"Wen, you should've seen my sister's face.
She looked like she couldn't believe I could actually find her a sister-in-law.
That expression…"
"Good grief."
"She must think I've been living miserably these past four years."
"Shame she still can't return to reality yet, and you can't meet her for now. But I'm telling you, my sister is beautiful now."
Back in New York, the first thing Hawk did was find his fiancée Gwen, who had just woken up and was pulling clothes out of the dryer, to share the joy of bringing his sister back.
Well… half of it.
At least until he materialized his small cosmos, or cloned a body for his sister, Anya couldn't truly be resurrected yet.
But that didn't matter.
He could already sink his mind into his Underworld at any time and meet his sister living in the Pure Land.
Even though the Reality Stone had already been used to manifest his current power and could no longer be used for other tasks—
The Underworld was still part of his microcosmos.
He could modify the Pure Land as easily as breathing.
In short—
Hawk was happy.
Very happy.
Gwen sat on the sofa, propping her head with one hand, smiling quietly as she listened to Hawk, who had just come home, happily rambling on.
She didn't interrupt him, only listened.
But—
As she watched Hawk, smiling while saying how these past four years hadn't been hard, Gwen's mind wandered back through her memories of him since ninth grade.
Not hard?
Forget it.
If he was happy, that was enough.
She let the thoughts go and interrupted with a smile, "So is your sister prettier, or am I?"
Hawk froze instantly.
He stared at his fiancée, smiling brightly at him.
She looked radiant.
He looked helpless.
"Wen, I'm trying to share my joy with you."
"I know."
She stood, cupped his face, kissed him, and said seriously, "You're amazing. But when you truly bring Anya back, then you'll be the most amazing. So how about this: I'll go finish folding clothes, and you keep working hard to revive her. Once she sees me, she'll believe I really am her sister-in-law."
Hawk blinked, then nodded slowly.
"You're right."
"Good. I'll go fold clothes."
Barefoot, Gwen smiled and stepped lightly up the stairs until she vanished from view.
Hawk sat dazed on the sofa, staring after her.
When she disappeared, he finally came back to himself.
She was right.
Anya wasn't truly alive again yet.
So—
He would wait until she was fully resurrected. Then he'd throw a grand party, invite everyone he knew, and proudly introduce his sister to them all.
The thought made him pull out his phone and dial his Hydra contact, Anna.
Cloning, after all, was illegal.
So Hydra was the natural place to ask.
But no one picked up.
What?
No answer?
Impossible. On vacation maybe?
Yeah, Christmas break wasn't over. Fine, call someone else.
He thought of another person who'd definitely answer—his S.H.I.E.L.D. friend, Sharon.
If Hydra couldn't be reached, S.H.I.E.L.D. would do.
After all, as the saying went: Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. were never far apart. If Hydra knew where to find cloning, odds were fifty-fifty S.H.I.E.L.D. did too.
This time the call connected.
"Hawk, you're back?" Sharon's voice came bright and warm.
"I'm already in New York."
"So soon? Then Mephisto—"
"He's not dead."
Hawk chuckled, shaking his head. "He's the ruler of Hell. In his own realm, he can't die."
Not even Odin or Eternity could kill Mephisto. At best, they beat him up.
Could he be stronger than Odin or Eternity?
Not likely.
The only way was to cut Hell off from all incoming souls and starve him over millennia.
Too long.
That was why Odin and Eternity walked away.
And why Hawk had chosen the same.
There was no point wasting his time wrestling with the devil's endless nonsense.
Better to ignore him—at least for now.
Later, though?
Once he fully materialized his small cosmos and had legions of Underworld warriors, the first thing he'd do would be to erase that parasite Mephisto from the cosmos.
Dare try to blackmail me?
Hawk's thoughts sharpened, then he shifted the subject with Sharon.
"By the way, has S.H.I.E.L.D. done any work on cloning?"
"Cloning?"
Sharon hesitated. "Hawk, cloning is strictly banned. Any experiments are illegal."
"I know. So?"
"…I'd need to report this."
"Thanks."
"No problem. Just buy me afternoon tea when I'm back in New York."
"Deal." Hawk smiled. "Are you coming back today?"
"No. I'm in Texas, watching a stunt show. I need at least one before my holiday ends."
"Fair enough. Call me when you're back, I'll treat you to that tea."
"Promise."
"Goodbye."
"Bye."
Hawk hung up, then rose from the sofa.
If not Hydra or S.H.I.E.L.D., there were always freelance scientists.
This was Marvel. Scientists grew on trees.
Sure, they weren't all reliable. But sponsor enough of them and someone would deliver.
He refused to believe cloning was harder than Stark's nanotech suits.
As long as they didn't just wave a PowerPoint at him.
Because if they did?
He'd show them what it meant to envy the dead.
His Underworld didn't only have a Pure Land. It also had the Eight Great Hells.
Opening his computer, Hawk clicked on the profile of a so-called scientist who claimed to be researching cloned cows.
…
A few days later.
Morning.
Dragged into a car by Gwen, Hawk was barely awake.
She buckled him in, started the Corolla, and sped toward City Hall.
It was the first day after Christmas break, and also the day Hawk's appointment to change his surname.
Gwen glanced at him. "Really? Just three times yesterday and you're wiped out?"
Hawk's eyes snapped open.
"I'm strong. Thanks."
"Then why—"
"Not lack of sleep."
He rubbed his brow, where the strain of sensing the Seventh Sense lingered.
Yes.
He had found the doorway.
Maybe rescuing his sister had cleared his heart, dissolving his obsession.
That vow had been what fueled a thousand days of training, ten thousand punches each.
Now, with Anya free, the obsession lifted. He could see the path.
But seeing it and reaching it were two different things.
Forget it.
He'd just cheat with the Mind Stone.
Why suffer when a shortcut worked?
Instantly, his spirit cleared, energy flooding back.
…
An hour later, Hawk and Gwen stepped out of City Hall.
The name change was official. From now on, he was Hawk Phoenix.
But Gwen was even happier.
She was the only woman in New York to pick her married surname before the wedding.
"Happy now?" Hawk asked.
"Of course." She smiled sweetly. "Mr. Phoenix."
He chuckled. "Then let's go home, future Mrs. Phoenix."
"Yes, Mr. Phoenix!"
Her eyes curved like crescent moons.
But just as she was about to take his arm, her phone rang.
Mary.
Gwen answered.
"Hey, Mary—"
"Jesus, Gwen—Peter's missing!"
"…"
(End of Chapter)
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