CHAPTER 108: CHAPTER 108: THE ETERNALS CALL FOR HELP! PHOENIX TATTOOS! CRYSTAL ROSES!

That night, while lying in bed, Lorien suddenly thought of something.

"In Thanos’ quest to collect the Infinity Stones, wasn’t there a point where he went to Knowhere?"

"That’s where the Collector had the Reality Stone."

Right. That was how it went.

But now, Knowhere had been dragged back by the Transformers!

So where would Thanos go to find it? Would he march his army here? Was that even realistic?

Could it be that Thanos would end up stuck without the Reality Stone?

"Interesting."

In the darkness, Lorien smiled to himself.

If Thanos really got stuck at one stone, that would be entertaining.

But then, how would the Sacred Timeline close the loop to ensure the stone ended up in Thanos’ hands? Was that even possible anymore?

Perhaps before, yes. But now Lorien possessed the Silver Superman template. The Sacred Timeline had no effect on him at all. He didn’t even exist on it.

So how could it be restored?

Lorien couldn’t figure it out, but he was looking forward to seeing how the story unfolded.

...

The next two or three days passed uneventfully. Nothing strange happened.

It was Friday.

Over the past few days, Lorien had seen a few normal clients, then spent the rest of his time slacking off.

Hela was still gaming non-stop, occasionally squeezing him dry two or three times. Maybe too many times—Lorien thought she was starting to grow up.

But later he realized it was just because she’d been overfed. Her stomach was bulging.

Ahem.

Wanda’s life was simple and relaxed. Every morning she’d wake up and practice her spells, then near noon she would go grocery shopping and cook lunch for Lorien.

She spent half her afternoons tending her flower fields in the Little Universe, and the other half continuing her magical training.

Evenings varied—sometimes she cooked dinner, sometimes not. Finally, she’d collapse into bed, exhausted.

Gwen, meanwhile, was buried in prep for her final exams.

Her days were packed—either in school or at home, fending off her parents’ study checks.

The good news was that exams were only a couple of days away. Soon she’d be free!

So for now, Gwen buckled down to study hard. Once she scored high, she’d finally be free of restrictions.

After all, she was a top student. It would be more surprising if she didn’t ace them.

...

"Clack~"

Lorien leaned back, propped his hands behind his head, and stretched his legs up onto the table, completely relaxed.

He scrolled through the news.

[Superheroes Vanish—Is This Good or Bad?]

[Where Did the Scarlet Witch Go? Has She Stopped Being a Hero?]

[According to the Worst Online Speculation, Scarlet Witch, who has appeared multiple times with a mysterious man, is now a housewife. What do you think?]

Pffft—

When he read that last one, Lorien nearly burst out laughing.

They actually guessed it? And called it the worst speculation?

But... what if it was true?

If Wanda really went public with the news, when people found out the truth, they’d probably break down crying.

"Ding~"

His phone buzzed with a message.

It was from Gwen.

The first few were photos—like a selfie she snapped in class, flashing a peace sign while the teacher’s back was turned.

Or shots of some girl in a super-short skirt—Gwen even snapped a couple risqué ones to send him.

And if she had been out fighting crime that day, she’d always send photos and clips of that too.

Lorien skimmed through the pictures, especially the first two, then typed out a reply.

[Lorien: Focus on class.]

[Gwen: Hehe~ I already know all this stuff, it’s too easy.]

[Lorien: Then why are you sneaking shots under girls’ skirts?]

[Gwen: She was hot, so I took them for us to enjoy together.]

[Lorien: I think it’d be better if you showed me in person when you got back.]

[Gwen: (shy emoji) I can’t do that...]

[Lorien: Don’t worry, I’ll teach you. When you come back, I’ll be your private tutor.]

[Gwen: (blushing nod emoji)]

Satisfied, Lorien set his phone down.

Now, besides being Wanda’s special trainer, he also had a new role—as Gwen’s private tutor.

Not bad.

The more roles, the better. Trouble? He welcomed it.

"Ding~"

Just as he put his phone down, another message popped up.

This one was from Natasha, someone he’d barely spoken to since adding her contact.

[Natasha: Lorien, are you free? I need to bring someone over to talk.]

Bring someone?

[Lorien: Who?]

[Natasha: She claims to be a member of the Eternals, and says she has something to report about the end of the world.]

[Lorien: Then why not report it to the UN? Why come to me?]

[Natasha: Let’s talk when I get there, baby.]

[Lorien: Next time, just call and come straight over.]

Even though Natasha used a secure agent phone, she still didn’t want to reveal too much over text. After each chat, she would wipe everything completely.

As for Lorien, he had a pretty good guess who it might be.

What he was curious about was why the Eternals had come to him.

Could it be like Gwen had said before—"Go find the Avengers"?

Then the Avengers heard about it, and brought her straight to him?

Lorien thought it over.

Yeah... very possible.

...

Half an hour later.

"Bang bang~~"

"Come in."

The door pushed open, and two women in trench coats stepped inside one after the other.

Lorien looked up. One was Natasha. The other was Sersi, the same Eternal Gwen had saved that day.

Just as he expected.

Among the Eternals who had crossed paths with him, only Sersi had interacted with Gwen. Sprite was impossible. So it could only be her.

"Sit."

After letting them take their seats, Lorien gestured for Hela to bring over two bottles of milk tea and slid them across the table. He interlaced his fingers, resting them on the tabletop, and fixed his gaze on the two.

"Natasha, you can tell me now—why come only to me instead of reporting to the United Nations?"

Natasha rolled her eyes.

"What good would that do? All they care about is hoarding more power and benefits for themselves.

If I brought Sersi to tell them the Earth is going to be destroyed, they’d either run ahead of time or lock us both away to prevent leaks."

Lorien almost laughed. She wasn’t wrong. If nothing else, they’d probably digitize everyone and build a spaceship to run.

Natasha went on.

"I listened to Sersi, and I believe this matter is critical. That’s why I came to you. I don’t really trust anyone else.

Even Cap—if I told him, I’m afraid he’d do something too... extreme."

Yes, Captain America always acted for freedom. But that was all he acted for. Give him this kind of news, and he would only push in that one direction.

Lorien nodded, conceding she was right. He spread his hands, signaling her to continue.

Natasha looked toward Sersi.

"You can tell him everything. Don’t worry—both Scarlet Witch and the Spider-Woman who saved you are his people."

Hearing that, Sersi felt much more at ease. She turned to Lorien and began slowly.

"I am Sersi, the new leader of the Eternals team.

We were sent by the Celestials to nurture life and incubate new life for them.

But once incubation completes, Earth itself will be destroyed, and all life here absorbed.

I have lived here for thousands of years. I don’t want to see Earth destroyed. I want this plan to fail."

So...

Sersi went on to tell him everything she knew from the Celestials: what the Celestial Seed was, what the plan entailed, how Earth would be destroyed, and how a Celestial was born. She laid it all out.

Finally, she added,

"I truly love Earth. I don’t want to see it destroyed!"

Good girl. She really did love this planet.

An Eternal, servant to the Celestials, yet her heart belonged to Earth. So of course she wanted to find a way to stop them.

Well then...

Lorien already had it planned. But to make things simpler, he nodded to her and said,

"If you want to prevent the Celestial Seed from destroying Earth, you either stop it from being born or destroy it the instant it emerges.

But preventing the birth is unrealistic—unless you brought Thanos here right now to slaughter half the population.

So the only real chance is to strike the moment it’s born."

Sersi immediately understood he had a plan and leaned forward eagerly.

"Then what should I do?"

What should she do? Honestly, just not interfere. He already had the rest covered.

Still, Lorien smiled and guided her.

"I recall you have the ability to alter the structure of matter, don’t you?"

"Yes."

Sersi nodded right away. She picked up her milk tea and activated her ability.

"Clatter~"

In an instant, the milk tea turned into a Lego-block version of itself. She used her power again, and the Lego milk tea became an iced milk tea.

"Very good."

Lorien nodded in approval.

"Then when the Celestial is being born, all you need to do is petrify it for a short while. Someone else will take care of the rest."

That was exactly how it played out in the original story. She had gathered the others’ strength, pressed her hands onto the emerging Celestial, and used her ability—turning it to stone before it was fully born.

Afterward, Arishem came to pass judgment and took them away.

Lorien could have her do the same here. That way, Gwen’s battle would be far easier.

Sersi thought about it and understood.

"But my power isn’t enough. Even if the Celestial hasn’t fully emerged, I still wouldn’t be able to petrify and hold it."

In the original story, Sersi had relied on gathering everyone’s strength. But now? That wasn’t going to happen. She couldn’t gather them, and she knew it.

Lorien thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

"Snap~"

"Ah—!"

Sersi cried out as a sharp pain shot through her forearms. She quickly rolled up her sleeves to check.

A phoenix tattoo had appeared on her forearm. She hurriedly checked her other arm—it was the same.

At that moment, Lorien spoke.

"Now you don’t have to worry. As long as you place your hands on it and keep channeling your ability, these phoenix tattoos will continuously provide you with strength and energy, until they burn out and vanish."

Sersi stared at the tattoos, still uncertain whether they’d actually work.

Natasha leaned close and whispered,

"Don’t hesitate. Thank him."

Realizing the weight of it, Sersi immediately nodded in gratitude.

"Thank you so much."

Lorien waved it off casually. To him, it was no different from buffing Wanda when she collapsed exhausted. The difference was that Wanda’s boost activated instantly, while Sersi’s tattoos were more like two batteries. Each time she used them, the phoenixes would fade bit by bit—until they were completely gone.

Finally, Lorien waved his hand.

"Go back. Carry on as normal. When the time comes for you to use this power, the people who need to be there will be."

His cryptic words only reassured Sersi further. This was what true mystery and greatness looked like.

So she and Natasha left together.

...

Once they exited the northern tower, Sersi turned to Natasha again.

"Thank you for helping me. Otherwise, I could only have stood by and watched Earth be destroyed."

"It wasn’t me who helped you," Natasha corrected her. "There’s only one person in this world who can solve this problem. Not me, not anyone else. Only Lorien."

Hearing that, Sersi thought hard, then couldn’t stop herself from asking,

"How strong is he, really?"

Natasha shook her head and spread her hands.

"No one knows how strong Lorien is. But Scarlet Witch and the Sorcerer Supreme both follow his word. Even Spider-Woman, the one who saved you, is his partner.

So no one knows where his limits are. Just remember—treat him with the utmost respect, and if you’re lucky, maybe he’ll give you hope."

Sersi’s eyes lit with understanding.

Yes—that was how a god should be. Shrouded in mystery, unfathomable, beyond comprehension. That kind of presence only made her trust him more.

"I understand."

She nodded firmly, thanked Natasha again, and added,

"Then I’ll return and carry on as usual. I’ll just be ready for the final step when the time comes."

Natasha nodded. "Exactly."

The two parted ways, each returning to their posts.

...

Inside the northern tower, Lorien stretched lazily and glanced at the time.

4:13 p.m.

Just a few more minutes left in the workweek. Almost through.

He thought for a moment.

"Hela, let’s switch to a co-op game."

He joined her, and soon the two were fully absorbed in gaming.

Then suddenly, Lorien sniffed the air.

"Flowers?"

He turned his head, and a scarlet portal slowly opened beside him. A hand emerged first, holding a single red rose.

But this was no ordinary rose. Wanda had used the Demonic Extract’s ice power to encase it in a delicate layer of frost.

She stepped through the portal, smiling.

"This is the first rose to bloom in the garden! I froze it so it would last forever. Now it’s yours, Lorien!"

Hiss—

Lorien dropped the controller and drew in a sharp breath.

Most men never received a flower in their lives—especially not a rose from a woman. And even if they did, it was usually a white wreath at their funeral.

But he had just been given one.

That alone put him ahead of 99.9% of men.

"I’m honored, Wanda."

Lorien took the frozen rose, but instead of holding it fully, he drew Wanda’s hand into his. Together, they held the flower.

"But it should belong to both of us, not just me."

Wanda smiled, her face glowing with happiness.

But not everyone was happy.

Hela, still gaming on the side, glanced at the time. Then she stood, deliberately walking right between the two of them.

When she reached the door, she tugged at the corner of her eye and muttered,

"It’s almost quitting time. If you want to show off, do it at home. Thanks."

Lorien and Wanda exchanged a look, then laughed together.

"Come on," Lorien said. "Let’s clock out."