A blue gem materialized in Arthur's palm, its crystalline brilliance sparking countless memories.
If he had to pinpoint the origin of everything, the Space Stone, the Tesseract, might well be it.
"Hmph, all my misfortunes began with you."
Arthur closed his eyes, yet the Disassemble prompt remained vivid in his vision.
He chose Disassemble!
Space Stone: Disassemble successful!
There were no material gains from the disassembly. Everything had already been absorbed directly into Arthur's body.
He no longer needed to painstakingly collect large crystals, small crystals, or skill books one by one. The instant the disassembly succeeded, everything had fused completely into his being!
Opening his eyes, Arthur now possessed a complete understanding of the world's spatial energies. Vast power surged through every corner of his body, shattering the large gold crystals within him and transforming them into pure energy that permeated every cell.
"It seems... something's different now," Arthur mused, then retrieved another...
The highest-grade Disassembler lived up to its reputation. Even disassembling the Infinity Stones took no more than ten seconds.
Power Stone, Disassemble successful!
The power coursing through him wasn't merely physical strength. Arthur had mastered every concept that could be encompassed by the word "power"!
Then, one after another...
Mind Stone, Disassemble successful!
Reality Stone, Disassemble successful!
Time Stone, Disassemble successful!
And finally...
Soul Stone, Disassemble successful!
Each time Arthur successfully disassembled a Gem, he could clearly sense his own level of existence as a living being, transcending a limit.
He had initially assumed that after disassembling the Space Stone, his perception of this exponential growth would be most pronounced.
But in reality, he discovered that whenever he disassembled a Gem and its corresponding power fused into his body, his level of existence underwent a quantum leap.
The fusion of these powers felt less like mastering a specific ability and more like gaining a divine Authority, the Authority of the current universe itself!
Having now wielded the six great Authorities, Space, Time, Soul, Mind, Reality, and Power, Arthur's strength undoubtedly surpassed that of all other life in this world.
Yet he continued to sit here, utterly still.
His life form continued to evolve, advance, and leap forward, but he remained fundamentally himself.
Only now, he was increasingly serene.
"Still nothing?"
He gazed at his palm, uncertain whether he felt disappointment or something else entirely.
Finally, he sighed softly, his form flickering as he vanished from the spot.
…
When Arthur reappeared, he stood before Future Natasha.
Natasha showed no panic or surprise at Arthur's sudden arrival. She simply looked puzzled. "If you're looking for her, you've probably come to the wrong room."
"I'm here for you," Arthur replied, his expression calm. The light in his eyes had long since been concealed, leaving them deep and fathomless, as if they contained the entire universe.
Natasha's expression shifted slightly. "What... do you want?"
"Do you want to go back?" Arthur asked.
"Yes!"
"Then let's go." Arthur extended a hand. "I'll take you back!"
"How?"
"Just relax..." Arthur said. "The whole process is roughly three steps: first, I'll take you with me. Second, I'll tear through the dimensional barrier. Third, we'll step into a brand-new world!"
Natasha paused for a moment, showing no doubt that Arthur could accomplish this. Instead, she simply asked, "Why?"
"To have someone keep me company for a little longer, perhaps?" Arthur replied.
He continued, "No one truly knows the limits to which life can ultimately be transcended. They often say I'll become immortal, that eternal life will make me the most miserable person in the world. I don't want that. That's why I wish I had someone to be with me."
"Her?"
"Them..." Arthur's expression was utterly candid.
Scumbag? Whatever.
At this point, clinging to such trivialities would only make him the most ridiculous bastard of all.
In the adult world, there are no choices, only... I want it all!
Arthur mused that sometimes, this "scumbag logic" might not be so scummy after all.
Oh, the burden of endless life... the boundless future stretching out before him. Just the thought of that eternal solitude made Arthur realize that many obstacles he once deemed insurmountable... weren't so difficult to overcome after all.
"So, are we leaving now?" Natasha asked.
"Right now!" Arthur nodded earnestly.
Hesitate? Bid farewell to everyone? Put on a tragic, heroic act as I step into a brand-new world, destined to become a new hero?
Arthur wanted none of it.
He simply wanted to quietly do what needed to be done, to become an eternal being in the prescribed way.
And then... to bring those he cherished into eternity with him!
Since he wasn't leaving forever, since he intended to return and exist alongside them always, why bother with farewells?
"Then let's go!" Natasha extended her hand to Arthur without hesitation.
Arthur paused, thinking. "There's still one thing I haven't done yet..."
…
Dark clouds blanketed the sky.
A light drizzle fell softly on the ground, gently pattering against the gravestone, not a harsh beat, but a soothing caress.
The gravestone bore a photograph of her in her youth.
Her smile was radiant, yet within that radiance seemed to lurk a profound regret.
A single rose lay at the foot of the grave. Arthur knelt in the rain, letting the fine drizzle soak his hair and clothes.
His gaze remained fixed on the beautiful woman in the photograph. Even the slightly square face that had once seemed worthy of teasing now radiated a unique charm.
"Hey... I guess I'm just a slow-witted fool..." Arthur murmured after a long moment of silent eye contact.' "Though maybe it's not that I'm slow to realize things... maybe it's just because... I didn't want to face it. Sometimes I wonder, if I hadn't boarded that damned plane that day, would things have turned out completely different? I'd probably be a SHIELD agent now, running the organization properly, making it the kind of place we always dreamed of."
"Perhaps I owe you an apology... but I still have to say it. I deceived you..."
Arthur continued, his eyes locked on her photograph: "My dream was never world peace. But if I could have another chance... I wish... you'd never met me."