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The Phoenix Fire raged with increasing intensity.
Gwen stared unblinking into the flames.
Next to her, Reed and Susan slowly opened their eyes. At first, they had closed them in fear, but now they were getting used to the blinding light.
A moment later, they saw him. As the Phoenix Fire pulled back, Hawk stepped out of the flames as if it were nothing.
Hawk's gaze landed softly on Gwen, who was cradling the two swaddled bundles in her arms.
"Gwen."
"Hawk." Gwen snapped out of her daze with a quick gasp. Excitement took over, and she rushed toward him without thinking.
Then, Gwen, along with her newborn son and daughter, phased right through Hawk's body.
"Huh?" Gwen stopped in her tracks. She turned around, saw Hawk right in front of her, and tried kicking him with her right foot to see what would happen.
She wanted to use her hands, but they were full.
She was still holding the babies.
Gwen watched as her foot went straight through his leg. She looked up at him, confused.
"What is this..."
"Sorry. This is the only way I can see you right now," Hawk said gently, glancing at the babies in her arms. "If they hadn't been born, I wouldn't have been able to reach you at all."
These two children were his and Gwen's bloodline.
More importantly, they were the pureblood heirs of the Phoenix Family.
The moment these two children began growing in Gwen's womb, this multiverse—which originally had no Phoenix Galaxy—began incubating one of its own.
For the same reason... When the children were born in this universe, the Phoenix Galaxy came into existence alongside them. So, the moment Hawk's children took their first breath and his Phoenix appeared in this reality, this universe showed up on his cosmic radar.
But there was one small problem.
"The Celestials have locked down this sector of the multiverse. My true body can't physically cross over right now."
"The Celestials?"
Gwen blinked. "You mean that massive thing sleeping inside the Earth's core?"
Once again, Hawk never kept secrets from her. Gwen quickly recalled his warning about a cosmic being sleeping deep within the planet—an entity belonging to the Celestials.
But Gwen was a little confused. "If they locked this place down, how are you standing here right now?"
"I burned a galaxy to see you," Hawk spoke without any emotion in his voice.
In the next instant, the space around him warped violently, instantly replacing the apartment's background with the freezing vacuum of deep space.
Right in front of them, beneath Hawk's feet, a whole galaxy crashed, exploded, and collapsed in on itself. It burned with incredible force, sending out vast waves of destructive energy as it died.
The energy from the dying galaxy gave Hawk the power to breach the Celestials' barrier and appear in Gwen's living room.
Hawk's power stemmed from his own internal Micro-Universe.
Until now, by taking the World Tree, he had tied his Phoenix Universe firmly to his original Marvel reality. Even without the Reality Stone, he could use the World Tree to bring all his power into the real world.
But Gwen was currently stranded in Universe-828.
The main point was simple... Until his Phoenix Universe fully formed, Hawk's power couldn't break through the endless layers of the multiverse to let him enter Universe-828 in person.
That was why the birth of his and Gwen's children—which manifested the Phoenix in this universe—was so crucial.
But the Phoenix's appearance served only as a cosmic GPS, finally letting Hawk know exactly where Gwen was.
Simply put, the multiverse was like a locked door. Gwen was inside, and Hawk was stuck outside.
The Phoenix Galaxy's appearance showed Hawk where the door was, but without a key, he couldn't open it.
Because once the Phoenix Universe materialized, his power was intrinsically tied to his physical body.
However, while Hawk couldn't send his own power into Universe-828 yet, there were other forces that could make it through.
It was a known cosmic law.
The Marvel Multiverse might be split into endless pieces, but it all runs on the same rules. That's why native powers can cross between dimensions freely—So, Hawk burned up an entire galaxy in his own universe. Then, with the Reality Stone, he turned that huge burst of energy into the power needed to appear right in front of Gwen.
"Besides! I still haven't named these two kids yet." Hawk looked at Gwen with complete tenderness.
Gwen suddenly understood. "So, you didn't burn a galaxy to see me. You burned a galaxy to see the babies."
"Nope..." Hawk raised an eyebrow, quickly sensing the danger in his wife's glare. He looked her straight in the eye, completely serious. "For the record: we are true love. The kids are just an accident."
When she heard that, Gwen broke into a bright smile. "Nice save."
"Thanks." Hawk laughed to himself, realizing that postpartum hormones were real, and even Gwen felt their effects.
At that moment, a furious roar erupted from the burning galaxy beneath Hawk's feet.
"PHOENIX! MY ARDA GALAXY HAD NO QUARREL WITH YOU! YOU SLAUGHTERED BILLIONS OF MY PEOPLE! IF YOU DON'T KILL ME NOW, I SWEAR I WILL—"
"Then just die already..."
Without pausing his talk with Gwen, Phoenix Fire shot from Hawk's eyes. In an instant, the God of that galaxy was gone. Hawk's eyes quickly turned calm and gentle again. "I destroyed you. What does that have to do with you?"
After saying that, he looked up. The cold look on his face disappeared in a second, replaced by a warm and loving gaze as he met Gwen's eyes across the multiverse.
Off to the side, Reed and Susan looked at each other in shock after hearing the cold ruthlessness in Hawk's voice.
But Gwen's expression turned completely serious. "Hawk..."
"Yes?"
"Don't be a—"
"'Don't try to be a saint, just try to be a good person.'" Hawk finished the quote before the words fully left her mouth. He knew exactly what she was going to say. He smiled and added, "Relax. Earth is still there in one piece. Totally fine."
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Then what about this... Arda place?"
"I got a tip. The Gods of the Arda Galaxy sided with Gargaratus, the one who took you from me. So, they had to go."
No single snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.
By the same logic. If the Chief God of the pantheon sided with Gargaratus, then the whole Arda Galaxy shared in the results of that choice. So, when it was time to face the consequences, the entire galaxy paid together.
'He played his game, and I play mine.'
That was the executive decision Hawk had made after returning to Earth following Thanos's death.
He didn't care if Thanos was telling the truth about Gargaratus abandoning this universe. He had already issued his ultimatum. He gave them exactly one month. For every month he couldn't see Gwen, he would systematically annihilate every single planet associated with the Celestials.
No exceptions. Hawk meant every word, and he followed through.
During Gwen's pregnancy, he kept a steady pace, destroying one Celestial seed-planet each month. Because of this, his name on Earth started to spread across the universe.
And his title even got an upgrade.
On Earth, they called him a Demon King.
But out in space, he was called a Demon God.
Hearing Hawk's casual explanation, Gwen just gave a soft "Oh" and immediately stopped feeling bad for the disintegrated God or the billions of lives he claimed were lost. After all, if she wasted her sympathy on the Arda Galaxy, who would feel sorry for her being stuck across realities?
Putting that aside, Gwen brought the conversation back to the main topic. "Anyway, the babies. Can you see them clearly from over there?"
"Of course."
Hawk shifted his gaze back to the two tiny infants in Gwen's arms. "They're so ugly..."
"Right? I thought the exact same thing." Gwen's eyes lit up in agreement, but before she could say more, she caught herself and glared at him. "Hey! What are you saying? Who's ugly?!"
Hawk blinked, looking up at his wife, who was suddenly glaring at him like a protective tigress.
"Didn't you just say—"
"I'm allowed to say it. You aren't!"
"Alright, alright." Hawk chuckled and shook his head, then looked back at the twins. "What do you think we should name them?"
Gwen glanced sideways at the holographic image of Hawk standing right next to her, then looked down at their son and daughter.
"Have you already picked something out?"
"How about William Phoenix and Bella Phoenix?"
Hawk suggested the names he had thought about and waited for Gwen's reaction.
William. A strong and resolute warrior.
Bella. Beautiful and noble.
The meanings of the names ran through Gwen's mind. She glanced at Hawk, a small smile appearing. "So, the son is a warrior, and the daughter is your precious little princess?"
Hawk met Gwen's eyes. "He's my firstborn son. He should, and must, become a warrior. A protector."
It was a universal truth.
The first generation builds the empire—the second generation must defend it.
Hearing Hawk's conviction, Gwen nodded and smiled warmly. "William. I like it."
She knew that she and Hawk's oldest son would one day inherit everything they had created.
Knowing the weight behind the names, Gwen looked down at the two tiny babies. "William. Bella. Your daddy finally gave you your names."
Remembering her manners, Gwen suddenly looked up at Hawk. "Oh, by the way. These are the friends I made in this world."
"..." Hawk followed her gaze.
He saw Reed Richards and Susan Storm standing quietly to the side. They hadn't said a word, but had been watching him in stunned awe since he appeared.
A moment later, before Gwen could introduce them—
"Reed Richards?"
"Susan Storm?"
He casually dropped their names.
Reed and Susan exchanged a stunned look before Reed finally mustered the courage to ask. "You... know who we are?"
He remembered Gwen stating that neither he nor Susan existed on her version of Earth.
Hawk smirked. "As soon as the Phoenix symbolizing me appeared in this universe, this dimension stopped having any secrets from me."
Reed: "..."
Susan: "..."
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