By noon, I'd learned three important things about my new body.
First: I didn't get hungry the same way anymore. My stomach had growled a few times around 10 AM, but it was more of a suggestion than a demand. The solar energy I was absorbing seemed to be sustaining me on some fundamental level, like I was photosynthesizing. I still wanted food—the memory of taste, the comfort of eating—but I didn't need it with the same urgency. That was going to save me a lot of trouble in the short term.
Second: People noticed me differently now. Not in an obvious way—I wasn't glowing or radiating power or anything dramatic. But I'd catch people glancing at me, their eyes lingering for just a moment longer than normal. A woman walking her dog had smiled at me for no reason. A businessman had nodded as he passed, like we were acquaintances. It was subtle, but it was there. Some kind of presence, maybe, or charisma that came with the template. The Orochi Sun God had been a king, after all. Even at 2% integration, apparently that meant something.
Third, and most importantly: I was getting stronger by the hour.
It wasn't dramatic. I wasn't suddenly able to lift cars or punch through walls. But I could feel it—a steady, incremental increase in my physical capabilities. My muscles felt denser, more responsive. When I'd tested it by doing a few pushups in a quiet alley (because I wasn't completely shameless about exercising in public), I'd knocked out fifty without breaking a sweat. The old me would've struggled to do twenty.
[SOLAR SUSTENANCE PROGRESS: 3.8/4 HOURS]
The system notification appeared in my vision as I walked through Central Park. I'd migrated here around mid-morning, figuring it was the best place to absorb sunlight without looking suspicious. Just another person enjoying the unseasonably warm October day.
I found a spot on the Great Lawn, away from the clusters of tourists and the handful of people playing frisbee. Lay down on the grass, used my jacket as a pillow, and closed my eyes. To anyone watching, I was just napping. In reality, I was conducting an experiment.
I focused on that solar energy sensitivity, that awareness of the sun's position and power. With my eyes closed, I could still feel it—a warm pressure on my skin, a gentle pull in my chest. I tried to consciously increase the absorption rate, to pull more energy in faster.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, gradually, I felt the flow increase. Not by much—maybe 10% more than passive absorption—but it was there. It required concentration, active effort, but it worked.
[SKILL DISCOVERED: ACTIVE SOLAR ABSORPTION]
[ABSORPTION RATE INCREASED BY 15% WHILE CONCENTRATING]
[NOTE: EXTENDED USE MAY CAUSE MENTAL FATIGUE]
Interesting. So I could train this, make it more efficient. The system was more interactive than I'd initially thought—it wasn't just giving me abilities, it was responding to how I used them, helping me develop them further.
I spent the next twenty minutes practicing, alternating between passive and active absorption, trying to find the sweet spot where I could maintain the increased rate without giving myself a headache. By the time the quest completed, I'd gotten it down to a rhythm.
[QUEST COMPLETE: SOLAR SUSTENANCE]
[REWARD: +0.5% TEMPLATE INTEGRATION]
[OROCHI SUN GOD TEMPLATE: 2.5%]
[NEW THRESHOLD REACHED: MINOR ABILITY ENHANCEMENT]
[ENHANCED PHYSICAL CONDITION: MODERATE → IMPROVED]
[CURRENT PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES: 2.5x BASELINE HUMAN]
I sat up, flexing my hands, feeling the difference. It was small—half a percent wasn't much—but it was noticeable. My body felt more solid, more real, like I was becoming more present in the world with each passing hour.
This was addictive. I could see how someone could get drunk on this feeling, could chase power for its own sake. But I'd read enough web novels to know where that led. The protagonists who got too arrogant, too confident, too visible—they were the ones who ended up dead or worse.
I needed to stay smart. Stay careful.
My stomach growled again, more insistent this time. Apparently even sun gods needed to eat occasionally. Which brought me back to my most immediate problem: money.
I had maybe three dollars in change, all quarters from 2024 that somehow worked fine in 2003. That would buy me... what, a hot dog? Maybe two if I found a cheap vendor? Not exactly a sustainable economic model.
I needed cash, which meant I needed work, which meant I needed documentation I didn't have. Social Security number, ID, work history—all of it either nonexistent or belonging to a version of me that wouldn't be born for another twenty-one years.
I could try to find under-the-table work, day labor or something. But that was risky, unstable, and would take time away from increasing my integration. There had to be a better way.
As I was pondering this, a commotion erupted near the edge of the park. Shouting, the sound of something crashing. I turned to look, along with everyone else in the vicinity.
Three guys were surrounding a fourth, backing him against a hot dog cart. The vendor was yelling at them to take it somewhere else. The three aggressors were young, maybe early twenties, dressed in matching jackets—some kind of gang colors, probably. The guy they were surrounding was older, maybe forty, in a business suit that had seen better days.
"I told you, I don't have it yet!" the businessman was saying, his voice high with panic. "I need another week, that's all, just one more week—"
"You said that last week, Marcus," one of the gang members said, almost conversationally. He was the biggest of the three, with a shaved head and a scar running down his left cheek. "Mr. Chen's getting impatient. You know what happens when Mr. Chen gets impatient?"
I should walk away. This wasn't my business. Getting involved in gang activity on my first day in this universe was exactly the kind of stupid decision that would draw attention.
But I didn't walk away. Instead, I found myself moving closer, circling around to get a better view. Not intervening, just... observing. Gathering information.
The businessman—Marcus—was sweating despite the cool air. "I have half of it. I can give you half right now, and the rest by Friday. I swear, I just need a few more days—"
"Half ain't the deal," another gang member said. This one was shorter, wiry, with a nervous energy that made him seem more dangerous than the big guy. "The deal was full payment today. You don't got it, we got a problem."
The big guy cracked his knuckles. "And we solve problems, Marcus. You know we do."
The crowd that had gathered was doing what crowds always do—watching, filming on their phones (the chunky 2003 kind), but not intervening. The hot dog vendor had backed away from his cart, clearly not wanting any part of this. A couple of people were probably calling the cops, but in New York, response time could be anywhere from five minutes to never.
Marcus was going to get hurt. Probably badly. And I was going to watch it happen, because getting involved was stupid, reckless, exactly the kind of thing I'd promised myself I wouldn't do.
Except.
[OPTIONAL QUEST DETECTED]
[QUEST: DOMINANCE DISPLAY]
[OBJECTIVE: RESOLVE THE CONFLICT THROUGH INTIMIDATION OR FORCE]
[REWARD: +2% TEMPLATE INTEGRATION]
[WARNING: COMBAT MAY ATTRACT UNWANTED ATTENTION]
[ACCEPT QUEST? Y/N]
Two percent. That was four days of sunbathing, compressed into one encounter. The system was dangling a carrot, and it was a damn good carrot.
But the warning was clear. Combat meant attention. Attention meant questions. Questions meant problems.
I should decline. Walk away. Find another way to increase my integration.
The big guy grabbed Marcus by the collar and slammed him against the hot dog cart. The vendor's condiments went flying. Marcus cried out, more in fear than pain.
Damn it.
I accepted the quest.
I didn't run toward them. Running would've looked aggressive, would've signaled my intentions too early. Instead, I walked, casual and unhurried, like I was just another curious onlooker getting a closer view.
"Hey," I called out when I was about ten feet away. My voice came out calmer than I felt, with an edge of authority I didn't know I had. "Maybe take it easy on the guy. He said he's got half, right? That's something."
All four of them turned to look at me. The gang members' expressions went from surprise to annoyance to calculation in about two seconds. Marcus just looked confused and hopeful.
"This ain't your business, friend," the big guy said, still holding Marcus by the collar. "Keep walking."
"Can't do that," I said, and I was surprised to find I meant it. Not because of the quest, not because of the reward, but because watching someone get beaten up for money they didn't have felt wrong in a way I couldn't ignore. "Let him go, take the half payment, give him until Friday for the rest. Everybody wins."
The wiry guy laughed, a sharp, unpleasant sound. "You think you're some kind of hero? This is business. You don't understand business, you should shut your mouth."
"I understand business fine," I said, taking a few steps closer. I could feel the solar energy in my body now, that warmth in my chest, ready to be used if I needed it. "I also understand that beating up a guy in broad daylight in Central Park, with all these people filming, is bad business. Cops are probably already on their way. You really want to be here when they arrive?"
That gave them pause. The big guy glanced around, noticing for the first time how many phones were pointed in their direction. In 2003, viral videos weren't really a thing yet, but cops still existed, and evidence still mattered.
"We'll be gone before they get here," the third gang member said. He'd been quiet until now, hanging back, but he stepped forward as he spoke. He was average height, average build, but there was something about his eyes that was cold, calculating. The smart one of the group. "And so will you, if you know what's good for you."
"Maybe," I said. "Or maybe I stay, tell the cops I saw everything, give them a description of you three. Your faces are all over these videos already. How long you think before someone IDs you?"
The cold-eyed one stared at me for a long moment. I could see him doing the math, weighing the options. They could try to intimidate me, maybe rough me up, but that would take time and make more of a scene. Or they could cut their losses and leave.
"This ain't over, Marcus," he said finally, not taking his eyes off me. "You got until Friday. Not Saturday, not next week. Friday. You don't have all of it by then, we're not gonna be this nice."
The big guy released Marcus, shoving him back against the cart one more time for good measure. The three of them started to walk away, but the cold-eyed one paused next to me.
"You made a mistake, hero," he said quietly, so only I could hear. "We're gonna remember your face."
"Good," I said, meeting his gaze. "Remember it when you're deciding whether to come back here and cause more trouble."
He held my stare for another second, then smirked and walked away. The three of them disappeared into the park, moving quickly but not running. Smart enough not to look like they were fleeing.
The crowd started to disperse, the show over. A few people gave me approving nods. One guy even clapped me on the shoulder as he passed. "Good on you, man. Somebody had to say something."
Marcus was leaning against the hot dog cart, breathing hard. The vendor was already picking up his scattered condiments, muttering about how this was the third time this month.
"Thank you," Marcus said, looking at me with genuine gratitude. "I don't... I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't stepped in."
"You okay?" I asked.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just shaken up." He straightened his tie, trying to compose himself. "I really do have half the money. I just need a few more days for the rest. I had some bad luck at the casino, thought I could win it back, but..."
"But the house always wins," I finished. A tale as old as time.
"Yeah." He laughed bitterly. "I'm an idiot."
"You're a guy who made a mistake," I said. "We all make mistakes. You got until Friday. Can you get the money by then?"
"I think so. Maybe. I have to." He looked at me more closely. "You're not from around here, are you? I mean, you don't have that New York edge. You seem... I don't know. Different."
You have no idea, I thought. "Just passing through," I said aloud.
[QUEST COMPLETE: DOMINANCE DISPLAY]
[REWARD: +2% TEMPLATE INTEGRATION]
[OROCHI SUN GOD TEMPLATE: 4.5%]
[BONUS REWARD: REPUTATION ESTABLISHED]
[NOTE: YOUR ACTIONS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED. CONSEQUENCES MAY FOLLOW.]
The notification made my stomach drop. Consequences. Of course there would be consequences. I'd just confronted gang members in front of dozens of witnesses. So much for staying low-key.
But 4.5% integration. I could feel the difference immediately—my body felt even stronger, more responsive. The solar energy in my chest burned a little brighter. I was nearly at 5%, which was one-fifth of the way to the first major milestone at 25%.
Worth it? Maybe. Time would tell.
Marcus was pulling out his wallet. "Let me give you something. For helping me out."
"I don't need your money," I said automatically.
"Please. It's the least I can do." He pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and held it out to me. "Buy yourself lunch or something."
I looked at the twenty. Pride said to refuse it. Practicality said I had three dollars to my name and no prospects. Practicality won.
"Thanks," I said, taking the bill. "Good luck with the rest of the money."
"Yeah. Thanks again. Really."
I left him there and started walking, my mind already racing through the implications of what I'd just done. The gang members would remember me. They'd said as much. Would they come looking for me? Probably not—I was just some random guy who'd interfered once. But if I stayed in this area, if I made a habit of this kind of thing, it could become a problem.
I needed to be more careful. Smarter about which fights I picked.
But I also needed to acknowledge something: it had felt good. Standing up to those guys, helping Marcus, using my new strength for something other than self-preservation. There was a satisfaction in it that went beyond the quest reward.
That was dangerous. That was how you went from "staying low-key" to "becoming a vigilante" to "attracting the attention of SHIELD." I needed to keep that impulse in check.
I found another bench, this one in a quieter part of the park, and sat down to think. The twenty dollars in my pocket felt heavier than it should. It was a reminder that I'd crossed a line today, however small.
I pulled up the system interface, looking for more information about what came next.
[STATUS]
[USER: FREDY CASTELLANOS]
[CURRENT TEMPLATE: OROCHI SUN GOD - 4.5%]
[NEXT MILESTONE: 25% - MAJOR ABILITY UNLOCK]
[ESTIMATED TIME TO MILESTONE: 45-60 DAYS AT CURRENT PROGRESSION RATE]
[ABILITIES:]
[- ENHANCED PHYSICAL CONDITION (IMPROVED): 2.5x BASELINE HUMAN]
[- SOLAR ENERGY ABSORPTION (ACTIVE): ABSORPTION RATE +15% WHEN CONCENTRATING]
[- HEAT GENERATION (MINOR): MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE 150°F]
[- ENHANCED HEALING (MINOR): HEALING RATE +50%, REQUIRES SOLAR ENERGY]
[AVAILABLE QUESTS:]
[- DAILY: SOLAR SUSTENANCE (RESETS AT DAWN)]
[- WEEKLY: PHYSICAL MASTERY (TRAIN FOR 10 HOURS UNDER SUNLIGHT)]
[- OPTIONAL: VARIOUS (APPEAR BASED ON CIRCUMSTANCES)]
Forty-five to sixty days to reach 25%. Two months, give or take. That was... actually faster than I'd expected. At this rate, I could hit 100% integration in less than a year, maybe ten months if I was efficient about it.
And then I'd unlock a second template.
The possibilities were staggering. What if I got someone like Superman? Or Goku? Or one of the reality warpers from Marvel itself? The combinations, the synergies...
I forced myself to stop that line of thinking. I was getting ahead of myself. First, I needed to survive the next few days. Then the next few weeks. Then I could worry about becoming a multiversal god.
My immediate priorities were clear:
One: Find shelter. I couldn't keep wandering the streets. I needed a place to sleep, to store things, to have some semblance of stability.
Two: Establish an income. The twenty dollars would last me a day, maybe two if I was frugal. I needed something more sustainable.
Three: Increase my integration safely. Daily quests, training, meditation—anything that didn't involve confronting gang members in public.
Four: Learn more about this version of the Marvel universe. What was happening in 2003? Were there heroes active yet? What organizations should I be aware of?
The last one was important. I had knowledge of the MCU timeline, but that was the movie version. This could be the comics universe, or some hybrid, or something completely different. I needed to gather intelligence, figure out the rules of this particular reality.
A newspaper would help. So would a library with internet access. I could research, cross-reference, build a picture of this world.
But first, food. My stomach was insisting now, and even with solar energy sustaining me, I needed actual nutrition. I stood up and started looking for a food vendor, someone selling something cheap and filling.
I found a halal cart near the park entrance. The smell of cooking meat made my mouth water. I ordered a chicken and rice plate—six dollars, which left me with seventeen. The vendor, a middle-aged man with kind eyes, gave me an extra-large portion without me asking.
"You look like you need it, brother," he said with a smile.
"Thanks," I said, meaning it.
I found a low wall to sit on and ate slowly, savoring every bite. The food was good—better than good, actually. Maybe it was the enhanced senses from the template, or maybe I was just starving, but it tasted incredible.
As I ate, I watched the people passing by. Families, couples, tourists, locals. Normal people living normal lives, completely unaware of the larger universe around them. Unaware that in a few years, aliens would invade New York. That gods and monsters walked among them. That reality itself was more fragile than they could imagine.
I envied them, in a way. That ignorance, that ability to just exist without the weight of knowledge.
But I also pitied them. Because when the shit hit the fan—and it would, inevitably—they'd be helpless. Victims of forces they couldn't comprehend, let alone fight.
I wouldn't be helpless. That was the whole point of this. By the time Loki opened that portal in 2012, I'd be strong enough that it wouldn't matter. Strong enough to protect myself, at minimum. Maybe strong enough to make a difference, if I chose to.
But that was nine years away. A lifetime, in some ways.
For now, I had seventeen dollars, a belly full of food, and the power of a sun god slowly growing inside me.
It was a start.
I finished eating and threw away the container. The sun was starting to descend toward the horizon—not sunset yet, but late afternoon. I'd been awake for... god, I didn't even know how long. Since before dawn, at least. I should've been exhausted.
Instead, I felt energized, alert, ready for whatever came next. The solar energy was doing more than just making me stronger—it was sustaining me in ways I was only beginning to understand.
I needed to find a place to sleep tonight. A shelter, maybe, or a cheap motel if I could find one that would take cash and not ask questions. Tomorrow, I'd start working on the longer-term problems.
As I walked toward the park exit, I passed a newsstand. The headlines caught my eye again, and this time I stopped to read them more carefully.
"Stark Industries Stock Reaches All-Time High"
"Military Officials Praise New Weapons System"
"Debate Continues Over Mutant Registration Act"
That last one made me pause. Mutant Registration Act. So mutants were public knowledge in this universe, and there was political debate about registering them. That meant the X-Men probably existed, or at least some version of them. Which meant Professor Xavier, Magneto, all of that.
I needed to be careful. If mutants were being monitored, registered, tracked—what would happen if someone with my abilities showed up on their radar? Would they assume I was a mutant? Would they try to register me?
Another reason to stay low-key. Another reason to be smart about how I used my powers.
I bought another newspaper—two dollars, leaving me with fifteen—and tucked it under my arm. I'd read it more thoroughly later, when I had time to really absorb the information.
The sun was lower now, the light taking on that golden quality of late afternoon. I could feel my absorption rate decreasing slightly as the angle changed. By the time it set, I'd be running on stored energy until tomorrow's sunrise.
I needed to make the most of the remaining daylight.
I found a quiet spot near the Bethesda Fountain and sat down on the edge, letting the sun hit my face. Closed my eyes and focused on active absorption, pulling in as much energy as I could before the day ended.
Around me, the city continued its endless rhythm. People laughing, talking, living their lives. The sound of water from the fountain. The distant honk of car horns. The rustle of leaves in the breeze.
And underneath it all, barely perceptible, the hum of power. Not just my power—the city's power. Millions of people, all generating their own energy, their own stories, their own struggles and triumphs. It was overwhelming and beautiful and terrifying all at once.
I was part of this now. Part of this world, this universe, this reality. For better or worse, this was my home now.
And I was going to make damn sure I survived it.
[SOLAR SUSTENANCE PROGRESS: 1.5/4 HOURS]
[NEW DAILY QUEST CYCLE BEGINS AT DAWN]
I opened my eyes and looked at the fountain, at the angel statue in the center. In the golden light of late afternoon, it looked almost alive, like it might spread its wings and take flight at any moment.
Maybe that's what I was becoming. Not an angel, exactly, but something similar. Something more than human, something with the potential for flight.
But for now, I was still grounded. Still figuring out how to walk before I could run, let alone fly.
I stood up, stretched, and felt my muscles respond with that enhanced strength. 2.5 times baseline human. In a few months, it would be higher. In a year, much higher.
The thought made me smile.
I had a long way to go. But I had time, I had a plan, and I had the power of the sun itself flowing through my veins.
The Marvel Universe had no idea what was coming.
And that was exactly how I wanted it.