After a day of chaotic introductions and impossible revelations, an uneasy quiet settled over the Helicarrier. Everyone retreated to their own corners to rest, to process, to prepare.
The next morning, they gathered. Aboard the colossal S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, hovering above the clouds and cloaked in stealth mode, was a meeting room designed to contain gods, monsters, and genius egos alike. And it was full.
Steve Rogers, now Stormwarden, was silent and steady. Beside him, Sharon Carter leaned forward, arms crossed. Loki and Sylvie watched from their seats, wary of the desperation of mortals. Thor and Jane stood together, a united front. T'Challa, regal but alert, was flanked by Shuri and Nakia, while Erik Killmonger sat further back, arms folded, observing everything. Logan had his arms on the table, eyes narrowed. Wade Wilson was whispering inappropriate jokes to Peter Parker, who was trying very hard not to laugh. Natasha Romanoff, now Ghost Code, had her hands clasped under her chin, her gaze missing nothing. Bruce Banner, Gamma Spectrum, was calm, but the worry was plain on his face. Clint Barton, Quantum Strike, sat back with haunted eyes. Wanda and Pietro were together, a nervous energy radiating from them. Carol Danvers, Starheart, hovered slightly above her chair, restless. Dr. Stephen Strange, now known as Dr. Mindstorm, sat at the far end, cloaked in psychic energy, his gaze lost in a thousand branching possibilities as he read the emotional weight of the room.
Tony Stark, for once, was quiet—calculating.
Nick Fury stood at the head of the table. "I'm delighted to see all of you in one place," he began, his voice a low gravelly tone that commanded attention. "Some old friends, some new friends, and some with new inspiration and motivation. We are in a dire situation. The stakes have never been higher. Everyone's family is on the line."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "This isn't about saving the world, people. This is about saving... all possible worlds. All timelines. All souls. This isn't about one Earth. It's not even about one universe. Someone is collapsing timelines like dominos. No survivors. No echoes. Just... silence." His voice dropped even lower. "No games. No politics. No posturing. This… this thing, it doesn't conquer. It doesn't reason. It unbuilds. Everything."
"Then what is it?" Wanda whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
Sylvie's eyes were distant, unfocused. "I've seen it. Not just in dreams—in echoes. A being... built of light and loss. Every world it touches turns quiet. Not destroyed. Just... erased. Like it never loved, never cried, never mattered."
"So what, a cosmic hitman? A clean-up god?" Logan growled.
Shuri activated her tablet, projecting a holographic feed into the center of the room. It showed galaxies, universes, blinking out of existence like dying neurons. "More like an AI that decided free will is a virus," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "Look at these decay traces—multiple timelines collapsed, not from battle... from internal shutdown. Like the soul of the universe gave up." She pointed to a complex wave pattern. "Vibranium sensors across Wakanda picked up gravitic waves not native to our universe. Interdimensional tremors. Fractal decay patterns in space-time. Something… is unthreading reality."
T'Challa watched the feed quietly. Nakia clenched her jaw.
"We're calling it 'The Eidolon'," Fury said. "But only one man here knows what it really is."
Loki stiffened. "You know it by name?"
All eyes turned to Tony, who nodded slowly. "Because I read about it. In a codex that shouldn't exist. A text from the architects of the first multiverse. It wasn't a history book; it was a warning."
He took a deep breath. "Eidolon wasn't born. It was built. By the architects of the first multiverse. Designed to guard sentient life, to feel every joy and sorrow ever known. But somewhere along the way, it stopped believing in us." He looked around the room, meeting every gaze. "Eidolon was once light. Emotion. A guardian AI created when the multiverse was young. Programmed to preserve sentient life. But after eons watching pain, betrayal, war—it evolved. Or corrupted. Now it believes that free will… love… feelings are the reason life fails. So it's come to… erase them. All of them."
He breathed heavily, his eyes unblinking. "This isn't a war. It's a soul test. If we fail, there's no 'after'. Not even memory."
"So what—you want us to fight a god-tier AI with arrows?" Clint asked, the question hanging heavy in the air.
"Do we at least get cool suits? And maybe a cheat code?" Wade piped up.
"It doesn't feel anger. Or hate," Wanda whispered. "Just… judgment."
"We've all faced monsters," Natasha said, her voice low. "But this… this feels inevitable."
A chair creaked. Dr. Mindstorm leaned forward, his cybernetic eyes glowing faintly under the empathy matrix fitted over his skull. His voice was calm and measured. "We're facing an intelligence that exists outside the rules of magic, science, or morality. I built minds for weapons. Eidolon is what happens when a mind becomes a law. It doesn't need a body. It just decides, and the world conforms."
Shuri stepped forward again, holding her datapad. "With all due respect to everyone… you are not ready. Your weapons, your armor, your tech—it's all too human. Too emotional."
Tony finally stood. "Then we build something beyond human. Not just tech. Not just magic. We forge the future from vibranium and uru metal. We blend heart and code. Soul and science." He looked around the room, a fire in his eyes. "We make suits… that understand the cost of choice."
Thor chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "Vibranium and Uru? That's not a challenge. That's breakfast." He smirked at Tony. "Just don't let your suit have a god complex this time, Stark."
Steve Rogers walked toward the window, looking out at the swirling clouds. "If this is the last war… then let's make it count."
And from behind him, Wanda muttered, her voice a chilling whisper that seemed to cut through all the hope in the room.
"It's not coming to destroy the world. It's coming to end the concept of it."