Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]

The situation in New Mexico didn't require Ethan to handle the aftermath. Coulson was fully in charge of wrapping things up. Ethan, meanwhile, flew directly to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Along with Arthur, Dr. Selvig also traveled with them. He had been officially invited to join S.H.I.E.L.D. for classified research projects.

For both Ethan and Arthur, this was their first time meeting Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"I've heard a lot about you from Coulson," Fury said.

Ethan had no doubt that Fury had gone through every bit of information Coulson could gather. So, he simply waited in silence, watching Fury expectantly.

"In general, we welcome outsiders, as long as they follow our laws," Fury continued.

Ethan spread his hands. "I believe I've always done that."

Fury nodded. That was precisely why he saw Ethan as a potential ally. Here was a powerful individual who chose to live within the system rather than above it. He didn't rely on his abilities to cause chaos or challenge authority, which was already a huge relief for S.H.I.E.L.D.

"You have to understand," Fury said, "when some people gain extraordinary abilities, they tend to... well, let's just say they don't always handle it responsibly."

Ethan nodded. This wasn't uncommon. But he hadn't refrained from abusing his power because he was some noble hero, he simply knew that, in the grand scheme of things, his strength wasn't that significant. There were countless beings far stronger than him.

"Honestly, most of those people just don't understand how this universe works," Ethan said. "If they truly grasped how many powerful entities exist out there, they wouldn't act so recklessly."

Ethan held Fury's gaze as he spoke, making it clear that his words were pointed.

Fury's expression remained unreadable, though the slight twitch of his cheek suggested he wasn't entirely comfortable with what he was hearing.

"You're saying there are that many powerful beings in the universe?" Fury asked.

"Stronger than you can possibly imagine," Ethan replied.

Fury's eyelid twitched. He had already suspected that Earth's situation wasn't great after hearing Coulson's reports. But hearing it so directly from Ethan? It made things sound even worse than he feared.

"If you imagine all the civilizations in the universe as a pyramid," Ethan continued, "then Earth sits at the absolute bottom, just slightly above primitive, uncivilized species."

Ethan's words carried an unsettling finality.

"For some of the beings at the top of that pyramid, destroying Earth wouldn't even require effort," Ethan added. "They could do it with a single thought."

"A thought?" Fury repeated, barely hiding his disbelief. The idea was so far removed from his understanding of reality that it was difficult to process. "You're telling me someone could just… will the Earth out of existence?"

"Yes. But fortunately for you, such beings have no reason to concern themselves with Earth." Ethan shrugged. "Unless, of course, some idiot decides to provoke them."

Fury's stomach twisted. He had expected the universe to be dangerous, but this was worse than he'd imagined.

Ethan, meanwhile, was reflecting on his own knowledge of the Marvel universe. As far as he recalled, only one such entity had shown up in the movies—Dormammu, ruler of the Dark Dimension. But under the Marvel Universe's larger cosmic system, there were undoubtedly many others.

Fury changed the topic to Asgard. From Ethan, he finally learned that the Asgardians had served as Earth's protectors for thousands of years, shielding humanity from various extraterrestrial threats and allowing civilization to develop peacefully.

"So, in a way, it makes sense that people once worshiped them as gods," Fury muttered.

Rather than feeling reassured, however, he felt a growing sense of unease. Learning that Earth had been under Asgard's protection didn't sit well with him. If the Asgardians ever withdrew that protection, what would happen then?

He also realized he would need to report all of this to the World Security Council. How was he supposed to explain these "absurd" truths in a way they would actually believe?

Fury sighed and set those concerns aside for now. "Alright, let's talk about you."

"Me?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Fury said. "I know you're from another world. So, what exactly is your purpose here? And why did you bring this… Arthur?"

Fury knew Ethan's official explanation, that he was just a traveler exploring different worlds. But as a seasoned agent, he didn't believe it could be that simple.

"You're overthinking things," Ethan said. "Sometimes, the truth really is that simple."

"So you're just… traveling?" Fury remained skeptical.

"Yes. In fact, I don't even get to choose where I go. Each time I travel to a different world, the destination is random."

That part was mostly true—Ethan couldn't fully control his dimensional travel yet. However, after spending so much time in the Marvel universe, he could feel himself getting closer to understanding how to anchor himself to specific worlds.

"Completely random?" Fury pressed.

"At least for now," Ethan admitted.

That was enough for Fury. He now understood that Ethan hadn't deliberately chosen to come to this world. While there were still many unanswered questions, he didn't feel the need to dig deeper for now.

Fury's focus shifted to more practical concerns. Ethan was powerful. He had magical abilities and knowledge of cosmic threats. He also had connections—Tony Stark trusted him, and he had a working relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D.

From Coulson's reports, Fury also knew that Ethan had warned them to evacuate civilians before the Destroyer arrived. That small act suggested Ethan wasn't indifferent to innocent lives.

So, Fury decided to extend an official invitation.

He introduced Ethan to the Avengers Initiative.

To Ethan's surprise, Arthur was also on the list of potential recruits.

Of course, Ethan immediately saw through Fury's true motive, he wasn't just interested in Arthur. He wanted to use Arthur as a bridge to reach Merlin.

"Your offer doesn't mean much," Ethan said, closing the file in front of him. "I can't stay in this world for long. In fact, I'll be leaving soon."

"You're leaving?" Fury asked.

"Yeah. And I have no idea when I'll be back."

That was a firm rejection. And Fury couldn't argue against it—Ethan had a legitimate reason to decline.

"Is there any way to contact you?" Fury asked, unwilling to give up.

"Not at the moment," Ethan replied.

Even if there was, he had no intention of giving Fury a way to reach him. If anyone deserved that privilege, it was the Ancient One or Tony Stark—not S.H.I.E.L.D.

The meeting ended on a somewhat sour note. Any mention of the Tesseract, something Fury had hinted at earlier was now completely off the table.

Both sides understood the unspoken rule: if Ethan had agreed to work with S.H.I.E.L.D., then the Tesseract would have been part of the deal. But since he refused, there would be no "rewards."

After leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Ethan and Arthur traveled to New York.

There, Ethan planned to visit Tony's newly completed tower and stop by the Sanctum Sanctorum to bid farewell to the Ancient One and Daniel.

His time in the Marvel Universe was coming to an end.

Looking back, it felt like time had flown by. He had spent most of it in a lab, but the results had been worth it, his equipment had evolved, his mental power had grown significantly, and he was on the verge of generating his own magic power.

Initially, he had planned to stay until his space-time energy ran low, triggering an automatic return to the Sea of Calm.

But an unexpected summons disrupted those plans.

The message came from Merlin, and it was only then that Ethan realized Merlin had placed a space-time marker on Arthur. This allowed him to summon Arthur back to his original world whenever necessary.

Additionally, this marker could be used to pinpoint Ethan's location, making it convenient for Merlin to send messages when needed.

The message itself was brief, but its meaning was clear: Arthur needed to return and prepare to inherit the throne, and Merlin hoped Ethan would escort him back.

Of course, Merlin had the power to directly pull Arthur back to his own world, but that would have been disrespectful to Ethan. Merlin generally preferred not to interfere in such a way.

As a result, now that this task was coming to an end, Merlin also sent Ethan a small spell as a "travel fee"—precisely the interdimensional communication magic Ethan had been thinking about.

"Merlin's timing is always impeccable," Ethan muttered.

He could tell that this magic had been custom-tailored for him. For someone at his current level, mastering this spell required a certain innate ability, as well as a properly attuned artifact that could serve as a beacon for cross-dimensional positioning.

The communication itself was one-way. Others could send messages to Ethan using the specific artifact he provided, but due to his limited strength, there would be a slight delay in message delivery. However, even with its limitations, the ability to maintain contact across worlds was invaluable.

It was far better than losing all means of communication the moment he left.

***

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