Final Testing

"Nah, Matthew's powers are better," James thought.

Jasper's abilities came with a madness label, but Matthew's were something else entirely.

He was already warping reality on a planetary level as soon as his powers awakened, and even after a few hours, he showed no signs of mental degradation—only confusion.

After all, who wouldn't be confused after suddenly gaining the ability to annihilate entire armies with a passing thought?

"Paris, if I finally gain the powers I want, do you think I'll go mad too?" James asked, slightly concerned.

The name 'James' as a reality warper didn't exactly have a great track record.

[For the final time, your body is extremely adaptable. You'll only go mad if you're mentally unstable, and you've proven to be as stable as nth metal,] Paris replied in a slightly exasperated tone.

It was clear James had asked this question many times before.

"I know, but all the Jameses who were reality warpers don't exactly inspire confidence."

[There's a clear difference between you and them. You know what power you have, and you have your family—and me—to keep you in check if you go rogue. Though I don't see how that's possible. You've wielded power equal to this on many occasions while in here,] Paris said, trying to reassure him.

"True. Guess it's my duty to show them how it's done," James replied with a smile, then turned his attention back to the symbiote.

"This seems perfect for now. Paris, test for aging," James said, refocusing on the task at hand.

[Affirmative,] Paris replied as the clone walked back into the testing area.

As soon as it entered and the door closed behind it, a large, slightly visible cube appeared around the clone. Within moments, James watched as the clone aged at a visible rate. In minutes, it turned to dust.

James shrugged, knowing the symbiote was still essentially a baby with no extra abilities. Expecting it to be immortal like its inorganic counterpart was absurd.

The remarkable part was that the clone aged naturally—from young to middle-aged, then old, and finally to dust—meaning the symbiote granted its host a form of immortality.

Paris had used her powers to speed up time within the cube. James didn't know exactly how much time had passed inside, but he estimated it was at least 1,000 years per second.

[Basic lifespan of a million years,] Paris commented.

James continued watching as the dust reformed into the clone, as if time had been reversed, until it returned to its original state.

The clone began aging again, this time lasting nearly an hour. It still looked to be in its 40s, alive and healthy. James was stunned.

Even Venom couldn't sustain Eddie Brock for that long. In *Venom: The End*, when Venom finally released Eddie, he was nothing more than a withered husk.

Yet, this symbiote maintained its host's youthful appearance and bodily functions. After a while, Paris deactivated the cube.

[Average lifespan of nearly a hundred million years,] Paris announced. James was amazed.

What was the difference between that and immortality? With the symbiote, he no longer had to worry about his family's longevity.

"Paris, what's the difference between the two?"

[The host can live for a little over a million years simply by having the symbiote in their body. It grants enhanced longevity. However, when the symbiote or host actively renews their health, they can live for more than a hundred million years. This doesn't account for injuries or diseases the symbiote can't cure,] Paris explained.

"So, basically, with the symbiote, I can create immortal soldiers who won't die unless affected by a powerful external force?" James asked.

That was the essence of the new symbiotes. They could heal their hosts so effectively that even if the host lost their entire body, the symbiote would preserve the brain and regenerate the rest.

With a lifespan like this, they were practically immortal—and this was before the symbiote absorbed any additional powers.

[In a way, yes. Matthew's DNA results are out. Do you want to see them?] Paris informed him.

"Already?" James asked.

[I can run octillions of tasks simultaneously with maximum efficiency. Testing Matthew's DNA wasn't difficult.]

"I know, I know. I just didn't expect it so soon. Show me. Oh, and program the Dreamstone crystals to distribute only when they're asleep," James said, returning to his seat as documents appeared before him.

[Sure.]