Inside the ward, Susan had just awakened to her own ability. Her heart raced with excitement as she experimented with the strange energy coursing through her body. But before she could settle into this new reality, a loud commotion broke out somewhere else in the facility.
Kurogai Alexander Blackwood turned slightly, his expression unreadable. He already understood what was happening. Ben's transformation had begun. His entire body was now encased in a thick, rocky shell. The shock of turning into a creature of stone left Ben terrified, and his panic echoed through the halls.
"What's going on?" Susan asked, her voice uncertain. Jonathan looked equally confused, both of them straining to hear the noises outside.
"It's nothing," Kurogai said calmly. His tone was firm, meant to soothe. "Get some rest and focus on your recovery."
Susan hesitated, but the reassurance in his voice eased her worry. Nodding faintly, she lay back down. Jonathan remained at her side, exactly as Kurogai intended. With Susan vulnerable, someone had to be there for her.
After leaving her ward, Kurogai didn't head toward Ben's room. He knew better. Ben wouldn't be there. Instead, he made his way to a darker part of the facility—a place where someone might hide when they could no longer face themselves.
The door creaked as Kurogai pushed it open. He reached for the light switch, but a deep, trembling voice stopped him.
"No! Don't turn on the lights!"
It was Ben.
His voice carried despair, the sound of a man who no longer recognized himself. In the shadows, Ben sat hunched in the corner, his rocky form illuminated only faintly by the hallway light spilling in through the doorway.
"You've gained incredible strength, haven't you?" Kurogai's voice was calm, steady. His eyes adjusted easily to the darkness. Even without fully activating his abilities, the strange glow in his heterochromatic pupils cut through the gloom. They shimmered faintly, like gemstones shaped by the aftermath of the cosmic storm, giving him an otherworldly presence.
"What do you know about this?" Ben snapped, his voice hoarse and breaking. The frustration in his tone was clear—he was on the edge of collapse. This wasn't the kind of change any man could accept easily.
"I could take you somewhere," Kurogai said evenly, "a place that might help you understand what you've become."
This had been part of his plan all along. He wanted Ben to see for himself that strength could be a gift as much as a curse. He had thought to pit Ben against the Hulk, to make him realize that his condition wasn't the end, but a beginning—that power was relative, and survival meant learning to accept it.
But Ben shook his head violently, his rocky hands trembling. "No. I don't want that! I don't want anything! I just… I just need to be left alone." His voice cracked, a mixture of fear and denial.
Kurogai regarded him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he turned without another word and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. He had offered Ben a path forward, but if Ben wasn't ready, forcing him would accomplish nothing.
Victor crossed his mind briefly. Kurogai had tasked him earlier with preparations for a spacecraft, giving him a chance at gaining power of his own. But Kurogai had no illusions. If Victor turned his ambitions toward darker goals, he would not hesitate to deal with him. For now, Victor still had value, so he remained untouched.
Returning to Susan's ward, Kurogai was immediately met with her anxious gaze. "What about the others?" she asked. Her voice carried both worry and hope.
"They're going through changes, just like you," Kurogai replied calmly. "What matters now is that you rest. We're leaving soon."
Both Susan and Jonathan nodded. Confusion lingered in their eyes, but they trusted him. That was enough.
With a flick of his hand, Kurogai summoned a shimmering portal. The three of them stepped through and found themselves back in the safety of Susan's home. Once there, Susan settled to rest while Kurogai turned his attention to Jonathan.
"What are your plans?" Kurogai asked, his tone direct. Jonathan now carried the burden of power as well, and Kurogai wanted to hear what he intended to do with it.
Jonathan hesitated, then his eyes lit with excitement. "Kurogai, I can ignite flames now—real flames. When I saw that giant you summoned, that flaming construct… can you teach me how to do something like that?" His voice was eager, almost childlike in its fascination.
"I swear," Jonathan added quickly, "if I learn, I'll use it to help people. I'll become a hero."
Kurogai studied him in silence. The boy's enthusiasm was obvious, but his promise meant little. Kurogai had seen too much to believe that lofty intentions mattered.
Finally, he shook his head. "No. I won't teach you, and I don't intend to. Whether you choose to be a hero or not, that's your decision. But don't look to me for guidance."
Jonathan's face fell, disappointment clear in his expression. But Kurogai had already turned, walking toward Susan's room. He had no interest in shaping heroes. His concern was narrower, focused on the few he truly valued. Heroism, glory, or ideals of justice—those were luxuries. In Kurogai's eyes, only strength and survival truly mattered.