"Hey!" I said, giving a small wave.

  "Hello," Gwen narrowed her eyes. Although I ged my appearance, I kept my voice the same. Then she quickly reized my voice. "Wait! You are...?"

  "That's me. Our date's gonna have to wait till things get back to normal," I said with a little smile. As much as I'd like to peek into her head, I decided not to. I could just tell from her rea that she wasn't expeg me to know her because back then she was in her Ghost Spider suit and now she is in her civilian clothing.

  "I... You... We..." She stuttered. Her face was turning red.

  "Heh~! You look cute when you're flustered. So, you are helping out here, huh? That's good to see," I said, looking around the campsite. "It seems I've e at the right time."

  She cleared her throat, trying tain her posure. "Um, yeah. I've been helping out as much as I ."

  "Oh, Gwen are you dating this young man?" May asked, lookiween us with a mischievous smile.

  "No! I mean, we've met before but we haven't been on a date yet," Gwen said, shaking her head quickly.

  "What a shame. You should give him a ce. He seems nice."

  "Thanks, May," I said with a slight chuckle. "Well, I'm gd you're here, Gwen. Tell you what, how about I lend you a hand? I 't possibly let them sleep out in this cold again. What do you say?"

  "Yeah, okay," Gwen replied after a moment of hesitation. She looked kinda distant now. I mean, it's not like we are that close, but still, I could feel it in her voice. I guess all that God rants and cults about me must be fusing the shit out of her.

  "Great. Let's get started."

  "So, what are you going to do?" She asked. "You rich or something? If so, some bs and food would be very helpful. The kids were hungry and tired, and all I could get was some snacks and juice. It won't be enough for everyone here."

  May interrupted her. "Now, now, Gwen. That's not how you should talk to someone who just offered to help us."

  "Sorry," she apologized, l her head in embarrassment. "It's just that..."

  "It's alright. Don't worry about it," I said, giving a small wave of dismissal. "I'm filthy rid powerful. Let me show you something fun."

  I cracked my knuckles as Gwen, May, and the kids stared at me, puzzled. "Alright, everyoand back. Things are about to get a little... shiny."

  Gwen folded her arms skeptically, her eyebrow raised. "Shiny?" she repeated.

  I gri her but turned my attention to the crumbling shell of the orphanage. I took a deep breath, reag out to the ic power. I 't avoid using this power anymore. So, let's go all out. No more holding back. The Phoenix Force fred in response, a warm, vibrant presence ready to ma at my and.

  "Here we go," I muttered under my breath, raising my hands.

  A golden glow erupted from me, bright and warm as sunlight on a summer's day. Gasps echoed from behind as the kids g to May, who instinctively stepped back. Gwen's skeptical expression faltered, her eyes wide as the air around us shimmered.

  The broken building groaned as tendrils of radiant energy soward it, ing around the shattered windows and cracked walls like golden vines. I manipute matter to repair or rebuild objects and structures, whether anic or inanic.

  Bricks began to mend themselves, fitting together like pieces of an intricate puzzle. The shattered windows reformed, the gss smoothing out and gleaming as if freshly installed. The colpsed ses of the roof lifted, beams were realigned, and tiles fell into pce.

  "Holy shit," Gwen muttered, her voice barely audible over the hum of energy in the air.

  I couldn't help but smirk at her rea.

  The orphanage wasn't just being repaired; it was being transformed. The peeling paint was repced with a vibrant coat of warm yellow, ated with white trim. The sagging front steps straightened, now polished and sturdy. Everything that was destroyed inside, I made sure to fix them. I added a little extra fre—a garden in front with colorful flowers that seemed to bloom instantly uhe Phoenix's touch.

  The kids watched iheir fear melting iement. A few of them cpped, and one even tugged on May's coat, pointiedly at the newly restored building.

  As the st golden thread of energy dissipated, I lowered my hands and exhaled, feeling a pleasant hum of satisfa. The orphanage now stood tall and proud, looking eveer than it probably had in its prime.

  May's mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find words. Finally, she managed, "How... how did you—?"

  "I'm just a guy with a knack for fixing things," I said, stretg my arms. I thought it would be exhausting, but nope. I'm all right. It would seem the more I use this power, the better it gets.

  Gwen stepped forward, her face a mix of astonishment and suspi. "You—this—you just... rebuilt aire building," she said, gesturing wildly.

  "Yup. Told you I owerful," I said casually. "And filthy rich," I added with a chuckle.

  The golderiever, who had been sitting obediently nearby, barked and wagged his tail, clearly approving of my work.

  May finally found her voice. "This is incredible," she said, tears glistening in her eyes. "I—I don't know how to thank you."

  "Don't worry about it," I replied, waving her off. "Just take care of the kids. Make sure they're warm ahat's thanks enough for me."

  Gwen stepped closer, her voice low. "Teleportation, ice, telekinesis, then y those people back to life, heck you even ge your face. And now this... You're... not normal, are you?"

  I grinned. "Define 'normal.'"

  She shook her head, clearly at a loss. "You're something else, that's for sure."

  "Gd you noticed." I turo the kids, who were now gathering around, their excitement palpable. "Alright, everyone! You've got a brand-new home. Go in and take some rest, I will get some bs and food in a jiffy, okay?"

  ...

  May took the kids ihe newly repaired orphanage, as Gwen and I stayed outside.

  "So, how are you enjoying your new life?" Gwen teased. "Aron- The God. And lucky for you, you even got readymade children... Children of Aron. Sounds good, huh? Aronites."

  "Ah! . I locked myself in my room for a week, thanks to them. Sigh! Those annoying cultists are everywhere. I just wao help and used my power, nothing more, nothing less. But look at the mess now!"

  "Yht those people back to life. So, how do you exactly expect others to react to that? You hold the power of life ah in your hands, man. To some yod and to some, you are the Devil himself. Heck, even I was kinda shocked when I saw those broken and mutited bodies healing themselves. and ing back to life. You 't possibly bme them foing overboard. They just wao worship yet rid of you," Gwen expined.

  "They're wele to try," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "I've had a few run-ins with the local cult already, and it's not fun. I should have worn a mask like you back then. Anyway, let's fet about them and focus on the present, shall we?"

  "Speaking of that. How did you know my identity?" She asked.

  "I also read minds. Ba the roof, I couldn't help but take a peek, sorry about that. I shouldn't have read your mind without your permission. But other than your fad identity, I didn't see anything else. I promise," I replied, my voice soft. I couldn't possibly say that I am from another world where this entire world is ic book pages.

  "It's fine... I guess. I mean, it's not like you're doing it on purpose, right?" She said before shiftitention toward the dog. She bent doatted its head. The dog gave out a happy bark.

  "Yup! I didn't do it on purpose," I said, looking at the dog. "So, is the supermarket still open? I saw them setting up things in their giant trucks."

  "Yeah, they're still open."

  "Wanna e with me? I might need a hand carrying food and bs," I said.

  "Sure," she replied.

  And so, Gwen and I made our way to the supermarket while chatting along the way.

  ....

  [Nidavellir]

  The fe was a flurry of activity. Sparks flew as hammers struted metal, the g reverberating through the immense halls of the star-powered fe. The dwarves, their faces grim and strained, worked tirelessly uhe watchful eyes of the Bck Order. Ebony Maw hovered nearby, his expression one of smug satisfa, while Corvus Give paced impatiently, his sharp give glinting ominously in the dim light.

  The gau was nearing pletion, its surface gleaming with an otherworldly sheen that reflected the immense power it was destio tain. Every rune, every groove was meticulously etched, a masterpiece crafted under duress. Eitri, the dwarf king, stood at the anvil, his massive hands trembling as he shaped the final pieces.

  "You are fortunate, dwarf," Ebony Maw drawled, his voice as silken as a predator's hiss. "To be chosen for such a moal task. Your work will go down in history, remembered for eons as the instrument of bance."

  Eitri's jaw tightened, but he said nothing, his focus remaining on his work. He knew better than to defy the Bck Order—not wheakes were so high.

  Suddenly, a shadow loomed across the fe as the air grew heavy with the presence of the Mad Titan himself. Thanos stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the work in progress. His imposing figure seemed to darken the very light of the fe, his expression unreadable but anding absolute silence.

  "Progress?" he asked, his voice deep and resonant, sending a shiver through everyone present.

  Ebony Maw bowed low, gesturing to the half-finished gau. "Sixty pert plete, my lord. The dwarf king is ensuring perfe."

  Thanos approached the gau, his massive hand reag out to trace the runes. He nodded slightly, his approval evident in the subtle upward curve of his lips. "Good. But perfe ot afford deys. See that it is dohout error... or excuse."

  "Of course, my lord," Maw replied, stepping back with a deferential bow.

  As Thanos turned, a subtle flicker in the er of his vision drew his attention. A holographic dispy appeared before him, projeg a faint red signal that pulsed irregurly. It was from Nebu—her cyberic systems were sending fragmented data before abruptly cutting off.

  Thanos narrowed his eyes, his fingers flexing in irritation. "What is this?" he growled.

  Corvus Give stepped forward, studying the dispy. "The signal inates from Earth, my lord. The st transmission tains fragmented data... information oh's defenders and their anization, S.H.I.E.L.D."

  Thanos' gaze darkened further as he processed the information. Nebu's diseeant ohing: she had failed, likely captured or worse. It was an invenience, but not an insurmountable one.

  "Sire," Ebony Maw ventured cautiously after reading through the data. "Acc to Gamora, the probability of the Stones being on Asgard is much higher sihey hold the star charts. But Nebu's information shows that Earth has two of the Infinity Stohe Time and Space Stones and our information about Thor being oh is wrong. I fear our source of information may be promised. We must resider our strategy."

  Thanos' expression didn't ge.

  "Iigate our informatiowork first," he ordered calmly. "Then I'll decide."

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