"Cake?"
David glanced at the palm-sized cake on the table.
It was the last birthday cake he'd prepared for himself, planning to eat it after Thanos's inevitable appearance, then end his miserable life.
But now, Thanos was defeated. No one would ruin his birthday with disaster anymore.
This cake could celebrate his rebirth.
But it was too small for three people.
He turned to Charlie and Doctor Doom, smiling awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't want to waste money, so I bought the smallest one."
Charlie shrugged. "Also the cheapest, right? Cheapskate."
No one understood frugality better than him.
The comment made David feel a bit ashamed.
No matter—Charlie had brought a bigger cake.
With a snap of his fingers, a massive two-meter gift box emerged from the void.
Staring at the enormous gift, David's eyes brimmed with emotion.
This was the first proper birthday gift he'd received since his parents—because Thanos had killed everyone else who tried.
Thanos's "gifts" were disasters, not counting.
His eyes welled up.
"Spider-Man, I'm so glad you got me a gift. You must see me as a friend, right?"
He instinctively moved to hug the thoughtful Spider-Man, but the giant gift box quivered, and a figure burst out, holding an exquisite cake to celebrate David's day.
"Surprise!"
Instantly, a towering purple figure laughed, cake in hand, as David plunged back into despair.
"Than~os~"
David's trembling voice named him, the arrival yanking him from heaven to hell.
Thanos grinned slyly. "It's me, David. This time, I brought not just a birthday cake but a special surprise."
"No, I don't want a surprise!!" David screamed, but a sharp crack came from the kitchen.
Bang~
His apartment's pipes burst.
Not just his—the entire building's pipes exploded.
Bang bang…
Whoosh~~
Water poured from the ceiling, turning the room into a watery cave.
David's body and heart were soaked.
He sat quietly on the sofa, staring at Spider-Man and Doctor Doom—Thanos's allies—his hope utterly crushed.
It was all a lie.
Spider-Man hadn't defeated Thanos. The Avengers hadn't stopped him.
Spider-Man didn't want to be his friend.
They were toying with him.
Everything was fake.
His life… Over.
"Why?"
David's calm voice suddenly asked.
"Why me?"
For the first time in thirty years, he asked why.
He wondered why he only now wanted answers.
Thanos smirked. "No reason. I just picked you."
David lowered his head silently.
His shoulders slumped, a deathly aura radiating from him.
After thirty years of Thanos's torment, he'd finally given up.
But he had one last question.
He looked up, his gaze cloudy, like an old man's.
Staring at Spider-Man, he asked, "And you? Why join Thanos to torment me?"
Charlie rubbed his chin, studying David without answering directly, then turned to Thanos.
"No abnormalities. Did that guy lie?"
Thanos frowned. "Thanos doesn't lie to Thanos. He shouldn't have."
Doctor Doom shook his head. "This kind of provocation won't awaken his power. Let me handle it."
He moved to unleash magic to forcibly extract David's latent energy.
"Wait. If you act recklessly, it's not just you—it's all of us in trouble."
Thanos grabbed Doctor Doom's arm, his tone grave. "The bug hasn't decided yet. You know what I mean."
Doctor Doom glared coldly. "You treat him like a friend. Too bad you're no match for me."
He shoved Thanos back, green magic surging toward David.
But golden webbing swept in, enveloping the green energy, halting Doctor Doom.
He turned to Charlie, his eyes flashing green.
"You sure you want to oppose me now?" His tone dripped with menace.
Charlie shrugged. "Honestly, I don't care if you're friend or foe."
"So you've made your choice."
Doctor Doom's cloak billowed without wind, releasing denser magical energy. The waterlogged room warped infinitely.
An unseen pressure descended, and Thanos quickly moved behind Charlie.
"Little bug, he's dangerous. Don't underestimate him," he warned.
Charlie nodded slightly, the Twelve Talismans orbiting him, shielding Thanos and the broken David in a protective barrier.
He chuckled. "The invincible Spider-Man's where he is today for three reasons: strength, friends, and cheats. Mr. Doom, what're your odds if we fight now?"
Doctor Doom didn't flinch, his hands swiftly forming seals. Green magic twisted space, forming a new world.
A boundless desert under a scorching sun.
On a dune, Doctor Doom faced Spider-Man.
Winds whipped the sand, obscuring David's view.
Then, the desert quaked, explosions swallowing both figures.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
Buzz~
Golden webbing spread across the sky, the sun clashing with green light. Desert giants roared from the ground, their fists pounding Spider-Man's position, but red-and-blue light erupted, a radiant giant rising to battle them.
ROAR~~
Chak!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
In moments, the desert battlefield was ravaged by streaking light and magic.
In this apocalyptic scene, David ignored the stones and energy blasts zipping past.
Even if the fight could kill him, he didn't care.
Death was freedom.
But soon, he saw life differently.
"Watch out!!"
A desert giant's head, severed by energy, hurtled toward David. Thanos, heedless of danger, dove to save him.
BOOM!!
Whoosh
A purple blur flashed, the giant's head crashing into a pit.
Saved by Thanos, David stared, seeing something strange.
"You…"
For the first time, David closely studied the one who'd tormented him for thirty years.
Something was off.
Thanos, focused on finding cover, tapped his wrist device. Red particles flared, pulling them into a microscopic world.
In this particle-filled realm, the outside battle couldn't touch them—for now.
If it continued, though, all bets were off.
Relieved, Thanos glared at David.
"I know you want to give up, but you have a greater—"
"You're not Thanos," David interrupted.
Thanos frowned. "No idea what you're talking about." He turned away.
David smiled, pointing. "In my memory, Thanos doesn't have that scar."
"Hm?"
Thanos touched the scar on his face, a mark from Stark's punch in the ultimate battle.
Seeing Thanos react, David laughed harder.
"Hahaha, I knew it! The Thanos who tormented me is gone. You're not him. You don't want to hurt me—you even saved me."
The deathly aura around David vanished, his numb eyes sparking with life.
"I don't get it, but if that Thanos is gone, that's the best news."
David lay back, smiling, his body light.
Thanos, seeing this, gave a wry smile.
He sat beside David. "Want to hear my story, this Thanos's story?"
David looked curiously. "Of course, I'm very interested."
Thanos gazed at the particle stars. "I was born on a planet nearing resource depletion, my home, Titan…"
Half an hour later, Thanos finished his tale.
David's expression was complex. "I understand why you did it, but it was too cruel."
Thanos nodded. "I know, but it was to save half the universe's beings. I had no choice."
David sighed. "Did you succeed?"
Thanos shook his head. "No, the Avengers stopped me."
He pointed to his scar. "This is Stark's mark."
David patted Thanos's shoulder. "It's okay, you're doing fine now, right?"
Thanos lowered his head. "It's not bad. The bug did what I couldn't—his power can slay Celestials, protect the universe I wanted to save.
But…"
He looked at David. "A crisis threatening all universes is coming, so I agreed to play the part of your tormentor."
"David, think about it carefully."
David scratched his head. "I want to help, but I don't know how.
What did that other guy say?" he asked.
Thanos recalled interrogating this universe's Thanos.
"He said a mysterious power lies within you, rivaling the Infinity Gems—possibly surpassing them, reaching an omniscient, omnipotent state."
David's eyes widened. "So he tormented me to force out that power?"
"Yes."
"But I don't know anything about it."
"Of course not, so he used his method to awaken it."
"By tormenting me?"
David scoffed. "If torment could activate it, I'd have felt something by now. Did he get it wrong?"
Thanos shook his head. "I don't know, but he said a massive emotional shift might reveal that power. Then we could analyze it and extract it."
David instinctively touched his chest.
"So the masked guy wanted to force it out, and Spider-Man saved me."
His heart warmed.
Spider-Man was indeed a friendly neighbor.
Not some prankster's accomplice.
Life's ups and downs came fast, and he felt weightless.
Like he was glowing.
"Wait, this isn't an illusion."
Light filled David's vision. He shouted, "Look, I'm glowing! This might be the power you want."
"I see it."
Thanos gazed at the radiant David, a rare smile breaking his stern face.
"It worked."
"It did."
Charlie stepped through a portal, reaching for David.
But Doctor Doom grabbed his hand.
"Wait."
"For what?"
Charlie looked at Doom. "That was just an act. You're not really turning on Spider-Man, are you?"
Doctor Doom said coldly, "You think it was just an act?"
Charlie's inverted triangle eyes flashed blood-red.
A dangerous aura spread.
Doctor Doom grew wary.
The vengeance fire of G'iah, the symbiote god, was trouble. He didn't want a head-on clash with Spider-Man now.
He explained, "We don't know what this power is. Touching it rashly is dangerous."
The red in Charlie's eyes faded. He nudged Doom's shoulder.
"Knew you wouldn't betray me. We're still pals."
Doctor Doom rolled his eyes. "Let me test it first."
"Don't mess this up. I just started trusting you again."
"Relax."
Doctor Doom extended a wisp of green energy from his fingertip, probing into the glowing David.
Soon, Doom staggered back, shaken by a slight backlash from David's power.
He withdrew, taking a deep breath.
"It's it. It's really it!" he said excitedly.
"What?" Charlie asked. "He's a future Molecule Man. Is it Beyonder power in him?"
Old man Shendu once said: fight magic with magic.
If they harnessed Beyonder power, they could likely defeat the Beyonders.
It was the truth.
Doctor Doom shook his head. "No, not Beyonder power."
He studied David. "He hasn't become a Molecule Man under the Beyond Realm's influence, maybe because of this power."
Charlie crossed his arms. "So what is it? Spill!"
"It's the Cosmic Cube!" Doctor Doom said with certainty.
"What?"
"The Cosmic Cube?"
Both Thanos and Charlie were stunned.
They exchanged glances.
"Big Purple Potato, you know the Cosmic Cube?" Charlie asked.
Thanos shook his head. "No, but seeing your shock, I know it's something big."
Charlie: "..."