Dr. Banner was completely stunned.
At first, the child only felt familiar.
Then the resemblance became unmistakable.
He realized the child looked exactly like he did at five or six years old.
Banner had an exceptional memory.
That was normal for someone with seven PhDs.
But-
Why was he seeing a younger version of himself?
And why was that younger self curled up, fast asleep?
His own body was right there.
So what state was he in right now?
Banner looked at Morin.
He needed answers.
"This is your soul," Morin said, using a spell to keep Banner's body from collapsing. He explained it to the older version of Banner's spirit, then pointed to the sleeping one. "And this is also your soul. The one you call the Hulk."
"What?" Banner couldn't accept it.
"I know it's hard to believe," Morin said evenly. "Let me ask you something, Dr. Banner. When someone faces pain they can't endure, what do they want to do?"
"...Seek help. Run. Find safety," Banner replied after a pause.
"Exactly." Morin nodded. "Safety."
"When danger becomes overwhelming, the body's instinct is to hide. And for a human, the safest and warmest place is when they were still in the womb."
"Even without conscious memory, that instinct is written into the genes."
"My god..." Banner froze.
He understood immediately.
"So it's actually very simple." Morin raised his hand.
Sparks formed images in the air-Banner's form, shifting as Morin spoke.
"From the beginning, there was only one Dr. Banner."
"But when you were exposed to gamma radiation, the pain exceeded what your body could endure."
"So your spirit split."
"One part became you-the conscious mind-which almost completely forgot the radiation incident."
"The other part took everything."
"The pain."
"The fear."
"The negative emotions that followed."
"Trapped in endless agony, that part searched your subconscious for safety."
"And it regressed."
"Back toward infancy."
"Until it truly had the mind of a child."
"All that remained was rage and pain."
"With that many negative emotions, rampages were inevitable."
"Honestly," Morin added, "it's probably because you're kind by nature that things weren't even worse."
Banner stared at the sleeping child.
A crushing guilt washed over him.
He understood now.
That child was him.
And also not him.
"This personality was born to protect you," Morin continued. "That's why it only takes control when you're in danger."
"It turns you into the Hulk."
"Infinite strength."
"Infinite defense."
"To keep Dr. Banner alive."
Morin brought the spark-images together.
"Banner and Hulk have always been the same person."
"You need to accept that before treatment can begin."
"And by treatment, I mean the correct one."
"What do I need to do?" Banner asked.
By now, he had completely abandoned the idea of removing the Hulk.
Morin's explanation answered everything.
It also explained why he lost consciousness during transformations.
Only another personality-still part of him-could explain that.
"It's simple," Morin said after thinking. "Simple to say, anyway."
"You need to experience the pain again."
"...The radiation?" Banner frowned.
"No. Not literally." Morin shook his head. "But close."
"You need to accept the memories of your other self."
"You are the same person, but spiritually, you became two."
"You control the human form and most of the memories."
"He controls the Hulk, the gamma radiation, and everything that happens during transformation."
"If you want control, the two of you must merge."
"Complete memories."
"Complete emotions."
"Complete control."
"To do that, you must experience everything."
"From both sides."
In the original timeline, Banner eventually controlled the Hulk.
But he did it by erasing the Hulk personality.
That left him unable to return to human form.
And he lost the ability to grow stronger with rage.
Because the rage was gone.
After examining Banner's soul, Morin realized something else.
Banner was missing emotional components.
Otherwise, his detached kindness made no sense.
There's a saying: when one holds a weapon, the urge to kill arises.
Banner didn't just lack that urge.
He wanted to die.
Almost all his anger had gone to the Hulk.
That was the price.
Which was why the Hulk started as a mindless force.
Only later did intelligence emerge.
That was why Morin suggested merging.
Ideally, it was a win-win.
Ideally.
A personality merge couldn't be fixed with a simple spell.
Morin could bring the souls together.
But Banner had to endure the memories himself.
Morin could have used telepathy to dull the pain.
But then Banner wouldn't understand the cost of his power.
How would he possess infinite rage?
The "stronger with anger" trait might disappear.
So Morin didn't mention that option.
People don't struggle when there's an easy exit.
"When do we start?" Banner asked.
No hesitation.
"Whenever you're ready," Morin said. "But be prepared."
"You must hold on to everything worth remembering."
"I don't want a Hulk that only knows rage."
"That would be a waste."
"And remember-this is acceptance."
"Not conquest."
"Not erasure."
"I understand." Banner looked at his younger self, eyes heavy with emotion.
"I should have endured it."
"But he did."
"And he is me."
"So I can endure it too."
"Good." Morin nodded.
"Do I need to prepare anything?" Banner asked.
"No." Morin smiled. "Just prepare for pain."
The pull came instantly.
Banner felt his soul being dragged.
Before, it had felt like floating in a vacuum.
Now, he was moving.
Fast.
He turned.
His younger self was rushing toward him.
The child's eyes were open now.
Glowing green.
Tiny fists clenched.
A silent roar.
"Come on." Banner opened his arms.
The moment they touched-
It was like being struck by a sledgehammer.
For a second, Banner couldn't even scream.
That was only the beginning.
His consciousness shattered.
His soul twitched instinctively.
And his mind plunged into the missing memories.
Reliving everything.
From Morin's perspective, the two souls were fusing.
Same source.
No side effects.
Once complete, Morin sent the merged soul back into Banner's body.
"Whether it works or not depends on luck."
Morin sighed, watching Banner lie motionless.
He waved his hand.
Arrays formed.
Protection.
Guarding.
Calming.
Cleansing.
Temperature control.
Several more to aid spiritual fusion.
Luck was uncontrollable.
But increasing success rates and reducing accidents-
According to a certain Kan's "Law of Relativity"-
Was basically the same as being luckier.
After settling Banner in his room, Morin went to check on his "hope for early retirement."
Tony Stark.
Tony was staring at a blueprint.
With Morin's perception, he recognized it instantly.
A Mark suit design.
But different.
Why did those runes and circuits look familiar?
A moment later, Morin realized.
Magical arrays.
Tony was integrating them directly into the armor design.
"Heh." Morin smiled. "Tech and magic..."
Morin had no idea what would happen when those two fully merged in the hands of a genius.
What kind of future would come of it?
But who cared?
The butterfly had flapped enough already.
An unpredictable future was only natural.
Since obtaining the Eye of Agamotto, Morin hadn't looked into the future once.
Knowing a fixed destiny only limited imagination.
If the future is set, time loses meaning.
Morin was curious.
How far would Tony go?
What kind of world would he create?
With that thought, Morin went to the Kamar-Taj library.
Bucky sat there, eyes closed.
Mage robes.
Motionless.
Though Morin and Tony had spent a long time in Constantine's world, they returned at the exact second they left.
Bucky was still an issue.
Tony chose to ignore it for now.
He was fully immersed in technology and magic.
Revenge would come.
But he'd take it against those truly responsible.
Bucky had been controlled.
Tony didn't see him as worth his anger.
Bucky, on the other hand, felt hollow.
He had wanted to die.
But Tony ignored him.
So he sat there.
Like a machine.
Mimicking meditation.
Badly.
"If meditation is just escape and not clarity," Morin said, "you could sit there until you die and it wouldn't matter."
Bucky slowly opened his eyes.
Defeated.
He knew Morin was right.
He just didn't know how to face the world.
"Maybe there's something you'd want to hear," Morin said. "Captain America is still alive."
Bucky: "!!!"
"His physiology let him survive the Arctic," Morin continued. "He's in hibernation, like you were."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. has been searching."
"They've recently found something."
Morin waved his hand.
A steaming cup of coffee appeared.
A duffel bag beside it.
"You know the state of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Morin said. "Hydra's everywhere."
"My advice?"
"If you can't figure things out, don't think."
"Act on instinct."
"You might find your path that way."
"The bag has clothes, ID, and cash."
"As the former Winter Soldier..."
"I trust you know how to disappear."
"...I do." A spark returned to Bucky's eyes.
A path.
A chance.
"Thank you," he said hoarsely.