I have finished translating this fanfic, IMUC (I Am In Marvel With Unlimited Cards) and have posted all the advanced chapters on Patreon (Last Chapter -- 706). (https://www.patreon.com/c/marvel6395). You can read all the advanced chapters there.
Marvel Timeline.
Perhaps it was the "correct" Marvel timeline.
Time: 2022.
Location: Marvel Universe, Earth, New York City.
Present Day.
Five years had passed since Thanos' alien hordes invaded Earth. Five years – neither too long nor too short – and New York had seemingly recovered from the wounds of the past. The city and its people pressed on, knowing that life, however challenging, demanded they keep moving forward.
Five years ago, during the cataclysmic battle against Thanos that raged across Wakanda, New York, and beyond, the final death toll reached a staggering 330,000. Considering the enemy was Thanos and his warship – a vessel capable of obliterating countless worlds and practically invincible across the galaxy – this death toll felt like a miracle.
Yet, no one could truly feel optimistic.
At the climax of the Thanos War, Kyle, the Symbol of Peace and Earth's protector, confronted Thanos in a desperate struggle – a clash between the universe's mightiest forces and Earth's finest, a collision of the Infinity Stones.
The shockwave of cosmic energy alone shattered the mirror dimension's barrier, utterly destroying a 20-mile radius of New York City.
This cataclysmic event also unleashed the infamous "Blink Phenomenon."
Across Earth, all lifeforms, including humans, inexplicably aged five years or reverted five years.
This meant siblings, once close in age, might find the younger brother aging five years while the older sister became five years younger, creating a jarring ten-year age gap.
Society descended into chaos. It took three agonizing years for humanity to revise laws, adjust school systems, and adapt to this unprecedented upheaval. The new generations gradually learned to cope.
But the "Blink Phenomenon" was more than a simple temporal shift. It also involved a spatial displacement.
Half of Earth's human population vanished without a trace.
No, they didn't die. They were randomly teleported to unknown locations across the vast Marvel Universe. Some might have ended up on Sakaar, a planet choked with interstellar debris; others might have found themselves in the heart of the Galaxy, or even within the domain of a death goddess.
How did the remaining humans learn this? Thanks to the tireless efforts of Captain Marvel and Iron Man, Tony Stark, who, after painstaking cosmic data analysis, pieced together the horrifying truth.
Thus, those left behind on Earth grappled with the war's devastating aftermath: adapting to the altered ages of those around them, and clinging to the desperate hope that their loved ones survived somewhere out there in the universe.
S.H.I.E.L.D., led by Nick Fury, publicly vowed to launch exploratory missions across the cosmos, searching for the missing and bringing them home. However, the universe is vast, and despite the aid of Captain Marvel, Thor, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, the search felt like finding a needle in an endless haystack.
The consequences of the Thanos War were catastrophic:
A global economic recession lasting a decade.
A staggering death toll of nearly 330,000.
The disappearance of nearly 3.5 billion people!
Five years later, fewer than 100,000 had been found.
And the cruelest blow of all – the loss of Earth's greatest hero.
Earth's new history books would record:
"Symbol of Peace, Kyle, born in 1921, was a World War II hero, the first emperor of the Carl Kingdom, and Earth's sole ruler. In 2018, he confronted Thanos alone and perished alongside the Mad Titan and the six Infinity Stones. He died at the age of 97."
"Kyle's death was an incalculable loss for humanity, marking the end of an era. A supreme, god-like figure had vanished from our world."
"In that battle, he transcended gods and became the embodiment of humanity's hope."
After Kyle's sacrifice, many Avengers, including Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor, gradually withdrew from the public eye, their days as superheroes seemingly over.
The Carl Kingdom, Earth's unique sovereign nation, continued to train new heroes to safeguard the planet for future generations.
…
August 13, 2022.
This day marked both Kyle's birthday and the fifth anniversary of his sacrifice.
Location: New York City, center district, at the site of the massive crater left by the shockwave of infinite energy.
The crater, stretching nearly ten miles across, remained a gaping wound on the city's landscape. Caution lines and barriers encircled the crater's edge, warning people away.
The rusted iron fences were plastered with countless flyers and notes – some desperate pleas for missing loved ones, others poignant memorials, and many offering prayers for solace. Wreaths of remembrance lay scattered around the perimeter.
The surrounding buildings had been rebuilt, but the crater itself stood untouched, a stark reminder of the war's devastation. It had become a global pilgrimage site for those mourning the Symbol of Peace. Every year, a majority of the surviving population gathered at this crater to remember and pay their respects.
In the early morning, as the city began to stir, the first snow of the season began to fall. It blanketed the city in a shroud of white, yet the snow could not fill the crater, nor the void left in the hearts of the people.
Swish, Swish, Swish – the sound of boots crunching on the snow echoed through the streets. A tall man in a jacket and leather coat, his blonde hair dusted with snow, walked alongside a woman in a long trench coat, her short silver hair a stark contrast against the white backdrop.
They moved through the streets near the crater, observing the stream of people making their way towards the site.
If anyone looked closely, they would recognize the man as Captain Steve Rogers, and the woman as Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff.
Of course, they were no longer superheroes. They were, for all intents and purposes, "retired" heroes.
Steve halted abruptly in the middle of the street, allowing the snowflakes to settle on his hair and shoulders. His gaze fell upon the vast crater, ringed by a sea of mourners.
Natasha joined him, watching silently.
The Blink Phenomenon had decimated New York's population, forcing many to flee the city. Once bustling streets now echoed with an eerie silence, abandoned buildings casting long shadows.
New York felt strangely subdued, the only sound the gentle whisper of falling snow.
"He always was a step ahead," Steve murmured, his voice low, tinged with a sense of profound loss.
Natasha remained silent, understanding the unspoken reference.
Steve continued, "Always pushing forward, leaving the rest of us struggling to keep pace. And before you knew it, he was gone, reaching a height none of us could ever attain."
"Yeah," Natasha nodded gently, a bitter smile gracing her lips. "He was always one of a kind."
"Now, even if someone could surpass him," Steve's voice trailed off, "They never would."
He shivered slightly, then took a deep breath. "This world… it's lost without Kyle."
(End of Chapter)