The world changed almost overnight.
With the flood of Asgardian technology gifted to Earth, humanity entered an era of unprecedented advancement.
Energy… once the source of conflict, scarcity, and political tension was finally stable.
Thanks to the massive stockpile of Sovereign energy batteries Soren provided, Tony Stark dove into feverish research, reverse-engineering their design and adapting the alien cores into safe, sustainable systems.
Under Soren's worldwide authorization, Stark Industries and participating governments deployed these new energy generators across the globe.
Civil infrastructure, industrial complexes, hospitals, megacities everything now ran on an effectively infinite power supply.
The world erupted in awe.
Soren, who had already saved Earth by removing Galactus's duplicate and preventing planetary annihilation, was now credited with solving the energy crisis for centuries.
His name spread like myth, spoken with a mixture of reverence and disbelief. No government had formally declared it, but it was clear…
Soren Macaluso had become Earth's foremost figure, unchallenged guardian.
While global attention fixated on Everlife Medical Center, another shockwave rolled through society.
Osborn Industries had launched an astonishing line of 'magical medicines,' created under Soren's loosely granted permission.
These weren't improvements to traditional medicine… they obliterated it.
Healing elixirs, regenerative serums, and mysterious restorative agents could mend shattered bones in seconds, repair genetic defects, even reverse long-standing ailments previously considered incurable.
Governments scrambled to secure authorization.
Within weeks, these medicines were spreading worldwide, reshaping medical science from the foundation up.
Soren's own Everlife Medical Center became something of a paradox.
With the new medicines available everywhere, people rarely needed advanced treatment anymore. The hospital, once overflowing with the sick and desperate, now stood quiet.
But quiet did not mean empty.
Tourists, scholars, and admirers flooded the street outside daily, treating the building like a pilgrimage site.
After all, it was here within these walls that Earth's greatest turning point had begun.
…
Inside, Soren found himself busier than ever. More than a hundred world leaders had personally visited to offer gratitude, seek alliances, or more transparently attempt to pull him into their sphere of influence.
He accepted each meeting with a level calm.
Once, he had been just an unknown doctor in a small New York clinic.
Now he possessed wealth beyond measure, global prestige, and the affection of the woman he loved.
But strangely… none of it stirred him.
True power had changed his heart. After gaining abilities that could terrify an entire star system, ambition lost its edge.
The future no longer had a clear direction. The heights he could ascend to felt fewer and fewer.
And yet… one unresolved mission remained.
The Final Stone
One Infinity Stone was still unaccounted for.
The Soul Gem.
With Asgard destroyed, Thor could no longer travel freely through the Nine Realms to search for clues.
The ancient cosmic pathways were gone. The Realm Eternal was reduced to memory.
Which meant the responsibility fell squarely on Soren's shoulders.
He sighed, gazing out of the window of the medical center as sunlight scattered across the city. "One last stone… one last mystery."
"And this time… I'll have to find it alone."
During a rare moment of quiet, Soren absent-mindedly opened his mission interface—and immediately froze. Hidden among the usual notifications was an alert he had overlooked earlier. Back when he had gathered the third Infinity Rough Stone, he had apparently triggered something important. He hadn't paid attention at the time, too occupied with the chaos around him, but now he felt a surge of excitement.
[World Mission Completion: 50%]
[Universal Infinity Stones Collected: 3/6]
[Reminder: Upon completing the World Mission, the host may initiate the 'Everlife's Journey' and travel to a designated world.]
Soren's pulse quickened.
"A designated world…?" He asked the system.
The system replied with cold simplicity.
[Completion of the mission allows the host to break through the boundaries of this universe and enter other worlds.]
That single sentence sent Soren's imagination racing.
He finally understood why the medical hall bore the name Everlife. It wasn't only poetic branding... it was promise. A clue that his journey wouldn't end in this universe.
Everlife…
The phrase echoed in his mind, igniting long-dormant curiosity.
The moment he realized just how vast existence truly was, that familiar hunger… exploration, challenge, discovery rose in him again.
He had direction. He had motivation.
He had everything except… one thing.
"The damn system wants me to collect all the stones, but can't even drop a hint about the last one?" He complained aloud.
"A clue, a rumor, a breadcrumb anything! How am I supposed to find the Soul Stone?"
His resentment toward the Soul Stone was understandable.
He had already pulled every string he had, informing the Guardians of the Galaxy, contacting the Collector, urging them to search every corner of the cosmos.
But something that valuable… people who owned it would rather hide it than sell it. Finding it was like chasing a phantom.
Meanwhile, the Collector was happily accepting shipment after shipment of Soren's concentrated Fantasy Medicine.
This time, however, Soren hadn't bothered hiding his displeasure.
He had told the Collector everything, how Thor and the Hulk were trapped on Sakaar, how Grandmaster had nearly gotten them killed, and how the Collector, Grandmaster's own brother, somehow remained blissfully unaware.
Soren made sure his tone carried the weight of his irritation. "Collector, I only taught Grandmaster a lesson. I didn't kill him."
"But I don't think he'll let it go. He'll resent me, that's certain. And listen carefully… if he provokes me again, forget your reputation, forget the Elders of the Universe."
"Not even they will stop me from wiping him out."