"Boss, our instruments confirm it the merged Infinity Stones output a variant of gamma radiation," Gordon reported.
These were constructs Nolan himself had created with the Gauntlet. At the level of a single-universe entity, generating new forms of life inside his own reality had become almost trivial.
Nolan's eyes narrowed. "How many of the Stones' structures remain unparsed?"
Doctor Octavius adjusted his glasses. "The Soul, Reality, and Time Stones are still incomplete. We've mapped their latticework, but the deeper connective bonds haven't been decoded. The Space, Power, and Mind Stones are different Space and Power we've studied extensively, and Wakanda provided us with rich data on the Mind Stone. Those three we've essentially cracked. Their schematics are stored in A.L.L."
Nolan studied the streams of data flickering across the holographic display coordinates, microstructures, dimensional couplings. This was the blueprint of the Power Stone, the one he intended to use as his template.
The Power Stone was crude compared to the others, but also fundamental. It embodied raw energy itself, the baseline from which space, time, reality, and mind drew their force.
The Soul Stone was the only anomaly because not even a Skyfather could manufacture true souls. Only a universe-level being could.
"If the Soul Stone is the heart," Nolan murmured, "then the Power Stone is the foundation. Energy incarnate."
He closed his eyes, letting the analysis flow through his mind at speeds that dwarfed any supercomputer. His neurons blazed like a living star.
One trillion structural overlaps. Another trillion unique anomalies. Magical glyphs embedded in geometry circuits that draw from higher dimensions and translate them into power.
At his gesture, the Infinity Gauntlet floated to his hand. Beside it, another Power Stone hovered. Two Stones two universes' worth of raw energy resonated in his gaze.
He willed his cells to change.
Each one began adopting the Power Stone's crystalline lattice, becoming simultaneously a fragment and a whole, a reflection of the paradox that made the Stones what they were.
Then his body liquefied.
To Gordon's horror, Nolan collapsed into a pool of molten tissue. But within seconds the mass re-coalesced, reforming his body. He frowned.
"No. Stability fails without the anomalies. The unique structures keep the lattice from collapsing. Strip them away and the system implodes."
"But those anomalies differ from universe to universe," Gordon argued. "They shouldn't be necessary for stability."
Nolan shook his head. "Which means there's a hidden layer we haven't touched yet something fundamental to the multiverse itself."
He refocused, this time using his universe's Power Stone as the base template.
Purple light bled from his skin. Energy from countless dimensions flooded into him, filling every cell. It felt almost like wearing the Gauntlet itself though weaker, yet utterly his own. Power no one could strip away.
"This… this is better," Nolan muttered, flexing his hand as sparks danced along his arm. "Not just the wielder of the Stones but the Stones incarnate."
Collect enough unique variations across universes, and his body would become a multiversal lattice greater than any glove, beyond any vessel. Not a thief of power, but a living synthesis.
And this path carried another benefit. By becoming the Stones, he avoided the wrath of cosmic judges like the Living Tribunal. He wasn't hoarding them. He was transcending them.
"Almost there," Nolan whispered. "But if I keep them too long, Earth's heroes will come knocking. Time to return what's owed before the multiverse decides to correct me." Chapters fırst released on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱
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