Hawk and Peter returned to the hotel, one after the other.
As Peter had guessed, just as they reached the entrance, Mary and Gwen came out, chatting and laughing.
Mary froze, blinking. She looked back at the hotel doors, then at her boyfriend beside Hawk. "Didn't you say you weren't going out today?"
Peter said nothing—he only glanced at Hawk.
See? his look seemed to say.
We already saved the world, and they're only now finishing breakfast.
Granted, it was Hawk who had done all the fighting, but Peter had been there, and Hawk hadn't let him intervene. Close enough—he was part of it.
Hawk ignored him. His eyes met Gwen's.
Hers were warm.
His burned with fire.
Without a word for Mary, Hawk strode forward, seized Gwen's hand, and pulled her inside.
By the time Mary had gathered herself and turned, Hawk was already gone with Gwen, vanishing up the stairwell in a blur of urgency.
Mary blinked. Then turned to Peter. "Where were you two?"
Peter opened his mouth, unsure what excuse to give.
…
An hour later, their room lay in shambles, as if a storm had torn through it.
On the bed, Hawk held Gwen close, pulling her against him as though to merge her into his chest. Her face was flushed, her body limp. She had long since given up trying to speak—too tired, she had fallen asleep in his arms.
As for Hawk…
He was fine.
That was the weight of a Silver Saint.
Even without Cosmos, his body was far beyond human. A Silver Saint could crush a nuclear reactor with bare hands, shrugging off radiation, poison, even curses. His speed already surpassed Mach 2, approaching Mach 5 as a baseline, and in peak state could brush against the speed of light.
Such was the power of mastering the Sixth Sense.
Hawk leaned back against the headboard, his mind sinking into his new Cosmos.
With the Phoenix Eyes, it pulsed with life. Stars shimmered faintly across its expanse—bright points born from each battle he had endured. Yet spread across the vastness, they were sparse.
He remembered what the system had once told him:
"The Cosmos is the path of war. It grows only through battle."
Every fight had added new stars. And so, more battle meant more growth.
He chuckled softly. A moment ago, he had thought himself invincible. But no sooner had he felt it than reality reminded him—invincible below the heavens still means an enemy may come from above.
Thor, perhaps.
Their clash had not been one of foes, but the spark was there. And a duel would serve to ignite more stars within his Cosmos.
Yes. He would fight Thor. Not to the death, not even for victory, but for growth.
Later.
For now, Gwen.
He lowered his gaze, watching her breathe softly against him, her lashes trembling as she stirred awake.
Her green eyes opened, meeting his.
He smiled. "Good afternoon."
She blinked. "Afternoon…?" She sat up quickly, grabbed her phone. 12:30 p.m. glared back at her.
"You let me sleep this long?"
"I couldn't wake you," Hawk shrugged. "Didn't want to."
Her lips softened. "Fine." She crossed her legs on the bed, facing him. "So—it's done?"
"Perfectly," Hawk nodded.
The Reality Stone was his. With it, nothing stood between him and his Cosmos' true manifestation, save his own growth—his Seventh Sense, his Gold Cloth.
"Very perfect," he added, holding her gaze.
Gwen's face lit with joy. She leaned forward, pressing onto his chest again. "Tell me everything."
So he did. The power of the Reality Stone. Malekith's ambition. The destruction of Stonehenge. The dragon-shaped scar left on the plain, etched like a living wyrm in the earth itself.
Her eyes widened. "Show me."
"Can't," Hawk chuckled. "S.H.I.E.L.D. sealed it off. Natasha Romanoff is handling it."
Gwen blinked. She remembered knocking Natasha unconscious with a single swing back at Calver Lake, then smiled. "She's a good person."
Hawk agreed softly. "She is."
For all her secrets, for all her shadows—her leap on Vormir had proven her heart.
His eyes flickered. Vormir.
The Soul Stone.
If he claimed it, could he not bring his sister back?
The thought burned bright—then he crushed it.
No.
The price of the Soul Stone was too terrible.
He could not.
He would not.
He dared not.
…
(End of Chapter)
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