"Max mentioned Celestials once," Nur said as he sat in the courtyard of Agamotto's Sanctuary or the Avengers Sanctuary, as they had been calling it lately.
"He said they were the first beings to ever exist in the universe and the most powerful. That they create life and destroy it…"
"True gods," he added.
Odin looked to the young mutant and nodded. "Aye, that's the gist of it." The Prince of Asgard spun the Will Spear in his hand as Mjolnir floated next to him. For the first time in his life, he was not sure about simply charging into battle.
Fan Fei and Vnn had immediately returned as soon as Agamotto went to get them from the Savage Land, and the sorcerer had also gone and retrieved Nur. He was now away in Wakanda to bring Azzuri.
"You are healing well," Ghost said, looking Odin over.
Odin only grunted in confirmation, his mind fixed on the catastrophic threat they had to face soon or Midgard's doom was assured.
"What kind of abilities does it possess? How can we counter it?" Fan asked as she paced with her hands behind her back, her mind already working through scenarios.
"All I know is that Celestials are the most powerful beings in existence," Odin said grimly. "So expect everything. It could maybe even think us out of existence."
"Grr grrr grrrr!" Vnn declared. (I will crush him! Vnn the strongest there is!) The Starbrand flared in his chest.
Fan looked at him gently. "You are strong, dear Vnn. But you need to be careful. This is not something to be taken lightly."
Nur spoke up, his tone thoughtful. "What about the Eternals you fought? Why is the Celestial here? What happened to make it go mad? And the man in armor who attacked Odin and left with that Eternal who was he?"
"I am sure Mephisto is behind all this," Ghost said angrily. "He is plotting something. He could have been the one who addled the Celestial's mind. Those locust-like creatures it could have been he sent them."
"I don't think even Mephisto has the power to corrupt a being as powerful as you describe this Celestial to be," Fan said skeptically.
"There are plots within plots happening around us," Odin said, standing and pacing despite his injuries. "And we will need to unravel them. But first, we must safeguard Midgard from the mad Celestial."
"You said it spoke?" Fan asked.
Ghost repeated the Celestial's words: "All life must be judged and found wanting. You are flaws in the design."
Fan's expression grew thoughtful. "So if it's going to judge us and destroy us, then why hasn't it? What is stopping it?"
"I think the same," Nur said, arms crossed. "Obviously this Celestial has been weakened. That's why it has not destroyed the world like it said it would."
Then a portal opened and Agamotto and Azzuri stepped out.
"Azzuri!" Fan moved quickly to embrace her fellow Avenger. "You are a welcome sight. Has Agamotto told you what's happening?"
"A mad god, Mephisto involved, the world in danger," Azzuri said calmly, his armor gleaming in the light. "So the usual for us."
"Well then, we are caught up," Odin said, already moving toward Agamotto. "Let us go back and make sure Midgard is not destroyed."
"Not yet," Agamotto said firmly.
"Agamotto, the Celestial.." Odin began.
"Wait," Agamotto said simply.
He then cast a spell, hovering in a lotus position as he searched for the Celestial. His eyes glowed amber and mandalas spun around him in complex patterns. Sweat beaded on his forehead from the effort. Scrying on something that powerful while trying to remain undetected was no small feat. One wrong move and he could draw its attention directly to them.
As Agamotto spied for the Celestial, the others began arguing about how to approach the threat.
"We should wait for Max and Firehair," Nur said. "We're missing our leader and also the strongest of us."
"Has anyone contacted them yet?" Fan asked.
"No," Odin said. "I tried the communicator, but it's not working. Something must have gone wrong."
Ghost grinned. "Or they decided to take some time for themselves… alone."
That got some chuckles, even from Odin, temporarily breaking the tension.
"So we wait for them, then," Nur said.
"Grr grr grr!" Vnn protested, the Starbrand flaring in his chest. (We are enough! I am strong! We are strong!)
"No, Vnn. We are not not against this," Fan said gently but firmly.
"I agree with Vnn," Odin supported. "I think we can battle the Celestial ourselves. We can't just wait for Max and Firehair to come back Midgard would be destroyed by that time."
"Yes," Ghost agreed. "We cannot do nothing while it begins destroying the world. Every moment we wait is a moment it could strike."
Azzuri, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. "I agree with Odin as well. We are Avengers. We assembled to protect this world. If we must act, we will."
Suddenly, Agamotto came out of his trance, gasping heavily and nearly falling from his meditative position.
"What is it?" Odin and the others asked in concern, rushing to his side.
"I tried to scry for the Celestial, to locate it." Agamotto paused, his expression troubled. "I couldn't find it."
"That's good, right?" Nur said hopefully. "Maybe it's left Earth."
"Let us hope so," Azzuri said, though his tone suggested he did not believe it for a moment.
"We need to go back," Odin said to Agamotto. "To make sure it's gone."
The others nodded in agreement.
Agamotto quickly created a portal and they stepped through, arriving in the frozen wastelands. A short distance away, the Celestial knelt with its head bowed, as if affected by something. All two thousand feet of it… completely inert. It looked almost as if it were sleeping. Or dying.
"Grr grr grrr!" Vnn said, hitting Agamotto on the side of his head. (You said it was gone!)
"Ow! I said I didn't feel its presence!" Agamotto protested, nursing the back of his head.
"So it's dead!" Nur exclaimed, hope in his voice.
"No." Ghost, Agamotto, Odin, Azzuri, and Fan said the word simultaneously, their voices flat.
"Grr grr grrr!" Vnn gestured aggressively, the Starbrand blazing brighter. (Then let's kill it now!)
"I agree with Vnn," Odin said, one hand on Mjolnir and the other on the Will Spear. Lightning began crackling softly around him. "It is weakened now. Perhaps we can—"
"No, my friends." Azzuri interrupted, his voice calm but commanding. "We have been given time, it seems. Time to wait for Max and Firehair's return. Time to strategize properly. Rushing in now when we don't understand what's happening would be foolish."
Agamotto nodded, still rubbing his head. "Let's head back. We can return after we prepare properly — study what we know and plan our approach."
Odin reluctantly agreed, though his eyes remained fixed on the kneeling Celestial. Fan had to physically coax Vnn back.
They all returned through the portal to the Avengers Sanctuary, leaving the mad god to whatever it was doing.
They spent the next four days observing and preparing to fight the Celestial.
Odin shared every scrap of knowledge he had stories passed down from his ancestors, passages from ancient Asgardian texts. He searched the database Max kept on their ship for whatever the Shi'ar had compiled. The data painted a terrifying picture: Celestials were nearly omnipotent. They reshape reality itself and can unmake worlds and people with a thought.
Azzuri went home and sought Bast's guidance. The Panther Goddess appeared to him in visions, and seeing the danger the Celestial posed to all life on Earth, she acted. She strengthened him, enhancing his already formidable abilities. His speed increased beyond any black panther that had come before him. His senses sharpened. The blessing of Bast had never burned brighter within him.
Nur trained his primary power subatomic manipulation, the ability to control the atomic structure of his own body. He learned to harden his form to extreme levels and, recently, to grant himself additional powers by restructuring his atoms. He could summon fire from his hands, create ice from moisture in the air, and control other elements if he wished. It was as if his potential were limitless, exactly as Max had promised. He also used what he learned from Agamotto and Fan to further empower himself.
Ghost spent his time meditating, communing with the Spirit of Vengeance. He needed to understand the limits of his power. Could the Penance Stare affect something that might not even have a soul as mortals understood it? Could his hellfire be effective against a being as old as the universe itself? The Spirit gave him no clear answers, but it did give him resolve. "You are my instrument," it whispered. "And through you, even gods can be judged."
Vnn… well, Vnn waited impatiently, sometimes sparring with Odin, the Starbrand itching to be unleashed against the Celestial.
Agamotto used protection spells some he made himself and others he learned from his travels to prepare his fellow Avengers for the fight ahead. Each member of the team now carried dozens of defensive enchantments.
Agamotto, Odin, and Fan even went in search of the Eternals, hoping to find allies or at least information, but they did not.
On the fourth day they all found themselves back in the Sanctuary.
"So, how did the talks with the City of Pe go?" Odin asked Nur. The two had become good friends over the past months.
After Max and Odin had fallen out over Odin's less-than-admirable thoughts about some members of the Avengers, Odin decided to live among mortals to better himself. He went to Nur's burgeoning village and stayed there for some time, even helping the young ruler with matters of governance. Max may have been Nur's mentor in power and philosophy, but Odin helped him learn to rule. He was the Prince of Asgard, after all he understood courts, politics, and the weight of leading a people.
During his stay, Odin came to realize something profound: mortality made them stronger, not weaker. These people, who might live perhaps half a century if they were lucky, fought with a desperation and passion that immortals could never match. They built knowing their works might outlast them. They loved knowing it would end.
He'd watched Nur carry the weight of an entire people's hopes. He had seen kindness in many forms and warriors with no powers beyond mortal strength stand ready to defend their homes against terrifying threats. And he had understood, finally.
Strength wasn't just power. It was will. And these mortals had more of that than most could ever comprehend.
"The talks went well," Nur said, pulling Odin from his thoughts. "Pe has agreed to open trade routes. They will provide grain, and we will provide protection along the major trade routes."
Odin smiled. "You are becoming a fine king, En Sabah Nur."
Nur looked uncomfortable with the praise but pleased nonetheless. "I learned from the best." He paused. "From Max and even you, Odin. Many back home miss you."
"Oh then I will come back with you. I do miss that beer…" Odin began, but he could not finish as they both heard Agamotto's voice.
"We have to go."
That got everyone's attention.
"What happened?" Odin demanded.
"We have to go," Agamotto repeated urgently.
He then simply opened a portal back to the Arctic without explanation.
They stepped through into the dark, icy wastelands and found devastation beyond imagination.
What had once been an endless expanse of Arctic ice had been transformed. Whatever happened had melted enormous sections of the ice shelf, revealing that they now stood on a rocky island a landmass that had been completely hidden beneath permafrost for ages, exposed to open air for the first time in countless years.
Surrounding them on all sides was water. The melted ice had created a vast expanse of open ocean that lapped against the rocky shores of their island. Steam still rose from some places. Beyond this newly formed sea, perhaps miles away, the familiar white ice shelf remained a stark boundary between the untouched frozen world and this zone of utter destruction.
Complete devastation stretched across the visible island. Craters pockmarked the landscape, some still glowing with heat. The ground was warped and twisted, as if the fundamental laws of physics had been bent and then snapped back incorrectly.
"It awoke again," Odin muttered, looking around at devastation far beyond what their battle with the Eternals had created.
"Yes," Agamotto said grimly. "Others came and fought the Celestial. It did not end well for them."
"Others?" Fan asked. "Who would be foolish enough—"
"There is one survivor," Agamotto interrupted. "Come."
They followed Agamotto across the ruined landscape. In the distance he pointed out something.
There they found the remains of a woman. Most of her body was destroyed; her entire lower half was simply gone. Golden blood pooled beneath her, already freezing in the arctic air.
"Thena," Odin recognized immediately, kneeling beside her as they all gathered around.
"You said the Eternals were created by the Celestials. They serve them," Azzuri said, confusion evident in his voice as he looked at Agamotto. "Why would—"
"Because it is not of sound mind anymore," Agamotto interrupted. "I want to investigate the dead Celestial. Those locust-like creatures, they—"
He did not finish the sentence as Thena opened her eyes and grabbed Nur's leg.
Nur started back quickly. "What—"
They all looked at the Eternal in surprise she was still alive, still conscious despite her injuries.
Agamotto knelt, his hands glowing with healing magic. "Let me—"
"Don't bother," Thena said weakly.
"Grr grr?" Vnn gestured, genuinely confused. (How are you even alive?)
"Yes, I am of the same mind as Vnn," Fan said, genuine wonder in her voice. "How are you still alive?"
"I am an Eternal," Thena said, blood flecking her lips. "Death is... temporary for us. We resurrect. The machine rebuilds us."
"What happened?" Azzuri asked urgently. "Where is the Celestial?"
Thena spoke in broken words, struggling for breath between each phrase. "Zgreb is still here. I don't know where... This is... Uranos' fault. All of it."
"I fought Uranos," Odin said, his hand tightening on Mjolnir. "And aye, he was plotting something. He escaped with a man in demonic armor."
Thena's eyes widened. "You were here? When?"
"Yes, we were here first," Ghost said. "Investigating the dead Celestial when we were attacked by Uranos and another Eternal."
"Did you did you kill Ikaris?" Thena asked, eyes wide.
"Yes. Unfortunately." Agamotto's voice held genuine regret. "He attacked us. We defended ourselves. He thought we had done something to the Celestial."
"Zgreb," Nur repeated, the name tasting strange on his tongue.
"Yes. Zgreb," Agamotto confirmed.
Thena did not speak for a moment, processing the information.
"My friends were only acting in defense," Fan said gently. "Ikaris gave them no choice."
"I... I understand," Thena said weakly.
"Where is the Lantern? Max?"
"He is offworld," Odin said.
"His powers and those of the Phoenix would have been a great help," Thena said, sadness deepening her voice. "I believe Zgreb has been corrupted somehow. After we learned of Ikaris' death we feared Uranos had done something. So we came here..." Her voice broke. "Zgreb attacked us. Without warning. Without mercy. Killed them all…my father, Gilgamesh, Sersi, Phastos, Makkari... all of them. Just... gone."
She muttered, "Cowardly A'lars…he left... abandoned us..."
"We're sorry for your loss," Agamotto said sincerely.
"We will be back," Thena said with certainty. "There is a reason we are called Eternals."
"Oh," Ghost and Nur said at the same time, as if struck by an epiphany.
"I saw locust-like creatures attacking Zgreb," Agamotto added carefully. "They were coming from the dead Celestial's corpse."
Thena's eyes widened in absolute horror, her remaining strength draining from her face. "Is that what you saw?"
"Yes. I saw it too," Ghost confirmed.
"No," Thena whispered. "No, no, no. The Horde. The Horde is here."
"What is the Horde?" Azzuri asked.
Thena began explaining, her voice strained and panicked. "If that's true, then Zgreb has been corrupted by the Horde." She struggled for words through her pain. "I don't know much about them, but... the Horde feed on the energy of Celestials and on worlds that are 'seeded' for Celestial births. They are parasites of cosmic order. Destroyers. They exist only to consume."
"The dead Celestial could have been infected when it came here," Agamotto speculated, his mind working through the implications. "And when Zgreb arrived to investigate—"
"He was infected as well," Azzuri finished.
"How will we stop it?" Fan asked Thena directly.
Thena's breathing grew labored, golden blood bubbling at her lips. "You can't kill a Celestial. None of you are strong enough even with the Lantern and the Phoenix on your side." She paused, gathering what little strength remained. "You need to weaken Zgreb and imprison him. His mere presence… is corrupting… the world… You don't have… much time. His mind… is gone… he—"
She did not finish; her eyes closed and her body went still. Death claimed her, at least temporarily.
"She is dead," Nur said quietly.
Vnn, who had been silent until then, spoke: "Grr grrr grr." (She said she will be back, didn't she?)
Fan looked at Vnn, scolding in her expression; he looked down as if embarrassed.
The Avengers shared a moment of silence for the fallen Eternal.
Then Nur looked around nervously. "So... where is it?"
As if Zgreb had heard him, the clouds above began to part. There, staring down at them, was Zgreb. His form had grown much larger covering the sky like a second moon descending. The corruption was visible even from this distance: black veins pulsed across his body; he looked diseased. His single eye burned, focused on them all.
FLAWS IN THE DESIGN.
UNMAKE.
From his sky-spanning size, Zgreb suddenly reduced himself as he descended now more manageable at about five hundred feet tall, though still impossibly massive compared to them. The ground cracked under his weight as he landed miles away, but the distance meant nothing.
Then he unleashed a torrent of cosmic energy from his face, a beam of pure destructive force that could annihilate them all instantly. Reality itself warped around the attack.
Agamotto created a shield, an amber light forming barriers layered upon barriers. Odin raised the Will Spear, the weapon projecting a barrier of pure will. Fan formed a chi-protection field.
It was not enough.
The beam struck their combined defenses and shattered them like glass. Agamotto, thinking fast, created a portal on the ground beneath them. They fell through, tumbling out a mile away from their former position and crashing onto half-frozen ground in a tangle of limbs.
They scrambled to their feet, staring back at where they'd been.
A crater now yawned where they had stood a perfect circle of destruction. The earth had simply been vaporized down to bedrock and beyond.
They all stood in shock as the reality of what they faced sank in. One hit. Just one direct strike, and any of them would cease to exist.
Nur's hands trembled slightly. Ghost's newly transformed state flickered; his flames betrayed something like fear. Fan's usual calm composure showed cracks. Azzuri's enhanced senses screamed danger. Even Vnn looked afraid.
Odin looked at each of them his friends, his fellow Avengers. He grinned.
"Agamotto," Odin called. "Is there a way to imprison it as Thena suggested?"
"We will need to weaken it. A lot," Agamotto said, his voice strained.
"Then we do just that," Odin said. "Just as we planned."
Odin pointed Mjolnir into the sky. Lightning struck him as he began to glow.
When the light faded, Odin stood transformed.
Full royal Asgardian armor covered him head to toe. A flowing red cape billowed behind him. His helm bore the likeness of wings. He had Mjolnir in one hand and the Will Spear in the other.
He looked at them all. "As Max would say—" He raised Mjolnir high.
"AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"
.
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Spoilers for next chapter.