At Luke's home, the living room was quiet.
The TV was on, replaying footage of the New York invasion—alien ships falling, buildings damaged, smoke drifting between skyscrapers. Reporters talked nonstop about heroes, casualties, and questions with no answers.
"…As we can see, the portal that allowed the alien forces to enter New York has now been sealed," the reporter said from the television. "This was made possible by the combined efforts of several unidentified heroes witnessed directly by the public."
The footage rolled on—Iron Man weaving through the skyline, Captain America rallying civilians, Thor tearing through alien ranks with lightning, Hulk smashing Leviathans out of the air.
Wanda's gaze hardened when Iron Man filled the screen.
Pietro noticed immediately. His jaw tightened, eyes narrowing at the red-and-gold armor.
"Stark," he muttered.
Alice, Jill, and Selene all noticed the shift but didn't comment. Some things didn't need to be spoken out loud—especially when the anger was that personal.
Then the footage changed.
Luke appeared on-screen, flying through the air as glowing swords rained down, impaling Chitauri mid-flight. A massive dragon of fire tore through the sky, reducing entire waves of aliens to ash in seconds.
The room went quiet again.
Pietro broke it. "I don't get it. What exactly can he do? One minute he's flying, then magic, then swords, then a dragon. None of it fits together."
"We also had that question from the very moment we met him," Selene said quietly.
Out of everyone there, she had been with Luke the longest. And even now, she still couldn't say what he truly was.
All she knew was that whatever he had been when they first crossed paths, it wasn't enough to describe him anymore. As time passed, he hadn't grown clearer—only more absurd, more powerful, more detached from anything she could measure.
Jill leaned back against the couch. "Trust me, thinking too hard about it just gives you a headache. We tried."
"Yes," Alice said calmly. "That's what we learned after spending time with him. You ignore the things you can't understand—unless you're ready to think beyond what's human."
Pietro frowned. "And you're all just… okay with that?"
Selene glanced back at the screen, where Luke vanished in a blur of blue light. "We don't ignore him," she said. "We ignore the parts that don't matter."
Pietro didn't reply.
He looked back at the television, then at the three women, clearly unable to understand how anyone could live so calmly around something—or someone—like that.
"I'm back," a weak voice came from the doorway.
Everyone turned.
Luke walked into the living room looking genuinely tired—clothes scuffed, shoulders slumped, the kind of exhaustion that didn't come from fighting alone.
Selene studied him for a second. "Why do you look like that?" she asked. "You look worse."
Luke let out a long sigh and rubbed his face. "Family meeting," he said flatly. "We've got a new member."
He stepped aside.
A woman followed him in.
Tall. Confident. Military posture. The kind of presence that filled a room without trying.
Pietro squinted at her.
"…Who's the cosplayer?" he asked.
Luke didn't even look at him. "You might want to watch your mouth," he said. "She's a little crazy."
"Who is she?" the three women asked almost at the same time.
They had already stood up.
The three of them got the same feeling at the same time.
This woman was going to be trouble.
Without saying a word, they casually shifted positions and surrounded Luke—not aggressively, not angrily, just close enough to make escape unrealistic.
Selene looked him straight in the eye.
Alice tilted her head, smiling a little too sweetly.
Jill folded her arms.
Selene crossed her arms. "You disappear for a few hours," she said calmly, "and you come back with another woman?"
Alice's eyes flicked once over Esdeath, sharp and assessing. "A very dangerous-looking woman."
Jill tilted her head slightly. "And you didn't think to explain?"
Luke raised both hands halfway, already tired. "Can we not start an interrogation the second I walk in?"
"That depends," Selene replied evenly. "Do you think we'll tolerate this?"
Behind them, Esdeath watched the scene with open interest, lips curved in something between amusement and fascination.
"Oh?" Esdeath said softly, eyes moving over the three women with open interest. "So these are the ones you protect."
"Stay out of this," Selene said flatly.
Jill nodded. "Yeah. This is not your lane."
Alice added, "At least not yet."
Esdeath didn't look offended. If anything, she looked amused.
"No," she said simply. "He's mine."
Before Luke could even react, she stepped in and wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing close with zero hesitation.
"And I don't share."
For half a second, the room froze.
Then—
"Hands. Off." Selene said.
She grabbed Luke's right arm.
Jill and Alice moved in at the same time, each taking his left arm, trying to pull him free.
Luke found himself caught in the middle, being tugged in two directions like an unwilling prize.
"Okay—okay—this is getting out of hand," he said, already regretting every life choice that led here.
Esdeath didn't loosen her grip at all. "Interesting," she murmured. "They resist."
"We're not resisting," Jill snapped. "We're reclaiming."
Pietro, watching the scene unfold from the couch, let out a low whistle.
"…I really want to be in that position."
Wanda didn't even look at him.
She just glared.
Hard.
Pietro immediately sank back into his seat.
*****
A/N: If you'd like to read chapters ahead of the Webnovel release schedule, you can join my Patreon!
The Patreon version is already updated up to Chapter 186.
👉 patreon.com/Universal_Peace