"What exactly happened?" Alex's gaze sharpened as he turned to Raven, though the question was meant for Erik.

"Three months ago," Erik began, his voice measured, "I was leading a team on a mission overseas. On our way back, we passed through a remote mountainous region. The terrain was difficult, desolate, and cut off from any sign of civilization. That's when the Deviants attacked us. They came fast and hard, and in the midst of the chaos, we encountered Ikaris himself."

He paused, the memory clearly unsettling, though he masked it with stoic restraint.

Alex only nodded faintly. It wasn't surprising. After all, the Eternals' purpose was precisely to hunt Deviants. That Ikaris would appear in such a confrontation made perfect sense.

Charles, who had been silently observing, added from the side, "Oh, right, Alex. That particular mission was one tied to external affairs. If you hadn't left Earth when you did, you would have been the one leading the team."

Alex's heart gave a faint stir at those words. So, in another branch of reality… was this how the Eternals might have discovered me? Would they have realized I can wield cosmic energy?

The possibility lingered with an uncomfortable weight. There was almost no doubt in his mind now—his departure from Earth had neatly sidestepped the Eternals' scrutiny.

But for how long?

You could guard against a thief for a thousand days, but you couldn't prevent him forever. Sooner or later, their paths would cross again. To truly neutralize the looming threat of Arishem, Alex needed something greater than caution—he needed power on par with a Celestial.

Otherwise, what then? Hide forever? Spend a lifetime looking over my shoulder, suffocating under their shadow? No… that's no life at all.

His thoughts hardened, and he lifted his head with renewed clarity.

"I understand," Alex said firmly, his voice low but steady. His resolve to gather the Infinity Stones had grown even stronger, tempered like steel under fire.

"Raven," he ordered, "make the preparations. I need to reach Vormir as quickly as possible."

"I understand!" Raven bowed her head slightly, not wasting another second before leaving to see the arrangements through.

---

A week later, she returned. This time, she was accompanied by a middle-aged couple, both nervous, both trying to summon courage in the presence of Alex.

"Alex," Raven introduced softly, "this is Brian, and his wife, Maria."

Alex had already been briefed by Raven. Brian, the husband, had been diagnosed with cancer two years ago. Despite countless treatments, despite draining every bit of their savings and drowning themselves in debt, the disease had ravaged him to the point where he had no more than a week left.

To make their tragedy crueler still, just a month ago, their child was diagnosed with a serious illness requiring astronomical medical fees.

It was a spiral of despair few could imagine enduring.

And yet, when Raven had offered them an impossible choice, they had agreed without hesitation.

Brian was a great father, willing to stake his own life if it meant his son could live on. Maria was a great mother—her husband's sacrifice was crushing, but she bore an even heavier burden, for she had to live with it.

"K-King Alex… h-hello," Brian stammered, his voice raw with nerves. Maria clutched at her husband's arm, her own words failing her.

It was only natural. They were ordinary people—humble, fragile, weighed down by hardship—while the man before them was a figure larger than life. Alex's fame, his strength, his sheer presence eclipsed even someone like Tony Stark. To stand before him was to feel as though the air itself pressed down upon them.

Alex inclined his head slightly, his tone steady, reassuring. "Hello. Don't be afraid. I will fulfill every word I promised you. That is my commitment, and you have my word."

The couple's anxious faces softened just a little. To hear such certainty from King Alex himself was like grasping onto a rope while drowning—an anchor of trust in a storm of despair.

"Please, this way." Hank stepped forward, personally escorting the couple into the waiting starship.

One by one, Raven, Scott, and the others boarded as well.

With a low hum, the vessel rose.

Swish! A streak of dazzling light cut across the sky, and in the blink of an eye, the ship vanished into the abyss of space.

---

Four days later, their ship descended upon a bleak, lifeless world. Its surface stretched endlessly, barren and gray, like the shattered remains of a graveyard.

The planet was Vormir.

"Would anyone really live in a place like this?" Raven muttered, scanning the wasteland. Her words held more unease than sarcasm. The silence of the place was oppressive, as if sound itself had been swallowed.

"If someone truly lived here, they'd go mad in no time," she added under her breath.

"This planet… it feels completely dead," Hank said with quiet solemnity, his gaze sweeping the rocky expanse.

"You're not wrong," Alex replied, his tone flat. "It is a dead world. Its only purpose is to test those who come seeking the Soul Stone."

Scott shifted uneasily, arms crossed as if to ward off the chill that seemed to seep into his bones. "Then let's just get this over with. The place gives me the creeps."

Brian and Maria stood near the rear, overwhelmed. Their hearts pounded with a mixture of dread and awe.

Especially Brian—despite the circumstances, a strange spark glimmered in his eyes.

An alien planet…

How many people on Earth could claim to have seen such a sight before death? Better this, he thought, than fading away under the sterile lights of a hospital ward. If he had to bloom, let it be here, one final time, his life burning bright for an instant before it ended.

"Welcome!"

The voice came suddenly, cutting through the silence like a blade of ice. It was cold, echoing, and everyone but Alex flinched at its intrusion.

They turned as one—only to see a figure drifting toward them, a monstrous visage with a crimson skull-like face, hollow sockets burning faintly.

The sight froze the air in their lungs.

"Alex, the Homelander… Raven, the Mystique…" the creature began, its tone eerily formal.

"All right, all right, we get it," Alex cut in, his voice impatient, almost dismissive. "You know who we are. Spare us the introductions. Just take us to the cliff."

The Red Skull fell silent for a moment. If he had still possessed lips, they might have twitched. Instead, he hovered wordlessly, thrown off balance by Alex's bluntness.

"Alex… is this the guide you mentioned?" Raven whispered, eyes wide. She couldn't quite disguise her disbelief. He had spoken of a guide on Vormir, yes—but she had expected a hermit, a sage, perhaps a guardian. Not… this.

"Yes," the Red Skull finally answered, his voice regaining its edge. "I am your guide. It seems you are not entirely ignorant of the Soul Stone. In that case… follow me."

He turned without further ceremony, floating forward across the rocky expanse.

"Mr. Brian, this way," Raven urged gently, steadying Maria's trembling hand as they all followed.

They hadn't walked far when the terrain shifted. A cliff, sheer and infinite, emerged before them. None of them had seen it until this very moment. It was as if the land itself had hidden it, revealed only by the Red Skull's presence.

Mystical. Terrifying.

The Red Skull's voice rang out once more, hollow and implacable: "A soul for a soul. To claim the Soul Stone, you must surrender one you love. You already know this, do you not?"

Alex didn't answer. He simply turned his head, his eyes finding Brian's.

The man swallowed hard, his face pale—but he nodded, resolute. He knew. This was his moment.

He embraced Maria, holding her so tightly she almost couldn't breathe. Then, with tears streaking down his cheeks but not a trace of hesitation in his stride, Brian turned and ran for the cliff's edge.

He leapt.

Maria's scream tore through the air, but the void devoured it instantly.

And then—

When her vision cleared, Maria found herself submerged in a pool of still, dark water. In her hands rested a gemstone glowing with unearthly brilliance, its orange light bleeding through her fingers like fire and sorrow intertwined.

The Soul Stone had been claimed.

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