Controlled Chaos Forger of Worlds

Chapter 12

Gaia opened her eyes as her counterpart appeared before her.

The Gaia before her had grey skin, the whites of her eyes were black, the irises were green, and vines grew from her head.

Bear furs were wrapped around her slender 5'11" frame.

"Hello, sister."

The earth mother cocked her head to the side, the vines of her hair dropping down to coil on one shoulder.

"Could we really be considered sisters since you are me from another reality?"

"Just go with it; if you think about it too hard, it gets complicated."

Nodding slowly, the earth mother looked around her, "So, why have you called me here?"

"To keep confusion down, I want to take on one of our other identities."

The earth mother stared into her counterpart's Brown eyes, "Which one were you thinking?"

"Danu."

The earth mother looked around the blue-white space she was in, her eyes briefly flicking to the two sleeping individuals. "Are you sure you don't want to take on more names? It would lessen My workload?"

The cosmic mother snorted, "Not a chance."

The earth mother shrugged, "Worth a try," she looked around again, "Before we do this, where are we exactly?"

"You felt the shift in the world a while back?"

"The universe expanded, and the earth increased to three times its normal size."

"That was three universes merging. This is the spot where they originally joined together."

"When this is done, you must explain to me the new forces I've sensed."

"I can tell you what was brought into the world, but changes are still happening, so I don't know everything."

"That's fine."

As one, the earth mother and the cosmic mother stretch their hands out, pressing their palms together. Curling their fingers, they leaned forward, pressing their heads into one another.

For a moment, they stood there synchronizing their breathing. As their heartbeats joined, energy passed from Gaia into the cosmic mother and then from the cosmic mother into the Earth mother.

Slowly, the cosmic mother began to change. Her hair shimmered, becoming a dirty blonde, and her Brown eyes faded, transforming into a pale blue. Her bust increased, and her curves shifted, making her almost inhumanly beautiful as her skin lightened.

The energy faded away, and Danu drew back, "Thank you for doing this. Thank you for giving me a place in the world."

"Of course, but I noticed as we were exchanging energy you're stronger than I am; why not force me to take on another name."

"Because despite the changes to this world, it was originally yours, and it would be wrong of me to take it over forcibly."

Gaia nodded, her gaze flicking to the two sleeping individuals, "Thank you for your kindness. Can you explain the changes to the universe and who those two people are?" She nodded to Divine and Kreature. "They feel like gods' but not."

Danu rubbed the back of her neck, "That is complicated. I'm unsure what we are yet, but I know myself, Firehair, and Harry…"

"The one behind the technology that has cleaned up this world."

"Yes."

"We each have been changed by Celestial energy."

Gaia's eyebrows rose, "There's got to be a story there."

Danu waved her hand.

Two pale blue chairs rose from the floor.

"There is," she gestured to the chairs, and Gaia sat down, crossing one leg over the other, "but before I explain that, I will explain how I was asked for help by a Lady of Order and Lord of Chaos from another multiverse."

–XX –

The streets of Manhattan were packed with bodies that writhed like worms as Va-Kox's contagion changed them.

Those already changed rose stiffly to their feet, flexing new appendages or firing blasts into buildings with blank eyes.

As they turned, their dead eyes focused on the approaching people of Juru.

Callisto threw an arm out, a dagger clutched in her hand, "Charge!"

Amelia raised her staff into the air, her red hair whipping around her as she tore the souls out of bodies.

'Their flesh is already dying; there's no one we can save here.'

Closing her eyes, she listened to the spirits, releasing those who didn't want to be restored to life in the afterlife.

Firehair sat cross-legged in the air above Manhattan as people blurred below her, her hands and circled in her lap.

Red beams shot from the blurs, and people fell, their bodies vanishing before hitting the ground.

Though the bodies disappeared, in her mind's eye, Firehair could see a translucent mist left behind.

They stood there until their heads tilted back, their featureless faces gazing directly at Firehair. With their gazes locked onto her, they lifted into the air, floating toward her and sinking into the circle created by her hands.

"With you here, I don't even know why I bothered showing up."

Firehair opened her eyes to find Amelia Bones hovering before her.

"You and your Valkyries are collecting the souls of the people who want to return to life; I am collecting the souls of those who wish to be cleansed and start anew."

"So, will those people get their memories wiped and put into new bodies on the island?"

"No, they will eventually be reborn to mutant parents."

Amelia looked away as she chewed on her lip, "Could," she started only to stop.

Firehair stared at her.

After a moment, she spoke, "Though I am new to my powers, I don't think your husband was reborn."

Amelia slowly turned to look at her before glancing down, "But do you think you would want to return to this," she gestured at the city below, "from wherever he is."

Again, Firehair looked at her, her irises glowing, "I cannot answer that because I have not gazed into his soul, but from what I can see in your mind, he did love you and your daughter and would not want to have left the way he did."

Amelia closed her eyes as tears began to stream down her face, "So, he really can do it; Harry can really take me back to retrieve my husband's soul?"

"Yes."

Sniffing loudly, Amelia wiped her hands across her face, "You like him, don't you?"

Firehair jolted, her eyes widening slightly, "I…"

Amelia waved her hand, "Don't bother denying it. I've sensed you watching him."

Firehair's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, don't give me that look. We just established that I want my husband back, but ever since I heard Harry brought Anya Eisenhardt through time, I was searching for a way to talk to him, but he always seemed busy. The council meeting was the first opportunity I had to corner him without him running off to put out some fire."

Firehair closed her eyes, "He is with another."

"Yes, but I think the difference in power is straining the relationship, though Jani would say it was something else."

Amelia looked down, "I think that's the last of them."

With a thoughtful look on her face, Firehair raised her hand.

Slowly, she curled her hand into a fist, and the forces led by Callisto and Amelia vanished.

Uncrossing her legs, Firehair straightened.

Placing her hands on her lower back, she leaned back.

'Firehair, I need you and Danu on Genosha, please.'

Firehair straightened, her hand curling into a fist, her green eyes filling with determination, 'I'm on my way, but who is Danu?'

'Danu is the Gaia we brought back from a parallel earth; she met with her counterpart and took on one of her previous identities. Now please, hurry.'

Floating through the air, Firehair disappeared in a flash of blue fire that streaked through the sky.

–XX –

Hovering above Genosha, Harry watched transformed humans beat on a dome of electricity surrounding the metal island.

Rectangular utilitarian buildings reflected the blue hue of the dome. Through it, Harry could see people peeking out windows while others milled around the bases of the buildings, waiting for a chance to fight.

Every few minutes, metal would rise from the ground and rush through the barrier to skewer humans.

Red energy rose from the fallen and sank into a figure floating above the horde. Though his features constantly shifted, and boils grew beneath his skin, Harry knew who it was; he remembered this insanity from when Kru El and Lesla Lar escaped to the Weapon X facility, what seemed like years ago.

Staring at the man, Harry shifted his eyes to see the matter that made him up.

The bumps along the man's 6-foot frame glowed to Harry's eyes, releasing red energy that spread throughout his body, leaving behind a red stain on the systems it touched. The energy he absorbed from the mutated humans briefly stabilized his form, but it was also building up in his system.

Harry's eyes narrowed as he focused on the man's heart. Where the residual energy was gathering. Glancing at the sky, he watched solar energy sink into the man's body because of his natural Kryptonian physiology. It was all gathering in the heart.

He's going to blow up. Harry glanced at the island, then to the shores of Manhattan; the energy stored in his body would vaporize Genosha, and at least half of Manhattan would disappear.

Closing his eyes, Harry reached out with his mind.

'Firehair, I need you and Danu on Genosha, please.'

'Who is Danu?'

'Danu is the Gaia we brought over from that parallel universe. She met with her counterpart and took on one of her previous identities. Now hurry, we're running out of time.'

In a flash of fire, Firehair appeared beside him, her long red hair fluttering behind her. Her Emerald eyes scanned her surroundings, "Va Kox's body is falling apart. Even though he is draining energy from those he mutated, he only exacerbates the situation. What his body doesn't burn to keep them alive is being stored in his heart and will eventually detonate."

"Exactly."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"With everything that's happened," Harry gestured around them, "I don't think we can hide anymore, so I want us to use our true abilities to undo the damage Va-Kox's actions have done to the city."

"Some people have already died, and their souls have decided to move on to the afterlife. Others were taken to the island to be stabilized, but I have a few stored within me that can be restored."

Harry inclined his head, "Then we will do what we can."

"Are you sure this is the course of action you want to take," Danu asked as she appeared on his other side.

Harry glanced at her, taking in her new voluptuous figure, blonde hair, and blue eyes.

Harry glanced at the Genosha, "The mutants are blamed for enough; I can't let them be blamed for something I failed to stop." He looked at the two women, "If I had caught Kru El, Lesla-Lar, and Va-Kox after they left the Weapon X facility, none of this would've happened."

Danu laid a hand on his shoulder, "We cannot change the decisions or actions we took in the past. All we can do is work to do better in the future."

Firehair nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," Harry whispered, grabbing a hand from each woman.

For a moment, they floated there before Gaia cleared her throat.

"Are you ready?"

As one, each of them raised their free hand.

Power built around them as their energies converged on their palms.

Blue-white for Harry, pale, green for Gaia, and orange for Firehair.

The energy began billowing around her hands, which became pure white as they touched.

"I'll repair the damage," Harry began.

"I'll keep those alive strong," Danu continues, her eyes drifting closed.

"I'll put their souls back in the bodies once Harry reconstructs them," Firehair finished.

"You know we will be weak after this, right?" Danu cautioned

"Let's just get this over with."

A white wave of power rushed out of the three of them, spreading over Genosha and the city of Manhattan.

As the wave spread forward, bodies broke apart beneath its power.

Using her influence, Gaia kept them alive while Harry removed the energy that caused them to mutate and reconstruct their bodies. Firehair then reattached the soul.

Under their combined strength, people lived, and buildings were repaired, but as newly healed people rose to their feet, you could tell there were missing. The city had lost at least a quarter of its population.

As they continued to work, Danu slumped, sweat beaded on Firehair's brow, and Harry's wings began to flake away. Doing something on this scale away from their place of power drained them.

Glancing back at his companion, Harry released tendrils of energy from his body. Plugging them into Firehair and Danu, he began sharing the power he was taking from the mutated.

Danu and Firehair straightened ever so slightly as the crumpling of Harry's wings accelerated.

As the last human rose to their feet, the trio turned their attention to Va-Kox. Under their power, his body twisted.

Alterations he had done to himself were torn away, and the damage healed.

When it was done, he hung limply in the air, his eyes staring at nothing.

Harry floated toward him as their energy wave faded: "The right thing to do would be to send you to the authorities and let you answer for your crimes, but I'm too tired to do the right thing."

His hand shot out, clamping around Va Kox's throat. With a sharp inhale, energy poured out of the man, and he began to wither.

In the time it took Danu and Firehair to join him, Va Kox crumbled to ash.

Firehair looked at him, an eyebrow raised, "You ate his soul."

Harry shrugged, "In the end, the universe is made up of matter and energy. Now," he looked down; Charles Xavier and Max Eisenhardt stood below them waiting, "I think we have some people that want to talk to us."

Together, they drifted down to land on Genosha.

Charles Xavier stepped forward, "Thank you for coming to our aid."

"Whether you accept my offer or not, you are still mutant. Therefore, you are still family."

"Family," Max repeated as he stepped forward and offered Harry his hand, "Thank you for returning my daughter to me, even if you did it for political reasons."

"To that end," Xavier began, "we have discussed it with our people. By majority vote, they want to move closer to your islands at least." He looked around, "After what happened today, I think that would be even more prudent."

Raising his hand, Harry concentrated.

Blue-white energy shone from beneath Genosha before it sank into it.

Xavier and Max found themselves closer to three other islands when it faded.

Harry turned away, "It was a pleasure to see you both again, but there are a few more things I need to take care of before this story is done." Lifting into the air, he flew off.

Firehair glanced between Danu, Max, and Xavier before her gaze flicked to Harry. After a moment, she lifted into the air.

Danu sighed, "Those two always leave me with the politics." Turning away, she lifted into the air, gesturing, "Well, come along. I will take you to the Council, and you can hash out a deal between the islands," she glanced after Firehair, "Although without Firehair, you probably have to wait on the prehistoric one."

"Prehistoric," Charles repeated silently as they followed Danu under Max's power.