---
The night was quiet in Wakanda, but the minds of its leaders were in turmoil.
King T'Challa stood on the Great Balcony overlooking the city, his heart pounding louder than the vibranium trains below. The memory of Ron's aura still burned in his bones. The man didn't just have power—he had purpose. A force of will even Wakanda's ancestors would respect.
And yet…
"What would you have me do, father?" T'Challa whispered to the stars. "Yield to a stranger?"
A faint wind blew. As if the spirits listened, but gave no answer.
Shuri walked out quietly, carrying two cups of herbal tea. She offered one, her face unreadable.
"You saw it, didn't you?" she asked. "What he carries."
T'Challa nodded slowly. "He is… pain. And power. Wrapped in peace."
Shuri sat beside him. "He's not asking us to kneel. He's asking us to rise with him. Can't you feel it?"
"I feel fear," T'Challa admitted. "Not of him. But of what he means. If we say yes, Wakanda changes forever."
She looked at her brother, eyes shining. "Maybe that's the point."
---
Meanwhile – New Eden
Ron meditated in a floating chamber, suspended in gravity-null light. His stats were rising faster than ever. At this point, he no longer needed to breathe, eat, or sleep. His Immortal Form had stabilized to the point where even the Time Stone couldn't rewind him.
Yet, despite being unstoppable, he waited.
He gave Wakanda time—not out of weakness, but respect.
Aria approached silently. "A signal from Wakanda. T'Challa has requested an audience."
Ron opened his eyes. "Alone?"
"Alone," Aria confirmed.
---
Sacred Grove – Heart of Wakanda
Under the stars and ancient trees, where only kings and gods had walked, Ron and T'Challa met again.
No armies. No technology. Just the earth, the moonlight… and truth.
T'Challa wore no armor. He came not as Black Panther, but as a man.
"You didn't force me," he said. "You could have."
"I'm not here to replace kings," Ron replied. "Only to tear down the thrones that stand on broken backs."
T'Challa studied him. "If I say yes… what happens to Wakanda?"
Ron smiled gently. "It becomes infinite."
"And if I say no?"
Ron's eyes didn't flicker. "Then I walk away. And I wait. Until the world makes you ask me again."
Silence.
Then T'Challa knelt—not in submission, but in honor.
"Wakanda will stand with you. On its feet. Not on its knees."
Ron reached down, helping him up with a nod.
"Together."
---
Two Days Later – United Nations Emergency Assembly
Shock. Awe. Confusion.
Wakanda, the most secretive nation on Earth, just proposed a global tech-sharing alliance under Ron's protection.
"Impossible," barked the US Secretary of Defense.
"They've gone mad!" screamed a delegate from Sokovia.
But as holograms of healed cities, stopped wars, and floating energy grids filled the chamber, more voices turned.
Nick Fury watched from the shadows.
He smirked. "Kid's not taking the world by storm… he's rewriting the weather."
---
Elsewhere – In the Depths of the Galaxy
Far beyond Earth, in a dark chamber lit only by stars, a voice echoed.
"He's begun."
A figure in shadows turned.
"The one who defies entropy… the mortal who walks like infinity."
Another voice growled.
"Should we interfere?"
The shadowed figure stepped forward, revealing a glint of golden armor.
"No. Not yet."
It was Kang.
And behind him, the Council of Kangs stirred.
"The game has changed."
---