Heir of the Immortals Resurrection
Chapter 25
Herald shifted as something soft tickled his cheek. Eyes fluttering open, he found a rabbit a short distance away from him. As he stared at the creature, he wondered how it could be so old, since he had sensed the birth of all animals of this world when they emerged from the egg spheres.
At the mental question, information flowed into his mind. Yggdrasill had the animals be born a little older so they could defend themselves against predators, their DNA containing the instincts this first generation needed to survive.
Standing to his feet, the grass blanket The Cradle created for him sank back into the earth. Placing his hands on his lower back, he leaned, taking in the night sky. Stars hung high in the sky, but due to the planet's position in the universe, the constellations he could make out were different.
A smile tugged his lips, "Hopefully if this worked out children would have fun naming the constellations." He frowned as he noticed the moon was a little farther away than on earth. He would have to keep an eye on that.
Tightening the leather wraps on his arms, he knelt, placing his hand on the earth. 'So, Cradle, is there anything I need to do?'
He rocked on his feet as information flooded his head. His eyes squeezed shut as images of a pyramid made of blue-black metal filled his mind. When it finally stopped, he swayed for a minute before pushing himself back to his feet.
"Alright, so all of the trees on the cradle have released the first generation of animals. Some will be killed by predators, others will survive." He placed a hand to his chin and glanced upward in thought, "Do we need to release a second generation? There is a delicate balance here, I don't want to overrun the planet but at the same time I want them to survive."
"Hey, Cradle, what do you think have half the trees release another generation of animals? With each set of animals being produced randomly?" A feeling of assent was pushed into his mind.
He shook his head, "It's weird to be connected to a planet. Do what you can for now. I'll try to find someone to help you in the future, I have an idea of who I just have to ask them, but first," he rose into the air with a force of will, "let's take a look at this pyramid you found." With a sonic boom, he shot off into the distance.
–XX –
A red flash lit the star-filled void of space.
Slowly the island of Krakoa turned, the red eyes in the center of its massive tree in the middle of the island locked on the new planet that appeared. There was something different about it, a resonance, another living thing like itself, a consciousness, that was older and younger at the same time.
Its red eyes shone as the island began drifting forward, it had to know what this feeling was. Maybe, it wasn't the only one of its kind at last. Had its father, or sister returned. Its red eyes dimmed, no, the feeling of this plant life was different.
His red eyes flared, a crimson star in the darkness, it also had familiar energies mingled in with it. 'Herald,' he rumbled in his mental voice, causing Mary to shift in her hollow tree.
A single eye opened, and instead of the normal Brown, her eyeball was solid black with a galaxy in the center.
–XX –
Herald hovered over the spot the trees of rebirth had shown him.
Below him floated a circular island made of rainbow-colored crystal that reflected the light of the moon. Spanning out from the island were smaller circles connected by a bridge of crystal. A thin crystal ring surrounded the entire chain of islands. He could just barely make out the symbols etched into the ring.
However, it was what sat in the center of the island that drew his attention.
Sitting in the center of the rainbow crystal absorbing the light of the moon was a large pyramid made of blue-black metal.
Slowly, Herald drifted downward. As he touched down on the island, information flowed through his mind.
This was the remains of the rainbow bridge, the Asgardian Highway to the realms, reforged. For a moment, he just stood there taking in the information, letting the stone speak to him. The island had grown in the shape of a rune that would allow any mutant who wanted a haven from the persecution they experienced on earth to teleport to the planet with a thought.
Any mutant who called this place home could then teleport anywhere within the galaxy.
Kneeling, Herald placed his hand on the crystal. Images filled his mind.
A tree of rebirth grew from the ocean floor, merging with the rainbow crystal, its eggs constantly releasing sea life, while channeling a steady stream of energy from the planet lay line into the crystal and whatever the pyramid was.
With a mental push, he sent his thoughts to the tree leagues below. 'Be careful sapling, we do not want to drain our new home of its recently restored vitality.'
The tree sent a feeling of exasperation back wall reprimanding Herald as if Herald could understand the balance of nature better than it, something that was connected to the world.
Herald rose to his feet, a smile curling his lips, "Alright, alright." Shoving his right hand into his pocket, Herald began making his way to the pyramid.
As he drew closer, a weight settled in his gut.
The techno-organic virus that made up the silver leaves of the ashtray tattoos on his arm flared. This technology was familiar, the energy emanating from it reminded him of Tiamut.
A bead of sweat ran down his face.
As much as he didn't want to touch it, he couldn't call this place a haven if it was a danger to the mutants that came here, he had to know what was inside.
Luckily, he didn't have to enter to find out its history. The evolution of his ability into Claircognizance allowed him to gain the history of his surroundings. By focusing on that ability, he could absorb the history and knowledge of how the pyramid arrived here and who used it.
Maybe he could even learn how to use it.
Stopping before the pyramid, Herald stretched forth his left hand, his fingers only shaking slightly as they drew closer to the dark metal.
The moment his fingertips touched the metal, yellow-white light flared from the ash tree tattoos on his arms, the silver leaves shining like miniature moons. Herald's mouth fell open in a silent scream as the energy from his tattoos spread spilling from his eyes and mouth.
–XX –
Emma Frost sat in her office, her pale blue eyes staring at an almost empty glass of amber liquid. Releasing the glass, she turned to stare out the large window of her office. Releasing a breath tinged with whiskey, she didn't use to drink so much but to find out there was an entire magical society integrated within the government of a world power scared her.
She curled her hand into fists, a layer of clear crystal covering her skin. Even worse to learn that some of their own had been selling their people to these Magical's for profit. Her hand relaxed, the skin returning to normal as one corner of her mouth curled.
She had enjoyed tearing apart Benedict Kine's mind for his manipulation of mutant children and profit from their people's suffering.
The smile slipped as her mind shifted back to the British magical community.
She had known her fellow mutants were disappearing. America's governments often took those who had no place to go or wouldn't be missed into one of their covert organizations. That was bad enough, but for a magical world to use them as nothing more than ingredients.
She shook her head, at first, she was concerned the Magical's of the US had a similar monopoly inside the world's governments, but they were freer with the magical arts. They had a hidden community, but it was smaller than their British counterparts, less organized, but no less dangerous.
There were agents of the British magical community hidden within the US government, but from what she was able to learn from Cerebro, most of them were more cautious going through underground channels so as not to alert the sorcerer supreme Stephen strange, or his wife Andromeda.
That had been an interesting discovery, Andromeda Black née Strange had been part of the British magical society, but once she found out what they were like and how widespread their influence was in her home country, she left for their cousin's shores.
While traveling, she eventually discovered rumors of the ancient one Yao, changing her destination to Tibet, she arrived at his monastery, told him of the magical community's integration into mundane society, and he offered her a haven and training in his arts.
Her ability of magical intuition allowed her to keep up with his prize pupil Stephen Strange, a competition developed between the two. Each pushing the other two greater heights. That competition evolved into love and eventually, Andromeda combined the knowledge she learned from the ancient one, with the knowledge of her homeland and healed Stephen's hands. That had been her wedding gift to him.
Since then, Stephen was elevated to sorcerer supreme, and they moved to New York. While Stephen defended their dimension from outside threats, Andromeda worked to limit Britain's influence on the US.
Emma shook her head, turning back to her desk, she opened the bottom drawer, laying a hand on the curved helmet of Cerebro. This device had opened her mind to secrets hidden from her. Even with all the mutants, she was able to save and bring together, she was still trying to decide if it was worth it. The weight of the secrets. The fear of the Magical's foregoing their clandestine operations and coming in a frontal assault.
She was brought out of her thoughts as the TV clicked on, she frowned, she had it programmed to only turn on if something unusual happened.
An agitated news reporter stared back at her, a red ribbon at the bottom of the screen proclaiming breaking in white letters.
"A… Another," he began in a halting voice, he cleared his throat, his handsome angular features grave, "a planet has appeared on the other side of our sun."
Emma's gaze flicked from the screen to Cerebro. With a sigh, she lifted the helmet from the drawer. Leaning back in her chair, she lowered it onto her head. Her pale blue eyes blossomed blue white with her power.
As she reached out to the planet, she felt two minds, one familiar but preoccupied, the other, old but young at the same time. Recognizing her energy, the unique mind pushed recent history to her.
Emma could feel the truth of its intentions, the truth of its knowledge, it had no reason to lie and no concept of it. It was here for a purpose, something she sensed it hadn't had in a long time.
As Emma absorbed the knowledge, her shoulders relaxed and a smile stretched across her face.
Herald Edward Gallio, that was a name she hadn't thought about in a long time. It appeared he had been busy, and kept his promise about creating a haven for mutant society. She should speak to him first, but with the pressures facing their people from all sides, it wouldn't hurt to get a view of her most trusted ready for a visit.
–XX –
Herald floated in a sea of blurred images. His arms wrapped around his legs like a child waiting to be born from their mother. Knowledge caressed his body, sending an electrical shock through him as he learned.
The Celestial's, beings of pure cosmic energy encased in high-tech armor, came to earth many years ago. Finding early humans, they saw potential, or maybe amusement. Gathering them up, they created four different species.
Eternals, beautiful immortal beings who could manipulate cosmic energy.
Deviants, primordial beasts spliced together in a humanoid shape. None were the same, all were of different sizes, shapes, only sharing the genes granted by the celestial's manipulations.
They bred fast, built fast, but were an ever-expanding mass of gnashing teeth as they fought one another for dominance.
Then there was what would become the mutants, humans whose jeans had been altered to allow them to access their fall unbridled potential, not unlike the Eternals, but their climb to that level of power would be a long one and few would reach it.
Finally, there were the humans, small fragile creatures with rudimentary intelligence that could be taught, that could build and breed fast. They would become the dominant species after the deviants were culled by the Celestials. With the help of the Eternals, they would learn to build, they would thrive while the mutants gestated.
The images blurred faster as time sped forward, the Celestials left the planet, leaving this behind just to see what would become of it.
The continents shifted and lands changed.
Jungles faded becoming replaced by sand. The pyramid was consumed, buried in stone and sand until it was found by En Sabah Nur, the mutant who would become Apocalypse.
Like on Herald's earth, Apocalypse used the technology to change himself to become more than just someone with self-molecular manipulation. With the alterations, he could develop any power and manipulate vast amounts of cosmic energy.
No secrets could be held from him with a mind that read all the secrets. He no longer needed to put his hands on someone to kill them, just the flex of his will would slice them in half. As En Sabah Nur left the pyramid the whispers stopped and the colors began to fade.
–XX –
Herald opened his eyes. The history of this world was so similar to his own, except the celestial's never saw his grandmother, Selene, never became curious of the Externals. They never put the breeding program into their technology, a subliminal message that would drive Apocalypse to combine other immortal DNA to create him.
He looked around him as the sun began to rise over the planet. Fish rose, jumping out of the ocean, whale's song echoed in the distance.
Such a small change his existence was, but it seemed to have a large ripple effect. Part of him wondered, would mutants come here, would they build a home, or would they be too afraid to leave the bloodbath and strife that was earth.
Shaking his head, Herald brought up the mutant DNA the techno-organic virus recorded from its earth. If Apocalypse was changed by the technology, and the externals changed early humans into mutants by messing with the DNA. What could he learn from studying mutant DNA? Did he need to meet the mutant in person to learn their ability, or had his Claircognizance grown his intuitive replication well past that?
Selecting the DNA of a man called Jamie Mattox, he stared at the revolving strand. With a blink, he activated organic manipulation and biomolecular manipulation.
The two abilities allowed him to see the cells that made up DNA as if he was standing between them. Combine that with the medical intuition he gained from Lionel Jeffries and it was a unique experience.
Staring at the DNA, something clicked within his mind, and with the force of will, another Herald emerged from his body. "Duplication," he mumbled in time with his new brother. Grabbing hands, they merged back into one, "that could be useful."
His head snapped up as a familiar shape entered the atmosphere, a smile stretched his face. Krakoa had come for a visit, his lips twisted in concern as his mind reached for Mary, she had changed just as much as he had.
A pulse through the rainbow-colored crystals drew his attention to the small islands.
Someone was coming.
Raising his hand, his ash tree tattoos flared as the celestial pyramid began to sink beneath the water. Just as the tip of the pyramid disappeared into the deep, people coalesced on the island.
A familiar woman in a white business suit strode towards him with purpose, blonde hair trailing out from beneath a metal helmet. Within less than a minute, she was before him.
"Emma Frost," he rumbled, surprised at the baritone in his voice, "it has been a long time."
"Longer for you I expect," Emma purred laying a delicate hand on his broad chest.
Grabbing her hand, Herald gently lowered it to her side, "Not as long as you think." With that single touch, Herald was able to learn Emma's skills in telepathy, and a little more. Staring at the people on the smaller islands looking around in awe. He brushed against their thoughts.
They were the Morlocks and the tunnel dwellers, mutants that had been rejected by society for their abilities or the way they looked and were forced to live in the sewers because of it.
"I haven't set up an infrastructure for our people yet. How did you know to come here?"
"I reached out to the planet, trying to find out how a new world just appeared on the other side of Earth's sun." She glanced at him, "imagine my surprise when this place, the cradle reached back, whispering its purpose, calling our people home."
Two duplicates emerged from Herald's body.
Emma eyed them as they disappeared in a red flash.
"Well," Herald prime said bringing her attention back to him, "if we're going to do this." He offered her his hands, "we might as well call everyone together."
"Everyone?"
"Mutants, our brothers and sisters. They know your voice, I will be there with you, projecting my hope for this world, but you will speak."
–XX –
All across the earth, mutants froze in whatever they were doing and looked up as a voice spoke into their minds.
"My fellow mutants, If you are tired of being persecuted, tired of hiding who you are, tired of living on the fringes just for being born different and having abilities. Then there is a new place for you."
"By now you have all heard of the planet that appeared on the other side of our sun. It is called the cradle, a world that will give mutants the peace we so desperately crave. It has little infrastructure, but it's young, it gives us a chance we've never had before, a chance to forge our destinies without strife. To rise above the constant battle for survival and be more."
"Now I hear many of you, what is the catch?"
"There is no catch, only a few rules you must follow."
"Number One: no mutant can kill another mutant unless in self-defense. Doing so will mean death."
"Number Two: Assault of any kind will also mean death."
"Number Three: Everyone must contribute in some way."
"Number Four: No mutant will steal from another. Those caught doing so will do hard labor for a set amount of time."
"Number five: All mutants must keep the secrets of the cradle. If you, don't you could put others in danger."
"If these rules are acceptable to you, just close your eyes and think of the cradle and you will appear here. Please know, if you have deceit in your heart we will know, and you will be left behind."
Slowly, one by one mutants all across the world close their eyes. People around them stared wide-eyed as they disappeared in rainbow-colored light.
–XX –
Hovering high in the sky above Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry and the village of Hogsmead, duplicate Herald number one stretched forth his hands making sure to encompass the castle and village in his mind's eye.
Red energy burst from his hands, forming a dome around the castle and village. With a grunt, he tapped his temporal abilities, rewinding time around the structures.
At a rapid pace, the castle and village began to repair themselves. As the last piece settled into the pristine buildings, Herald allowed his gaze to float upwards.
Reaching out, he connected to Prime, and with a pull, the ancient castle and its village vanished in a flash of red light.
–XX –
Duplicate Herald number two floated amidst the asteroid belt. Glancing around him, he reached out with Geokinesis and Magnetokinesis. Grabbing onto the metals he was looking for, he pulled.
On one side of him, massive cubes of gold, platinum, silver, copper, and iron appeared. Followed by large clusters of diamonds.
On the other side was the leftover rock, it flowed together, forming into an egg-shaped boulder the size of a minivan. As the last of the precious and useful metals flowed into place, the giant cubes broke apart forming into uniform six-inch bars.
He looked around him, he had made a small dent in the asteroid field, maybe this could be a resource their people could mine in the future. Glancing back at the cradle, he vanished in a flash of red, taking the precious metals and the chunk of rock with him.
–XX –
Emma stumbled as Herald teleported them to another location.
Her eyes widened as she stared around the valley, he'd brought them to.
A massive castle sat in the center of the valley beside a small Lake. Other buildings ring the valley.
One of his duplicates hovered above them his eyes closed as trees grew up, intertwining to form more buildings.
A flash of red drew her attention to the second duplicate, they appeared a short distance away, surrounded by precious metals turning away from the gold, and platinum, ignoring the way the diamonds glittered in the light, he focused on the steel.
As Emma watched, it flowed under his will before shooting towards the building.
Herald watched the two, he and the tree of rebirth helping to wire the buildings with electricity. Herald used the designs he learned from the Celestials, while the trees of rebirth would extrude metals that his duplicate hadn't collected from the grounds.
Under the will of the four, fixtures inside the buildings changed to suit their wishes. A combination of Technopathy, Technokinetic transformation, and transmutation.
As the first mutants began to arrive, lights flickered on and the ancient buildings.
Herald's shoulders slumped as his duplicate brothers merged with his body.
With heavy eyes, he stared at the buildings now shining with light like living creatures. One of these days, he would have to study the technology created instead of letting the celestial knowledge guide him. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he straightened as Emma looked at him.
"You're full of surprises, aren't you?"