The majestic hall fell back into its eternal silence. The four guests—Tony, T'Challa, Namor, and Wanda—had vanished, their consciousnesses snapped back to the physical world by the finality of his decree.
Aryan, still seated upon the high throne, allowed a knowing smirk to play on his lips. "It's good to play both sides," he whispered to the empty air.
To the world, he was the CEO of Umbrella and a fellow member of the Tarot Club. To this space, he was The Fool, the silent architect behind the veil. He pulled up his own system interface, the blue light reflecting in his eyes. The spending today had been monumental, and it was time to claim his own share of the harvest.
While he had sold "Beta" and "Gamma" versions to the others, Aryan's own upgrades were absolute. He authorized a series of purchases that redefined his existence:
Sebastian Shaw's Energy Absorption (Alpha): For $1 Billion, he acquired the ultimate kinetic and energy absorption ability. He realized he could bypass the danger of "overload" by siphoning excess energy directly into his own personal dimension, making him a black hole for any attack.
Cellular Hydration (Alpha): For $1 Billion, he removed all biological environmental limits. Space, deep-sea trenches, or scorched deserts—his body was now a perfect system.
Marine Life Telepathy (Omega): For $10 Billion, he took total dominion over the living oceans.
Cognitive Multitasking (Omega): For $10 Million, a small price to ensure he could control his army of clones with od-like precision.
Technopathy (Omega): For $15 Billion, he established a direct mind-link with the Red Queen. He was no longer just a user of technology; he was a digital god. He could manipulate every scrap of information on the internet, known or unknown.
Hydrokinesis (Omega): For $20 Billion, he gained mastery over water at the molecular level—solid, liquid, or gas. He could pull moisture from the very air or boil the blood in a man's veins.
I earned a total of $228.265 billion and spent only $47 billion, leaving a net profit of $181.265 billion from today's Tarot Club meeting. An absurdly efficient way to make money.
Aryan leaned back, reviewing the "patches" he had sent to the others. He had been strategic.
For Namor, he had pushed the Gamma Level regeneration and the Alpha Level Hydrokinesis, limiting his reach to ten meters. He gave him the ability to talk to sea life, but not to command the ecosystem as Aryan could.
For Tony, he had delivered the Gamma Level multitasking and the Alpha, ten-meter technopathy. It was a taste of divinity, just enough to make Tony feel invincible, yet leaving him hungry for the next tier of the "User Manual."
For T'Challa, he set the kinetic absorption at a hard 700kJ limit. It was a massive upgrade for a mortal, but a drop in the bucket compared to the infinite void Aryan now carried within his own cells.
"Give them enough to feel like gods," Aryan mused, his eyes glowing with the violet hue of the Castle, "and they will spend everything they have to actually become one."
Aryan closed his eyes as the last flickering light of the system menus faded from his mind. He leaned back in his leather chair, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
The others believed they were using a "Transmutation Ledger," some mystical, automated function of the Sefirah Castle. In reality, that function didn't exist. Aryan had simply opened a specialized gateway to his own personal dimension, acting as the ultimate middleman. When Namor "sold" his ancient gold and T'Challa "pledged" his Vibranium, the materials weren't dissolving into thin air—they were being funneled directly into Aryan's private vaults.
"Let them believe in the 'market logic' of the Castle," Aryan whispered.
Once the goods were safely in his hands, he would sell them to the System's true interface himself. If the System valued an item at its full intrinsic worth, Aryan would simply report back a "fluctuating rate" of 30% or 50% to the Tarot Club members. He pocketed the difference as a massive "brokerage fee" they didn't even know they were paying.
"If it's their resource, I take my cut. If it's my own..." He let out a low chuckle. "They get their powers, and I get the profit of three kingdoms combined."
The Tarot Club was more than a circle of heroes destined for godhood. It was a cross-dimensional engine designed to power his own ascent. He wasn't just their leader; he was the house—and in this game, the house always won.
He closed the interface. The "Transmutation Ledger" was overflowing with the ancient gold and Vibranium Namor and T'Challa had pledged.
With a thought, Aryan's consciousness began to dissolve. The throne remained, but the spirit of The Fool returned to the office in umbrella, ready to wake up as the most powerful man on Earth—while the rest of the world remained blissfully unaware that their reality had just been rewritten.
The transition from the gray mists of the Sefirah Castle back to the physical world was instantaneous. Aryan opened his eyes in the dimly lit office.
"It's time," Aryan said, his voice grounded but filled with a new authority.
He summoned Pietro and Wanda to his office. The young man arrived with his usual restless energy, unaware that his life was about to shift its axis. Without a word of explanation, Aryan led them deep into the sub-levels of the Umbrella estate, to a basement sector that had remained off-limits even to the siblings.
The heavy blast doors hissed open to reveal a fortified training chamber. The walls were reinforced with a classified high-strength alloy, designed to withstand the impact of a falling star.
"Pietro, Wanda," Aryan began, turning to face them. "You are not ordinary people. There is a power dormant within your blood, a legacy of potential that has been sleeping. I have kept this from you—and I have kept you hidden—because the world is a cruel place for those who are 'more' than human."
He gestured to the ceiling. "Even now, satellites and shadow agencies watch this company. If you had awakened your power outside this room, they would have seen you as a resource to be harvested. They would have hunted you down to find the secret in your marrow. You must promise me: after today, you will train here to master yourselves, but to the world outside, you must remain the same people you were yesterday. Your identity is your greatest shield."
Pietro looked at Wanda, his jaw dropping. "You... you knew? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I only learned the full truth today, Pietro," Wanda said softly, stepping toward him.
Aryan stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Pietro's shoulder. Utilizing his connection to the System's dimension, he authorized the Perfect Super Soldier Serum for the young man.
Suddenly, a wave of intense warmth flooded Pietro's veins. He gasped as his musculature tightened and refined. His endurance, strength, and sensory perception surged to the absolute human peak. But then, the catalyst hit the dormant spark.
The air around Pietro began to vibrate. To Wanda and Aryan, he became a blur; to Pietro, the world simply... stopped. He felt a surge of kinetic energy so violent he couldn't help but move. He vanished from his spot, a streak of silver light echoing through the chamber as he shattered the sound barrier within the confined space.
"Pietro, focus!" Aryan called out, his voice amplified. "You're hitting Mach 3. Control the friction, or you'll level this room!"
Pietro skidded to a halt, laughing breathlessly, his eyes wide with pure excitement. "I can see the air! Everything is so slow... it's like the whole world is standing still!"
Aryan then turned to Wanda. As he moved to place his hand on her, she met him halfway, her hand resting on his. For a brief moment, the air between them grew warm from a genuine heat of shared affection. They smiled, a silent acknowledgement of their bond, before Aryan focused.
He channeled the Perfect Super Soldier Serum into her. Wanda's body arched as the refinement took hold, granting her the same peak-human physical limits and high-speed regeneration. But where Pietro was silver and speed, Wanda became a storm of crimson.
A swirling red energy erupted from her palms, curling around her arms like living smoke. The temperature in the room spiked.
"Wanda, listen to me," Aryan said, his voice steadying her as she stared at her hands in awe. "What you feel is Chaos Magic. It is a universal power, far beyond simple telepathy or telekinesis. Within that crimson light is the ability to warp reality itself."
He began to detail the scope of her inheritance:
* Energy Manipulation & Ionic Blasts: The ability to project pure, destructive force.
* Telepathic Dominance: A mind control so potent it can rewrite memories.
* Reality Warping: The power to change the 'is' into 'was' or 'could be.'
* Force Field Generation: Shields that can withstand nuclear-level pressure.
"This power is ancient," Aryan warned. "It responds to your emotions. You must be the anchor, Wanda. If you lose control, the world around you will break to match your heart."
Wanda looked from the red mists in her hands to Aryan, her expression moving from fear to a fierce, newfound resolve. She felt the serum stabilizing her mind, giving her the mental fortitude to hold back the tide of chaos.
"I won't break," she promised, her voice resonating with a power that shook the reinforced walls.
Pietro zipped back to her side, his hand on her shoulder, both siblings looking at Aryan—no longer as just their benefactor, but as the man who had given them the keys to their own souls.
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