"Thanks for saving me. It would have been a pain if I landed in Lex's hands or something." His tone was light because even in Lex's hands, he had nothing to worry about.
"No problem, but can we get some information from you? You just fell out of the sky," The Flash asked, his tone light but laced with curiosity.
Ashborn nodded slightly, acknowledging the request.
"I was sucked into a crack between our two worlds. There, I fought a void storm, and—well, let's just say it beat me up pretty badly. But in the end, I managed to devour it. If I hadn't, it would have followed me here and wreaked havoc on your world."
He spoke casually, as if he hadn't just described an apocalyptic battle, but his words left an uneasy silence in the room. As he finished, his eyes flickered around, finally noticing his armor was missing.
"By the way, you guys didn't happen to see my armor? It's all black and gives off a dark aura visible to the naked eye," Ashborn asked, glancing around the room. The heroes exchanged looks before shaking their heads.
"You were naked when we found you," Green Lantern said with a frown.
Ashborn shrugged. "It's bound to show up eventually."
He glanced down at the simple robes covering him. With a thought, darkness engulfed him, and when it faded, his clothing had transformed—a near-perfect replica of his Level XX gear, its intricate black and silver patterns reflecting the light in an eerie but elegant manner.
"Should we be worried about the armor?" Shazam asked, feeling uneasy about how it had been described.
"I don't think so," Ashborn replied with a shrug. "But whoever finds it might get a huge strength boost. I can't say if that power would come with side effects, though—I've never let anyone other than myself use it."
The heroes exchanged wary glances, but before they could ask anything else, Ashborn simply raised a hand in a casual wave.
"Well, peace." With that, shadows engulfed him, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished—only to reappear in the middle of a busy street, surrounded by civilians of planet Earth. He took a deep breath, happy to smell something other than rotten flesh… the good old smell of pollution, how he had missed it.
"So, do you want to stay fused with me, or would you rather leave and walk around? I can help your body of fire take the form of flesh," Ashborn asked casually.
The Phoenix Force, residing within him, paused for a moment before finally agreeing.
Flames gathered in his palm, swirling with an otherworldly intensity. Strangely, no one around them seemed to notice—as if Ashborn were invisible, his presence slipping past their awareness like a shadow in the wind.
On his palm, the Phoenix Force erupted, forming a swirling fire tornado that quickly dissipated. In its place stood a woman, her hair catching the light like living flames, shifting between fiery hues as the sun hit it just right. She was breathtaking—a beauty that could rival even the goddess of love herself.
She floated inches above Ashborn's palm before gradually descending to the ground. The moment her feet touched the surface, her expression twisted in discomfort, her hands instinctively flying to her throat.
Struggling to breathe, she gasped as panic flickered in her eyes. As the Phoenix Force, she had never needed air before—a concept so basic that even a newborn instinctively mastered it was now an unfamiliar, overwhelming hurdle.
Ashborn simply placed his palm on her head, transferring the necessary knowledge for her to perform the most basic tasks required to live. He had assumed she would have instinctively known how to breathe—after all, most of her hosts had been mortal and required air.
But then again, she was the Phoenix Force, an entity beyond such trivial concerns. Why would she ever bother to retain such insignificant knowledge?
"Looks like it's hard for a god to play a mortal… that's embarrassing," Ashborn said, covering his mouth to suppress his laughter.
The Phoenix Force shot him a glare, clearly annoyed. Determined to reclaim her dignity, she attempted to stand—only to immediately stumble, realizing she also needed to learn how to walk.
Annoyed, she connected to the nearby humans, quickly copying the knowledge they had accumulated over a lifetime. The next moment, she stood effortlessly, adjusting with ease. However, she frowned as she noticed the state of the dress she had created for herself—it was wrinkled and unkempt, something she clearly found distasteful.
"You mortals are born so weak that even surviving is a struggle," she muttered, irritation lacing her tone. With a careless step forward, her clothing became as clean as new.
"Not everyone is lucky enough to be born with the power to reshape existence," Ashborn replied, walking beside her. "Then again, that kind of power comes with chains. Maybe it's an equal trade-off."
The two strolled through the bustling streets, yet not a single human seemed to acknowledge their presence. Even though no one could sense them, the people instinctively moved aside, parting like water around them, allowing them to walk undisturbed.
"How long until we return home? I sensed that system of yours when I fused with you… I didn't realize who was behind you until then." The Phoenix Force spoke lightly.
"Who?" Ashborn asked, frowning in confusion.
"The One Above All," she said with a sigh. "The answer was so simple. Of course, the Tribunal couldn't judge you—because you were acting under the will of the creator of all things."
Ashborn stood there, stunned. "So… that old man I met… was him?" He asked, still trying to process the revelation. She nodded.
"He takes many forms. A random homeless man on the street could just as easily be him," she said with a deep sigh. "So, now that you've grasped the death of this world, how long until we can return to our own?"
"…The system said it's charging, and once it's ready, we can go back," Ashborn replied, stretching his arms. "Until then, I want to relax—and find my gear first. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious to see what would happen if someone else equipped it."
"Then we should find a nice place to call home for the time being. We should also get IDs and everything else—we might as well go all out playing mortal," she said, to which Ashborn paused for a moment.
"But you need a name. Ren? Hanna? Ember? That's the best my naming skills can offer…" he said lightly.
"I will be known as Ember Fireheart," she decided. "I think it fits me well. 'Ember' can mean spark, and I'm essentially the heart of our world… So, I'm the spark of creation and its heart."
Ashborn raised a brow, wondering if he should start putting that much thought into naming things.
"Shadow Lifegiver… I control shadows and give them life," Ashborn said, looking at her for approval.
"Ashborn will do," she replied with disdain, unimpressed by his naming skills. She had seen enough of his attempts to know better than to let him try again. Ignoring him, she turned her attention to the world around them, her curiosity piqued. This place was filled with unique forces, unlike anything found in their own world, and she was eager to explore.