Chapter 15 To the soul

Ancient One fell into silence as she looked at him seriously. She could tell he was telling the truth and there was no way to hide it from her who could recognize the lies.

" Watch closely, young one. There are 6 gems in this universe that were created in the first breath of creation. Each of them held heaven-defying powers that questioned the realities. We call them Infinity stones or gems. If you take one of them away from here, the timeline would be divided and our future would become bleak."

She said, drawing the golden lines in the air with 6 floating stones. Bruce touched the gems and drew one of them.

" But what would happen if we return the gem right back here after we use it? The time cause effect would be minimal."

He said, handing the illusion to her with the hope of being able to persuade her. He knew there was no practical way to defeat her.

" Hmm, indeed it is feasible. However, if what you are saying is right. Do you know what would happen even if you bring the gem here after our time?"

Ancient One replied, showing him to cause of the destruction in the countless future, but she didn't tell him one thing and that was Arthur's existence. He was the only variable in their universe, so she avoided telling him that Arthur would die from just a single deviation due to his irregular existence.

" I promise that I would bring it back right here."

Bruce said solemnly, knowing she was ready to give him the gem. Although he was a little bit worried about the due date, there was no major drawback.

" Alright, I will trust you. Remember, your oath has a tremendous amount of influence on the future. No matter what you do, bring back it right on time."

She said, handing the green gem back to him.

Meanwhile in Vormir

Natasha and Clint were able to reach the dead planet without any problem.

Swoosh*

She went down from the ship with a complicated face. Clint patted her shoulder, walking towards the path which was leading them to the center of the planet.

" It has been a long time since I had a visitor here."

A silhouette of a man floated in front of them. Natasha immediately recognized his face due to his file in the archives of Eden. As a leader of the strongest city in the world, she had a massive amount of intel on the villains, including old-era villains who were presumed to be dead in most of the cases.

" You are Red Skull. I thought you were dead in the second world War."

Natasha answered coldly, raising her guard against him. Clint also noticed, raising his bow to match his face.

" Oh, you seemed to be special guests. I never thought my name would be remembered on Earth. This makes it easier for us."

Red Skull said, grinning with a calm gaze. Although he is an ambitious man, he had no chance to free himself. Thus he was glad to see the guests here, plotting to free himself from the clutches of this damned gem.

" I will guide you to my master."

He laughed, pointing at the tall mountain. Obviously they followed after him with vigilance since he was a former villain who almost killed one of their teammates. He was a dead man with both brain and brawl.

Their journey wasn't difficult because they reached the mountain with rather ease. They could see the giant flat rock with some kind of edge over the giant cliff. The cliff was so steep that they were sure that no one would survive if they were pushed down.

" Now the last piece of advice is love. The greatest sacrifice would bring the greatest reward, so choose wisely."

Red Skull said, vanishing into the air. Natasha and Clint looked at each other in silence.

" Nat, let me do it. You have Andrei and Arthur. I don't want you to lose your family. Arthur didn't even see his son yet."

Clint smiled, thinking about a bright boy who was hardworking and charming. He was a bright boy who never ceased to amaze him.

Natasha shook her head with a smile.

" Clint, I believe Art can take care of our son. He is a good dad and your family will need you more than me."

She spoke, showing her determination to sacrifice.