"Ummm… it's a long explanation," Luke said, waving it off lightly. "Better if you just see it yourself."
He shifted his attention to Tauriel, watching her for a second before speaking again.
"You wouldn't mind taking a break, right? War's over anyway."
Tauriel didn't answer immediately. Taking a break wasn't something she was used to, not in the middle of things like this. Her eyes drifted briefly toward the battlefield, where the last traces of conflict were settling into silence.
Then she looked back at him.
"A break?" she repeated, more to herself than to him.
There was hesitation, but also curiosity. This man had appeared out of nowhere, done things she couldn't explain, and now he was speaking about another world as if it were normal.
After a moment, she nodded.
Natasha's expression changed the instant she saw that.
A slight frown formed, subtle but clear enough, and she let out a quiet breath before stepping closer. Her gaze moved from Tauriel to Luke, already reading exactly what was happening.
"You should think about it properly," Natasha said, her tone calm but pointed. "You still have a chance to walk away from this."
Tauriel looked at her confused.
"Walk away from what?"
Natasha's eyes shifted briefly toward Luke before returning to Tauriel.
"From him," she said. "Because once you step into whatever he's pulling you into… you don't just leave."
There was no hostility in her voice, just experience.
She had already gone through it.
And she could see the same thing happening again.
"Nat, why do I feel like you're badmouthing me?" Luke cut in, stepping into the middle of the conversation.
"No need to feel it," Natasha replied calmly. "It's the truth."
Tauriel didn't seem to understand what Natasha had been talking about, her gaze shifting between them, clearly trying to follow. Before she could ask anything, Luke moved.
He called Smaug over, and the massive dragon shrank rapidly, its form compressing until it was small enough to hover beside him. With a casual motion, Luke opened a portal. They arrived inside his house.
Tauriel paused the instant she entered, her eyes moving across the space. The structure alone was unfamiliar, but it wasn't just that—the materials, the layout, even the furniture felt completely different from anything she had ever seen.
In the hall, Jill and Clarice were sitting in front of a console, focused on a game.
They looked up when Luke appeared.
Their attention immediately went to his hair.
"Hey, did you dye your hair for attention?" Jill asked, squinting at him.
"It suits him more," Clarice added casually.
Then her gaze shifted—and stopped on Tauriel.
Clarice stood up slowly, looking her over from head to toe. The long hair, the bow, the clothes… and the ears.
"Did you two come from some cosplay event?" she asked, genuinely confused. "Because that looks way too real."
"Clarice, she's the real deal," Luke said. "Her name is Tauriel. She's a hundred percent elf."
"Huh?" both Jill and Clarice said at the same time.
They knew what elves were—after all, they had spent enough time watching shows and anime—but actually seeing one standing in front of them was something else entirely.
Neither of them even questioned how Luke had managed this.
"Okay," Luke continued, already moving on. "You two give her a crash course on the modern world."
He gestured behind him.
"And by the way, this is Smaug. He's part of the family now as a pet."
Only then did they notice the small dragon hovering near him.
Clarice leaned forward, eyes widening. "That's the strangest pet I've ever seen…"
"It's a dragon," Luke said, already turning away.
He left Tauriel with Jill and Clarice, while Natasha followed him deeper into the house.
They reached the kitchen.
Inside, Selene and Alice were standing over the stove.
Smoke was rising from the pan—thick, dark, and very much not normal. The smell alone made it clear something had gone wrong.
"…No, I think it needs more water," Alice said.
"That will ruin it further," Selene replied, completely serious.
Luke stopped at the doorway, staring.
What are they even cooking?
Natasha leaned slightly to the side, taking in the scene.
"Wow," she said. "They're terrible at cooking."
Luke glanced at her. "So you know how to cook?"
"Yeah," Natasha said with a small shrug. "But don't expect anything amazing. I'm an agent, not a chef."
"Yeah, you women—none of you are good cooks," Luke said, looking at the state of the kitchen. He wasn't even trying to hide it. It wasn't really their fault, but still… this was beyond saving.
"Oh, Luke, you're back," Alice said, turning toward him with a bit too much enthusiasm. "Come and try the steak we made."
Luke looked at the pan. Then at the smoke. Then back at Alice.
"…I'll try it later," he said carefully. "First, I've got something to take care of."
There was no way he was touching that right now. Being practically unkillable didn't mean he had to willingly suffer. He loved them, sure—but he also valued his tongue.
He turned and left before they could insist.
***
He stepped into the training hall.
The space wasn't normal. It had been modified using what he'd learned from Kamar-*Taj—something similar to a mirror dimension layered inside the room. From the outside, it looked contained. Inside, it was something else entirely.
Right now, it looked like a battlefield.
Ice and fire clashed across the subspace, freezing waves crashing into burning surges. The ground shifted, cracked, reformed, only to be destroyed again. Esdeath moved through it like it was her natural environment, while Jean stood opposite her, power flaring with barely restrained intensity.
Luke watched for a moment.
"…Good thing they're not doing this outside," he muttered. If this fight had happened in the city, there wouldn't be a city left.
He didn't interfere. Just closed the door and let them continue.
A moment later, Pietro walked in with Wanda.
Or rather—he drifted in.
He looked… off. Shoulders slumped, eyes unfocused, like someone had unplugged him from life.
Luke raised an eyebrow. "What happened to him?"
Wanda sighed, clearly trying not to laugh. "He asked a girl out."
Luke waited.
"She said she's not interested in guys," Wanda added. "She's gay."
Pietro didn't react. He just stood there, staring at nothing, like his soul had quietly left his body and hadn't come back yet.
Luke looked at him for a second.
"…Damn," he said.
Then, after a pause, a small grin tugged at his face.
"Welcome to the modern world."
*****
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