"Hawk Phoenix."
"Wanda Maximoff."
After exchanging names, Hawk and Wanda met each other's gaze.
"I come from the future."
"The future..."
Listening to Hawk's words, Wanda's eyes filled with crimson chaos magic flickered as she looked at Hawk.
"No wonder I feel you're not really here."
"But since you come from the future and know about this place, why..."
"The past cannot be changed."
Hawk knew what Wanda wanted to ask and responded directly. His gaze fell on Billy and Tommy in the cradle, then seemed to think of something and looked at Wanda.
"Regret it?"
"What?"
Wanda was still pondering the meaning of 'the past cannot be changed,' and instinctively raised her head upon hearing Hawk's 'regret it' before her gaze followed Hawk's to Billy and Tommy in the cradle, understanding, and looking at Hawk.
"Will you kill us?"
"No."
Hawk didn't hesitate over this question.
In every aspect, emotionally and rationally, he had no motive to harm Wanda.
There are basic rules even in killing.
Moreover, Hawk was not someone who enjoyed killing, although he could annihilate families or clans, if disregarding those, he was rather reasonable.
Emotionally, whether he liked to admit it or not, Jean, Billy, and Tommy were indeed his descendants.
A tiger doesn't eat its cubs.
He had no reason to kill these three children; similarly, being their mother, Wanda, he had even less reason to harm her.
Legally speaking, Wanda was also a victim; although initially, Wanda might have been willing, considering it differently, even if she weren't, Strucker would ensure she was.
Therefore...
It was Strucker who deserved to die, not Wanda.
Thinking of Strucker, Hawk remembered that since obtaining the Mind Gemstone, he had been busy exploring the Seventh Sense, neglecting Strucker in the Nether Prison.
Old bastard, wait for me; once I'm done mastering the Seventh Sense, I'll come to the Nether Prison for a good old visit.
The Eight Great Prisons of the Netherworld!
I'll make sure you become the first to enjoy my meticulously prepared Eight Great Nether Prisons.
Hawk's thoughts were swirling.
Meanwhile,
Just as he said he wouldn't kill Wanda,
Wanda's voice followed.
"Then I have no regrets either."
"..."
Hawk returned to the present, looking at Wanda.
Wanda met Hawk's gaze, her eyes fell on Billy and Tommy in the cradle: "They are my sons, so I've never regretted it."
Seeing the flash in Wanda's eyes and the smile on her cheeks as she looked at Billy and Tommy, Hawk's mind conjured the image of the blond woman holding him and his sister Anya in her arms.
Wanda's expression now was identical to that of the blonde woman.
He could tell Wanda wasn't lying.
But...
Hawk withdrew his gaze.
"I should go now."
"They are also your sons, the names should come from you."
Wanda spoke softly as Hawk was about to leave.
Hawk answered without thinking: "Billy, Tommy!"
The moment he spoke their names,
Hawk felt a bit dazed.
He initially thought the names Billy and Tommy were given by Wanda since those were indeed the names of Wanda's twin sons.
Turned out!
He was the one who named them.
After blurting out 'Billy' and 'Tommy,' Hawk regained his composure from his daze.
Wanda listened to the names Hawk gave, thought about them, nodded, and smiled at Billy and Tommy in the cradle: "Billy, Tommy."
Watching this scene unfold, Hawk turned and vanished from this timeline.
Within the Little Cosmos.
As Hawk borrowed the Time Gemstone to rush upstream and downstream within the timeline, constantly sensing the cheating behavior of time.
Amidst the collision of the yellow Mind Gemstone, the crimson of his Little Cosmos, and the blood-red of the Reality Gemstone, three different colored lights clashed.
The essence of Hawk's Little Cosmos, the crimson head of Phoenix, gradually faded from gold to leave only golden - the gold of the Golden Saint Warriors, the gold of the Golden Little Cosmos...
Time was closing into a loop.
Hawk's timeline was constricting.
With his presence in the past timeline, his understanding of time sharpened further; at the beginning, he needed the Time Gemstone to reverse upstream his timeline.
But now, Hawk had a sense, he could do it without the Time Gemstone.
Nevertheless...
Even if it's an illusion, it's a good sign.
Because this illusion only appears when one's strength increases exponentially, just like when he initially awakened his Little Cosmos, he felt he could tear apart the heavens with one punch.
But however good illusions are, they cannot be treated as senses.
At the moment his illusion rose, Hawk no longer focused solely on understanding time but on rationalizing his illusions further.
As he slowed his comprehension of time, the color nearly tinting his Little Cosmos from silver to golden yellow gradually decelerated.
But...
The pure golden color's immersion speed increased.
On this day.
Strucker turned around with a complicated expression mixed with confusion, leading the Hydra researchers out of Wanda's house.
After Strucker and his team left, Pietro returned to the room, approaching his sister and looking at Billy and Tommy, who seemed to have grown a bit and were now able to crawl on the floor mat.
"Billy and Tommy didn't inherit his powers?"
"The test results say so."
Wanda still looked at Billy and Tommy crawling happily, with an indulgent gaze, then turned to Pietro: "That's normal, genetics aren't always 100%. So, since they haven't inherited his powers, you don't like Billy and Tommy anymore?"
Pietro quickly shook his head: "How could I not? They're my nephews, my own nephews, how could I not like them?"
But...
Although it seemed like Wanda was speaking to Pietro, her peripheral vision fell on Hawk, who was in the dining room playing blocks with his daughter, Jean.
Hawk sensed the gaze directed at him but didn't say anything.
In the evening.
After putting Jean, freshly bathed, into bed, and soothing her to sleep, Hawk prepared to leave.
Never to return.
Because the Phoenix Power within Jean was enough to explode instantly and appear at Palm Street No. 521A.
So...
His timeline was about to close the loop, and next, he needed to contract his timeline.
This does not mean that after contracting the timeline, he will be the only Hawk in all universes.
Other parallel cosmoses will still have parallel versions of himself present.
But...
Once Hawk has contracted his timeline, no one can use the timeline to cause trouble for him anymore.
Simply put.
Hawk has fixed his past, so there won't be any incidents where someone tries to travel through the timeline to kill him.
Such as Deadpool from a parallel world traveling through the timeline and slashing Weapon X will absolutely not occur to him.
After placing his daughter Jean in bed and covering her with the quilt, Hawk prepared to read a book to coax her to sleep when Jean tugged at the quilt.
"Daddy, do you not like Billy and Tommy?"
"...."
Hawk paused slightly, looked at Jean, and said with a smile: "Why do you ask that?"
Jean blinked her large eyes: "Billy and Tommy are not like me, they didn't inherit your powers, they are not like you."
Hawk smiled and said: "How could I not? Even if they haven't inherited my powers, they are still my sons, your brothers, right?"
Jean pursued the question: "So, Daddy, do you like Billy and Tommy?"
Hawk smiled gently.
"I do."
"I like them too."
Jean beamed with a bright smile, then turned over in the bed, nestled up close to Hawk: "Daddy, tell me a story."
Hawk chuckled, embraced Jean in his arms, and told her the fairy tale that Wanda had specifically folded.
After a while.
Jean slowly fell asleep as Hawk continued the story.
Hawk didn't leave immediately; he finished the entire story and ensured Jean slept deeply in the Phoenix Fire before extricating himself, gently placed Jean back in bed, covered her with the quilt, and then passed through the wall to the master bedroom, only separated by one wall from Jean's room.
At that moment, Wanda had just managed to put the energetically lively Billy and Tommy to sleep. Even with the Crimson Chaos Magic Power, Wanda looked slightly fatigued.
After all, raising children has been an energy-draining endeavor throughout history.
Seeing Wanda with sweat on her forehead and a few red hairs stuck to it, Hawk thought for a moment.
"You're working hard!"
"They are my sons."
Wanda smoothed her long hair, which stuck to her forehead as she looked at the sleeping Billy and Tommy.
Hawk nodded at her words: "I have to go."
Wanda snapped out of her thoughts, looked at Hawk.
The next moment.
She nodded.
"Alright."
"Goodbye."
Hawk met Wanda's gaze, smiled, and prepared to leave.
At that moment.
Wanda spoke up.
"Wait."
"...."
Wanda watched Hawk halt and look back at her: "Billy and Tommy didn't inherit your powers, do you truly like them?"
Hawk, hearing the words, met Wanda's gaze: "Whether they inherit my powers or not, it's not up to me."
Wanda frowned.
"Then who..."
"You'll know."
"Goodbye, Wanda."
Hawk said so.
He came here to close the time loop, not to open up a hole. So, after saying that, he turned and disappeared from the timeline.
The next moment.
Sitting cross-legged on the riverbed of the time stream, Hawk opened his eyes.
....