Chapter Text
Prologue
"Well... he's gone. It's just us now kids."
Scott Murphy and his two children Marky and Molly looked up as the multiple fleets of Viltrumite ships left Earth. Scott held Molly close to his chest as her tiny hand clutched a pink ball, oblivious to the weight of what just happened. Marky, quiet, confused, processing - stood beside them, his eyes locked on the sky. The Viltrumite fleets pierced the clouds, trailing behind the man once known as Earth's greatest hero.
Mark Grayson was gone.
Not dead, but no longer theirs.
The backyard felt smaller now. The air heavier. The garden fence, once the boundary of countless childhood games, now enclosed a world forever changed.
"I'm confused", Marky said after a long silence, his voice softer than usual. "Are you still my dad... or is he?
Scott bent down to meet his stepson's gaze. "I've always been your dad. And I'll always will be. Nothing's changing here. You've just got an extra dad now... out in space."
Marky smiled slightly. "Space dad."
Scott chuckled and pulled him into a hug. Marky looked up at him. "Real dad," he whispered.
"C'mon Marky," Scott whispered back. "We should give your grandma Debbie some peace and quiet. Let's go home."
Guardians of the Globe Headquarters
Meanwhile, at Guardians HQ, the remaining heroes had just come from attending the funeral of their close friend and former member Nolan Grayson, better known as Omni-Man. The Immortal, someone who previously had both loved and hated Omni-Man, came to realise how much he reformed and gave his life to protect Earth from Thragg.
Surrounding him were Amanda, now known as Monster Woman, her son Monax, Donald Ferguson, Best Tiger, Darkwing II, Pegasus, Outrun, Brit and Kaboomerang. Dupli-Kate was also in attendance.
"I know what he did to us in the past... was inexcusable." Immortal began. "But I've come to realise that it was not really him who wanted to do those wrong deeds, but the nature he was brought up in. As a man who's lived for thousands of years, I've met countless people but none of them were the same as Nolan. He had lived almost as long as me, and he knew what it was like to live a long time. He was so dedicated to the Viltrum Empire, that it was difficult for him to repent his mistakes. He changed the Viltrum empire for something good, and now his son and his kind will do wonders in the universe. With his sacrifice, he died a good man, for a good cause. He will be missed."
"To Nolan! To Omni-Man!" The rest of the Guardians drink a toast in his favor.
Immortal looked at the Guardians with a smile. "Now if you don't mind me, I have to take my darling wife to a dinner date, which I promised her before the fight for Earth. Donald, you are in charge of overseeing Robot."
"Right away, sir". chirped Donald.
Guardians of the Globe Locker Rooms
"Hey," Amanda called out. "Are you ok?"
It took some time for Benjamin Taylor, better known as Darkwing II, to get used to Earth after spending almost seven years in the shadowverse. Darkwing was trapped in the shadowverse after momentarily sacrificing himself and taking an evil Invincible variant along with him. (See Issue 60 of the main series)
Throughout those seven years, Darkwing has experienced monsters and nightmares like never seen before. There was a time where he did not sleep for two whole months. The Invincible variant- dubbed "Noggoglesvincible" was relentless and considered the shadowverse to be "heaven". It was Darkwing's knowledge of the shadowverse that helped him defeat Nogogglesvincible, who was eaten alive by a shadow monster, almost 5 years after Darkwing trapped them both in the shadowverse.
"It just... feels so weird now," Darkwing sighed, looking at the ceiling. "I've spent so much in darkness, away from Earth, that I barely remember anything from my previous life. I- *sighs* I don't even remember how to eat anymore".
To his surprise, Amanda burst out laughing.
"Tell me about it!" She laughs. "I spent years trapped in a dimension as well".
"You did?"
"Hell yeah, dummy, when I came back to Earth I could barely even remember anyone from the Guardians... well, apart from the Immortal of course. But I wasn't alone, I was with..." Amanda suddenly frowned.
"Is something wrong?" Darkwing looked at her in confusion, barely understanding human emotion after his years in darkness.
"It's nothing." Amanda blurted back. "Hey why don't I show you around, you can see what Earth is like now, and what's changed. I could even help you teach how to eat again."
"Uh, sure I guess. I have been wanting to eat ever since I escaped from the shadowverse. Are there any bones on Earth? They did become a delicacy for me while I was there. Full of... what do you call it, c-c-cal-,"
"Calcium. Oh boy you got a lot to learn again, Ben".
"Nobody's called me by that in a long time..." Ben smiled at Amanda. "Thanks."
"Come on you monster eating buffon, let's get you some REAL food."
"Actually... before that... I would like a very long sleep." Ben said before walking out.
"Oh we've got just the place. The cryo chamber that Cecil originally put up for the Guardians is still up and running somewhere..."
"Will you be waiting for me... once I come out again. I don't feel safe being on my own."
"Of course I will. You have my word."
Both Amanda and Ben/Darkwing left the locker rooms, but did not realise a camera was focused on them the entire time.
Setting Cryochamber to 10 years.
BEEP-
"Robot!"
Robot, now a brain in a jar after having been defeated by Mark Grayson before his departure, suddenly turned the camera off.
"Donald, it is a pleasure to be under your watch... as you know...we have been colleagues for a very long time now."
Donald fixed his tie. "I'm sorry. I don't want to sound rude, but given your current state, how do I call you? Robot...Rex...Rudy?"
"Rex is fine. You look troubled, sir."
Donald failed to look at the jar which contained Robot's brain... he could not keep his gaze at it.
"I'm not sure if what I say is against what D.A. Sinclair warned me, but we are the same, you and me."
Silence.
"How so?" Robot finally said.
"We are both machines, pretending to be men, with emotions."
"I disagree," Robot replied. "You were once human, we both were. Now you...what you are now, is a mimic. A shadow."
Pause.
"I, on the other hand, have evolved."
Donald finally forces himself to look at the jar - at the pale, suspended brain surrounded by softly pulsing wires.
"Is that what you call it? Evolution?"
"Or is it just survival... without purpose?"
Robot's wires begin filtering through his words with each word coming out, a beep follows.
"Purpose is not inherited, it is claimed. You live in the image of a man named Donald Ferguson. You cling to the illusion of free will."
"And, you don't?" Donald replied.
Pause.
"I've abandoned illusion. I operate solely on logic. Necessity."
Donald clenched his fists.
"Is that why you killed Cecil?"
The chamber fell still. No blinking lights. No mechanical hum. Just silence... thick, and heavy silence.
Robot finally spoke. "That was... a necessity. Cecil had become too unpredictable. Erratic. Willing to compromise the future of the planet in the name of sentiment and loyalty. He made decisions based on guilt... not reason."
Donald could not believe Robot's words.
"You mean when he stopped trusting you?"
He steps forward.
"You assassinated the most brilliant tactician Earth ever had, because he saw what you were becoming. And you couldn't stand that."
"I anticipated that you would struggle with this truth," Robot said coldly. "But make no mistake - Earth is safer now."
Donald glared at the jar bitterly.
"You used to be one of us. A Guardian. You were a Guardian of the Globe. Now you're... just a brain in a jar. No body, no nothing. Back to where you started."
Pause.
"I saved this planet from itself. From the viltrumites. You saw how much destruction a child of them could do. I stopped wars, eliminated hunger. No more villains. My methods are refined. My decisions absolute."
Donald stepped back. "I see the fear in every wire that has been built around you." He says.
Another long silence. Robot doesn't respond. The tension between them is too strong.
Donald continued. "You killed a man I looked up to. A man I called friend. You don't get to stand behind logic and pretend that makes it clean."
Robot finally speaks up. "Would it have comforted you if I cried when I did it?"
Donald replied sharply. "You are not capable of crying..."
"Exactly." Robot added, with the sound of smugness in his wires which came out as humming.
Scott Murphy and Anissa's House
"Alright kids... dinner is ready". Scott looked over at Marky, who was playing video games, and down at Molly, who was drawing.
He looked to his left and grabbed a framed image of Anissa, his wife who had recently passed away, as well as the mother of Marky and Molly. Although Marky was not his, he considered him a true son. However, Scott dreaded the day he would explain to Marky how he was conceived.
Suddenly, Scott hears an echo of Anissa's voice in his head.
"I don't want to be who I was before. I don't like that person. Quite frankly... she scares me."
He looked over at Marky, with guilt in his eyes.
"How do I tell him?" Scott says inside his head.
Viltrumite spaceship #4
"YOU- KILLED MY BROTHER!"
Silence.
"IT'S NEVER GOING TO BE BETTER EVER AGAIN!"
Silence.
"You think I believe for one second my child is in danger? You fight for what's right. That's your WEAKNESS. You always do what is heroic. That is why everyone around you will DIE."
The dreamer sees a vivid image of Mark Grayson holding Onaan.
"Being a hero is bullshit."
SNAP-
Ursaal wakes up in a sweat.
"Onaan..."
Ursaal got up from her bed, and looked at the window. She could see the meteors trailing along. They had left Earth weeks ago. She was still contemplating if she had made the right choice of siding with Mark Grayson, the killer of her twin brother. But at the same, her father disowned her. Ursaal was conflicted.
She clenched her fists, fingernails biting into her palms until the pain sharpened her focus. Although she was biologically seven years old, the Thraxan DNA inside her gave her the ability to remember everything from birth to now. It also made her age and mature slightly faster, with her appearance being of a pre-teen. However her viltrumite DNA had clearly been slowing her aging down, and a fellow viltrumite explained to her that she would begin aging like a normal viltrumite in no time.
Her heart pounded with memory, with grief, with hate. Not for Mark Grayson. But for the man who made them choose.
Thragg.
Her father.
The "greatest" viltrumite, who raised them to conquer, to obey, to rule. He had pittied her against her brother several times. He made them fight until they drew blood. He manipulated them like pieces in some twisted chess game. Onaan had believed it. Swallowed every word. Died for it.
And Mark Grayson.
Mark Grayson ended it.
Ursaal opened her eyes. Exhaling slowly.
"He had to," she said aloud.
She thought saying it out loud would make her feel better.
"He had to kill him... both of them."
Mark Grayson killed her brother,
Then he killed her father.
And in doing so, freed her.
Or damned her.
She just didn't know yet.
FEW MONTHS LATER
Art Rosenbaum's shop, Earth
Marky slacked behind his grandmother Debbie, while walking, still annoyed over the incident with Molly.
"I didn't mean to break her tablet," he muttered.
"I said I was sorry. She was being annoying."
Debbie gave him a side glance, her heels tapping sharply on the tiled floor of the mall. "Cut Molly some slack, Markus."
They stopped outside a small tailor tucked between a comic shop and a music store. The sign above the store was modest, its glass doors gleaming under the mall lights.
Marky squinted. "What is this place? You promised me a surprise, Grandma. You know I hate shopping for clothes..."
"You're going to like this. Quiet." Debbie said cryptically.
Inside, the shop was well-kept and clean, with a familiar smell. Racks of neatly folded shirts, tailored jackets, and mannequins in fitted outfits filled the space. A blonde woman behind the counter and looked up and smiled as they approached.
"Excuse me", Debbie began, "but we're looking for Art Rosenbaum... is he in today?"
The woman adjusted her glasses. "Art still owns the place, but he doesn't really come in anymore."
"I assure you," she added, "that I can help you with whatever you may need."
"No," Debbie insisted, stepping forward. "Can you call him? This one is special. I think... Art would want to do this one himself. Trust me."
The woman hesitated. "I don't know... he's probably not going to-"
"Call him." Debbie said firmly, eyes locked. "Trust me. We'll wait."
An hour later, Marky stood in the dimly lit back room of the store, eyes wide with wonder. The walls were lined with tech, industrial lights casting cold blue glows across a sea of control panels, sewing machines, and reinforced lockers.
From the shadows emerged an older man-balding, tall, with kind eyes and a rugged smile that hinted at decades of secrets.
"Oh.. my word," he said, looking at the boy standing beside Debbie. "So this is... your grandson?"
Debbie stepped forward proudly. "Art, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Markus Murphy. My beloved grandson."
Art's eyes softened. "It's an honor to meet you, Markus. I knew your grandfather... and I knew your father."
Markus' jaw dropped. "How'd you know them?"
Art winked. "If you can keep a secret between the two of us... I'm the guy who made their costumes."
Marky's eyes widened. "Oh my god! Thank you, Grandma! Thank you!"
Marky pulled Debbie into a hug, lifting her off the ground for a moment as Art looked on, visibly moved.
"I figured you were old enough," Debbie said. I'm proud of you for waiting this long. Your uncle Oliver was significantly younger than you are now when he started."
"Older than 8 years old? Marky looked at Debbie in confusion and astonishment."
"Well, he was about a year old... but looked the same age as you." Debbie replied.
A short pause while Marky turned his head and stared at Art in confusion.
Art smiled, hands on his hips as he examined Marky. "I'm going to have fun with this one," he said. "I know exactly what to do with you."
VILTRUMITE Spaceship #4
"Dad... am I never gonna see my friends again?" Kalmon, son of Lucan asked his father.
Lucan looked over as his son was watching their ship leave Earth's orbit.
"Of course we can come back, son," Lucan replied. "We just are needed in space for some time... that's all."
"And maybe aliens who won't break their hand as they punch you."
Kalmon looked up with a grin, upon hearing those words. "HELL YEAH!"
Meanwhile, Ursaal and many other viltrumites had gathered around the center, for their daily briefing.
Ursaal realised that she was the only one of her half-sisters and half-brothers who had taken off on spaceship number 4. She noticed how some viltrumites were looking at her coldly... almost in disgust.
She could hear the murmurs of "that's her... the daughter of the traitor".
"Heard she cried when her murdering brother was killed by the emperor."
"Should have stayed on Thraxa, along with those bugs shes partly related to."
Ursaal didn't flinch. She stood in the center of the chamber with her arms crossed behind her back, posture perfect, eyes fixed forward. Her distinctive sharp, chin-length bob haircut with straight black hair and thick bangs framing her face.
Then she heard them approach. Heavy boots and smug armor.
"Look who's gracing us with her pitiful presence," sneered Varn, a hulking viltrumite/human hybrid a few years older than Ursaal. He had coal-grey eyes and a red stripe down his jawline. He was born of a viltrumite general and a human GDA scientist, giving him both strength and curiosity.
Two of his cronies, Jex and Torlan, stood behind him, sneering.
"No brothers or sisters to save you now, huh? I didn't even think the emperor would allow you to be flying with the empire," Jex said. "Not after what daddy traitor did."
Torlan chuckled. "Maybe she's just here to take notes . Heard the Thraxans are good at watching and whining. She's half of them, so it does explain it."
Varn circled her, like a predator.
"You know, I always wondered what Thragg thought in those Thraxan creatures. Guess it was just a science experiment. Breed one of everything, see which kid turns out useful. Even for him, a pure blooded fascist. I mean, how many siblings do you have? Thragg must have dried out his balls. But there's only one thing I agree with him, is that you Thraxan half breeds are weak. If only the emperor wasn't so forgiving."
The others laughed.
Ursaal finally tuned to face them. Not with anger, but a precise, measured calm that made their smirks disappear.
"You find comfort in sounding stupid, Varn. That's fascinating," she said, tilting her head slightly. "But not surprising. Your IQ barely matches your power level."
Torlan blinked. "What?"
"I'm saying," Ursaal continued, "for someone so proud of his viltrumite blood, it's remarkable how often you confuse volume with intelligence."
Varn stepped closer, towering over her.
"You wanna repeat that, you Thraxan half-breed mutt?"
Ursaal's voice, still calm, replied, "I said, you're loud. And slow. But if you're asking me to simplify it... I can write it down in single syllable words. Maybe draw you a picture."
Jex took a step forward, face scrunched. "You think you're better than us?"
"No," Ursaal said, stepping towards the trio. "I know I am. Because while you were smashing rocks and head butting gravity for the months we have been on this ship, I was studying wormhole compression algorithms and viltrumite engineering. You punch. I calculate. You threaten. I plan."
She stepped closer to Varn's chest, nose inches from his chest.
"You think brute strength makes you elite? My father thought the same thing. And he's dead."
The air thinned. A few nearby viltrumites had stopped talking entirely.
Varn's fists twitched, but he didn't swing.
Ursaal's voice dropped to a whisper.
"You could hit me. Right here. Try to make your point. But you'd only prove mine."
Silence.
Then Ursaal smiled faintly.
"And just so you know.. the next time you try this? I won't waste my time on words. I'll show you what a Thraxan-Viltrumite hybrid really looks like in combat. Don't forget, I conquered planets while I was under my father's command."
Varn held her gaze for a moment.
Then scoffed, stepping back and scoffed again.
"Freak."
He and his followers turned and left.
Ursaal didn't move.
She didn't blink.
Didn't breathe until they were gone.
Only then she exhaled softly. She could still feel the weight of a hundred eyes on her.
But she'd won.
Not with fists.
But with something more powerful. Something her father never had.
Control.
THE NEW INVINCIBLE'S FIRST FLIGHT
"WAHOO!" exclaimed Marky as he soared through the clouds, donning his new supersuit.
Marky looked down to see if there was any supervillains. He spotted a large purple monster terrorising the city below.
"Oh man... FIRST FIGHT FIRST FIGHT!"
Marky plummeted onto the monster, causing it to scream in pain.
The Guardians of the Globe watched in astonishment as a figure who looked exactly like Invincible toppled the monster they had been fighting for hours.
"It's ok, kid." said Monax. "You did good. But we've got this. If you wanna watch, just stay out of the way."
"I'm tough!" Marky exclaimed. "I can help!"
Marky charged towards monster at super speed.
BAM!
The monster is sent flying.
"This kid has spirit!" Best Tiger yelled.
"Thanks Mister Gun Guy!" replied Marky, still kicking the monster's head.
"Wraith? A little help? Maybe try and get your brother to stop!" screamed Monax. Wraith was a new member of the Guardians.
Marky titled his head in confusion.
"Brother?"
"VENGENCE!" shouted Wrath. "PLEASE! You've lost your way! We use the darkness to give us power! You can't allow it to control you!"
"I MUST NEED MORE POWER!" bellowed Vengence.
"I WILL HAVE MORE POWER, THE VOID ASKS IT OF ME, I WILL NOT STOP UNTIL I HAVE GAINED FULL POWER-,"
WHAM!
Marky had punched Vengeance so hard they were knocked out cold.
"Man," he said panting a little. "That guy really needed to shut up."
Monax's jaw hung open. "Kid, who are you?"
Marky looked back at them. The clouds parted behind him. The sunlight caught his costume just right.
He smirked.
He stood up.
Straightened up.
Then declared:
"I'm—
INVINCIBLE
A moment of silence.
"Invincible? Outrun exclaims. "Didn't he leave the planet?"
"I'm his son." replied Marky.
"I assume that explains the costume then. So you go by Invincible then?" asked Pegasus.
"I dunno. Maybe, eventually. Kid Invincible for now, I guess? I hadn't thought of it much..." Marky slowly looked around at all the Guardians staring at him in awe.
"Well, we have to get Vengeance contained before he wakes up. You did good, kid. You wanna join the Guardians of the Globe?"
"Hell yeah." Marky grinned.
Scott Murphy and Anissa's House
That night, the sky stretched endless above the Murphy household, quiet and still... at least for the moment.
"Homework's all done? Dishes? Room clean?" Scott asked from his armchair, eyes half-focused on the tablet on his lap.
Marky, already halfway to the door, called back, "Yep. Yep and yep!"
Scott raised an eyebrow, his tone skeptical but warm. "I don't know what's gotten you in such a good mood today.. but I like it."
Marky gave him a grin, slipping on his sneakers.
"So can I?" he asked.
Scott chuckled. "Yeah, go for your nightly 'walk'. Just don't fly too far, son."
"Thanks, Dad!" Marky said, his heart practically bursting as he stepped out the door.
Behind him, Molly looked up from her colorimg book, her pen paused mid-scribble. She pouted. "Aw man... when am I gonna get powers?"
But Marky didn't hear her. He was already in the sky.
The air rushed past his face as he soared higher and higher. The world fell away beneath him... houses, trees, cities shrinking into clusters of light. Up here, the air was thinner, the stars brighter. He could hear nothing but the wind and his own heartbeat.
Markus Murphy—Invincible, soaring through the stars.
He landed softly among headstones bathed in moonlight. His sneakers crunched on the grass as he approached the grave.
NOLAN GRAYSON
BELOVED HUSBAND. FATHER. WARRIOR.
PROTECTOR OF WORLDS.
"Hey, grandpa." Marky finally spoke quietly." "Today I fought a supervillain for the first time ever... and got invited to be a member of the Guardians of the Globe."
His fingers touched the fabric of his costume, tracing its edges.
"I got a costume. It's an awesome costume. It looks like the one Dad used to wear. You'd like it... I mean, if you liked Dad's costume... I don't know."
He paused. eyes softening.
"I wish I got to meet you. I know you did some bad stuff sometimes... but Grandma talks about you like you were the coolest. My dad—Scott, isn't the biggest fan."
"I haven't seen my real dad, your son...in almost a year now. He promised he would see me, but I'm not too sure."
The stars shimmered above, cold and eternal.
"Anyway, I'm kind of the new Invincible now. Which is pretty cool."
He turned away from the grave, walking slowly between the trees.
"Feels funny, that name. Especially because it's something I know I'm not."
He stopped and looked at the sky.
"My dad's out there. Somewhere.. fixing the universe. I think about that everytime I look at the stars. Because each dot in the sky is a place he's made better. I look up, and I see all he's done."
Marky sighed.
"It's just... I wish he thought more about me. His son. And I wish he told me more about my mother, since my other dad won't tell me much about her. I don't even know when my real dad will come back... if he'll ever come back."
A quiet wind stirred the leaves around his sneakers.
"My dad chose 'Invincible' because it was something he felt like he was."
Marky looked down again. His voice trembled.
"I chose it because it's what I'll have to be if I'm ever to live up to his legacy..."
Marky tightened his fists.
"... because he turned out to be so much more than that."
Guardians of the Globe headquarters
The sun had long set behind the pentagon. Beneath the pentagon, two figures walked side by side under the cold hum of artificial lights.
"Vengeance is locked away, Immortal." Amanda began. "His connection to the shadowverse seems to be broken. Who knew he and his sister were drawing their powers from the same place Ben- I mean Darkwing was trapped in all those years?"
She shook her head. "Crazy."
Immortal smiled at the mention of Ben's name. "You two seem close... that's good for both of you."
"Well, he's currently in a cyrochamber.... I promised him that I will be there for him when he gets out of it. Honestly, I'm..."
She froze.
"Amanda?" Immortal asked.
"Immortal. I really have nothing to live for anymore. My entire life has always been saving the world. I never got to have that feeling of spending time... with someone I truly loved, and not with someone who used me." She glanced at the room where Robot's brain was kept.
"With Ben... what I see in him, it's more than just love. It's like a flower flourishing for both of us. We both were trapped in a dimension with a monster for years, manipulated, and used."
"So what is it you seek?" Immortal pondered.
"I would like to join Ben in the cryochamber. I- want to be with him whenever he comes out. If I could ask for your favor... It would mean the world to-,"
Immortal smiled and stopped her in her tracks.
"It's ok, Amanda. I get it. You can go."
"And by the way, I know I questioned you about brining Wraith to our team. But she has been a welcome addition to the Guardians. Good job there."
"Thank you, Immortal. If you'll excuse me... I have one last thing I need to do."
She approached the room. Inside, suspended in fluid and illuminated by green lights, was a brain. A brain connected to wires and data streams. A man once known as Robot, stripped of his flesh and reduced to circuits.
"Rex..." Amanda began to speak.
"Amanda, wait." came the voice from a speaker linked directly to the brain's cognitive input. "If we could talk. Before you shun me and leave again. Just for a little while. I'm..."
There was a pause. Then from Robot's synthetic voice, something chilling and raw:
"I'm extremely lonely."
Amanda didn't flinch. Not this time. She turned, arms crossed, jaw tight.
"You like to tell yourself you made a sacrifice to save the world," she said. "That this had to be done. And you ended up in a living tube again... alone. Like some kind of martyr."
She took a deep breath and added, voice sharper.
"I met someone. Someone who was used and manipulated, just like me. Someone who shared my pain. And I just made a promise to that said someone. And so you know... he is better than you ever were."
Her gaze hardened.
"The truth is... this is the world you wanted. Deal with it."
She turned and walked away, the sound of her boots echoing.
After a long silence, Robot replied.
"I will." His voice was low, detached. But hiding something beneath it.
A quiet storm was inside that jar. The beginning of something dark. Calculated.
And inevitable.
Chicago, United States of America
A quiet alleyway breathed between two sleeping streets. Neon light flickered off rain-damp brick. Somewhere nearby, traffic hummed.
Suddenly, a green glow bloomed against the wall.
A portal teared open with a wet, electric screech, spilling light like liquid radiation. The sound echoed once... then died.
A figure stumbles through and drops to one knee.
She wore a hooded coat, dark and travel-worn, edges frayed as if they've been burned and stitched back together. She pressed one hand to the pavement, steadying herself as the portal collapsed behind her with a sharp snap.
Silence.
She slowly stands.
Perched across her shoulders is a small fox-like creature, its fur an unnatural reddish hue, eyes sharp and alert. Its tail curls once, sensing the air.
The hooded figure looked around.
She felt like she'd been here before.
She stepped out of the alley, city lights reflecting faintly in her eyes. A world that looks familiar... and isn't.
The hooded figure's fox shivered slightly, its claws scraping lightly against the figure's scarf.
"SCREEK! SCREEK!"
The hooded figure straightened herself slowly, eyes scanning the alley, then the skyline beyond. She exhales-
"No Chainsaw. Dad's not going to be here, either. He's been erased from the multiverse."
She paused.
"There's just none of him left."
She took a step forward, examining the skyscrapers.
"This is the dimension of his greatest enemy-
Mark Grayson."