In a dark alleyway of Brooklyn, the air suddenly trembled. A black silhouette appeared, like a reflection on shattered glass, then vanished just as quickly.
In its place, on the damp ground, lay simple black-and-white sheets. If one leaned closer, a baby could be seen: hair as black as onyx, and eyes gleaming like liquid silver.
A cry pierced the night.
— HHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
It was his first breath, his first scream on this earth. The wail echoed through the alley, slipping past walls and reaching the crowded streets of Brooklyn.
The infant's cries continued until a man's voice rose.
— What's a baby doing here, in a dark alley, at this hour?
The man wore round glasses, a red polo shirt, and blue jeans. Bald, standing around five foot nine, he had a salt-and-pepper beard covering his cheeks and mouth.
He approached the newborn, studied him for a moment, then noticed a word embroidered on the fabric that wrapped him.
He read aloud:— So, your name is Ace…
The baby kept sobbing, inconsolable in the absence of the parents who had abandoned him. The man then smiled.
— Well, Ace, today's your lucky day. Turns out Uncle Johny — that's me — runs an orphanage.
His tone was boastful, theatrical almost, his wide grin adding a strange reassurance to the night.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Sokovia, an Hydra base witnessed a similar phenomenon. A portal opened, and a baby appeared. This time, it was a girl — naked, nameless, familyless — surrounded by men bristling with weapons.
Her fiery red hair caught the harsh light, her green eyes glowed with unnatural intensity. Across her arms, black tattoos came alive, shimmering in hues of blue and green. The runes spread, joined at her chest, and crept across her back.
The soldiers hesitated. The infant giggled softly, with a calm that seemed out of place. They stepped aside to let their superior through.
A massive man entered, clad in a black military uniform bearing Hydra's crimson emblem: a skull with eight tentacles spilling from its jaw.
His face was a battlefield of scars, his cropped hair marked with bald patches. His black eyes scanned the room coldly, until they found the child. Then, his features twisted into a mad grin, and he burst out in manic laughter that shook the bunker walls.
In Mexico City, inside the office of a powerful cartel boss, another portal tore open.
A baby emerged, yet no cry escaped his lips. No scream, no laughter. Nothing. Only silence — a silence that carried death.
He was swaddled in golden cloth, his hair gleamed the same metallic hue, and his eyes were red as spilled blood. Etched on the shining fabric was a name: Arthur.
The cartel boss frowned, blinked once, then twice.
— Damn… and here I thought I'd seen it all.
He waved his generals aside and stepped forward. The infant lifted his gaze and locked eyes with the man. His stare carried no innocence — only an impossible lucidity, as though the soul within had already walked through countless hells.
A shiver crept up the boss's spine. Still, he held the gaze and muttered in a grave tone:— Welcome to hell, Arthur.
Half a world away, in Japan, at the foot of Mount Fuji, a final portal opened. This time, no child appeared.
What emerged was an egg.
The size of a basketball, its violet shell pulsed like a living heart. Around it, flames of the same color spread across the forest, yet nothing burned — not the grass, not the trees.
Then the egg began to tremble.Crack… crack… crack…
It split apart, revealing a strange creature: a wolf pup with silver-gray fur and violet eyes glowing like twin stars. His tail was no fur at all, but a black obsidian serpent with golden eyes, like twin suns at dusk. Upon his back, two small white wings lay folded, awaiting their first unfurling.
The flames surrounding the clearing were drawn back into him. The grass bent low, as if bowing. The leaves of the trees swayed with the wind, weaving a gentle melody — a hymn to the birth of this wondrous beast.
The wolf pup lowered his gaze to his paws and took a first step. Where he touched the earth, a flower bloomed instantly. Startled, he tilted his head, studied his paws for a moment, then continued walking.
He reached the base of a tree, curled against the trunk, and closed his eyes. The forest, lulled by his presence, seemed to fall asleep with him.