"Here is how we proceed," Aryan continued, his voice cutting through the lingering hum of the transaction, grounding the gods back into generals. "T'Challa, Namor, you both have a logistical nightmare ahead of you. You need to return to your nations, finalize the selection of your royal guards for the super soldier serum upgrades and begin moving your critical Vibranium and gold reserves into the Pocket Dimensions you've secured today. The world must see you as powerful, yes, but they must never see where the source of that power is hidden. You are removing the target from your backs."
Tony nodded, the gears of his mind already spinning with schedules and protocols. "Once the kings have their houses in order, we convene at the Umbrella Hive. We're going to witness the removal of Bucky Barnes' brainwashing. It's a proof of concept. If we can fix the Winter Soldier, we can fix the damage Hydra did to the world's collective psyche. It's the pilot episode for the new world order."
"And after that?" Namor asked, his arms crossed, the golden bands on his wrists catching the dim light.
"After Bucky is restored," Aryan said, "the five of us will present a formal proposal to the Earth Federation. We will meet with The Leader personally. We need a binding document that acknowledges the Illuminati as a sovereign advisory and security body. We provide the expertise, the containment of the 'unnatural,' and the muscle. They provide the administrative legitimacy and the public face. Both parties must accept the terms, or this new era will collapse into a civil war before the ink is dry."
Aryan leaned forward, his gaze sweeping the table. "The Hydra heads in the high offices are gone, wiped out in the initial purge. But the body still twitches. I've located several dozen Hydra bases… scattered across the globe. They are leaderless, desperate and heavily armed."
"And then there's S.H.I.E.L.D.," Tony added, rubbing the back of his neck. "There are thousands of trained agents out there. Not all of them were Hydra. Most were just people who thought they were protecting their country, cashing a paycheck and trusting the patch on their shoulder. Now they're jobless, highly trained and holding onto secrets that could burn down a city. If we don't manage them, they become mercenaries."
T'Challa frowned, the moral weight of the situation pressing on him. "We cannot simply execute thousands of people for the crime of being misled. That is the path of the tyrant, not the protector."
"Agreed," Aryan said. "We need a tiered approach. Those who simply want to live their lives… we let them go. But they stay on an Illuminati watchlist. We provide them with 'severance' and a new identity, but they remain under our digital surveillance for a period of five years. If they try to sell a secret or pick up a gun, we know before they pull the trigger."
"And the ones who want to keep fighting?" Namor asked, his eyes narrowing. "The true believers?"
"If they are clean," Aryan replied, "we offer them a choice. They can join the Illuminati's new security arm or be vetted for the Illuminati's tactical support. We need eyes and ears. Who better than the people who spent decades watching the shadows? We turn the broken Shield into a lantern."
Tony stood up, stretching his back, the sheer scale of the to do list finally hitting him. "It's a lot of work for people who just gained five hundred years of life. I thought I'd be taking a vacation by now. Maybe a beach in Fiji."
"A king never vacations, Stark," T'Challa said, standing as well. He stepped toward Tony and offered a traditional Wakandan salute, arms crossed over his chest. "But at least now, we have the time to do it right. I will see you at the Hive in forty eight hours."
Namor gave a regal nod. "Do not keep me waiting, Stark. I have an ocean to prepare for the news that their King has joined a 'Parliament' of surface dwellers. It will not be an easy conversation and my generals are not known for their sense of humor."
Wanda walked over to Aryan, her hand slipping into his, seeking the warmth of his presence in the cold fog. She looked at the group and the unlikely family they had become. "We're really doing it," she whispered.
"The era of secrets is ending," Aryan said, his voice echoing through the hall. "The era of Enlightenment begins. We meet at the Hive."
With a final shimmer of golden light, the members of the Tarot Club vanished one by one, their forms dissolving into the mist.
Aryan sat alone on the ancient throne at the head of the long table. The silence of Sefirah Castle returned. In his mind, the "System" was tallying the final numbers of the day… the greatest harvest since he had first stepped foot into this grey fog.
He looked out over the empty stone seats, his eyes reflecting the shimmering data of the day's "sales." The numbers were staggering, a testament to the immense wealth of the world's most powerful men.
Tony Stark: Spent $110 million on the Super Soldier Serum for his own foundation and $30 billion for the Beta Level High Speed Regeneration and family upgrades.
T'Challa: The biggest investor of the day. $100 billion for his Pocket Dimension, $330 million for the personal Serum and family upgrades, $60 billion for the Beta Level Regeneration and $11 billion for the "Centurion" batch of 100 Super Soldier Serums for his Royal Guard.
Namor: $100 billion for the Pocket Dimension, $50 billion for the Beta Level Regeneration, $220 million for the Serum and $11 billion for his own 100 man elite guard Super Soldier Serums.
The total flashed in his mind, a number that could buy nations: $362,771,000,000.
Aryan leaned back, a satisfied smile touching his lips. He hadn't spent a single cent of his own wealth today. Instead, he had become the silent creditor of the Earth's new Immortals. He was funding his own godhood with their gold.
He turned his focus inward, weaving the metaphysical fabric of the Castle into specific knots of authority… the Anchors.
For Tony Stark: Aryan forged a localized Anchor for Beta Level High Speed Regeneration. Along with this, he prepared a single Anchor of Power. This was the "Blessing." Tony would now carry the authority of the Castle within his very touch; he could place his hand on Pepper Potts, lead her through the Honorifics and the Castle would recognize his bio signature as the key to grant her the Serum and the Regeneration.
For T'Challa: Aryan turned his attention to his own internal dimension. With a thought, he partitioned a section of the endless void, a 10,000 cubic meter vacuum. It was a pocket within a pocket, a "Void Vault," where no living thing could breathe, but where Vibranium would remain pristine for eternity. He granted T'Challa the Beta Level Regeneration, then forged three Anchors of Serum and Regeneration for the royal family and 100 Tactical Anchors for the Wakandan Guard. T'Challa would return home as a source of miracles, able to "bless" his soldiers into becoming a legion of unshakeable titans.
For Namor: Similar to the others, Namor received the Beta Level Regeneration. Aryan carved out another 10,000 cubic meter pocket for the Atlantean treasures. He prepared two Serum and Regeneration Family Anchors and 100 Super Soldier Anchors. The King of the Seven Seas would now hold the literal power to evolve his people with a touch and a word, solidifying his rule for centuries.
As the anchors were sent out, tethering themselves to the souls of the club members like invisible silver cords, Aryan felt the connection deepen. By granting them the power to "bless" others, he had made them extensions of the Castle's will. They would go forth, making their loved ones and soldiers recite the Honorifics, unknowingly reinforcing the Castle's influence across every corner of the globe.
The "Pocket Dimensions" were perhaps his most clever stroke. They were sub sectors of his own territory. Every ounce of Vibranium T'Challa stored, every ancient golden artifact Namor hid away to keep safe from the surface, was now technically sitting inside Aryan's house.
He stepped off the dais, the grey fog parting before him like a curtain. It was time to return to the Hive.