The Guardian Of The Multiverse: A Hero's Burden

Of Shadows and Guardians

(Marvel, DC, images, manhuas, and every anime that will be mentioned and used in this story are not mine. They all belong to their respective owners. The main character "Karito/Adriel Josue Valdez" and the story are mine)

Three years had passed since the night Peter Parker walked out of the restaurant and everything changed.

The sky above Valoran City hadn't shifted. The stars still hung where they always had. The streets still flickered under neon lights and fading starlight. But within Lux's team—within the ones who had once called themselves sisters-in-arms—something had fractured. Something quiet. Something deep.

It began subtly.

Lux stopped laughing as often.

She still smiled—but it was practiced now. Polished. Less spontaneous. Her cheer didn't crack under stress anymore. It didn't bend or flinch when chaos struck. It just stayed... still. Steady. Like she was holding her breath on a timer.

And Jinx—Jinx was worse.

Gone were the wild flourishes of her fireworks. The spontaneous dances mid-patrol. The constant teasing. In her place was someone honed. Disciplined. She still joked—but there was a rhythm to it now. A method. She used her chaos like a scalpel instead of a hammer. Her aim had always been sharp, but now it was surgical.

Training days, once filled with jokes and failed combo attacks, had grown unnervingly efficient.

Lux barked orders before the simulation even fully loaded. Jinx anticipated enemy spawns like she had memorized the code itself. They fought in sync. Not like friends—but like soldiers.

Janna noticed it first.

Then Poppy.

Then even Lulu stopped giggling during drills.

There was a rhythm to the way Lux moved now. Each motion had purpose. No hesitation. No flickers of doubt. Even in sparring matches, she fought with an edge that hadn't been there before. Not confidence.

Conviction.

And Jinx?

She didn't just aim for the win anymore. She aimed to dominate. Overwhelm. Make opponents feel small.

Janna said nothing for weeks.

Then, one afternoon, she found herself standing with Poppy and Lulu on the edge of a training field, watching the two charge through wave after wave of dark constructs without breaking pace.

"Okay," Lulu whispered, voice unusually small. "That was... kinda scary."

Poppy nodded slowly. "They didn't miss a beat."