AN: Story's Shadow and I are back again, and things are getting interesting now for our fox of war... Hope ya'll enjoy.

-Unknown Location, The Next Day-

Vulpine gasped as he jumped onto his feet. He turned around, his gaze shifting to the blank space around him. He couldn't hear or smell anything. There were no sounds, no scents. It was a void.

"Hello?"

There was no answer. Vulpine looked around again. He spoke louder.

"Hello?!"

"Hello, Vulpine."

Vulpine's hair twitched at the sound of the voice and his eyes widened.

"Y-Your Majesty! I-"

He turned to bow to Imperious, only to see what appeared to be a cauldron with the open part facing him. Mist swirled around the inner edge of the cauldron while something else entirely appeared in the rest of it. What appeared was Imperious on his throne and another Vulpine at the base of the steps that led up to where the Dragon Emperor sat.

Vulpine's eyes widened at this.

"What in the stars?"

Imperious sighed as he looked down at Vulpine.

"You disappointment me with this betrayal...you were always such a competent servant with a brilliant mind. Though I've begun to doubt the latter now."

The other Vulpine pulled out the blade from the scabbard at his hip.

"I'm sorry it has come to this. I believed in your mission, I would've done anything and more that you would have commanded."

Imperious shook his head.

"You were a loyal follower, it's one of the reasons that I saw so much promise in you. But you've thrown it all away...for what?"

"You know."

Imperious shook his head.

"As you wish."

The other Vulpine raced up the steps and lunged with his blade. But he was suddenly frozen in place. Imperious held up one hand.

"A pity it has come to this."

He snapped his fingers and the other Vulpine exploded into a cloud of dust.

Vulpine's eyes widened.

"...W-What?..."

Then mist spread across in the cauldron, moving around in circles for a few moments before they receded back to their original place. Here what appeared to be a scene of another Vulpine and Vixen side by side, blades in hand. Another Stalker, sword in both hands. Another Imperious stood beside him.

"So you've given up the chance of the power I promised, to be a part of the new reality I was going to create...for a girl?"

The other Vulpine didn't respond, but the other Vixen did. Angry tears streamed down her face.

"You destroyed my home world...slaughtered my people...everything we ever were...and now...you'll pay for it!"

The other Vixen rushed forward, the Blade of Heaven blazed in her hand, and the other Vulpine rushed beside her. The other Stalker lunged forward, sweep kicking this Vixen before he leapt at that Vulpine. The two clashed swords against one another. Vixen grunted as she stood up, ready to stab the Dragon Emperor with the heavenly blade. But Imperious held up one hand, which was within the Infinity Gauntlet. Every Infinity Stone gleamed. Vixen gasped as she tried to move the blade.

"W-What?! H-How!"

"Despite what I said before, this is nothing personal against you or your people. To perfect the cosmos, I need to establish an order that must have no flaws or cracks. Your people fought valiantly and fiercely...but you cannot stand in my way. With this weapon, I can control anything or anyone."

"B-But the Blade...it-"

"Perhaps I cannot control it...but I can control you. I promise I will make this as painless as possible."

The other Vixen's eyes widened as Imperious snapped his fingers. This Vixen burst into dust, like the first other Vulpine. This Vulpine's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to scream. But he felt a horrific, sharp pain in his chest. Stalker's sword stuck out of his chest before the samurai pulled it out. Vulpine gasped as he dropped to the ground.

Vulpine gasped as he took a step back.

"N-No."

The cauldron's mist swirled around again before receding. This revealed another Vulpine and Imperious. Here, another Stalker laid on the floor with a pool of blood surrounding him. Though Vulpine had several red cuts across his body and he held his sword in unsteady hands. Imperious frowned.

"You disappoint me, Vulpine. Stalker was a good soldier, general... my apprentice... You could have become everything I promised...you gave your world to me...yet you betray me for one girl?"

This Vulpine didn't respond and simply lunged forward. The Dragon Emperor grabbed this Vulpine by the throat and snapped it.

Vulpine grimaced, one hand going to his throat.

Again the cauldron revealed another image. Another Vulpine as he snuck through the shadows of the Dragon Emperor's throne room. Imperious sat quietly on his throne, seemingly in a trance. He spoke words neither Vulpine understood under his breath. This Vulpine sighed and unsheathed a dagger.

"Forgive me...my lord."

He rushed out of the shadows, but he was frozen in place as he tried to leap to the side of the throne. Imperious held him up with one hand, without even touching him.

"Vulpine...I don't."

Imperious snapped his fingers and Vulpine's neck was broken.

Vulpine continued to watch several more presentations of more Vulpine's trying to fight or defeat Imperious, every time he failed. There wasn't any instance where Imperious was surprised or on the back foot. Imperious killed Vulpine and whoever he was with in these scenarios. Most of Vixen was with him, or the Secret Warriors, he even saw Meta, Cassie, and Jacob were with him, though he saw that was the rarest. But he didn't pay that as much mind as he witnessed that no matter who was with him, they died.

Vulpine began to step away, one hand clutching his head.

"What have you learned from this?"

Vulpine quickly turned, ears perked up. He saw a mist-like figure beside the cauldron. It had gleaming white eyes. And moved with the sound of a gust of wind the blew by.

"What have you learned, Fox?"

Vulpine continued to watch more scenarios and saw himself, Vixen, the Secret Warriors, Meta, Cassie, or Jacob falling at the hands of Imperious or Stalker. Tears started to move down his face as more deaths appeared in the scenarios. More and more deaths played out before him yet he realized something. In every scenario where he didn't die immediately, he never tried to go back to the Dragon Emperor's side. He never turned on Vixen or the others.

The mist entity moved around Vulpine as he stopped crying.

"What have you learned?"

"No matters how many times I may, and did lose, I'll never stopped fighting. Why?...because what I truly seek was... is worth fighting and dying for."

The entity moved back slightly, eyes narrowed.

"So be it...your first trial has ended by his majesty's decree, you have finished the Mind Trial."

Vulpine's eyes widened.

"First trial? Wait, what is-?"

Vulpine suddenly gasped as he sat up in his bed. His body dripped with sweat. He looked around, only to see the quarters given to him by S.H.I.E.L.D. The Fox grunted as his chest heaved. One hand went clutched his head. Then he fell back onto his back, his head landing on the pillow.

"...I hope I know what I'm doing..."

-Later-

Vulpine sat in the mess hall. His plate was fit with cooked grasshoppers, steak, and berries. A glass of water sat beside him. His ears perked up, someone was walking towards him. But his attention was on the food.

"I still don't get how you and Vixen can eat insects."

Vulpine looked up to see America Chavez with her own tray of food and glass of water. The Fox grinned slightly.

"Insects were a delicacy. Full of proteins and delicious-"

"Yeah, no more. I need to eat too."

Vulpine scoffed as he continued to enjoy his grasshoppers. He was glad that S.H.I.E.L.D. had gotten a small supply of insects.

"Well, I pity you. Vixen was quite taken with them. It's why she requested insects for our unique taste."

America sighed as she began to eat. Vulpine raised an eyebrow at her.

"You haven't been here for some time. The others said you were on a mission?"

Chavez sighed.

"Yeah...with Captain Marvel. There was a dispute on this planet...two sides at the edge of war...some drought and famine cause both sides to agree to use a certain water source rather than fight over it...but when the hard times passed, they argued over who truly deserved it."

"What did the two of you do?"

"We both considered beating some sense into them, but both sides had armies and civilians in need. So diplomacy was needed...both groups had considerable resources, one had mining and the other was run by agriculture and farming. With their resources, we got them to understand that working together rather than fighting would lead to long term benefits. A war would've destroyed possibly both sides' livelihoods and they could've ruined supporting their people."

"Was it done so simply?"

"Oh hell no. Yea we actually had to crack a few heads, just the ones that wanted to instigate the fighting. So they eventually saw reason...eventually."

"Well done."

"It seems you and Vixen are getting along well. She says you're really helping her learn about her heritage given how she didn't grow up in it."

Vulpine sighed.

"She's very excited to learn about it. Her interest is refreshing."

Chavez chuckled.

"Yeah, given what happened...her optimism is definite and her resolve is surprising."

"What do you mean? I mean no offense...but you hardly seem surprised at anything or rather don't show it."

Chavez chuckled.

"Well, she's impressed me."

"Really?"

"Around the time we met, I tried to intimidate her...get her to reveal something she may not want to be known...to see if she was really who she said she was or not. She just glared back at me."

"And?"

"I guess maybe it's both the beast within and the woman within her. She's strong...and I gotta admit, seeing such fierce eyes was a surprise to me. Seeing her stand her ground like that and still be willing to help us...gotta admit, she earned my respect a lot faster than some others."

Vulpine smiled.

"She's special...she would've been celebrated amongst the Foxes for her character."

"That's good...I guess I also kind of respected her faster because...well...like your world...my dimension was invaded...lost some people I loved...so I guess similar tragedies made me understand her better...but part of me is glad she didn't experience what happened to your world like what happened to mine."

Vulpine stopped eating and slowly nodded.

"...I'm glad she didn't really experience it either...but now she knows..."

"She does...and that girl's got some fire in her...and with that Blade...the ones who ended your world are gonna get it bad."

Chavez chuckled. Vulpine didn't, he simply nodded, as his mind went back to his memories...and slowly...his heart started to reach out back to that time too.

To Be Continued...