"Hawk Phoenix."
"Wanda Maximoff."
After Hawk and Wanda exchanged names, their eyes met.
"I am from the future."
"The future…"
Wanda listened to Hawk's words, her eyes, filled with scarlet chaos magic, flickered as she looked at Hawk.
"No wonder I feel like you're not truly here."
"But since you're from the future and know about this place, why…"
"The past cannot be changed."
Hawk knew what Wanda wanted to ask and spoke directly. His gaze fell on Billy and Tommy in the crib, then, as if thinking of something, he looked at Wanda.
"Do you regret it?"
"What?"
Wanda was still pondering the meaning of 'The past cannot be changed.' Hearing Hawk's 'Do you regret it?', she subconsciously looked up at Hawk, then followed his gaze to Billy and Tommy in the crib, realizing, and looked at Hawk.
"Will you kill us?"
"No."
Hawk did not dwell on this question.
No matter from what perspective, logically and emotionally, he had no motive to harm Wanda.
Even killing required a basic legal framework.
Moreover, Hawk was not some bloodthirsty individual. Although he could wipe out families, and on a larger scale, entire clans, putting that aside, Hawk was still a very reasonable person.
Emotionally speaking, whether he wanted to admit it or not, Jean, Billy, and Tommy were indeed his blood descendants.
Even a tiger would not eat its cubs.
He had no reason to kill these three children, and similarly, as their mother, Wanda, he had even less reason to kill her.
Legally speaking, Wanda was also a victim. Although she might have been willing at first, from another perspective, even if Wanda had not been willing at the time, Strucker would have made her willing.
So… it was Strucker who deserved to die, not Wanda.
As soon as Hawk thought of Strucker, he remembered how, after obtaining the Mind Stone, he had been so busy comprehending the Seventh Sense that he had forgotten about Strucker in the Netherworld.
Old man, just you wait. Once I'm done with the Seventh Sense, I'll go to the Netherworld and give you a proper welcome.
The Eight Hells of the Netherworld!
I'll make you the first all-around contestant to enjoy the Eight Hells I've meticulously prepared.
Hawk's thoughts churned.
At the same time.
Just as he said he wouldn't kill Wanda.
Wanda's voice followed closely.
"Then I don't regret it either."
"…"
Hawk snapped back to reality and looked at Wanda.
Wanda met Hawk's eyes, her gaze falling on Billy and Tommy in the crib: "They are my sons, so I never regret it."
Hawk looked at the flickering eyes and the smile on Wanda's face as she gazed at Billy and Tommy, and the expression of the blonde woman holding him and his sister Anya in her arms appeared in his mind.
Wanda's expression now was exactly the same as that of the blonde woman.
He could tell that Wanda was not lying.
However… Hawk withdrew his gaze.
"I should go."
"They are your sons too. Their names should come from you."
Wanda looked at Hawk, who had spoken and was about to leave, and said softly.
Hawk didn't think: "Billy, Tommy!"
The moment the names left his lips,
Hawk was somewhat dazed.
He had originally thought that the names Billy and Tommy were also given by Wanda, after all, Billy and Tommy were the names of Wanda's twin sons.
Turns out!
It was he who had named them.
After 'Billy' and 'Tommy' blurted out, Hawk, after a moment of daze, came back to his senses.
Wanda, listening to the two names Hawk gave, thought for a moment, nodded, and looked at Billy and Tommy in the crib, smiling as she said: "Billy, Tommy."
Hawk watched this scene, then turned and vanished from this timeline.
Within the Little Universe.
As Hawk, using the Time Stone, flowed upstream and then downstream in the timeline, constantly perceiving time, it was a form of cheating.
Between the clash of the yellow Mind Stone, the crimson of his own Little Universe, and the blood-red of the Reality Stone, three different colored lights collided.
The essence of Hawk's Little Universe, the crimson Phoenix head, gradually began to shed the golden-yellow hue, leaving only the golden color – the gold of a Gold Saint, the gold of a Golden Little Universe… Time was closing in a loop.
Hawk's timeline was also contracting.
With his prolonged stay in past timelines, his perception of time became increasingly clear. If, at the very beginning, he still needed the Time Stone to move upstream in his own timeline,
Then now, Hawk had a feeling, an illusion, that he could move upstream without the Time Stone.
However… even if it was an illusion, it was a good thing.
Because this kind of illusion only appeared after his own strength had increased geometrically, just like the illusion he had when he first awakened his Little Universe, feeling he could tear the sky with a single punch.
But while illusions were good, one shouldn't mistake them for reality.
The moment his illusion arose, Hawk no longer focused solely on perceiving time as before, but rather concentrated more on sorting out the illusion.
As his perception of time slowed, the color in his Little Universe, which had almost completely transformed from silver to golden-yellow, also gradually slowed its change.
But… the speed of pure gold coloring increased.
This day.
Strucker, with a grim and somewhat bewildered expression, turned and led the HYDRA researchers away from Wanda's house.
Pietro waited until Strucker and the others had gone far, then returned to the room, went to his sister's side, and looked at Billy and Tommy, who seemed to have grown a bit and were already able to crawl on the mat.
"Billy and Tommy didn't inherit his power?"
"That's what the test results say."
Wanda still looked at the happily crawling Billy and Tommy with doting eyes, then looked at Pietro: "That's normal. Inheritance isn't 100% guaranteed. What, you don't like Billy and Tommy just because they didn't inherit his power?"
Pietro quickly shook his head upon hearing this: "How could that be? They're my nephews, my dear nephews. How could I not like them?"
But… Wanda's words seemed to be directed at Pietro, yet the corner of her eye fell on Hawk, who was in the dining area, playing with building blocks with his daughter, Jean.
Hawk sensed the gaze on him and remained silent.
In the evening.
After Hawk tucked Jean, who had finished her ablutions, into bed and lulled her to sleep, he prepared to leave.
The kind of leaving where he wouldn't return.
Because the Phoenix Force accumulated within Jean was enough to instantly appear at 521A Palm Street upon its eruption.
So… his time was about to close in a loop. Next, he needed to contract his timeline.
But this didn't mean that after contracting his timeline, there would only be one Hawk in all future Universes.
Other parallel Universes would still have their parallel selves.
However… once Hawk contracted his own timeline, then no one would be able to mess with him through the timeline in the future.
Simply put.
He would fix his past, so in the future, there wouldn't be any situation where some guy tried to travel through time to kill him.
Things like Deadpool from a certain parallel World traveling through time to kill Weapon X would absolutely not happen to him.
After Hawk tucked his daughter Jean into bed and covered her with the quilt, he was about to read to lull her to sleep when Jean tugged at the quilt with both hands.
"Daddy, don't you like Billy and Tommy?"
"…"
Hawk was slightly startled, looked at his daughter Jean, and said with a smile: "Why would you ask that?"
Jean, with wide eyes, said: "Billy and Tommy are not like me. They didn't inherit your power. They're not like you."
Hawk said with a smile: "How could that be? Even if they didn't inherit my power, they are still my sons, your brothers, aren't they?"
Jean pressed on: "Then does Daddy like Billy and Tommy?"
Hawk smiled faintly.
"Yes, I do."
"I like them too."
Jean's face broke into a brilliant smile, then she wriggled in the bed, turned over, and snuggled into Hawk's arms: "Daddy, tell a story."
Hawk chuckled, hugged Jean, who was nestled in his arms, and told the fairy tale story from the page Wanda had specifically folded.
After a while.
Jean slowly fell asleep amidst Hawk's story.
Hawk did not leave immediately. Instead, after finishing the entire story and confirming that Jean had fallen asleep in the Phoenix Fire, he withdrew, gently repositioned Jean in the bed, covered her with the quilt, and then passed through the wall to the master bedroom, which was just one wall away from Jean's room.
Wanda had also just managed to lull the energetic Billy and Tommy to sleep. Even with the power of scarlet chaos magic, Wanda's face showed a hint of fatigue.
After all, raising children had always been a very energy-consuming task.
Hawk looked at Wanda, whose forehead was a little sweaty and a few strands of red hair clung to her forehead, and thought for a moment.
"You've worked hard!"
"They are my sons."
Wanda brushed back the long hair clinging to her forehead, looking at the sleeping Billy and Tommy.
Hawk nodded at her words: "I'm leaving."
Wanda came back to herself and looked at Hawk.
The next second.
She nodded.
"Okay."
"Goodbye."
Hawk met Wanda's eyes, smiled, and prepared to leave.
Just then.
Wanda spoke.
"Wait."
"…"
Wanda looked at Hawk, who had stopped and was looking back at her: "Billy and Tommy didn't inherit your power. Do you really like them?"
Hawk met Wanda's gaze: "Whether they can inherit my power is not up to me."
Wanda frowned.
"Then who…"
"You will know."
"Goodbye, Wanda."
Hawk said this.
He was here to close the time loop, not to create a new hole, so after speaking, he turned and disappeared into time.
The next moment.
Hawk, sitting cross-legged on the riverbed of the long river of time, opened his eyes… (End of Chapter)
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