[A/N]: Yay, we did it đ Our Second goal of 400 PowerStones is officially done, and this is your First bonus chapter!
Now for the next target đ First goal: 200 PowerStones. Hit that, and I'll drop TWO bonus chapters.
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While Domino carefully channeled the Death Stone's energy to revive the lost victims, guiding each crimson string with probability-enhanced precision to ensure no mistakes were made in the resurrection process, her consciousness was suddenly pulled sideways into a different plane of existence entirely.
The sensation was disorienting but gentle, like falling asleep and waking somewhere. One moment she knelt on the Helicarrier deck with the Death Stone pulsing cold between her palms, the next she found herself sitting in a garden that made her breath catch with recognition
The same garden from her date with Jay. Every detail was perfect: the spread of aged GruyĂšre and sharp white cheddar on the blanket, the bowl of strawberries Jay had insisted on bringing despite her teasing, the expensive Pinot Noir they'd shared while watching the sunset paint the sky in shades of amber and rose. Even the specific wildflowers she'd picked, small purple things whose names she'd never learned, tucked behind Jay's ear while laughing at how flustered he'd gotten when she'd called him pretty.
Domino looked down and discovered she was wearing the same sundress from that evening, white cotton with small black flowers embroidered along the hem that Jay had said made her look like summer. Her hands moved to touch the fabric, verifying it was real, and the texture felt exactly right against her fingers.
"You really do look like me!" A soft, young voice spoke from behind her with genuine delight. "I guess I can forgive Jay for mistaking me for a beauty like you. Poor boy looked so confused when I appeared."
Domino spun around with her hand reaching instinctively for her gun, found only the sundress, her mercenary instincts kicking in despite the peaceful setting and what she saw made her pause completely.
A young woman, maybe early twenties in appearance, sat cross-legged on the blanket with a wine glass balanced casually in one hand. She had the same alabaster skin as Domino, the same dark hair falling in similar waves, even the same casual grace in how she held herself. The only visible difference was the Eye of Horus tattoo beneath the girl's right eye.
[Image Here]
"Excuse me, who the hell are you?" Her voice came out harder than she intended, mercenary edge cutting through. "And where am I? More importantly, how are you in my head, because that's a serious violation of privacy that people usually die for in my line of work." Her scarlet-tinted eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you Lady Death? Can't be right though. Jay told me about that bitch, painted quite the picture of vindictive cosmic entity with too much power and not enough sense, and you definitely don't match his description. Too young, too human-looking, too... cheerful." Her jaw tightened while anger bled into her tone. "And what's this about Jay mistaking you for me? I really need to teach that boy a lesson about recognizing his girlfriend."
The young girl laughed, the sound carrying genuine amusement rather than mockery. "Haha, you two really are made for each other! I can see why Jay loves you so much. That protective streak, that loyalty, that willingness to threaten cosmic entities over potential infidelity." She gestured at the empty space on the blanket beside her. "Come on, sit down. I'm Death of the Endless, though some people call me Didi when they want to be friendly." Her smile turned slightly teasing, though something ancient flickered behind her youthful features. "And no, before you ask, I'm definitely not that uptight Marvel version who's been causing all the problems. We're... fundamentally different concepts of the same idea."
Domino remained standing while her body coiled tight with tension, her scarlet-tinted eyes studying the girl carefully. "Death of the Endless as in Lady Death of DC?!"
"Now, now, no need to be rude by comparing me to that hag. We're completely different concepts, different implementations of the same fundamental force. She's ending, cessation, the cruelty of mortality. I'm..." She paused, considering her words carefully. "I'm transition. The doorway between states of being. The gentle hand that guides you from one existence to the next."
She took a sip of wine, perfectly at ease in a way that suggested she'd had this conversation countless times across countless eons. "Let me put it this way Neena, when the first living thing existed in the multiverse, I was there waiting. When the last living thing dies, my job will be finished. I'll put the chairs on the tables, turn out the lights, and lock the universe behind me when I leave. Death isn't the enemy of life, sweetie. Death is what gives life meaning."
The words resonated through Domino in ways she couldn't quite articulate. Something fundamental shifted in her perception, like looking at an optical illusion and suddenly seeing the hidden image. This being sitting casually on a picnic blanket, all cheerful and helpful, was so incomprehensibly powerful that Domino's mind literally couldn't process her true nature without breaking. Her hands trembled as her breath came short and sharp.
The fear hit her then. The primal terror of standing before something so vast that her existence was less than a speck of dust in comparison.
Didi noticed immediately, and her entire demeanor shifted into something softer, more maternal despite her youthful appearance. "Hey, none of that now. Breathe, Neena. In through your nose, out through your mouth. That's it." She patted the blanket again, more insistently. "Seriously, sit down before you hyperventilate and pass out. You're making me nervous standing there all tense like you're about to fight me, and while that would be adorable it would ultimately pointless."
Domino's legs moved before she consciously decided to obey, folding beneath her as she sat on the blanket. Her voice came out smaller than she liked, stripped of the confidence she's spent years cultivating. "Why did you call me here? Did I die using the Death Stone?"
"Nothing of the sort, child." Didi's smile returned, warm and genuine. "You're very much alive, still channeling my essence through the Death Stone to bring back all those poor souls who died today. This conversation is happening in the space between seconds". She raised her wine glass in a mock toast. "I just felt someone using my essence and thought I should check up on it. Imagine my surprise when I discover Jay using his hard-won prize to right the wrongs of that hag. That woman really does give the rest of us a bad name with her tantrums and vendettas."
She leaned forward slightly, and despite the casual posture, Domino felt the weight of her full attention like standing under a spotlight. "You really did pick a good one, Neena. Most men would use that hard-earned cosmic power for themselves, hoard it and use it to dominate reality to their whims. But your boy?" Her expression turned genuinely approving. "He trusted you to bring back 41,000 people without hesitation, put that kind of responsibility on your shoulders because he believes in you that completely. That's special."
Domino felt her shoulders relax slightly despite the situation. "Yeah, you got that right. He's an idiot sometimes, reckless as hell, but his heart's always in the right place, even when his brain's being stupid." Her tone shifted, and her expression grew more guarded. "So what happens now? This isn't just a social call to compliment my boyfriend, is it?"
Didi's expression grew more serious, though the kindness never left her eyes. "Your multiverse will be in disorder for the near future because of my counterpart's impending judgment. That tantrum Lady Death threw using Jim Jaspers' soul to circumvent cosmic restrictions, going after an outsider under divine protection?" She shook her head, and for a moment looked genuinely sad. "The cosmic entities aren't taking it lightly. She's going to be contained for a while, maybe for eternity even, while the abstracts sort out what to do with her. You don't violate cosmic law that blatantly without consequences."
She gestured around them at the garden, and Domino noticed for the first time that the edges were starting to show cracks, reality bleeding through the illusion like paint peeling from a wall to reveal something darker underneath. "And your specific universe? Well, the supervision she provided, as inadequate as it was, is now reduced to practically non-existent. Dead souls are piling up with nowhere to go, no one to guide them to their proper rest." Didi's sadness deepened, became something that felt like genuine grief for suffering she couldn't directly prevent. "Some are finding peace on their own, the ones with strong beliefs or clear destinations. But others..." Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "Others are getting lost, trapped between life and death, unable to move forward or back. They're suffering in limbo, confused and afraid, calling out for help that isn't coming. And I can't directly intervene in another Death's domain without violating the same cosmic laws that just got her imprisoned."
Domino's throat went dry as Didi showed her glimpses of souls caught in gray spaces, screaming silently, trapped in moments of death that stretched into eternity. "That sounds like a nightmare."
"It is." Didi leaned forward, her ancient eyes boring into Domino's soul. "This world needs another Death to guide those poor souls to their rest, to finally let them be at peace rather than suffering endlessly. Someone who understands mortality because they've lived it, who knows fear, pain and loss, who can offer comfort because they've needed comfort themselves." Her hand extended across the blanket, and the gesture was both casual and monumentally significant. "After seeing you use my essence so well, after watching you bring back more than 41,000 souls with such care, after knowing where your heart truly lies..."
She extended her hand across the blanket, the gesture both casual and monumentally significant. "So, Neena Thurman of Earth, would you step up to be my representative in this universe? Would you become Death for this universe, guiding souls to their rest with the same care and compassion I've shown for billions of years?"
She paused, then added quietly, "I won't lie to you. It's a heavy burden. You'd feel every death in your universe, know when every soul needs guidance. You'd carry the weight of mortality on your shoulders every single day. But you'd also give meaning to those deaths, purpose to those endings. You'd be the gentle hand that helps people let go when holding on would only cause more pain."
The question hung in the air like a guillotine blade, and Domino felt the weight of it pressing down on her neck until breathing became difficult.
Domino's mind raced. This wasn't just an offer, it was a fundamental transformation of her entire existence. She'd go from being a mercenary with luck powers to being Death itself, responsible for every soul in her entire universe.
"I..." The word died in her throat.
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