(AN: First Chapter for the week. Enjoy! The ending scene isn't heavily AI. I am annoyed by the AI's recent reply, so I just used Grammarly for the ending scene. )
New York Sanctum Entrance
Elias stood in front of the doors of the New York Sanctum. He was no longer wearing the Arthas Template. The one standing there was just… him.
The adrenaline was still there. Fading, but present.
That lingering buzz after a fight, the kind that made everything feel sharper, louder, alive.
He exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. "…That was fun." Then he blinked.
His hand moved instinctively about to knock on the door. And stopped. "…Wait." He seemed to have realized something.
"…Oh."
Elias stared blankly at the door. "…This stone is supposed to be returned in 'my' timeline." He scratched his head. He looked at the door again. "…So why am I here again?"
Silence answered him. Elias sighed.
"…Man, I just fought the Avengers, raised an undead army, got yelled at by a cosmic glowing lady…"
He gestured vaguely at the door standing there while questioning his life choices. It was then that the door creaked open.
He blinked. "…Okay?" He said while waiting for someone or something.
Nothing.
He shrugged. With nothing better to do, Elias stepped inside.
The Sanctum greeted him with quiet mystery.
Warm lighting replaced the cold battlefield he had just left behind. The air smelled faintly of old wood, incense, and something ancient—something that had been there long before he arrived.
Shelves lined the walls, filled with books that looked older than most civilizations he'd read about.
Relics sat in glass cases. Strange artifacts pulsed faintly with hidden energy.
He also found the stairs where Hulk dropped during the events of the Infinity War.
The place itself felt… Alive. He turned slowly, taking it all in. "…This is way nicer than my place."
"Right this way." Elias turned toward where he heard the voice. A man stood near the base of the stairs.
"This way," the man repeated. "The Ancient One wishes to speak with you."
Elias blinked, then smiled. "…Sure. Why not?" He followed the man.
The man led him up the stairs with measured steps.
He carried himself like someone who had seen far too much to be easily surprised. His presence was grounded and firm. This was Master Drumm—guardian of the New York Sanctum.
Drumm studied him as they walked.
And Elias?
"…So this place just ignores physics, huh?" he said casually, glancing at a staircase that clearly shouldn't connect the way it did.
Drumm paused for half a second. "…You perceive it easily."
Elias shrugged. "I've seen worse."
They reached the doors, which showed different scenes and were totally real.
Drumm gestured towards one of them. "This will take you to Kamar-Taj, which is in Nepal."
Elias nodded like it was completely normal. "…Got it."
Drumm was surprised. He anticipated confusion and even a comment denying his statement. But Elias? He just agreed like it was the most normal thing in the world.
How could walking through a door in New York lead you to a place you probably don't know, which is located in Nepal, be a normal thing?
Elias stepped through the door. Drumm watched behind him. "…Interesting," he murmured.
Meanwhile, in Elias' view, the world changed.
One moment, he was inside the New York Sanctum, stepped through a door, and he was in Kamar-Taj. The air was different. Mountains loomed in the distance, and the architecture carried a quiet, ancient discipline.
And waiting for him was another figure. Master Hamir.
Hamir inclined his head slightly. "This way." Elias nodded and followed.
They walked in silence. The halls filled with quiet movement. The students are training in controlled motions in the training grounds.
Eventually, they stopped under a giant tree. The Ancient One sat by a low table.
Tea was already prepared. Steam is rising gently from the pot.
Everything was already in place, as if she had been expecting this exact moment.
Elias stepped forward and sat opposite the ancient one. While Hamir bowed slightly, he then left.
Once Hamir was gone, the Ancient One didn't speak immediately; instead, she poured tea. Her very movement is precise and practiced. As if she had done this a thousand times before.
Elias just watched. He didn't understand the process. Heck, he didn't even know the ritual. But he appreciated it.
Once she felt the time was right, she slid the cup toward him. Elias picked it up. Took a sip and liked the taste. So he had another sip, then a third. "…This is good tea," he said honestly.
The Ancient One smiled faintly. Then, she spoke. "Did you enjoy playing with the Avengers?"
Elias blinked. Then shrugged lightly. "…Straight to the point, I see." A small pause, thinking, then he answered. "…I actually enjoyed more than I expected."
She nodded slightly. "Why are you here?"
Elias leaned back a bit. Then, he answered simply. "I was tasked."
"To raise the dead civilians." He glanced at his hand. "…to test something."
"Someone wanted to see if the Necronomicon could actually bring people back… to life properly." A little lie.
"It clearly does not. " He concluded.
"I am interested in this book of yours."
Without hesitation, he reached into his inventory and pulled it out. The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis.
He held it out—Then paused.
The Ancient One's faint smile didn't change. But her attention sharpened. He clearly saw him about to let her touch the book, but he hesitated in the end. Why?
Elias scratched his cheek slightly. He shifted a bit in his seat. "I'm gonna be here for a week anyway."
"…Can I study here if I let you borrow the book?" The Ancient One laughed softly, clearly amused at him.
"Of course," she said.
Elias blinked. "…Wait, really?"
She nodded. "…Yes."
From the moment he stood at the Sanctum door, she had already felt it.
There was no malice or anything wrong with this man. She could feel abundant power from him, but it didn't scream evil, which was also the reason she dared to invite him despite knowing he raised the dead and confronted the Avengers earlier.
Elias shot up from his seat, "YES—!" Then, he immediately sat back down.
"…Sorry." He was trying—and failing—to hide the grin on his face.
The Ancient One watched him with more amusement.
.
.
.
Elias followed behind one of the disciples assigned to guide him. They walked through corridors lined with wooden beams and stone walls.
"This will be your room," the guide said, stopping in front of a simple wooden door. He opened it. The room inside was clean and minimal. A bed, a small table, a shelf, and a window that let in soft mountain light.
Elias stepped in. "…Nice," he muttered.
The guide hesitated for a moment, then gave him a card. Elias knew what it was from watching the movie Dr. Strange: it was the Wi-Fi password. Only one problem, he doesn't have a phone with him.
Mistaking his silence for confusion, the guide said, "It's the Wi-Fi password for internet access."
Elias looked at the card, then back at him. "…I don't have a phone."
The guide frowned slightly. "…You don't… have a phone?"
Elias shrugged. "Didn't really come here with one."
"…Then how do you intend to pass your time?" the guide asked, genuinely puzzled now.
Elias thought about it for a second. Then snapped his fingers lightly. "Oh—right. Books."
He turned toward the guide. "Can I just… start reading stuff here?"
"Like—magic books. History. Whatever you've got."
The guide blinked. "…You wish to study even on your leisure time? Don't you want to rest for a time?"
"Yeah," Elias said simply. "Might as well, right? I've got a week." He tilted his head slightly.
"Maybe ask the Ancient One first, though. Just in case."
"…I will confirm," the guide said finally, still unsure how to process this situation.
He stepped back toward the door. "If you need anything else—"
"I'll ask," Elias finished. The guide nodded once and left.
Once the door closed, Elias stood there for a moment. "…Okay."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "…That went better than expected. Might as well check the system."
A familiar prompt appeared.
[Congratulations on completing Task #2
Objective: As a Villain, fight the heroes in front of you.
Details:Use the Frostmourne to turn the Chitauri bodies into an undead army. Use the souls already available inside the blade since the Chitauri bodies do not have one. Since you are a villain, you cannot win and can only retreat if your army of undead is defeated.
Reward: Lucifer's Desire ManipulationDetails: The ability to draw out the deepest desires of humans.]
Elias stared at it. "…That sounds… familiar. Never really watched the series, just snippets."
Another prompt appeared immediately after.
[Congratulations on completing Task #1
Objective: As a villain, you must have a mistress.
Details:Conquer Wanda Maximoff in the 2023 timeline.
Reward: Aphrodite's Charmspeak: A powerful form of persuasion that can compel gods and mortals to do your bidding.]
Elias froze. "…Wait."
"…Since when did I—?" He wasn't able to form his sentence as his expression shifted from confusion to concern.
His stomach dropped slightly. "…Did something happen to her?"
The room suddenly felt a lot quieter. Elias sat on the edge of the bed, unmoving.
His thoughts… somewhere else entirely. He remembered what was supposed to happen.
After Endgame, he remembered her being consumed by grief, but that was unlikely since he was there for a week to fill that hole in her heart. He was even sure that before leaving, his chances with her were already looking good.
He leaned back slightly, staring at the ceiling. "…It shouldn't have gone that way."
Then, another memory surfaced. Agatha Harkness.
Was Wanda in danger?
The moment that thought solidified, something inside him erupted.
A suffocating pressure began to leak from him, Elias' eyes snapped open.
"…No." He immediately pulled it back as much as he could. Forced it inside himself. The pressure vanished before it could escape the room.
Elias regulated his breathing by taking in deep breaths. Once he felt normal again, Elias was thoughtful.
He knew what it was: his aura or the pressure he could project as a villain. He was about to complain that he didn't want this, but remembered Wanda's case.
He made a decision. "Kristen."
FRIDAY in the body of the Terminatrix, which Elias named Kristen and assigned as his left hand, appeared in front of him, already kneeling.
"What are your orders, my lord?"
Elias didn't waste time. "I'm sending you to Wanda's timeline."
"Your task is simple," Elias continued. "Protect her."
He looked directly at her. "Can I trust you with this?"
"Certainly, my lord," she replied without hesitation.
"I will not fail you."
Elias nodded once. "Good."
Using his ability, Chronokinesis for time travel, he easily locked into the timeline where he can feel Wanda's signature. This was the Wanda he spent the vacation with. With a snap of his finger, Kristen vanished.
That action somewhat diminished the worry in his heart slightly. He trusts Kristen to protect Agatha. With that done, he read the remaining prompt from the system.
[Notification!
The weekly task has been removed. Although in combat, you are still far below your right-hand Loki, your skills and abilities greatly exceeded his already. You can easily kill him anytime you want.
The Tasks to completely become a villain will commence in 1 year after you return to your original timeline. Tasks will be limited to 1 task per year due to the system's auto-function.
Details of auto-function: The system needs to hide the Host's signature to avoid certain powerful beings' attention. The Host is mandated by the system to become a powerful villain to avoid trouble, which greatly opposes one of the Host's desires to settle down.]
Reading the first half of the prompt, Elias agrees. He's already some sort of immortal now due to the number of skills he obtained. When he sees the continuation of his task to become a genuine villain, he could only roll his eyes.
The latter part of the prompt, however, gives a grave warning to him.
No matter how much he says he doesn't want to be a villain and tries to uphold his righteous personality, trouble will always find you when you're in the Marvel universe, MCU or not, whether you're in New York or not.
He already knew New York was a hot spot for trouble, it is because of that reason why he didn't go to other places when he found out he was in the MCU.
Especially when he received powers beyond imagination. The only drawback? It was all villainous powers.
If he could save the world from Ultron by taking the Mind Stone. Why not?
If he could stop Thanos or simply kill him when he comes to Earth, why not?
If he can change an ordinary person's struggling life by implanting motivation, why not?
The only regret he ever had? Was when the system assigned enemies and sent judges for him.
Looking at it now, how long has it been since he came to this universe? 3 years? A lot has happened since then.
Elias was hopeful for a better tomorrow as sleep conquered him.
End of chapter