"This..." Charles stared wide-eyed at the ship that could in no way be deemed "small". His expression changed multiple times until finally settling on a complex one, then he said, "No, I can't accept this."
"Although I'm unsure of how you managed to acquire it, I imagine the process was extremely dangerous. If it truly does possess the ability to traverse the Dreamworld as you say, then this is a very valuable means of transportation. It's too precious, I can't accept it."
Charles' reaction didn't surprise Shiller. Charles' ability to maintain the moral average of the Luminous Alliance with his sole power was testament to the nobility of his character.
"Don't get me wrong, professor. I'm not offering the ship to you as a gift. I have it, but I can't possibly roam the Dreamworld every single day. It being idle would be such a waste so I'm suggesting you borrow it to use as a school-bus."
"Moreover, I currently need to use this ship. I presume you wouldn't mind serving as the temporary captain for an extraordinary journey through the Dreamworld?"
Upon hearing these words, Charles relaxed, chuckling as he said, "Of course, I have been curious about the Dreamworld too. It's such a mystifying place but my busy real-world life has left me with no time to explore it."
"Trust me, professor, with your abilities, you'd have few adversaries even in the Dreamworld. Adding this ship to the mix, then we would be free to roam as we please."
The two men smiled and shook hands, coming to a mutual understanding. Mark, Jack, and the hippopotamus onboard the ship all heaved a sigh of relief.
Mark turned to look at the hippo, remarking, "I bet if you went down there now to say the ship isn't theirs, they would probably...."
"I don't plan on going down there!" The hippo mimicked a prayer gesture from the Egyptian Pantheon, declaring, "If they want it, they can have it. After all, the ship wasn't mine in the first place."
"So if it's not yours, why are you here?" Mark asked.
At that, the Hippo rolled her eyes in an incredibly human-like gesture, replying, "I owe the ship's owner a favor, so on top of my day job, I have to guide souls here. I've honestly had my fill of this role. I'm a hippopotamus, and the only river here is filled with sand..."
"Oh, Goddess, please forgive the insolence of my other personality. He's still a child. I apologize on his behalf, and hope that you might guide us on our upcoming journey," said Shiller to the Hippo, escorting Charles onto the ship.
The Hippo huffed lightly then said, "I won't hold a grudge against a child. As the protector of women and children, I understand the innocence at their core. But I must advise you to teach him not to cause damage so casually. Otherwise, it'll give you a headache..."
This Goddess, whether through her behavior or her words, very much reminded them of a human mother. It gave them all a sense of familiarity and then, she revealed the reason why.
"Over the years of being a goddess, I've taken in the orphans abandoned by the people of Ancient Egypt and cared for them in my temple. Once they were grown, they became my followers. But I didn't wish for them to remain there. I taught them survival skills and sent them back into human society."
"I've been doing this for thousands of years. The last child I raised went to Los Angeles to work as a programmer. He calls me every weekend. To be honest, your human concept of time is strange. He calls so frequently that I hardly get a moment's rest."
Moved by her words, Charles stepped forward and shook hands with the Hippo Goddess, responding, "You're a kind-hearted goddess and a wonderful mother. In fact, when it comes to educating children, I often feel overwhelmed myself...."
Observing the man and the Goddess begin discussing child-rearing, Shiller, Mark and Jack decided to explore the ship's cabin. It was still rich with the style of Ancient Egypt - from the murals and carpets to the tiles, all engraved with patterns dedicated to the Egyptian Gods.
Shiller sat down on the sofa in front of the fireplace, Jack leaned against a pillar, and Mark took a seat opposite Shiller. His curiosity piqued, he asked, "Where is this ship headed now?"
"If I'm not mistaken, and given their exchange, that Goddess would likely take us towards her former home."
"Former home? She's a hippo. Is her home the African savannah?" Mark smirked.
In both the cabin and outside, the voices of Shiller and the Hippo Goddess echoed together, ".....If you're familiar with Egyptian mythology, you should have an understanding of Heaven. It's lush with verdure, teeming with life, and inhabited by countless ancient deities. However, it's not as tranquil as it seems on the surface...."
The sails were raised again and the colossal ship ventured into the dense fog. As the last shadow disappeared into the hazy mist, the fog began to gather and condense into tiny droplets of rain, which fluttered from the sky. Back in the real world, the night rain continued to fall.
The moment the blood first spurted out, no one present had grasped the severity of the situation. It was only when Shiller's motionless body hit the floor, that a slightly different voice than that of Jarvis resonated from within Iron Man's battlesuit:
"Target status scanning....Scan completed....Target deceased....Lock unengaged...."
"Scan again, lock on target again." Stark commanded.
"Locking on...Target locked...Scanning...Scan completed...Target deceased...Lock unengaged...."
"Scan again!"
"Sir, the margin of error for the scan is below 0.002%. If you need the margin of error to be lower, a higher output can be provided for the scanning equipment...."
"Set the output to maximum!"
The magical energy on the chest of the Iron Armor lit up with brilliant luminescence, reminiscent of a lighthouse on a rainy night. This glow lasted only a moment before it gradually faded. Everyone was watching Stark as he stiffly moved towards Shiller's body.
It was not hard to determine that it indeed was a corpse, for nearly the entire chest, along with the heart, had disappeared. There were charred signs around the wound, with no pulse, no heartbeat, no breathing, and his blood had ceased flowing, his body temperature slowly ebbing away.
Iron Man squatted down, his finger touching Shiller's arm. The data transmitted back from the sensors came as no surprise, mirroring the conclusion of the previous high-power scan - this was indeed a corpse and there was no other possibility.
Strange, cursing and grumbling, retracted the Crimson Band as he walked over, muttering, "Shiller, what the hell are you up to again? Cut the crap and get up. Can't you see we're fighting?"
Once he reached Shiller's body, he, too, knelt down without the cautionary care that Stark demonstrated earlier. Strange slapped Shiller's shoulder, but the moment contact was made, Strange froze.
Subsequently, he revealed a somewhat panicked expression, his hand on Shiller's forehead. A flash of Magic Glow sparkled upon his hand, but just like Stark's chest energy earlier, this glow quickly extinguished. Strange was left stunned.
"His soul... his soul is gone!!!" Struggling to retract his hand, Strange stood up, his eyes glowing as he scanned the surroundings, but saw nothing.
Stark followed closely, rising to his feet. The face guard on his suit clanked upwards, as he stared intently at Strange and asked, "What did you just say?!"
"I said, his soul is gone!" Strange yelled in desperation. "I don't know what trickery he's instigated but what's lying here is just a corpse. His soul... I don't know where it's gone..."
"Hahaha!!!" Laughter echoed, Arthur held the scepter in both hands, his long hair wet from the rain sticking to his face, his eyes glittering with a purple glow seemed like a hobgoblin crawling up from Hell.
"You foolish mortals! When the body dies and the soul disappears, what else could it signify? Of course, this means he is dead!"
Arthur shouted, "I don't know what confirmation you're still searching for! He's dead! Do you understand? This damn killer has finally accepted the judgement of justice! Amit is the true justice!"
Steve's arms began to tremble. He took a deep breath, then anxiously hurried forward. He clutched Stark's arm and said, "Tony, keep calm. Tony..."
Suddenly, amidst the tranquil rainy night, within the sound of raindrops, a faint sound of grinding gears was discernible.
This sound was so soft that if you didn't listen carefully, it would be imperceptible. Yet, it rang as loud as an earthquake.
Then, suddenly, it was daylight.
A dazzling light rose from the horizon, illuminating the earth, the sky turned from shallow to deep blue by the arc light, the hues of the clouds were so mystical and dreamlike that they spoke of the break of dawn to everyone.
As the members of the Avengers welcomed the dawn's radiance, their faces lit up, but all wore serious expressions of impending danger.
Because what rose from the horizon was not the sun, but Iron Man.
Meanwhile, in Asgard, Thor led a recently restructured Guardian Army across the long Bifrost Bridge. Midway, they suddenly stopped.
He abruptly turned his head towards the borders of Asgard where one could faintly see the branches of the World Tree and the borders of several other realms.
In the familiar backdrop of the night sky, a star started to shine, gradually brightening until the deafening mechanical sound reached every inhabitant of Asgard. Thor flew up, his gaze piercing across infinite galaxies.
A second later, he descended, walking back. The confused Imperial Guards following him heard Thor say,
"Open the dungeon! Now!"
The commander of the Guardian Army quickly caught up with Thor, his voice puzzled, "But didn't you just say that the dungeon shouldn't be opened for a thousand years? That anyone who commands to open it is... is..."
"...is a liar," Thor interrupted. As he continued to walk, he watched the light rising from the border of Asgard, "I do not wish to go back on my word, but...Open the dungeon!"
No sooner had he spoken than dazzling light burst from underground in the Fairy Palace, a slender figure landed on the ground. Loki, with a serious expression, walked towards Thor. Before Thor could speak, she said, "I know, 300 years added to my sentence for jailbreak. But, what's going on now? Why did Stark suddenly..."
Thor shook his head, and together the siblings gazed towards the origin of the explosion. Thor's King of Brightness power spread out, intending to investigate the sudden eruption of Stark.
He didn't hear a word, only the interminable sound of machinery.
When he listened carefully, amidst the sounds of grinding gears, horn whistles, and the symphony of surging energy, he perceived a remarkable emotiveness-
It was the lament of the body of iron.