The Black Lion - The Soul Stone (Patreon)

Steve Rogers, The Black Rock, New York

"We're in New York, Admiral, E.T.A. to get to the Black Rock, two minutes," said the pilot of the curious vehicle

However, Steve did not answer, his mind was lost in the ghosts of the past, those that he thought would never return

Alas, fate enjoys its plot twists apparently

The old Admiral still looked at the changes in the city with disbelief, it had been quite a while since his last visit, preferring to rest on his farm in Yorkshire than the turbulent life of New York, however, it was still incredible to him the change that the city had experienced

"It seems that Harrison Evans' presence has done wonders for the city" Steve said with a small smile, as they flew in a personalized Sky Car at the service of SHIELD, through the famous Black District, the most exclusive area of the city, and in Steve's opinion, a fucking trip to the future

A bright one it seems  

Huge and futuristic buildings that made Stark and Oscorp Towers look like simple shacks by comparison, wide streets adorned with beautiful and huge trees, there were no eccentric billionaires, there were no excesses, only families, the families of the people who worked for the Black Lion, the Evans healing centers received visitors constantly,  while floating farms fed the entire neighborhood, it was practically a different city, something that Steve knew, had caused quite a stir in the country

That a businessman really cared about his employees seemed the greatest of offenses, the admiral thought as he shook his head in disappointment

And dominating the landscape, solitary in the beautiful and clean bay, surrounded by a large number of marine life, which had become one of the greatest tourist attractions in the city and being the tallest and most imposing building in the country with a mile and a half high, an exponent of technology and innovation, was the Black Rock, the center of economic and technological power of the city

Even from the country, if the rumors were true

The building was beautiful, it represented benevolence, but at the same time Harrison Evans' total superiority over the rest of the city

The Famous Black Lion knew he was superior, he accepted it, and thrived on that fact, helping others around him to rise with him

The Admiral was so distracted that he didn't realize they had landed until the voice of the pilot Nick assigned to him spoke

"We have arrived, admiral," said the young man, opening the door and saluting

Steve came down with difficulty, but returned the greeting perfectly

"The director ordered me to wait for you, take as much time as you need"

Steve nodded, as he fixed his suit, he didn't come as a military representative, after all

This afternoon, Steve was just another civilian

"It will take several hours lad, go and eat something, I heard that there is a great restaurant in the Evans Tower, go there and have a good time, it is an order" said the old man, as he adjusted his hat and straightened his back, taking a bouquet of orchids

Her favorites, thought the old man

The young officer nodded and saluted

"Yes Sir," said the young man, causing Steve to nod and start walking towards the lobby of the frankly impressive and terrifying tower

Steve looked up, admiring the vastness of the structure, watching in disbelief as the top seemed to disappear into the clouds, at the same time as a host of Sky Cars and drones flew all over the place

The operation was similar to a beehive, the admiral deduced

Before long, their presence was noticed, a pair of drones flew to their location, strange black metal constructs with a large green central eye

“Welcome! Name and reason for the visit please” asked the mechanics and squeaky voice, looking at Steve with what he assumed was curiosity

The admiral straightened his back and said politely and firmly

"Steve Rogers, I have a date," he said with amusement at the private joke

The drone stared at Steve with its huge, glowing mechanical eye for a few seconds, until, much to Steve's disbelief, a holographic hand appeared to the side of the drone, who raised it to perform a formal military salute

The act made Steve raise an eyebrow in surprise and amusement

"Welcome Admiral, Miss Frost is waiting for you, a VIP platform has been assigned to you and enjoy your date," said the drone, at the same time that a kind of circular platform flew quickly towards Steve, placing itself in front of him with the silhouette of a pair of feet, the intention more than evident

With a lot of suspicion, Steve climbed into the curious vehicle, at the same time that some kind of invisible barrier made itself present, keeping him safe on the tiny platform

The admiral shook his head, apparently Harrison Evans' ingenuity has no limit, he thought

"Ascending," said the drone, who began to rise, as did the platform, lifting Steve to a really worrying speed, although to the old man's amazement, he did not feel a single discomfort

 They crossed all the "public" floors quickly, as well as the research area, until they reached the top, a place that few privileged people knew

"We've arrived," said the drone, causing the platform to land in a luxurious and comfortable lounge, where a famous and dangerous woman was waiting for him

Beautiful, with a body that was pure seduction, dressed in a tight and daring white dress, with blue lipstick, elegant white heels and a black choker on the neck with a roaring lion medallion

Emma Frost, the Black Lion's fiancée and the company's de facto corporative leader

"Admiral, nice to meet you," said the woman with respect on her face, as she stretched out her hand

Steve took her and gave her a kiss on the knuckles formally

"Thank you for this opportunity, it means a lot to me," the man said sincerely, making the blonde nod and speak

"Follow me, I'll guide you to your destination."

And Steve obeyed

For several minutes, the admiral walked through a futuristic architectural complex, the walls were made of silver metal with large windows that gave a touch of modernity to the place, the imposing view of the city reaffirmed what Steve intuited

Total dominance by the Black Lion

"We're in the safest part of the Tower, where the most important projects are born," said Miss Frost, pointing to a hologram of the Stingray, the historic ship that had done the impossible

Allowing man to travel faster than the speed of light

The Evans-Richards engine had changed everything, governments were burning money at an absurd rate, offering everything for Harrison Evans to put his engines up for sale

And to Steve's no surprise, the lion just laughed and went on with his life

"The Stingray is beautiful, I had the pleasure of observing it on its way through London, a masterpiece of engineering, many would say that it is Harrison Evans' greatest achievement," said the admiral, focusing his gaze on a holographic screen that showed the moment in which the ship in question began to fly at faster than light speed

Miss Frost nodded elegantly

"It is, however, it's just the beginning," he said with a sophisticated smile

Steve would have thought it was just lip service to someone else, but Emma Frost, the Black Lion's fiancée, the greatest genius in human history...

The admiral trembled at the thought of what Harrison Evans had in store for the world

After that, they both walked in comfortable silence, Steve was nervous, adjusting his suit non-stop, as he arranged the flowers for the tenth time

"She is going to love it admiral, don't worry," Emma said cautiously

Steve smiled softly and spoke

"I hope so, I know I'm late, but a gentleman's word is the most important thing," said the man

Emma nodded as they reached their destination, a simple metal door on one of the tower's highest floors

However, before Steve could thank the beautiful young woman, Miss Frost turned around and looked at him seriously

"Before you have your date, I want to give you something, it's an opportunity, to have what fate so cruelly denied you, Admiral," said Miss Frost, as she handed a paper folder to the old man

Steve took it curiously, raising his eyebrows as he read the words printed in the folder

New Dawn Project

"You don't have to read it now, enjoy your date and, if you're interested, just tell any of the drones, they'll let me know," said Miss Frost, then said goodbye to the admiral and left him alone

Steve looked curiously at the information on the sheets of paper, raising his eyebrows more and more at what he was reading

If Harrison Evans could really do this... The world as they knew it would change forever

Steve shook his head quickly; he had something more important ahead of him

He adjusted his suit for the last time, as well as his elegant hat, and with a firm step, walked towards the door, which opened instantly

And after a few steps, Steve was no longer in New York, but in England, in the small town where he grew up

The streets were narrow and cobbled, the stream that ran through the town was clean and strong, and the comfortable restaurant with a balcony was where I remembered it

And right there, as beautiful as the last time he saw her...

"Steve..." said the most beautiful woman in the world, at least in her opinion

"Peggy," said the admiral walking towards the love of his life, with a huge smile and tears in his eyes

She was dressed in that red dress that she loved so much, scandalous for its time and conservative for the current one, her red lips and beautiful brown eyes betrayed the feeling shared between the two

Steve offered the flowers to his beloved

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said with amusement, causing the beautiful woman to let out a muffled laugh, as she tried to hold back her tears

"Seventy years is nothing," Peggy said, as she accepted the flowers and stroked Steve's face

The legendary Admiral Steve "the lion" Rogers, as feared as he was beloved, founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., closed his eyes and shed a lone tear

"I've missed you," he said, leaning on Peggy's hand

Captain Carter smiled, as she put her arms around Steve's shoulders and, from the warm restaurant, a familiar song began to play

Steve smiled at her, placing his hands on Peggy's waist

"Like in the old days, Captain Carter?" asked the admiral

Peggy just smiled and rested her head on Steve's chest, even as such an old man, he stood as steady as an oak tree

"Like in the old days," she whispered, getting lost in her man's arms

Everything was fine

Harrison Evans, Somewhere, Somewhen

“Where are we?” Harrison asked cautiously

The beautiful and terrifying lady responded calmly

“We are everywhere and at the same time, nowhere, do you see that?”  he said, pointing to what Harrison could only define as an amalgam of galaxies

"That's your universe, we're in the space between them and that over there, it's the next universe, it's just being born, it's just a baby," said the woman, now pointing to the infinitely smaller cosmic cluster                                                                        

Harrison seemed really overwhelmed

"From here, your existence is so minuscule, even more than a speck of cosmic dust and yet, The One Above All apparently enjoys its games, although to be honest I'm taken with you dear Harry," purred the flaming woman, looking directly at the Black Lion with amusement

"Do we know each other?" he asks cautiously

The beautiful cosmic woman laughed and spoke

"Somehow, my dear, or do you not recognize your Goddess of fire?" she asked, taking the form of his beloved redhead, although instead of having Jean's beautiful green eyes, these were orange with the power of a million suns exploding at the same time

And now that she mentions it, the cosmic power of this woman was quite similar to the faint echo that Harrison felt in his magic every time he became intimate with his redhead, whenever Jean reached ecstasy and Harrison poured his seed inside her, that feeling of Nirvana and warmth was recurrent

"Oh, do you remember me? I must say that your ability to please Jean is incredible, she always thinks about you, you know? She's addicted to your manhood, maybe as much as I am HAHAHA”

Harrison could not help but blush and was about to ask about the matter, however, another female voice, this one calmer and more distant, was present

"Don't bother him sister, you know we don't have much time," said a different voice but no less powerful

A second later, a colossal figure, the same size as the Lady of Flames, appeared, dressed in an elegant dress that simulated the cosmos, with an expression of calm and control, white eyes and a purple glow

Her mere presence instilled calm, and Harrison had no doubt who it was

"You must be Death," he said respectfully, but without fear

Death nodded, but her face remained impassive, while the Lady of Flame snorted in annoyance

"Sure, everyone recognizes Death," she blurted out in annoyance, causing a couple of red dots to appear in the universe for an instant, while the whole place trembled

Death sighed and looked at her sister wearily

"You just destroyed two galaxies," she said reproachfully, terrifying Harrison in the process

"Bah, a couple of eons or so, I have spare galaxies, I'll put them in the universe as soon as we're done with my precious stud here," purred the flaming woman, looking at Harrison like he was candy

Death sighed and looked at the Black Lion

"Nice to see you again Harrison, it's been a long time since the Forbidden Forest, you've grown a lot," said the woman

“Is this the moment when I receive you as an old friend?” Harrison asked cautiously, not wishing to die being sincere

At those words, the flame lady laughed hard, shaking the place

"Oh dear, you are not dead, do you think I would leave Jean without her man? You're here simply for one reason, your tittle”

Harrison still had his reservations, but he was silent, while the sisters continued to talk

"I am Phoenix, the cosmic multiversal force of life and rebirth," said the flaming woman with evident pride and gallantry

“And I, I am Death, the multiversal cosmic force of rest and absolute end”

And then, they both spoke at the same time

"And you are the Guardian, the third part of the trinity and the last member of the Soul Council"

At those words, Harrison couldn't help but shudder, while the stone in his hand shone like never before

Its black color had completely changed, now it shone with inordinate cosmic power and an orange glow

"Thanks to the fact that you were the wielder of the Odin Force, your body is strong enough to withstand the full power of the soul stone, and therefore unlock what it truly means to be the Master of Death," said Death

"The invisibility cloak would protect an ordinary mage, for the Master of Death, it grants you the cosmic blessing of the Phoenix, the primordial purifying flames will burn at your command dear," purred the cosmic woman, enjoying Harrison's discomfort

"On the other hand, what is a simple but powerful wand for an ordinary wizard, is transformed into a tool of mass destruction in the hands of the Master of Death, capable of erasing anything from existence, absolute destruction, whether it is a simple insect or a solar system," said Death, further terrifying Harrison

"And the resurrection stone becomes the soul gem, multiversal dominion over the souls that have existed, exist and will exist, the most powerful of cosmic singularities and therefore the most dangerous," the sisters finished at the same time

"Souls feed the universes, what is space and time in an empty and purposeless place" said Phoenix.

"That's too much power, I..." stammered Harrison, really overwhelmed

Phoenix looked at him and laughed hard

"There is no turning back dear, as soon as you used the power of the gem to summon your father's soul, you accepted the title, you are the Guardian, the last and most powerful line of defense to protect the gem."

Death looked at the young sorcerer and continued

"The gem has judged you, and the choice has been made, you are the Guardian, the true Master of Death, the Shield of Life" exclaimed Death.

Harrison was about to speak, when something caught his attention

"Wait... you said Guardian, who or what should I protect the Soul Stone from?” the curiosity more than evident in the young lion's face

Phoenix looked at her sister and said

"I told you, he's brilliant, he's already asking the right questions," the pride more than evident in her voice

"I know sister, I read my subordinate's report, after all, she is quite taken with him" Death replied, before focusing her gaze on Harrison

"Many desire the power of the most powerful of gems, powerful and terrifying entities, who will not hesitate to destroy your planet and everything you know in order to achieve it," said Death, while dozens of silhouettes appeared in the skies

Some were cosmic but colossal humanoids, another was of a purple monster in some kind of armor, there was even a species of octopus, lizard with only one eye

"This is too much, I have questions," Harrison said

"But we don't have time, the appointment has been made and the rules must be followed, protect the gem Harry, whatever it takes, when you're ready, we'll talk again," said both sisters, before a glow blinded the young lion

And when he opened his eyes again, he had returned to the cave

Overwhelmed, Harrison knelt down and could only think of a word

Shit...