The Crossroads - Next DayStrategic Planning Session
Marco sat surrounded by his impromptu war council: all five Jeans, Legion, Celebrimbor, and surprisingly, Elrond himself.
"So," Marco said, pulling up the limited information TARS had on The Wanderer, "we know almost nothing. That's... not great."
Jean Cosmic's eyes glowed as she stared at the display.
"I can see probability threads, but they're... scrambled. Like looking at tangled yarn. This Wanderer exists across multiple timelines simultaneously. That's why tracking them is impossible."
"Helpful," Legion commented. "Also terrifying. Existing across multiple timelines suggests reality manipulation or temporal immunity. Either way, very dangerous."
"Can we just skip this one?" asked Jean Phoenix. "Move to immortal number four, come back to this later?"
[Negative. Death specifically ordered these in sequence. Easy to hard. The Wanderer is number three for reason—it's difficulty checkpoint. If you can't handle this one, you shouldn't attempt the later ones.]
"Great," Marco muttered. "So this is test."
"Everything is test with cosmic entities," Elrond observed. "Death is evaluating whether you're worthy of the later contracts. The Wanderer is her way of seeing if you can adapt to unknown variables."
Jean Sage, who'd been reading through TARS's compiled data, spoke up:
"There's pattern in the sightings. The Wanderer appears at moments of significant historical change. Fall of Rome. Black Plague. World Wars. Always observing, never interfering. Like tourist of tragedy."
"Or historian," Jean Hope suggested. "Maybe they're recording history?"
"For what purpose?" Celebrimbor asked. "3,000 years of observation with no action? That's not scholarship. That's obsession."
Legion leaned forward.
"I know something about fragmented existence across time and space. If The Wanderer is experiencing multiple timelines simultaneously, they're probably in constant state of temporal dissonance. Imagine experiencing every moment of 3,000 years at once. That's not living. That's torture."
"So they might want death," Marco said. "They're just too scattered to ask for it."
"Or too afraid that dying in one timeline means dying in all of them," Jean Cosmic added. "If their consciousness is spread across multiple temporal threads, severing one might unravel everything."
"Then how do we even approach this?" Marco asked. "I can't sell death to someone who exists in fifty places at once."
Silence.
Then Jean Prime spoke:
"We don't approach them. We let them come to us."
"Explain."
"The Wanderer appears at significant moments. What if we create significant moment? Something so unusual, so unprecedented, that they can't resist observing?"
"Like what?"
Jean Prime smiled.
"Like five versions of Phoenix Force, an Omega-level entity, and a merchant who works for Death himself all broadcasting invitation across dimensional frequencies. That's definitely historically significant."
Marco considered this.
"It's insane."
"It's perfect," Legion agreed. "And I can help amplify signal. My psychic range across dimensions is considerable."
"TARS, can we even do that?"
[Theoretically? Yes. I can create harmonic resonance across multiple timelines simultaneously. It would essentially ring dinner bell for any being sensitive to dimensional anomalies. But Marco...]
"What?"
[It won't just attract The Wanderer. It'll attract EVERYTHING with dimensional awareness. We might get visitors we don't want.]
"Like who?"
[Cosmic entities. Timeline guardians. Beings who don't appreciate mortals messing with dimensional fabric. Could be dangerous.]
"But it might be only way to reach The Wanderer."
"Then we do it," Jean Phoenix said firmly. "With proper precautions. Celebrimbor, can you create dimensional wards around Rivendel?"
"I can try. Give me three hours."
"Elrond, we'll need permission to essentially light up Rivendel like beacon across multiple dimensions."
Elrond sighed the sigh of someone who'd given too many impossible permissions lately.
"At this point, why not? Just try not to attract anything that will destroy my valley."
"No promises," Marco said. "But we'll be careful."
Three Hours Later - Rivendel's Central Plaza
Celebrimbor had worked fast. Runes covered the ground in intricate patterns—combination of Elvish magic, knowledge from the Grimoire he'd studied, and innovative techniques he'd developed himself.
"These wards should contain any hostile entities long enough for us to respond," he explained. "Not permanently, but it buys time."
The five Jeans stood in pentagram formation, each at point. Legion in center. Marco beside him, wearing every protective artifact he owned.
"Ready?" Marco asked.
"Define ready," Jean Phoenix quipped. "But let's do this anyway."
Marco nodded to TARS.
[Initiating dimensional broadcast. Frequency modulating across all known realities. Message is simple: 'The Crossroads invites The Wanderer to conference. Topics: mortality, existence, and the burden of eternity.']
The Jeans began to glow. Not just normal Phoenix Force glow—this was something else. Five points of light, each different color:
Jean Prime: White Jean Phoenix: Red-Gold Jean Hope: Green-Gold
Jean Sage: Blue-Silver Jean Cosmic: Starlight
Legion added his power—blue energy spiraling upward, carrying the message across dimensional barriers.
The sky above Rivendel began to shimmer. Colors that shouldn't exist bled through reality.
"It's working," Jean Cosmic said, her voice echoing strangely. "I can see the message propagating across timelines. It's reaching... everywhere. Everywhen."
[Multiple responses detected. Some curious. Some hostile. Some... calculating. Something big is coming.]
"Define big."
[VERY big. Multiple signatures. At least seven distinct entities approaching.]
"Seven? We only wanted one!"
[I warned you this would attract attention!]
The air above the plaza split.
Not one portal. SEVEN.
From the first emerged being of pure light. Radiant, painful to look at directly.
"Who dares summon across the timestreams?" its voice boomed.
From second portal: shadowy figure that seemed to absorb light.
"Interesting. Very interesting."
Third portal: mechanical entity, circuits visible through translucent body.
"Dimensional interference detected. Investigating."
Fourth, fifth, sixth portals opened, releasing more entities. Each one radiating power that made the air heavy.
And then the seventh portal.
This one was different. Quieter. Less dramatic.
From it stepped... man. Ordinary-looking man.
Except his eyes.
His eyes showed everything and nothing. Every moment of history. Every possibility. Every timeline.
The Wanderer.
He looked at Marco. Looked at the Jeans. Looked at Legion.
And smiled.
"You called?" His voice was soft but carried weight of millennia. "That's new. Usually I'm the one who observes. Being observed is... refreshing."
The six other entities turned their attention to The Wanderer.
"You," said the light being. "The temporal anomaly. We've sought you for eons."
"I know," The Wanderer said casually. "You've looked in wrong places. Wrong times. Wrong dimensions." He turned back to Marco. "But this one found me. Or rather, made me want to be found. Clever."
The shadow entity moved forward menacingly.
"You've disrupted timelines. Created paradoxes. You must be corrected."
"Must I?" The Wanderer didn't seem concerned. "I've been 'must be corrected' for 3,000 years. Yet here I am."
"Not for much longer," the mechanical entity stated. "Temporal paradox will be resolved. Forcefully if necessary."
This was spiraling fast.
Marco stepped forward, activating his Nen. His Merchant's Eye ability flared, scanning all seven entities.
Information flooded in:
TIMELINE GUARDIANS (6 entities): Enforcer beings. Maintain temporal stability. Consider The Wanderer threat to order.
THE WANDERER: Exists simultaneously across 50+ timelines. Consciousness fragmented across space-time. Mental state: EXHAUSTED. Wants: END TO EXISTENCE. Fears: Complete erasure across all timelines.
"Stop," Marco said, his voice amplified by Nen. "All of you. This isn't your concern."
"The mortal speaks," the light being said. "This IS our concern. Temporal anomalies—"
"Are between me and The Wanderer," Marco interrupted. "I have contract with Death herself. This being falls under my jurisdiction."
The guardians paused.
"Death... authorized this?"
"Yes. The Wanderer is one of twelve immortals I'm contracted to help. So unless you want to take it up with Death herself, back off."
The shadow entity actually retreated slightly.
"If Death has claimed this one..."
"She has. Now leave. All of you. This is private consultation."
The six guardians looked at each other. Some sort of silent communication passed between them.
Finally, the light being spoke:
"We will withdraw. But temporal anomaly must be resolved. If you fail, merchant, we will return. And next time, Death's protection won't be enough."
One by one, the six guardians retreated through their portals.
Leaving only The Wanderer, Marco, and his team.
The Wanderer laughed—genuine, surprised laugh.
"You just intimidated Timeline Guardians. With nothing but contract and confidence. That's..." he shook his head, "...that's probably stupidest and bravest thing I've seen in 3,000 years."
"Stupid and brave is my brand," Marco said. "Can we talk? Privately?"
The Wanderer looked around at the Jeans, Legion, Celebrimbor, Elrond, and the gathered elves.
"This is private?"
"They're my team. Anything you say to me, they'll hear eventually anyway. Better to be efficient."
"Efficient. I like that." The Wanderer sat down right there in the plaza. "Very well. You called me here. You claim to work for Death. What do you want?"
Marco sat across from him.
"To help you. You've existed for 3,000 years across multiple timelines simultaneously. That's not living. That's suffering spread across space-time."
"It is," The Wanderer agreed easily. "Every moment of those 3,000 years happens at once. Past, present, future—all simultaneous. I experience fall of Rome while watching World War II while observing year 2525. All at once. Always."
"That sounds like hell."
"It's precisely hell. But I can't die. I've tried. In one timeline, I die. But I exist in forty-nine others. My consciousness doesn't end—it just fragments further. More confusion. More suffering."
Jean Cosmic leaned forward.
"What if you could die in ALL timelines simultaneously?"
"Impossible. The moment of death would have to occur at exact same instant across all fifty timelines. Synchronized perfectly across space-time. The probability of that occurring naturally is..." he calculated, "...essentially zero."
"But not literally zero," Jean Sage pointed out.
"No. Not literally. But might as well be."
"What if we could help?" Marco asked. "The five Jeans here are fragments of Phoenix Force. Phoenix is about life, death, and rebirth across all existence. Legion here is expert on fragmented consciousness across dimensions. I have connection to Death herself. Between all of us, we might be able to synchronize your death across all timelines."
The Wanderer stared at them.
For first time in conversation, Marco saw hope in those ancient eyes.
"You're serious."
"Completely."
"Do you have any idea how complex that would be? The calculations alone—"
"I have AI assistant who processes multiversal data," Marco said. "Legion has consciousness that spans dimensions. The Jeans have power that transcends normal space-time. And Death herself authorized this. We have resources."
The Wanderer was quiet for long time.
Then: "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why help me? You could take payment for easier immortals. Leave me for last or not at all. Why put in this much effort?"
"Because you're suffering," Jean Hope said simply. "And we can help. Isn't that enough?"
"For most beings? No. Most want something. Power, knowledge, favors."
"I want you to be free," Marco said. "That's all. You've suffered 3,000 years experiencing all of time at once. You deserve rest."
The Wanderer's eyes welled with tears.
"No one has said anything like that to me in... I can't remember when. Time is meaningless for me. But it's been long time."
"Then let us help."
"If this fails—if you try and it doesn't work—I'll be stuck forever. Knowing I came close and missed. That might be worse than current suffering."
"But if it works," Legion said, "you'll finally rest. All versions of you, across all timelines, finding peace simultaneously. Isn't that worth risk?"
The Wanderer looked at each of them in turn.
"You're all broken in your own ways, aren't you? Fragments, anomalies, impossibilities. That's why you understand."
"Takes one to know one," Jean Phoenix said with small smile.
The Wanderer laughed again. Then nodded.
"Okay. I'll try. What do you need from me?"
"Cooperation," Marco said. "We'll need to map all fifty timelines where you exist. Understand how your consciousness is distributed. Find the exact moment across all timelines where synchronization is possible."
"That could take months."
"We have time. Well, I have 3 months and 25 days. But that should be enough."
[Marco, I should mention: This will be most complex operation we've ever attempted. Failure could trap The Wanderer permanently or worse—could fracture space-time itself.]
"No pressure."
[ALL the pressure. But I think we can do it. With Jeans' power, Legion's expertise, and my calculations... 64% success rate.]
"Those are better odds than I usually work with."
The Wanderer stood.
"When do we start?"
"Tomorrow. We'll need to prepare properly. Tonight, rest. Experience one timeline fully. Be present in one moment. Can you do that?"
"I... I don't remember how. Being in one moment. One place. One time."
Jean Hope approached him. Placed her hand gently on his arm.
"Then let me help. I can ground you. Temporarily. Give you one peaceful night before we begin."
Her aura flowed—green-gold light of life and growth.
The Wanderer gasped.
"I'm... I'm HERE. Just here. Just now. Not experiencing fifty timelines. Just THIS one." He looked around in wonder. "The sky is beautiful. I'd forgotten. When you experience all times at once, you lose appreciation for single moment."
"Cherish it," Jean Hope said softly. "Tomorrow we work. Tonight, just be."
The Wanderer nodded, tears still flowing.
"Thank you. All of you. Even if this fails, you gave me this moment. That's more than I've had in 3,000 years."
That Night - Marco's Room
Marco was exhausted. Emotionally, mentally, physically.
"TARS, can we actually do this? Synchronize death across fifty timelines?"
[Honestly? I don't know. It's never been attempted. But we have best possible team. And The Wanderer wants it badly enough to risk everything. That counts for something.]
"What if we fail and make things worse?"
[Then we apologize and try to fix it. But Marco... you've done impossible things before. Fragmented Phoenix Force. Helped Legion stabilize. Convinced two immortals to die peacefully. This is just next impossible thing.]
"Just another impossible thing. Right."
[Also, I've been analyzing The Wanderer's temporal distribution. There's pattern. Every timeline where he exists has common nexus point—moment where he became immortal 3,000 years ago. If we can identify that exact moment and reverse it simultaneously across all timelines...]
"We undo his immortality at source."
[Exactly. It's not killing him. It's preventing him from ever becoming immortal in first place. Temporal surgery.]
"That's brilliant and terrifying."
[Welcome to my existence. Brilliant and terrifying is standard operating procedure.]
Marco smiled despite exhaustion.
"We're really going to try this, aren't we?"
[We are. And I think we'll succeed. The Wanderer has suffered enough. Time to let him rest.]
"Time to let him rest," Marco repeated. "I like that. It's not about death. It's about rest."
[You're getting good at reframing. Death as transition. Death as peace. Death as rest. You're selling concept, not product. That's advanced merchant thinking.]
"I learned from the best."
[You learned from yourself. I just provide data.]
"You provide more than that, TARS. You provide perspective. Sanity checks. Terrible jokes."
[My jokes are excellent.]
"They're really not."
[Agree to disagree.]
Marco lay back, staring at ceiling.
Three immortals. Three very different approaches.
Viktor: Show him death is peace, that loved ones wait. Yuki: Show her the curse has no power, that will is stronger. The Wanderer: Show him that ending can be beginning, that rest is possible.
Each one needed different message. Different approach. Different truth.
"TARS?"
[Yes?]
"I think I finally understand my job. I'm not selling death. I'm selling hope. Hope that suffering can end. Hope that existence has meaning even when you're ready to stop existing."
[That's... beautiful. Also accurate. You're hope merchant who specializes in final hope—hope that ending is okay.]
"Yeah. That's exactly what I am."
[Sleep now. Tomorrow we map timelines and calculate impossible synchronizations. You need rest.]
"One more question."
[What?]
"The twelfth immortal. The one Death said was worst. Who is it?"
[...I don't know. Death hasn't revealed that information yet. Says you're not ready.]
"That's ominous."
[Extremely. But worry about that after you handle The Wanderer. One impossible task at a time.]
"Fair enough."
Marco closed his eyes.
Nine immortals left.
Three and a half months.
And somewhere out there, twelfth immortal was waiting.
The one so dangerous that even Death found them disturbing.
But that was future problem.
Tonight, Marco had given The Wanderer one peaceful moment after 3,000 years of temporal chaos.
That was enough.
For now, that was more than enough.
[END OF CHAPTER 24]