Author's Note:
The following two chapters will contain spoilers for certain series. I do not wish to name them directly here in lieu of giving away which characters shall be involved in these events, but by the time you see their names the series they're from WILL be listed beside them, so if you do not wish to be spoiled further then you are welcome to leave.
My apologies ahead of time.
"Who...are you?"
"Stop! Stop in the name of the – ghhkk!"
"We're facing a threat the likes of which we've never seen..."
"He is not of this world...Nor of this time..."
"How can we stop someone who can absorb our world's natural resources?"
"MARY JANE! You...You'll pay for this!"
"Yes...Yessss...We are much alike..."
"Let us cause...Such great Carnage together!"
"Today we are not just Heroes, or Mutants or Inhumans...Today we stand and fight a common threat...AS AVENGERS!"
"AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"
"Stephen have you got him? ...Stephen?"
"Foul creature from the outer worlds...I know naught from whence fires you drew first breath from...But now you face the wrath of the Odinson! The God of Thunder!"
"And the World Breaker...The Green Scar!"
"He's destroying everything..."
"Its...Its not...his doing...there is...a-another..."
"Lord Odin...I fear to tell you that Midgard is lost..."
"And my son?"
"...Perished in the destroyer's flames. And the destroyer...is on his way here..."
"...Seal the Bifrost and gather all of Asgard, nay, all the remaining Realms together! In the name of Odin, son of Bor, we shall meet this destroyer with his destruction!"
"Lord Thanos...It appears as though the Nine Realms have been...destroyed."
"Run."
"The Kree, Skrulls, Shi'ar...All of them walk a march of Death."
"Make your stand here and now alongside me, Gladiator of Shi'ar! If we fail, then it is the end of all worlds!"
"Gamora! Drax! GROOT! No...No damn it...! YOU SUNUVABITCH...I'LL KILL YOU!"
"This energy...Why can't I absorb it?!"
"We're losing...Is there truly nothing that can stop this monster? ...God help us all..."
"Entity from another world...You stand in judgment of the Living Tribunal!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
A wretched, womanly wail jolted Alex awake from a nightmarish slumber. He gasped and his head lurched forward, a cold sweat plopping to the ground, mixed with the blood that ran down the eaves of his head. The sweat and blood was foggy and lasted seconds upon the ground before vanishing down to the last atom.
The beady, bloody dew disappeared into mist atop an empty, white floor as bright as the dawn of day, and as peerless as a mirror. The sound of its dripping echoed, echoed, echoed...
Was there no end to this echo that haunted him so? He raised his head to check and was greeted with much the same sight as he had seen before. Had he even moved at all? His body felt so numb he couldn't tell.
As vertigo took hold over his mind Alex tried to stand, only to find immense constraint stopping even the movement of his fingers.
"Why...?" He barely had the strength to gasp, even his lips felt numb. He could not turn his head back to see what bound him, but there was nothing to see to begin with. Much as he sat upon nothingness, so too was he bound by nothingness. And if something is made of nothing, then that means there is no strength nor weakness to it. It simply...is.
He had been forced to his knees and his arms tied to his back. There was no feeling in his elbows, nor in his lower legs. Even if he could muster the strength to stand he'd collapse back down on the spot. So it was with great pain and anger that Alex tried to understand how he got into this mess.
His right eye squirmed shut as he strained the memories forth from deep in his brain. First the nightmares fell. Heroes wearing red and blue. Warriors that wielded hammers to call forth a mighty storm. Gods and mutant. Aliens and ghouls...All of them falling to flames. A tear fell from his eyes as he watched these events unfold cleanly enough that denial of their reality was impossible to do.
"No, these are just...Nightmares...! I was just..." He vividly recalled the sight of Yukari, who postured her superiority over him in a dying 'Gensokyo'.
And like the blood in his body did his rage doth boil over, as he screamed into the empty void, "Where are you Yukari?!"
"He has awakened at last. Let us begin with the proceedings..." A voice devoured his echo like a storm would a forest. No, to call it a voice would be a disservice to its grandeur. Those words were the echoes of the many cosmos given form. As those echoes reached his ears Alex's head rose on its own, drawn by the lively breath whose breeze spanned hundreds of worlds long...
There were three shadows descending from higher up. Two had a human's shape, but the third wiggled to-and-forth between them like a snake. But they were truly much, MUCH bigger than that...
As that shadow wormed its way closer Alex was able to see clearly the appearances of the other two.
The one on the left was an elderly man wearing a silvered wizard's robe that went down to his feet and was covered in black five-pointed stars. His eyes appeared unnaturally large and somewhat cartoonish, but he could stare down with an unflinching gaze and their appearance did not detract from the wisdom his age displayed. He had a long, pointed beard that went to his knees and looked as smooth as silk, while his hairs remained down from the back of his otherwise bald scalp.
Alex was confused...Though there were some differences, this man was undoubtedly...
The Grand Sorcerer of Light: Yen Sid (Kingdom Hearts)
The person on the right was a woman that was surely no older than her late-teens. She wore a black dress that was longer in the back with a heart-shaped plunging neckline. She wore black bridal gloves that went to her elbows, and a widower's veil to cover her violet-eyed face. Inside the skirt of her dress was a purple, starry expanse that resembled a universe, while the edges of said shirt shedded off feathers as she made her descent. She wore thigh-high socks that followed a grey diamond pattern. The breadth of her wings was stretched out like strands of ivory, and long, pointed feathers dangled from the bottom. Both wings were topped by cloths of velvet. Finally upon her chest laid a golden locket shaped like a seed, and though Alex could not see it, inside the locket was a tiny, tiny Earth that she caressed fondly in her right hand.
Despite this woman's many distinctive features, it was her long, silky, ebony hair that truly connected the dots for Alex...And brought with them more questions than it did answers, for this woman was...
The Devil Witch who Embodies Lust: Homura Akemi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
"Why...How...?" He wanted to belay to those two as they plummeted to the center of his vision atop thinly veiled platforms of reflected light. But the pressure of the last arrival of the three sank those words to the pit of his stomach like a stone.
The serpentine shadow belonged to a dragon of unimaginable size. The majestic creature perched its head between the mile long gap of the other two, but only comparitively speaking. For in truth he was still miles upon miles away, the tip of his tail unseen by even the eyes of gods. He had a rugged jaw and snout with a somewhat rectangular shape. The tips of his nostrils were firm and pointed like mountains stretching over a sunlit horizon, while a two-pronged mustache draped past the sides of his face, weaved together by glittering, milky strands of cosmic gases. The scales upon his face were the color of dawn, not a coincidence, but merely a function of his multi-chromatic skin.
Meanwhile the scales descending down his back told a different story. Each of the ones of millions of worlds he breathed life into through fire and brimstone at the universe's beginning were reflected in those scales. Some shone other bright, others were dull, yet they all supported the weight of his boundless love that spanned his body like a wavy, rainbow colored mist. He had no arms. No legs. He didn't even appear to have a mouth, nor horns...But one look into his eyes, whose irises were as gruesome and frightening as a red giant's, and whose pupils swallowed everything into them like a black hole, and one would understand all there was to know about him.
He was just as magnificent and terrifying as Yukari had described him...
The Living Will of All Things Fantasy, the Arbiter of Universes, and the Embodiment of Dreams: Futanji Shinryu (?)
...And it was upon that moment that Alex fully understand the gravity of his predicament. He was before the "higher-ups", the cosmic judicators that have governed the universe since the fall of many worlds to the encroaching Realm of Darkness...
Yen Sid, with his saintly guise and deep, empowering voice, slowly drew his right hand out towards Alex and remarked, "I now summon forth the Four Guardians to aid us in this hour of judgment!"
The whole realm trembled and shook as four irovy pillars of light rose up from a couple miles apart from Alex in each of the four directions. He gazed up at the top of the northern pillar, where I, Yukari Yakumo, sat upon one of my gaps with a dazzling, playful smile and my parasol propped over my left shoulder.
As he growled and snarled his teeth, I nudged my head towards the pillar east of him. I wanted him to see, at least, who else has taken up a position of power as a Four Guardian before the real show began at last...
So look he did. Standing atop the pillar was a tan skinned man who looked to be in his early twenties. He had short silver hair and yellow eyes that gazed with an allure of mystery. He wore a long-sleeved purple jacket with a furred collar and a faded white shirt underneath, with three golden buttons to keep it together. His jeans were purple as well, albeit a lighter shade. Half of them were covered up by his faded white boots, whose material continued to run up the back of his legs until reaching his waist. Finally around his neck was a single, golden key. He was a curious being to be certain. One whose actions shall prove very interesting on this day...
The Purveyor of All Things Past, Present and Future: Alvis (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Then I nudged to the Western pillar, and he turned that way on the dime. Don't worry, I'm not controlling him anymore. That'd just be overkill at this point. What he saw on that pillar was...a small, square hot dog stand. Dainty little thing really. Doesn't even have a grill or mustard bottles. But what it did have was a skeleton. A short, pudgy skeleton with a dimpled smile, large eye sockets, and perfectly aligned teeth. He wore an unzipped blue hoodie, a white t-shirt, black shorts with white stripes, and a pair of sneakers. And right now he was snoring away with the front of his stand perching his head. But, I suppose I would expect nothing less of this one, the one they call...
sans (undertale)
As for the southern pillar, well...
"Where is Hades?" Homura commented in a soft, sultry voice as she gazed narrowly upon the empty pillar, "Is he neglecting his duties again?"
"It is with great sadness that I must report his demise to you all..." Futanji whispered, his eyes creasing shut from the left and right.
"Killed?" Alvis remarked with a smooth, dulcet tone as he turned towards the mighty dragon and inquired, "By whom, pray tell?"
"The hero from his world, an angel by the name of Pit...And the Phoenix of Balance, Riku."
...Well now, that's interesting news to me. I try my best to hide my surprise by smiling, but that Alvis takes a glimpse at me and starts to hum to himself. Perhaps your gaze would be better served elsewhere. After all...
"Mourn on your own if you feel it necessary. We do not have time to find a replacement. We shall proceed as six..." Futanji lowered his head down and I could feel him breathing down my neck as he remarked, "Yukari, please wake Sans up."
"As you wish," I gave him a respectful courteous nod and then extended my right hand out into a gap, another opening beside the skeleton's face as I glided a feather up and down it, "Tickle tickle~"
His head began to rise and so I withdrew my hand and giggled. He looked around a bit and spoke up in a laid back manner, "oh, we're starting already?"
"I do believe that is the case, my skeletal friend," Alvis spoke up before looking up at the mighty dragon once more and inquiring in a jovial manner, "Or am I getting ahead of myself, Futanji?"
"No," Futanji responded firmly before narrowly pushing the weight of his gaze straight onto Alex, whose fear left him shivering and mute, and exclaimed in a bellowing echo, "Let the trial commence!"
EX Stage Chapter 1: The Trial of Alex Whiter
"T-Trial...?" Alex bit his quivering teeth as the dragon once more overpowered him with the severity of his words.
"Alex Whiter, the Phoenix of Destruction...You stand accused of the annihilation of Earth 616, the Marvel Universe, and all who inhabit or were attached to it. You have also violated the laws of time-space...How do you plead?"
Alex's heart sank to the pit of his stomach and his skin became flushed of color. He swung his head out as best he could and cried out, "D-Destruction of...?! Th-there has to be some mistake! I-"
"YOU WERE NOT ASKED TO QUESTION. YOU WERE ASKED TO ANSWER. NOW I ASK AGAIN, HOW DO YOU PLEAD?!" The screams of the divine dragon nearly ruptured one of my ear drums. But the joy of watching the boy squirm and slump over made all that pain worth it.
"N-Not guilty..." He whimpered before raising his head and declared, "But-!"
"Then we shall proceed. As us three who preside over the proceedings are the only witnesses to the event in question, we shall elaborate henceforth on any questions the rest of you may have..."
"yeah, about that...what's a Marvel?" Sans said with a shrug of the shoulders.
Yen Sid opened his eyes and turned to the skeleton, unveiling what he knew in as punctual a manner as he deemed necessary, "A world of superpowered individuals, locked forever in a battle between the light and the darkness, their hearts sweating oaths of valor and justice...Or corruption and malice. In our day and age, the lasting proof of their existences resides within comic books scattered amongst the Earths in the four corners of our universe."
"wow. sounds like something Papyrus would've enjoyed. maybe i'll pick up one of those comics for him on the way back."
"Ahem..." Futanji sighed, and from there Alvis directed the spotlight onto himself. He rubbed his chin softly and appeared deep in thought.
"As I recall correctly, that world housed a number of 'Blanks'," With a subtle, cheeky smile he turned towards the skeleton and remarked, "Though I don't suppose you'd require a lesson on those, would you now Sans?"
Sans went still and silent, and so Yen Sid filled the void of silence with his words of wisdom, "After the incident with the Beyonders, the Incursion of Worlds, and the Battleworld born from the egotism of Victor Von Doom...We were to strike down that world before their corruption could spread to other realms."
"But alas," Homura remarked with a wicked, humorous chuckle, "It seemed you were all beaten to the punch."
Yen Sid closed his eyes and began a deep, thought-provoking hum whilst I took over for the others, "Yes. Through time and space the Phoenix of Destruction burned through the cosmos and landed upon the Marvel Earth. He thoroughly wiped out their greatest heroes and villains and obliterated the planet without mercy. Then he proceeded to Asgard and annihilated the Nine Realms, before finally drawing the attention of all the alien races and cosmic entities that lied beyond...And slaughtering them as well."
Spoken with a tender smile, of course the boy wouldn't fail to notice my rather descriptive detailing of the story. He stared up at me with blank eyes, and not long after did his scowl grow, and his anger rose to the surface to surpass his fear.
"That would appear to be how the tale unfolded..." Alvis remarked, before looking straight down at the boy and enticing him with his honeyed words, "Does this sound about right, Alex Whiter?"
"LIAR!" He lunged his head out and screamed at me, "IT WAS YOU! YOU MADE ME KILL THEM! YOU WANT YOUR CRIMINAL...ITS HER! YUKARI YAKUMO IS-"
Before I could even blink Alex's mouth was wiped from existence, bringing a smile to my face that I had a hard time restraining. Alvis closed his eyes and appeared to murmur to himself devoid of any outside interference. Futanji stared down at the court as the boy struggled to try and break free, and then dulled his strength with but his whisper.
"Your only hope of escape is to be found innocent of these crimes. Struggling is futile. Not even you, Phoenix of Destruction, can break those restraints," Alex proceeded to limp over and start crying, as Futanji continued to worsen the sorrow in his heart, "But if you are found guilty...Eternal imprisonment is your just reward."
Alex shut his eyes and his head leaned down to his chest. What else could he do, but look so pitiful and defeated?
"Now that that matter has been settled...Are there anymore questions? Or shall we proceed to the next step?"
"None at the moment." Alvis commented while slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
"I am good." I say with a smile.
"same" Sans added on.
"Then, shall we render our judgment?"
Oh. Please do. I can't stop my heart from racing with anticipation. After a few brief seconds of silence the "higher-ups" started things off.
"Guilty"
"Guilty"
Futanji and Homura said with firmness and scorn respectively, the gaze in the witch's eyes turning most pale at the revolting sight of the boy's bloodied body.
"...Not Guilty..."
Unsurprising to me, Yen Sid spoke in favor of the boy. He always does this, but there's some satisfaction knowing he does so this time with great hesitation. As the dragon let out his wistful sigh and slowly shook his head, he murmured to the rest of us, "And what of you, my 'Four' Guardians?"
"Guilty." I spoke not a second after.
"...hmm..." Sans was spending a bit of time more than I expected peering down at the boy with that glowing blue eye of his.
While Alvis, he gestured his right hand up by his shoulder and remarked, "My verdict was predestined from the start. But I won't say what it is quite yet."
"I don't think it matters if you do or not," I said with a smile towards the man as I leaned my elbows against the rim of my gap and laid on my stomach, "With three Guilty verdicts, his fate is all but sealed."
"...Is it now?" He smiled back at me. Always a troublemaker that one. Even after all these years working with him as one of the Four Guardians I haven't been able to decipher the kind of actions he'll take.
Alvis looked on over at Sans and remarked, "Is something the matter, my skeletal friend? You seem to be coming down with quite the 'bone-chilling' flu."
"heh. good one." Sans responded with a wink of sorts before shaking his head around and remarking, "kids got a lotta EXP. i mean...a lotta, lotta EXP."
He stared down at the boy with that blue eye of his and remarked, "guess you 'LOVE' killing, huh?"
If it was meant to come across as a joke, then I'm probably the only one laughing at it. Sans then closed his eyes and remark, "hmm...his soul's telling one story...but his face's telling me another. he's looking pale as a ghost."
"No doubt a result of all the lives he's taken." I remarked while twirling my parasol around.
"wouldn't know. i've been pale all my life," Sans said with a shrug of his hands up, "oh and...I guess I've never killed either?"
I peered at the skeleton with my eyes alit with serenity underneath the shadow of my parasol as I said to him, "Fufufu, indeed you haven't. But if you keep these jokes up, I'll be your first victim."
"aww, you're too kind."
"I may not look like it...But I am a very busy dragon. Save the idle chit-chat for after the trial is over you two."
Though Futanji spoke quietly, I knew he was a second away from losing his patience and promptly apologized, as did Sans by saying, "sure thing big guy" in a somewhat jovial tone.
He then tucked his hands into his pockets and shrugged his shoulders, "guess i should give my verdict..."
"Before you do..." Alvis interrupted, "May I bother you with a question?"
Futanji understandably glared down at him, and so the man made an addendum to his question, "This relates to the trial at hand, rest assured."
The dragon drew his eyes closed and gave the approving nod. Now...whatever do you have planned, Alvis?
"Sans...Correct me if I'm wrong, but one of your powers is to quantify the karmic levels in a person's soul, yes?"
"uhhh...yeah?" The skeleton doled out a gentle shrug.
"...Does your eye make the distinction between whether the karma is gained willingly, or not?" His head budged slightly toward me, his gaze more forthright in the intent behind his movements.
I narrow my gaze his way as Sans answers without hesitation, "Nope."
"I see..." Alvis' smile began to creep along the sides of his face, drawing Homura's attention towards him with a modest amount of disdain.
"What is the purpose of this line of questioning, Alvis?" She inquired, her cold eyes unable to pentrate the statuesque pose the man adopted.
"Have none of us considered the possibility that Alex Whiter had been...controlled into committing this most horrendous of acts?"
His head shifted more towards me. I knew you'd be trouble this time...But not even you can possibly know the full truth of what has been done, Alvis. So with a dulcet smile I gaze upon him and remark, "Mind control...It is certainly a possibility. But who, pray tell, would want the Phoenix of Destruction to behave in such an unexplainable manner?"
"...That, I do not know..." He softly turned his head back and lowered his hand to his hip. Once more, your intentions elude me...
I gently closed my eyes and shake my head, "Then it was pointless to bring to our attention Alvis."
"Was it now? I wonder..." The man drew his eyes towards Sans once more and remarked, "Surely, you have something to say on this matter, my skeletal friend."
"hmmm...maybe? wouldn't have been this loveable skeleton who ran into a similar problem though..." He looked up at Futanji and said, "that's how you said it worked...right?"
"Correct. But that is not relevant to this case. Alvis..." The dragon swerved his head to the man and remarked, "Unless you can prove there is relevancy in what you are saying, then your vote shall be rendered null and void."
"Forgive me Futanji. I did not mean to cause a disturbance," He bowed his head slightly and then looked to Sans once more, "But I do have one more question. And this is one for you all...Was the boy's behavior upon hearing the destruction of Marvel not...curious, to say the least?"
He started to turn his head to me and remarked with a tiny smile, "He accused you of being the murderer."
My hands slipped and I ended up gripping my parasol tightly while my lips furrowed into a frown. Futanji intervened, as I expected he would, with a firm affirmation of my "alibi", "Yukari Yakumo was nowhere to be seen near the site of the event, Alvis."
"Nowhere in sight...But I wouldn't say that'd disqualify her from manipulating events from the shadows."
"The same could be said for many others. Even you, Alvis." I threw back at him with my head raised high and a smile meant to hide the irritation I felt towards this man.
"Indeed. It could be entirely possible the boy mistook another for you. He does have the knowledge of many of our worlds, after all," That dull pause of his was just a breather before he continued to stand on the boy's side, "But were his words not a heartfelt plea of innocence?"
Homura's body exuded a chill worse than a winter's night and drew Alvis attention away from me and unto her. She drew her hands before her chest and stared down at a white light aglow like the sun as she said to him, "The guilty do not truly express remorse for what they've done."
She summoned a battered white stuffed animal with a rabbit's ears, dotted red eyes, and a long busy tail and wrapped her arms slowly around its chest, "They weave a web of lies under a guise of righteousness, and deflect all wrongdoings under others..."
She squeezed the stuffed animal until its head popped off like a balloon, then drew her arms out as the rest of the body burned away to snow white ash. Then all she had to say after with her solemn, bitter tongue, was "No matter who they hurt in the process..."
Her violet gaze pierced through Alvis' body and even sent a chill down my spine. With a shaky grin she drew her arms out into the air and began to twirl on one foot, the ashes dancing around her body as she explained, "And as Sans said...The Phoenix of Destruction's karma cannot be questioned. Blood is blood, and ashes are ashes..."
"Then that brings me to my final question. How many of us can truly say they know what kind of person Alex Whiter is?"
Alvis' question brought all in this void to silence. Though I may wish to raise my hand, I feel as though I'd be walking into a trap. Yet, I'd also feel the same way if I don't...
...How long have I waited for this moment? How long have I had to watch Gensokyo burn over and over in my head? And yet, so close to victory, why does it feel like I can still lose?
Alvis raised his hands out by his hips and commented, "All of us know of him, yes...Others may have observed him bits at a time. But knowing a name, knowing a face...And knowing the person attached to them, are two completely different things."
He stared down at Alex, who only watched on with a blank, lifeless expression as he was judged for his crimes. Yet in a moment of hope, Alvis stretched his hand down towards the boy, whose spark of life returned just long enough to turn his head to look at the mysterious man.
"That is not the say the boy is without fault. In fact, I daresay none of us in this very room can claim to be faultless."
Yen Sid slowly nodded his head and murmured, "Indeed..."
The others merely fiddled around and hummed to themselves. Except for me. I simply locked my eyes onto Alvis and remarked, "So you claim the boy must be judged not for his actions, but for the kind of person he is?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes." Alvis twisted his head back a bit and smiled at me, showing a little mischievousness behind that usually stoic facade.
"...Whether in actions or in behavior, destruction is all he is. It is quite firmly a part of his name, no matter how much you deny it Alvis."
"Then perhaps we require some testimony from another party. One who could provide quite the enlightening perspective into the true character of Alex Whiter."
"A witness at this juncture? You speak the impossible. As I said, all who have bore witness to this catastrophe are present..."
"You are more right than you realize, Futanji. All who witnessed the event ARE present...Including the one I wish to call to the stand."
…
"And who, pray tell, is your mysterious 'savior', Alvis?" I inquired with punctuated annoyance towards his inability to get to the point.
"Why, sans Sans," The skeleton couldn't help but chuckle at that, "We all know this man. Though his soul may slumber now, his 'eyes' would still be awake."
"Ah. So you wish to awaken him," Yen Sid spoke up, a glimmer of intrigue appearing in those crusty old eyes of his as he began to rub down his beard, "But he sleeps a deep sleep. A call to attention alone would not suffice to awaken him."
...Alvis, you conniving little minx.
As he creaked his head back slightly to smile at me he remarked, "But it would not be beyond the power of one such as you, would it, Futanji?"
"Indeed it would not. But you realize that what you ask of me, can only be answered if given in the form of a wish, correct?"
"And throughout all the years we've known each other, I have yet to use said wish," He thrust two fingers up towards me and remarked, "And now I shall...! To bring this trial to its conclusion, the soul of Sarajin Stratos, the previous Elemental Overlord, shall be awakened from his slumber. And from his testimony, may the true nature of Alex Whiter be deduced!"
Next Time: The Fate of Fire