Marvel Cybernetic Girl

[Nothing is truly eternal.]

[Not even the gods themselves.]

[Only Time.]

[She walks hand in hand with eternity, until both vanish at the end of all things.]

[To the master of time, cause and effect are meaningless.]

[Trials, obstacles…]

[They, too, are without hesitation or purpose.]

———————————————————————

—Infinity Mental Mirage: Time—

When Kagura opened her eyes again, she was greeted by pure darkness.

A void.

Endless nothingness.

A universe completely empty—both unfamiliar and familiar to her.

She had seen this place once before: the breathtaking heat-death of the cosmos after she had fast-forwarded Dormammu's Dark Dimension into an infinite future.

"So… aside from the Soul Stone and the Power Stone I never claimed… this must be the final trial."

Kagura let out a long, slow sigh, utterly calm.

"Looks like the Time Stone won't be easy to deal with either. Who knows what kind of strange test it'll throw at me this time…"

"Hmm? Strange test? What do you mean, strange? Did the other Stones do weird things to you?"

A young, familiar—but slightly childish—voice rang in Kagura's ear.

"Like.. stripping off your clothes, hanging them on a bamboo pole, and airing them out in the street for all to see?"

"Hey!! ヽ(●-`Д´-)ノ"

Kagura whirled around, cheeks puffed in annoyance.

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!"

Turning to face the voice, her eyes met a tiny figure.

A petite silver-haired girl with golden eyes, dressed in a black-and-white frilled dress, her twin-tails bouncing gently as she moved.

Her face looked nearly identical to Kagura's—only younger, softer.

In the depths of her large golden eyes, faint clockwork patterns turned slowly, like the hands of time itself.

"You… are the Time Stone's manifestation? Why are you so….. little?" Kagura asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"The other manifestations were normal enough. Did the Time Stone not finish 'growing up' or something?"

"What are you talking about!"

Kagura ignore her protest and her eyes gaze drifted briefly to the small girl's flat chest.

"Well… can't blame you. You are me after all. The potential's there!"

"Hmm... you got it half-right!"

The little girl pouted, folding her arms with a soft "hmph!" as she lifted her chin defiantly.

"Seems this auntie's brain isn't too sharp after all!"

"I am 'Eoni'—the embodiment of the Time Stone. I'm your reflection, your avatar. The one who, in theory, is meant to administer your trial of time."

"In theory…?" Kagura frowned.

"So what's the trial, then? Am I supposed to fight you? Catch you?"

"Ughhh! How boring!"

The little girl waved her hand dismissively, her expression full of disdain.

"Fighting, chasing—utterly pointless. Completely meaningless!"

"Meaningless?"

"Yep. Before time, everything is meaningless." A strange smile curved her lips. "Hey, Auntie... do you know where you are right now?"

"First off, I'm not an auntie! Physically I'm only 17, thank you very much!" Kagura huffed.

"And this place... I'd guess it's the final void, the ultimate heat-death ending of some universe, right?"

"Wrong again!" The little girl grinned smugly. "See? Aunties always guess wrong!"

Raising a small hand high above her head, the flow of time stirred.

"This... is the moment before time itself began. The birthplace of everything. This is the universe... before the Big Bang!"

'BOOM—!'

In the next instant, blinding light engulfed everything.

The Big Bang had begun.

———————————————————————

When Kagura regained consciousness, she found herself once more standing in a vast, empty void.

But the sharp-tongued little girl called "Eoni" was gone.

In her place stood a tall, silent woman—her face hidden beneath a tattered hood, cloaked in an ancient, ragged robe.

She stood utterly still, like a ghost, saying nothing, her presence cold and heavy beside Kagura.

"Uh… 'Eoni'? Did you get blown up by your own Big Bang or something?" Kagura asked cautiously.

"Seriously... what is the Time Stone's trial supposed to be? I feel like I just got whiplashed by cosmic nonsense. One second the universe is exploding... the next I'm right back where I started!"

"My name is 'Escha'," the woman finally spoke, her voice low and steady.

"This is not the beginning. This... is the end."

"I am the Time Stone's manifestation—your reflection. Alongside 'Eoni,' I embody the Time Stone's will.

'Eoni' represents the Beginning... and I, the End. Everything between those two points is what you perceive as time."

Kagura studied the woman carefully.

Her voice was identical to Kagura's, proving she was another version of herself.

But unlike the others, her hair was not silver—it was a lifeless, pale white, as if bleached by the endless march of centuries.

Her ragged robe hung loose and weathered.

And the skin visible beneath the tattered cloth... was dry, cracked, and marked by countless scars—like a body long forgotten by life, worn away by the weight of time itself.

Kagura's eyes lit with understanding.

"So that's how it is. The Time Stone's manifestation... is a pair of twins, right?"

"Not entirely correct," came the cold, emotionless reply from Escha. Her voice was as pale and mechanical as a machine.

"Time is singular. And so are we."

She paused, raising her lifeless golden eyes to meet Kagura's gaze directly.

"Kagura Hitomi... answer our question. That will be your trial."

"Answering a question... counts as a trial?" Kagura tilted her head, amused. "That sounds... suspiciously casual."

"Of course it's casual!"

Suddenly, the silver-haired little girl, Eoni, popped up behind Kagura again.

With Eoni and Escha standing on either side of her, they formed a living image of Past, Present, and Future, suspended in the void itself.

"We are the rulers of time. Or rather... we are time itself."

"Eternity is but a fleeting moment. From the viewpoint of time, whether you pass or fail this trial was decided the instant you arrived. Cause and effect mean nothing to us. There is no point to these trials at all."

"The universe was always destined to be born from the Big Bang... and to die in the silent heat-death of entropy. What happens in between holds no weight. There is no need to care."

"Kagura. No matter what you do, no matter what path you walk, no matter whether you struggle against fate or yield to it... the end of the universe will not change."

"You, your friends, the superheroes, Thanos, every civilization in this cosmos... they are all grains of dust, drifting on an ocean of nothingness. Their rise and fall means nothing."

"Time is the perfect observer, the merciless executioner. All things will dissolve in its endless flow. Cause, effect, and all cycles of rebirth will vanish with the dying universe."

"And so... here is our question, Kagura:

If everything is truly meaningless... why do you insist on walking the hardest path? Why should we, the Time Stone, recognize your wish to carve out a future?"

Hearing this, Kagura smiled gently.

"Oh... I thought you were going to ask something hard."

Seeing faint surprise flicker on the twins' faces, Kagura continued with quiet conviction.

"Why keep going when it's all meaningless? That's simple.

Because this is my life.

Maybe the universe's fate is unchanging. Maybe all superheroes and civilizations will vanish into the river of time. But so what?

People die. Life ends. But living itself—that is the greatest meaning there is.

We shouldn't measure civilizations by their years...

We should measure years by the civilizations that fill them.

I've never sought eternal life. I only want a life without regrets.

Our struggle isn't about leaving behind an indelible mark.

It's about making sure the fleeting moments we do have are rich, bright, and unforgettable.

Isn't that the greatest gift we can offer the universe... and to time itself?"

She raised her head, looking into the infinite darkness above, and stretched out her slender, pale hands.

A brilliant green light blossomed around her wrists, weaving into intricate magical circles. The entire timeline of the cosmos bent beneath her will.

"Time... you care only for beginnings and endings. But you forget something important..."

With a turn of her silver-haired hands, the flow of the universe began to reverse.

Countless stars lit up again in the void, brilliant civilizations sparkled in glory, rivers of galaxies swirled in celebration of existence.

Before her eyes, the most magnificent sight unfolded—the radiant, living universe in all its splendor.

This was the most precious part of reality:

The moments in between the beginning and the end.

'Whoosh—!'

Brilliant light exploded around her.

The endless green energy of the Time Stone flowed, illuminating Kagura's chest with its glow.

———————————————————————

[Infinity Mental Mirage: Time — Trial Cleared]

[Time Stone's Recognition Acquired]

[Special Ability Updated]

[You can now freely use the ability: Time Manipulation without cost]

———————————————————————

[Infinity Stones' Trials Complete]

[Preparing to Return to Reality]

———————————————————————

For a fleeting moment, Kagura saw Miss Void, Miss Ether, Miss Kokoro, and the twin sisters Eoni and Escha—each dissolving into colored lights before merging into one, bursting into a brilliant orange glow...

"Congratulations, Kagura. You've succeeded."

"Now go... step confidently onto the path that is yours alone.

May the power of Infinity guide and protect you..."