The Empty Cold AU - Part 2
For a brief moment, Charles Crawler stared at the blade in Valka's hands. "Is..." He looked up at her, awestruck. "Is that the..?"
She nodded slowly. "Over the aeons, I have collected a great many ancient artifacts from throughout the Universe, trying to find a way to safeguard it from the fate that befell Asgard. The Infinity Gauntlet is powerless. The last cosmic cube has long faded from existence. I cannot even count the number of Lantern rings lying dead in the ship's hold, and the helm of Nabu is silent for any who wield it. The Blade is the only thing that has, thus far, kept its potency in our dying universe, but it has responded to nobody's touch." She looked at him for a moment. "Perhaps it was awaiting a return to its rightful master."
Manifest held out his hand for a moment, hesitant, and grasped its hilt. In an instant, a power older than the Universe flowed through his body. Blue sparks began to burst out of the blade, striking Valka and throwing her back. Manifest did not notice as he began to slowly lift into the air, primordial energy sparking around him. The Manifest Blade, in his hand, began to shimmer, transforming into raw energy. Red waves of power flowed from the disintegrating blade into his body, lighting him up as it entered. Manifest began to laugh, but no sound came from the broad, manic smile on his face. His irises began to pulse red, shining brightly in the darkness of the dead world. Manifest's ancient midnight black armour slowly formed around him, replacing the ragged cloak and clothing he had on before, with exception to his helm. The same blue sparks continued to form around him.
As the last of the energy from the Blade entered his body, a bright silver flash overtook the area, blinding Valka's allies. When it cleared, Manifest was kneeling in the centre of a small crater, breathing heavily. His white hair covered his face, concealing him, though it could not fully conceal the consistent bright flashes of crimson from his eyes. Valka laid sprawled several meters away, half of her honour guard kneeling over her and the other half with their weapons drawn towards Manifest.
"Valka?" One of them frowned, laying her hand on the Asgardian's shoulder. Valka stirred, gasping for breath.
Valka rose to her feet hesitantly. "That energy..." She narrowed her eyes, gritting her teeth. "My guard, you must retreat. Should this devolve into battle, thy lives may be forfeit." She drew Oathbringer and Dragonheart, the twin blades that the All-Mother had used since the dawn of her reign. They began to glow in ethereal flame, with the once mighty Valkaforce flowing through them. Once, it had been among the most powerful energies in the Universe. Now, though weakened, it was nevertheless formidable. Valka's guard paled, retreating quickly and vanishing in a burst of brilliant light. Valka stalked forward slowly, unsure of what to expect from he who was once among her closest allies.
Manifest slowly rose, the blue sparks surrounding his body slowly ceasing.
"Oh, my. Thank you, Valka Silverhand." Manifest's voice was... Malformed. It was almost echoed by nothing.
"It has been so long..." His head shot upwards. Half of his face was obscured, revealing a bright crimson eye, leaving a trail of blood behind him and down his face, with a smile too broad for his body.
"It appears that this form was not ready for such an influx of power. It will take some time to get used to." The being once known as Charles Crawler began to laugh, softly at first, and then suddenly maniacally. At last, he was fully risen.
"What are you staring at, old friend?" It tilted its head.
"I think we have a Universe to save, don't we?" It suddenly turned, speeding off, but leaving a trail of its own blood for Valka to follow.
Valka stared for a moment, astonished by what she just saw. Her expression quickly sombred, and she sheathed her blades and brought her wrist up. "Stay in the ship. Track mobile energy source Alpha-Zero-Six. Prepare primary arsenal." She lowered her wrist and looked down the trail of blood, rising into the air for a brief moment and shooting forward, following it. For a very long time, there was nothing. Eventually, however, she reached Manifest.
"You are a lot slower than I remember you, All-Mother of the Nine Realms." Manifest acknowledged her.
"We're on the borders of Madworld. Maxwell Morningstar stil resides here, stuck in the past, drowning himself in the sorrows of loss, death, and regret. A pitiful display for a once proud man. It will not take him long to sense the energies coming off of us, and if I am correct, he should be absolutely desperate
to get his hands on some." His smile did not falter for even a moment.
Valka did not have a moment to react before she heard a scream of rage and hunger behind her. She flew upwards, the form of the Mad King passed beneath her as he lunged for her. Even meters away, Valka could still feel the debilitating effects of his abilities. She was weakened by his mere presence, and knew she could not fight him for long. She breathed deeply, glancing at Manifest, who was silently laughing and staring at her with unblinking eyes. She grimaced, shaking her head, and drew her blades once more. "I knew thee as a proud, but honourable man, Morningstar." The Valkaforce flowed through them as she held them before her. Max turned towards her, madness in his eyes as the sheer amount of energy around him overwhelmed him. "I do this in hopes that thy sanity may return. Forgive me." Her eyes flashed for a moment. "If energy is what you desire..." The Valkaforce began to coalesce around the tips of the blades as she slowly crossed them. "Feast!"
In that instant, Maxwell leapt forward, propelled by bursts of explosive energy, only for a wave of raw power to flow around him. A brief instant later, it began to circle, and finally enter him. He fell to the ground, breathing heavily, but his weathered features were at last no longer tinged with insanity. He looked around. "...Manifest? Valka? How?" He blinked, and his expression hardened. "You returned to Earth with the Manifest Blade, and he found you first. Of course." The Mad King sighed. "Why did you return for me, Charles? The last we met, you had a deathwish for me, and I the same to you. It is only with respect to Valka that I do not rip you limb from limb." He scowled, rising to his feet. Energy coalesced around him, returning his clothing to his typical outfit from before the Supernova.
Manifest's smile did not fade.
"Valka is here to have us save the Universe, Maxwell Morningstar. I couldn't very well leave the self-proclaimed Mad God out of such an endeavour, could I? Especially when your abilities are so useful for us."The Mad God narrowed his eyes. "You are different, Charles, and not in a good way." He looked him up and down, before closing his eyes and opening his palm, sensing the energies within Manifest. His eyes darted open and he stared at Valka. "What did you do, Silverhand?" He scowled.
She raised an eyebrow. "All I did was return the Blade to its rightful owner, Max."
He sighed and gestured towards their ally, who simply floated in place and watched them. "When you gave him the Blade, his body was so energy deprived that it partially absorbed the Blade's essence. He fused with it. He and his weapon are now intertwined, even more so than before, and whatever mind-altering effects were locked away in its hidden depths, like he himself warned us about so long ago? They've all been fundamentally altered and applied to him. There is no telling what could happen to him now."
"How... Fascinating." Manifest tilted its head slightly.
"Meet at Silverwing's location." He vanished, once more leaving a trail of blood. Max and Valka glanced at each other before flying off after him.
"We left the Earth to track down Kalibak after he escaped Asgardian confinement less than three months after Apokolips' sudden, unexpected downfall. As my team and I wandered the universe for months, we were cut off from contact from the various civilizations by necessity. Eventually, however, we stumbled upon an ancient New God relic. To this day, I know not what that artifact was or what it was supposed to do. The moment I touched it, it exploded outward. To my shame, I fell unconscious immediately. If forced to conjecture, I would say that it had some sort of mechanism designed to reproach Gods. When I awoke, I was adrift in space. The deceased bodies of my honour guard floated nearby." Valka sighed for a moment as she and Max sped along. "I do not know for how long I was unconscious, but the universe I returned to was a different place from what I once knew. The Earth was, for all intents and purposes, gone. The Kree were dead. The Skrulls were dead. I attempted to contact Asgard... But there was no response. Eventually, I found my way back to my home, but it was empty. I called out for Heimdall, but the All-Seer was silent. I called out for the Warriors Three, but naught but dust was roused by my cries. I made my way to the centre of the city. What I found... Two figures kneeling before a shattered throne. The branches of the World Tree were hewn. The two figures were the rotting bones of Thor and Loki."
She paused. "I have faced countless Ragnaroks in my time. I have felt blades pierce my heart, and I have endured torture that no man could ever imagine. On that day, though, none of this was any preparation. Asgard was dead, fully and finally. This was no mere Ragnarok, nor some shadow of a scheme. This was the end, and on that day, I knew fear." Max glanced over at her, and noticed a slow trickle of tears from her eyes. She said nothing, nor did he. "I was discovered by a scavenger group who had come to Asgard to pick its bones. At first, I attempted to destroy them, but as they explained the situation to me, I eventually relented. Entropy embodiment had set foot on this ground, and it was doomed to an early death. They were simply taking what could be saved. In the end, I assisted them in preserving what little of Asgard would not be dust by the end of the year." She chuckled softly. "I asked them what their group's name was, and they called themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy. Can you imagine, Maxwell? Long after the Avengers are dead, and the Justice League has met its end, the pitiful little group that called itself Guardian yet remains. They were always the most persistent, weren't they? I have been travelling with this new generation of Guardians ever since, attempting to gather what we could to fix this universe. In the process, we stumbled upon the Manifest Blade. I was the only one among us who recognized it, and almost immediately I asked that I be given leave to come to Earth and bury it. They allowed this."
She glanced at her travel companion. "What about you? How did you fare after I left?"
Max shook his head. "Not now. We're here."
The two slowed as they approached Manifest.
"Unfortunately, it won't be nearly as easy to locate Silverwing as it was for you, Morningstar. He does not have the ability to sense energy as you do." He turned in place, his disturbed smile now facing the duo.
"Maxwell. This is why I gathered you first. Use your energy sensing abilities to locate him. He's the only living thing on this planet other than us."The Mad King frowned at Manifest's tone, but nevertheless closed his eyes and reached out his hand. "Follow me." He opened his eyes and began moving forward.
Eventually, the trio found themselves outside a cave. Maxwell glanced at Valka. "Ladies first." She rolled her eyes and landed on the ground, walking forward. Her armour began to glow a dull blue to light up the cave. As Manifest entered, a flickering, dull red light grew into being around him. Maxwell, on the other hand, erupted into golden light, reminiscent of the long deceased Saiyan race. A figure deeper in the cave, now illuminated by the combined glow, quickly turned around.
"Hello, Craig Thomsen." Valka tilted her head upwards in greeting. "It has been some time." To her right, Maxwell floated above, glowing brilliantly. He had a scowl on his face matched only in intensity by the broad, demented grin on Manifest's tilted head to her left.
For a brief moment, Craig simply stared. "Well..." He mumbled. "You certainly recall how to make an entrance."