"Some things come through the veil not to conquer… but to reclaim."—Doctor Strange
Java Rainforest – 4:02 AM
The air in the ruins buzzed like a tuning fork pressed against the bones of the world.
The figure moved slowly—deliberately. It wasn't in a hurry. Not yet.
Trees wilted in its wake, bark curling, roots hissing as if breathing their last breath. Its body shimmered, not quite solid, like it couldn't decide what to be.
A moth fluttered too close. The entity raised a hand.
The insect froze mid-air… and unraveled, as though rewritten backward into ink and torn paper.
Then the voice came—not from the creature, but from around it:
"Eidolon active. Subject Kael Iskandar located. Nexus fragment bound. Commence containment."
The entity didn't respond.
But it smiled.
Jakarta – Kael's Rooftop
Kael stood in a full-body suit of vibranium-threaded mesh, courtesy of Riri's tech and some rushed Wakandan backups sent via drone. It wasn't armor—not yet—but it glowed faintly near the shard embedded in his chest.
"This is insane," he muttered, watching the sky crackle.
"Welcome to my world," Riri replied. "Well. Technically our world. Until it collapses."
Kael's heartbeat thumped louder than the suit's hum. He'd spent his life trying to stay invisible. Now? The multiverse was staring directly at him.
"What is it?" he asked, pointing to the giant tear blooming over the forest.
Riri adjusted her visor. "Something that shouldn't exist anymore. The magicals are calling it an Eidolon."
"What's that mean?"
"Think: ghost of a reality that got erased. But it didn't stay dead."
Kael swallowed. "And it's coming for me."
Riri's visor lit with a sharp alert. "No. It's already here."
Java Ruins – 4:13 AM
Wong stood atop a circular rune inscribed in golden light, arms wide, cloak fluttering in the wind.
"You do not belong in this strand of existence," he said calmly.
The Eidolon tilted its head.
"Neither does the boy," it answered.
Wong summoned a shield.
"We'll see about that."
With a pulse, the Eidolon surged forward, twisting the ground beneath it. Runes burned. Trees folded inside themselves. Wong's defense held—barely.
In the corner of his mind, he whispered to Strange:
"Stephen, it's here. And it knows Kael."
Elsewhere — Latveria
In a cold, gleaming throne room, a lone figure stared at an array of dimensional monitors.
Doctor Doom tapped his finger against a crystalline console. The image of Kael flickered, the shard glowing in his chest.
"Interesting."
He turned toward the shadows.
"Prepare the Leviathan. If the Eidolon awakens the old layers… I will not let a child inherit the remnants of a dying multiverse."
He smiled, face half-lit in green.
"Not without contest."
Back on the Rooftop
Kael collapsed to his knees, eyes glowing with a sudden surge of energy.
He could see something—something behind the sky. A world folded like paper. And in its center, a tower made of mirrored glass.
"Riri," he gasped. "I saw it. The place the Eidolon came from. I think... I think I've been there. Or a version of me has."
Riri stared at him. "We need to move. Now. Before that thing figures out how to rip the rest of you apart."
Kael stood shakily.
"Let it come," he said. "I want to remember why it's chasing me."
The sky cracked again.
And this time, something screamed through the Rift.
[To Be Continued in Chapter 5 – Tower of the Shattered]