[2009 – October]
With a thought, the incarnation that carried my consciousness in the Darkforce Dimension dispersed into black mist, integrating with the ambient fog of Darkforce in this lightless realm while I opened the eyes of my real body again.
Still surrounded by threads of flowing plasma that sought to pierce into my form but failed to do so, I drew back my control over the surrounding area, letting go of the super-heated matter as I 'rose' to stand in the void above the sun.
Giving the glaring celestial star one last look while being surrounded by fierce solar winds, my Extrasensory Perception shifting around me like it had a life of its own as it adjusted to the primary dimension's space-time and the dense flow of ambient psionic energy, I turned to face the direction in which I could sense Earth.
It was a distance of over 90 million miles that lay between me and the blue planet but after the tiny muscle fibers in my irises shifted to adjust my eyesight, I saw my homeworld with stunning clarity.
And a single instant later, I exerted the force of my will through the ethereal barrier that had until now counteracted the gravitational pull of the sun and shot off into the direction of Earth, flying through the void of space at a speed that threatened to warp the space around me.
I had to hold back as I moved and control the effects that my movements had on the near-vacuum of space.
And while I still felt every single atom that touched my form and tried to act as resistance to my forward momentum, even comparing this to the atmospheric density on Earth made no real difference when it came to the mental exertion caused by my flight.
I felt the unnatural bending of time around me like a change in its frequency as my speed approached that of light, space almost folding in on itself as my mass tore through it.
Time was usually such a personal and subjective thing since it depended on the location of the observer but my perception was different from a human's. I could feel it twist, stretch, and compress, doing its best to shift back into the regular frequency of the primary dimension.
I had never directly manipulated time but I could now wield my Extrasensory Perception with much more finesse after having learned to use it as a carrier of my consciousness while controlling the ambient psionic flow for telepathy.
I had almost become one with my perception and so as I sensed the shifts in time my movements caused, I knew that I could learn to manipulate it according to my wishes. The same was true for the spatial turbulence around me.
This was the potential that had bloomed inside me with the sheer increase in my mental strength after I had become a Realm Lord while possessing the Energy Vessel. Even without it though, I knew that with time my mind would have grown strong enough to do all this, which was the same for most Realm Lords who had a vast range of abilities.
They could direct their enormous power through their powerful minds in any direction that they desired. Naturally, this was a process that required learning and study and the slow adaption to the inherent power of a realm.
I had largely skipped the waiting and adaption period through my Energy Vessel, Agamotto having done the same through his sorcery, but I couldn't skip the learning and studying part. But as it had just happened with the psionic energy manipulation, I knew that my speed of learning was incredible even when compared to other Realm Lords.
I arrived outside the atmosphere only a few minutes later, having flown at almost lightspeed. Throwing a glance at the moon, I left it behind as I descended on Earth, my clothes fluttering as I free fell towards the ground.
I enjoyed the roaring winds while I protected the fabric of my clothes from tearing.
I saw the blue of the Atlantic Ocean coming closer but I didn't bother to slow my fall or construct a shield around my body. A faint smile drew up the corners of my lips as I impacted the ocean like a missile, diving over a hundred meters deep due to the speed of my fall.
The impact itself would have felt as if I crashed into solid steel if I had been a normal human and it would have killed me without a doubt but the strength of my physique meant that it made no difference to the current me. It could have been real steel or cotton wool instead of water, I couldn't have cared less.
Feeling the cool ocean water on my skin and its salty makeup on my lips, I shot upwards again, stepping onto the ocean surface like it was flat ground, my dark hair sticking to my forehead and cheeks.
Shaking my head for a moment, I turned my face upwards, my eyes glowing white for a moment as I looked at the many satellites that had without a doubt recorded my fall and quick dive.
I could almost hear the inner voices of those looking at my recordings, feel and taste their anxiety, fear, awe, envy, and hate as a faint purple colour spread through my irises, my Extrasensory Perception picking up on the thoughts of millions almost subconsciously.
But then, I pushed them aside and drew back my perception before smiling lightly and vanishing into a cloud of black mist.
…
At this point, Fury couldn't even bring himself to frown anymore. His face just carried a blank expression as he watched the recordings of the 'falling object' that had impacted the Atlantic Ocean after appearing outside the atmosphere all of a sudden.
"And these are the recordings and the data that the extraplanetary observation satellites picked up when our sensors noticed the abnormalities in the sun's corona. The imaging and sensory equipment is the best Earth has to offer and I had them do two system checks but … I-I … ", Agent Hill reported, her voice failing her at the end as visible hesitation appeared on her face.
"Speak your mind, Agent Hill.", Fury demanded neutrally.
Taking a deep breath, the female agent composed herself as she inquired almost hopefully, and he could not blame her for that: "Are we sure that what we see on our monitors is the truth, Sir? And if it is, what is it that we are witnessing?"
"Not 'what', Agent. 'Who'.", Fury answered simply, his tone deep and almost foreboding.
His gaze was fixed on the small black silhouette standing amidst an inferno of glaring plasma before he turned to the monitor next to it that showed a small 'falling object' tearing through the atmosphere before causing rippling waves upon impact with the ocean beneath.
Another monitor further, Fury stared at the purple-white glowing eyes of a young man standing among the waves like the god of the sea.
"I want all the recordings deleted from the records, sealed up under clearance Level Omega, and put together with Case File: 088412, codename 'Black Devil'.", he declared without hesitation, not bothering to hide the fact that there were clearance levels above Level Ten in front of one of his most-trusted agents.
"Understood.", the agent acknowledged before pausing for a moment and asking with concern, "Sir, what is 'his' goal?"
"'Goal'?", Fury repeated, his voice even as he explained, "You're looking at it wrong, Agent Hill. This is not us spying on 'him', this is 'him' forcing us to keep 'his' secrets. For 'him', this is just- …"
"A game?", Hill added quietly, the look in her eyes filled with trepidation.
Shaking his head, Fury disagreed: "No, 'he' does not play games. This, this is just a reminder."
"A reminder of what?", the agent asked.
"Of what true power looks like and that the truth can be a terrible prison.", he ended.