DC-EU and the edge of the Marvel Universe
It was a void.
The two universes could not be seen or distinguished with the naked eye.
But thanks to the embodiment of Atrez, the anchor of the cosmos, that void now had a clearer form.
"Like two balloons?"
"Yes, exactly. I call it a cosmic balloon. My exclusive invention!"
"The universe itself is invisible and infinite!"
"But for easier observation, I turned them into giant balloons!"
Atrez crossed her arms on her hips with an expression that screamed, "This is my creation."
"Genius idea!"
Aron praised her without hesitation, too enthusiastically.
Atrez narrowed her eyes with laughter, full of fondness for the man before her.
He had not only brought all kinds of sweets, but also consoles, phones, and a bunch of game discs.
"Aron, you're simply amazing!"
"From now on, you're my second-best partner!"
When Aron turned on the console and began playing a game with Atrez side by side, he was promoted to her second-best friend.
"And who's the first?"
Aron deliberately glanced at the Ancient One, who stood nearby.
"Of course, it's little Ancient."
Atrez replied without hesitation.
"Haha, little Ancient!"
Aron had been waiting for that line.
Recorded. Saved.
He didn't even notice the Ancient One's expression darken.
"Boy… let me just ask you this: if Atrez finds out that you broke the dimensional barrier and started this chain of cosmic collisions, do you think she'll still call you her second-best friend?"
The Ancient One approached with a threatening whisper.
"Ahem~"
Aron coughed.
And immediately deleted the recording.
The Ancient One then smiled faintly, now more content, and thanked Atrez.
"Thank you for your help, Atrez."
...
"Oh, it's nothing, Ancient."
"You gathered the Infinity Stones to prevent the universe collision, that's already a huge help."
Atrez waved her hand casually, but at the same time, her little head was already thinking of how to record this.
How to write it down in her little merit book!
Something like...
"In the 42nd cosmic collision, Atrez + Aron + the Ancient One jointly prevented cosmic expansion by collecting the Infinity Stones. Main credit belongs to Atrez!"
Hehe~ I'm a genius!
With a smile on her face, Atrez waved at them.
"In short, this is the edge of the universe."
"Here you can separate the two universes using the Infinity Stones."
"Alright, the rest is up to you. I have to go back. Bye!"
"Bye bye! Let me know when you're free to play again."
After a brief farewell with Aron, Atrez returned to her dimension, the Land of Eternal Silence, where she continued her role as the anchor of the universe.
"Wait!"
"Did I forget to tell them…"
"…that once you enter the space beyond the physical universe, you might encounter all sorts of strange things?"
Just as she sat on her swing, Atrez froze.
She wanted to go back and tell them.
But… the game she had just opened showed a result ready to unlock.
"Eh, forget it. Aron has the Infinity Stones. There shouldn't be any major problems."
Soon.
She dismissed the thought.
Fun came first.
...
The edge of the universe.
Aron now possessed all six Stones.
No wonder he had become one of the highest beings in this cosmos.
If we used gaming terminology…
Aron now had administrator privileges over this server — the universe.
Now…
What Aron had to do was use those administrative privileges.
Some unreasonable bugs on this server would be fixed and erased!
"The rest of the path, you must walk alone."
"Do you remember what I told you? The waters of our universe run deep."
The Ancient One stood at the very edge of the universe.
She extended her hand and touched the boundary that looked like a transparent bubble.
As a being originating from the Marvel Universe, the Ancient One was capable of crossing the boundaries between parallel worlds, traveling through dimensions just like other heroes from Marvel and DC.
But what Aron had to do now… surpassed even her capabilities.
This wasn't just crossing from one universe to another.
This was leaving all known boundaries, leaping beyond the very structure of existence.
Toward the higher layers of reality.
Into the unexplored vastness of multiversal existence.
The Ancient One couldn't do it. All she could do was offer Aron advice.
"Be careful."
"…"
Seeing the seriousness in her tone, Aron fell silent.
To be honest, he was a bit shaken.
"Ancient… How about I give you the Infinity Stones, and you go instead?"
Typical, pushing the risk onto someone else.
After all, the Ancient One had lived for centuries.
And he was still young.
"…"
The Ancient One looked at him wordlessly.
In her eyes appeared a mix of sorrow and anger.
His sentence pierced through all her nerves.
"Get lost! I'm sick of looking at you for even one more second!"
She scolded him, grabbed his arm, dragged him to the cosmic bubble, and shoved him inside.
"I'm kidding, Ancient! What are you—"
Aron's words were cut off the moment he passed through the membrane.
The Ancient One disappeared.
Sound vanished.
Light vanished.
His eyes could no longer see.
Because here, there was nothing.
Even Aron's thoughts didn't have a normal form, as if even consciousness itself was being suppressed.
Like a blank comic page.
An empty chapter of a novel.
Without a single sentence.
Without a single line.
Only emptiness.
"…"
"And where's the narrator now?"
As the six Infinity Stones shone simultaneously, Aron regained control of himself.
It felt as if his brain had been frozen, like a Kaz Terrier staring at a wall.
"If this is outside the universe, I feel… okay."
"The Infinity Stones still work… which means I haven't completely left the universe."
"Or maybe I'm still near Marvel's boundary?"
He looked at the gems that still glowed in his hand.
From that signal, he drew a clear conclusion.
"Now I just need to wait for Tony to finish his job over there…"
"To separate the universes again."
He needed to be clear on the next step.
Aron once again looked back toward the Marvel Universe.
The universe that, under Atrez's influence, had been shaped into a cosmic balloon…
Was now gradually revealing its true form.
Vast.
Detailed.
Incomprehensible.
But the outline was etched into Aron's consciousness.
Before him stood a magnificent being, humanoid in form, seated cross-legged.
"Holy hell… Eternity!"
Aron spoke the name, both astonished and thrilled.
Eternity slowly opened his eyes.
His pupils galaxies, light-years, billions of stars in motion.
"Kid… what are you doing out here?"
"Get back inside immediately. I can't protect you if you're outside."
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