...
People aren't all the same.
Some people seem cold at first, but are actually kind deep down. Hawk was one of them. No matter his reasons, he never killed anyone unless he was attacked first. He only fought back when someone else started it.
Others smiled warmly but hid something rotten inside.
Tiamut was different from Arishem the Judge or Eson the Searcher. He grew up on Earth and drew strength from the life all around him. Along the way, he gained something most Celestials did not have:
Emotion.
Humanity.
That's why Tiamut sided with the Eternals when they tried to stop his emergence from destroying Earth. Instead of harming the world that raised him, he helped seal himself away.
Hawk got to where he was through his own hard work, but he couldn't ignore the help he'd gotten along the way.
Tiamut was one of those people.
Hawk had been unable to save the Tiamut in his home universe. However, this universe's Tiamut could still be rescued.
There was another advantage too.
Nothing angers an enemy more than seeing one of their own switch sides.
Hawk smiled at the adamantium heart beating in front of him.
"Come with me, Tiamut. What do you say?"
"Go with you?" Tiamut's voice resounded throughout the cavern. "To help you fight my own kind?"
"No." Hawk stayed calm. "Zeus has Celestials in his universe. I think I should have one too."
He meant it.
Zeus had two Celestials guarding his universe. Hawk saw no reason he couldn't have one as well.
But he didn't want to make peace with the Celestials. Bringing two hostile Celestials home would be like taking in a pair of live bombs.
Tiamut was different.
He had taken in too much of humanity's emotions to stand with Celestials, who only cared about following their programming and doing their jobs. Their values would never truly match.
After hearing Hawk's explanation, Tiamut fell silent.
"What if I refuse?" he finally asked.
"Then I leave," Hawk answered without hesitation.
He looked directly at the unfinished heart.
"I might want a Celestial for my universe because Zeus has one, but I'm not asking you to be my servant. I'm offering you a place as my friend."
Hawk's voice remained steady.
"I care about order too, Tiamut. But I don't want it to be cold and empty. I want an order that understands the lives it touches."
That was the real reason Hawk had come.
Every universe needs order to work. The Phoenix Universe was no different.
Hawk had already made the Ancient One the God of Time. Her job was to create a lasting timeline for the Phoenix Universe, one that could stretch on forever.
But making a timeline was only half the job.
Once it was built, someone had to keep it running.
This was one of the original purposes behind Eternity's creation of the Celestials. Eternity preserved the greater structure of the primary Marvel multiverse timeline, and the Celestials maintained order within it, preventing its branches from falling into chaos.
Building a road and keeping it in good shape are two different things.
Hawk couldn't expect the Ancient One to create endless years of history and also watch every branch for problems. If something went wrong, the damage could spread and bring down the whole timeline.
The Phoenix Universe needed someone focused on keeping time in order.
Luckily, Hawk had found the right person for the job.
Tiamut might not agree with the other Celestials, but keeping order came naturally to him. If Hawk could convince Tiamut to join, the Phoenix Universe would have a guardian for good.
Even more important, Tiamut stood for the kind of order Hawk wanted—one shaped by compassion.
Hawk waited calmly for his answer. If Tiamut refused, Hawk would turn around and leave without another word.
A deal only works if both sides want it.
After a long pause, Tiamut spoke again.
"You want me to enter your universe and maintain order within its timeline?"
"That's right. It's what you were created to do, isn't it?"
"You said you wanted order and warmth."
"I did."
"My Emergence will tear Earth apart."
"Then let it break." Hawk shrugged. "Compared to getting a god of order for my universe, this Earth means nothing to me. If it has to be destroyed, so be it. It's not the Earth where I live."
The temperature inside the cavern dropped.
Even Tiamut's voice became glacial.
"Leave. I have no desire to emerge."
"Because of Earth?"
"..." Tiamut answered with a cold grunt and fell silent.
Hawk raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes breaking something isn't the same as destroying it... If something is already falling apart, there's no point in fixing the same ruins over and over. It's better to tear them down and build something new."
Suspicion entered Tiamut's voice.
"What are you trying to say, Lord Phoenix?"
Hawk smiled.
"If I can ensure your emergence without destroying Earth, will you come with me?"
Tiamut hesitated.
"Are you certain you can do that?"
"Of course."
"Then what you said before..."
"I was looking for a friend," Hawk said. "Before I invite someone into my universe, I need to know if we share the same values. Sorry for the test."
"You are remarkably honest, Lord Phoenix."
Rather than sounding angry, Tiamut sounded almost relieved.
"If you can promise my emergence won't destroy Earth, then yes. I'll join your universe and keep order in its timeline. This order will be guided by compassion, not coldness."
Hawk's smile broadened.
"Then we have an agreement, Tiamut, my God of Order."
"We do, my lord."
Hawk laughed.
"Wait for me, Tiamut. It's time to get ready for your birth."
With that, Hawk shot upward.
He shot through Hollow Earth, turning into a gold and crimson streak as he raced into the sky. Without stopping, he broke through Earth's atmosphere and sped into space.
Tiamut had agreed to leave.
Now, Hawk needed the consent of the universe that contained him.
Without the universe's help, he couldn't bring Tiamut home, no matter how willing Tiamut was.
A phoenix cry rang through the void.
The image of a fire phoenix appeared behind Hawk, its wings embracing the endless universe. As the phoenix spread its wings, Hawk's burning cosmo struck the core of reality.
The universe began to shake.
Hawk continued to pour power into it until the universe could no longer ignore him.
A figure manifested before his eyes.
It was a woman.
She had Gwen's face, but unlike the Gwen he remembered, this version looked soft and fragile, the kind of person you wanted to protect.
"The Gwen I remember was never this delicate." Hawk chuckled.
"I took this appearance from your memories when you died," the woman replied. "This is the version of Gwen you wished to see."
She tried to hide it, but her voice was still clearly cold.
"To use an expression from Earth, you have a rather chauvinistic streak, Lord Phoenix."
Hawk shrugged.
"So you appeared like this to trigger my protective instincts and keep me from hurting you?"
"Would you hurt me?"
"That depends on whether you can give me a reasonable explanation."
"I remained neutral, Lord Phoenix."
"Neutral?" Hawk's smile disappeared.
He looked at the woman with Gwen's face.
"Neutrality only matters if you keep it from start to finish. You can't be neutral at first, help one side, and then claim neutrality when things go wrong."
When Hawk first entered this lower-level universe, its limitations prevented his Phoenix power from descending with him.
He hadn't objected.
Those were the rules, and he had come to retrieve his family, not destroy the order of the universe. As long as the same restrictions applied to everyone, he was willing to respect them.
But that wasn't what happened.
The Celestials were allowed to throw one of their own corpses into this universe. Ikaris entered at full strength, free from the restrictions imposed on Hawk.
Now, the universe claimed to have remained neutral.
Wasn't it a little late for that?
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