Alex Ray dragged his heavy feet into his room, burdened by a heart weighed down with exhaustion. Each step echoed with an invisible heaviness.
The room's warm lighting did nothing to dispel the shadow lingering in his chest.
Instead of collapsing onto the couch, he walked directly to the balcony on the second floor—a place where he often sought a fleeting sense of calm.
From there, Alex could overlook the everyday life of Hell's Kitchen. The people, the noise, the small joys.
Watching it all reminded him why he fought. Why he built what he did. Why it had to be protected.
A gentle wind brushed across the balcony, bringing with it a coolness that softened the heat of his emotions. The breeze seemed to carry away some of the restlessness in his heart.
Alex leaned forward, resting his elbows on the cold metal railing. A finely rolled cigar dangled between his fingers—his occasional indulgence to alleviate stress.
He lit the cigar slowly, taking a deep inhale. Thick smoke swirled around his face, wrapping him in a haze that made him look both worn and enigmatic.
He exhaled deliberately, letting the smoke mask his thoughts—as if trying to prevent the world from peering into his turmoil.
His gaze rose toward the infinite night sky, eyes flashing with a complex mixture of regret and contemplation.
Ever since Alex met Loki, he realized the Marvel Universe had become a chaotic distortion of what it should've been. It didn't match the sacred timeline from the films. It wasn't even close.
The Battle of New York had barely passed, and Thanos was already out of the picture. The events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Infinity War, and Endgame had been derailed entirely.
Internally, Alex was in the midst of a storm. Standing there on his balcony, he stared out at the land he'd poured himself into defending. His emotions were twisted in knots.
He was thinking about whether he should abandon this universe and move on to another.
Yes… his thoughts had shifted. Originally, his plan had been to increase the power of the Hell's Kitchen heroes—and his own—and then lead them in a counteroffensive against the Reed Council and the forces of Battleworld.
But the more he analyzed it, the more he realized how truly brutal that conflict would be.
He couldn't bring himself to thrust that responsibility onto the others. Especially not those who had been dragged into his war without ever asking for it.
He remembered the figure of his past self—solitary, tragic—shouldering the hatred of the entire world. That memory filled Alex with reverence… and a promise:
If it came to that again, he would bear the burden alone.
He would not allow anyone to destroy the haven he had created—his utopia.
He would not allow his friends to suffer for his war.
After all, even Alex Ray, with all his power, might not be able to defeat the enemies that were coming. How could he ask anyone else to try?
And this fight had nothing to do with them to begin with. He didn't even intend to tell them.
Even if he did, what could they do? All they'd gain was worry.
Alex wasn't someone who only took from others. He had once become friends with heroes because he admired their skills. But by now, Tony, Wanda, and the rest had already become family.
And family deserved to be protected.
Even if that meant he had to fight alone—even if the enemies were gods he couldn't hope to defeat—he would take that risk. Alone.
Still, he wasn't a saint.
If there were a chance of a group fight, he wouldn't hesitate to lead Hell's Kitchen into battle for justice.
But the reality was… the power gap was too vast. The enemies they were facing were monsters.
Sending his friends into that war would be suicide.
Right now, the only one in Hell's Kitchen with any real potential was Wanda. Jean Grey had the capacity to become someone on par with Kang the Conqueror. Guys like Doctor Strange, Thor, Tony, and Professor X might reach that level eventually.
Deadpool could also be added. His power was... unpredictable. He could be casually killed by a stray bullet—or single-handedly slaughter the entire Marvel Universe.
But Kang was the weakest of the enemies Alex would face.
The others?
They were literal cosmic power incarnate.
Every power the superheroes had ultimately originated from those gods. How do you fight something that created your own abilities?
Knowing the gap, dragging his friends into it would be nothing short of betrayal.
So maybe… maybe it was better to abandon the dream of returning to his original world.
That dream… was simply too far out of reach. Even someone as powerful as his past self—the Lord of Silence—had failed.
Could he really succeed?
He had a home now. Was returning to his old world even a good idea anymore?
Maybe if he let everything go, he could avoid being hunted.
That thought slipped through his mind like a whisper. But it didn't last long.
No. There were things he couldn't give up. Not just because of his past self, but because of who he was now.
Those enemies… they wouldn't let him go.
As long as he had any ties to Alex Ray's former self, they would hunt him. They would burn everything down to get to him.
The only way he would ever be safe was by killing the one person who knew the whole story—
Loki, the God of Stories.
But that wasn't going to happen. Alex couldn't bring himself to do it.
Before he knew how to get home, he kept pushing forward. Now that he finally knew the way… fear had crept in.
But that wasn't who he was.
"Damn it… How did I end up bound to this legacy? I'm not even that guy," he muttered, chuckling bitterly as he shook his head.
There was another reason for leaving: he needed to get stronger. Fast.
The only real way now was to venture into other universes. Meet new people. Gather new power.
He'd already met almost everyone worth knowing in this world.
Everyone left was either a friend… or an enemy.
Still, he wouldn't leave just yet.
Not until he had strengthened his family—given them at least some power to protect themselves.
He didn't expect them to defeat the Five Gods. But if they could survive an attack from one or two versions of Kang or Reed Richards, that would be enough.
He also wanted to stay at least until Hogwarts School—the sanctuary he was building—was complete.
And most importantly, he still needed to obtain the remaining two Infinity Stones.
Of course, he knew the most important factor wasn't just empowering his allies.
It was making himself stronger.
Only through absolute power could he face what was coming without fear.
And so, he stood on the balcony for over an hour, chain-smoking cigars as thoughts spiraled through his mind.
Finally, he exhaled one last stream of smoke, letting it fade into the night sky.
He stood up slowly. His eyes were calm. Cold. Focused.
The road ahead was uncertain.
But he was ready.
Alex had thought no one noticed his moment of doubt, that no one had seen.
But far away, hidden in shadows, Tony and the others had seen everything.
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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