“Reboot:The Unexpected Hero”

[SYSTEM STATUS: UNSTABLE]

Host: Peter Benjamin Parker (a.k.a. Ethan Grey)

Level: 7

EXP: 1000/4000

Current Status: Unanchored – No longer bound to a single timeline. Dimensional drift probability: HIGH.

New Ability Unlocked: Reality Flux – Allows temporary manipulation of localized reality but increases system instability. (Cooldown: 1 hour)

Current Quest: "Kang's Gambit" (Phase 3: In Progress)

Threat Level: CATASTROPHIC

Collapsed Stark Tower – Manhattan

The once-mighty Stark Tower lay in ruins, reduced to broken glass, twisted metal, and ash. Smoke coiled into the dawn sky, casting eerie shadows over the devastated cityscape. Sirens echoed in the distance—too late.

Ethan pushed himself to his feet, every muscle screaming in protest. His vision blurred as the system's interface flickered erratically in front of him.

[SYSTEM REBOOTING… ERROR: MULTIVERSAL DRIFT DETECTED]

Warning: Host unanchored from primary timeline. Probability of dimensional shifts: increasing.

Stability Index: 37%… 29%… 15%…

Unanchored.

The word echoed in Ethan's mind like a curse.

He wasn't just a part of this world anymore—he was slipping between worlds.

Nova stumbled over, clutching a bleeding wound on her side. "Ethan… you okay?"

Ethan shook his head. "No. I'm not."

His hands flickered for a brief second—literally flickered—as if reality was struggling to decide whether he belonged there at all.

Nova's expression darkened. "You're phasing."

"I'm breaking," Ethan muttered.

The System's Revelation

Ethan focused on the glitching interface, forcing it to stabilize.

[SYSTEM ALERT: Hidden Protocol Unlocked]

Codename: "PARADOX ENGINE"

Explanation: The system's true purpose was never to assist you. It was designed to evolve you—into a living paradox. A variable immune to temporal laws. A weapon against Kang's enemies… or a tool for his ultimate victory.

Ethan's breath hitched.

I was never just a mistake. I was the plan.

Rage bubbled beneath the surface. "Kang didn't just bring me here to watch me play hero. He wanted me to become this."

Nova wiped blood from her mouth. "So what do we do?"

Ethan clenched his fists, watching as faint cracks of light spread across his skin like veins.

"We find Kang."

The Dimensional Rift

The destabilization grew worse. Ethan's very presence began to tear at the fabric of reality around him. Objects near him distorted—walls flickered between ruined brick and pristine metal, clouds shifted between day and night within seconds.

Then, without warning—reality tore.

A rift opened in the sky, jagged like broken glass, revealing glimpses of other universes—shattered timelines, unfamiliar worlds, versions of New York that never existed.

Ethan felt himself being pulled toward it.

Nova grabbed his arm. "You're slipping!"

Ethan's body surged with instinct.

[SYSTEM OVERRIDE: ACTIVE]

Command: Reality Flux

Effect: Stabilizes host temporarily within current dimension.

Energy erupted from Ethan, anchoring him for the briefest of moments. But it was clear—this was only a temporary fix.

Nova's voice was steady despite the chaos. "We need help."

The Council of Reeds

Ethan's mind raced. If Kang was the master of time, they needed someone who could think beyond time.

Reed Richards.

But not just one—all of them.

Using the last stable coordinates from Stark Tower's systems, Ethan and Nova tracked an interdimensional beacon hidden beneath the wreckage. A relic from an old project designed to communicate with the Council of Reeds—the brightest minds across the multiverse.

Activating it was like lighting a signal flare in the void.

Moments later, the rift stabilized, and they arrived.

Dozens of Reeds, some human, others alien, stood before them, holographic projections flickering with raw intelligence.

One stepped forward—his face older, scarred, eyes filled with the weight of countless universes.

"You're the anomaly Kang created," he said simply. "We've been expecting you."

The Truth About Kang's Plan

Inside the Reed Nexus—a dimensional sanctuary suspended between universes—Ethan finally got answers.

"Kang's not just trying to reset timelines," Reed explained, projecting cosmic schematics into the air. "He's attempting to merge them. Every timeline. Every universe. Into one singular existence—under his control."

Nova's eyes narrowed. "And Ethan?"

Reed's gaze fell on Ethan. "You're the key. A paradox. A being that shouldn't exist. Your unanchored nature makes you the perfect conduit for the Convergence."

Ethan felt sick.

"So… I'm a walking doomsday device?"

Reed didn't deny it. "Yes. But paradoxes have a way of defying expectations."

[SYSTEM ALERT: New Quest Unlocked – "Paradox Ascendant"]

Objective: Prevent Kang from initiating the final Convergence.

Bonus Objective: Rewrite your own fate.

Reward: System Mastery—Complete control over your abilities.

Failure Penalty: Total Multiversal Collapse.

Preparing for the Final Battle

The Council of Reeds provided Ethan with temporary stabilizers—devices to keep him from phasing uncontrollably—but they were just a stopgap.

Time was running out.

"Kang is operating from a nexus point outside the multiverse," Reed explained. "A place where reality is fluid. If we're going to stop him, we'll have to fight him on his terms."

Ethan nodded, determination hardening his resolve.

"I'm done being Kang's puppet."

Nova grinned faintly. "Then let's cut the strings."

Final Scene – The Gateway Opens

With Reed's technology and Nova's guidance, they opened a portal to Kang's stronghold—a realm beyond space and time, where the rules of reality didn't apply.

Ethan stood at the threshold, his body flickering between dimensions, but his heart steady.

Kang made me a paradox.

But I'll be the paradox that destroys him.

[TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 10: "The Battle Beyond Time"]