Marvel: The Awakened One

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Space travel isn’t always as glamorous as it sounds.

At least, not after the excitement fades.

Because space is big.

Mind-bogglingly big.

Finding a planet in the vastness of the cosmos is like finding a single, specific blade of grass on an endless prairie. They’re rare enough as it is. Let alone finding a planet that actually supports Life.

And the closer they got to the Solar System, the more desolate the universe became. It was exactly like the aliens on Xandar had said.

Earth was situated in the absolute middle of nowhere, a galactic dead zone where not even the cosmic equivalent of a stray bird bothered to stop. To most space-faring races, travelling out here was considered a massive waste of both fuel and lifespan.

Sitting in the Captain’s chair, Gwen stared out at the barren starscape, her mind drifting back to the bustling, vibrant star system where Xandar was located. She rested her chin in her hand. ”Why is Earth so isolated?”

Hawk, sitting beside her, glanced at his wife. Knowing that pregnancy was making her a bit more reflective, he offered a gentle smile. ”Because the Yggdrasil cosmos—that is, the mythic World Tree from Norse lore connecting realms—is right next door.”

As everyone knows:

No king allows another to sleep beside his throne!

To the Nine Realms, Odin may have looked like a kind All-Father, ruling with wisdom and peace. But to other Gods and ancient cosmic beings, it was obvious: Odin’s rule was built on blood and sacrifice.

So—

Since the gateway to the parallel cosmos of the World Tree was located within the Solar System, the entire sector was universally recognised as Odin’s sovereign territory.

And for a long time, it held.

While Odin was still alive, the occasional alien warlord or dimensional God might try to cause trouble on Earth.

But alien warlords were mortals, and dimensional Gods weren’t True Gods.

But look what happened after Odin’s final curtain call. Every monster, tyrant, and cosmic horror crawled out of the woodwork. Thanos didn’t even hesitate to march into Nidavellir and slaughter the Dwarves, Odin’s personal blacksmiths.

If the death of the Ancient One raised the curtain on Earth’s vulnerability…

Then Odin’s death was the tragic opening act as the World Tree’s parallel cosmos collapsed into the primary universe.

Less than one percent of the Nine Realms’ populations survived.

The few remaining Asgardians were reduced to refugees, hiding in a tiny corner of Earth just to stay alive.

And the Nine Realms were home to a lot more than just Asgardians.

But he digressed.

Hawk pulled his thoughts back and smiled at his wife. ”Besides, being in the middle of nowhere has its perks.”

Gwen was curious.

”Like what?”

”If Earth weren’t so isolated, the cosmic slaver guilds would have set up shop here a long time ago.”

”…You have a point.”

When Hawk mentioned the slaver guilds—stories Gwen had heard in the shadows of Xandar’s spaceports—she understood right away. ”You’re right. Being isolated is better. It’s safer.”

Seeing her mood lift, Hawk chuckled and stood up from his chair.

”I’m heading back to the room.”

”Okay.”

Gwen nodded, watching as he left the bridge.

Back in their quarters, Hawk sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes. His consciousness sank into his Cosmo, where he continued to meditate on the insights into the essence of ’Life’ he had gleaned from Ego’s core.

Two days ago, after parting ways with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Hawk and Gwen had set a course for Earth.

For the past two days, Gwen had basically been flying the Enterprise, while Hawk dedicated every spare moment to comprehending ’Life.’

He hadn’t fully grasped the true meaning of the Eighth Sense yet.

But…

His intense meditation over the past two days had finally answered a lingering question. He finally understood why his Sixth Sense had flared a warning a month ago, stopping him from seeking out Eitri, the Dwarf King, to forge the Phoenix Gold Cloth.

Before, he hadn’t known the specific reason.

Now he did.

Life!

As everyone knows:

The Gold Cloths, representing the twelve Zodiacs, are not merely suits of armor. They are, in essence, living entities.

Yes. The Gold Cloths themselves possess a form of Life. That is why they are so exceedingly rare, and why they are so fundamentally different from any other armor in existence.

So, For the past forty-eight hours, Hawk had been completely immersed in his Cosmo, utilising the immense power of the Mind Stone to unpack the profound insights into ’Life’ he had extracted from Ego’s brain.

Because he was pushing his mind so hard with all these abstract ideas, his thoughts in the real world had become a little scattered.

In a word, his mind was prone to wandering.

Within his Cosmo.

The colossal, spectral silhouette of the Phoenix, large enough to envelop his entire inner universe, pulsed rhythmically, fading in and out of existence as if breathing.

With every appearance of the Phoenix, the Eye of the Mind and the Eye of Reality flashed in alternating sequence, bathing his universe in waves of deep, ethereal yellow and profound, aether-red light.

As the yellow and red lights merged, they formed a brilliant, radiant gold, dyeing his entire Cosmo in the colour of a Gold Saint.

Hawk’s consciousness sat cross-legged atop his River of Time, eyes closed, using his own existence as the catalyst to guide the flow of Life.

Time ticked steadily on.

Given the Enterprise’s warp capabilities, the journey back to Earth should only have taken a few days.

But as Gwen had pointed out, they were already late. What difference did it make if they were two days late or ten days late?

And more importantly.

Gwen had formally requested a one-month leave for her honeymoon, but she had brilliantly pre-scheduled the lab’s workflow for two months.

Hawk had absolutely no objections to this strategy.

And so.

Once the Enterprise entered the Solar System and began its steady, sub-light cruise toward Earth, Gwen’s favourite pastime was sitting in the Captain’s chair, simply watching the endless expanse of stars roll by.

As the Enterprise approached the orbit of Jupiter, Gwen ordered the ship to a full stop.

When Hawk emerged from their quarters and walked onto the bridge, he found Gwen standing right at the edge of the main viewscreen, staring unblinking at the massive gas giant before them.

Hawk walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Gwen leaned back into his embrace, her eyes still fixed on Jupiter.

”It’s so beautiful.”

”Beautiful, but terrifying.”

Jupiter was breathtaking, but it hid unimaginable horrors beneath its surface.

As everyone knows.

Jupiter has no solid surface. Beneath its swirling, vibrant clouds hide countless, unimaginably violent storms, the most famous being the Great Red Spot—a hurricane large enough to swallow the Earth twice over.

To put it simply: Any normal biological organism that entered Jupiter’s atmosphere would be dead before it even realised what was happening.

Unless, of course.

You were a God.

Hawk smiled, following Gwen’s gaze to the terrifying, magnificent planet filling the viewscreen. ”I can take you inside to get a closer look, if you aren’t scared.”

Gwen pulled her gaze away, turning smoothly in his arms and looping her hands around his neck.

”You know I’d be terrified.”

”Sorry.”

”Why aren’t you meditating today?”

”I don’t need to right now.”

Hawk smiled softly. ”What I was meant to understand, I’ve understood. What I haven’t grasped yet… meditating on it any further right now won’t change anything.”

In a word:

Don’t force it.

With his current power level, he was more than capable of protecting himself and everyone he cared about. There was no need to desperately, frantically push for more power, as if a rabid dog were constantly snapping at his heels.

And most importantly.

Haste makes waste.

Sometimes, pulling your fist back isn’t a sign of surrender. It’s just a way to ensure your next strike is more precise and hits with even more devastating force.

The same principle applied to comprehending the Eighth Sense.

Gwen listened to his explanation, nodding thoughtfully. Then, a playful glint appeared in her eyes. ”Hey, Pluto isn’t that far from here. Do you want to go grab a drink with your good friend Mephisto?”

Hawk’s eyebrow shot up. He didn’t say anything, just looked at her with a knowing smile.

Their eyes met, Gwen blinked innocently.

”What?”

”Honey.”

”Yeah?”

”Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to delay going back to Earth?”

”That’s not a feeling, Hawk. That’s a delusion.”

Gwen’s face was a mask of utter seriousness as she corrected him, but she couldn’t hold it for more than two seconds. Under Hawk’s amused gaze, she finally shrugged. ”Okay, fine. You talk about Mephisto all the time, but I’ve never actually met him. I don’t even know what he looks like.”

Hawk laughed.

”He’s ugly. But a very unique kind of ugly.”

”Uh…”

”Let’s just stick with really, really ugly!”

Hawk grinned. ”Besides, you couldn’t see him even if you wanted to. The guy is still busy digesting the Heaven Dimension.”

Gwen was surprised.

”I thought you said he already swallowed it?”

”Swallowing is one thing. Digesting is another. It takes time to refine a dimension that size.”

”…Alright.”

Her plan for a quick detour to Hell thwarted, Gwen shrugged indifferently.

”Enterprise!”

”Yes, ma’am.”

”Set course for Earth. Maximum warp!”

”Aye, ma’am!”

The Enterprise, holding steady in Jupiter’s orbit, powered up its impulse engines. With a resonant hum, and upon Gwen’s command of ”Let’s go home,” the massive starship vanished from orbit in a flash of light.

——————————

Soon.

Earth, a pale blue dot, appeared on the main viewscreen. In the Enterprise’s cargo bay, the honeymoon gifts Gwen had bought started vanishing one by one.

Once the cargo bay was empty, Hawk wrapped his arms around Gwen and, just as they had when they left, teleported off the Enterprise, hovering in the vacuum of space.

The next second, Gwen watched as the Enterprise, hovering silently before them, seemed to ripple like a fragile dream bubble, dissolving into nothingness, leaving behind no trace that it had ever existed.

The Enterprise was a manifestation created by Hawk’s Reality Stone.

To keep it in the physical realm, Hawk had to supply it with energy constantly.

While the energy drain was practically negligible to him, and he could easily have made the ship a permanent reality if he chose to…

There was no need.

They were home. Gwen’s next scheduled prenatal checkup on Xandar wasn’t for another six months. Rather than leaving the Enterprise parked in Earth’s orbit to gather dust, it was easier to dismiss it and simply manifest a new one when it was time to go back.

So, Having released the construct, Hawk pulled his gaze from the space and looked down at his wife.

”Ready to go home?”

”Yeah.”

Gwen looked down at the blue marble beneath her feet, thinking of her mother, Helen, her father, George, and her two foolish little brothers. She nodded. ”Let’s go home.”

Hawk didn’t hesitate. Holding Gwen tightly, he dove, breaking through the atmosphere in a streak of golden light.

…

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