64 A genius' racing.

(Somewhere Close to the Sun (Because Why Not?))

While Sue and Natasha were busy emotionally unraveling in the arms of a mysterious green-haired librarian (thank you, Gaia's Divinity of Motherhood), far away, and dangerously close to the Sun, the smartest man in the world (meh) was doing what no one sane would ever dare.

Who, you ask?

Obviously, Mr. Fantastic.

Also known as Reed Richards.

Also also known as "I will one day destroy the Marvel Universe, for science!"

And accompanying him, ever the loyal friend and rock-solid voice of reason, Ben Grimm, aka The Thing.

So what brilliant endeavor were they currently engaged in?

Going to the Sun.

Yes. The actual Sun.

For science.

For humanity.

And most importantly… because it was free.

After all, as Herobrine once said:

"If you can open a portal to any part of the universe, why wouldn't you use it for casual travel?"

So here they were, standing in a pocket dimension just a few layers away from literal solar incineration, admiring what looked like a sci-fi civilization orbiting the blazing inferno.

"I still don't understand," Ben muttered, adjusting his visor, "why you're not curious about the people livin' on Mars or Venus. Y'know, actual aliens. Not a deathball of fire."

"Because we can study them anytime," Reed replied, eyes glued to the data streaming across his tablet. "But this? This is a unique opportunity. There are solar deities here, entities who claim to harness the Sun's power without suffering side effects. That shouldn't be possible under any thermodynamic law. I want to understand how."

He didn't mention it out loud, but his mind was already racing, analyzing the divine energy readings of Amaterasu, the Shinto Sun Goddess, who somehow radiated pure solar energy effortlessly. It wasn't just magic—it was something else. Something that bordered on replicable, well according to him.

"If it's so damn special, why don't you ask one of those gods? Ms. Amaterasu seemed nice enough," Ben said. "She even offered you a cookie."

Reed, of course, ignored that.

Instead, he continued typing on his tablet at what could only be described as light-speed."Direct observation is always more valuable than secondhand explanation."

They finally reached what was technically close to the Sun, dimensionally speaking. Enough to see it in full glory without turning into cosmic ash. Surrounding them was invisible infrastructure, an entire scientific facility cloaked to normal eyes, built around the Sun.

"Amazing," Reed whispered, genuinely awestruck. "The energy shielding… the gravitational tuning… If I could meet the architect of this structure…" (He is better not meeting Herobrine)

Ben, meanwhile, felt uncomfortable. He could feel the stares.

Whispers floated through the air like heatwaves.

"What's a Kronan doing here?"

"An orange Kronan?"

"I have seen him in some temple,"

Ben frowned but didn't say anything. After all, he didn't want to invite trouble.

Just then, a cheerful announcement echoed through the space:

"Attention everyone! The annual Sun God and Goddess Race is about to begin! Believers may begin their prayers. Travelers are requested to remain still and not interfere with the ritual."

A giant screen blinked into existence, showcasing the Celestial Racers:

Atum, standing tall on his golden Solar Ship, clutching a glowing solar staff like a joystick, practically vibrating with excitement.

Sol, the Norse Sun Goddess, wasn't visible, her entire ship was a sleek, futuristic monolith that looked like it came from Halo instead of Asgard.

Surya, regal and composed, sat in his grand chariot drawn by seven blindingly radiant horses, reins glowing like plasma threads.

And finally… Amaterasu, Amaterasu was… yawning.

She sat cross-legged atop a fluffy golden cloud, her hair still tangled, wearing pajamas with tiny Kuramas. She looked like she had just woken up from binging all episodes of One Piece, and was in no rush.

Then—boom.

The race began.

Atum's ship blazed forward.

Sol's silent juggernaut warped into a golden blur.

Surya's horses thundered through the sky, leaving trails of sunfire.

And Amaterasu?

Still on her cloud.

The shockwaves from the others shot past her like sonic booms, and her cloud spun wildly, sending her twirling like a golden Beyblade in the middle of the cosmos.

Eyes now wide open, she blinked once.

Then, like a cartoon character caught late for school, she screamed, "WAIT FOR ME!"

And zoomed after them, riding her unstable cloud like a cosmic skateboard, arms flailing.

Ben and Reed stood frozen.

Ben deadpanned, "Wtf, I saw?"

Reed adjusted his glasses. "These guys are faster than my Light Speed Engine," and went to record the bizarre gravitational warping left in the wake of Surya's horses, a shimmering portal opened behind them with a divine "whoosh."

A group of rocky guys/Kronans, draped in golden robes, stepped out, carrying glowing scrolls and divine medallions.

"There he is!" one of them exclaimed. "The lost Kronan Sun God has returned!"

Ben blinked. "Huh?"

Before he could protest, several glowing runes floated around him, scanning his rocky physique.

"Orange? Radiant? Dense like the core of a star? Yes, yes—he must be the prophesied one! The Embodiment of Sunstone! The Granitus Solarii!"

Ben looked at Reed. "Do you know what the hell they are talking" about?"

Reed, already halfway through deciphering the runes, muttered, "Technically… they are identifying you as a solar-aspected god from Kronan mythology about which I have heard nothing of. Probably a case of mistaken identity."

"Do I look like a god to you!?"

"Yes," the head priest replied, eyes sparkling. "In every single way!"

Before Ben could object, a sorceress, not rocky but in flaming red robes, floated over, raising her arms high.

"By decree of the High Solar Council, the Kronan Sun God shall join the race—to prove his glory and claim his rightful place among the Celestial Pantheon!"

With a flash of golden magic, glowing inscriptions surrounded both Ben and Reed. In the blink of an eye, Ben was transformed into a blazing, golden chariot, exuding solar energy. Reed was inside him.

"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!?" Ben screamed telepathically.

"You have been transmogrified into a divine construct, essentially, I'm piloting you now," Reed said, trying to stabilize the controls inside the cockpit. "This is fascinating. I didn't even know you had this much latent energy—"

"REED I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GONNA—"

BOOM!

The starting blast echoed through space. The race resumed.

Atum's Sun Ship surged ahead.

Sol's stealthy ship zipped through plasma tunnels.

Surya's horses galloped through molten solar flares.

Amaterasu was now catching up, riding her cloud like a golden missile.

And suddenly—Ben and Reed entered the race.

Like a literal meteor, they burst forward, trailing a comet-tail of raw cosmic power.

"I'M ON FIRE! I'M LITERALLY ON FIRE!"

"Technically, you are emitting fire right now. This is a rare elemental manifestation—"

"THIS AINN'T HELPING!"

Meanwhile, the screen broadcasting the race updated with a new entry:

[NEW RACER ENTERED

NAME: Granitus Solarii (aka. Ben Grimm)

CHOSEN DRIVER: The Thinker of Madness (aka. Reed Richards)]

The crowd of celestial beings cheered wildly, placing interdimensional bets and praying fervently to Ben, the "Stoic Flame of the Kronan Dawn."

Back in the race, Amaterasu looked sideways at the suddenly appearing Ben-chariot.

"…What the fluff?" she muttered, mouth still full of cookie.

Then she squinted at Reed inside.

"…Nerd?"

Reed nodded politely. "Hello again. Lovely day for an orbital event, isn't it?"

~~~~

1.2k words above. btw

Tony did racing so I thought why I should not put Reed too in one.

While I was writing it, I thought of people mistaking Ben as a Sun Golem, because why not but, then I remembered Korg and the result was this.

The race is also reference to the fact that most mythology includes Sun Gods chariotting around Earth which is wrong so...

Also.... (Rant and excuses begins)

SORRY GUYS. (Imagine some guy sliding in perfect dogeza in front of you)

I wasn't busy btw, I was free and bored and had no idea what to write in this book, so I did what you guys dreaded.

Yep wrote a another book and started to edit another fanfic. Only around 10k words though but that story is my childhood memory, I always wanted to write a story like that hence the delay here.

SO I HAVE DECIDED TO MAKE A FIXED UPDATE SCHEDULE (Hopefully I will be able to keep up with it)

Monday

Wednesday

Friday

(Maybe Sunday if you gimme more Power Stones, those things really motivate me to write more, while I write for fun, it feels HEAVENLY to be appreciated)

ALSO

What kind of Marvel or Dc fanfic would want to read in future?

OR

DXD

OR

That's it, I don't have a knowledge of any other fiction. (Maybe some Anime but the are only 12 or so episodes)