Chapter One: Meeting the Fake Gandalf

'Huh?!'

Regaining my consciousness, I lazily opened my eyes to find myself in the middle of… nowhere. Below me was what appeared to be a white marble floor and an invisible light-source illuminated the area around me, while the rest was drowned in almost total darkness.

"What the hell?" I muttered with a frown.

It didn't take long for me to recall that I actually just died a few moments, being hit by the biggest motherfucker of a truck I have ever seen. Some drunk guy accused me of stealing his girlfriend, and before I could say anything, the fucker suddenly charged at me and rammed me into the street.

…what followed was instant death!

"Or maybe not," I muttered unsure, looking around to see if I can figure out what place this is.

[Indeed, you are not dead]

'What?!'

I shuddered in fright and slowly looked up to where the mysterious voice seemed to come from. The voice sounded like belonging to someone old, very old… and very powerful. My subconscious mind advised me to be careful.

[Don't worry, young man, I am not here to harm you, but to correct a big injustice that was done to you]

The voice paused for a moment, and an old man wearing a white robe suddenly appeared in front of me. He had long white hair, a large white beard, bushy eyebrows, and a warm smile that promised no harm. The guy looked ancient, his eyes radiated wisdom, and the white staff in his right hand made him look like a wizard.

'Gandalf?!'

"Indeed, Gandalf," the old man confirmed with a cheeky smile. "I picked this form to appear before you to appear as something you find familiar. I need you to be calm, my boy. The next few moments will be very important so you can begin your next great adventure."

'Is he now imitating Dumbledore?!'

The old man in front of me chuckled in amusement.

"You will be granted three wishes as compensation for your premature death," the old man explained. "Furthermore, since you are conscious, I will allow you to decide in which world you wish to reincarnate in."

What followed was an explanation about what he is talking about exactly, and I found myself wondering if I was really dead or if I just lost my mind. The old man in front of me was in essence saying that I could be reborn into the normal again, or I could decide to join an alternate reality like the Harry Potter world, for example.

Well, long story short, I eventually ended up picking a mix between the Harry Potter and the Marvel Universe. The old man simply nodded, and we carried on to the next step: my three wishes!

He explained to me what was possible and what was not. Some stuff that would break the balance of the universe was forbidden. But I didn't want that anyway. I wanted to enjoy my new life with powers that I found cool and awesome. Going for the overpowered stuff would make my life more comfortable, but boring. It's like having a super beautiful wife that was just that… beautiful.

No, I started brainstorming and quickly decided on two powers that were my favorites ones in the Marvel Universe.

"Hmm… for my first wish," I started, sporting a big grin. "I desire an enhancement similar to the perfected Extremis Virus!"

"Wish granted," the old man replied with a calm nod and hit the ground with the end of his staff. "Your body will be enhanced during the time of your rebirth."

"Sounds alright," I nodded in understanding, grinning like a fool.

The Super-Soldier Serum was nice, but the Extremis Virus was much better. The former enhanced your body to the peak of what was possible for a human, but the latter was supernatural. The perfected version of the Extremis Virus would essentially make me neigh-immortal since it could heal most injuries in a matter of seconds or minutes.

"Ehm… is there a way to see the exact benefits of my wish?" I inquired, looking at the old Gandalf guy in hope.

He nodded and waved his hand to the side, and a large screen appeared that listed the benefits of my enhancement.

***

Superhuman Healing Factor: Superficial wounds heal completely in a matter of seconds – and severed limbs, damaged organs, and even damage to the brain can take only minutes to regenerate. The host also enjoys immunity to toxins and diseases.

Exothermic Manipulation: The host is able to consciously raise the temperature of his body, or parts of it. The effect can be controlled to the extent that it might only scorch skin, or increased to the point where it can cause steel to turn into a molten state. At the host's command, his lungs fill with plasma which he can use to exhale fire through his mouth.

Superhuman Strength: The virus enhances the muscular power of the host considerably, enabling the host to lift up to 3 tons.

Enhanced Agility: The host's agility is superior to Olympic-level athletes and other highly trained professionals in the field of gymnastics and acrobatics.

Enhanced Durability: Bones, muscles, skin, tissues all become denser and tougher than normal, which makes them very durable compared to a normal human.

Enhanced Stamina: The musculature produces fewer fatigue toxins during physical activity in comparison to the musculature of an ordinary human.

Enhanced Reflexes: Reflexes are enhanced to the very peak of human potential.

Enhanced Senses: The senses are also greatly enhanced, which makes the host's ability to see, hear, smell, feel and taste things superior to that of a normal human.

Sleeplessness: The host does not need to sleep anymore, allowing him to continue living without suffering health decline from sleep deprivation.

Enhanced Brain Function: The host's brain gains a greatly enhanced storage, analysis, and processing capacity.

***

My jaw-muscles started hurting from all the grinning, and I even began to drool as I read more and more of my future enhancements. The superhuman healing factor and the enhanced brain function thingy were absolutely marvelous.

Seeing the old man giving me an impatient look, I calmed myself and pondered about the choice of my next wish.

"Well…" I started slowly. "As for my second wish, I want the same powers as the character Azazel of Earth-616. Is that manageable?"

"Yes, but remember that this will put you at odds with zealous members of the angelic-looking mutants known as the Cheyarafim," the old man cautioned. "You should be perfectly safe as long you keep your 'demonic' form a secret, however. The addition of Extremis will also make you immune against their blood."

"Ah, these winged simp-lords," I nodded in understanding.

Gandalf gave me a strange look but stayed silent. He then waved his hand towards me this time around and an influx of information entered my mind, giving me knowledge on my new power.

I cheered inwardly – 'This is freaking awesome!'

My main target was the powerful teleportation ability, which would allow me to teleport around without much of a limit. As far as I know, Azazel was one of the most powerful teleporters that could actually weaponize this ability, using it actively in his fights.

Next, Azazel had an affinity for mind-magics as well. The ability was called Will Bending, a mild form of the Imperius Charm. This stuff was always handy to have and could be a great help in all kinds of situations.

Another ability was some kind of wandless magic that would enable me to fire Paralyzing Bolts with my hands or with the tail of my 'demonic' form.

Well, then came my 'demonic' form. Nothing special aside from the fact that it made me look quite… exotic. I would have ram-like horns growing on my head and a tail.

And lastly, Azazel had a powerful regenerative ability as well. He was one of the oldest mutants alive. His mutation could easily rival the regenerative effects of the perfected Extremis Virus.

"Your new powers will naturally fuse and may produce a new form of mutation in your body," the old man explained all of a sudden. "But let's wait for your last wish before we go into detail."

"Of course," I replied with a shrug. "And I already know what I want, but I am not sure how to put it into worlds."

The old man snorted. "Ah, I see… you want the ability to devour magic to amplify your growth and strengthen your body?"

"Ehm…" I hummed, trying to look humble while ignoring the fact that the old geezer was casually reading my mind as he pleases. "Nothing special, just something that allows me to become strong enough in order to defend myself. After all, there are a lot of crazy people in the world that I am going to be reborn very soon."

"That is true," the old man nodded, sighing in defeat. He looked thoughtfully for a moment. "There is a special power that might fit your two previous abilities just nicely, and it will also turn you into a magical being, and allow you to practice the magic of the Wizarding World."

His expression grew serious. "However, while powerful, I want to mention that it will be challenging for you to reproduce and have children if you choose this ability."

"And how is that a problem?" I asked the old man, not really understanding what he was trying to tell me.

The old said nothing in response, but I could recognize amusement appearing in his eyes. He waved his hand at me and a new flood of information washed over me.

'Lord of the Devouring Flame?' – I muttered inwardly.

To make it short, the power the old man talked about was actually some kind of title that gave me access to a special dimension that contained something that was called the Star of Extinction, and the surface of the star was covered by the Devouring Flame, which would allow me to basically devour anything – even magic.

The title would turn me into a pseudo-elemental being by fusing the essence of the Devouring Flame into my body. The exact benefits were unknown since it depended on the material I devoured, but I would become a magical being with a ridiculously high affinity for fire-based magic.

"Alright," I said with a firm nod. "Give me that power!"

The old man rolled his eyes at my uncouth behavior before muttering something under his breath. He lifted his staff and pointed its tip at the space above me. I looked up and felt my blood freeze when I saw a gargantuan flaming eye staring down at me.

'Sauron's Eye?!'

"Enjoy you're your new life," the old man said with clear amusement in his tone while a torrent of vivid, golden fire rained down on my body.

"Oh, and make sure you don't interrupt the slumber of the being to which the Star of Extinction belongs to," he added mysteriously while I slowly lost my consciousness when more and more golden fire cascaded over my body.

[The being is a gargantuan golden dragon, known as Exterminatus – The Voice of Hunger, Fourth Pillar of Destruction, Overlord of the Ceaseless Void]

…