This work is a piece of fiction. While it may be inspired by real events, cultures, and practices in human history, the story blends factual history with fictional characters, dramatizations, and creative interpretation.
It is not intended to promote, glorify, or encourage any illegal activities, substance use, or harmful behavior. All depictions of sensitive topics are included solely for narrative and historical context, and are not intended to be offensive or provocative.
For the effects of the story, all characters are to be considered above the age of majority.
Reader discretion is advised.
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The following is based on an extract from Imperial History, Ancient Records Part 1.
This extract was obtained from a copy made of the tome by the Second Princess of the Imperial Dynasty of Doom. Ages before she ascended to the Drachantheon Therion, she enjoyed an interest in the ancient history of the times before the birth of Mankind's Imperium. As such, she would often be found making physical copies to store a record of the past for the posterity of humanity.
At present, five eras after the end of the Doom Dynasty, Founder of Mankind's Imperium, Conqueror of Worlds, Godslayer, Demonslayer, Protector of Humanity, The Divine Bridge, He-who-guides, and the God of Humanity, what is known of the founding era and before it comes mostly from these copies left behind by the Second Princess.
Certain daredevil priests in history have corroborated the veracity of these texts with the Divinities of the Drachantheon Therion. There are accounts of some of the Primordial Dragons also referring to events, personages, or wars recorded in these extracts.
Before Mankind's Imperium, before Emperor Doom united humanity's cradle, before humanity had taken to the vastness of space, Terra was split into nations, much like the non-planetary governments found in some of the foreign worlds found outside the empire.
Terra was a Class-M planet, and humanity was barely a Type 0.73.
By the founding of Mankind's Imperium, there were a little less than 90 nations ruling the planet. The exact number is unknown, as it is mentioned in a later extract that before the arrival of his Transcendency, Aragorn, there were about 200 nations. However, a series of crises of unknown origin—possibly redacted from history—besieged the planet and reduced the self-governing states to less than 90.
It is surmised that the cause could have been magical in nature, or cosmic, as it was during the following century that humanity was introduced to magic, and that the first planets of the Solar System were colonized under Emperor Doom's reign. As is known, Emperor Doom introduced sorcery to humanity, and the lost empire, the Fulgebunt Draconis Imperium, introduced the technology that kickstarted humanity's ascension.
The Fugebunt Draconis Imperium is vastly recognized as the foremost empire to have mastered magitech, sorcery, and divinity* as such, it is suspected that at some point during this first century, humanity must have come in contact with magic, or a cosmic event that could have sparked the dissolution of so many nations, and that later the Imperium or Emperor Doom could have taken advantage of to elevate humanity.
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*Divinity wielded by mortals as the result of prayer. Not apotheosis.
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While little is known about what kickstarted the tragedies of global scale that halved the number of Terra's self-governing states, there's one particular event of the same age that, even after so many eras, is well-known and recorded: The Last World War of Terra.
The Last World War of Terra is an event where humanity played to the tune of his Transcendency Aragorn. This was only later discovered by historians who managed to observe the events that led to the funding of Mankind's Imperium with a calm, analytical eye.
Everything started with the introduction of the Mother Tree, the Arbor Mundi, the first of its kind.
How did humanity find enough core energy to fuel the growth of the planetary tree when they were only a Type 0.73 civilization back then? The answer to that is why many surmise that something magical in nature, or cosmic, must have happened.
What is known is that Goddess Gaea and his Transcendency Aragorn created the first Sacred Seed a few years before the unification of humanity, and that the Sapling of Discord, whose identity as a root of the main tree humanity ignored back then, played the main role behind the war.
It should be noted that at the time, the only known controllers of the planetary tree were the Drachantheon Therion and the Divine Dragon, hence why his Transcendency Aragorn is firmly believed to be the hidden driving force behind the Last World War of Terra.
Another important precedent behind this conflict was the absolute economic crisis that had been plaguing the planet, and a famine so pervasive that humanity as a whole was suffering from it.
As is commonly known, the reason a Sacred Seed is deployed preemptively to a planet to be terraformed is to ensure the pioneers' sustenance and protection. At that time, however, the Arbor Mundi, the main trunk of the Mother Tree, was handled by a nation whose name was lost to history, but it was recorded to be backed by a mortal incarnation of the Divine Dragon, one Aragorn Abner.
To the readers wondering how the ancestors could have been so witless as not to connect the blatant use of the Divine Dragon's title in the fake name, I would like to remind you that this was also the earliest record of the title.
It should also be mentioned, to those wondering why the various powers would choose to engage each other in combat when the Milky Way was not a safe zone back then, that humanity was mostly ignorant of life beyond the confines of Terra's gravity well, with only a few exceptions knowing the truth.
Additionally, before Emperor Doom did away with all religions not worshiping a patron deity of Mankind's Imperium, humanity was mainly divided between factions of the same religious movement: the Abrahamic Religions, all of which believed themselves to be better than the other factions.
Aside from a religious divide and borders, economic systems were splitting the peoples of ancient Terra. A percentage smaller than a percent puppetted the less fortunate into wars, social divides, and chasms used to keep them ignorant and distracted.
These are the most notable antecedents that allowed for a starving humanity to start a nuclear war for the possession of the Sapling of Discord.
The one to ring the bells announcing the start of the nuclear holocaust was, not coincidentally, Emperor Doom, who was known as King Victor von Doom before his accession to the throne.
Humanity, the various nations of old, were posturing in the waters of Terra's main body of water surrounding the Sapling of Discord at a safe distance.
They ignored whether the sapling could be terminated by the war, and no one wanted to take the first step. Again, if you wonder how a thought so foolish would crawl into their minds about the durability of a planetary lifeform, remember that humanity was ignorant about the planetary trees.
Eager and desperate for control over the sapling, these nations were taut like the string of a convergence dielectric bow right before piercing a spatial wall, and it was after they witnessed the state of the sapling after Emperor Doom exploded a primitive thermonuclear bomb right on it that they comprehended their primitive weaponry would not harm the tree. That was the bell that announced the start of the war.
The sequence of events between the start of the Last World War of Terra and its ending is mostly ignored.
The duration is also not clear, but a few changes in the ancient society could be inferred. For example, somewhere along the way, humanity's drive for nuclear war lessened; it isn't known if this had to do with a planet-altering event or simple attrition due to the duration of the war while a famine besieged the world.
Furthermore, there are a few mentions in later extracts of a general dislike for external deities, so it can be inferred that something occurred during this war that led to this.
What is clearly recorded is the ending of the war, as this was one of the major precedents to Emperor Doom's ascension.
It is known that Emperor Doom's reputation was favorable as a Demonslayer; not much is known about the said slain demon,
though. Nonetheless, what truly cemented his image as a reliable leader was the conclusion of the Last World War of Terra.
As such, the following words are taken directly from the extract:
⌈The Sapling of Discord began by showing an eagerness for fissible material directed to or near its main trunk and root system.
Roots thicker than Sequoia Trees, flexible like vines, and so resilient that humans assumed it was the exotic energies powering the tree that made them, and it, virtually indestructible.
These roots would eagerly escape the confines of the Pacific's waters and shoot towards the missiles like the limb of a skillful octopus and prey on the nuclear warheads humanity prided itself on.
Much was unknown about Gaea's and Lord Alduin's* creation, so it was initially assumed that the tree, much like some carnivorous plants, had internal biological systems that granted it greater mobility for the acquisition of nutrients.
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*Lord Alduin was one of the Divine Dragon's mortal incarnations.
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Initially, ignorance about the reason for the Sapling of Discord's behavior led to a dismissive drive towards it. The war was not going well for anyone in particular, not even for Latveria, which had claimed the first outpost at the base of the tree; hence, the priority was to sink more enemy vessels.
But as the weeks passed, as the tree's range of activities increased, and after it consumed the first nuclear submarine, a lull of concern and confusion paused the war momentarily.
Some believed that with the roots within reach, they might finally be able to start studying the object of their greed. This foolish assumption was proven wrong when the roots made no distinction between a vessel carrying fissile material and one that didn't.
A race for information beyond that which was strategic for war exploded. One after the other, their ambassadors in Re-Nazca solicited, almost demanded, meetings with the governing body of the neutral country to discuss the possible triggers behind the sapling's attacks.
If there was an expert in the xenobiology of the sapling, it most certainly could be found in Re-Nazca; that was the thought.
But, even after going as far as to allow a guided tour to the harvest section of the Arbor Mundi for sap, they could not find any of the predatory behavior of the sapling in the Arbor Mundi.
The height of stupidity was when they demanded a chance to speak with Aragorn, who was known to have taken residence at the base of the trunk. Even so, the Re-Nazacans allowed it while looking at the ambassadors and ministers as if they were retards, not intellectually disabled, retards.
The Re-Nazcan governing body accompanied the fools even while knowing that they were taking this opportunity to gather information about the floating islands that had risen under the shadows of the giant tree's canopy.
Previously, when they visited the harvest 'fields' of sap, they were left disappointed, since the harvest happened around the exposed roots of the tree that 'naturally' oozed sap, and they could only watch with intrigue at the floating islands from a distance.
This is why they felt they could not be blamed for pushing their privilege, or so they told themselves.
When their vehicles crossed the barrier, it was as if stepping through a laminar waterfall as thick as a hair, and what they noticed first was the floating they had been eying from a distance, but the shock to their senses when the clean, divine in nature, wind caressed their sense of touch, smell, and temperature.
Like smelling your preferred natural scent, while feeling the refreshingly tingling sensation of a carbonated bathing experience at a temperature so comfortable it was like a warm, naked embrace under the covers during a frigid night.
Initially, the cordoned area didn't feel like this, but after the entrance to Otherworld was opened and not closed, the blessings cast by Gaea on both sides mixed and created this atmosphere.
Getting over the pleasant shock, the guests were baffled by the view from up close of the floating islands.
The islands were impossibly supported by a single root each, and suspended by vines descending from above. Water cascaded gently in one or more waterfalls from each island. The water falling from the higher islands created a mist of rainbows as the light caught the droplets.
About an hour after passing the barrier, they finally arrived near the base, where they found Aragorn and two goddesses dressed like maids. One was inexpressive, and her maid's attire was professional, with only the tall bunny ears giving away her roots.
The other maid was dressed in the type of maid attire, yet, somehow, it made the vulpine maid look sultry and seductive.
"What are the foreigners doing here, Marcelo Bautista?" Irina asked.
Marcelo Bautista was Re-Nazca's minister of foreign affairs, and as a representative of Re-Nazca's current governing body, he was one of the few in the country who had contact with Aragorn and his retinue.
"My Goddesses, esteemed Aragorn," Marcelo Bautista bowed slightly but with clear reverence. "These are representatives of the powers currently waging war over the possession of the Sapling of Discord. They sought us with queries about the sapling's recent behavior."
Marcelo Bautista didn't succumb to international peer pressure; he was actually previously informed that he was allowed to bring the guests to Aragorn should they demand so.
Yelena waved her hand, and her P-Link projected a few displays showing the recent 'alarming' actions taken by the sapling. "I don't see anything concerning, though," she said and chuckled, watching the video of a submarine being pulled out of the water before being consumed.
"If I may," Madeleine Albright interjected, her eyes timidly darting towards the 'creatures' of great power beyond her. She was the current Secretary of State, and her and her president's administration had been extended as a consequence of the last apocalypses.
"You may," Irina coldly said.
"The recent changes in the Sapling of Discord's behavior have forced World War 3 to a pause. Our nation was hoping to draw the conflict to a resolution by the end of the year, and we, all nations involved, were wondering, respectfully, about the possibility of Lord Aragorn's involvement, or your willingness to assuage the sapling."
Irina didn't reply or show any expression to her inquiry, not even when the painful silence stretched. Yelena; her eyes leaked amusement, like watching a circus play, or maybe a fool trying to pull his head through his shirt's sleeve.
"The sapling is doing as you taught it, is it not?" Aragorn asked, his face as expressionless as Irina's, his eyes cycling through colors, his body hovering in a relaxed posture, as if sitting on an invisible chair.
"My Lord, I fail to comprehend how we could have taught the sapling," Albright answered while keeping a subservient tone.
"You have been bombing the sapling for months, feeding it your sunken vessels, and generously fertilizing it with nuclear waste, have you not?" Aragorn asked, his tone listless.
"..." Albright silently opened her eyes wide, and so did the other representatives present.
"Is it such a surprise that it chose to actively pursue the nutrients within reach?" Yelena didn't bother to hide her mirth.
"But it is a plant," Igor Ivanov, Russia's minister of foreign affairs, asked.
"Is a plant with a reservoir of divinity greater than ours combined," Irina gestured to Yelena, "just a plant? It's shaped like a plant, but don't forget the miracles it blessed you with, and the miracle of its own existence. So, is it so far-fetched to believe the plant learned to prey on the nutritive snacks floating in the Pacific Ocean when you have all this time been slowly feeding it?"
"Then, the war..." Igor Ivanov voiced out, and the rest of the representatives were just as baffled.
In the following weeks, the war changed in nature to an aerial conflict, with over 2000 fighters duking it out in the skies above the Pacific. This, however, also came to an end abruptly when the birds stopped finding aircarriers to land in and resupply, since the sapling had eaten them all.
Then, like an orb-weaver Bolas Spider, the sapling learned to lasso the fighters that flew relatively close to it and its roots. A few days after that, demonstrating an astonishing learning speed, the hunting area of the tree exponentially increased.
It was around this time that many turned their eyes to Latveria.
While they were racking their heads thinking of new ways to continue their war, Latveria was reportedly still manning the outpost at the base of the sapling.
Why is the tree not eating the outpost when it so greedily went for their vessels? This was the question that sparked a wave of spies infiltrating Latveria, or at least trying.
But, while their intelligence offices tried and failed to gather information on the magically and technologically protected nation, the aerial war turned into a coastal war that covered most of the Pacific coast, except for that section going from the Mexican coast to the Argentinian Patagonia.
Voices in their home ground gained supporters when they questioned the idea behind a war whose sole objective they could not ever approach or claim, even if declared champions.
Because, most evidently, even if they won, how would they try to study or harvest anything from the sapling if this one had been trained to consume anything that approached it?
Well-funded manifestations broke out in almost every country participating in WW3. Suspiciously well-funded manifestations...
While spies dropped dead like nukes to the sapling, one spy, supposedly from the now-extinct Redd Room, managed to break out of the iron-walled country, with half of Latveria's boots trailing behind her, and shared with the world that while it was unknown even to Latveria why the sapling was not attacking them, she discovered that the Sorcerer King, Doom, had created a permanent portal to the Latverian outpost at the tree's base.
The very next day, the Sorcerer King appeared on every news channel across the world, declaring, "Doom is not afraid. Latveria will not be bullied into gifting its hard-earned success to the fools leading the world. Doom will await you in Latveria. Doom will observe and judge your despairing efforts from the comfort of Latveria's throne. Come, doom awaits you."
Alliances were rekindled, pacts were renewed, and three weeks later, most of the world's military had gathered at several entry points of the country.
The first to move were the air forces, which, expectedly, didn't make it far. It was as if the whole country had been domed by reinforced glass. Many thought of the barrier protecting the Arbor Mundi when the first fighters crashed against it, and a pulse made it visible for three seconds.
Some expected the dome to fall after a barrage from multiple angles and entry points, but the dome held.
Worry about the whole country being an impregnable fortress spread among the common military men, but this was proven false after the first attempts above ground were made.
To ensure absolute aerial protection, the dome was cast while sacrificing ground coverage.
From all cardinal points and almost countless directions, the ground forces moved in the largest military movement of ground forces since D-Day.
The end of the war was almost as swift as its start.
When the invading forces marched into Latveria, the border cities were the first to fall, and that was no surprise when these cities were not even manned.
Latveria was not a large country, quite small actually, but even then, with millions marching in, they had to rest the night out, since they would not make it to Doomstadt in a day.
During the first night, they abruptly discovered that the Sorcerer King had rigged his own cities. With explosions taking them out by the thousands, the invaders were awoken that night.
The survivors spent the following three days trying to dig out and pack bodies back to their homes, an almost futile endeavor.
The war certainly would not come to an end because of the deaths of a few of the puppets; it would not serve the interests of the 1%. At the crack of dawn, on the fourth day, the march to the capital city was restarted, hoping to make it before any more cities blew up.
It wasn't cities blowing them up that awakened them; it was the tremors of the ground, like the sound of millions of metallic boots in chorus trampling the ground with murderous purpose.
That's how the world met the Doombots, the combat types, not the decoys.
Every single one of them looked like a masked Victor von Doom, and every single one of them shot lightning like Stark's armor suits shot beams of repulsive energy. Worst of all, they were intelligently programmed for self-destruction.
When one of the Doombots fell near a soldier, it would always blow up. When one fell among their numbers, instead of taking more of the metallic menaces with them, they would be dragged behind the lines and would later return fixed, ready to reap more lives.
They were tireless, fearless, fast, resilient, deadly, and most importantly, they were piloted virtually by the Latverians and several of Kitty's believers, whom Doom had commissioned from his duchess, the mutants, and the Inhumans.
In other words, these were not stupid clankers; these were remotely operated bipedal drones.
But, maybe this was not the worst of all... Maybe, if the invaders had known that Doom had several of his automatic cities pumping out Doombots at a nationwide rate of 3000 bots/day, they would have given up before.
When the invading forces had been reduced to 65-70%, they would surrender and leave Latveria. When only four countries were left, and after the world had witnessed the irrationality and unfairness of the Sorcerer King, they all pulled back.
The day after, when most of the world, which had witnessed the war through their N-Tek and Stark Industries devices, assumed all that was left was to sign the surrender pacts, Latveria was nuked.
The barrier held off for the first five or so thermonuclear explosions, but then it exploded like tempered glass.
It had been pact that no nuclear wars would be detonated within a continent, especially outside the reach of the sapling or Arbor Mundi.
And as doubtful as what that range was when most humans alive had witnessed the roots bursting from underground and protecting civilians during the Divine Incursion—as well as bunkers being protected by the same roots—it was a pact that had to be respected because the threat of nuclear fallout was real, and after observing the sapling behavior, some feared that it would spread to the populated centers, attracted by fissile nutrients.
So, to say that the world gasped at the madness witnessed was an understatement. If before the civilians were manifesting, after that, they turned into a rabid crowd of World War Z zombies.
They demanded that their foolish leaders be stripped and dragged down the streets. It was madness... Or, was it?
To understand why this madness went beyond Fury's and Doom's influence, all one had to do was compare the current global population to that of 1997, before the world went crazy.
The population was scarce enough that some countries had removed their laws banning polygamy. So few people that the various governments were unnaturally generous with those birthing more than two children.
And, if there was something most people knew after Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Chornobyl, it was that the reproductive cells—the gametes and their precursors—are among the most radiosensitive tissues in the biological theater due to their high rate of mitotic division.
So, what would populations rightfully worrying about the next generations do when informed of their leaders' foolish decisions?
And it was during such violent revolts that Doom did as he had promised: he used his magic to assassinate every leader and their successor from a country that bombed Latveria.
Additionally, it was done publicly. Live. For all, even those who realized were next, to see.
The simple question of why Doom would wait for his country to be bombed to kill them made everyone understand that Doom was being fair and honorable during the conflict.
Some believed he was an idiot who sacrificed much of Latveria by following his misguided principles, but most saw the man beneath the ruler, and the conviction of a true leader.⌋
By the end, when the newly elected leaders sat down and agreed to end the war, footage of Aragorn, in his massive draconic form, flying across Latveria, making all geiger counters go silent, marked the official end of the Last World War of Terra.
As it's known, Emperor Doom later shared the benefits of the Sapling of Discord with the rest of the world, even if that was never accorded upon, and this was what earned him the heart of the hundreds of millions who benefited from this.
This war is often referred to as the largest stage, not because it was the largest war experienced by humanity, far from it, but because it was all a play.
Now, after eras of blessings under the planetary trees, it is well known that a planetary tree would only reach for 'food' that has been delivered, and never hunt for it.
That is to say that someone, most likely his Transcendency Aragorn, was controlling the Sapling of Discord, all in the realized hopes of pushing the war into Latveria.
It is not a secret that the Divine Dragon greatly favored Emperor Doom, but in the past, this was unknown to our ancestors. Which is not to demerit the feats of Emperor Doom, given that having the favor of the Divine Dragon is merit enough to crown one the heir of an empire.
Finally, to further bring the point across, it should be noted that Duchess Pryde was actually the mortal incarnation of the Goddess of Laws and Emancipation/Adventure, Goddess Kitty, and that while this war was being waged, a Therion was present and allied with Emperor Doom. In other words, Latveria was never at risk.
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Earth-5H1N3, Year 2001.
When the end of World War II was officially announced, the world celebrated. Scenes of soldiers sporting white while sharing affection with their loved ones, that's how it was pictured, no?
Certainly, across the desolated countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa, they didn't have the luxury to celebrate in such a grand manner, and the less said about those who lost their homes, way of life, and families, the better.
The end of World War III was different but similar from certain angles.
For one, most of the war was fought in the Pacific Ocean, and except for O'ahu and certain islands, no infrastructure was laid waste, no city was destroyed—except for the previously mentioned ones and the obvious exceptions.
During the conflict's terminal stages—when the theater of war shifted to the Old Continent, and Latveria was besieged by a nearly global coalition—no civilian settlements were desolated by the marching armadas, a stark departure from the ravages of prior wars. Latveria and its constituent cities remained the sole exceptions; however, as Doom had preemptively accounted for this contingency and Aragorn moved swiftly to remove the radioactive contaminants, the small nation maintained a triumphant atmosphere despite the staggering economic decay.
"I think this is the first time, for an occasion like this, that I'm going to a party instead of throwing my own."
The streets hollered as a single entity. Cars honked, and not due to slow traffic. The passerbys walked with an uplifting cadence. Commerce, which had been somewhat slow since two apocalypses ago, was booming. The news channels, for once in a lifetime, were not laying their usual alarmist and defeatist programme to keep the masses ignorant and distracted.
At the lobby of the Baxter Building, now owned by one of Stark Industries subsidiaries, Storm Inc, Stark escorted his date, Seraph, to the party that Johnny Storm was throwing in celebration of the end of the war.
"What do you mean by an occasion like this? How many ends of wars did you live through during your Playboy phase?" Seraph chuckled.
"Ha. Ha," Stark deadpanned at her, a grin threatening to tug at the corners of his lips. "You know what I mean, Blue."
With a melodic chuckle that made Stark's stomach coil with butterflies, Seraph replied, "I'm proud of you. Managing alcoholism is not easy."
"... This was also a 'shock' for me," Stark jested while speaking his heart out. "I won't say I didn't imagine myself free from the drink, because I wasn't thinking about the future back then, but I'll agree with your surprise."
"I didn't say surprise. I said I was proud of you." Seraph pulled him closer by the lock of their arms and rested her head on his shoulder while they walked to the elevator.
Stark's heart faltered for a moment, and he had to remind himself—like a mantra—that he was not a teenage girl talking with her first crush. "... I'm also proud of myself. And thankful to you... and your father."
"Father? I thought you feared Father too much to see what he had done for you from my shadows." Seraph arched an eyebrow at him.
"Here's the part where I remind you I'm a genius," Stark scoffed.
"And the real answer behind the clown mask?" Seraph.
"Hey! Calling it a clown mask is going too far. I would rather say it was the mask of the center of all attention." Stark spoke with his free hand to his chest, mocking heart damage.
"Uhummm," Seraph rolled her eyes at him.
Stark coughed to dispel his act and continued. "The fact that he created you aside, and that part of what you do can be attributed to him, he never opposed the merging of his companies to mine, he supported you while you supported me, he is part of the reason my X-Bodyguards protect me, he created that monstruos armor with me in mind, he included me in the machine that brought so many changes to the world, and, despite having to be restrained like a mad dog when I asked for permission to date you, he didn't come after my ass when freed."
"~Hahaha! That last one could be attributed to Father managing his memories, but yes... Father has been 'cheering' for you from a distance," Seraph revealed. "But enough about Father. This night should be all about us."
Stark was wearing a dark pinstripe suit, accompanied by a white dressing shirt and a wine-red tie. As always, hidden from plain sight, he was crowned, and he didn't forget his vambraces and greaves. He was not wearing a luxurious watch, but his Link hung from his neck proudly, like a jewel.
Seraph, for her part...
"Tell me the truth, are you wearing space?" Stark asked.
The question was an offense to his intelligence, but he had no other way of formulating it.
In their short walk from his home, through the portal that brought them here, and from the entrance of the building to their current location, waiting for the elevator, he had been touchy with Seraph, and it wasn't only because he wanted to grab her by her waist and not just lock arms with her, it was because his curiosity was making it impossible to ignore that her dress had depth to it, and that the stars 'woven' in it were scintillating, not unlike the stars above.
"Father gifted me this dress for my 267,987th birthday." Seraph released his arm and made a flowing twirl. "I have yet to understand how Father weaves space into fabric."
The other guests, who were already having a hard time keeping their eyes off what could be considered one of the two most famous women on Earth—the other being Jean Grey—were entranced by the dress and the model just as Stark was.
The dress was midnight-black, with thin straps that secured it while leaving her shoulders, back, and ample cleavage exposed. The dress hugged her from her hips up and flowed like silk from her hips down. But what truly caught the eye was the stars and, as Stark said, the depth it had.
Stark choked with his saliva, and it wasn't due to the heartthrobbing curves of Seraph. "Honestly, I easily forget how old you are."
"I won't blame you, we change little after so long." Seraph shrugged, not the least offended.
"It's a marvel of a dress, but not as much as the one wearing it." Stark praised with honesty, and even if Seraph were empathically blind, she would have to be denser than a singularity to miss the hearts in his eyes.
The guests, those observing the couple from a distance, and the ones waiting for the elevator near them, whispered among each other about the revelation that the famous Playboy, Anthony Stark, was pursuing the daughter of the departed Hero, Aragorn Abner.
The tidbit of Seraph stating that her father gifted her a dress for her 267,987th birthday was conveniently ignored by their minds due to a well-timed psionic command.
As was evident, Seraph didn't bother to hide Stark's intentions with her.
"Thank you," Seraph smiled sweetly while looking at her reflection in his eyes. "I treasure my appearance."
Entranced by her honeyed smile, Stark didn't notice her movement until a blue rose with dark green leaves popped out of her storage. "Here, I plucked this one for you."
Stark quizzically accepted the present and asked, "A... magical rose? What for?"
"Father taught me that men usually only receive flowers at their funerals," Seraph said.
The gesture, as absurd as it was to his common knowledge, touched him. "Now I feel like a clown," he said, touching his pockets. "I have nothing for you," he reached for his crown. "Unless you want my crown. It isn't pretty, though."
"Don't be silly, I'll accept something on the next date." Seraph found his antics endearing. "That flower, by the way, grew in my dimension. If you drink it in tea, you should have pleasant dreams for a month."
With a ding! The elevator arrived.
Stark stored the rose in his Link's storage and offered his arm to Seraph. She took it and walked inside the elevator with him. The other guests, although intimidated by the figures, stepped inside too.
The ride to the top was smooth and fast for Stark and Seraph, but overwhelming to the 'normal' humans riding it with them.
The party was well on its way, and several famous faces could be seen. Given that Johnny was the organizer, this was not strange.
"Oh, I recognize her," Stark gestured at a brunette. "That's Angelina Jolie. Then Thornton must not be far from her."
"Yelena is here, too," Seraph added.
"Lusty Fox? I don't see her-Wait! Won't her godly status interfere?" Stark asked. "Is she shapeshifting?"
"Yes, she took her fluffy bits away." Seraph gestured to a corner that oozed seduction.
Long white hair, light blue-tipped, and a body and face that started and ended wars. Yelena was possessively secured by Johnny Storm while they talked animatedly with a man Stark was sure was an incubus.
"Who is that man?" Stark asked. He had only seen supernatural attractiveness like that in Halo.
"That's one of Wanda's twins, Billy. Must have escaped Hell," Seraph revealed.
"That's one of Pietro's?" Stark asked, guiding her to the trio in question.
"Heya, Princess," Yelena greeted her. She escaped Johnny's clutches and warmly embraced Seraph before smooching her on the cheek.
"Johnny," Stark offered a handshake. Johnny shook his hand while wearily eyeing Billy Maximoff.
"Stark, be careful of the hyenas," Johnny said while gesturing to Billy.
Stark looked from Johnny to the smirking Billy, back and forth, and quickly caught on to the situation. Billy had flirted with Yelena, and Johnny didn't know who Billy was.
"I thought you and the Lusty Fox were not an item anymore," Stark commented.
"That may be so, but Lena is my date for the night." Johnny's glaring eyes were locked on the incubus.
"Looks like the Lusty Fox is as playful as always," Stark addressed Yelena, who was now trying to grope Seraph while the other kept slapping her hands.
"Can you blame a fox for a mischievous streak?" Yelena asked, pausing her attempts at teasing Seraph.
"What am I missing?" Johnny asked, releasing Billy from his glare.
Billy chuckled and turned to Seraph. "You look beautiful, Aunt Seraph. That dress complements you. Who made it? Was it Master (Yao), Mother, or Grandpa Aragorn?"
It all clicked in an instant for Johnny. "You're a Therion!"
"One of Pietro's twins," Stark added.
"The Kid's?" Johnny's eyes went to the incubus' silver hair. "That explains it."
"I wouldn't relax if I were you," Stark teased while watching the three Therions hug it out. "These guys are part Lannister."
"Uhmm, well, I know," Johnny replied with a loopsided smirk.
"You know?" Stark asked, confused.
"Hehe. Yeah, I know," Johnny said with a decadent chuckle.
Stark's mouth went agape.
"Does Wandabus know you're here, Billy?" Seraph asked.
"I think grandma must have informed her by now," Billy replied.
"Agatha helped you exit Hell?" Seraph questioned.
"Yes. I went to the Ark to visit Mindee, and then she opened a portal for me to Halo. From there, I warped here," Billy revealed. "I can't wait for the day Mom removes this curse," he complained.
Wanda had cursed her twins with a spatial anchor to limit their own ability to warp through space, to limit their range. Raising warping, rebellious teenagers was hard.
"What type are you, kid?" Johnny interjected, all his previous glares gone with the wind.
"I am the tall, toned thighs, bubble butt woman-type of man. A flat stomach is not exactly a must, but I like leaning towards fit," Billy replied with a grin.
"Nice," Stark nodded in approval.
"Nothing like a pair of thighs to smother you," Yelena gave a thumbs up.
"I can get behind that, too," Johnny nodded in approval. "But I meant what type of Therion?"
"Ah," Billy realized his mistake. "I'm a demon. An incubus to be precise, like my parents."
He willed it, a field that obfuscated them from the rest of the mortals' awareness. Black curved horns and a long tail ending in an arrow appeared. His ears turned pointed, and his eyes became purple.
"Also, I'm not a kid. I'm older than everyone here but my aunts," Billy added.
"Would you be considered an adult by Therion—"
"Or demonic," Stark added.
"—standards?" Johnny asked.
"No, but not a kid either," Billy growled out.
"Then you're a kid," Johnny shiteating-grinned at him.
"A babe even," Stark smirked playfully.
"A shota," Yelena added with a wink.
"Did you have to go there?" Seraph half-glared at Yelena.
"Of course," Yelena decisively replied.
Eyes wide, Billy said, "So that's what Grandpa meant."
"What did Aragorn say?" Johnny asked, intrigued.
"When he sent me here, he mentioned that the mortals involved with Aunt Yelena and Seraph were not like the mortal souls that dropped by Hell," Billy replied. "He said you guys would not care about my status or age."
Stark and Johnny shared a look and then shrugged.
"When you see what Aragorn can do..." Johnny left the remaining unsaid.
"I would say the Old Man, the Madame, and Red have a way of numbing one to deities," Stark added.
"Who's Red?" Billy asked.
"Jean," Yelena said with a chuckle. "That's what Fury calls her; it stuck."
"You guys are interesting," Billy said with an evaluating gaze.
"Is he flirting with us?" Johnny asked Stark.
"And both at the same time?" Stark faked shock.
"Fuck off!" Billy scoffed.
""Hahahahaha!"" Stark and Johnny laughed out loud.
Around the world, in Krakoa, Latveria, Madripoor—what remained of the country—Europe, Africa, Asia, America, and every other place that was affected or had an invested interest in the war, they all celebrated.
Part of the reason the world was celebrating so hard was that after Abner's parting, it was revealed that he had made connections with the powers beyond Earth, and one of those powers, the one that Lord Alduin belonged to, the Imperium, was willing to work with Earth, but on the condition that the planet had a unified form of governance.
The world's economy was past the point of recovery-No! It was at a point that many had realized that someone was controlling the planet's economy, because nothing short of a few trillion miracles would explain why they were sailing through an economic crisis and not through the stage of civilization's collapse.
In other words, Earth, humanity that is, was starving for commerce.
A few of those strange Duskari, those who were comparable to volunteers who visit impoverished settlements and actually put some elbow grease into it, had made contact with humanity and had assisted them at key positions to keep the machine known as humanity running.
From them, they had come to learn of the Imperium and of the potential benefits that allying with it could bring; additionally, of the requirements to officially begin trade with it.
Hence, most of the planet was rejoicing.
The next day, the signing of the peace agreements that would officially end the war was happening at the base of the Sapling of Discord.
Passing through the hordes of Doombots and Latverians rapidly rebuilding the fallen cities was a slap to the faces of the leaders who were attending the signing.
The number of Doombots had grown, and the familiarity the Latverians had with them told them that Doom had long ago introduced them to his subjects, yet the world knew naught about them before the war.
Sure, Latveria was a small country, but to control so thoroughly a country that they suspected nothing until the reveal, it reminded them of Wakanda.
The construct of the portal was a structure so large and tall that a few helicopters could be seen flying through it, while a long train was hauling something from the other side into Latveria. It didn't need a genius to understand that Latveria was already harvesting the Sapling.
Were it not for the deterrent, Doom's assassinations through sorcery bought, they would have started a fourth world war right then and there.
Imagine not having to worry about the food of your country's population, and having a magical fertilizer that basically turned every crop into supercrops; and that was only the known uses of the sap.
What is the tree made of that allowed for such a physics-breaking giant plant to exist? Why is it translucent? How is it translucent? What's the DNA of the tree? Does it have a DNA? What other miraculous benefits does the tree grant? Is it true that divinity runs through it? If so, can it be studied?
Some rumors even claimed that immortality, godhood, and power beyond measure were within reach of he who held control of the tree, that the reason Aragorn was so powerful had to do with the Arbor Mundi. Yeah, the world was going crazy for the planetary tree.
The portal was not a tear in space, nor a mystery hidden behind a veil, nor a black hole in space; it was simply a change in space, from Latveria to the Sapling.
If the portal to Otherworld resting at the base of the Arbor Mundi had not been hidden from the world, many would have noticed the similarities between both portals.
"Can you replicate that?" President Bush, newly appointed after Doom ended Clinton, asked.
"This is outside of my area of expertise, Mr. President," Norman Osborn replied. Despite not being able to answer the question, there was an air of confidence to him that indicated he was not done. "But you can get an answer from my assistant, Dr. Reed Richards."
They were inside one of the rooms prepared for the USA, in the outpost that had turned into a complex of considerable size. Several important figures were reviewing the document that would be signed publicly later; others were the security detail, a few were military leadership, and a small retinue of big brains were present in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the secrets of Latveria, or the Sapling of Discord.
Under the questioning, silent gaze of the president, Reed Richards shook his head and said, "I believe Victor used more than just technology. Sorcery isn't a field I've studied. Based on preliminary observations, some of the problems I encountered when surmising a fix were circumvented by his sorcery."
While he said this, he thought of the almost factual possibility that if he were to build a permanent portal to the sapling and interfere with Aragorn's plans, he would certainly find himself with forgotten memories the next day, so, no, the answer was no, even if he could build a portal he considered better by the end of the week in his basement.
A few hours later, when all parties involved had reviewed the documents, the official signing ceremony was about to start, when Aragorn appeared in his eastern dragon shape and wrapped around the trunk of the Sapling of Discord, with his head ending right above the locale of the ceremony.
Under the chilling celestial eyes of the dragon, a silence spread with violence that belied its nature, and everyone stopped.
The Sapling of Discord was an abnormally massive tree, and Aragon had grown large enough in size to not be reduced by the tree in scale.
Humanity had known for a while that when in human form, Aragorn resembled the 'departed' Aragorn Abner, but in dragon form, he was unmistakable from Lord Alduin. Most speculated that this was because Aragorn was truly the result of fusing both beings.
From the present, those astounded by the visage, only Reed Richards knew the truth.
'It's good that you've kept in your lane, Richards.'
'I'm not suicidal, Aragorn.'
'Really? Could have fooled me.'
'I'm following a lonely path guided by my convictions.'
'And?'
'My goals are not and won't ever be for the harm of humanity, or Reality.'
'How can I trust a child to understand the difference between real and fun danger?'
'A child? Is that what I look like to you?'
'Most certainly not. If you were a child to my eyes, I would be agreeable to your whims.'
'Yet, when you decide what is right and wrong for humanity, for Earth, and the Universe, you act from the position of power of a parent over a child.'
'So, what? I know better.'
'Is that what you think? Not even I'm arrogant enough to think I know better than the world!'
'Really? Because you've yet to apologize to Susan Storm.'
'Because I was right! I'm right!'
'I see. I believe you. Which is why I'll continue to make decisions unilaterally on behalf of the Universe. Because I know better than the combined wisdom of every thinking being here.
'Can you see it, Richards? You and I are so similar. Both of us are always right, and the rest are always wrong, but this is factual, because when have we ever made a mistake? Right?'
'... I'm only acting upon my convictions and principles.'
'You're still alive for a reason, no?'
'What reason?'
'You don't need to know. In fact, why don't you guess? I bet with your super genius you'll come up with an answer.'
'...'
Aragorn's and Richard's friendly conversation came to an end due to the Doom's declaration.
"Protector of Earth, Aragorn, your presence in this auspicious event will confer the necessary solidity to the agreements we are about to sign," Doom declared with a gentle bow. "For so long as the Protector of Earth stands, this peace treaty will not be marred, broken, burnt, or forgotten."
At the end of his declaration—hidden from most eyes since he was at the front, facing Aragorn—an elegant, evil smirk appeared for a moment.
In the possible future, this would not be called the Last World War of Terra because humanity grew and matured as a species. It was not that borders and differences would be forgotten.
The real reason, the one hidden from even history, is that the peace treatment was binding through [Script] for all of humanity on Earth, and that the only way to break it was the end of Aragorn.
Internal conflict was almost always useless and a waste of resources, and Doom almost begged Aragorn to help make sure his house would not burn while he was at work. In other words, he didn't want humanity to self-destruct while he was busy in space.
Aragorn, for his side, didn't want another world war. Two world wars were enough within an era, in his own humble eldritch opinion. Humanity had already exceeded its allotment, and Aragorn was not tolerant enough to allow another.
Naturally, Aragorn ignored that he basically war-baited humanity into World War III, but such meager details didn't factor into the dragon's declarations.
And so, the end of the war was officially signed.
━━━━━━━ ● ━━━━━━━
Instrument of Post-Conflict Settlement and Sovereign Reconstitution
WHEREAS, the High Contracting Parties hereby declare the formal cessation of hostilities and the definitive conclusion of the preceding belligerency;
NOW, THEREFORE, the following foundational mandates are established within this comprehensive peace accord:
A) Proscription of Multilateral Conflict: Any armed engagement involving more than three distinct sovereign entities is strictly prohibited. Consequently, no external power shall possess the jurisdiction or authority to intervene in the internal governance or international diplomatic relations of another state.
B) Establishment of Planetary Governance: In consideration of equitable access to the botanical resources of the Sapling of Discord and the Arbor Mundi, the signatories hereby authorize the formation of a unified Planetary Administrative Body.
C) Theological Supremacy: The Drachantheon Therion is formally recognized as the supreme ecclesiastical authority within the Solar System. Cultic practice or the veneration of deities is restricted exclusively to those entities specifically sanctioned by said pantheon.
D) Human Patronage: The individual designated as Aragorn is hereby granted the official status of Patron of Humanity, encompassing all associated representative and protective duties.
E) Arboreal Sovereignty: No nation, military force, or corporate entity—save for those expressly authorized by the Drachantheon Therion—may assert proprietary claims or exercise ownership over any celestial entity classified as a 'Planetary Tree.'
Pursuant to these primary articles, supplementary codicils, regulatory frameworks, and exhaustive legal instruments have been ratified to ensure universal compliance.
━━━━━━━ ● ━━━━━━━
Each article warranted a comprehensive codex, and the responsibility of these codexes rested with the Goddesses of Law, Wisdom, and Knowledge.
So, immediately after the document was signed, it floated in the air and burst into particles of light. From the almost glittery explosion, a pulse spread first throughout the planet, then the rest of the solar system.
Pentagonal Prisms of Dragon Ore of about 2 meters (~6'6") burst from the ground with the six main articles inscribed. Simultaneously, in the orbits of the missing planets, the replacements of the Solar System's planets lost to the Gobling Force spawned. In these same planets, the aforementioned prisms also appeared.
Through the SatNet—aimed outside and not to Earth—scenes of the new planets of the Solar System were captured, and the general characteristics and the resources available on each planet appeared. These planets were claimed to be a gift from the Imperium.
Like so, if the celebration for the end of the war was a planetary party, then there were no words for the celebration that followed.
━━━━━━━ ● ━━━━━━━
At the furthest edge of the Universe, at the point where the space-time mesh expanded and the universal barrier protected Reality from the void between Realities, Thanos and Chaos King stood side by side.
No words were exchanged; either because there was nothing to discuss, because they were competent enough to not need communication, dislike, pride, or simply because they had already spoken what needed to be spoken, whatever the reason, Chaos King silently stepped towards the universal barrier.
Thanos raised his two-stone gauntlet, his eyes lighted with a strange gleam of blue, with black, inky spots. The red and yellow of the Infinity Stones in his possession had not stopped glowing since he overcame the Trail of the God Quarry.
The universal wall, something usually so inscrutable that not even the greatest reality-warpers can distort to their whims, became soft clay in the hands of the Mad Titan.
The barrier, like a glass tunnel under an aquarium, stretched in front of Chaos King as this one approached a spot of unnatural darkness within the void.
The emptiness of the void threatened to swallow all, but the tunneled universal barrier withstood it without complication.
Halfway to the Continuum, Chaos King began to spend his own energy to aid Thanos in sustaining the stretched and abused barrier.
It was a coordination so seamless that it appeared rehearsed to perfection, yet it wasn't.
Days passed, months, and by the end of the year 2001 of Terra, the barrier kissed the outer edge of the Continuum.
At that moment, when Chaos King reached and touched the Continuum, an incalculable distance away, Aragorn's eyes turned crimson and spun in their direction, and he disappeared from Earth.
╚═══━━━─── • ───━━━═══╝
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{A/N:
Please check out my P@treon account! There are already 10 chapters ahead for premium members, which is at least 100,000 words. Premium members also gain access to a new chapter every week.
[email protected]/ExistentialVoid
Free Members get access to all free chapters, and I upload free chapters about 12 hours earlier on P@atreon.}
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