After a flash of golden light, Soren appeared in the heart of New York City.
The city hadn't changed. Yellow cabs still honked their way through crowded intersections, pedestrians bustled past towering buildings, and the sky carried that same gray-blue haze that never quite left Manhattan.
Despite all he'd seen in the vastness of the cosmos, Earth spun on undisturbed.
And yet, standing amid the ordinary flow of life, Soren exhaled slowly, letting the lingering tension from his encounter with Mephisto drain away.
He walked aimlessly for a while, hands in his pockets, his mind quiet.
Without planning to, his path brought him to the foot of a familiar structure, the Avengers Tower. Its proud insignia gleamed like a beacon above the city skyline.
Soren stopped.
"Well... since I'm here, might as well drop in."
The moment he stepped into the lobby, a crisp electronic chime greeted him.
"Please identify yourself." Came a clear, automated voice.
A flickering holographic figure appeared in front of him, unmistakably bearing the digital signature of Tony Stark.
"Soren… Macaluso."
The hologram pulsed, and the voice responded promptly.
"Identity confirmed."
Seconds later, the elevator doors flew open with a chime, and Tony Stark burst out, nearly stumbling in excitement.
"Soren! Holy hell, you're really back!"
Tony crossed the floor in quick strides, eyes wide with disbelief and delight.
Behind him, other familiar faces quickly appeared, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, Their expressions ranged from surprise to admiration.
"Good to see you too, Tony." Soren said with a small smile.
"I just returned from a... long journey. Solved a problem involving a rather large, hungry being. Figured I'd check in."
"'Solved'?" Bruce echoed, raising an eyebrow. "You mean, Galactus?"
Soren nodded.
"You solved Galactus like he was a loose bolt in a circuit board?" Tony whistled, shaking his head.
"You're not a man, you're a walking paradox."
"After what we heard, you're basically a legend now." Natasha added, her eyes shining with something close to reverence.
"Care to share what actually happened out there?"
Soren chuckled. "If I explained it all, we'd be here for weeks. But I can give you the short version."
And so, as they moved to the Avengers' conference room, Soren recounted the highlights of his cosmic journey, the alien realms, ancient entities, shattered star systems, and the near-endless voids beyond imagination.
His words painted a reality far broader than any of them had ever envisioned.
Bruce leaned forward, eyes wide. "That sounds... incredible."
"Someday, I'd love to see it for myself. Just to see what's really out there."
"I'd be happy to take you."
"If you don't mind wormholes and near-death experiences."
Bruce laughed nervously.
Soren turned to the others. "So, what's been happening down here? You all look battle-ready. Something I should know about?"
Tony's face grew more serious. "Yeah. A lot's happened while you were gone."
"After S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed, thanks to HYDRA being embedded in it, we had to pick up the slack. Since then, HYDRA's been crawling out of every crack like roaches. We've destroyed three of their major facilities just in the past month."
"Still crawling, huh?" Soren's eyes narrowed.
"They really are like a bad infection. You cut one head off..."
"...two more grow back," Steve finished.
"They're trying to exploit the chaos left behind after Galactus showed up. Rallying people with fear, filling the vacuum of broken institutions."
Tony shook his head. "They're patient. Dangerous."
Soren considered it for a moment, then shrugged. "If you're already handling it, I won't interfere. Not unless they do something... particularly stupid."
After exchanging a few more words, Soren excused himself. "I've had enough war for one lifetime. I'll be at Everlife if anything urgent comes up."
As he turned to leave, no one noticed the quiet beep from the central display.
Behind the group, on a digital map of global activity, a red ring pulsed ominously around a name etched in small letters: Sokovia.
Everlife
The wooden sign swung back and forth gently in the morning breeze.
Soren took it down with a quiet sigh, folding it under his arm.
The weather-worn message, Out Traveling. Return Time Unknown had hung on the door of Everlife Medical Hall for what felt like an eternity.
"Oh, the bird finally lands." Tapping the sign thoughtfully. "Let's see who still remembers me."
He stepped out onto the quiet street, where Chinatown was just beginning to stir. Shops remained shuttered, and steam curled lazily from a noodle stand's pot down the block.
It looked peaceful. Almost too peaceful.
What Soren didn't know was that across the city, and the world, the opening of that old wooden door triggered an unseen chain reaction.
High above, a surveillance drone buzzed faintly in the sky.
Cameras hidden in lampposts and street corners captured images of the once-vanished man standing at the threshold of Everlife.
In minutes, encrypted messages flooded channels around the globe.
"Everlife Medical Hall, status active. Subject Soren sighted at 07:14 AM. Confirming biometric match now."
The quiet returned on the surface. But deep underground, in bunkers, boardrooms, war rooms, and shadowy corners of the intelligence world, panic spread like wildfire.
SHIELD Contingent (Unofficial Remnants)
A young analyst stared at his screen in disbelief.
"Director, we've got eyes on him. Everlife is open. It's... it's him."
The acting director raised an eyebrow. "You sure it's not an illusion or decoy?"
"Biometric match is 99.8%. It's Dr Soren Macaluso." The analyst shook his head. "
There was a pause.
Then a whisper: "The Savior... returned."
The Pentagon
Across oceans of cables and concrete, the news traveled faster than fire.
In a sealed military room, General Thaddeus Ross nearly knocked over his coffee as he stood up from the briefing table.
"What do you mean Soren is back?!"
"Sir." A captain replied, holding out a tablet.
"Live intel confirms he appeared at the Everlife Medical Hall. Local observers have eyes on him, and surrounding forces are monitoring discreetly."
Ross took a deep breath. "You realize what this means?"
"That man left Earth with Galactus and lived to tell the tale. God knows what he's seen. We need to approach this very carefully."
The White House
An aide burst into the lounge where the President sat in his robe, reviewing a national budget draft.
"Mr. President, we have a priority alert."
The President didn't look up. "If it's another embassy squabble, let the Secretary of State—"
"It's not, sir. It's about Soren."
"He's back."
"He was seen this morning at Everlife Medical Hall in Manhattan."
The President dropped his tablet.
"What?!" He shouted.
"You're sure?"
General Ross's voice came through a secure line on the desk.
"Confirmed, Mr. President. The Doctor has returned."
The President stood, stunned. "God bless... We owe that man more than we can ever repay."
"I'll prepare the motorcade immediately." said an aide.
But Ross interrupted calmly.
"Sir, I would advise against it. Soren's never been one for parades or politics. He prefers to stay out of the spotlight."
The President hesitated, then nodded.
"You're right. Last thing we want is to make him feel like a target. Ross, go on my behalf. Ask if he needs anything, anything at all."
"We owe him that much."
"Yes, Mr. President. I'll depart immediately."
Back at Everlife
Soren swept the front steps with a hand broom, pausing now and then to stretch his sore shoulder.
He hadn't even stepped inside when the quiet hum of distant drones, faint clicks from rooftops, and the feeling of a hundred eyes prickled at the back of his neck.
He smiled slightly.
"So... they did miss me."