The Avengers were diligently constructing the time-travel machine.
Hawk, much like staying in the native cosmos, stayed at the house on Palm Street No. 521A, rarely stepping outside.
At most, he'd go out for a bit when accompanying his sister Anya to the supermarket to purchase daily necessities.
But most of the time, Hawk stayed under the sycamore tree in the backyard, standing on his Time Galaxy, watching the flow of time with twinkling eyes.
Time tick-tocked as it moved.
In the blink of an eye.
Twenty days had already passed.
At the Avengers' base, a colossal time-traveling device had been swiftly built in just twenty days.
There was just a small problem.
When Scott traveled through time, he either turned into a baby or an old man.
It seemed like Scott had traveled to the past or the future, yet in truth, he hadn't even touched the shadow of time travel.
Because, rather than saying Scott was traversing time, it was more accurate to say that time was traversing within Scott.
The two seemed similar.
But in reality, they were vastly different.
Just as Captain America silently shut down the time machine, covering his forehead, looking up at the sky, thinking their plan had utterly failed.
Tony Stark appeared like a savior, driving his Audi sports car, arriving beside Captain America.
"What, did the experiment go wrong?"
"Let me guess, did you either turn into a baby or an old man at times?"
"..."
Captain America didn't answer, just looked at Tony Stark.
"Why are you here?"
"This is the EPR paradox. It's dangerous. Didn't anyone warn you that time travel is dangerous?"
"You warned us."
"Yes, I did."
After getting out of the car, Tony raised his hand to show the completed time-traveling navigator he made in the Stark Industries lab: "Fortunately, I've completed a fully functional time-travel navigator."
Captain America's gaze fell on the item Tony was displaying.
Soon.
As Iron Man and Captain America shook hands, with the whole family disappearing in the flicker, Hawkeye Kilton, who had nothing left to lose, traveled back to the past and returned with a baseball glove, officially marking the launch of the 'Time Hijacking' plan.
"We need help."
"Rocket, Falcon, and Nebula have received the message and are on their way back."
"Danvers?"
"Couldn't reach her for now."
"Thor?"
"Norway, I'll go get Thor back."
"Bring Rocket along."
"By the way."
Captain America, arranging troops, suddenly thought of someone: "What about Hawk? Dr. Bruce Banner said he's strong and can freely traverse the Quantum Realm. Will he come to help us?"
Bruce Banner shrugged: "If it's the Hawk from the multiverse I visited, yes, he's very strong."
Natasha shook her head under Captain America's gaze: "He probably won't come to help us. He was very certain when he said that, so we can only rely on ourselves."
Captain America, hearing this, didn't say much more.
When Bruce Hawk Banner returned from Norway's New Asgard with Thor, who had turned into a couch potato, it was already Hawk's twenty-second day in this universe.
At the Avengers' base, seven Infinity Gemstones were lined up.
Space, Mind, Time.
Reality.
Soul.
And Power.
This was arranged after Natasha's reminder. At a special moment in time, three Infinity Gemstones appeared together on Earth.
So they split into three small teams.
"Five years ago, we lost!"
"We were utterly defeated!"
"We lost friends, family, even part of our team."
"But today we have the chance to bring them back."
"Everyone familiarizes themselves with friends, knows the mission, finds the Infinity Gemstones, and brings them back."
"Each person can only go and return once, no mistakes, no redos, we're going to familiar places but must remain vigilant. Be cautious and look out for each other."
"This is a battle of fate."
"We have to win!"
"At all costs!"
"See you later!"
"Buzz!"
As the time-traveling device activated, with Natasha's smile and blessing of seeming contentment over the 'family reunion', the Avengers members on the platform were instantly swallowed by the time-traveling device.
The next moment.
The past of the river of time rippled like a stone was tossed into it.
Meanwhile.
In the backyard under the sycamore tree on Palm Street No. 521A, Hawk, covering the Avengers' base with the Seventh Sense, also saw the moment when the Avengers entered the river of time, and he too entered the river of time.
Then...
He traveled upstream.
Time!
2012, Chitauri invasion, the moment after Bruce Hawk Banner borrowed the Time Gemstone.
On the rooftop platform of the New York Hall.
Hawk appeared silently.
The Supreme Mage, who had just sent off Bruce Hawk Banner, looked at Hawk who appeared in front of him, first stunned, then showed a brilliant smile.
"Oh! Long time no see, Hawk."
"..."
The Ancient One looked at Hawk, whose expression had frozen, and smiled as she said, "When Dr. Bruce Banner came to borrow the Time Gemstone earlier, I looked at my own timeline, from the Phoenix Cosmos of the Multiverse, of course, I know you prefer I call you Hawk."
Hawk chuckled at these words, then directly stated his purpose.
"I want to know what's going on with me and Wanda in this universe."
Initially, after receiving his time and memories in this universe, he hadn't really given it much thought.
Once again, his main goal here was to break through the Eighth Sense of Life and deal with Celestial God Griss, who had come to this universe.
But as time passed, as his golden phoenix cosmos gradually manifested here, and as he observed his past on the Time Galaxy, he finally noticed something strange.
One sentence.
The Hawk here isn't him, but he is the Hawk here.
This is not an exception.
Because through the Time Galaxy, Hawk sensed the same aura on Wanda here.
Simply put.
The Wanda here seems to be the one he knows, the one residing in West View Town.
Just like him, one tree, two flowers.
Hawk couldn't understand.
Moreover, he estimated he wouldn't be able to return for a while. Coincidentally, he thought of the Avengers trying to act as time robbers, so he came to the timeline where The Ancient One still existed.
The Ancient One laughed but didn't answer Hawk's question, instead smiling and asking Hawk.
"What do you think is going on?"
"...It's the question I wanted to ask, Mage."
"You already have the answer in your heart, don't you?"
"..."
The Ancient One's smile remained, her voice calm and her gaze gentle as she looked at Hawk: "You just don't want to believe it."
Hawk didn't speak, his eyes calmly watching The Ancient One.
The Ancient One too met Hawk's gaze.
Four eyes met.
For a long while.
Hawk's lips twitched as he averted his gaze from The Ancient One's eyes, his voice carrying a hint of melancholy: "Multiverse and stuff, I despise them the most. I feel an urge to destroy every universe except the one I'm in."
The Ancient One's smile was bright.
"No, you don't want that."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course."
The Ancient One spoke with great conviction as she looked at Hawk: "Because as long as the Multiverse exists with you and Wanda, then certainly someone else will be there, and as long as that person is there, no matter what, you won't destroy it."
Hawk looked at The Ancient One again.
"Anya!"
"Yes."
The Ancient One nodded: "In whatever universe, Anya Phoenix will always be Hawk Phoenix's most cherished sister."
Listening to The Ancient One repeat his words, Hawk's lips twitched once more, revealing a slight smile, then he sighed and looked at The Ancient One again.
"So, give me some advice, Mage, after all, my God of Time is off on vacation somewhere, and I can't find her."
"Sorry."
The Ancient One, her smile radiant, shook her head again, looking at Hawk: "Matters of the Main God's domestic affairs are not something we subordinate gods can interfere in, after all, it can easily draw trouble."
Hawk blinked.
"Did you not say you are not my subordinate god?"
"But another 'me' is, and you've come to this universe."
"So?"
"I also count as your subordinate god, after all..."
The Ancient One said as she looked around, seemingly observing the universe, then returned her gaze to Hawk, her expression helpless: "Don't make things difficult for me, you wouldn't want me to weave a time loop like Zeus turning into a bull."
Hawk laughed.
"So subordinate gods shouldn't meddle in the Main God's affairs but can openly threaten the Main God?"
"The Main God has to use power to suppress the subordinate gods, surely the subordinate gods can't just stand by and let themselves be captured without retaliating."
The Ancient One spoke with a smile, then seemed to see something: "Is the Main God determined to continue wasting time here with me, considering someone is about to jump off a cliff?"
Hawk didn't speak, quietly watching The Ancient One.
When The Ancient One finished speaking, she refrained from saying more, once again meeting Hawk's gaze.
The next moment.
"In the past, I didn't understand why I would let my children mess up the timeline you wove."
"I felt a bit guilty then."
"Now I know the reason."
"Straddlers are the least liked."
"Yes."
The Ancient One listened to Hawk's rant, nodding, her tone peaceful: "But whether to offend one person, or offend two people, is a choice even a child would make."
Speaking of this.
The Ancient One lowered her voice, her expression serious as she whispered: "Women hold grudges."
Hawk's lips twitched furiously.
Then...
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then re-opened his eyes, glanced at The Ancient One, said nothing further, and turned away leaving the rooftop of the New York Hall in 2012.
In the next moment.
He followed the time ripple caused by the Avengers, concealing his figure, and arrived at a point in time, then leapt!
Before him.
Red moon in the sky!
This is Vormir!
...