New beginnings
Well I'm loving this new font...Aren't you Miss Grey? Consolas...has a nice ring to it. Oh you poor Patreon and Web novel readers! Too bad you won't be able to read-"
"You monster....you killed him! You killed Kurt!"
"Hmm....didn't your parents teach you any manners?" Magneto japed.
It was weird. Magneto was weird. She had this nagging sensation in the back of her mind, that something wasn't right here. A small part of her mind thought if this was even Magneto?
"What..are you...you're not him. He's not-" She began whispering to herself only to be cut short by the man.
"As charming as I am. He's a dour man who's motivations would be interesting if they weren't so cliche....but then again you could say the same about me. Fourth wall breaking villain who monologues like crazy."
"Why are you helping Magneto-" Before she could finish, she fell down to the ground. She lost consciousness at impact.
"Right enough of that. I can only ramble on for so long before the whole shtick gets boring...."
"Oh you're still here
𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝟳𝟭 - 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
POV – Peter Parker
"What's happening Charles?" Dr. Hank yanked the man in the floating chair.
Charles Xavier's paid no mind to it though. His eyes remained firmly closed, he was sweating profusely. We were about to make our way to visit the now awake Theo but the professor stopped dead in his tracks right as we were making our way. Something happened. Something really bad by the look on the professor's face.
'Of course you dolt! Magneto wouldn't go down without a fight! We're living in a comic book.' My thoughts raced but it was the professor who spoke up.
"Goddammit Charles! Tell me what's got you so worried-" He shook him again, this time even more violently. The professor almost fell out of his hovering chair.
"Not now, Hank! Please...not now." The professor begged, Dr. Hank had to finally relent when he detected the seriousnessin his friend's voice.
No one spoke for a good minute. Me and the doctor were trying to read the professor's face like a book but it was to no use. His face remained like a slab of stone other than the slight twitches he made in between.
My thoughts went into overdrive.
Everything was going well so perfectly. What could have gone so wrong? Why did the professor look like that? What could have ruined ourperfect victory? Why did I have this weird feeling-
"They're gone." The professor muttered defeatedly.
"What-" Before the doctor could ask, Prof. Xavier cut in.
"They're gone Hank. Whatever that thing was...it....they're gone. I can't locate them."
"But with the new and improved Cerebro-"
"I can't find them. You know what that means."
The air was thick and the smell of sweat and fear prominent.
"How did Magneto? I thought you said he didn't have his powers any more?" Dr. Hank was the first one to break the silence.
"it's not him....it's...I don't know-" Before he could finish a cold voice with no warmth spoke.
"Well hello there!"
I leapt back, away from the voice. "Wait a minute you're-"
"The lady from the library! Yes, I see that you've found the telephone!"
It was the very same pale lady from before. Dressed in a creepy white gown this time.
"Hey where are you manners?"
"What-" As I began to ask the question, it hit me that she was referring to my thoughts just now.
'She can readminds!'
"DING! DING! Two points for Peter or do you still go by your old name?"
The Doctor, No the Beast roared! He didn't care that it was an old woman. He knew that she was dangerous. He charged towards the old woman with his claws out and fangs aimed at her jugular. Before his claws could make contact though, he stopped. He was so close to her but his body wouldn't budge. Then his body slumped like a rag doll.
"Wow he really did fall like a rag doll! Good one narrator."
.
.
.
I couldn't move. Fear over took my system
"Who are you?" I said still looking at the doctor's unconscious body.
'Is he...?' My intrusive thoughts was silenced when I saw that he was still breathing.
"Ah you must be the protagonist." The lady smiled understandingly.
"Protagonist?" I muttered, still not quite understanding what was happening.
"As for question as to who I am. Do you want the long but boring version or the short and sweet one?"
[Peter keep her distracted! Let me see if I can find a way to alert Moe]
The professor communicated telepathically. It was good thinking. If this thing was really that powerful then we really needed our friendly neighboured Cafe owner now more than ever. He was only one that stood a chance against it.
I decided to take the professor's suggestion and request the long version.
"Well..well seems like you're really interested!" She looked at her wrist watch and said, "I have some time. Might as well as do the whole comic villain speech thing since I'm one."
She looked straight into my soul and spoke, "Many people call me many things. Some call me the great mother and pray to me. While others live in fear of me. Look the main thing is I'm like a really big deal"
It joked but I didn't feel like laughing. The thing that scared me the most was that my instincts didn't even detect her. She presented herself with a carefree attitude but inside there was something sinister.
Thankfully my military helped separate fear from the objective and the objective now was to keep her talking until Moe gets here.
"But what about you? How would you describe yourself...I didn't ask what others think about you...." I ended the statement with a perilous feeling in the pit of my stomach.
'Did I overdo it'
For the first time during the entire exchange, she actually smirked.
"I like you, Peter Parker."
II felt like an ant. Instead of being irritated or angry at me....she was instead amused.
"Very well. I'll speak plainly, young peter. I am what you call...stories. I'm like....uh...how do you put this....like the god of stories, I guess. I don't know, you humans are weird. If all that is too complicated for you then you can just call me daisy! LOL. I like that name...daisy....daaiiisyyyy." She giggled.
"What? That's....not.....you can't be."
"Oh don't worry dear...I'm not omnipotent like your Abrahamic gods or uninterested in the mundane mortal things like the Buddhist or Jain ones! I'm just.....bored." She said with delight.
"This is....it's too fantastical....why are you?.....I don't understand the connection." I was at a complete loss for words. This was not how I thought today would go. We were winning god damn it. We had won. We saved humanity and saved my friend. Everything was going so well.
"This is crazy. We just had to deal with Magneto. Who are you? You can't be a God-"
"I never said I was!"She scolded me but with a giant grin on her face. It was almost like she was enjoying seeing me squirm.
Sensing my confusion, she answered my upcomingquestion before it could even leave my lips,
"I'm not God. I'm not arrogant to think that I'm all powerful. Look, Peter. It's really simple....I am....lets see...what's the right way to say this.....hmmm....Oh I know! I am the amalgamation of everything you've ever read, written, dreamt or ever lived. Yeah that's easy isn't it. I am what you humans call Cosmic Narrative. All encompassing and everywhere. You compared yourself to an ant. Guess what an ant has it's own story, just because it's not told doesn't mean there isn't one. I am that story. In essence, I am that story! It's cringe overkill but I quite like my function."
Nothing made sense any more. I was questioning my reality, this had to be a bad dream right? I'm not going against something like that and winning.....right?
"All you are is a murderer." Prof. Charles Xavier spoke fearlessly. Well spoke is kind, more like spat.
She looked completely un-phased with the taunt and replied, "Oh I thought you wanted me to keep speaking until your backup arrived. Or is he here already? I can't wait to see this Moe!"
She knew what we were doing...of course she fucking knew. Helloo Dumb dumb....she could read minds.
"That does not change the fact that you are murderer." The professor responded without a seconds hesitation.
This seemed to irritate her a little bit. A small part of the mask cracked.
"A murderer. Now why would you accuse me of something that unsavoury."
"Because that's what you are. Just a self-indulging child." He replied with a stone face but deep within his old eyes was pure rage. Angry that this thing killed his students.
I didn't think it was the wisest move antagonizing someone of her calibre but for some reason I felt that it was the only way forward.
"It's not." She replied, eyeing me like a predator.
'
"Peter run...Moe is on his way. I've dealt with her kind before...Evacuate everyone while I hold her off." He said seriously, not facing me any more. He didn't bother with telepathy any more. Guess he was really that pissed.
"But professor-"
"Go Peter. Go now."
She contained her stifled laughter as she proceeded to monologue again, "Oh please. I'm not some cheesy villain, you'll sacrifice your life to and pop up in another chapterlike no one's business. Once you die by my hands there is no coming back. Why don't you ask your Living Tribunal.....oh wait I just realized, he's not 'Living' any more is he. Sorry my bad." She laughed.
"Holy shit." was all I could say. I wasn't the biggest comic book guy before I died and even I knew who The Living Tribunal was.
"Peter..please leave now." The professor urged me to run as soon as possible but I knew fleeing was futile. I stood my ground. If she wanted to, she could end us with a single thought and If that were the case, I'd rather not leave my friend alone with her.
"Looks like the boy gets it!"
'If she could kill us with a single thought then the question is why hasn't she already!'
"Because it would be too easy! I'm bored and my presence has taken over this reality already. I've won the whole damn thing. You're just my side quest my dearies!"
I had to think quick and think fast. What can I do to improve our chances of survival?
"The cost to beating your tribunal was too much though...I need a new source of energy soon. I could just absorb the phoenix force and I do like those gems you have in this reality but I don't know....winning like this is too boring...."
She kept speaking thankfully, too busy monologuing.
[Peter, I'm going to make a distraction in three...two...one]
Just as the professor was about to make his move. The entity raised one of it's hand and said, "Very well. Let's do this. A week from now. I want you to assemble everyone you can find. Let's make it big and loud. Yeah that's right lets end this reality with a bang....hmm.....now the location. Let's really go all in. Stark Industries Tower. Why don't you guys assemble the best team you can. Put up a half decent team and I'll leave your reality all alone!" She propositioned us with pure excitement. It was like she was a little kid or something.
I couldn't help but stare at her in disbelief.
"Now Peter! Get away!!!!" The professor yelled out, holding a hand to his head. He sent a psychic shock wave directed towards the entity. The attack had an invisible physical form that bent space as it encroached her position.
When it touched her, it cause an ear shattering reverberation.
It didn't phase her. She looked completely unbothered by it. In contrast, I was holding my head in pain. I could feel blood pouring out of my ears.
'That attack was no joke! It had to have put a dent on her-'
"Hmm what an unimpressive display.
At that moment I knew. We couldn't beat her...no way. I've fought a lot of battles in my life, some good and others bad but in all of them I knew where I stood in regards to the enemy.
'This thing.....whatever it was....I can't see defeating it.' Once I reached that conclusion my mind started shifting gears. I had to accept reality.
My mind started thinking about alternative scenarios where we don't have to fight.
I gave the entity a careful glance. It had the form of a white woman, in her early 60's. She had a white gown like thing with basic floral designs. She paid no due to the us as she kept on speaking.
"OH That's right...I'm sick of this new font already. Let's change it back to normal! Yup that's much better. Damn I know I'm powerful and all but I don't like standing out too much-"
"What is that you want?" The professor screamed in frustration, still struggling to retain his composure. He sounded like a child throwing a tantrum.
She pressed her index to her chin thinking of a good reply. At least acted like she was thinking. Deep inside I knew...whatever this thing was, it had made up it's mind long ago.
She raised her eyebrows and clapped once when it looked like she figured out her reason.
"I want everything to end. I want all stories to end!"
Nobody spoke after she said that. There was pin drop silence when it seeped inside our mortal brains that a damn near omnipotent being wants to end reality for the shits and giggles. So far I was only trying to buy time but now I felt like doing that any more would be impossible. I felt a spine chilling existential dread asking the next question
"Why?"
"You know....just cause.."
This had to be a lie. It was keeping us in the dark about something. There had to be an ulterior motive. Some evil master plan to enslave humanity or something. It couldn't be because she's bored. She couldn't have killed the Living Tribunal. This was all a bad dream. It had to be.
"Oops seems like I have to hop back into another universe. Something else is more important."
She turned her back and I was tempted to lunge at her but my instincts were practically screaming at me to not do so.
"Remember, Stark Tower. A week after today. Bring all the people you can. Try to save your reality. If you put up a good enough fight I might let you go." She disappeared just like that.
I stood silently, looking at where she was not a moment ago.
"What the fuck just happened?"
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POV – Moe Harris
He was moving at incredible speeds. Teleporting from one location to another. When was the last time, he moved with such a sense of urgency? Maybe once in the prime. Decades had passed since then. He had sworn off this lifestyle. He promised his late wife that he would never put himself or their family in harms way ever again but here he was. Doing another favour for his old friend.
He grabbed the mutant by his tail and teleported back to earth away from the vacuum. He healed him quickly and he turned to the unruly one, "How many are left? "
"Kurt you okay? Fuck...is he okay?" The bearded man tugged at the unconscious mutant.
He could understand the man's pain even if he though he had no manners
"He'll be alright. More importantly answer my question, are there any more people I'm missing?" He had saved Iceman and Cyclops before he dug Wolverine out of a plastic landfill. Wolverine was still conscious when he found him so it helped recovering the rest much more easier.
"Jesus....what the fuck.....wait a minute. What about Jeanie-"
Before the man could even finish he teleported to where she was. She was there knocked unconscious but otherwise not a single scratch on her. He squinted.
'Was this a trap?'
Every person that he had rescued so far had grave mortal wounds. Why was she unharmed?
He approached careful and put a psychic barrier on her.
'Well whatever. Nothing's breaking that barrier'
He teleported back to where the others were.
"That's everyone right?"
The wolverine nodded slowly as he gently caressed Ms. Grey's cheek.
"Who was it?" He asked the man. Not like he was interested in fighting whoever it was. No those days were long behind him. Still, there was that small curious part in him. The boy who was once obsessed with comics.
Not many people after all could just take out the X-Men like this. Was it Doctor Doom?.....Apocalypse?.....Ultron? Or maybe it was Thanos. Either ways he wouldn't step in to help. He promised his wife.
The defeated man turned towards to him and answered his question, "Right before she left....she said.....her name to me."
He raised one of his eyebrows and said, "And?"
"She referred to herself as.....Cali...kali......kaali."
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