Gwen's lips parted slightly in wonder.
She glanced down at the armor she wore.
The Andromeda Cloth shimmered with its signature icy-blue glow, flickering with starlight like a nebula pulsing across the plates of her armor.
Tentatively, Gwen reached out to touch it.
At once, a chill spread across her fingertips—but alongside it, a strange sense of intimacy, as if the armor itself welcomed her.
When she raised her arm, the chains—once only a necklace—sang with a clear metallic chime.
And when her fingers brushed them, her emerald eyes reflected the swirling of galaxies.
Looking up at Hawk, who watched her with a smile, Gwen gave a mischievous blink.
Then—
"NEBULA CHAIN!"
With a crisp cry, the chains came alive, obeying their prime directive—to protect Gwen.
Only instead, they whipped outward—straight at Hawk.
One loop after another coiled tightly around him until he was bound head to toe.
Hawk glanced down at the chains, then up at Gwen, who batted her lashes playfully. After a pause, he shook his head. "Gwen, I gave you this to protect you. Not to tie me up."
She leaned closer, lowering her voice with a sly grin. "Hey… don't you like a little tying up?"
Hawk's lips twitched.
Of course.
Marriage really did make women learn new tricks on their own.
Gwen was no exception.
With a thought—
Boom!
The Andromeda Cloth disengaged, the chains unwrapping and flowing back into the pendant form at her chest.
An icy-blue shimmer rippled as it shrank back into the necklace hanging around her neck.
Gwen glanced down, then back up. "Hey! I wasn't done playing!"
Hawk chuckled. "It's for protection, not games. Its energy is limited. Use it now, and it might not answer when you really need it."
Her brows rose. "Can't you recharge it?"
"I can—but the material won't hold the energy."
Vibranium could absorb impact but couldn't store power.
So the Andromeda Cloth he'd forged for Gwen could only activate twice. She'd just spent one charge.
Not that it worried Hawk. Once she used both, he could always melt it down and reforge it stronger.
Gwen listened, nodded faintly, then touched the pendant again, smiling sweetly. "Hawk."
"Mm?"
"Thank you. I love it."
"You're welcome."
He met her gentle emerald gaze with equal warmth. Then he nudged her shoulder. "Come on. You wanted photos, didn't you?"
Her eyes lit up. "Right! Can I wear this for the pictures?"
"No." Hawk didn't hesitate. "Reforging it is a hassle."
Her face fell. Then she squinted at him.
"This is your fault."
"…What?"
Hawk blinked.
One second she was thanking him. The next she was blaming him?
Women. Truly unfathomable.
But her pout didn't last long. Soon she was laughing again, leaving footprints across the snow-capped paths around Kamar-Taj, her phone snapping picture after picture.
By the time the sun dipped behind the mountains, they returned to the monastery.
In the corridor, as they watched apprentices still practicing their spark portals, a solidly built Asian man approached. His face was stern, his presence grounded.
Wong.
The current librarian of Kamar-Taj.
"Mr. Phoenix. Mrs. Phoenix. Dinner is ready. The Sorcerer Supreme invites you both."
Before Hawk could answer, Gwen beamed. "Thank you."
The title had delighted her.
She tilted her head, curious. "And you are…?"
"Wong," he replied simply. "Everyone calls me that."
Gwen smiled. "Thank you, Wong."
Wong nodded, then paused as if recalling something. He pulled a slip of paper from his robes and handed it to her.
She unfolded it. On it was written: Shamballa.
"This is…"
"The Wi-Fi password."
"…Wi-Fi? Password?"
For a moment, Gwen's mind raced with mystical possibilities—until she processed his plain words. Her lips parted. "Oh. Uh. Thanks."
Wong gave the briefest smile, then returned to his usual sternness and led the way.
Behind him, Gwen glanced at the signal bars on her phone lighting up and whispered to Hawk, "Isn't this supposed to be a magic world?"
He shrugged. "Keeping up with the times."
After all, the Sorcerer Supreme was hardly a traditionalist. Borrowing power from the Dark Dimension proved that well enough.
Dinner ended, and Wong guided them to a guest room.
The moment the door opened—
It was like a five-star hotel suite.
A modern bed. A sleek bathtub. Utterly at odds with the ancient monastery outside.
But Gwen had stopped being surprised by now.
At the window, she snapped a photo of the moonlit Himalayas. Then she turned back with a smile. "Come on, let's bathe and rest."
Hawk: "…"
—
The next morning.
Hawk smiled softly at Gwen, who had been as fierce as a tiger last night but lay curled like a kitten now. He kissed her forehead, dressed, and followed a young apprentice to the library.
Wong was waiting.
"Good morning, Wong."
"Good morning."
Wong opened the doors. "The Sorcerer Supreme awaits inside."
"Thank you."
Hawk stepped into the vast chamber.
Shelves towered high, drifting through space like living things, gliding with the weight of countless tomes.
He reached toward one.
At once, the shelf skittered away like a startled fish.
"The books were written and gathered by generations of sorcerers tied to the Vishanti," came a calm voice. "You're not one of them. You cannot read them."
Hawk looked over at the Ancient One, standing serene in white robes. He shrugged. "A pity."
Then, stepping closer, he asked directly: "So—can I borrow the Time Stone now?"
The Ancient One smiled without a word, turning and leading him deeper.
Hawk followed.
The air shattered like glass.
Before them stretched a chamber of stone, its centerpiece a wall bearing three carved heads—the Vishanti: Omnipotent Oshtur, All-Seeing Agamotto, and Hoary Hoggoth.
Beneath them, a pedestal.
Upon it floated the Eye of Agamotto.
Hawk narrowed his eyes. So yesterday, the Eye must've been on her person. She couldn't bring him here until she returned it to its place.
The Ancient One stepped forward, hands weaving mudras, and the Eye unfolded, revealing the glowing emerald brilliance of the Time Stone.
Its power spilled out in waves—bending, halting, accelerating time itself. Past, present, and future glittered in its facets.
The Ancient One raised it aloft, then let it drift down toward Hawk.
He caught it, fingers curling around the relic. Cool. Heavy. Alive.
He turned to her. "Can I ask… what promise did I make to you in exchange?"
Her expression was serene, but her eyes held a glint of curiosity. "The question is—what do you intend to offer me, now?"
Hawk smiled faintly. "I've considered it. But right now… I can't fulfill what I had in mind."
Her face didn't change.
"That's all right. I've already collected."
"…Huh?"
Hawk froze.
The Ancient One raised her hand, smiling as delicately as if she were plucking a flower.
Hawk's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
…
(End of Chapter)
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