WOOOOO
WE'RE HERE PEOPLE!
WE'RE AT THE START OF SEASON THREE!
OH MY GOD, MY EXICTEMENT IS THROUGH THE ROOF RIGHT NOW CAUSE WE'RE HERE.
Seasons 1 and 2? That's just the fucking prelude ladies and gentlemen.
We're now at the point where things are gonna go further off the rails, more and more.
So much has been planned for this season, undoubtedly being possibly the longest up to this point.
All the reviews from the last chapter has gotten me all hyped and excited and I cannot convey in words just what for you all to expect to come for this season.
So ladies and gentlemen without further ado, Infinite Wars Season 3.
Rate Read and Review and As ALWAYS Have Nice Day.
Avengers Infinite Wars Chapter 51: Lost Travelers.
Life… is very strange.
It can be hard and very cruel to many who are undeserving.
But at times, life can give you moments of joy and kindness where you can simply appreciate being alive and in the moment.
Unfortunately, for this individual standing in a cave with blood used as ink for a message on the wall, he fell into the more negative description of life.
This man has lived in a time of strife and conflict where his world was engulfed in a war that he voluntarily went in knowing he most likely would not come back alive. There was a point where he truly believed that.
Then his best friend in the whole world came to save his life and for a while…
Though the war was brutal, it was unforgiving and they did some things that they knew wouldn't make them sleep so well at night, there was a strange peace that he had.
He fought side by side with his best friend and a ragtag group of some of the best men he ever knew.
And then it all fell apart.
Surviving a fall that should have killed him, the last thing he could "remember" was waking up with a metal arm and then…
Nothingness.
That was until it all started coming back to him.
He "woke up" in an era that wasn't his own. Memories that began bombarding him on the daily and nightmares of him standing atop corpses whilst also being restrained by them.
It was a slow process but eventually, they all came back to him.
The horrors he inflicted upon the world for the organization he once dedicated his life to taking down.
Some might say that it wasn't him. Never him.
But he still did it.
Those were his hands he saw pulling the trigger, stabbing, bashing and neck breaking to kill any and all he was directed to.
Thankfully, it had been over a year by this point since he had been under ice and by this point he had one mission.
To find the people who did this to him, take and kill them so they can never use him to harm innocent people ever again.
That red book told him a lot since finding it.
A series of codes and phrases to make him completely and utterly subservient to whomever utters them in his presence.
Which led him on a global journey to multiple old bases that were and were not empty.
The were nots… have a lot of bodies that most likely will not be cleaned up for quite a while in hindsight.
But eventually, every single place he raided got him what he was searching for and now he was here. Inside a HYDRA base deep within the cold tundra of Siberia.
James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, otherwise known as the Winter Soldier, was still at a bit of a loss as to what to do here.
He had just inadvertently awoken a woman who had apparently been kept inside what she called a "sarcophagus"; which was just a highly advanced cryo-pod.
She kept muttering something about a Sith lord, whoever that was and kept a hand trailing over the strange necklace around her neck.
Bucky figured it would be better that they not dwell in this creepy ass base and find a place where they can both speak with each other more plainly.
When he said it was best that they leave this place, she was hesitant at first but upon taking a quick glance over at the wall that had a bloody message on it, she was quick to agree.
She called herself Celeste Morne.
An odd name for sure Bucky but names aren't all that strange in the world he lives in.
When he asked if she needed to take anything with her, all she did was pat around the belt she wore and slumped in slight relief as her hand settled upon some metal cylinder hanging from her waist.
Stating that she has everything she needed, Bucky nodded and was guiding her to the exit of the base when he noticed her shivering.
The old fashioned gentlemen from the 40's cringed at this oversight of his. When one spends a great deal of time under ice in a cryo pod, one tends to develop a strong degree of resistance to the cold without realizing it.
But Celeste appeared to have been kept in stasis through different means so not as resistant.
It took a bit of time but he eventually found a puffy enough coat for her to wear.
He made sure to rip off the red skulled tentacled patches on its shoulders before she wore it.
Eventually, Bucky had taken Celeste to a quaint Russian village that he had stopped at at one point on his way to the Russian HYDRA base.
Currently the two strange companions sat adjacent to one another in a small little tavern and had steaming cups of hot coffee in hand.
"What is this drink?" Morne asked in open wonder, taking her fourth sip of coffee. "It doesn't have the best taste but… I just can't stop drinking it."
Bucky couldn't help but snort at her awe of such a simple drink.
"Coffee." Bucky said, raising his cup slightly as faux-toast. "The drink that keeps ya going when ya need it most."
"I see." Celeste murmured, having a much larger gulp this time. "Can I have more?"
"Can have the whole pot." James stated. "Feels like we'll need it."
"Please." Morne said almost too excitedly, further amusing the hardened soldier.
After receiving said pot of coffee and meals Bucky had ordered for the two of them, there was a period of silence between them both as they ate their meals.
Eventually however…
"How did you find me?" Celeste asked softly. "Where even am I?"
"To answer that, it's a bit of a complicated process." Bucky said with his arms crossed and leaning back in his seat. "I've been on what you can call… a journey of self-rediscovery. Finding you wasn't something I planned."
Celeste tilted her head slightly at this explanation.
"But freeing you…" Bucky rubbed his chin with his right hand. "I was a bit hesitant. I had no idea who you were. HYDRA had next to no records about your existence and even the files I found in the base that kept you didn't tell me much."
"HYDRA?" Celeste repeated in confusion.
"Yeah, HYDRA." Bucky said as if it were the most obvious thing. "Let's just say they're Nazis on a whole other level of evil and bad."
"Nazis?" The woman in front of him said, once more showing confusion.
This gave Bucky a momentary pause, making him remember the woman with him would not know what a Nazi was to begin with.
"Alright… how's about this?" Barnes propped his arms on the table as he leaned forward slightly. "Let's start from the beginning for the both of us. Tell our sides of the stories and what led us to our pods that made us sleep for God knows how long. Sound good?"
Celeste, who was in the middle of biting a sandwich, nodded slowly with Bucky returning the gesture.
"Ok then, ladies first?"
The strange woman gave a slight smirk at the war veteran and took a moment to collect her thoughts.
"My name is Celeste Morne." The woman reintroduced herself. "Jedi Shadow of the Jedi Order and Galactic Republic."
Bucky slowly nodded with a blank look.
"Right… Jedi Order." He repeated. "Galactic Republic. So then… are you from outer space or something?"
Celeste Morne certainly wasn't expecting a question like that with her brow being raised in a quizzical manner.
"Er…" The Jedi shadow was slightly confused by the question. "Yeah, I guess. Wait, do you know about the Jedi Order?"
Bucky shook his head in the negative.
Celeste proceeded to rattle off a number of names and terms to see if any of them sounded familiar to the former HYDRA assassin.
The Sith. The Galactic Republic. The Mandalorians. Zayne Carrick. Revan and Malak.
All of which were met with the same response as before.
No.
Celeste was really confused now.
"Wh-what planet am I on?" She found herself asking.
"Earth."
Celeste gave a bewildered look. "I'm on a planet called dirt? What kind of planet is named after dirt?"
Bucky couldn't contain his loud snort as that was certainly something he had not been expected to be asked about.
"Don't know, couldn't tell ya even if I could." He said with an amused smirk. "Take it up with the scientists who gave it the name, not me."
The Jedi chuckled slightly at his comment with a shake of her head.
"So…" she hummed aloud. "From the beginning?"
Bucky gestured with his hand as the go ahead. "By all means."
Celeste proceeded to explain to the best of abilities a simplified version of both her life, what she had been going through, the Mandalorian wars, the Jedi order, the Sith and something called the Force that apparently tied it all together.
Barnes tried his best to keep up with everything that she was talking about. This all sounded familiar as it did strange.
War was something he knew all too well and was rather disappointed, though not by much, to learn that a majority of the universe still abided by this conflict.
Then again the alien invasion that took place three years ago in 2012 should have been enough of a red flag of what's out there.
"So these Jedi… sound sorta like a magical cult." Bucky commented a few seconds after Celeste finished telling her story.
The Jedi shadow nearly dropped her head down to the table.
"The-They're not a cult." Morne argued back with an amused laugh.
"You sure about that?" Bucky asked in a mock-serious voice. "Mystic mumbo jumbo of this energy that's everywhere and has a will of its own? Sounds cultish to me."
"Well it's not." Celeste said with a shake of her head, a more distant look appearing on her face. "The Jedi Order has been the defenders of peace for thousands of years now. We may be loyal to the Galactic Republic but our duty is to the galaxy and the Force above all else."
"Duty huh…" the WWII veteran leaned back in his chair with a slight somber look as he turned his head towards a nearby window.
The two were quiet for several moments until Celeste spoke up.
"What of you, James Barnes." Celeste said inquisitively. "What is your story?"
Bucky released a tired sigh, expression changing into one of a more weathered and weary look.
"Too much shit to say the least." He said quietly.
Celeste leaned folded her arms upon the table and inclined forward.
"Tell me." She said softly.
And so he did...
-Scene Cut-
"What's this?" Celeste asked, holding up a purple fruit.
"A plum." Bucky said, already paying for it to the vendor. "It's a fruit."
"Plum." Celeste repeated in a low voice, taking an experimental whiff of the spherical fruit before taking a large bite out of it.
She instantly let out a high pitch squeal of delight, whirling towards an amused Bucky who held a bag full of the purple fruit.
The Jedi Shadow practically beamed in his direction, spinning about as she walked forward whilst her "chaperone" turned back to the vendor and nodded at him in thanks.
Currently, the duo were walking through a bustling bazaar within the European country of Germany.
They had come a long way since the Siberia, Russian wilderness, going through several other European countries like Poland, Belarus and the Czech Republic.
For Celeste, this was quite the experience in seeing such a variety of cultures that both were alien and familiar to her all at once.
For Bucky…
It was rather surreal for the war veteran to be standing in a country he was once at war with.
There were a few moments where Bucky's perspective shifted into that of a battlefield, standing amongst rubble and ruin and by his side were friends of a bygone era.
An era that neither he nor his closest friend was ever able to truly live through.
"Where to next?" Celeste asked aloud, shaking in excitement.
The war veteran gave the Jedi a bemused smile.
"Didn't you say you wanted to-"
"What's that?" Celeste abruptly pointed out, instantly going over to what caught her attention.
Bucky was frozen in place, arms raised slightly with his mouth agape before he slumped a bit dramatically. He then laughed to himself as he moved to catch up to the strange woman he had been travelling with for some time now.
When he first met her and got to know her, she seemed guarded and it was easy for him to tell how jaded she was.
A lot like him, almost eerily so.
Almost as if he was staring into a mirror in terms of similarities.
And yet she had this sense of innocent wonderment whenever they traveled together. Though for arguments sake, the same could be said the other way around if he were brought to territories Celeste was familiar with… despite whatever amount of time passed.
Shaking his head, he moved to catch up to the Jedi who was examining several individuals behind a glass window setting up a familiar tree with a multitude of lights and decorations.
"What are they doing?" Celeste asked.
"They're setting up a Christmas tree."
"And that is…?"
"A holiday where it's all about gift giving." he answered. "Just giving gifts to people you care for and all. Nothing too complicated."
"Gift giving." Celeste murmured.
Bucky then snorted with a mirthful smile making Morne look at him.
"What is it?"
"Just thinkin' about the last time I celebrated Christmas." Bucky said, a far off look in his eyes. "It was 1941. America was dragged into war and I knew it would be a matter of time until I got deployed. That was the last true Christmas I had. Me and my best bud. After that… Well, I wouldn't mind giving it a try again someday."
Celeste already knew to whom it was Bucky was referring to and placed a gentle hand upon his arm.
"You'll see Captain Rogers again someday." Celeste said softly.
"I can only hope." Bucky said with a shake of his head.
"Until then, how do you want to celebrate?"
Bucky thought back to many of the past Christmases he had celebrated. More so when he reached adulthood.
Some of those times were focused on being with Steve and family friends. Other than them, he tried thinking of how she personally celebrated… which might not be appropriate to bring up as it may no doubt ruin the present mood.
"Well… we still have a few days out until Christmas rolls around." Bucky mused aloud. "Can figure something out for the two of us. Can be your proper welcome to Earth sort of celebration."
Celeste laughed heartily at that. "I'd like that very much."
-Scene Cut-
Within a hotel room that the two were staying in, Celeste stood upon a balcony and watched fireworks going off from afar.
Apparently, this was the celebration of the New Year with the year going into 2016 AD now.
They had long since left Germany, now being in Denmark and were now on their way North.
Why were they travelling North, one may ask?
Celeste, being a Jedi, had enlightened Bucky Barnes further on just what exactly it means and what it allows her to do above all else.
There were the basic abilities practically all Force users are capable of using such as push and pull.
Then of course there were some of the more esoteric, strangers and deadly abilities like mind persuasion, lightning and healing.
Currently, she was utilizing a "feeling" as a guide of sorts towards a destination in Northern Europe.
Which was also rather strange because Celeste spoke of how bizarre Bucky's planet was.
She described it to be both present and void in the Force in the beginning.
That of course only confused the simple minded soldier so she had to give it some thought.
At first, it took a few days which turned into weeks as they travelled together until she was able to formulate a proper answer.
Eventually, the best she was able to describe it as something similar yet different.
All she got in response was an even more confused look out of Bucky with her more or less giving up at that point.
To her, he was at least willing to go along with her "feeling" and see where it would lead them both. He kept commenting on her perhaps being a wizard and if she knew Gandalf and currently, the Hobbit is becoming a favorite of hers to read. It's sequel series will be something she'll be looking forward to in the near future.
But right now, she was more focused on the dazzling display of explosive lights off in the distance with cheers and celebration going on all around them outside their hotel.
"Not used to seeing fireworks?" Bucky asked from his bed.
"Strange to see them used for celebration." She said, not looking away from the display in the sky. "Sometimes the ones I saw back where I came from were often used for signaling a number of things."
"I can imagine. Hardly saw them myself during the second world war when I was deployed. After that, I can recollect seeing them through moments I wish didn't happen."
Celeste can clearly understand what he meant by that.
Bringing a hand to the ugly piece of jewelry strapped around her neck, she thought back to a whole number of instances in which she had no way of controlling her actions.
"You know… you never did tell me just what that thing around your neck is." Bucky spoke up. "I see it on you all the time and I've never seen you take it off."
Celeste didn't respond at first, instead having leaned herself against the railings and grasped at them tightly.
"What is it, Celeste?" Bucky asked, tone far more subdued as he saw her very much troubled demeanor.
The Jedi shadow released a shaky and haggard sigh as she turned to face the man she had grown to call a friend.
"A curse is the best description I can summarize with." She spat out in anger. "A parasite I wish to part with but can't do all that well."
Bucky looked troubled. "Can't you just pry or cut it off?"
Morne only scoffed at that suggestion. "If only it were that simple."
"So what is that thing then exactly?" Bucky asked, now positioning himself to sit on the edge of his bed.
"An ancient creation made from twisted and dark means through the Force. Within this talisman resides the spirit of one of the ancient and first Sith Lords of the galaxy." Celeste said quietly. "His name is Karness Muur. He created this vile trinket in order to seek immortality and galactic conquest. And this comes with a far more terrifying and deadlier ability."
"Being…"
"Creating a monstrous army which can be unleashed and controlled by the one bearing this talisman. An army which can infect others through bites or scratches which would painfully transform the person within 48 hours with no cure at all. Worst thing is, when one least expects it, Murr would surface and take over the wearer to suit his own needs."
"What's this infection?"
"What Karness created was something that would be called the Rakghoul plague." Celeste revealed. "Calling it dangerous would be putting it mildly."
"Right, you told me it spreads like crazy with bites and shit." Bucky nodded.
Celeste placed her hand atop the Talisman again.
"The Rakghoul plague has devastated the galaxy for countless centuries." Morne stated. "So many lives had perished due to this blasted talisman and the evil man who created it."
"How'd you get it?" Bucky asked, making Celeste tense up.
She was silent for several moments until she exhaled.
"The previous owner brought it to a Mandalorian held world, Jebel and unleashed the plague so it would be easier to conquer. Unfortunately, it went off prematurely with everyone on his ship getting infected. It crash landed and the plague almost infected every Mandalorian and Neo Crusader occupying Jebel. I was able to acquire it after battling for so long. And in order to keep everyone safe from the Rakghoul plague, I took on the burden of keeping it with me and locked myself away in the sarcophagus you found me in."
Bucky now held a more guarded and troubled expression.
"So you're telling me that thing can go off at any given second?"
Celeste nodded her head.
"It's why we need to find a way to remove it from me and either destroy it or bury it in a location no one will find it." Celeste said, a more desperate tone. "It has been so long since I last felt like who I once was and it has something to do with this planet. I don't know what it is, what caused it but it's given me this chance and…"
Bucky was in front of her in an instant and took both her hands into his own.
Her breathing was erratic with tears now streaming down her face.
Without hesitation, the Winter Soldier brought the Jedi into a tender hug. She latched onto him soon after as her arms were holding him tightly with all these emotions surfacing after so long.
"I keep seeing them." Celeste whispered to him. "The things Muur did to all those people, the experiments, their screaming. I hear them every night when I sleep."
Bucky's eyes widened slightly before holding her a bit tighter than before.
She kept on speaking, not even registering what he did.
"Force, I tried to resist him." Morne was now weeping. "I wanted to use its power to help people but I ended up doing the opposite. I failed as a Jedi knight. I failed as a friend to those who came with me. I…"
She could say no more as she held onto Bucky and simply cried.
The two remained this way with the Jedi eventually calming down with her arms wrapped tightly around the Winter Soldier. His shirt was thoroughly drenched by this point yet neither minded with her leaning her head upon his chest, feeling his chin atop her head.
"Feelin' better?" Bucky asked quietly, feeling her move her head up and down in a nod.
"If Murr were to surface again and unleash the plague, I need you to kill me."
Bucky jolted and placed both his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away yet still held her.
"What?"
"You heard me, Bucky, I-"
"No." Was his instant response.
Celeste frowned. "Bucky you can't-"
"I'll take the risk needed to get this shit off you." Bucky promised.
"What if you can't?" Morne shot back, voice rising. "Bucky, this thing is extremely dangerous. This whole planet can be consumed by its evil nature."
"You said it yourself, this planet is different from the others you've been to-"
"That doesn't make it safe." Celeste retorted. "If there is a chance, that's wonderful, but we have to look at the bigger picture, Bucky."
"Didn't you just tell me this thing has a will of its own?"
"Killing me would at least slow it down."
"But it'll eventually act on its own accord."
"Why are you arguing with me right now about this?" Celeste asked with a more frustrated tone now. "I just told you how dangerous this is."
"I know that but that doesn't mean you have to die." Bucky said.
"Why?!"
"Because I don't want you to die." Bucky now shouted. "Is it to hard to believe I care about you?!"
Celeste was rather surprised by this outburst and had her mouth opened to respond only to find that she couldn't find the words needed to reply to him.
The two stood like this for a few moments until Barnes spoke up.
"I… was a soldier." Bucky said.
Celeste gave him a confused look as she had already heard this story before. A veteran of this planet's second world war that occurred many decades ago.
It was easy for the Jedi to assume the man was something special due to him appearing to have not aged as much as most would have. He mentioned something about cryo-sleep before.
It was something that always made Celeste think about just who Bucky was to have been constantly preserved.
"In 1945, I -along with the others of the Howling Commandos- went to the Austrian Alps to raid a train carrying Dr. Armin Zola, HYDRA's chief scientist and engineer at the time. If we captured him, we would be one step closer to taking down HYDRA's founder and leader at the time, Johann Schmidt. Things didn't go as planned as I was basically blasted out of it and fell to my apparent death."
"And why would you say-"
"Cause sometime beforehand, I experimented on with a failed variant of the Super Soldier formula by Zola. They didn't surface at the time of the fall, but the serum was enough to let me survive the deep cold I went through when I fell into the river." Bucky held up his left arm as he gazed at it. "Didn't survive unscathed, though."
Celeste looked at the mechanical arm as Bucky resumed his tale.
"Didn't know how long I drifted for but I was found by both agents of HYDRA and the Soviet Union. I was soon recognized and as their own form of revenge, they placed me through an untold number of experiments after grafting this arm and scrambling my brain to be their obedient attack dog for the next seventy years. It was only sometime before I found you did I get out through Steve's help."
The Jedi was silent as she was processing this reveal with her traveling companion.
"I know exactly what you're going through, Celeste." Bucky paused for a moment. "Ok, not exactly-"
Celeste giggled at that.
"But I understand it." He stated. "And I know that feeling of just wanting it to end, to kill yourself just so other people won't suffer by your own actions."
Bucky momentarily gazed down upon his metal arm and clenched it tightly.
"But… my best friend… he was in the same position as you were." He said with a strained voice. "I could feel it in my head, him wanting to just kill me so I can never be used again."
A small smile wormed its way onto his face. "He refused. He still saw me and wanted to help me."
Celeste was silent as the man before her held a pensive look.
"Course I up and left before anything could be done." Bucky admitted offhandedly, eliciting a small, amused laugh out of Celeste. "I needed to find out who I was again. When that happened, I went about raiding HYDRA holdouts across the world. Took me a while. I can tell ya that much. And in that time I remembered my whole life. All of it. Everything I did before the end of the War-" He raised his metal arm. "And everything that came afterwards."
Silence befell the two as they simply stood there with Bucky's hand resting upon Celeste's shoulders and hers on his chest.
"What a pair we are, huh?" Morne remarked, garnering an amused scoff from the Winter Soldier.
"You know, since being freed from all that crap, I learned about this weird thing called reality television." Bucky stated. "Think if we approach the right people, we can turn it into something?"
"I've seen enough "television" here on this planet to know that's a bad idea." Celeste snorted.
"You're probably right on that one."
The Jedi hummed aloud. "So what happens now?"
"Take one step at a time. Go with the flow. See whatever happens along the way."
"I can work with that."
-Scene Cut-
Bucky walked down the path of a village buried in snow.
He stopped in the middle of an intersection and took a moment to inhale the cold air with a feeling of satisfaction.
Strange how much he could find comfort in natural cold compared to the artificial hell trap of cryo-sleep.
He heard the crunching of boots on the snowy ground behind him and he turned to see a bundled up Celeste Morne.
She was clearly shivering with her teeth comically chattering against one another.
"Think we should have gotten you a thicker coat." Bucky commented.
"Ya think?" Celeste sarcastically retorted, trying her best to stave off the blistering cold. "H-h-how are you not c-cold? Th-that b-barely qualifies as a j-j-jacket."
Bucky simply shrugged. "After a certain amount of time, the cold hardly bothers me anymore. Just got used to it."
"E-Even with your arm?"
"Even with it."
"L-lucky bastard."
The Winter Soldier merely chuckled.
"Come on." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she responded in kind by leaning against him entirely, hoping to use his own body heat to warm herself up.
"W-w-where d-did they tell us to g-go again?"
Bucky scrunched up his face in thought, looking around the village.
It was February of 2016 already Celeste and himself had traveled far up north in Norway. They had come here due to Celeste's "feeling" in the Force with it apparently pointing her in the direction of this village here.
Currently, they had been exploring the Lofoten Islands for the past few weeks, following Celeste's Force abilities and trying to pinpoint just what it was that led her here.
When they drew closer, she spoke of how the Force had a powerful presence here. But it was also not the Force but something else entirely. Something that seems to have a connection to the Force but not one she recognized.
Whatever it was, Celeste described it as unimaginably powerful.
Something she had never felt before.
The Jedi shadow figured that maybe the locals would know something about this though Bucky was slightly skeptical of this.
Still, he followed her lead and the two went from village to village, asking about anything strange that they had seen recently.
While the first village came up with nothing, the second one mentioned that they had noticed an unusual crop yield last year.
This confused the two but they pressed on and an elderly gentleman spoke of meeting with someone around his age that gave him knowledge that would help in getting them more food for their village and others to trade with.
When going to the next village, the answer they got was of a wandering old man in a hood who advised many who needed words of wisdom or came to him asking for it.
This continued as they went from island to island, village to village, asking about this strange man that seemed to pop up everywhere on these islands until an old man directed them to a lone island with no one who lives there.
He even loaned them his small boat for the two to make their way over to this lone island.
So now they were on their way to the port of the town where they would take their borrowed boat towards what felt to be the last island of their journey here.
"Is this it?" Bucky asked, looking around.
"I don't know." Celeste said.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Barnes turned to her. "Aren't we here cause of what you felt?"
"The Force can only tell me so much, Bucky." Celeste said with a roll of her eyes. "It doesn't tell me everything."
"Yeah but I would have thought-"
"Ah, visitors. What a pleasant surprise."
Bucky and Celeste spun about to see an aged man with a worn out eyepatch approaching them both.
"Who the-"
"It's not often I get people coming by here but they are always welcomed when they stop by." The eyepatch wearing man said with a pleasant, fatherly smile.
"Who-"
"Am I?" He finished for them. "Just an old man seeing a place he used to call home a long time ago. Much has changed but I am glad to find this place be the same as it once was."
The man's single eye gazed off into the distance with a content and admiring look as he looked off onto the horizon.
"Are you the stranger everyone's been speaking of?" Celeste found herself asking.
"Stranger?" The man said in an innocent tone. "I would have thought they would have figured it out by now. Some of them seemed to know me. Though they are more familiar with my kind compared to the youth of the villages."
He chuckled to himself.
"Afterall, I'm more familiar with their heritage than they believe." He said to them with a tired sigh. "I have been waiting for a while now."
"For what?" Bucky asked in a guarded manner.
"Whom." He corrected. "I've been waiting for my sons. Wanting to perhaps see them one more time before I reunite with my wife in the afterlife."
"Afterlife." Bucky repeated slowly, to make sure he wasn't mishearing the man.
The elderly man simply nodded. "I'm old. Very old. Older than either of you two can imagine. And my time is slowly coming to an end."
"I can feel it." Celeste whispered in awe. "You… you have great power emanating from you. It's like a Beacon in the Force."
The man regarded the woman in surprise. "The Force… Oh that takes me back to my younger years."
"You know of the Force?" The Jedi asked.
He nodded. "You are ways away from your galaxy, my lady."
Celeste's eyes nearly bulged out. "G-galaxy?! I'm not in my own galaxy anymore?!"
The elder merely nodded once again.
Bucky, all the while, was still rather lost in all this and remained on guard before this stranger.
"No need for that." The man said, turning to the Winter Soldier. "I mean neither of you any harm. In fact, I am quite glad to have company after being by myself for some time. One misses simple conversations in isolation."
"Who are you?" Celeste finally asked.
Instead of answering the man turned to the cliff sides and proceeded to walk towards it. He turned back and gestured for them to follow after him.
Bucky and Celeste were reluctant with the request, but what else did they have in doing at this time. Once standing beside the one-eyed man, they heard him speak.
"I have gone by many names, titles and monikers, too long a list to recite before you two." The Man spoke slowly. "So I shall give you the simplest of ones. All-Father, Wise One, Lord of the Hanged. I have as many names as there are winds. As many titles as there are ways to die."
Celeste was rather captivated by all this.
But Bucky…
"I am or was… the former King of Asgard."
Bucky's eyes widened considerably upon hearing that last tidbit. After 2012, the whole world was made aware of the heroic group known as the Avengers.
And amongst their group was a figure of Norse mythology known to many as Thor.
In that time, the old pantheon had become quite popular around the world with many reading up on the mythology.
"You…" Bucky murmured in realization. "You're-"
"Odin." the One eyed man revealed. "And you two are my honored guests at this time."
Celeste took notice of Bucky's reaction, soon asking him the obvious question.
"You know who this is?
"He's a God." Bucky replied straight away, Celeste's eyes widening considerably.
"A God?!"
"Most people had revered my fellow Asgardians and I as deities. Others have known us as a highly advanced society to be mistaken as gods. It's quite understandable to see the confusion and misconceptions; especially with our long lasting lifespans."
"Still sounds like a God to me. If you know magic and shit next to science, makes you a God in my book." Bucky remarked, making Odin laugh.
"Well, I never denied the title." Odin said in good humor. "Gods and Goddesses seem apt titles given the many specialties and abilities my people all have."
"So you truly are a God then?" Celeste inquired in disbelief.
Odin merely shrugged. "I am what you need me to be."
"That doesn't really answer anything." Bucky said flatly.
The Norse deity didn't regard the Winter Soldier in the response, only choosing something else to focus on.
"Oh." Odin gazed down upon the talisman clasped firmly around Celeste's neck. "Perhaps… that is why you came to me."
Bucky and Celeste looked down to the Muur Talisman as Odin stood before the Jedi and raised his hand.
It hovered in front of it, his single eye closed in concentration.
"This is an item of great Darkness." The All-Father spoke slowly. "An ancient corruption that is an affront on life itself."
Celeste's eyes widened considerably, watching as Odin went on.
"Ah yes, it has been many centuries since I last encountered these sorts of beings." The elder God hummed aloud. "Ghastly individuals who know not of their own doomed path. The Sith never learned from their mistakes, did they?"
"You seem to know much about the Sith." Celeste said, eyeing Odin suspiciously.
"As I do the Jedi." Odin remarked. "There is much more I know of but that knowledge can be found elsewhere on this planet."
"Why can't you just tell us this now?" The Winter Soldier asked.
"Because it is not my duty to do so." Odin replied simply. "There are others here in this world that can explain in far greater detail and can teach you more than you already know. The Force is only the beginning."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Celeste asked.
"You shall learn in time, my child." Odin said kindly. "But before you depart…"
With the simplest touch, the Sith relic around the Jedi's neck started to glow. Across its surface, ancient Nordic runes started appearing in an intricate manner along with other glyphs and symbols. Before long, the light died down as everything seemingly went back to normal.
"What did you do?" Celeste asked, eyes wide with a hand upon the talisman.
"I helped you, even if for a short while." He informed them. "If I had more power, what I placed on this ghastly thing would've lasted far longer."
"So what'd ya do then?" Bucky inquired for better clarity.
"The spirit within that object was beginning to stir." Odin elaborated. "Whilst there is a great deal of explaining how it works, what I can tell you in the simplest terms is I placed a binding spell upon this talisman. He who resides within will not be getting out any time soon."
Celeste gazed down slightly, seeing the tip of the talisman. "I see…"
"But I can do the next best thing for you, Celeste."
"Being what?"
"Direction-"
"Please don't tell us any philosophical crap, Odin." Bucky said with a slight groan.
Odin chuckled at the veterans demeanor. "Nothing of the sort, but legitimate directions leading to a place which will help in your present endeavors."
"And where might this place be exactly?" Celeste asked.
"Nepal, more specifically the city of Kathmandu."
"And are you sure this place you're sending us to… it'll help Celeste?"
"One can only hope."
"Can… can we have an idea who we're looking for?" She asked.
Odin shook his head. "Come your arrival there, they will be made well aware of your presence. My power coupled with what resides within the talisman is enough of a beacon to lead them directly to you."
"That's reassuring." Celeste exhaled, sending a thankful look towards Odin.
"It is important for the past to help the present in order for there to be a future." the All-Father said, placing a comforting hand upon her shoulder. "You two need to believe in your own capabilities and each other and you will succeed where many have failed."
To Bucky, he wasn't exactly sure what Odin was getting at but to Celeste…
It felt like an old Jedi Master speaking to her only this one was far wiser and held a greater degree of power that she could only fathom.
"But why help us at all?" Morne asked. "We're strangers to you."
Odin didn't respond for a moment, gazing upon the troubled "young" Jedi.
"When my son came to this world, I had sent him here to teach him a lesson in restraint, control and humility." He stated. "But in that time, Thor came back with something more. Something that I had waned in during these last few years. I realized my mistakes and while I wished I could correct them, I can at least do what I can here and now to help rectify what is to come. There is a great power in faith and in hope. Both are what makes us strong. It is why so many are here in existence. It is what we fight with when all else is lost…"
-Scene Cut-
They had traveled for a number of weeks by now, well into spring as they entered the Asian territories.
Celeste and Bucky were currently staying in India with the latter having booked a bus ride that would take them into Nepal where they would finally find the place Odin had directed them to. It honestly would've been easier to get an exact location within Kathmandu, but he didn't go beyond the city limits.
Currently, they were staying in a small cottage of sorts that they "purchased" via favors and odd jobs that they did around the place they stayed at for the time being.
Celeste was resting at the cottage whilst Bucky went about gathering food and such that they would be taking with them on their ride over to Nepal.
"Thanks." Bucky muttered to the vendor where he had gotten a large number of fruits and vegetables from.
He made his way back to their cottage and opened the door to find Celeste sitting in the center of the small room with her legs crossed.
She had her eyes closed with her hands resting upon her knees with her lightsaber before her. It was floating in the air as she used the Force to dismantle it earlier. She was cleaning the last piece of it for the maintenance process.
He set aside the food and sat down on a nearby chair and simply observed as she put her saber back together.
"How was it?"
"It's getting better, more fluid." Celeste noted. "Perhaps it has to do with our proximity to the place Odin sent us to."
"Maybe." Bucky said. "Your guess is as good as mine."
Celeste shot the man an amused smile. "In all our time of me explaining all this to you, I feel like you have retained barely anything."
"Who, me?" Bucky placed a hand on his chest in faux disbelief. "I'll have you know I retained everything you said about the magic and all that mumbo jumbo. I just selectively choose what I want to remember."
"To me, I believe you're merely peering through an itty bitty hole with not the full understanding of what you've learned. Too afraid to grasp the full reality when looking beyond the hole."
Bucky gave her a deadpan look. "You do realize I live on a planet where literal Gods who control the weather exist right? And I'm from the past, like you basically… I think."
Celeste snorted.
"What do you think we'll even find when we get there?" he asked, making her frown in thought.
"I… I don't know." Morne said. "This isn't like my time in the Order where I at least have some knowledge to go off of. This planet is all new to me."
James only nodded as he stood up from his seat and walked over to her and offered her his hand.
"Well, least you're not alone in all this." The Winter Soldier told her in a kind manner.
She gave him an appreciative smile, taking his hand as he pulled her up to her feet.
He smirked at her before turning to grab the food he brought recently when he felt Celeste's hold on his hand remain.
Turning back to her with an inquisitive look, Bucky was slightly surprised at her stepping directly up to him, standing only an inch apart.
"Celeste-?"
"I never got to thank you, you know." She said quietly. "You found me, freed me from that sarcophagus-"
"That was more of an accidental find in hindsight." Bucky admitted though Celeste shook her head.
"No." Morne was more firm this time. "It may not be the same but I feel it was the will of the Force. I was perhaps meant to be here, to find you. You who understands me on a level perhaps no one ever truly will. You found me, saved me… gave me hope where I was ready to die should the worst come to pass."
Bucky's expressions softened upon hearing that.
"Hey, that's what I'm here for." he said in a low voice. "You got my back and I have yours. Not really what I thought would happen but… glad I found you Celeste."
The Jedi shadow gave him a bright smile that he returned only for hers to fall away after a moment.
Confused by this, Bucky was about to ask what was wrong when Celeste moved her head up to him.
He blinked at the gesture though a moment later, he responded in kind.
The two met with a chaste kiss that lingered for a few seconds before pulling away from each other.
Both stared at each other before they leaned in to kiss once again. At first, it was the same as their first one yet it took a few moments for it to become far more passionate and intense then the last one.
This went on between them both, Celeste throwing her arms around Bucky's shoulders while he wrapped his arms around her waist.
Eventually, after a few prolonged seconds, they pulled apart gasping for air with their foreheads leaning against each other.
"That was… something." Celeste whispered, gulping in air.
"Y-yeah." Bucky said, equally out of breath.
Things were indeed going to be awkward in their relationship from here on out.
"Have you ever-?"
"Not really." Celeste replied.
The two remained silent for a brief moment until Celeste pulled Bucky down for another, far more sensual kiss with Bucky quickly hefting her up. She responded by wrapping her arms and legs around him whilst he held her up.
He walked over to their bed and she leaned forward, making them both fall to the single bed in the small cottage and soon after, it became a desperate scramble to see who could get their clothes off fastest.
-Scene Cut-
The morning rays had risen some hours ago as the pair were walking through Kathmandu. The sounds of travel, conversing, machinery and so much more blared through the air.
It was quite crowded here with very little wiggle room in certain areas to walk around.
Bucky had long ditched his more heavy clothing and wore nothing more than a long black sleeve shirt with cargo pants and boots. He wore a glove to conceal his metal hand with him rather not drawing any more attention than necessary.
Celeste was back in the clothing she had when he found her minus the armored shoulder padding. Her long hair was tied in its usual white cloth with her lightsaber strapped to her belt.
"Where even is this place?" Bucky asked aloud, looking around.
"Remember what Odin said, they will find us. Just give it time."
"Yeah but any of these buildings could be the place we're looking for." Bucky pointed out. "They got that old timey feel to it."
"Old?" Celeste remarked in amusement.
James scoffed, eye rolling in faux-annoyance. "You know what I mean."
Celeste chuckled to herself, leaning up to quickly peck him on his cheek before they both continued on.
They had soon found themselves walking into an alleyway where there were far less people present.
"Is your Force powers correct in leading us here?"
"I believe so." Celeste said, humming in thought as she closed her eyes for a moment and stretched out her connection to the omni-present energy field.
"Well let's hope it's not near here." Bucky said with an edge to his voice.
Celeste's eyes snapped open and saw that several individuals garbed in elaborate robes and their faces obscured by hoods appeared around them.
"Are we really doing this?" Bucky asked aloud, sounding almost bored.
Celeste tensed up, eyeing the people who had just appeared and were now surrounding them.
There were four in total with them on all sides of the duo.
"Do you really wanna try us?" Bucky held up his gloved hand and promptly removed the glove to reveal his metal hand.
"James Buchanan Barnes." one of them abruptly spoke up, wearing dark green robes.
The Winter Soldier froze up as the one who spoke removed his hood to reveal a dark skinned man gazing at them both in clear interest.
"And… a user of an ancient ability beyond the stars and yet can be found close to home."
"You seem to know of us and yet we know squat about you." Bucky quickly pointed out.
"Apologies." The man bowed forward slightly. "It shouldn't come as a surprise with you, Mr. Barnes. You're quite well known the world over both for the good… and the bad you have committed on the world."
"For argument's sake, that last part was heavily unintentional."
The man smirked slightly, nodding his head. "Of which we are well aware of. HYDRA and its many secretive deeds were made public to the world two years ago. We like to keep ourselves informed of the going's on in the world."
Celeste and Bucky glanced at one another before back to the strange man.
"My name is Karl Mordo. And if you two will follow us, we will take you to the Ancient One at once."
"The Ancient One?" Celeste and Bucky said in unison.
"Yes." Mordo said, gesturing his hand for them to follow which they promptly did. "The Sorcerer Supreme and leader of our order."
"And what is your order?" Morne inquired, now far more intrigued.
"Defenders of magical and interdimensional threats."
"Wait… what?" Bucky said in clear confusion. "So you guys are… legit wizards?"
"Sorcerers and masters of the Mystic Arts, Sergeant Barnes." Mordo corrected him.
"So where's your walking stick and pointy hat?" The WWII veteran asked. "You already have the robes for it."
"If you think Gandalf is a good representation of us…" Mordo said cheekily. "Well… I rather like Gandalf, so I'll take that as a compliment. Still, I am surprised Sergeant Barnes that you know who Gandalf even is."
"Yeah, I read the Hobbit... in 1937 when it first came out."
"A sorcerer is a wizard without a hat." Mordo remarked.
"And where I came from, my order had been considered sorcerers as well." Celeste stated.
"Celeste, you're not helping my argument here."
His lover only shot him a mischievous smile before turning back to Mordo.
"So this Ancient One, the leader of your order… Who is he? Or she?"
"She is the master of Order, as I have said." Mordo said. "She is centuries old, having been the vanguard of our world against mystical and magical threats and the premier user of magic across all dimensions."
"Dimensions?" Bucky said in clear confusion.
"Other worlds, other universes and realities." Mordo revealed.
"What?" Celeste's eyes widened considerably.
"What can you tell us about her then?" Bucky asked, becoming more interested in this strange and apparently powerful individual.
"More will be spoken once we arrive."
"And where's this destination of ours?" Celeste asked.
"Kamar-Taj."
With a wave of his hands, an orange ethereal light appeared in the air. It soon followed his hand movement as a large circle was formed. From the space within the conjured circle shifted to another location entirely.
"Holy…"
"Think Gandalf has something like that up his sleeve?" Mordo couldn't help but rhetorically ask.
"Y-yeah." Bucky retorted. "I think he does just… less showmanship."
Mordo laughed at that as he walked forward with Bucky and Celeste quickly following after him.
Entering inside, they were greeted with a lavish yet simple hall with many intricate designs and symbols found along pillars, walls and hanging tapestry.
"Welcome to Kamar-Taj." Mordo said with a grand sweep of his arms.
Escorting the group through the hallways, the Jedi Shadow came across an open window. There she saw a magnificent sight of a large assortment of exotic trees and structures built within the very mountainscape.
To Celeste, Kamar-Taj greatly reminded her of one of the Jedi Temples she had lived in back in her youth. It was serene and tranquil. And after a very long time, she felt at peace.
"This place is…" Celeste lost her train of thought as she couldn't place it into words to best describe it.
Mordo looked back at her with an amused smirk whilst Bucky interlaced his hand with hers and gave it a small squeeze.
Eventually, Karl guided them to a single room where a lone, bald Caucasian sat, currently looking over a scroll of some kind.
"Master." Mordo spoke up, bowing in respect. "I brought them both as you asked."
The Ancient One looked up from her scroll and with a quick snap of her fingers, it rolled itself back up and floated away to a nearby shelf of other scrolls which it neatly slotted itself into.
"Greetings to you both." She greeted politely. "I hope you had a pleasant enough trip in coming here."
"It was pleasant enough, Ancient One." Celeste said with clear respect, bowing to her as she would to a Jedi Master.
At this point, Bucky was analyzing nearly every detail of her. A habit he had hated ever since HYDRA programmed him into their unwilling servant.
"When hearing the name "Ancient One" I'm somewhat drawn to the idea you'd be an old Tibetan monk, not someone who I think is of… Celtic descent? No offense."
"None taken. A common misconception, Mr. Barnes. The title had been passed down onto me from my predecessor, who was indeed Tibetan." The Master said with a small laugh. "And very astute of you. I didn't think you'd be able to guess my place of origin."
"War made me meet a lot of people." Bucky said. "Being the Winter Soldier… a lot more."
"Of course."
"Odin sent us here if you were wondering." Bucky revealed.
"Ah, figured as much. I am glad to hear he is still alive and well." Said the Sorcerer Supreme as she soon gazed at the Jedi Shadow. "I can sense the spell placed on that object around her neck."
Celeste's hands instinctively went up to said object with a conflicted look appearing on her face.
"So… this place…" Bucky said, feeling a bit awkward. "You guys teach magic here?"
"More or less." The Ancient One said, walking around the desk she was behind to stand before the two of them. "This order was founded upon the understanding of greater forms of power beyond our simple understanding. With that understanding of course came the eventual realization of greater threats, greater dangers to the world that can overtake it at any given time and moment. Upon learning of these threats, the Masters of the Mystic Arts were formed. Our objective was simple. To protect the Earth from threats of the mystical and interdimensional."
"...I can more or less understand what you said, ma'am." Bucky nudged his head towards Celeste. "Would've been lost on most of that if it weren't for me knowing about her."
"Yes with the Force and their Jedi Order if I'm not mistaken."
"How much do you know of my Order?" Celeste inquired.
"A great deal, Jedi Celeste Morne." The Ancient One stated. "There was a time where a greater connection was held between this world and the galaxy of which to herald from. A connection that has since been lost to time yet lingered, waiting to be found once again."
"So… is there a way of me getting back to my galaxy?" Celeste asked, clearly unsure now.
Bucky looked at her, a conflicted expression on his own face yet he didn't speak up.
"That… will be for you to decide." Said the Ancient One. "Before we proceed any further…"
With a wave of her hands, an orange magical glyph appeared in the air before the Ancient One. The light intensified as it soon became smaller. It was then placed upon the Marr Talisman.
A second later, the Sith relic unclamped from Celeste's neck and fell towards the ground. Before it had the chance to touch it, a magic circle appeared under it before it surrounded the object.
"We will place this horrid thing elsewhere for the time being until we can find a way to properly dispose of it." Said the Celtic woman as she had the object disappear a moment later.
Celeste gasped, hand reaching up to her neck as tears appeared out of the corner of her eyes.
"Y-you-"
"Rest easy, Celeste Morne." The Ancient One said with a smile. "Your curse has been removed."
Tears began streaming down her face as she fell to her knees and felt a weight upon her entire being exit her body. She cried pure tears of joy and relief and a moment later felt the comforting hands of Bucky around her. She reacted instinctively, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his neck as she wept.
"It's gone." she whispered in near disbelief. "It's finally gone. I can't feel him anymore."
"Told ya we'd find a way." Bucky said softly.
"I love you." Celeste said, pulling back to kiss him passionately. "I love you so much."
"Love you too, Celeste." Bucky said with a small smile.
The Jedi laughed tearfully, turning back to the Ancient One.
"Your thanks are unneeded." She quickly said. "And if you believe there to be a debt, perhaps you learning about our order can serve enough as one. Perhaps in time we can help both of you."
The Master of the Order gave Bucky a hard look, the Winter Soldier realizing what she may be implying.
Bucky then realized something she had said. "Both?"
"Celeste is still troubled with the horrors she experienced and needs to heal from them. You, however, still have an issue that needs to be rectified."
This didn't sit well with him on what's being implied.
"Come." Mordo spoke up. "I'll show you both to your room."
Helping Celeste to her feet, Bucky got her to follow Mordo to their quarters during their stay at Kamar-Taj.
"A great change is upon us now." Muttered the Sorcerer Supreme. "One that is very uncertain."
She departed from the room and with a flick of her wrist, the lights dimmed with the sound of soft footsteps being heard as she walked further away.
Well now, this came out a lot faster thankfully and it came out quickly.
Jeb and I have been busy with work and all but somehow, at the time of this chapter, we managed two updates at once so we got crazy in this single writing session.
Loki was fucking crazy.
Wandavision left a profound mark on this story wherein Jeb and I got to make something special come the time we get to her.
But Loki… man, I don't even know how we can use what happened in that show in this story without disrupting what has already been planned but we gotta use something.
Jebest4781: But given that the events of Loki got the multiverse rolling in a proper way, this can be worked with in some manner when being referenced. The idea is there, but it just needs to be properly translated.
FMW: And of course, "What If" is right around the corner so more Multiverse craziness to work with. But we also wanna make sure we stay focused on what has already been outlined and planned out. We can't take every new thing that comes out and forcibly incorporate it into the story otherwise we lose track of our goal.
Jeb: Besides, many of us on this site essentially already did things with the MCU multiverse in some shape or form on either straight forward or crossovers so take that into consideration with this new development with Loki events.
FMW: Yup, yup. We already know how this story will go, same as many of the others we have planned out and unless absolutely necessary, we're sticking with what we've gotten down in our planned story arcs and stages.
So other than that folks, welcome once again to SEASON THREE OF INFINITE WARS.
WOOOOOOOO
Rate Read and Review and as Always HAVE NICE DAY.