Without a doubt, the invisible wall that had stopped Makkari was Alex's telekinetic barrier.
He had deployed it silently while exchanging words with her, laying the trap long before she even thought of running.
If not for that preparation, with Makkari's blistering speed, even he might have struggled to pin her down.
Sizzle!
The instant she steadied her footing, twin beams of molten heat lanced out from Alex's eyes, scything past her face.
Hiss—!
Makkari flinched, an instinctive tremor running through her body. Her hand shot to her cheek. When she pulled it back, a bead of scarlet glistened on her fingertips. A thin line of blood traced her pale skin where his heat vision had grazed her.
Her chest tightened. That hadn't been a warning—it had been a demonstration.
"Second warning," Alex said flatly, his tone as cold and merciless as a blade drawn across stone. His gaze never wavered.
Makkari's eyes widened. Her pen scratched furiously across her notepad, letters bold and jagged:
"You have the same abilities as Alex. Why? You're also a mutant!"
Alex's brow furrowed.
That confirmed it—Makkari knew the other Alex, the one native to this timeline. Not only that, but she had immediately recognized that he too was a mutant.
Yet her reaction carried something else: certainty. Certainty that he was not the Alex she knew.
Why?
What difference existed between him and… himself?
Was there some scar, some drastic change that separated the other Alex from the man he was now? Had something happened in this timeline that altered his counterpart beyond recognition?
"You can distinguish who is a mutant and who isn't?" Alex's eyes narrowed, his voice laced with intrigue. Makkari's questions carried information that he couldn't ignore.
Still, he didn't press her. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, his expression turning wry.
"Alright," he said, "I don't mean to discriminate against those who can't speak, but isn't this method of communication a little exhausting? Don't you think so?"
His words weren't aimed at Makkari at all. They were cast outward, toward the shadows where two more presences lingered.
With his senses sharpened to near omniscience, there was no way anyone could creep up on him unnoticed.
Sure enough—
"Makkari! I told you we should act together, but no, you had to rush ahead. And now look—you've landed yourself in a mess."
The voice was light, almost teasing.
From the corner stepped two figures, one male and one female.
The woman's presence was radiant, her features stern yet ethereal, carrying the weight of command like a queen who had stood unshaken across centuries. Thena—the warrior goddess herself.
Beside her loomed a massive man, his physique almost absurdly powerful. His arms were as thick as tree trunks, his stance solid as bedrock. This was Gilgamesh—the stalwart Eternal known for his boundless strength.
Makkari's hands moved rapidly in reproach, scolding the pair for their delay.
Gilgamesh raised both palms lightly. "Alright, alright—we get it. It's not just you. We didn't expect this guy to have such… surprises."
He turned his gaze to Alex, his eyes narrowing with curiosity. "As you wish, I'll handle the talking. No offense, Makkari."
Alex slowly released the invisible barrier constraining Makkari.
The speedster hesitated, testing the air cautiously, then vanished in a blur. The next heartbeat, she reappeared safely beside her comrades. Relief flickered in her eyes.
"Honestly, I'm not one for negotiations," Gilgamesh admitted, scratching his jaw. "But it looks like that job falls to me." He cast a sidelong glance at Thena, who stood silent and statuesque. "One's mute, the other rarely speaks… guess that leaves me."
Alex's voice cut through, calm but edged with steel. "I released your companion as a gesture of goodwill. Now it's your turn."
Gilgamesh inclined his head. "Fair enough."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully, then spoke: "To answer your earlier question—yes, we Eternals can identify mutants."
Alex's eyes glinted. "Is that a gift all of you share, or just a talent of certain individuals?"
Gilgamesh studied him closely, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "You know quite a bit. For a second there, you almost gave me the illusion you were Alex."
Alex's brows arched slightly. "You're very familiar with the other me, then?"
"You've asked plenty," Gilgamesh replied smoothly. "But you haven't answered a single one of ours. Now it's our turn."
Alex considered it, then gave a short nod. "Fair. Ask."
"Who are you, really?" Gilgamesh's question was sharp, echoing Makkari's demand.
Alex chuckled dryly. "Try again. That's not an answer I give without hearing why you were tailing me."
Gilgamesh tapped his chin. "Then tell me this—what's your relationship with the other Alex? Twins? Some kind of… doppelgänger?"
Alex blinked. Then he actually laughed, shaking his head. "Twins? That's the best you've got?"
But though amusement flickered across his face, his eyes remained guarded. Time travel wasn't something he could reveal lightly. "No. Not twins."
"Then what is your connection?" Gilgamesh pressed, voice dropping.
"That's another question," Alex countered. His tone hardened. "And it's my turn. Why were you following me?"
Gilgamesh's lips pressed into a firm line. After a pause, he shrugged. "Unless you tell us who you really are, I can't answer that either. Ask something else."
Alex's face darkened. The patience in his eyes thinned to a razor edge.
He exhaled sharply, then gave a cold chuckle. "Fine. Let me repeat myself, then." His voice dropped, dangerous. "What is your relationship with the other Alex?"
Gilgamesh straightened. His reply was blunt, without hesitation. "None."
The air shifted instantly.
Alex's gaze sharpened to a blade's edge, his aura flaring with suppressed fury. "Are you certain that's your answer?"
Gilgamesh felt the crushing pressure roll over him, but he held his ground, glaring back without flinching. "Why? What else would it be?"
The silence between them grew taut, straining like a bowstring drawn to its limit. Sparks of imminent violence crackled in the air.
Alex's lips curled into a thin, humorless smile. "It seems words won't suffice. We'll switch to another language… the language of strength."
Sizzle!
His eyes ignited, twin beams of incandescent destruction lancing straight toward Gilgamesh.
Whoosh!
For all his bulk, Gilgamesh moved like lightning, dodging the burning rays with startling agility. In the same motion, he surged forward, his fist cocked back with terrifying force.
The ground quaked as his punch rocketed toward Alex.
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