A Sky was too Normal
Ben stood on the rooftop, eyes locked on the sky as if he could see through it.
There had been a time when the sky was his battlefield—planets, warships, alien wars, even a few dimensions here and there. Now? It looked suburban. Too normal. Too perfect. Like a mask stretched thin over something deeper.
Behind him, Gwen leaned casually against the porch railing.
She hadn't said a word since Azmuth and Paradox left. She didn't need to.
Ben's fingers hovered over the new Omnitrix.
It wasn't heavier physically. Spiritually, though? It felt like it was running on borrowed time.
Forms flickered across the dial—humanoid silhouettes, claws, wings, scales… none of them felt right. None of them were what he needed.
Then finally… Alien X.
"You're thinking about asking again, aren't you?" Gwen asked softly. "About Alien X."
Ben didn't answer.
She stepped up beside him, her hand brushing his wrist. "You heard Azmuth. Using it won't fix this. It'll just erase it."
Her gaze locked onto his. "Erase me."
That stopped him. For a moment.
Reminded him of the conversation from only hours ago.
---
Flashback — Between Realities
When the conversation began, all of them found themselves somewhere… between worlds—half inside Marvel's fabric, half inside what was left of Ben's original reality.
Azmuth's tech blurred with cosmic forces even he didn't fully trust. A paradox wrapped in circuitry.
The First Thinker of Galvan floated in silence for a long time before finally speaking.
"You want Alien X's DNA unlocked. Are you planning to erase this reality?"
Ben stood firm. "I just need… options. To make sure the people I know don't just disappear. Maybe with his power, I could separate these universes without destroying them."
Azmuth's gaze sharpened. "Alien X doesn't fix. He rewrites. That's the price. Simple patchwork. No gentle corrections. You press that button… and we will cease to exist. What's left would be a copy."
Ben's jaw tightened. "So what? This universe won't survive the combined disaster of both realities colliding."
Azmuth sighed. " then protect what you supposed to protect as for your Omnitrix is misaligned with this fused reality. Even if I gave you Alien X… it wouldn't work cleanly. At best? You erase existence by accident."
He let the words hang.
"At worst, you draw attention."
Ben's eyes narrowed. "From who?"
Azmuth's tone grew grim. "Beings far beyond Celestialsapiens. Entities even they fear. The Marvel cosmic pantheon—gods who might unmake you before you blink."
Ben exhaled through gritted teeth. "So I'm just supposed to live with this?"
"No."
Azmuth reached into his small pocket dimension and produced something new.
A device. Smaller. Sleeker. Shaped like an Omnitrix… but different. Unfamiliar.
"This isn't for fixing reality. It's for surviving it."
He handed it over.
"Your Omnitrix is unsuitable here. This one is adapted. Streamlined for this universe's logic. Fewer issues than the original… and Alien X is still included. But I advise you not to rely on him."
Ben took it. The weight felt… right. Heavy with potential. Dangerous.
Azmuth's final words lingered:
> "Fight smarter. Not bigger."
---
Back to Now
Ben looked down at the new Omnitrix. Unactivated. Waiting.
"You're right," he said to Gwen. "Alien X isn't the answer. Not yet."
He smirked, tired but honest. "Besides…I just need to protect you guys."
She rolled her eyes. "Damn right."
The Omnitrix clicked into place on his wrist.
Green light flared—sharp, alive with possibilities.
Alien X was his last mental defense. A safeguard. As long as he had it, he believed there was nothing left to fear.
In the sky, reality flickered. Just for a moment.
A shadow passed across the sun—vast, incomprehensible. Watching.
Ben didn't look up. Not this time.
"Alright," he said. "Let's do it the hard way."
---
Later That Night
The house was silent. Gwen had fallen asleep downstairs, her book slipping from her fingers onto the floor.
Ben sat alone in his room, staring at the Omnitrix's soft glow.
Slowly. Deliberately.
He turned the dial.
Alien X.
Azmuth's warning rang in his mind.
> Alien X doesn't fix. He rewrites.
Ben pressed the dial down.
---
Inside Alien X's Mindscape
White. Infinite. Silent.
Ben floated in the void of Alien X's consciousness—vast, timeless, empty.
Then… they appeared.
Two silhouettes of cosmic force:
Bellicus, the Voice of Rage.
Serena, the Voice of Compassion.
Bellicus sneered. " it's going to be trouble."
Serena regarded him calmly. "this is the first time, so let's help him a little bit"
Ben stood tall, "I want this reality to protect my family—Gwen, Grandpa Max, the people I love.
If this fractured universe tries to erase them, Alien X will stop it. That's my first action."
Bellicus scoffed. "Pathetic sentiment."
Serena smiled. "Compassionate. Acceptable."
Together, their voices merged:
"So it shall be."
Reality shifted—subtle, but absolute.
A safeguard locked in. His anchor secured.
Ben exhaled. "Thanks."
Bellicus crossed his arms. "Next time, we debate."
Serena smiled. "Next time, you will understand the cost."
---
Ben Stayed
Ben didn't leave.
Bellicus noticed first. "Why do you linger, mortal? Your first action is spent. You have no claim to be here."
Ben folded his arms. "Because I'm not stupid. Next time, I don't get a free pass. I'm staying now so next time I would able to convince you faster"
Bellicus sneered. "You seek to debate us now? Pointless."
Serena smiled faintly. "Curious. Few mortals attempt dialogue after receiving what they want."
"I'm not most mortals." Ben's voice was steady. "You're cosmic beings. You don't care about time. So we're going to talk. I want to learn how you think."
Bellicus folded his arms, unimpressed. "Fine. Waste your breath. We have eternity."
---
The Long Debate Begins
Bellicus:
"You seek to tamper with threads beyond comprehension. Repairing? Rewriting? These are mortal distinctions. Irrelevant."
Serena:
"Even mortal compassion shapes ripples in eternity. His request was not selfish. It aligns with preservation."
Ben:
"That's why I'm asking. I'm not trying to cheat reality. I'm trying to protect the people who keep me grounded. You've already granted that. Now I want to understand the rules so I don't break them by accident."
Bellicus:
"Rules? We are the rules. Creation and Destruction dance on our breath."
Ben:
"Then why debate at all? If you're absolute, why talk?"
Serena:
"Because balance demands it. Rage without compassion is chaos. Compassion without caution is ruin."
Bellicus:
"You waste your words. Mortal concerns decay within a blink of our eternity."
Ben:
"Maybe. But mortals are what hold this universe together now. Not gods. Not titans. Ordinary people. If I'm the idiot standing between reality and collapse, I need to understand how not to screw it up."
Serena:
"…Perhaps there is wisdom in persistence."
Bellicus:
"Or foolishness in arrogance."
Ben:
"Call it what you want. I'm here. I'm listening."
---
Hours Later
Serena regarded him warmly. "You surprise me. I thought you would try to exploit our nature. Seek emotional leverage to control us."
Bellicus grunted. "That would have been pointless."
Ben allowed himself a small smirk. "Maybe. Maybe not."
Serena's tone softened. "Remember this: you walk a fragile line. We are not your weapon. We are not your servants. Do not mistake us for such."
Bellicus nodded, reluctantly. "Next time… perhaps you would make fever mistakes."
Ben exhaled, exhaustion finally pulling at him.
---
Returning to Reality
The void dissolved.
Ben opened his eyes in the dark of his bedroom.
Outside, the stitched-together world hummed on.
Gwen's quiet breathing drifted from the next room.
He smiled to himself.
> One step at a time.
Finally, he slept—dreaming not of destruction, but of a debate echoing across infinity.