"Parallel World?"
Nick Fury stared at the words written in the black-gold diary, his brow furrowing deeply.
He had once heard Dr. Erik Selvig discuss the theory of parallel worlds, but he never expected to encounter it in this mysterious diary.
Although he maintained his usual vigilance and skepticism toward the contents of the Black Gold Diary, Nick Fury decided to keep reading.
"My name is Su Che. It has been two months since I crossed into this parallel world."
"I really enjoy sitting on a bench basking in the sun. I can't even remember the last time I was able to relax like this."
"Yes, the world I came from was destroyed—completely annihilated."
"At first, we thought we had won. We defeated Kang the Conqueror. We defeated the Time Variance Authority."
"We, the Avengers, had once again protected the world."
Seeing the name "Avengers," Nick Fury's pupils contracted instantly.
The "Avengers Initiative" was an idea he had conceived but not yet implemented—a team of superpowered individuals to safeguard the world, especially after Captain Marvel left Earth following the Kree conflict.
Yet here it was, mentioned in this inexplicable diary that only he could see. This made him take it more seriously than before.
"After that battle, Hawkeye Barton told me with a smile that he had found a successor—someone who could become the next Hawkeye in the Avengers."
"Thor joked that his adopted daughter could join as a second-generation Avenger, too."
"Loki shrugged and said he planned to have children with Agent Hill—hopefully not as mischievous as he used to be."
"Dr. Banner was discussing with his cousin, She-Hulk, and Ant-Man how his son from Sakaar was becoming more rebellious."
"Everything was peaceful; everything was perfect. In the end, they teased me and my wife, Wanda, suggesting we have another child and name him Pietro."
"That way, the new generation of Avengers could protect the world, and we, the original team, could finally retire."
In Sokovia, Wanda Maximoff—still just a fourteen-year-old girl—stared at the line "me and my wife Wanda" in disbelief.
Why is my name in this diary? Is it just a coincidence?
But then… Pietro? That's my brother's name.
A flush crept up her cheeks. Does this mean… the author of this diary is my future husband?
She didn't even know this Su Che person. How could she become his wife? And have children with him?
Though she had always dreamed of a warm family and children of her own someday… She was only fourteen!
Curiosity piqued, she kept reading.
"The atmosphere was relaxed. Every superhero was savoring the peace after the war."
"But in the next instant, everything changed."
"Before we knew it, countless variants of Kang the Conqueror emerged across timelines—along with endless hordes of monsters and god-like beings."
"They were overwhelmingly powerful. Hopelessly so."
"The sky tore apart. Mountains crumbled. Rivers and oceans boiled away."
"Wherever we looked, there was ruin. Corpses piled as far as the eye could see."
"The world was filled with cries of despair."
"We had failed. Though the Avengers had saved the world countless times, this time… we truly lost."
"Hawkeye died. Thor died. Dr. Banner died. She-Hulk died. Everyone died."
"I don't know if they felt regret or despair in their final moments."
"All I know is that as Earth shattered into cosmic dust, I saw them—Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark…"
"The original Avengers. The first to fall, or to retire."
"When my consciousness faded into nothingness, I understood: we had protected Earth time and again, but this time, we couldn't save it."
"We lost…"
The first diary entry ended abruptly.
In S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Nick Fury felt a chill as the words painted a harrowing picture in his mind. The despair was palpable, stark, and haunting.
Natasha Romanoff and Wanda, each reading the diary in their own corners of the world, felt the same weight—a vision of apocalypse, loss, and irreversible defeat.
It felt less like a story and more like a memory. A prophecy. A warning.