Without any need for monologues, I rushed into the heart of the Sleeping Celestial, Tiamut.

Celestials were like robots, all programmed with a specific set of instructions to carry upon their emergence. Their existence were iffy at best since even I could tell that this current universe has been destroyed time and time again so things beyond its current predation were beyond my omniscience, but only as they stay away from the universe. Extended stay in this universe would only allow me to fully analyze everything even without me actively doing it myself.

As I submerged myself within the budding consciousness of Tiamut, I started seeing the lines that extended from him to the other Celestials – a communication link of sorts. Unlike the preconceived notions of newborns, the Celestials were anything but.

Tiamut as he was, though incomplete, was already aware of the wider multiverse and his duty as a Celestial. His knowledge might even rival mine but the only thing that was missing was the energy needed to birth himself.

Even now I could see his connection to the billions of souls on this planet, one that was importantly needed for his emergence.

When truly taken into perspective, the Celestials were the very keepers of life and continuity in the multiverse. What is the billions of Earth when compared to the benefit of a another Celestial in the multiverse? It might seem heartless of me to say this but that was the truth. But what do I care about the truth?

If it were another planet that was destined to go boom when the dreaming autobot woke up then no one would care, I wouldn't for sure but I guess double standards and all that.

I drew in all of my consciousness and wrapped it around the bright light that was Tiamut's.

"Who are you?" A deep voice sounded as soon as my consciousness made contact with his.

"Name's Draul, not that it would matter that much."

"It wouldn't. You are not human, are you?" Tiamut asked. Hell I don't even know what I am at this point.

"You're right."

We both fell into a silence that would have been awkward had we been on the surface but since both of us were above awkwardness, we both chilled.

"I would advise you to go back from whence you came. It will bode you no fortune should you get in the way of a Celestial." The way he spoke, the calmness one would expect of a child when they woke up, still under the influence of a sweet sleep.

"Unfortunately, I can't. I need to absorb you in order to survive so… no hard feelings?"

The place rumbled with what I would call dissatisfaction. "This is your last warning. Turn back."

What was I expecting? He might be one of the reasonable Celestials but it's not like I was in the business of finding reasonable people. While I had no quarrel with Tiamut, it was not like I could actually persuade him to just let me eat him, now could I?

The Celestials were as much as a paragon of evolution as someone could ever be but it-

"Tell me, Draul, what is it that makes you seek my power?"

"I don't want to die… yet. Seriously man, can you believe it? Someone yanked me into this universe and set me up against some super godly beings and now I'm battling for my life. I mean I wouldn't be whining about it all that much but now I have people with me that don't want to see me die. And for that I will need your power." I sat cross-legged before the consciousness that was the identity of Tiamut.

"I see. I can sense a universe within you… why would you need my power if you already have something like that at your disposal."

Say what now?

"And not just one universe, but several. You are more powerful than you think of yourself." The consciousness came forth and I was immediately on my guard.

"… The Infinity Stones, I see." It looked as if it was probing me, a surface probe, but a probe nonetheless. I was ready to retaliate any moment if he continued doing whatever it was that he was but he pulled back his probe.

"… Infinity. You sure are interesting for a human." It might just be me but Tiamat sure was interesting. My impression of the Celestials was of some Optimus Prime no-nonsense type behavior and not the curiosity I was feeling from this one.

"It's not that surprising is it? I did absorb the [Infinity] from the stones after all." I said. I knew what he was saying but it was not feasible, at least not to the degree he was insinuating at.

"That's where the misconception comes in. Infinity in the truest sense can never die. There are ways to defeat the Abstract Entity, but what makes it Infinity will always exist in the universe, merely transferring its essence from its coagulation to the one who usurps it… exactly as you have done."

The space around us changed and before me was a golden titan of a Celestial, one that easily dwarfed Earth. I didn't increase my size to match his because at my level size really didn't matter.

"So you are trying to say that despite the fact that I'm not at my limit, there are still ways I can increase it? Like let's say… to the level of a Celestial?" I gestured to him as I said that.

"Please, even Infinity Stones have their limits."

"Is that sarcasm?"

"I'm constantly learning. How can we stand at the pinnacle of intelligence if we don't continue learning?"

We continued our light banter in Tiamut's space and I have to admit that this Celestial was kinda cool.

"So, Infinity Stones. How can I make the most out of it? In case you're out of the loop, there's a fuckfest brewing out there and you won't be able to make it in time. I need power to stay alive until I no longer can. So, ideas?" I laid out my predicament as easily as I could for the Celestial before me to give his help.

"The Infinity Stones aren't just some free giveaway that manages to appear in every universe that works on its aspects. The name [Infinity] is a dead giveaway to the potential one can have if they ever managed to use it to the limits of its ability, which is…"

"… Limitless."

"Exactly. Each universe, each string of alternatives, in the multiverse are connected to one another in one way or the other. What makes you think otherwise of the Infinity Stones, and why do you think they stop working if they leave their home universe?" His four golden eyes bore into me as he asked me what I think is essentially the million dollar question equivalent.

I sat on the palm of his wide hands and pondered hard on what that meant, what it connotes.

Despite the fact that I was nigh-omniscient in my home universe, secrets of the multiverse were still a mystery that I was constantly trying to unveil.

…

[Indian Ocean Shore]

The group of five sat on the ground while they watched the wave of the Indian Ocean washing on and off the shore.

"I just lost him, not that finding him when he's even here is any easier." Nat groaned as the last signal she could pinpoint of Draul just disappeared.

It wasn't until after she started getting used to her ability that she knew just how much stronger Draul was. Different from the others, she was very attuned with energy and she was also the first one to know that even though they were very strong, all it would take was a thought, not an action, but a thought to completely erase them.

If they were to be compared to bright lights and Ororo being a huge lamp, then Draul would be a sun. Overshadowing them in every single way of their being.

When she had tried reading his energy to maybe get a clue on the way he manipulated his, she was shocked to find out that the very way she manipulated energy was exactly the same way Draul did his, which normally would have been impossible according to what she had learnt.

It was also the same thing with Bucky, Steve, Yelena, and Ororo. In fact even the Masters of the Arts she had learnt from were all the same; Draul manipulated energy the very same way they all did, down to the 'T'.

What made that discovery frightening was when she finally realized WHY it was frightening.

The only way someone could identically manipulate energy was if they were you or if they were the perfect copy of yourself down to your atoms and your path of thought. And that was exactly what Draul was doing.

His energy was without form and it was your perception of it that gave it the form it takes.

Possessing the power of all Infinity Stones would make one omnipotent, according to what she had read. Having total control of the past, present, future and everything that exists within the universe, both living and nonliving.

If that was truly the case, then Draul was everything that she could see and feel. The sun, the moon, the air and everything in between.

He was everyone in the universe. Or rather, everyone in the universe was an extension of him.

She had been hit with the worst case of depression when she had found that out and only the constant bickering of Bucky and Yelena had managed to get her out of it.

It made her feel like with every step they took, Draul took a hundred more.

"Someone's coming." Natasha's musings were cut short with Steve's words and truly, someone was coming.

A man flew with impressive speed towards where they were all camping and landed in front of them, confrontational in intent.

"What can we help you with, pal?" Yelena was the first one to break the stare off as she approached him with relaxed ease, a complete lie to those easily fooled.

Bucky and Ororo were the only ones who didn't react in anyway to the arrival of the man. Both looked unbothered with his appearance as they both focused all their attention on the ocean in front of them.

"Who are you people?" He asked, a scowl on his face most likely due to the nonchalance a part of the crowd was showing him.

"We're just some random campers. Is there a problem with that?" Yelena asked, a little bit confrontational with the man but who cares?

"I'm going to ask you to vacate the premise… or I'll make yo-"

"If you know what's good for you, just leave. This doesn't concern you… Eternal." Bucky's no-nonsense voice cut short Ikaris' speech, something the old immortal didn't like.

In accordance to Bucky's words, Ikaris' eye blazed yellow with intense heat. "I'll say it once. Leave."

Bucky gave him a look, one that bit deep into his beating heart, before turning his gaze away and focusing back on the ocean.

Having enough, Ikaris sped forth towards Bucky in a bid to grab the man by the throat only to find his arm stuck a few centimeters away from Bucky's neck.

"Hands… off."

BOOOOM!

He found himself being flung away without even knowing what happened to him.

Reorienting himself, he took to the air only to find Natasha appearing out of nowhere and grabbed him by the neck. "You should have left when you had the chance." He tried to hit her but all he felt this hand hit was water which caused a ripple effect in the air.

Without wasting any time, he blasted light beams from his eyes in order to make the woman let go but the grip around his neck didn't lessen in any way and his beam divided itself the moment it got close to her skin.

Raising him higher, Natasha brought him down to the ground with a heavy slam that turned the nearby rocks to tiny pieces of stone only for purple lightning to hit him before he could take in another breath.

.

.

The group looked at the beaten form of Ikaris, bound in magic and strapped to a rock before taking their seats once more on the ground.

"Do you have any idea what fate you are dooming this planet if you continue with what you are doing?" Ikaris yelled in anger and frustration as he saw them bickering amongst themselves.

He had rushed here after Ajax reached out to him in panic that she had felt something happening with the Celestial seed they were tasked with safekeeping.

The others might be blissfully unaware of their true mission but he knew. While they fought amongst themselves due to the pettiness and primitive actions of the humans, he alone focused on his objective – even more so than the Prime Eternal herself.

He could not afford to fail in his mission.. He could not afford to fail Arishem.

"If you think you can stop the emergence of the Celestial, I can assure you that Arishem won't hesitate to reduce this planet to rubbles." Seeing as they were not willing to listen, he tried playing into their fears of the unknown but they still didn't budge.

It was times like these that made him angry about the decisions of his brothers and sisters. Easily distracted and chasing after a life they could never have, they completely forgot the mission that they were made known to, choosing to live as humans even though they clearly knew they will never fit in their society. A façade was called that because you can't wear it forever.

He even wondered when the humans had grown this strong, or rather the new deviant race they called metahumans.

If he had his brothers with him, defeating the woman would be a very easy thing to do but then again there were four others, especially the white haired woman. His skin crawled every time he looked her way.

"I think he's checking Ororo out." He heard the whisper of the youngest of the group and while he would never admit it to anyone, not even to Arishem himself, but the moment her blue eyes fell on him, his heart skipped a beat… in fear.

"That was a tasteless joke, Yelena." Ororo said, not particularly offended by the younger girl's words but not exactly flattered by it.

"Oh come on. His reaction was golden. I think he's scared of you and you haven't even done a thing." Yelena prodded the Goddess' side until she cracked a smile.

"Do we have any idea what's supposed to happen during the process?" Steve asked as he gazed at the waves while trying his best to sense anything that was happening under the surface.

"It's Draul. What do you expect?" Was all Bucky said.

While they made light conversations between themselves, Ikaris was left to wonder how he was beaten so quickly by a woman who wasn't even 1/100th his age.

…

[Draul St. Cross POV]

"So you are trying to say that the Infinity Stones are more than just building blocks of creation and there are ways in which I can tap into the power of not one, but all Infinity Stones?" I looked at little T and I got the impression that he was shrugging. "You fucking with me, ain'tcha?"

The way the gold of his eyes dimmed made me think he was rather offended by that comment. "I see no reason to lie to you."

"The fuck you mean you see no reason to lie to me? What you are telling me is basically a cheat code to the multiverse. Why do you expect me to believe that you'll just tell me something like that except if you're just buggin'?" I was half the mind to knock some sense into the Celestial in front of me because he had no flair for tact.

"Just like everything else, all things are connected to one another, variant counterparts and alternatives, in the multiverse. If this is true like you know it is, why do you then doubt my words of the Infinity Stones being connected to one another? Normally such a thing would not be feasible to anyone but you managed to do something, that while simple, no one else had done – siphoning the power out of the Infinity Stones and using it to fuel your own. This way, the caveat of you not having the power of the stones in another universe is rendered useless and with it being so, you can find the connection with all the stones, imprinting yourself in all universes of the cosmos." The more he spoke the more surprised I became because I had thought that since I didn't have any disadvantage of the stones, going to another universe and taking their own was useless since I've already absorbed it and since Infinity was Infinity, there was no way to add onto it but Tiamut just flipped all that.

"And don't you think you telling me that might cause untold destruction to the cosmos? You don't know the kind of person I am after all."

"…That is true, but nevertheless, the aim of us Celestials is to ensure that mortals can continuously evolve as we do and someday reach us on the same plane. We promote, we promote advancement. Me telling you this is in a way telling you the obvious because if we had fought and you left here alive, I no doubt would be severely weakened and you will siphon a lot of my energy which will also further delay my emergence and doing that might give you a glimpse of the truth you are seeking. It's also entirely possible that you will easily come to the same conclusion should you visit another universe." Tiamut spoke with such an even tone that I had no idea if he was joking, teasing or downright serious. Sure, I wouldn't deny his words as it was entirely plausible but telling me straight to my face ought not to be a thing a Celestial would do. Or is it that my perception of them is so skewed or Tiamut is just different?

"You really know how to talk, don't you? Well then, I think it's pretty much established that I, unfortunately, won't be eating you. So what now?"

He tilted his gigantic head to one side in incomprehension. "I don't understand."

"I'm talking about your emergence. It's already established that I can't leave you in here to grow and destroy the planet anytime your lazy ass decides to wake up, now can I?"

He fell silent at my words, his four eyes dimming quite a bit, as he seemingly pondered on his choices of which there were only two; One was he dies and I absorbs him or the second being I find a way to remove his seed from the planet and put it in another.

"I see. I think this perfectly depicts the saying of your people about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. It was quite the hard decision to make as I would have loved to see the universe in its beauty… but I can't sacrifice the life of the people here to do that. I think I will be willing to have you 'eat' me."

Damn. This is the first time I've ever seen a guy so chill about dying apart from me. "Hey, you won't be against me sticking your seed in a zombie apocalyptic world will you?"

The way his eyes glowed made me chuckle as I was beginning to read this Celestial like a book. "I'm sure there's an abundance of fallen universes out there that won't be missed if you destroyed a planet or two whenever you decide to wake up. It might take a little while but all you need to do is chill in here for a sec until I find them."

I was a son of a bitch but I wasn't a monster. Sure if it doesn't work out then I might come back and just snack on Tiamut, The Buffet Celestial, but if it does then I don't see a reason to kill him when it is entirely possible that I might even be way stronger than him when my test is over. And besides there is always a Dormammu if I ever get hungry.

"That… is a very appealing proposal. I look forward to it."

"Yeah, you do that while I run some errands. See you later, T."

I disappeared from Tiamut's hand that I've been sitting on since we started talking and left the giant Celestial to himself.

"T?"

…

I opened my eyes and took in the view of nothingness before me since I was incorporeal and ascended to the top.

I appeared before the rest and it was Ororo who was the first to notice.

"You're still the same. Did something go wrong?" She asked in concern but I waved it off.

"On the contrary, something might be about to go a hell lot of right. I had a talk with Tiamut and he kind of straightened some of my misconceptions." I then explained what happened to me while I was under and the conclusion we both came to. I also conveniently ignored the person bound and gagged on the floor with a red face as if he was trying to scream for help.

"So what are we going to do now?"

I couldn't help the smile that spread through my lips at Bucky's question. "We're going to another universe, people."

The others were stunned at the conclusion except…

"Yes!!!" Yelena jumped and gave me a high five and making me laugh a bit at her enthusiasm. At least she knew how to react accordingly.

"Come on, don't just stand there. We're going to another universe so why are you guys looking dull." I mean how could they not be thrilled at the prospect of going to another universe, even I was and I was literally six Infinity Stones.

"Not all of us can afford to be as hyper as Yelena or as carefree as you so this is the only reaction we can go with." Was all Steve said as he picked himself up before pointing to the bound dude. "What are we to do with him?"

I looked at Natasha, the one who probably did it, and shrugged. "Don't care what you do to him."

Natasha looked at him and just waved away with dismissal, not even giving the guy any of her attention. "Well let's go. We're on a lock aren't we?"

I nodded and willed my power of space along with opening my eyes to look at all the infinite intersections that passed through this universe. I picked the one that was somehow familiar with ours since the changes there shouldn't be too outrageous and punched a hole through space that shattered the barrier between the two universes.

…

"Uhm guys? Where the fuck are we?" We appeared in the same spot we stepped out of but I was quick to notice the difference; one being that the bounded Ikaris was nowhere to be found and two came to me when I swept my senses over the planet.

"Uhm.. I think I know where we are." I was speechless when everything started playing in my head.

The first thing that caught my attention was the lack of mutants in this universe's Earth but that wasn't the only thing.

It looks like it might have worked on my intent too much that what was currently playing through my mind were the events of the Infinity War movie. The time was even different from ours since they were like a decade from ours.

My lips curled into a full blown grin as I saw Vision fall down in Wakanda as his Mind Stone reacted rather violently to me.

Further expanding my senses, I caught sight of Thanos' ship on its way towards Earth.

"Oh you guys are for sure going to love this." Before they could even ask me what I meant, I warped us towards the great stage of the ages.