When lightning always strikes, you know she's not far behind.
Kidnapped at a young age and recused seven years later, Avalyn Stark is forced to try to navigate a new world far from what she remembered. With threats around every corner, she was nev...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Avalyn crouched behind a wrecked pillar, the jagged remnants of the battlefield spread around her like the aftermath of a storm. Her heart pounded in sync with the chaos that unfolded in front of her. Doctor Strange stood tall, the only one seemingly holding the line against the towering figure of Thanos, who materialized in front of him like a dark omen.
"Oh, you're much more of a Thanos," Stephen said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, though the tension between them was thick.
"I take it the Maw is dead. This day extracts a heavy toll. Still, he accomplished his mission," Thanos surveyed the scene with a grim expression.
Avalyn, crouched and waiting for her moment, strained to hear Stephen's response over the distant hum of burning wreckage.
"You may regret that," Stephen replied, his posture steady. "He brought you face-to-face with the Master of the Mystic Arts."
Thanos tilted his head, his expression unreadable as he mused, "And where do you think he brought you?"
"Let me guess. Your home?" Stephen said, his tone goading.
Thanos smiled softly, as if recalling a distant memory. "It was. And it was beautiful."
With a slow wave of his hand, the landscape shifted. Titan—once thriving, now a wasteland—transformed before their eyes. It shimmered in hues of gold and green, a reminder of its past glory. Avalyn's breath hitched at the sight. It was eerily beautiful and now it was gone.
"Titan was like most planets. Too many mouths, and not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution."
Stephen's retort was quick, "Genocide."
Thanos didn't flinch. "But at random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike. They called me a madman. And what I predicted came to pass."
The illusion faded, leaving the cold reality of the ruined planet once more.
"Congratulations," Stephen said, his voice edged with bitter sarcasm. "You're a prophet."
"I'm a survivor." Thanos regarded him coolly.
Avalyn's fingers flexed at the word, her mind racing. How many worlds had he destroyed under that justification that he was helping humanity but thought he had the right to call himself a survivor?
