Then we'll see you in New York. I'm friends with Tony Stark. We fought together during the battle last year."
Hawk smiled. "I know. I was there that day, too. But I was in Queens."
Thor was taken aback for a second, then he remembered feeling a strange surge of power on that day. He had looked in that direction, but he had been too busy trying to stop his brother from making a terrible mistake.
Now, it all made sense.
"That was you."
"It was."
"Fantastic! That means we're comrades-in-arms!"
Thor's grin was infectious. "When Jane and I get back to New York, we'll all get together. And I'm still waiting for that sparring match you promised me."
Hawk smiled at him.
"You got it. New York, then."
"See you in New York."
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If you're interested, you can read advanced chapters:
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
~# Bonus Chapter every 300PS