Issue #8

Jack reappeared back at the Future Foundation without even talking to the rescue squad that was sent to help the Grey Family or explain himself to Scott and Jean. All he wanted to do was sleep. But there were questions that kept him awake. And the most important of which: Who provoked Gabriel?

'He wouldn't just go crazy and attack like that. Gabriel may have been a bit unstable but his 3 friends kept his craziest antics at bay.

And he didn't just attack. Not only did he coordinate his attack with those Shi'ar forces but he also increased his strength ahead of time. Gabriel would have just gone ahead and attacked recklessly.'

Both of those points were what made Jack sure Gabriel was provoked or had a backer of some sort. But the issue was that there was no way to trace it.

Gabriel had FTL flying speeds when going all out so he could have flown anywhere. There was also the possibility that he was simply teleported to where his backer was located or recieved mystical or telepathic communication in Okkara.

'There are too few pieces that I have to the puzzle. It's impossible to see the full picture,' Jack groaned to himself as he heard his door open. He looked up and expected to see one of his older daughters or fiancees but was surprised to see one of the newer members to his family.

"Dad!" Valeria called out as she entered the room and climbed onto the bed. "What happened with Vulcan? The scanners showed a massive spike in energy around the mansion and when I looked into their security systems, I saw it was him."

Jack gave her a sad smile before ruffling the girl's blonde hair. Valeria puffed her cheeks but it only made her look more adorable.

"Someone provoked Vulcan but I have no idea who," Jack told her the truth. He knew Valeria would soon piece everything together so it was better to let her save the energy she would waste. "I plan on visiting the Shi'ar in the coming week to try and get some answers but I'm in a difficult position."

Jack had already figured out he had made many enemies with his displays of power. Most beings at his level would only act out or move about publicly once every few thousand or even hundred thousands of years yet Jack had participated in two battles that consumed several star systems in less than a couple of years.

Whether it was divine, cosmic, or simply mortals, many of them must have figured out who was one of the main factors in each of these. And even if Jack was not truly evil, they would still be wary of a being that would constantly use their power as he did.

"You're being played," Valeria came to same conclusion as Jack. "You must have something that they want."

This was the only reason Valeria could think of why anyone would keep provoking beings into attacking Jack. The question was what was it that Jack had.

His powers? While Jack was indeed special, he was nowhere near the top of the food chain. His powers could help another being get stronger but there were plenty of other ways to do that as well.

His identity as a spirit or sage? While they were rare, spirits were not unheard of. And Jack's primordial sage powers weren't anything that made him invulnerable.

The number of things others could want from Jack and that could be found nowhere else in the universe were absolutely zero in Jack and Valeria's mind which made the situation even worse. The only conclusion they could come up with was a personal vendetta.

'As much as I hate to admit it, I'm pretty cold blooded. I don't think I've allowed a single enemy of mine to live so there should be no one out there who harbors a grudge against me,' Jack was going through the list of people who hated him and were still alive but the only ones that fit the profile were the members of the Illuminati. And each of them had been shut down by Jack and his allies.

Jack was thinking of a way that Xavier or Strange may have reached out to others before they were shut down when Valeria let out a gasp.

"Dad! I think I have an idea," Valeria spoke up. "Maybe it's one of the magical gods that the other you is fighting against. You fought the Olympians after you took Ymir's title and were a powerful spirit so they may have seen your potential and wanted to kill you while you were weaker.

Vulcan also attacked while the other version of you is away in that magic war. They might have wanted to defeat you when they think you're weakened."

Jack nodded along with Valeria's idea, finding it more and more plausible. The mystical principalities were ancient beings of powerful magic with many being able to weave fate itself at their peaks. Finding out about Jack's potential and wanting to squash a future rival made sense.

"But there are not just the Mystical Principalities out there. The Abstract Entities may also fear my potential and want to get rid of me," Jack thought aloud

The Abstract Entities were beings beyond even most of the Mystical Principalities such as the Living Tribunal or Infinity. They were so powerful that they could not stay in the same realm as lesser beings and used Intermediaries to act on their behalf.

These Intermediaries were so powerful that one of them could suppress Galactus at his full strength. The same Galactus that battled evenly with a Celestial on the same power level thar Jack in his past life could barely match.

Jack and Valeria both let out a sigh as they realized that Jack's enemies were just getting stronger and stronger but he had no idea who was behind it all.

'At least I have the Phoenix Force backing me now. Or I hope I do. That damn bird wasn't the most talkative thing,' Jack cursed before picking Valeria up and bringing her to his lab in Okkara to do experiments together.