"Here is how we proceed," Aryan continued, "T'Challa, Namor—you both have a logistical nightmare ahead of you. You need to return to your nations, finalize the selection of your royal guards for the super soldier serum upgrades, and begin moving your critical Vibranium reserves into the Pocket Dimensions you've secured today. The world must see you as powerful, yes, but they must never see where the source of that power is hidden."
Tony nodded, "Once the kings have their houses in order, we convene at the Umbrella Hive. We're going to witness the removal of Bucky Barnes' brainwashing. It's a proof of concept. If we can fix the Winter Soldier, we can fix the damage Hydra did to the world's collective psyche."
"And after that?" Namor asked.
"After Bucky is restored," Aryan said, "the five of us—will present a formal proposal to the Earth Federation. We will meet with the Leader of the Federation personally. We need a treaty that acknowledges the Illuminati as a sovereign advisory and security body. We provide the expertise and the containment of the 'unnatural,' and they provide the administrative legitimacy. Both parties must accept the terms, or this new era will collapse into a civil war before it even begins."
"The Hydra heads in the high offices are gone," Aryan noted, "wiped out in the initial purge. But the body still twitches. I've located several dozen Hydra bases—research labs, tactical outposts, and deep-cover bunkers—scattered across the globe."
"And then there's S.H.I.E.L.D.," Tony added, "There are thousands of trained agents out there. Not all of them were Hydra. Most were just people who thought they were protecting their country. Now they're jobless, highly trained, and holding onto secrets that could burn down a city."
T'Challa frowned. "We cannot simply execute thousands of people for the crime of being misled. That is the path of the tyrant."
"Agreed," Aryan said. "We need a tiered approach. Those who simply want to live their lives—the analysts, the technicians, the low-level field agents who were never read into the dark stuff—we let them go. But they stay on an Illuminati watchlist. We provide them with 'severance' and a new identity, but they remain under our digital surveillance for a period of five years. If they try to sell a secret or pick up a gun, we know before they pull the trigger."
"And the ones who want to keep fighting?" Namor asked.
"If they are clean, we offer them a choice," Aryan replied. "They can join the Illuminati's new security arm or be vetted for the Illuminati's tactical support. We need eyes and ears. Who better than the people who spent decades watching the shadows?"
Tony stood up, stretching his back. "It's a lot of work for people who just gained five hundred years of life. I thought I'd be taking a vacation by now."
"A king never vacations, Tony," T'Challa said, stepping toward Tony and offering a traditional Wakandan salute. "But at least now, we have the time to do it right. I will see you at the Hive in forty-eight hours."
Namor gave a regal nod. "Do not keep me waiting, Stark. I have an ocean to prepare for the news that their King has joined a 'Parliament' of surface-dwellers. It will not be an easy conversation."
Wanda walked over to Aryan, her hand slipping into his. She looked at the group—the unlikely family they had become. "We're really doing it," she whispered.
The grey fog of Sefirah Castle began to thin as the members prepared to disconnect. "The era of secrets is ending," he said. "The era of Enlightenment begins. Go. Secure your homes. We meet at the Hive."
With a final shimmer of golden light, the members of the Tarot Club vanished one by one. Aryan sat alone on the ancient throne at the head of the long table. In his mind, the "System" was tallying the final numbers of the day—the greatest harvest since he had first stepped foot into this grey fog.
He looked out over the empty seats, his eyes reflecting the shimmering data of the day's "sales." The numbers were staggering, a testament to the desperation and the ambition of the world's most powerful men.
Tony Stark: Spent $110 million on the Super Soldier Serum for his own foundation and $30 billion for the Beta-Level High-Speed Regeneration and family upgrades.
T'Challa: The biggest investor of the day. $100 billion for his Pocket Dimension, $330 million for the personal Serum and family upgrades, $60 billion for the Beta-Level Regeneration, and $11 billion for the "Centurion" batch of 100 Super Soldier Serums for his Royal Guard.
Namor: $100 billion for the Pocket Dimension, $50 billion for the Beta-Level Regeneration, $220 million for the Serum, and $11 billion for his own 100-man elite guard Super Soldier Serums.
The total flashed in his mind: $362,771,000,000.
Aryan leaned back, a dark smile touching his lips. He hadn't spent a single cent of his own wealth today. Instead, he had become the silent creditor of the Earth's new Immortals.
For Tony Stark: Aryan gave him Beta-Level High-Speed Regeneration. Along with this, Aryan prepared a single Anchor of Power. This was the "Blessing." Tony would now carry the authority of the Castle; he could touch Pepper Potts, lead her through the Honorifics, and the Castle would recognize his touch as the signal to grant her the Serum and Beta-Level High-Speed Regeneration.
For T'Challa: Aryan turned his attention to his own internal dimension. With a thought, he partitioned a section of the void—a 10,000 cubic meter vacuum. It was a pocket within a pocket, a "Void Vault," where no living thing could breathe, but where Vibranium would remain pristine for eternity. He gave T'Challa Beta-Level High-Speed Regeneration, then forged three Anchors of Serum and Beta-Level High-Speed Regeneration for T'Challa's family, and 100 Tactical Anchors for the Wakandan Guard. T'Challa would return home as a source of miracles, able to "bless" his soldiers into becoming a legion of unshakeable titans.
For Namor: Similar to the others, Namor received Beta-Level High-Speed Regeneration. Aryan carved out another 10,000 cubic meter pocket for the Atlantean treasures. He prepared two Serum and Beta-Level High-Speed Regeneration Family Anchor and 100 Super Soldier Anchors. The King of the Seven Seas would now hold the literal power to evolve his people with a touch and a word.
As the anchors were sent out, tethering themselves to the souls of the club members, Aryan felt the connection deepen. By granting them the power to "bless" others, he had made them extensions of the Castle's will. They would go forth, making their loved ones and soldiers recite the Honorifics, unknowingly reinforcing the Castle's influence across every corner of the globe.
The "Pocket Dimensions" were perhaps his most clever stroke. They weren't independent realms; they were sub-sectors of his own territory. Every ounce of Vibranium T'Challa stored, every ancient artifact Namor hid away, was now technically sitting inside Aryan's house. He was the landlord of the world's most valuable secrets.
"The board is set," he murmured to the empty room. "The Starks are immortal. The kings are secured. And the treasures of the Earth are in my pocket."
He stepped off the dais, the grey fog parting before him. It was time to return to the Hive. It was time to see if the world was ready for the gods he had just created.
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