When I woke up, I found myself floating in space, surrounded by a sea of stars. They twinkled and sparkled, creating beautiful spirals and patterns in the darkness. It was like I'd been transported to the heart of the universe, where the night sky was at its most spectacular.
"Hello there."
The voice was gentle but seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. I looked around, trying to find its source, but saw nothing. I decided to call out, hoping to get a response. "Hello? Is anyone there?"
"Yes, I'm here."
Suddenly, a huge, shimmering figure appeared before me. It was like a cosmic being made of stardust and swirling galaxies. Its shape kept changing, and it was as if the universe itself was wrapped around it.
The figure was like a living kaleidoscope, full of stars and nebulae. Its eyes were either stars or empty voids, and its head was surrounded by a glowing halo of constellations. The face wasn't quite human but radiated a calm and wise presence.
Space around the figure seemed to ripple and breathe, almost like it was alive. Waves of cosmic energy flowed from it, leaving trails of light in their wake. The figure's hands—if you could call them that—were outstretched, glowing softly, in sync with the heartbeat of the cosmos.
Everything it did was graceful and mesmerizing, like a silent dance that showed off the endless and eternal nature of existence. It felt like I was staring into the very soul of the universe, where time was endless and space went on forever. It was a moment of pure wonder.
After a while, I managed to whisper, "Beautiful."
"Thank you."
Realizing I had been staring, I quickly said, "Sorry for staring."
"It's all right. My name is Eternity. What's yours?"
"Uh, hi Mr. Eternity. My name is—"
"It's nice to meet you, [---]. How have you been?"
"I've been okay, but I'm really confused about where I am and how I got here."
"You're in the center of the universe."
"What? How am I in the middle of the universe?"
"Try to remember what happened before you ended up here."
"Well, I was heading to my room, and then something weird happened. I opened the door and saw another me on the other side, and then I sort of faded away. It felt like my body evaporated. None of this makes sense. Am I dreaming or losing my mind?"
"You're not dreaming or going crazy. What happened was that time split when you opened the door."
"Time split? That's strange."
"Yeah, it's not common, especially in a space occupied by humans. Usually, time splits occur during major events that create new timelines. Your case was unusual, which is why I brought you here to keep you safe."
"Guess you know me from all those comic books I read. Do you recognize me?"
"Yes, you're Eternity, the embodiment of the Marvel universe."
"Yep, that's right."
"So, you're saying the time split brought me into the Marvel universe?"
"Exactly."
"Why?"
"Do you know what happens when antimatter meets regular matter?"
"Yeah, there's a massive explosion with tons of energy."
"Right. If you'd stayed in your universe, the explosion would have been equivalent to over 20 nuclear bombs going off at once."
"So, what happens to me now?"
"You'll stay in my universe. Returning to yours isn't possible."
"But your universe is full of dangers and world-ending events every week."
"Good point. To help you out, I'll grant you three wishes, like those isekai animes you like."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, but some wishes might be limited if they're too broad."
"Alright. For my first wish, I want the powers of the Avatar from 'Avatar: The Last Airbender.'"
"Got it. I'll give you the power, but not the knowledge of how to use it."
"Fair enough. For my second wish, I want the powers and abilities of the Crystal Gems, including how to use them."
"I'll give you powers from three Crystal Gems. You pick one, and I'll choose the other two."
"I choose Rose Quartz's powers."
"Okay, then I'll give you powers from Rose Quartz, Pearl, and Peridot."
"You're picking the weaker ones on purpose, aren't you?" I said, giving Eternity a skeptical look.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Eternity said, avoiding eye contact.
"For my final wish, I want the full abilities and powers of two D&D classes."
"Sure, but I get to pick one of them."
"I choose Wizard."
"And I'll choose Artificer."
"You're doing this on purpose, picking the weaker options."
"Hahaha, okay, okay. I'm sorry. How about this: I'll also give you five feats and skills from D&D."
"Alright, but that's not really fair. Your world is dangerous, and I need to be strong."
"I chose those abilities because they'll be more useful to you than just raw power. Now, let's get to the feats and skills."
"Okay, I choose:
Fighting Initiate: Proficiency with a martial weapon and the Archery Fighting Style.
Prodigy: Proficiency with one skill, tool, or language, and expertise with one skill. I choose Sleight of Hand, Smith's Tools, and Celestial.
Weapon Master: Proficiency with four weapons. I choose Longsword, Lance, Longbow, and Dagger.
Wood Elf Magic: Learn one druid cantrip and cast Longstrider and Pass Without Trace spells. I choose Druidcraft.
Ritual Caster: A ritual book with two 1st-level ritual spells from one class, with the option to add more later. I choose to Speak with Animals and Ceremony."
"I also want the following skills:
Medicine: To stabilize a dying companion or diagnose an illness.
Arcana: To recall lore about spells, magic items, and magical traditions.
Stealth: To hide from enemies and sneak around.
Athletics: For climbing, jumping, or swimming.
Survival: To track creatures and navigate through wild areas."
"Good choices. Just so you know, the magic you get won't work the same way as in D&D. There won't be spell slots or rest mechanics, since those are specific to the D&D universe."
"I didn't think of that. Thanks for giving me a chance to live again."
"You're welcome. When you get there, I need you to look after someone named Wanda Maximoff."
"You mean the Scarlet Witch?"
"Yes. I want to make sure she doesn't have another breakdown that could endanger the universe. Will you keep an eye on her?"
"Okay, thanks."
"Wait, which universe am I going to? MCU or 616?"
"616."
"And which incarnation of the universe are you?"
"I'm the 8th."
"Okay, thanks for everything. Let's meet again someday."
"Definitely."