The icy chill of a New York alley gnawed at Eashan Phoenix's consciousness as his life ebbed away. Blood seeped from the knife wounds in his abdomen, pooling beneath him. His mind swirled with pain, fear, and regret.
"Is this it?" he thought bitterly. "A life lived in obscurity, ending over a pizza delivery?"
But as darkness claimed him, a spark ignited deep within.
---
### **The Dreamscape**
Eashan's awareness reformed in a surreal void, a boundless expanse of light and shadow. Opposite him stood two figures: one, a bald man with a simple yellow jumpsuit and a red cape, radiating an odd mix of calmness and power; the other, a shadowy, warped version of the first, exuding malice and disdain.
"Great," the shadowy figure muttered. "Now I'm stuck with you two. Just perfect."
Eashan stared at the duo, his thoughts spinning. "Wait... you're Saitama! *The Saitama*! And you're Void—his evil... what, clone? No, future self?"
Saitama's expression darkened. "Yeah. That's him. And I'd rather not talk about it."
Eashan blinked, trying to make sense of what was happening. "You... know me?"
"Of course I do!" Eashan exclaimed. "You're the One Punch Man! Your life's a fictional story in my world!"
Saitama frowned, his usual calm cracking slightly. "Huh. That's weird. Because your life? Fictional in mine."
Eashan froze. "What?"
"Yeah," Saitama continued. "You're a character in some Marvel comics. I read them back when I was an office worker. Iron Man, Hulk, Spider-Man—your world's full of superheroes. Kind of like mine but... more dramatic."
Void chuckled darkly. "Oh, this is rich. You both think you're the main characters. Newsflash: you're just pieces on a cosmic chessboard. And now, thanks to your mutant awakening, Baldy and I are stuck here."
Eashan's mind reeled. "Mutant awakening?"
A glowing interface appeared before him, displaying a stream of data.
**SYSTEM ACTIVATED: Adaptable Evolution**
- **Host:** Eashan Phoenix
- **Integrated Entities:** Saitama, Void
- **Core Abilities:** Unlimited Physical Adaptation, Evolutionary Progression
- **Objective:** Unknown
Void's voice echoed mockingly. "Congratulations, Phoenix. You're not dead. You're a mutant with a broken system, and I get to be the sarcastic narrator of your miserable life."
Saitama clenched his fists, his usual aloofness replaced with uncharacteristic frustration. "This is all your fault," he growled at Void. "If you hadn't shown up, none of this would've happened. I wouldn't have lost... everyone."
Void smirked. "Oh, you mean your friends? Genos, Tatsumaki, Bang, Garou... your unborn children? Yeah, I know. Sad, isn't it? You didn't even know she was pregnant, did you?"
Saitama froze, his eyes wide. "What... did you just say?"
"Tatsumaki was carrying twins," Void said coldly. "A boy and a girl. They would've inherited your strength and her psychic powers. Too bad you sacrificed yourself before you found out. What a stellar dad you would've been."
Saitama's composure shattered. "You bastard! You knew, and you didn't say anything?!"
Void sneered. "Of course I knew. I *am* you, remember? Or at least, I was. But unlike you, I've embraced reality. Love, hope, family—they're distractions. Weaknesses. You gave up everything for a world that didn't deserve it."
Saitama's fists trembled. "I didn't do it for the world. I did it for them. For the people I cared about. For a chance to give them a future."
Eashan, overwhelmed by the exchange, spoke up. "Wait... you're saying you had kids? Friends? A whole life? And you gave it up?"
Saitama nodded, his voice heavy with regret. "Yeah. I gave everything I had to stop Void and save my world. But now... I'll never see them again. Never know what it's like to be a father. And now I'm stuck here, in your world, with this jerk."
Void clapped mockingly. "Touching. Truly. But let's not forget, you're both alive because of me. Without my interference, the kid would've bled out in an alley, and you'd still be floating in oblivion."
---
### **The Awakening Felt Across the World**
As Eashan's body lay in the emergency room, recovering faster than any doctor could explain, a ripple of energy surged across the planet.
In Westchester, Charles Xavier's mind jolted as he felt a sudden, fleeting spike of mutant energy. It was unlike anything he had sensed before—vast, raw, and... gone almost as quickly as it appeared.
"I've never felt a presence like that," he murmured, perplexed. "What—or who—could it be?"
In Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One sat in meditative silence. Through the hazy mists of the future, she saw only fragmented visions: a white cape fluttering in the cosmic winds, shielding the universe from an encroaching void.
"A new force," she whispered, her expression wary. "But is it protector or destroyer?"
At SHIELD headquarters, Director Nick Fury stared at a monitor displaying an anomalous energy spike in Queens, labeled "Incident 083." The data was inconclusive, but Fury's instincts told him it was significant.
"Keep an eye on Phoenix Eashan," he barked at his team. "Something about this doesn't sit right."
---
### **Hospital Awakening**
Eashan woke to the sterile smell of antiseptics and the rhythmic beeping of monitors. He blinked against the harsh overhead lights, his body aching but... whole.
"Guess we didn't die after all," Void's voice quipped in his mind.
Eashan groaned. "Great. You're still here."
"Get used to it, kid. I'm part of your system now. And Baldy's here too—somewhere."
Saitama's voice chimed in, tinged with sadness. "Yeah, I'm here. Don't worry; we'll figure this out together."
Eashan sat up slowly, his mind racing. His world was no longer the same. He wasn't just a regular teenager anymore. He was a mutant, with two of the most powerful beings in existence fused into his soul.
"Okay," he muttered. "This is my life now. Time to figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do with it."
Void laughed. "Good luck with that, kid. You're going to need it."
Saitama, still grappling with his regrets, spoke softly. "We've both lost something, Eashan. But maybe we can make this life mean something."
Eashan nodded. "Let's try."
And so began the unlikely journey of Eashan Phoenix, the reborn One Punch Phoenix, in a world that was about to change forever.