"Soren, according to the prophecy, you saved the entire Abyss. No matter what happens from now on, you will always be an honored guest of our succubus clan." The great elder's smile bloomed like a flower.
With the crisis of the Abyss finally lifted, her usual calm elegance softened into a bright and unexpectedly youthful aura.
Soren returned a faint smile. "It benefits your people, yes. But for me?"
"I didn't exactly gain much from coming to the Abyss. I've been fighting since the moment I arrived."
The elder let out a gentle laugh. "Then tell me, what advantage does Soren wish to take?"
"I've said it before… if there is a woman in our clan who catches your eye, I can personally grant you permission to take her with you."
Her tone was teasing, but the sincerity beneath it was true. If Soren truly desired a succubus, she would make it happen.
"Really?" Soren's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Anyone I like, I can take away?"
"Of course." She replied confidently. "I am the great elder, my word is final."
Still, a quiet thought flickered through her mind. Could he… truly be interested in one of us?
Then Soren's lips curved upward. "Elder, what if I said… the one I've fallen for is you? Could you give yourself to me and let me bring you to Earth?"
"I promise, I won't disappoint you."
The great elder froze, and a soft flush tinted her cheeks, delicate, and utterly unlike her usual poise.
"Soren…" She scolded, glaring at him in embarrassment. "The great elder of the succubus cannot be with anyone. It is a rule passed down through countless generations."
But even as she spoke, her heart wavered.
The rule existed so the elder could devote herself entirely to fulfilling the vow of restoring the Abyss. And now… Soren already solved the very problem that vow existed for.
For the first time in ages, the elder felt that ancient rule loosen around her. Her expression shifted, uncertain.
"Alright, alright, you don't have to take it so seriously." Soren laughed softly.
"You're the great elder; how could you possibly follow me around? If you're unwilling, then I'll be on my way."
He turned toward the swirling space passage.
"Soren!"
Her voice halted him mid-step. He looked back, surprised to see an emotion he couldn't name flicker in the elder's eyes.
"When you return to your world… will you ever come back to the Abyss?" she asked quietly.
"…" Soren didn't know how to answer. Then, after a contemplative pause, he reached into his coat and held out a simple card.
"This is my contact card," He said. "If you ever need me, squeeze it, and it will open a portal directly into my medical center. Whenever you need help… find me."
The elder accepted the card with trembling fingers.
Soren offered one last gentle smile, then stepped into the space passage.
As the space passage slowly sealed shut, the succubus great elder remained where Soren had vanished.
She held the small business card in her hand, her fingers unconsciously tightening around it. A faint light flickered in her eyes. After a long breath, half sigh, half something else she turned and quietly left.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
No one knew then that the consequences of Soren's battle against Mephisto would echo far beyond the Abyss.
People often speak of the butterfly effect… a butterfly beating its wings in the Amazon may, two weeks later, trigger a tornado in Texas.
But compared to the shockwaves of Soren's clash… time, space, and abyssal power colliding in a battlefield beyond mortal understanding the flutter of a butterfly was insignificant.
The Abyssal Plane bordered Earth more closely than anyone realized. When Soren tore space apart in his fight, the damage didn't stay contained.
The turbulence of the Abyss rippled outward, brushing the edges of Earth's dimensional boundary. In several places across the planet, violent spatial distortions erupted, sharp fractures in reality.
Invisible to most, gone in seconds, and leaving almost no trace.
Almost.
In all the places these spatial fissures appeared, billions of people lived untouched. But one man was not so lucky.
Bruce Banner vanished.
The Avengers rarely assembled unless the situation demanded it. Minor missions were handled individually.
Banner had been on one such task, until his signal cut out mid-transmission.
Now the team stood at the site where he had last been detected.
"This is it," Natasha said grimly. "This is where Banner appeared on the map for the last time. After that… nothing."
The entire team had been recalled, arriving within hours. They had scoured the area with every scanner and every piece of tech at their disposal.
They found nothing.
Tony stared at the empty patch of ground as if he could force an answer to appear. "Damn it. Who could possibly make Banner disappear without a sound?"
Everyone understood the implication.
Banner wasn't only a scientist… he was the Hulk. A force of nature, making him disappear quietly was nearly impossible.
Hawkeye crouched near the soil, examining subtle disturbances that meant little to anyone but him. After a moment, something flickered across his face, and he thought he didn't want to voice.
"If there's anyone on Earth who could make Banner vanish this cleanly," Barton said slowly, "I only know of one."
"Absolutely not!" Tony snapped before he could finish.
"Do not even suggest that. After everything Soren's done for us? There's no way he'd target Banner."
Barton winced at the interruption. "Tony, that's not what I meant."
"I'm not accusing Soren. I'm saying, if this level of silent force is possible, and it's not him, then maybe someone else out there has power like his."
"And if that's true… then someone powerful enough to hide from us has made a move against the Avengers. That means this might be a targeted attack."
A conspiracy.
A threat none of them had seen coming.
One by one, the Avengers exchanged uneasy looks. For the first time in a long while, they felt genuinely powerless.
Banner was gone without a trace, and they had no idea if he was even still on Earth.