"Mr. Myrin, I feel like there's something new inside me… but I can't tell what it is. Did you do something to me?" Howard asked.
"That's my blessing. Not in the modern, superficial sense, but a true blessing—as the Father of Earth, I've granted it to you," Myrin replied.
"A blessing? A divine blessing?! That's… incredibly rare, isn't it?" Howard's lips trembled slightly. He had studied all available mythological texts and ancient records from the Sanctuary. Of course, he understood the significance and rarity of a god's blessing.
"To me, it's not much. But to you, yes. My blessing makes you immune to all poisons and illnesses. It also slows your cellular aging. In other words…"
"In other words, I'll live far longer than anyone else?!" Howard jumped with joy. Longevity—the dream so many chase and so few ever reach!
"Yes," Myrin nodded.
"How much longer are we talking?" Howard asked eagerly.
"Your cellular aging rate is slowed by a factor of a hundred."
"A hundred times?! That means…" Howard's brain raced with calculations. "The average human lifespan is 80 years, and the biological limit is about 100… so I could live to over ten thousand years old!"
"What?!" Not only Howard, but even Steve and Peggy were stunned. Especially Peggy—longevity also meant retaining her youth. As a woman, how could she resist such a temptation?
"You want it too?" Myrin asked with a chuckle.
"Myrin… sir, please…" Steve forced himself to call Myrin sir, swallowing his pride to ask for the blessing—for Peggy's sake.
"My blessing isn't easily given. Accepting it means becoming my divine attendant. Can you handle that?" Myrin said.
"What?! There's a catch?" Howard's face paled a little. Myrin hadn't mentioned that part before. Was he tricked?
"What's wrong? Not willing?" Myrin said, clearly amused and ready to tease him.
"Uh… could I ask, what exactly are the duties of your divine attendant?" Howard asked cautiously, torn between the desire for immortality and fear of divine obligations.
"Let me think… as my divine attendant, you must serve loyally and never defy my orders. You'll remain at my side, and if you rebel, the blessing will turn into a curse. It won't kill you… but it'll make you wish you were dead."
"Ah? Then… maybe I'll pass…" Howard was reluctant, but those conditions were too harsh to accept. Even Peggy withdrew her interest.
"Pfft—hahaha!" Asura, who had been watching from the side, finally burst into laughter. "I can't take it! Myrin, you haven't changed—you're still such a mischief-maker."
"And you are?" Howard finally noticed this seemingly ordinary old man (Asura took an elderly form when not in battle). He'd assumed he was Myrin's assistant, but calling Myrin by name?
"Me? Just call me Asura, kid. Myrin was messing with you. He wasn't wrong—divine blessings can come with conditions. But not his or Athena's. They never force anyone. That's why their blessings were the most sought-after in the mythic age."
"But also the hardest to get. Unless someone made great contributions to the Sanctuary and gained their approval, they'd never receive a blessing. From the founding of the Sanctuary to Myrin's sealing, over thousands of years, he only gave his blessing to seven people."
"Though they died alongside Myrin in the end, it was by their own choice. And you were ready to turn it down. In the mythic age, even some Tier-3 gods would've killed you for that!" Asura said.
"Is that true?" Howard looked back and forth between Asura and Myrin. Seeing Myrin's smirk, he realized Asura was telling the truth.
"Myrin, please don't mess with me like that. My heart can't take it," Howard said helplessly. This wasn't just humor—it was downright evil!
"Haha, just got carried away," Myrin chuckled, then waved his hand, bestowing the same blessing upon Peggy.
"Howard Stark, Peggy Carter, step forward for your investiture!"
Startled by Myrin's sudden seriousness, Howard and Peggy stood before him.
"I grant you my blessing. I name you as my divine attendants. You are free to live your lives, but when the Sanctuary is in peril, you shall lend your full strength."
This was Divine Word—the literal speech of gods. Not absolutely binding, but close enough that for mortals, it may as well be. At that moment, as the divine words settled upon them, the blessing truly activated. Howard and Peggy officially became Myrin's divine attendants.
Eyes closed, they felt the changes within their bodies. The blessing rejuvenated them, bringing a healthy glow to their faces. A solemn, sacred voice echoed in their minds. Though they could sense a new "shackle" within, it imposed no real burden—so long as they didn't betray the Sanctuary's ideals, it would never activate.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Myrin…" Peggy almost called him sir, but changed it at the last second through sheer willpower.
"No need. That form of address is fine," Myrin replied.
"Myrin, what about Steve…?" Peggy began. Though a high-level Cosmos user could live forever, reaching that level was extremely difficult. She couldn't be sure Steve would make it.
"Steve is already a Saint. His Cloth was forged by Athena and me together. Gaining its recognition automatically grants both our blessings. It just hadn't shown before because I was asleep, and Athena had exhausted her energy to sustain me."
"I see…" Peggy sighed in relief. She didn't want to remain young while Steve grew old. If that were the case, she would've declined the blessing altogether.
Just then, Howard suddenly shouted.
"Wait! How do you know about the mythic era?" He finally registered the implications of Asura's earlier words, staring at him in shock.
"Didn't I say? I'm Asura," Asura said with a smile.
"Asura! As in the Asura from the Buddhist Deva realms?! You're a god too?!" The trio's eyes practically popped out of their heads, while Shion and the others remained calm. Their Cosmos perception already told them Asura was ancient, and Myrin had filled Shion in beforehand.
"Don't lump me with those traitors! The Buddhist Asura died long ago. I'm just the last King of the Asura Clan—the final survivor. Now just a humble laborer for the Sanctuary," Asura said bitterly.
This was another bombshell of a revelation. A living ancient god, working as a staff member for the Sanctuary?! What other hidden powers lay dormant there? How many other gods were still alive?
"These are not questions you should concern yourselves with now. Your focus should be on increasing your strength. Even with my blessing, you're not immortal. If you die in the Holy War or anywhere else before enjoying your long lives, what a waste that would be," Myrin warned.
"Y-yes, understood," the three replied, chastened. They realized they had gotten ahead of themselves. Blessing or not, Saint or not, they were still rookies. They weren't ready to pry into ancient secrets or divine affairs.
"Good. Now take us underground. That child is still waiting," Myrin said.
"R-right!" The trio was embarrassed—they'd been so excited, they completely forgot someone was waiting in the unfinished underground base. If Myrin hadn't reminded them, who knows how long the poor kid would've been left there.
"What's your plan?" Myrin asked Steve.
"We want to create a truly neutral organization—bringing together like-minded allies and benevolent super-powered individuals. We'll protect Earth from the shadows and handle those who abuse their powers," Steve explained.
Myrin nodded in approval. Given how chaotic this universe was—with gods invading and countless villains running amok—it made sense. Some threats were massive, but others were trivial. The Sanctuary didn't have the resources to deal with every minor problem. This group could fill that gap perfectly.
"The organization is still in its infancy, with a lot of work ahead. But Myrin, if possible, could we recruit members from the Sanctuary in the future? Not Saints, of course," Steve asked.
They'd learned there were many young mutants growing up under the Sanctuary's teachings. These children could become strong allies.
"As long as they're willing, you have my blessing," Myrin said.
"Thank you."
"No need. If you can convince them, that's your skill. But remember—if your organization ever strays from its original mission, I will personally intervene." Myrin's smile disappeared, replaced by a grim warning.
"Don't worry, we'll never let that happen," the trio swore. They had shared this concern before—human lifespans are limited, and future leaders might go astray. But now, with longevity on their side, no one would dare deviate.
"By the way, have you named your organization yet?" Myrin asked.
"Yes. Steve is the symbol of the team, and he's also the Saint of the Shield Constellation, so we named it S.H.I.E.L.D.," Howard said.
"Hmm?" Myrin paused for a moment, then smiled with deep meaning.
Fate, indeed… truly beyond words.