Avengers: Infinite Wars

by free man writer

The Clone Wars are in full swing with the galaxy divided. The Jedi lead the clone army against the infinite droid army of the Separatists. Yet a wild card enters the fray. The Avengers. From there, newer, more sinister and deadlier threats emerge and The Galaxy, no, the universe, shall never be the same again. Co-written by Jebest4781 and BulletStormX. Now in Season 4.

83. Ok So Does it Work?

Alright, let's close this year out by closing out this arc.

Rate Read and Review and As Always Have Nice Day.

Avengers Infinite Wars Chapter 83: Ok… So does it work?

The people of Ta Lo along with the surviving forces of the Ten Rings and The Avengers all stood at the shore near the village.

It was nighttime, a day since the battle of Ta Lo.

The dead of the previous day had been gathered and put to rest.

Within everyone's hands were lanterns that they had made, placing them down upon the water in small numbers and watching them float away.

The Avengers hung back, for the most part, silently observing the memorial service.

Shang-Chi and Xialing each had a lantern they made for both their parents. Sharing a look, the latter nodded with the former returning the gesture as they placed their lanterns down on the surface, watching the glimmering lights slowly float away.

They stood back, slowly sitting down on the ground, Katy already there with Morris at her side.

Wordlessly, the valet driver leaned her head on Shaun's shoulder, the two best friends leaning on each other. Shaun reached out for his sister's hand and held it, the woman turning her hand to hold his, the pair sharing a look.

"Tonight, we honor those who gave their lives so we might see another day." Ying Nan solemnly stated. "They were more than warriors. They were our mothers and fathers, our sisters and brothers. And though we will always hold on to their memories, tonight we release them to rest with our ancestors."

Over with Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Danny Rand, Celeste Morne, Karl Mordo and Hector Ayala all let out small prayers of their own for the deceased.

She-Hulk stood by one of the Guardian Lions she befriended, two cubs in her arms with Robbie nearby, Phoenix perched on his shoulder.

Iron Man's eyes glanced over to the Xu siblings, looking at them with an unreadable gaze, 'hmphing' quietly in a satisfactory manner.

"Farwell dad. Mom, we'll be okay." Shaun quietly said in Mandarin, watching the lanterns drift further away from them.

Ying Nan continued speaking as the last of the lanterns was placed on the water.

"A thousand years ago, and a thousand years from now, we will always be together. We send our fallen to their rest, praying for their serenity and their watchful gazes. We thank our new allies," She turned back to shoot a small smile at the team of superheroes at the back of the crowd. "For coming to our time of need, a want of nothing in return."

"Not exactly nothing in return." Strange whispered, getting nudged by Celeste.

As the lanterns floated further away, from below, the Great Protector swam underneath the surface. Its motions made ripples that coalesced the lanterns into the center, the dragon swimming in the shape of the yin-yang symbol.

It then came out of the water, flying in the air, water falling from its serpentine body.

"That's never not gonna be cool." Tony remarked at the sight, the Avengers murmuring and nodding in agreement.

They watched the dragon fly gracefully through the air, letting out a roar of both victory yet sorrow at the loss of life.

Eventually, the memorial ended, the people of Ta Lo moving to rest whilst the Ten Rings found themselves being instructed by Shaun and Xialing to return to the Ten Rings base to await their instruction.

All, including Devil Slayer and Razorfist, listened without question.

Enemies they may have been just a day ago, these two are the children of their master.

Wenwu drilled it into their heads that should anything, unlikely as it may be, happen to them that the leadership of the Ten Rings would pass on to his children.

The Avengers themselves readied for departure but not before the selected new recruits to the Masters of the Mystic Arts would be coming with them.

Now that they knew what and where this place was on top of the blessing bestowed upon them by the Great Protector, the Masters of the Mystic Arts were able to now portal in and out of Ta Lo.

Shaun and Xialing bade farewell for the moment, the siblings leaving on better terms than they were just a few days ago and the latter telling him that she intends of staying in Ta Lo for a time.

Soon enough, Shang-Chi, Katy and the Avengers left Ta Lo for home.

-Sometime later-

Back in San Francisco… in a particular bar…

"I seriously thought we were going to die." Katy stressed with a disbelieving smile. "And I'd only learned how to shoot a bow like a day earlier, now I'm on a battlefield, killing all these Soul Suckers with the Avengers and Shaun's auntie, who's this awesome, magical kung fu goddess. Hawkeye is like, right behind me at every turn, watching my back, it was insane."

"And I'm hanging on to The Great Protector with my sister at this point, trying not to get eaten by the Mega Soul Sucker." Shaun added in, his arms in the motion of the dragon, moving it around all snake-like.

"Oh, the Mega Soul Sucker was a nasty bitch." Chen remarked with a shake of her head.

"Yeah. It was trying to eat our dragon's soul."

"Which would have allowed it to destroy the entire universe."

"Yeah."

"I only had one arrow left, and all I could hear in the back of my mind was my mom's voice saying, 'Just take the shot, you little mooch!'. And with the Ghost Rider giving me a boost, I aimed right for the Sucker's throat and I let her fly." Katy dramatically said, making a whooshing sound of the arrow.

"She blasted it wide open." Shaun said, arms apart to convey the action.

"And then Shaun used the Ten Rings to do this crazy Kamehameha fireball that exploded the thing… and he saved the world."

"Yeah, we, uh, lost some good people that day… but we made it." Shaun solemnly said.

"We made it." Katy said, bumping her shoulder into his.

There was a brief lull of silence when their audience spoke up.

"Are you done mocking me?" Asked their friend Soo, her husband John appeared more thoughtful from their tale.

The two best friends looked at each other in confusion, Katy speaking on their behalf. "Oh, no. We're not mocking you."

"So where is this sister of yours?" Soo asked challengingly.

"She's back at my dad's compound, shutting down his operations with the Avenger's supervision." Shaun answered.

"Yeah, his dad was the head of The Ten Rings for the past thousand years."

"And after that, she plans on living in Ta Lo to be more connected with her roots." Shaun stated "But she'll probably do something with what's left of the Ten Rings. I know it would be helpful to the Avengers and all."

Soo rolled her eyes disbelievingly.

"For weeks, you were parking cars for tips with you, Katy, doing a side job for Hank Pym, and you want me to believe you're now saving the world from soul-sucking monsters?" She gave them both wry looks. "I know you're trying to get me back for what I said last time, but I'm not gonna apologize for speaking the truth as a friend. I really meant what I said, and, in fact, I actually think this whole bit you're doing just further proves my point. You guys are obviously…"

She found herself trailing off at the pair looking beyond her, eyes widening with a majority of the bar falling silent seconds later.

"What?" Soo asked until she noticed a glow from behind.

Turning around, Soo and her husband John's jaws dropped at who it was that stood at the entrance to the kitchen.

"Shaun? Katy?" Spoke a man with a red cloak and well-trimmed beard.

The entire bar was now silent at the sight of the open portal where Doctor Strange, Celeste Morne and Karl Mordo stood.

"There they are." Morne said, pointing at the pair. "Hey you guys, hope you're doing well."

"Uh…" Shaun stared wide-eyed at this, Katy mirroring this action. "Hey guys."

Mordo walked down, looking at the duo intently.

"Do you still have the rings?" He asked straight away.

Shaun blinked at the question, thumbing behind himself slightly "Yeah, I do, but-"

"Good. Let's go, we have a lot to talk about." Mordo interrupted, gesturing for him to follow.

"You too, Katy." Celeste added on, waving her hand at the girl.

The people in the bar now had their attention focused solely on Shaun and Katy who awkwardly stood up, their demeanor shifting to amusement at the sight of John and Soo's faces.

"We should… go now…" Shaun remarked, laughing slightly at the situation they were now in.

"Yeah." Katy said, quickly moving to join him with the three Sorcerers patiently waiting for them.

Well, Mordo and Celeste were.

Strange quickly snagged an uneaten sandwich from a nearby table, paying the people there in thanks and apologizing for the snatch.

Katy and Shaun walked around their table to get to the portal, Shang-Chi briefly turning back to their friends.

"I know this is, like, crazy, but I'm gonna text you, and we'll do this again. Nice to see you, John." Shaun gestured at the table. "I'll Venmo you for the…"

And with that, they left the bar, stopping by Shaun's place to grab the Ten Rings and were now in the Avengers HQ in upstate New York.

"Whoa~~" Both said at the same time, in awe of where they were, staring at the large 'A' of the Avengers base.

"Come on you two." Mordo called out to them. "You can get a tour of the place later. Everyone else has been gathered."

Shang and Katy could only follow in silent wonder, looking into any and every door and window they passed by. They both kept glancing at each other, making silent gestures of amazed glee at where they were until they were brought into the meeting room of the Avengers HQ.

There, practically all the Avengers save for three members were absent.

Tony, Clint, Jennifer, Danny, Robbie, Strange, Mordo, Celeste and Hector were all in attendance along with two new faces that Shaun and Katy had yet to meet.

Luke Cage and Jessica Jones.

The only ones not in attendance were the Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Princess Shuri and Wong.

"Good seeing you guys again." Clint greeted. "This here is Luke and Jessica. They couldn't join us last time 'cause we couldn't leave the place undefended."

"And we're in the middle of something too, but this sounds important." Luke Cage spoke up, Jones grumbling slightly, can of beer in hand. "But nice meeting you two. Luke Cage."

"Uh, yeah, hi." Shaun muttered in awe, a wide grin in place. "We've heard about… well all of you."

"And we fought with you guys now too." Katy said with childish glee.

"That you did." Celeste said good-naturedly. "And now-"

"Celeste."

A sharp voice cut in from the other side of the room.

Everyone turned to see none other than Wong having entered, looking directly at the Jedi.

Before anyone can ask or comment on the man's sudden appearance, he beat them to it.

"It's almost time." He said, shooting the Shadow a knowing look.

Eyes widening, Celeste quickly turned and bowed her head at Shaun and Katy.

"Sorry, but I gotta go."

None of the Avengers said anything, understanding why she left, watching as she departed hurriedly.

Wong took her place, appraising the newly arrived visitors to the Avengers Compound.

"These are the two?" He asked, though he already knew the answer to that. "A pleasure. My name is Wong."

"Yeah, we know." Katy excitedly said. "We're big fans of all you guys."

Shaun readily nodded with his best friend before adopting a more curious demeanor. "So uh, any reason why you guys wanted to randomly see us?"

"What? You thought that scuffle in Ta Lo was a one-and-done deal?" Barton rhetorically asked.

Shang-Chi bashfully grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, we didn't really think that-"

"Think again, Bruce Lee." Clint remarked, throwing his arms up momentarily. "Welcome to the circus."

"But there is something serious we need to speak to you about." Mordo spoke up, stepping forward to the table in the center of the room. "The rings please if you would."

Jolting at the request, Shaun hastily nodded, reaching for his jacket pockets and pulled out the Ten Rings, placing them on the table.

With a quick flick of his hands, Mordo created an enlarged, orange replica of the Rings, enlarging them for all to see.

"So what are these Rings supposed to be?" Hector asked, looking at Shaun and Katy.

"They were the source of my dad's power for centuries." Shaun answered with a shrug. "But in all that time, I never really learned what they were exactly."

"Your rings don't match any artifacts from our codex." Wong spoke up, arms crossed in deep thought.

"Ain't vibranium, that's for sure." Stark tacked on. "Shuri would know, showed me the difference."

"How long did your father have them before he gave them to you?" Strange asked the pair, Katy turning to her best friend for the answer.

"Um… About a thousand years. Fell from space at some crater from what my father told me."

A number of pondering looks were present once hearing this.

"If you wouldn't mind us taking a better look at them." Mordo tentatively asked, surprised by the shake of the head from the son of Wenwu.

"By all means." Says Shaun, "I don't plan on going on a crazy adventure anytime soon on the fly."

"Though by our string of luck, might be later this week." Said Luke.

"...Is he joking?" Katy asks nervously.

The looks they got from the Avengers didn't really assuage the concern.

"I hope not." Shaun groans.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but you're gonna have to start getting used to your new norm." Dr. Strange said with a slightly sympathetic look.

"From now on, the trajectory of your lives will be like nothing you've ever experienced before. And there's no going back." Wong said in complete seriousness.

"You both have a long journey ahead of you." Clint tacked on. "Go home, get some rest."

Shaun and Katy nodded in agreement, the latter speaking first. "Yeah. That's a good idea."

"Yeah. yeah, we probably should do that."

"Especially since you'll be training here very soon." Tony said, walking up to them.

That made them pause. "Excuse me, what?"

"What, you didn't expect we'd just go our separate ways after our team up?" Robbie said from the corner of the room, leaning on the wall.

"...Um, kinda." Katy lamely said.

Jennifer snorted, shaking her head at the two. "Oh ye of little understanding."

"Sadly, you've become a part of something greater." Tony soon handed over the two friends something. "One with good perks."

"What's this?" Shaun asked, holding up a card that had the Avengers' A on it with his photograph. Katy held one as well, looking at Earth's Mightiest Heroes in confusion.

"They're Avengers ID cards." Stark said as though it should be obvious to them. "For Avengers."

"Avengers ID cards… for…. Avengers…" Katy trailed off, the gears in her head slowly coming to that conclusion.

A moment later, a ding was heard only to them, heads snapping up, looking at each other, the cards, the Avengers and repeating the process several times.

"A-Are you guys serious?!" Shaun said in disbelief.

"Us?" Katy almost couldn't believe it. No, she couldn't believe it. "You want us to join?"

"Well, Avengers in training. Or Junior Avengers." Tony prattled on. "Or… you know what, you guys are Avengers really, just need some tweaks here and there for the whole team thing. God, we gotta get back to Steve. He's better at this than I am."

"At least he's admitting it." Barton quipped.

A familiar trilling was heard and from underneath the table waddled a Dijiang with red-tipped wings.

"Thank you, Balthazar." Tony said, crouching down to scoop the many-legged creature from the ground. "At least you support me."

Whilst Shaun was still in disbelief at the offer, Katy was far more reluctant.

"I get Shaun, but me?" She gave off a nervous, unsure smile. "I mean, I only shot an arrow a few times and I drive good but other than that… and don't you guys already have Hawkeye?"

"No one said we need only one archer in the team. Besides, aside from teaching my kids, I need someone to show the proper ropes." Clint stated. "I tried that with Shuri, but she's a work in progress in the kitchen. Her accuracy can come later."

"You also have your job with Hank Pym, who is a consultant with us." Tony revealed. "So… yeah, you're gonna be spending a lot of time here."

"So, in essence, welcome to the team." Danny cheerfully said.

"Does this mean someone's getting Shawarma?" Robbie spoke up. "Last time we did that, my backseat got greased up."

"I'll handle the pickup." Mordo assured.

Shang-Chi and Katy stood there in a bit of a daze at the influx of information they just received, almost catatonic from it all.

Eventually breaking out of their stupor, Shang-Chi coughed into his hand whilst his best friend exhaled dramatically.

"Quite a lot to take in." Katy muttered aloud.

"We all went through the same thing." Hector spoke up. "Trust us, you're not alone here."

"Right, right… So we'll go home now and get some good shuteye." Shaun soon wore a coy smile, turning to Katy. "Or…"

It didn't take long for her to know what her friend was implying, causing her to wear a stupidly large smile.

Suddenly, the entirety of the Avengers wound up at a karaoke bar, shoulders linked or leaning on each other, some with microphones whilst others laughed on.

"Welcome to the Hotel California." A bunch of them sang together. "Such a lovely place…"

Don't ask how Shaun and Katy roped everyone to join them.

Just go with it.

The day after…

Quite a number of those who went partying last night ended up super hungover. From the typical alcoholic beverages, the karaoke bar provided to some of the spellcasters brought up throughout the night.

At least Tony footed the bill for the food and drinks.

Especially when the rented room was totally smashed.

Back at the Avengers tower, the analysis of the ten Rings of Power was getting interesting findings.

The entire Avengers team save for Celeste and Bucky were present in the lab that held the Infinity Gate.

Joining them this time around was a recently returned Princess Shuri from Wakanda who, suffice to say, was thoroughly moody and pissed off.

"You all went on an adventure to another realm and then had karaoke without me." She petulantly said, having been grumpy for most of the day.

Clint patted her on the back. "You had to go back home during the adventure and you were already in transit-"

"Which you could've used a portal to bring me back sooner." The Princess complained.

"Yeah, but your dad needed you." Clint countered. "And as a father-"

"It's still not fair." She whined aloud, stomping her foot on the ground, crossing her arms in a huff. "I want to see the flying dragon!"

"Don't yell so loud…" Groaned a voice from the side, followed by several others.

"Oh suck it up, you big baby."

Looking over, Shuri and Clint saw one of the Avengers was wearing sunglasses and was nursing themselves with either a cup of coffee or tea for the morning after a hangover.

"You alright there, Hector?" Barton asked his fellow father.

"I should've went back home." Groaned the White Tiger.

"Yes, you should've. Set a good example for your daughter." Clint said, turning back to the work Shuri was undergoing. With her was an amused Hank Pym, Wong and Mordo, the group all making scans of the Ten Rings.

Jessica, Shaun, Katy, Danny and Strange were on a nearby couch that had been brought into the lab where the Infinity Gate was, all of them going in and out of consciousness. Luke stared at them all sympathetically though he still found the whole sight amusing.

Robbie was eating a sandwich that Luke got for him from the city.

"I feel like death." The detective managed out in a slur.

"I feel peachy." Jennifer Walters happily said, holding a baby Shishi in her arms, rubbing her face against it affectionately. The little lion mewled happily, licking the green amazon's face.

"You and your stupid gamma-enhanced tolerance." Jessica Jones grumbled, flipping her off.

She-Hulk let out a faux gasp, covering her little lion's eyes.

"Don't show such vulgarity to Cheetara's eyes."

"Ain't she a lion?" Danny slurred.

She-Hulk maneuvered her pet Shishi around, pointing to a small spatter of spots on its fur.

"Cheetah enough for ya?" She haughtily asked, eliciting more moans from the hungover Avengers, unable to get in a proper response.

"I don't know about you, but last night was fantastic." Robbie said cheerfully.

"Fuck-Urgh." Jessica was unable to finish, nearly retching out last night's alcohol.

"Jesus." Luke muttered, rubbing the poor woman's back. "Easy there, Jones."

The scientists, sorcerers and archers ignored all this, focusing instead on the work at hand.

Tony had come in by this point, leaning on the table, eyes on the Rings.

"How goes the scans?" He casually asked, listening to Shuri's diligent work.

"Their thermoluminescence indicates they're older than a thousand years. But a lot more with several, additional zeroes."

"Especially the markings and energy signatures." Mordo said. "Each one has a unique set of markings save for the unifying symbol of the rings that unify the set."

"The energy is especially interesting." Shuri said. "There isn't just one associated with it. Each ring gives off different signatures."

Before long, the lab was joined by others walking in.

"Hey everyone, we're- oh my god, what happened here?"

"Hey Jane, Selvig, Darcey." Shuri greeted cheerfully, spirits uplifted by the moans of agony at the entrance of the trio, their ears and heads ringing. "You came in just on time. We have new members and new toys to play with."

"Still doesn't answer the earlier question." Selvig said in bemusement, taking in the sight of the downed Avengers.

"They went partying last night and are now paying for it." Hank plainly answered.

Jane looked at the "massacre" of the hungover Avengers in bewilderment. She had seen her boyfriend drink a lot but she never would have thought to have seen Earth's Mightiest Heroes in such a state of affairs.

Guess they really were human after all.

"Mind giving us a summary of what happened?" Erik inquired on behalf of his group.

"Kung fu hustle taken to anime levels of crazy, dragons, martial arts, ten rings of power, new Avengers, other realms with other kung fu people. Daddy issues and soul-sucking demons. Funky China men, from funky Chinatown. Kung Fu fighting and all." Clint quickly listed off, making Jane and her companions stared in bewilderment at the archer.

"...So… what, a Wednesday for you guys?" Darcey said after a few seconds of silence.

"I wish." Shuri grumped. "I didn't get to go."

"Quit whining already." Barton admonished.

"To really categorize such a thing, we need to be facing threats every day at a constant rate." Mordo remarked.

"Or just go out on the streets and do some crime fighting." Luke said offhandedly from the side.

The Princess of Wakanda then saw something pop up on her screen. "They match with… wait… that can't be right."

Hearing this drew some attention.

"What is it, Shuri?" Jane asked, walking over to her.

"This… this can't… but… wait." Shuri's head snapped up in the direction of the Infinity Gate and stared intently at the ten circular indents on the edges of the gate.

The others soon followed suit, looking at what the Princess saw before everything clicked into place.

"No fucking way." Stark said aloud.

"Huh, what?" Shaun stirred. "Did something happen?"

"Oh, something happened alright." Hank said in amazement. "You did. You literally fell right into our lap when we needed you most."

"We did?" Katy grumbled, rubbing her eyes of any ick around it.

Shuri wordlessly ran to the gate, snatching one of the Rings on the way and held it up to one of the indents of the portal.

The moment this occurred, a white-blue glow was faintly seen from both the ring and the indentation. This was seen by nearly every attentive person, with Shuri barking out a laugh.

"We got it!" She exclaimed happily, ignoring the pained groans. "This is it! The key -or rather keys- to activating the gate! To get to the other galaxy and Avengers!"

The other Avengers all stirred in an instant.

Hearing this, Doctor Strange flicked his hand and suddenly, the hangover everyone had was gone.

"What the-" Jessica rounded on him. "You could do that? What hell asshole, you couldn't have done that earlier?!"

"I can give it back to ya if ya want." Stephen deadpanned, making the detective growl viciously, having Danny and Luke place their hands on her shoulders, gently tugging her back.

"Shuri." Hank was at her side, looking at the gate in anticipation. "Can you really open it?"

Shuri shook her head. "I don't know if I can but…"

She turned back to Shaun who immediately got the hint.

"Got it." He said, throwing his arms out.

The Ten Rings immediately returned to their master who had the bands charge up with energy. Once gathering what Shaun would assume to be enough, he fired all ten into the indents of the gates… only for them all to fall away without even a second going by.

"Wait… what?" Katy spoke up. "Was that supposed to happen?"

Bewildered, Shaun attempted the process several more times only to be met with the same result.

"It's not accepting the rings." He said in disbelief.

"Oh come on." Hector threw his hands up in annoyance. "Are you kidding me with that shit? Why can't it ever be simple?"

"Even if we have another piece of this puzzle, we need another to complete the picture." Mordo said sagely.

"But we went through a battle to get it all ready." She-Hulk whined. "Can't we just have a win already?"

"I think the universe likes to just mess with us." Said Tony.

"Well then, it's a good thing I've been doing some research of my own." Strange said, reaching into his robes and he pulled out a small wooden box.

"What's that?"

"Something old and something the Ancient One kept hidden away." Stephen answered. "And something that only a Force user can open up."

The group then looked around and saw that Celeste was not present nor was Bucky.

"Uh… where is she?" Danny asked the query everyone's mind.

Over with the Jedi Shadow in question, she was currently in bed, curled up on the chest of her boyfriend who had his arms wrapped around her.

Both held onto each other in a loving embrace, dozing off peacefully after an intense "session" the night before.

When Celeste returned to her boyfriend, the first thing she did was kiss him awake, ending the long spell that was cleansing his mind of his HYDRA programming.

There was a moment of uncertainty about whether or not it worked which in the end needed testing. Stoically, Bucky went to retrieve the red book he got a year back from an old HYDRA agent and hand it to his lover.

"Do it." He quietly urged, making the woman nervous at first.

She had, with slightly shaking hands, recited the phrases that were once used to put him into his hundreds of trances that led to the death of many that HYDRA deemed a threat in their world order.

With one word after the other, it slowly broke her lover down, tears freely streaming down his face upon realizing they held no power over him anymore. For each one in their sequence never affected him evermore.

It was one of the most freeing moments he had ever experienced as the words did nothing to him. He just stood there, quietly soaking it in until he heard the soft sound of the book being closed.

Bucky Barnes felt like his soul had just been cleansed, wiping his tears away, quickly replaced with a fresh batch.

Looking up, he saw Celeste walking up to him, not even allowing him to say anything. She simply threw her arms around him, pulling him into a deep and loving kiss that he instantly reciprocated.

It didn't take long for them to make their way to the room they shared in the HQ, Celeste making sure to erect every silencing spell she recalled.

She wanted this to be a long night.

Now, she wished to remain here with him in this position.

Yet such things have to sadly come to an end.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

Celeste groaned into the chest of her boyfriend, the vibration waking him.

"Wha-" Was his drowsy response.

His girlfriend forcefully pushed herself up, despite her reflexive protest to stay where she was.

Flicking her hand to the nearest clothing, that being a sweater of Bucky's, she put it on as best as she could, glad that her boyfriend was a decent size larger than her.

Opening the door, she was greeted by the sight of Doctor Strange, blinking at her appearance.

The man paused, taking in how she looked, the disheveled hair, tired look and those bruises on her le- oh…

"So…" Strange coughed into his hand. "Good night?"

Celeste blinked some sleep out of her eyes and registered the question seconds later.

She felt the slightly heavier sweater she wore realizing it to be Bucky's after a moment. The Jedi Sorceress then blushed but was unable to hide her bright smile.

"Uh… yeah." She sheepishly said. "Yeah, really good. The spell worked. Bucky doesn't have those orders in his brain anymore. He's free from HYDRA."

Dr. Strange adopted a thoughtful expression of surprise and pleasantness.

"So it's done then? No more worrying about some psycho super Nazis coming in to take over his head."

Celeste shook her head with a more serene smile now. "Yeah he… he's free."

Stephen hummed, nodding his head before coughing a bit awkwardly. "And I take it you celebrated."

"All night long." Celeste Morne unabashedly said despite her bright red face.

Strange only chuckled, shaking his head with a small smile.

"Given what he went through, he deserved it."

The Jedi Shadow nodded with a small smile of her own. It was only some moments later did her expression shift to one out of curiosity.

"Is something the matter?"

"You can say that." Strange said, bobbing his head side to side.

"I mean you wouldn't be checking up on us, typically I mean."

"I know. Either of us would've done so later in the day unless circumstances called for your presence."

Celeste looked at the man in confusion. "What did we miss?"

"A lot, more or less." Stephen Strange elaborates. "To sum things up, we actually are closer to operating the Infinity Gate than we expected."

Morne's expression brightened upon hearing that. "Really? We are?"

Strange nodded. "And we need one more step to get it done."

He then held up the box he had shown the other Avengers earlier and she gazed at it.

"And this is…"

"You can say it's a final gift from the Ancient One."

The Jedi Shadow gave him a strange look when she felt something. Something quite familiar to her.

Her head snapped at the box, eyes widening slightly upon realizing what was emanating from it.

"That's the Force!" She said in amazement.

"Yup." Strange nodded. "Figured you'd notice it since the Ancient One mentioned this box," He held it up more. "Could only be opened by someone who understands its nature."

It didn't take long for Celeste to get dressed, stirring Bucky out of bed for him to join her and they were all soon gathered back at the lab.

The Avengers and their scientist friends stood around the gate, Celeste at the front of them all.

"So what do we need now?" Danny asked, expecting some other type of trial or necessary component.

"With Celeste here, we can finally begin." Stephen said.

"With what?" Katy inquired, looking on with a growing sense of anticipation.

Strange held up the box and had it levitate in the air.

"I honestly wanted to have this cracked open sooner, but I believed we didn't have all of the components to properly make it happen. But with us now having the Keys to the Gate, we can maybe complete our task."

"Maybe?" Jen parroted, brow raised.

"You come up with a better solution to this whole dilemma of ours." Strange retorted, sending the box toward the Jedi who took it out of the air and gazed intently at it.

To her, this could be it. This could be the key to getting her back to her home galaxy.

The universe knows what she might find when she gets back but at the very least, the Jedi Order stands.

But that's just it.

Will it be the Jedi Order she always knew?

Or is she coming back to an order she no longer recognizes?

She shook her head at these thoughts. The questions she had will come soon, she was certain. Right now, she needed to see if it was even possible to get to these answers.

Celeste exhaled calmly, holding the box with one hand, covering the top with her other.

"Mind telling us what that box is?" Robbie asked, eyeing it with intrigue.

"A containment unit, sorta," Strange said, not entirely certain himself. "Preserving a particular spirit housed inside. Once we open it, we only have one shot to properly fix up the Gate or else it's back to the drawing board for god knows how long."

"And the only way it can be opened can't be through technology or some spell, only through the Force." Celeste said, concentrating on the box.

"So…"

Everyone was promptly hushed by Bucky who stood behind his girl, watching as she… well, he didn't know what she was doing.

But in the time he's spent with her for over a year now, he had developed an odd sense of him feeling her use her power.

He wasn't sure what it was or how to describe it but he could feel her at work. There was a sudden crack or snap of some kind and the group all jolted but they realized a second later that Celeste had opened the box.

From it was a bright yellow light, mist slowly emanating out of it.

Suddenly, the blue cloak that Celeste always wore flew right off her and floated in front of them all.

The light and mist from the box coalesced underneath the cloak and slowly began expanding and taking shape. The light and mist put on a dark blue hue, the shape becoming more distinct and clear.

After a few minutes, a new being stood before them all.

It was a tall, blue bipedal Saurian that stood close to ten feet tall. Kinda resembled a dinosaur.

"Huh, Jurassic Park is getting more interesting here." Iron Man commented, very much intrigued at what stood before them.

A moment later, the being inhaled sharply, eyes snapping open.

"Wha…" The voice was a deep baritone, slightly gruff but with a calmness to him. "Where am I?"

"On Earth, in a galaxy not of our own." Celeste answered straight away, earning the attention of the being that stood before her.

The Kwa.

Said Kwa blinked, regarding these words. It took him a few seconds until memories of his life came rushing back to him.

"Ah, yes. It's been long since I could recollect." The spirit gazed around the room, taking note of the occupants before coming towards Celeste. "Not of our own." He scrutinized her for a moment before he found himself grinning. "You come from home, yes?"

She nodded and the Kwa, one of the founders of the Mystic Arts on Earth threw his head back to laugh.

"Does that mean our galaxy has found the means of linking to here?" He asked excitedly.

"Well, not on purpose." She admitted, holding up the box that contained him. "We need your help. We need a way back there. Our friends are stuck on the other side. We have both the Gate and Keys, but not the way to open it."

The Kwa stared at the box, before spotting the ten rings nearby and then at the gate, letting out a small 'ah' upon realizing the situation.

"So my contingencies I placed with Agamotto remained." He murmured, nodding at it.

"Why did you set them in place?" Celeste couldn't help but ask.

"That," The Kwa shook his head ruefully. "Is a long story dealing with the foolishness of my own people. One I left behind in my personal collection in Kamar-Taj. After this deed is done, I shall join with the Universe and the long-kept knowledge will come to light. But first," He turned back to the gate.

"Is there anything we can do to assist?" Celeste found herself asking.

The Kwa 'hmphed' with a small grin. "Just wait."

A brief flash of light came from the gate and suddenly, the Ten Rings hovered overhead.

The Ten Rings then dispersed themselves amongst the Avengers, stopping on ten individuals.

The Master Sorcerer Kwa was first followed by Celeste and Doctor Strange.

Shang-Chi was obvious, given his heritage and being the present wielder of the Ten Rings.

Ghost Rider was a bit of a surprise, Danny Rand being chosen next to him.

Iron Man also came as a bit of shock, followed by Shuri and Hank Pym.

Lastly was Jane Foster.

"Uh… What is this supposed to be?"

"The Rings match those who represent many aspects of itself and the energies needed to match them." The Kwa answered. "Originally, it was a lot more stringent on the rule as I needed to be sure the proper people necessary were near to help open the gate. But I opted to change it before I passed on, imprinting my soul in the box. The Rings now choose those best suited for the job."

"Uh… I get some of us." Jane spoke up, raising her hand in confusion. "But why me?"

"You have been touched by an essence of infinity." The Kwa answered, surprising her and most of the Avengers, especially those being familiar with what she and Thor told them about her time being possessed by the Aether, the Reality Stone.

"You-"

"Ah, ah." The Kwa cut Jane off, waving his hand. "Please. Let's do this now. My time here is limited as is."

"So then how do we do this?" Tony asked, looking up at the ring floating over his head, the circulate glowing red.

"Just concentrate your mind on the ring." The Kwa instructed. "And it shall do the rest."

Those who were confused shared their sentiment with one another but they all shrugged and simply did as he told, uncertain as they were.

Nothing happened for a second until the rings started glowing, a circle of light surrounding the chosen ten.

From the Kwa and Celeste, small wisps of white, blue, yellow, and green flowed around them.

Iron Fist had yellow wisps, Ghost Riders were of fiery orbs.

Shuri's was stranger, akin to lines of wind, violet in color similar to that she had seen from the Astral Plane.

Hank took a moment to register his, recognizing the wisps to be particles. Quantum particles.

Doctor Strange was surrounded by the orange glow of the magic symbols he always used and Jane had blood-red particles, looking almost like remnants of the Aether she once had.

Shang-Chi's looked like dragon scales that floated around him as they did with the other nine

All of these particles, orbs, scales and wisps all went into the rings. The rings then glowed brightly, slowly rotating and fitting themselves into the slots before clicking into place.

Off to the side, Selvig and Darcy were at the consoles, quickly situating themselves to not only record the upcoming data but to assist in any other technical issues that may come up. The rings' radiance increased after a few more seconds, the equipment to the side picking up on energy spikes.

"We're getting readings from the Gate." Selvig said aloud.

"They are Karayzee." Darcey remarked, eyes widening at what they witnessing.

"Power fluctuations are spiking."

"Should we-"

"No." Wong interrupted sternly. "Just let it pass."

As the glowing rings got brighter, the varying colors all shifted into that of an intense white blue.

The whitish-blue glow from the rings glowed brighter and brighter until there was a loud *CLICK* and there was a flash of light.

Some had shielded their eyes but others watched on as a bluish-black vortex formed in the gate.

After several more seconds, the shining light from the rings subsided. They detached themselves from the gate and shot towards Shang-Chi, slotting themselves back into his arms.

"Whoa." Was all he said, holding them up, looking at the rings rather than at the gate.

"They're stable." Selvig said aloud. "We did it! The Gate is stable!"

There was a palpable excitement in the air with all present, everyone gazing at the gate with a growing sense of anticipation.

"Ah… to see an Infinity Gate open after so long…" The Master Sorcerer Kwa said aloud, a content tone for all to hear, the saurian sagging in place.

With his task completed, the Kwa turned to the Avengers, smiled at them and nodded. He began fading away and finally joined the collective Force.

The cloak he wore remained and swiftly returned around the shoulders of Celeste Morne.

"Well now." She-Hulk said. "I figure that it worked."

Shuri, Jane, Hank and Tony rushed over to Selvig and Darcey, clustering around the many computer screens.

"Readings show the Gate is operational." Selvig said.

"Stable energy fluctuations." Shuri said, making sure nothing was amiss.

"These numbers are wild." Came Darcy's comment. "Closest we ever got to that is-"

"With Thor." Jane muttered in fascination and wonder.

"Alright then," Robbie spoke up. "So is that it? Can we go now?"

Hank shook his head. "Not so fast, hotshot. We can't go just yet."

"Why not?" Danny asked.

"Remember what I said last time." Selvig sternly said. "We don't know if there's a gate we can connect with on the other galaxy for safe, stable travel."

"But the Avengers-"

"That was the Space Stone acting on behalf of the Rings." Erik cut off the argument. "A proper power source but one that had no focus. This one clearly does. If we just go in now, there can be a likely chance we end up just like the others a year ago: scattered, confused and suddenly thrust into danger. We need to approach this with caution."

"But we can use this now." Barton said, staring at the swirling black and blue vortex "We need to get in touch with the others on what happened. Tell them we got it running."

"Thor likely won't be back for a while." Jane said with a tinge of frustration that her boyfriend wasn't here for this.

For all the good timing they had just now, this was the one caveat. Waiting for him to come back.

"Can't we use something to like go through this and show what's on the other side?" Hector suggested.

"What, like a drone?" Hank said, rubbing his chin. "Drones are a good option."

Tony, however, shook that idea away. "Nada. With Ultron over there, he might intercept our message or find his way back here. If not him, then one of those Separatists or pirates."

Off to the side, the Jedi Shadow was relatively off in her own little world. The entire time the discussion in the background had been going on, she couldn't help but marvel at the Working Infinity Gate.

This was a piece of her galaxy's history, an important one at that and here she was, standing before one. And it was at that moment that she saw something… familiar to her.

"Wait… those symbols… I know these symbols." Celeste spoke up, having been pacing around the gate and seeing something she had not seen before.

Where there were once the ten indents for the Rings, now were strange, unusual markings that none recognized save for Morne.

"These are symbols of the Force." Celeste said aloud. "From the Old Jedi Order when it was first founded."

The scientists of the group all looked at the symbols analytically.

"Codes, perhaps?" Selvig murmured to Hank and Jane, both of whom shrugged.

"Translate them and we might get something." Shuri suggested, inputting the images into their setup and seeing what results may appear.

The other Avengers watched on, occasionally speaking with each other about their opinion on this phenomenon.

At the console, the eggheads soon got some form of an answer after multiple mixes and matches from the symbols.

"Coordinates." Selvig said aloud.

"Excuse me?"

"What we see here are coordinates to planets with Infinity Gates." Selvig clarified.

"How'd you figure that out?" Cage asked in bewilderment. "Ain't this all alien language and tech?"

"Yeah but we specialize in it." Darcey cheerfully said. "When your teacher's boytoy is a God-"

"God, not alien?" Jones cut off.

"Not of this earth, whatever," The newly minted scientist brushed off. "Just that this is our thing. And Shuri and you guys have been studying it for a while now so we've gotten a lot of research."

"That, coupled with Thor brought back for us when he was in the other galaxy, one of them being a map." Jane revealed and in front of the Infinity Gate was now a holographic display of the distant galaxy the other Avengers currently resided in.

"So… what, do we input a symbol in?" Katy asked. "Push a button then go somewhere else? Video game type thing?"

"Maybe." Foster hummed in thought. "But as simple as it may be, there's always something that we may not take into account or are not seeing here."

"Once again, Stargate logic here. We already discussed this." Stark waved off.

"Not to everyone." Clint said, emphasizing the new arrivals of the group.

"It's not that simple. Yes, the others are trying to find any Infinity Gates on their own. Some might be inoperable or unreachable. Others need to be reactivated. If so, then do we need to repeat the same action done here not long ago over there? Overall, all of this can be considered heavily outdated. If we can form a proper connection over there, then the data we have here will be 'updated'."

"But what about these symbols? You guys said they're coordinates but they're also meant to signify more than just directions." Bucky spoke up, having been silent in all this, looking at everyone else and then settling on Celeste. "Cel, you know these symbols, right? Not as coordinates but as something else. Things to do with the Force." She silently nodded. "So where would this gate take us?"

She turned back to the gate, focusing on the new ten symbols before finding her answer. She had seen them many times before, in her years spent at multiple Jedi Temples, these symbols were always a prevalent fixture for the Order.

A reminder of their history, their legacy and above all else, where their roots originated from.

"Tython."

-In a Galaxy Far Far Away-

It was hot.

Really hot.

Scorching even.

But that's what one should expect from the volcanic planet of Mustafar.

Barel Ovair wiped away a bead of sweat that came over him, eyes on the crumbling temple he was traveling to.

With him was the witch Gethzerion who eyed the structure in intrigue and awe. The other companion was a simple Sith Acolyte who silently followed.

The Sith infiltrator pulled something out from the bag he had slung over his shoulder. It was a silvery-gray, slightly rusted helmet that radiated the Dark Side in a sickening and twisted way.

"We're close." Was all Ovair said, trudging forward with the Nightsister following after him.

"I had heard rumors of this Sith before but I could never find anything concrete." Gethzerion remarked in interest, walking alongside the Sith who silently regarded her. "Though it's just that. Rumors. Ones which have even made my skin crawl."

Barel let out a derisive snort at that, a deadly grin making its way onto his face.

"With good reason." Barel said, almost reverently. "He was a practitioner of the truest and most rawest form of the Dark Side. The one we follow. His followers of Rhand were beneficial in tracking down where we can find him."

"And this Sith Lord… Momin," Gethzerion's eyes narrowed. "Who was he truly?"

The one who they sought to bring back was truly a… unique practitioner of the Dark Side to put it mildly.

Wherein most, if not all Sith Lords were either power-hungry despots or manic conquerors, skilled sorcerers or deadly warriors, the one called Darth Momin was an artist. A sick and twisted artist, but one who was fueled with his desires and visions to complete his crafts. Much of his work outright disturbed and sickened his audience, which labeled him as quite the sociopath.

It was through this and several other factors that he came across Shaa, who instructed him in the ways of the Dark Side of the Force. Not once beforehand did he know of his connections with the Force but was only noticeable after his encounter with his mentor.

He excelled in his studies and at one point, he was given the title of Darth by his Master. After some time of being her apprentice, he killed her and became a Master as well. A common factor with the stereotypical cycle of the Sith.

Yet the one these people were seeking to revive was much more interesting than many would be led to believe. Factors which set himself apart from many of the Sith.

You see, Darth Momin never took on an Apprentice, let alone considered himself a Master. He never sought to teach anyone other than himself. And through all of his lessons, he sought to continue his previous passions by glorifying the Dark Side, which he believed enhanced his artistic views.

One such "artworks" was a devastating weapon that outright burned a city to ash. He even sought to freeze the destruction in a powerful segment of time, like a portrait, capturing every bit of detail for everyone to see.

And the planet he sought to make this all happen was on this very planet of Mustafar.

"I shall make Malachor V a footnote in the grandeur of my work." Those were his final words before enacting the machine that reduced the city, nearly the entire planet to ruins.

The corruption was permanent, the planet being the molten surfaced world it is now, tainted with the dark side of the Force.

Yet not everything could turn out as it should.

Things would've been far more devastating if the Jedi hadn't interrupted his ritual of making his masterpiece.

Now all that remains of him was his helmet, which was kept under lock and key with many Sith artifacts at the Jedi Temple of Coruscant.

His helmet being the only thing showing his placement in the universe. He made no Holocron to record his teachings and philosophies. Too many other Sith, the path he walked was deemed heretical; thus his story was suppressed.

Until recently, that is.

For many years now, for many generations, the lineage of the Ovair family was tasked with one duty.

To gather the relic of the Sith Lords of old and bring them together for one purpose.

But as to who these Sith Lords were, they needed to be specifically chosen with seldom few exceptions to be made.

Exar Kun was among said exceptions due to his combat capabilities but Sith Lords like Momin and Nihilus?

They were servants of the true form of the Force. Of the Dark Side.

They, like Ovair, saw the universe for what it was and worked to enact the true will of the cosmos.

The will of the end of all things.

The will of death.

"It's time." Barel spoke up, getting closer to the temple, the helmet beginning to radiate a more potent energy of the dark side.

Wordlessly, the Acolyte took the helmet from Ovair's hand and slowly slipped it over his head.

A unique feature of the helmet was that not only could it influence others -like any Sith artifact could- it still has the remnants of Momin's spirit. So whoever wore the helmet could be possessed by his spirit. Not just those of flesh and blood, but those of sentience or animalistic.

The Acolyte stood there for a time before releasing a choking sound. The black visor of the helmet soon had red eyes glowing, the acolyte lurching forward, letting out a gurgling scream as the helmet soon began possessing his body. There were sickening sounds of his body wrenching, twisting and breaking itself as it was reshaped to a more desired form of the helmet.

Before long, the body stilled. Moments later, it began to move.

To others who knew the acolyte, they'd know his mannerisms were far different than what they'd be seeing now. One such detail was the person's body language as they turned around to inspect the surroundings.

"Wearing a bit thin..." Spoke the echoing, dual voice as the helmeted individual inspected himself.

"Lord Momin." Ovair said in complete respect, dropping to his knee. "It's an honor to at last meet you."

"No need to prostrate yourself before me, Sith." Momin spoke through his vessel. "You may rise. Darth I may be the title of master is one I never claimed for myself. I only serve the Dark Side and seek to see its desires blossom."

Barel simply nodded, getting back to his feet as Momin took a moment to collect himself as to where he was.

"Ah, I am still on Mustafar." The Sith Lord spoke through his possessed body. "Did you know this place wasn't always like this?"

"It was due to your doing, Lord Momin." Barel spoke with reverence. "The death you wrought upon this world has left a permanent mark in the Force that echoes to this day."

"And yet, my work still continues." Momin said dismissively. "My idol has yet to be satisfied."

"She will be, My Lord." Ovair asserted. "Once the time comes, our Goddess shall be given all that she is owed."

"Good." The Sith Lord said. "I had feared the path of eventuality may have been abandoned."

"We have been gathering ourselves for 5000 years, Lord Momin. The True Sith knows their time draws near. The galaxy is in a state of chaos and from this chaos, we shall spread ourselves to the corners of the universe to bring about the will of our path."

The possessed Acolyte radiated a satisfied air upon hearing this.

"Good." He said in a low voice, turning to walk towards the crumbling temple.

Gethzerion had been silently observing all this with analytical eyes, her mind awhirl with activity upon seeing the apparent "resurrection" of a Sith Lord that was supposed to have been dead for a few thousand years.

"How is this possible?" Gethzerion questions Ovair, the two walking behind Darth Momin.

"Can your own kind reanimate the dead?" Barel inquired, the Nightsister shaking her head.

"Reanimation is distinctly different from the resurrection. The body is decayed and held together by my people's magicks and ichor. What I can get from Momin is hardly anything. All the power he has and musters is enough to merely communicate with us."

Barel only hummed in intrigue whilst Momin briefly glanced back at the pale woman. She was beholden to the Dark Side like he was but she had a unique air to her that he couldn't properly identify.

Still, the presence of the Dark Side surrounded her and she appeared to be here for the same reason Ovair was. So she was at least an ally at this point.

Momin then turned his attention back to the structure they were all now standing in front of.

"May I ask, who helped make this structure?" The Sith Lord asked, gesturing to a certain aspect of the base. "It has my designs and artistic flair."

"You can thank me for that."

Momin, Gethzerion and Barel turned over to see the Son standing not far away.

The Sith Lord stared at the representation of the Dark Side in open wonder.

"You?" Momin quietly asked. "And may I ask just who you are?"

"I am one who has come before, one who has been here since the inception and one who is quite familiar to that which you worship." The Son listed off. "The hooded stranger that walks among the living. As to why the temple is like this, I merely helped speed things along with Ovair, assisting them in gathering quite the amount of material and artifacts. Of course it was rather hasty as I merely went through the basic structure and foundations at this point in time."

Through the nostrils of the possessed acolyte, Momin breathed in heavily, an odd sensation creeping smile slowly stretching itself out behind the mask of the Sith Lord.

"Then you have my gratitude in getting this Force Locus up and running." Momin humbly said, a stark contrast to the usual arrogance and pride most Sith would be associated with. "But now we need to finish it."

"What do you mean, my Lord?" Asks Barel.

"My plans on this fortress weren't complete on what records you may have scrounged up." Momin tapped the side of his head. "The rest are in here." A burning rage began emanating from the recently returned Sith Lord. "I lost my one masterpiece because of those Jedi. I won't lose this one."

The Son simply hummed to himself in intrigue, curious as to what this Sith Lord would show them.

Time passed with the progression of the temple occurring faster than what the others were led to believe. Momin guided the others on what he envisioned on how to complete the structure. He was, after all, the designer and architect.

Eventually, things were nearing completion. However, there was a rumble on the ground and a difficult-to-discern sound in the distance.

"What is that? Are we under attack?" The artistic Lord of the Sith inquired.

"Nothing to worry about, Momin. Merely the locals having a fuss about our presence here."

"Huh, even these people conspire to thwart my vision."

"I shall handle them." The Son spoke up, almost dismissive of even facing those that weren't on his level. He turned away, vanishing in a black mist that left Momin staring.

"Fascinating."

"My Lord." Ovair spoke up. "If you would?"

Momin simply nodded, turning back to the temple dedicated to him that was built upon the place of his supposed masterpiece and resting place.

He held up a hand, drawing blood from it and began chanting.

Slowly, using his blood, the Sith Lord began making markings of his own design upon the entrance to the structure. He chanted an archaic language that neither Barel nor Zerion recognized.

His blood then began to grow bright red, the liquid seeping into the walls of the structure before forming into proper accents that started to fill in certain gaps in the fortress. There was the rumbling and clucking of stone, metal and other materials until the temple rebuilt itself before their eyes.

"Finally… it's complete." Momin said in satisfaction.

He threw the doors open, stepping aside in a polite gesture for Gethzerion and Barel to go in first.

Just as he did so, the Son returned in his bat form, shapeshifting back to normal.

"The fools have been dealt with." He informed the others, all three nodding at him before they entered the structure, Momin coming in after them.

Once inside, they took a moment to take in the interior of this ancient fortification.

It was oddly beautiful.

The designs of the focusing chamber felt right for the others.

At the same time, if one were not of their proclivities, they would find this place to be repulsive if not terrifying. The walls had black stains, not of just simple explosions or stray shots and lightsabers, but the actual shapes of individuals that were practically screaming in terror before whatever it was that killed them left them staining the wall with scorch marks being their graves.

An ethereal rip into space was present before them.

Coming forward, Momin brought the hands into the rip and began pushing it open, yet it was fighting back.

Wanting to assist, Barel, Gethzerion and the Son used the Force to help pry the rip to expand and stabilize. The focusing chamber began brightening more with energies coming out of the inner structures to connect with the tear.

*SZZCH*

The gate being opened was unique.

The design for it is intended to breach through the veil of life and death. All of it was the brainchild of Momin, which many of these Dark Side practitioners sought to use more and more to build up their army with unique members that still strike fear in many Jedi to this day.

None of this would've been possible if it weren't for the Dark Celestial and Momin possessing the body of an acolyte.

*KRRCK*

The door opened and from the other side, all that was seen was a shadowy silhouette waiting for them on the other side.

"Hello, me." It greeted, the voice all too familiar now.

"Hello, me." Momin said in return, the pair on either side reaching forward.

The possessed acolyte withdrew the helmet from his head before handing it over to the other Momin. Said individual grasped his helmet and slipped it onto his head, feeling his connection grow far stronger than before.

Taking a deep breath, Momin stilled himself before his eyes bore a satisfying glint in them.

"It feels good to be back." The fully revived Sith Lord said allowed, feeling his old power surging within him.

With his return came a reverberation in the Force, one that others undoubtedly felt but with Ovair's assistance, it will be far more subdued.

The Jedi will no doubt get suspicious but he can chalk it up to the elusive Sith Lord's work. Or perhaps he lets them start getting suspicious of him and the true Sith as a whole.

After all, nothing is more palpable or gratifying than the sensation of fear before death takes them.

"Momin has truly returned." Barel said in satisfaction, pleased with his work.

The artistic Sith walked about, feeling the return of his mortal coils. His new lease on life felt strange but more connected.

After some moments, Momin turned to the others present.

"I have upheld my end of the bargain." He stated plainly.

Ovair nodded. "Of course. You fully returning to the mortal plane was the first step in having this Order of the Sith gaining more power to their forces."

"With me being the first test subject with the gateway."

"Which we greatly appreciate."

"I have been given a wonderful opportunity with my new life. A life which no one would forget me so easily. After all, what bigger agony for an artist if they're forgotten? Now it's time for my artistic comeback." Momin said, flaring his arms up dramatically.

"You can start with this one." The Son spoke up, snapping his fingers and producing a white mask that caused Momin to freeze in his tracks.

"Where… where did you…"

"I have my ways." The Son said enigmatically. "But what I wish to know is can it be done?"

Momin was silent, taking the mask out of the hands of the Celestial and gazing at it intently. He held it up to the gateway that was used to bring him back and he shook his head.

"Not in the same way I did. Nihilus will be more difficult to resurrect due to circumstance."

"What does circumstance have to do with this?" Gethzerion questioned.

"My rebirth came with foresight." Momin elaborated. "During my time, the Jedi and Sith clashed constantly. When one Sith appeared to have the advantage, the Jedi were quick to counterbalance the Force and defeat another. Such was the way of the wars of my era. Which is why I had constructed this nexus in the event of my death. My unfinished work."

"So how would you bring back the Lord of Hunger?" Barel inquired.

Momin was silent, mulling over the many possibilities of resurrection.

What he possessed was a power that Sith of all generations has pursued throughout the many millennia of their order. This was a unique form of what one can perceive to be immortality but not at the same time.

After a few seconds of deep thought, the "artistic" Sith Lord had several options in mind.

"This doorway was made as a means of reaching into my past self, transferring who I was to the current time that we exist in right now. One would think it to be simple but I made this out of my design with the express means of bringing myself back. I had enacted several contingencies and rituals to accomplish this. With Darth Nihilus, we are talking about one of the strongest Dark Lords to have ever lived. To lure him out through the locus… we must enact an entirely different ritual. One that will need to reflect the power that the Lord of Hunger."

"That will be difficult without drawing attention." Barel remarked, arms crossed. "In spite of everything that's happening in the galaxy, the rebirth of a Sith Lord who once brought the galaxy to its knees is not something that can be so deftly ignored.

"Yes, with the war going on and Ultron's assault on the galaxy." Said Momin, drawing in curious looks from the others. The Sith Lord tapped the side of his head. "I know of these, due to the acolyte. Him wearing my helm let me peer into his memories and was able to relatively catch up on current events."

At least that saves them time on a number of discussions.

"Speaking of resurrections, what of this one?" Gethzerion flicked her hands in a circular motion and an astral image of a more foreboding helmet was now shown.

One Momin and Barel instantly recognized the former withholding himself from prostrating before the image.

"You mean to bring him back?" Momin spoke with pure reverence and disbelief.

"Other than Nihilus, this Sith Lord will be the most difficult to revive." Ovair said, looking at the Dark Lord they had just revived. "I was unaware that you beheld him in such high esteem."

Momin scoffed, shaking his head at the comment. "Only a fool, nay, the lowest scourge of the Sith would not recognize or not worship the works of the Lord of Hate. The Master of the Gathering Darkness was an artist in his own right. To be able to wield the blade as he did and slaughter armies single-handedly was nothing short of a masterpiece for the Dark Side. Tulak Hord is what every Sith wishes they could be."

"Perhaps then, I can be of further assistance." The Son spoke up. "My connection to the Dark Side and the Force is one that is founded across time itself. But if we do indeed resurrect ones such as Hord and Nihilus, the Jedi and the Avengers will have their eyes upon us in an instant."

"Avengers?" Momin repeated, rubbing his chin in thought. "And who exactly are they supposed to be?"

AN

Alright then, we've finally completed the Shang Chi arc at long last and on the of Christmas in 2022.

So with that, let's round out the year with one final Omake.

"Alright then, is everyone ready?" Peter Parker excitedly asked the large crowd assembled here today.

"Easy there, Peter, we're not going anywhere." Sam said with an amused smirk, the way the teen was jumping in place only making him laugh.

"I can't help it." Parker emphatically stated. "We're finally finishing the greatest trilogy in film history. How can you not be excited?"

"It is excellence personified." Vision voiced his agreement. "I have never seen such perfection made form."

"I think you guys are blowing it out of proportion." Widow commented wryly. "It's not like the holy grail of movies."

"You're right, too low a standard." Rhodey said, drumming his hands against his chin.

"Uh, guys?"

The Avengers turned over to see Fives raising his hand like a child would in a classroom.

"Can we start already?" The Arc trooper asked. "We've been waiting to watch this one forever now."

"Intermission is basically over and we're raring to go now."

It was quite a large crowd to say the least.

Practically all of the Jedi order and most of the Clones were here and if they weren't physically present, holo-transmissions were in place.

By the end of this one, almost all of the Grand Army of the Republic would have seen this and most of the Republic as well. The trilogy was makings its way across the galaxy and catching on like wildfire.

"Hope you guys are ready for one of the greatest films of all time." Pietro cockily said, cozying up with his girlfriend Riyo.

"And make sure to hold it in for all the endings." T'Challa tacked on.

"All the endings?"

"You'll see." Steve answered, the audience sitting back as the film began.

As the film began, it didn't cut with the titular heroes everyone has grown used to seeing in these past two entries.

No, it began with Smeagol of all people; when he was merely an innocent Hobbit.

It all changed when his friend -Deagol- found the One Ring in the river after trying to acquire some fish for the day.

The One Ring of Sauron was quick to corrupt them, the two friends soon fighting over it and Smeagol killing Deagol in the end.

Smeagol soon fled from the Shire, went into hiding and de-evolved over the years into what everyone knew as Gollum.

After this, it cut right back to Frodo and Sam continuing on their trek to Mordor with Gollum leading the way.

The audience found that entire sequence to be both jarring as it was terrifying.

To the average Clone and simple civilian, this was a freaky display of how the Ring twisted and corrupted Smeagol so thoroughly.

But to the Jedi, many saw this as the perfect, almost too raw way of showing what happens to oneself, be it physical or spiritual when one allows the dark side to corrupt them in their entirety.

It was a disturbing beginning, to say the least.

The film then transitioned to Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Gandalf making it to Isengard, seeing it flooded due to the actions of the Ents. It wasn't just these members of the Fellowship, but King Théoden and his nephew Eomer were there with them. It was here they finally reunited with Merry and Pippin, who were no doubt surprised to see them after their separation in the events of the first film.

The sight was amusing to say the least, considering how much Aragorn and his company endured, all in an effort to save them. Yet here they are, finding them "on a field of victory", casually feasting on the food stores of the defeated Saruman.

The scene then shifted to that of the confrontation between the White Wizards.

Terms were negotiated with Saruman, who stood at the top of his locked tower. The corrupted White Wizard refused to cooperate, which soon led to his betrayal via backstab, courtesy of Wormtongue.

If Saruman didn't die from the knife stab to the back and the fall, he most certainly did when being impaled by a sharp spike near the bottom of the tower.

"Well now," Obi-Wan spoke up, a slightly disturbed look on him. "That's… one way to settle a talk."

"Kriff me." Cody muttered beside him.

With their only source of information now dead, the Fellowship were back to step one in figuring out Sauron's next course of action.

Of course, this was rectified, in a rather terrifying manner after a night of partying and celebration of the Battle of Helms Deep. For Pippin became too curious about the orb in Gandalf's possession, which they procured from Sauron's corpse.

The Palantir -the orb- held a direct connection with Sauron. Once Merry held it in the dead of night, the Dark Lord peered into his mind to acquire any knowledge of where his precious Ring resided. Sauron didn't get anything from this encounter, but Pippin did; for the Hobbit was able to see where Sauron desired to attack next: Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor.

Thus the next course of actions needed to be enacted.

Gandalf and Pippin must ride to Minas Tirith and get the beacons of Gondor lit so every kingdom of man will unite under one banner. Yet such a task may be problematic, given the present ruler of the central kingdom.

Cutting over to Rivendell, Arwen convinces her father to reforge the sword which had harmed Sauron all those years ago.

After several days of travel, Gandalf and Pippin arrive at their destination. Instead of receiving a warm welcome from Boromir's father -Lord Denethor II, Steward of Gondor- it was a cold reception when he learned his eldest son was dead before their arrival.

Wanting to atone for his past actions, let alone to appease Denethor on the death of his son, Pippin swore his services to the kingdom. Despite all this, the Lord Steward refused to have the beacons lit; all because he refused to step down from ruling Gondor.

As a result, Gandalf and Pippin had to plan and conspire to have the beacons lit, one way or another, behind Denethor's back. This all occurred after seeing a sickly green beacon shoot straight toward the sky in the middle of the night as it originated from The Dead City, Minas Morgul.

Unbeknownst to them -at this point- Frodo, Sam and Gollum were at this location when the signal went off.

"It has come. The great battle of our time." Said Gandalf, voice filled with an eerie dread. "The board is set. The pieces are moving."

As dawn started to break onto Minas Tirith, Pippin snuck into the beacon tower and lit the flame.

"Hope is rekindled."

And through a small sequence, each and every beacon throughout the kingdoms of man were lit and seen.

Seeing this, Aragon informed Théoden of his spotting the lit beacon on the nearby mountain. After some moments of hesitation, due to the local king having issues with Gondor, he gave his response.

"And Rohan will answer."

Thus his army began assembling, much like every other kingdom answering Gondor's call.

The entire audience was stirring the entire time, feeling the coming conflict to be quite unlike anything they had seen before.

Where the battles of the previous films were isolated to a degree, they still were important pieces to the journey and narrative.

Now it was all coming together.

The beginning of the final battle for Middle-Earth.

In the midst of all this, they watched as Frodo, Sam and Gollum drew closer to Mount Doom. And in that time, Sam, who had already been popular amongst the audience, only grew in their eyes as he remained the shining light, the man who was dedicated to the task of keeping Frodo on the straight and narrow.

At the river fort, Sauron's forces attacked in the dead of night. Boromir's brother -Faramir- was amongst the survivors as they were forced to abandon their post and flee back to the capital in the early hours of the morning. During this, Gandalf came to their aid, driving back the Witch King and his fellow Nazgul away.

Instead of being a worrying father when hearing the river fort being taken, Denethor berated his son for his actions; especially when learning Faramir practically let the One Ring slip through his fingers by letting Frodo and Samwell pass.

And that resulted in a scene of needless loss and death, courtesy of Denethor ordering his son and his men to go back out and retake the river fort.

The hopeless charge of the men of Gondor whilst the Lord Steward sat in the halls of Minas Tirith, eating away his worries whilst the song Pippin sang overlaid with Faramir's rush on the taken city of Osgiliath.

It was… sobering for them to watch, to say the least, and did little in endearing Denethor to them not that he made any efforts to begin with.

Sam's nickname of Dickathor was a rather apt and accepted nickname amongst them all.

"Yeah, he's argued as a tragic, Shakespearian-type character but that's rather difficult with how disliked he is."

As the film progressed, the gathering army of Rohan continued their assembly as more and more men poured in on the eve of battle.

Aragorn had a surprise visit from Elrond, bringing out the sword of Elendil, reforged and remade for the heir to Gondor. It was no longer Narsil but Anduril, the Flame of the West, signaling a new age of men.

It wasn't just this, but another bit of news.

"Arwen is dying?"

"Yeah, that plot point came out of nowhere and went nowhere."

"Then why include it?"

"Some extra motivation for Aragorn to fight harder, I guess."

"It's expanded more in the books." Vision pointed out. "But this movie is long enough as is."

"Ya got that right."

Of course, the forces of Rohan wouldn't be enough as it presently is. Thus Aragorn made the decision of seeking out an unlikely source of power: an army of wraiths from the Mountain of Dimholt. An army bound to the true ruler of Gondor.

With the help of Legolas and Gimli, Aragorn made the trek to acquire their extended army.

They trekked up a treacherous mountain where the army of the dead resided, cursed by Isildur for failing to uphold the oath they held to the men of Numenor and to their King.

The day of defending Minas Tirith came with so much happening at once.

The riders of Rohan departed from their gathering space while the armies of Mordor descended onto Gondor.

To say the odds were stacked against them would be the understatement of the century.

Watching such a large army would make any warrior squirm.

All the while, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli meet the army of the dead.

Making it to the underground cavern housing the wraiths, Aragorn struck a deal with the undead forces. If they help defend Minas Tirith, he will release them from their oath of servitude so they may finally rest.

Sure enough, they surprisingly agreed.

Though the display of a man being able to grab hold of the dead was quite the sight to be sure.

As this went on, the battle for Gondor was about to begin.

Faramir had been dragged back to the city all while the Orcs of Mordor made their move by sending a message that was gruesome, to say the least.

Using their catapults, they launched the decapitated heads of the men of Gondor, a sickening sight for all.

"Kriffing hell!" Fives exclaimed, hands on his head. "What the hell is wrong with these sickos?!"

"They're Orcs." Steve plainly said. "Creatures of malice and evil. It's what they do."

The audience watched as Denethor descended into madness upon seeing his son but they found hope with Gandalf who quickly took over the fighting men of Gondor.

"Send these foul beasts into the Abyss!"

"I'm gonna use that line one day." Anakin stated. "Believe that."

"I am tempted to steal it from you." Plo Koon remarked with a chuckle.

The battle had officially begun.

Catapults flung stones back and forth at each other though the task to hold the city was a monumental one. In one of the shots fired at the orcs of Mordor, the audience got a proper look at the incoming army of Sauron and gulped at the sight.

As the Nazgul descended upon the city, its residents and forces cowered upon their presence. Thus it caused much chaos and disarray with Gandalf doing everything he can to cease this madness.

Briefly with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, they were able to quickly hijack several ships heading to Gondor's ports with their undead forces.

With Frodo, Gollum led him to a large cave system. What the ring bearer didn't know, this was the lair of Shelob.

The corrupted Hobbit led him here as a means of getting rid of Frodo so he may retake his precious Ring. Of course not everything could go as initially planned with Frodo momentarily escaping and running back into Gollum; who sought to kill him soon after. But after their separation, Frodo was ensnared by the ancient, arachnid entity and paralyzed by her venom.

Some of the women, even the Jedi, openly squirmed and almost squealed in their seats at the sight of the giant spider.

"That is… disturbing." Windu murmured, perturbed by Shelob.

Before Frodo could be killed, a sight that elicited a boisterous cheer by all came from what happened next.

Samwise Gamgee coming in to save the day.

Despite what accusations were placed upon him by Gollum's trickery, the humble gardener went back to save his friend from certain doom.

"If Shelob knew Frodo was the ring bearer, she would've helped him and Sam on the rest of their journey."

"Why's that?"

"Expanded lore stuff." Sam soon gave a brief explanation. "Basically, Shelob hated Sauron with a passion after he used and manipulated her in the past. She could've made the rest of the journey to Mount Doom far easier for them as a means of revenge."

"And yet the plot demanded this confrontation happen."

Despite Sam saving Frodo from being Shelob's dinner, the ring bearer was captured by some passing orcs and taken further into Mordor; which Sam was quick to follow in the shadows.

The battle of Gondor continued onto the night, Sauron's forces eventually broke through the main gate.

During this, Pippin spotted Denethor was undergoing his son's funeral.

Taking a closer look, the curious Hobbit realized Faramir wasn't dead at all; only unconscious from his wounds. Pippin sought to stop it on his own, but he was booted out; thus he went back into the city to get Gandalf's help to stop Denethor from murdering his son via cremation.

On the way to stop the "funeral", the Witch King made his arrival, dropping right in front of Gandalf.

Of course, the encounter between the White Wizard and the Witch King was short, yet impactful; showing how strong the leading Nazgul was over Gandalf.

The shattering of Gandalf's staff made many in the audience jolt in shock.

"Oh shit." Was the comment many Clones let out, a sentiment shared by many in the audience.

Yet before the final blow to the White Wizard could be defeated, a mighty volley of horns were blown from the distance.

The source: the assembled army of Rohan.

Everyone sat up at the sight of the Rohirrim arriving, facing the army of Mordor.

Though they were outnumbered, terrified even, any form of reservation was quashed by their King who rallied his men.

"Forth, and fear no darkness! Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered, a sword day, a red day, ere the sun rises!"

"That's a hell of a speech." Rex remarked. "What's it all even mean?"

"Essentially he just told everyone that we're gonna die today and it is going to be awesome." Peter translated for them.

One clone, in particular, guffawed aloud, taking such words to heart.

"Now that's a speech I can get behind." Hardcase cheerfully said.

"Me too." Wrecker said aloud, the two clones linking arms.

"Oh brother." Crosshairs said with a roll of his eyes.

"Ride now! Ride now! Ride! Ride for ruin and the world's ending!" Bellowed Théoden. "Death!"

"Death!" Roared the Rohirrim.

"Death!"

"Death!"

Each and every time that word was screamed, many audience members felt a chill down their spine. The Clones all either tensed up or had their fists clenched, a small feeling of adrenaline shooting up and down their spines, grins being shared all around.

With the horns bellowing and echoing, the army roared and charged into battle with a mighty swell of music. The army of men kept moving onward, not backing down.

And such a sight made the army of Sauron cower as they swiftly approached them.

Back with the funeral of Faramir, Denethor was clearly showing more of his madness. Not only did he seek to burn his son, but himself as well.

At the very least, Gandalf and Pippin came crashing in and saved Faramir from certain death in his vulnerable state. But in the end, Denethor realized his actions as he was set aflame and died as a result.

On the fields outside of Minas Tirith, the Rohirrim was faring well against their enemies… until the Oliphant's arrived.

"Look at the size of 'em."

"Almost the size of the Zillo Beast."

"And there are dozens of 'em."

Suffice it to say, the tide of battle swiftly switched over with Théoden and his forces getting their butts handed to them. The Oliphant's swinging their trunks and tusks to and from while stomping about.

As this slaughter fest went on, Merry and Eowyn were doing their best to fight against the orc army. Things became tragic for Eowyn upon seeing the Witch King striking down her father.

Before Théoden's life was snuffed out by the Witch King's mount, Eowyn came in and chopped its head off.

With the denial of having his Fellbeast feast upon the Rohan king, the Witch King sought to kill the interloper.

His spiked mace was swung all over the place. Eowyn did her best to swiftly move away from the blows, but one struck her shield and destroyed it.

In the city, the enemy was breaching more and more of the levels. Behind one of the doors, Pippin and Gandalf were conversing.

"I didn't think it would end this way."

"End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path… one that we all must take. The gray rain curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass. And then you see it."

"What, Gandalf? See what?"

"White shores… and beyond. A far green country… under a swift sunrise."

"Well… that isn't so bad."

"No. No, it isn't."

Despite hearing the bits of encouragement Gandalf gave to Pippin. He knew things needed to sway back in their favor.

They needed a miracle to take down this new problem of theirs.

Sure enough, they were answered. Not directly on the fields of Minas Tirith, but from the river.

Over at said location, a large bundle of Sauron's forces were waiting for the last of their men to arrive from the river.

To their surprise, it wasn't their reinforcements, but it was merely Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas as they jumped off one of the straggling ships.

As the trio charged into battle, the undead army came with them, swiftly slaughtering Sauron's army like they were nothing.

It didn't stop at the river, but it quickly escalated to the fields of Gondor.

Back on the battlefield, the Witch King loomed over Eowyn and sought to end her life. This would've happened if Merry didn't come in and stabbed him in the back of his leg. As he knelt, Eowyn killed the leading Nazgul by stabbing him in the face.

With the arrival of the wraith army, the battle swiftly turned. They assisted the Rohan's in taking care of Sauron's forces.

During all this, Legolas took care of an Oliphant all on his own.

Clearly, Gimli summed it up best.

"That still only counts as one!"

Most in the audience laughed at such a petulant statement, a few humorously arguing over it.

"It sure does."

"You kidding? That's clearly worth more."

"Oh for the love of- we ain't doing this kind of argument."

With the forces of evil taken care of the fields of Gondor, the wraiths swiftly entered Minas Tirith to exterminate the infestation breaching the kingdom of man.

With everything settling down, the King of the Dead appeared before Aragorn and demanded to have him uphold his end of the bargain. Gimli argued it would be best to keep hold of the wraith army a bit longer to deal with the rest of Mordor's forces.

The idea was tempting. Having an unstoppable army to help take care of the last of Sauron's forces.

And yet, Aragorn wanted to fulfill his oath by setting the wraiths free.

Laid dying from his wounds, Théoden was surprised to see his niece was there. He didn't know if he was delusional in his final moments or if it was in fact real. It didn't matter to him in the end as he at least saw Eowyn one last time before passing on from his mortal coils.

With the battle won, everyone was recovering from their losses.

They discussed just how should they take on the rest of Sauron's forces until Aragorn suggested something suicidal.

That to give Frodo and Sam the chance to get the One Ring into the fires of Mt. Doom, they needed to march on the black gate and call out his army. Draw attention away from the Hobbits to give them the opportunity they needed to get the job done.

"Certainty of Death, small chance of success. What are we waitin' for?" Were Gimli's words on the matter.

"That's the slogan of the 501st." Rex drably said, a small grin worming its way onto his face upon hearing his legion burst out laughing.

"It really is." Obi-Wan remarked, Commander Cody and many of the other Jedi generals and their Clone Commanders/Captain counterparts laughing all the while.

At one of Mordor's towers, Sam snuck his way in and saved Frodo from his orc captors. It would've been far harder if it weren't for the orcs and goblins fighting amongst each other.

As much as their reunion would've been better, things weren't all that bright with Sam becoming hesitant in returning the One Ring to Frodo; due to him believing he should help deal with the burden.

Wearing some goblin armor, the two Hobbits snuck out of the tower and resumed their trek to Mount Doom.

The day of the final battle began. Aragorn called upon the forces of Rohan and Gondor as they rode out to the gates of Mordor.

Seeing them off, Faramir and Eowyn conversed briefly while showing they had something sparking between them.

"Aw~ Look at that."

"Yeah, they hook up."

"Why wouldn't they?"

With Frodo and Sam, they had to join a trail of orcs and goblins so they could better traverse further into the enemy territory. It would be difficult to break out of it, but what choice did they have?

Of course they improvised rather quickly by causing some infighting at one point so they could get out. From there, they booked it right to the intended destination.

Yet the last leg of their journey proved difficult with the weight of the One Ring becoming harder and harder for Frodo to bear.

Soon, everyone watched as what remained of the Fellowship arrived at the Black Gate with a combined, small army of men from Rohan and Gondor.

Things seemed at a loss of morale for Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli when they saw the Mouth of Sauron hold out the mithril shirt Frodo wore since the beginning of their journey. They were quick to assume Sauron's forces already captured Frodo and Sam, which also meant they too had the One Ring.

Yet they couldn't give up hope. Besides, there was no turning back now.

"Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers!" Bellowed Aragorn. "I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of Men comes crashing down. But it is not this day. This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"

As this speech ended, a good number of clones in the audience cheered, given how riled up they were when hearing this.

There was a moment of tension as some believed that Aragorn was about to fall sway to Sauron's words until he turned back, muttered "for Frodo" and charged headlong into the army. All soon joined after, fighting with all the strength their bodies and souls had.

In their minds, Frodo appeared to be dead so what mattered now was fighting and killing as many Orc and Troll bastards as humanly, elfly, dwarfly and Hobbitly possible.

And yet, the moment that garnered the biggest reaction, cheers, tears and all was the one between Sam and Frodo.

Just as the two Hobbits were about to reach the entrance to Mt. Doom, Frodo collapsed, at long last falling to the overwhelming pressure of the Ring's influence. He just couldn't bear such a burden anymore.

But Sam proved to be more than willing to take such a responsibility on his shoulders. Without hesitation, he grabbed Frodo, hoisted him onto his shoulders and trekked up the mountain with renewed vigor.

The entire audience was cheering the gardener on with all their might, many simply blown away by his unstoppable willpower.

Yet once again, things weren't that simple.

Gollum returned, attacking them. Sam remained to keep the corrupted Hobbit back while urging Frodo to get to the volcano.

Everyone was watching in rapt attention, their breath caught in their throats as Frodo had at last made it, standing in the same place Isildur once stood when he had the Ring.

What followed however…

"Come on Frodo, just drop it." Ahsoka urged on, squirming at the sound of the high-pitched sound the Ring emanated.

"What the hell is stopping him?" Hevy asked in bewilderment. "He's right there."

Before anyone could say anything else, all watched as Frodo turned around and gave Sam an evil look.

"The Ring is mine."

Many gasped, not believing what they just heard.

Anakin himself paled at Frodo's words, clutching the arms of his chair tightly.

"What?!"

"NO!"

"He did not just say that!"

The Avengers all snickered and shared looks with each other, greatly amused by the reactions all were sharing at this twist.

And just as things couldn't seem to get any worse, Gollum arrived, knocking out Sam.

The wretched corruption was quick to locate the footsteps of the Hobbit and pounced on the invisible Frodo. They struggled for a time against each other until Gollum bit Frodo's finger off, the particular digit which had the ring slipped on.

With Frodo writhing in agony, Gollum cheered and danced in merriment. Yet Frodo got his second wind and tackled Gollum off the ledge to the lava river far down below.

There was a palpable moment for all those watching when they saw Gollum falling to his death, clutching the Ring in a loving embrace until he struck the lava.

The corrupted Hobbit perished in mere seconds, his final thoughts being that of saving the Ring. Yet it was all for naught.

It appeared to still be all well for the Ring of Power. Glowing all the while as Frodo was hanging by the edge with Sam reaching out for his friend. The Ring glowed for a short while before at last, the metal melted away into the molten lake of Mt. Doom; a figurative means once Frodo accepted Sam's hand for salvation.

Without having even realized it, the crowd felt a tension that had come over them in the last battle of the film.

With the One Ring destroyed, the tower where Sauron resided crumbled and exploded with him weak enough to never recover. Even going so far that he will be vulnerable for the Valar to finally deal with him for good.

This particular factor wasn't known to the general audience members save for those who knew their Tolkien lore.

Shortly after this occurred, the earth surrounding Sauron's tower crumbled and swiftly destroyed his army. Following this, the mountain where the One Ring was forged began to erupt and explode.

As much as the Fellowship feared Frodo and Sam having perished with Mt. Doom being destroyed, the giant eagles arrived to carry them away from certain death.

And at long last, after three films, what felt like a lifetime, the threat of Sauron was no more.

Everyone began slumping or collapsing into their seats, the energy build-up they had leaving them all at once.

Yet the story was not to end so quickly and suddenly.

It was one after the other, scenes that would have served as the perfect bookend to any given story.

Aragorn's coronation and reunion with the love of his life, Arwen, led into the entire city of Gondor bowing to the four Hobbits who started the journey.

The Hobbits returning home and feeling distinctly out of place in the middle of all the cheers and feasting, the four sitting in contemplative silence. They had literally gone through a life-changing experience, practically helped save the entire world and now have to return to the boring and provincial life they had before.

Nothing will be the same for them ever again.

Having a sense of confidence after all that he endured, Samwell decided to talk to the tavern barmaid who he wanted to know better for a long time.

Next thing everyone knew, a wedding occurred.

The marriage of Rosy and Sam which got quite the resounding cheer from all who watched, believing that if anyone, anyone deserved an eternal life of happiness, it was the one Hobbit who faced down all that came before him and never wavered once.

"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart you begin to understand there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend, some hurts that go too deep that have taken hold."

Hearing these words from Frodo struck a chord on many of the audience members. With the galactic war going on, nothing indeed will ever be the same as before.

Then came the melancholic, bittersweet departure of all the elves on top of Gandalf to the undying lands to the west with Frodo and Bilbo going with them. It was a sad goodbye from all as Frodo hugged Merry, Pippin and Sam before leaving his land, home and riches all to his gardener.

"Huh, so this is what you meant by multiple endings."

"They seemed to drag on and on." Aayla Secura admitted. "And yet I don't want it to end."

"We never do." Steve said with a longing sigh. Middle Earth was a place not easily emulated nor can one forget their time there, even if it was just in movie form.

They watched the closing scene with Sam returning home, seeing him reunite with his daughter, his wife and other newborn child and with one simple sentence,

"I'm back."

The gardener went back to his peaceful life.

While that scene went on, Anakin bore a contemplative gaze at the screen having had his eyes focused on Sam's children, brief as it was. Slowly, he looked over to his wife seated next to him and a myriad of thoughts ran through his head.

Feeling the gaze, the Nabooian shifted her gaze in his direction and saw the somewhat intense look in his eyes.

"What?" She quietly asked.

Anakin said nothing, only moving to take her hand into his, holding it tightly and smiling quietly at her.

Confused by this, she nonetheless smiled back at him, seeing the pure love he held towards her and despite the present Jedi in attendance, she leaned her head on his shoulder, a content feeling washing over the pair.

After it was all said and done, the entire audience was slumped in their seats, practically exhausted from watching it all.

The group said nothing as they were just soaking in what they had just watched, the journey that had just come to a close.

There was a strange… no, not strange, a pure feeling of contentment and closure as the last of the credits finally ended.

"Ok, yeah," Anakin was the first to speak up after a prolonged silence. "That was the greatest thing I've ever seen. Is there any other film or trilogy like it?"

Peter scoffed aloud, Steve snorting in his seat and shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid." Rogers declared. "There will quite literally never be anything like this ever again."

"How can they even top it?" Ahsoka asked, her form slumped and exhausted, leaning on an equally tired Barriss.

"No one has, unfortunately. It's quite literally a lightning-in-a-bottle type of trilogy. Nothing has been able to recreate such a thing -and be successful- since." Sam revealed.

"You should see the behind-the-scenes stuff." Pietro said. "That alone is a movie that's worth watching."

"They really left nothing out." Wanda added, shaking her head. "The commitment to this trilogy is unimaginable."

"Maybe another day." A yawn soon escaped many mouths. "It's been a long binge fest. We need some shut eye now."

"I need a long rest after that one." Captain Rex freely admitted, getting multiple nods and murmurs of agreement from the others.

AN

This is all done and over with now. We are now in the next leg of things with much occurring now. Things would've been done quicker if the roadblocks with the Shang-Chi film didn't get in the way.

But we got it done, the Shang-Chi arc is done, the LOTR Omake trilogy is completed, we will NOT be doing any others any time soon if at all and we end the year by ending this arc.

And just on either Christmas Eve of 2022 or Christmas Day depending on when you're reading this so from me, Jebest4781 and BulletStormX, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Here's to hoping 2023 is a better year than 2022.

And a quick side note since we have new recruits, let's do a listing of our heroes.

Here's the Avengers we have in space.

Captain America, Black Widow, Falcon, War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Vision, Ant-Man, Wasp, Daredevil, Black Panther and Spider-man.

And on Earth.

Iron Man, Hawkeye, Shuri, She-Hulk, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Ghost Rider, White Tiger, Doctor Strange, Mordo, Wong, Winter Soldier, Celeste Morne, Shang Chi and Katy Chen.

And Thor is going back and forth.

So with who we have in space and on Earth with one being a messenger for the moment, we've reached 29 active Avengers right now. On the Tropes page for this fic, some of these guys are all divided up into separate character sheets and factions, but really, all of these guys are Avengers. Ya have the card, you're a member.

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.