"It seems like there's nothing more for now. Let's leave it at that." If another scientist had encountered the anomaly, they might have been filled with boundless curiosity, chasing the mystery to its core. But Daniel felt no such urge. There was no need for it, especially in the endlessly complex world of Marvel.
Traversing time and space wasn't particularly difficult here. The three mystical stones could achieve that, and beings like the Eternals could manipulate specific tidal forces to travel through time.
The root of many issues in this universe lay in the existence of the six Infinity Stones. To truly restore balance and normalcy, the only solution would be to erase the stones entirely.
"Did you catch Helen?" Back at SHIELD's aircraft base, May questioned him as soon as she saw Daniel returning alone.
"I couldn't. Inside the anomaly, there were numerous other anomalies. By the time I checked them all, she was gone." Daniel omitted Helen's death from his explanation, preferring to avoid unnecessary complications.
However, he did share details about the situation inside the anomaly.
"Such a fascinating place! I wish I could see it for myself," Simmons exclaimed, excitement lighting up her face as soon as Daniel finished speaking.
"Don't get your hopes up. I've sealed all the anomalies," Daniel responded coolly.
At that moment, Coulson approached from the side. "Lester mentioned they've discovered something new. We need to check it out."
"This situation could be more troublesome than we thought," Coulson continued, addressing the group as they gathered in a large tent at the temporary base near the anomaly. "According to our investigation and Carter's intel, Helen's objective might have been to reach the time of Lucy, our earliest human ancestor, to stop humanity from ever evolving."
"We must stop her! Otherwise, she could very well end the existence of humanity itself," Carter declared, his face etched with concern.
Both his students and Lester shared his anxiety. After all, this was supposedly a matter of human survival.
Coulson's team, however, seemed more composed. They all turned to Daniel for his opinion. In the past, SHIELD would have panicked in a situation like this—they were, after all, responsible for handling such threats. But with Daniel on the scene, his outright dismissal of Carter's theory had changed their perspective. And given their knowledge of Daniel's true identity, they preferred to defer to him before acting.
"Every time, it's 'human extinction,' isn't it?" Daniel muttered, smirking as he glanced at Coulson and the others. "Carter, you really think you're some kind of savior, huh? You and Helen are quite the pair."
Carter bristled, but before he could speak, Daniel cut him off. "Carter, I don't know where you got the idea that Lucy is the ancestor of humanity, but let me be clear: this is a new age. Don't tell me you haven't heard about Asgard's existence, or that Earth is one of the Nine Realms. And with that in mind, you're still talking about Lucy?"
Daniel shook his head in exasperation as he stood up to leave. Trying to reason with someone like Carter was a waste of time. Though Carter was undoubtedly a talented and rare scholar on Earth, that didn't make him infallible.
Carter's and Helen's theories reminded Daniel of the Flat Earth theory from his previous life. If it hadn't been for a chance encounter, he wouldn't have even known such a theory existed. And to think that in modern society, there were still people who supported the idea in large numbers!
Flat Earthers didn't believe in any of the evidence or mathematical proofs that demonstrated the Earth's roundness. To them, everything was a fabrication, like they were the main character in The Truman Show.
There's no reasoning with such people. As the saying goes, "You can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep."
"Sorry," Coulson said as he and the others left the tent shortly after Daniel did.
"Care to explain the reasoning?" Coulson asked once they were back on the SHIELD aircraft.
"Do I really need to? You know about Asgard, Thor, Loki, and you've even encountered Mephisto. Do you really think the version of history you were taught holds up?" Daniel's words made everyone fall silent. The revelation of mythical figures like the Asgardians had already shaken their worldview to its core.
After a pause, Daniel asked, "By the way, where's Skye? I haven't seen her lately."
Coulson explained that Skye had reconnected with her mother, filling Daniel in on the details. This news took him by surprise. He had assumed the Inhuman story arc was already resolved. He'd forgotten the name of Skye's mother but recalled that her tragic past had driven her to seek revenge on the world.
"So, after all this, that electricity-controlling Inhuman will probably join SHIELD, right? He and Skye were quite the pair, though it's a shame he sacrificed himself with Hive in the original storyline."
"Well, now that things here are wrapping up, I'm heading back. Reach out if you need me," Daniel said, giving Coulson a nod. With that, he opened a golden portal and stepped through, returning to his New York mansion.
Upon arriving home, Daniel opened another portal, this time leading to the New York Sanctum. He performed routine checks on the sanctum's protective wards and the city's mystical defenses. As the current Sorcerer Supreme, this was part of his duty.
"Odin hasn't shown up yet, meaning there's still time before Hela breaks free and Thor: Ragnarok begins," Daniel mused. If he could prevent the apocalyptic event from happening, he would. He had a plan for when Hela appeared: if she could be defeated, great. But if not, Daniel would send her to an isolated, distant planet. Even with her immense power, it would take her time to return to Asgard.
He considered using a similar tactic against Thanos. While this method of delaying the inevitable wasn't perfect, it would buy him time to grow stronger.
"Tony, still working on armor, I see," Daniel remarked when he called Stark. Through the video link, he could see Stark in his massive lab, tinkering with yet another Iron Man suit.
"Got some free time, huh?" Stark replied, pausing his work as a robotic arm handed him a protein shake.
"I'm planning to visit Xandar. Interested in tagging along?" Daniel said, opening another portal and stepping into Stark's lab.
"I swear, one of these days, I'm going to find a way to block those portals," Stark muttered under his breath.
"Give me a minute." Stark quickly left the lab and returned in casual clothes, clearly eager to take a trip to an alien world.
"Let's go."
---
Xandar, as always, was bustling with life. People from all over the galaxy crowded its streets. The Nova Empire, the Kree, and the Sovereign were the three largest territories in the galaxy. However, that didn't necessarily make them the most powerful.
If you looked at raw strength, Thanos and Odin's Asgard would top the list, with the likes of Ego hiding in the shadows. Even if the three great empires controlled vast territories, they might not even make it into the top three when it came to actual power.
Odin's Asgard once had ambitions far beyond the Nine Realms. At his peak, with Hela at his side and the Valkyrie army at full strength, Odin could have conquered galaxies. However, after claiming the Nine Realms, he chose to stop expanding.
This decision eventually led to Hela's rebellion and the near-extinction of the Valkyrie. Hela, who had crushed Mjolnir in her bare hands, was a force Daniel respected deeply.
Of the three major empires, the Nova Empire was the most open. The Kree Empire was more closed off, ruled by a strict aristocracy. In many ways, the Kree Empire was like the galactic version of the empire from Akame ga Kill—rigid, corrupt, and cruel.
The Kree Empire placed great value on noble status, and anyone who dared question their aristocratic honor was swiftly dealt with. Ronan the Accuser, for example, had been a staunch defender of these ideals, even committing atrocities in the name of his family's honor.
Their advanced genetic modification techniques were legendary throughout the galaxy. The Kree's upper echelons possessed immense power, like Ronan, who had wielded the Power Stone without being killed by it.
However, in recent years, the Kree had faced significant internal struggles, largely due to the existence of Captain Marvel. Empowered by a faster-than-light engine, Carol Danvers was one of the galaxy's strongest heroes. Though not quite on the level of a full-fledged Celestial, she was close.
Had she been focused on a single planet's empire, she might have overthrown it by now. But the Kree Empire was vast, spanning multiple star systems. Even with her power, Danvers had only managed to protect the rebels, not topple the ruling class.
And, frankly, her mercy had held her back. If she had been more ruthless—like Esdeath from Akame ga Kill—the Kree Empire might have fallen already.
It was Carol's decision to spare her enemies, including Ronan, that had allowed the Kree aristocracy to remain in power. Yet, this compassion was also what made her a hero, preventing her from becoming a tyrant herself.
Carol Danvers was truly a cosmic force, able to travel between planets at faster-than-light speeds. Her strength and speed
made her nearly untouchable, even by powerful entities like the Celestials. In fact, she could likely overpower Ego with ease.
If anyone embodied the phrase "leap to godhood," it was Captain Marvel, followed closely by the Scarlet Witch.
As for the Sovereign, their isolationist policies kept them firmly closed off from the rest of the galaxy. Only those invited could enter their territory, making Xandar all the more bustling in comparison.
"Energy matrix… too bad it's not easy to get my hands on," Daniel mused as he and Stark strolled through Xandar's bustling markets. The Nova Empire's most powerful technology was their energy matrix, a system that allowed individual soldiers to link up and form a powerful defensive grid. In fact, it wasn't just for defense—it could be used offensively as well.
Before long, they arrived at the broker's office. "Ah, sir, you've returned!" The broker greeted Daniel with a wide smile. He knew Daniel well by now—after all, he had been a frequent and lucrative customer.
In the vastness of space, there were no "civilization protection laws." A civilization's survival depended on its strength and luck. Countless societies had been wiped out by marauders, while others sold their technology to survive.
Daniel wasn't here for advanced technology, though—he had already acquired enough of that. Today, his goal was the Orb, the container for the Power Stone.
"Any news on the Orb?" Daniel asked as he sat down. Though he knew the Orb was on a desolate planet, he didn't recall the name of that planet. He hadn't expected to end up in the Marvel Universe, so he hadn't bothered memorizing all the details.
He did, however, remember the name of the planet where the Soul Stone was hidden—Vormir. But remembering it didn't help him get the stone. The Soul Stone required a sacrifice, and Daniel wasn't willing to lose someone close to him.
People had theorized about using hypnosis to trick oneself or others into obtaining the Soul Stone, but Daniel knew better. The Soul Stone was too powerful to be fooled by such simple tricks. You couldn't outwit an Infinity Stone.
Perhaps someone could hire others to make the sacrifice, but even that had its issues. The Soul Stone demanded a deep emotional connection, and anyone willing to make the necessary sacrifice likely wouldn't go through with it.
Sure, Daniel could force someone to do it, but that went against his moral code. For now, he'd have to wait until Thanos got his hands on the Soul Stone.
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