Ok, you guys deserve to know why I took so long with this chapter. The truth is, I wasn't happy with the way I was telling the story. It felt too distanced, with not enough focus on the characters. So I've been spending a lot of time trying to figure out a way to transition this story to a first person perspective. I figure that way, I can make the story more personal and, hopefully, more impactful. Because God knows that this chapter needs to be personal. Anyways, now on with the show!

Inversion ch. 13 – What do You Mean?

Black Knight's POV

Shortly after his arrival in Castle Doom

"… And that's how I came to be the Black Knight," I told the others. We had been going over my cover story for the past two hours, so as to not raise alarm. Why did we even need this, though? I know that letting everyone know that I'm the Soul Gem is a really bad idea, but is it really worth it to make a cover story?

"Of course it is," Doom replied after I told him my doubts. "We can't just tell everyone 'Hey, we have the Soul Gem, but it's fused with the newest Black Knight.' The Black Knight coming back to life would be enough of an eyebrow-raiser. Being bonded to the Soul Gem? No, we need a cover story."

That didn't give me any answers whatsoever. Are all humans these days like this?

Not wanting to get a bigger headache than the one I already have (marvelous new experience right there) I just fell silent, walking around the castle. There was an equal mix of robot and human servants. The humans looked pretty busy, so I stayed out of their way.

I have to admit, making my own body was not at all like I expected. Perhaps it was an adverse effect of the magic I used, but I'm feeling… things I never did before. I feel the need to protect my brother, the Power Gem. I laughed without malice when I saw a movie about a group of ridiculous knights. Really, was it that hard to kill a white rabbit? What it all came down to was this – before my current body, all I ever saw humans (or anything with a soul, for that matter) as a food source. Now, I actually want to understand them. Baron Mordo told me that Ultron was experiencing much the same thing. It would probably be a good idea to talk to him once he gets back.

My musing was interrupted by that Kane boy who came barreling towards me. He seemed out of breath, so it must be important.

"What's wrong, vampire?" I asked urgently. "Have you located my brother? Is he hurt?"

"No, it's something far worse!" He gasped. After taking in some deep breaths, he looked at me with… wow, I guess it is possible for vampires to have puppy dog eyes!

"We need another teammate for our League match!"

… I'm pretty sure there more important things to worry about. "I don't know what this 'League' is, but we have a world to save, if you haven't noticed."

"But you have to!" Kane pleaded. "We are so close to getting into the challenger's tier, but we need one more guy! Besides, the matches only take close to forty-five minutes!"

I'm going to regret this. "Ok," I said grudgingly. "You owe me a REAL match in the training room for this."

"You got it! You can play as Thresh. Be careful to use your ulti…"

I was right – I'm regretting this already.

"Come on, pull your act together, Udyr!" I shouted into the mike. "I've met Chihuahuas that could jungle better than you!"

We were so close to winning. Just a few more hits… yes, we did it! We're now in the challenger tier!

"Well, Kane, you proved me wrong," I told him, swiveling in my chair. We were in Doom's computer lab, which contained more machines than I thought one man could possibly have. We wasted no time in finding chairs and logging on. After Kane taught me a few tricks as well as the basis of the game, we got right to the match. What surprised me wasn't how quickly I got addicted – a game with millions of players must be doing something right, after all. No, what got me was how people from miles away could bond over something so nonsensical. Kane trusted his teammates implicitly, and they him. I followed soon after. "That was worth it. I've learned a lot from this. Now, it's time for that match you owe me…"

The present

All I could think about was that game as I pounded on the doors to the Mansion. I may be powerful, but Adamantium is beyond my limits.

"Come on, BREAK!" I screamed, swinging my sword with both hands. If it were any other foe, this strike would have been able to blast them to atoms. All I got against this door was a loud "klang!" and my sword nearly flying out of my hands.

"Kane opened my eyes to what humans can do…"

SKREETCH!

"How much potential you all have…"

CRANG!

"And how something so simple…"

BA-KRANG!

"Can mean so much…"

TANG!

"SO DON'T YOU DARE REPAY IT BY TAKING HIM AND HIS FRIENDS AWAY!"

I was about to swing my sword again (which at this point was becoming a little dented) when the door started opening. I don't know why, but I froze in place. Anti-Venom was there when the door fully opened, a grin on his face.

"Very dramatic, that speech," he teased. "Do you want an Emmy?"

My first instinct was to use my powers to slice him to ribbons. Then I remembered his abilities. That advanced healing factor of his means he can't die. So instead, I reached out to the souls of those who died, calling their names in the language of Creation. They answered my call, and did as I asked without me ever having to say a word. So it was no surprise to me when ghostly shackles appeared at Anti-Venom's feet and hands.

"I don't have time for you," I told him haughtily. I love it when I do that – remind people that I'm far more ancient and powerful than anything they've ever met. "Just wait there and don't do anything."

"Good thing I finished healing Kane, then," he retorted, gesturing behind him with his head.

I didn't see what he did after that, because I was running towards Kane's side the moment he finished speaking. Thank the True Gods that Kane and his friends live! The young vampire was sitting on a fallen pillar, staring into nothing. His stare… it looked completely empty.

"Where are the others?" I asked gently. At least, I tried to sound like that – the result was more like a growling dog.

It didn't seem to bother Kane. I didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. "They ran off ahead. I told them to so I could fight Spider-Man."

"So that's his corpse there?" I asked. When he nodded, I said, "Good. Now, answer me one more question."

I punched him as hard as I could in the cheek. "Why the hell haven't you joined your friends yet?!" I yelled.

As he sprawled out on the floor, he glared at me with as much rage as he could muster. "I don't want to place my friends in danger! I would have killed everyone in the room, because that's what monsters do!"

"So what?" I snorted, crossing my arms.

"I… wait, what?"

"Don't you think your friends already know how dangerous it is to be around you? You told them yourself, did you not?"

"Y… yeah…"

"And despite all that, they choose to stay with you."

Comprehension dawned in his eyes. I continued, saying, "Most people would abandon you if they were in Concussion and Quantum's shoes. Not only have they stayed by your side, they let you be yourself. Don't repay that by sulking here feeling sorry for yourself. Get up. We're finding your friends."

I dashed off, not paying attention to whether or not Kane was following me. There was no need to. I could feel him just steps behind me. After running to my side, he told me, "Remind me not to have you as a drill instructor."

"Trust me – if I was a drill instructor, nobody would want to train with me."

Kane chuckled. It's good to see him go back to his normal self. "Thanks for not asking what happened, by the way."

"It's not my department," I replied. "That's what your friends are for."

"Speaking of, how are we going to find them?" Kane asked.

I already had that covered. The moment I stepped into the mansion, I started on locating every soul that was in the Mansion. Thanks to that, I knew where his friends were. "Follow me – we're going down to the basement."

We ran in silence after that. There weren't any Avengers around, which was a little suspicious. I didn't even see Jarvis around, and Osborn said that he was always on site. I didn't voice my concerns, though – the Resistance can handle them.

We finally came to an open doorway. Quantum and Concussion were standing in it, their backs turned to us. The instant Kane saw them, he dashed ahead of me and got in front of them. That's when all three stood motionless.

When I reached them, I understood all too well why.

A figure with a strange blue mask stood on top of an altar. The outfit looked a little ridiculous – more akin to a bad 50's science fiction movie than actual bad guy material. What was in his hands made up for it.

It was the Twilight Sword, with the Power Gem in the pommel.

"Brother…" I whispered.

The figure must have heard me, because he started laughing softly. "So, the Infinity Gems consider themselves of possessing familial ties," he mused. "That is certainly interesting."

Quantum was the next person to recover. "I don't know who you are, but hand over the sword and gem now!"

There was that soft laughter again. "Little one, I have no intention of giving over this divine weapon. Nor can you take it from me. After all, my underlings worked so hard to get them, and I would hate for all their hard work to go to waste."

I couldn't believe it. One moment, I was with Kane and the others. The next, they were thrown against the walls and held in place by small green bands. Turning to me, the stranger said, "Unless you want to collect more astral energy, I recommend that you stay as you are. Kang the Conqueror would like to enjoy his victory."

"Why?" I spat. "Why are you doing this?! What do you want with my brother?!"

He shrugged, like it didn't matter what happened next or not. "Why not? Nobody can stop me anymore, and I do so love to tell a good story."

"Our story begins, like so many others, with a boy and a dream. This boy dreamed of creating a vast empire, one whose boundaries weren't determined by space but by time. An empire that existed simultaneously at multiple periods in history and the future. Everyone would have access to the greatest of gifts – technology that would save countless lives, peace that would never be threatened, and the chance to see any of your relatives at any point in history."

He sighed, and I swear he shed a tear. "The boy dreamed of this day and night. So he used all the resources at his disposal in the 30th Century to create devices for himself and other like-minded individuals. Devices that would let them make this dream a reality. His first stop was the 21st Century."

"He wished diplomacy, but everyone ran in fright. At last, he ended up having to face their 'heroes' – the accursed Avengers." He spat the last word with as much malice as… well, as I could.

"They defeated him. Humiliated him in front of his friends. It wouldn't be the last time, either. The boy would face many of the Earth's greatest heroes – the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Defenders… sometimes he would fight them all at once. By the time the boy had grown into a man, he had tasted defeat as much as he tasted victory on other worlds."

"Then a thought occurred to him – if these heroes could serve their world so well, why not make… alterations in the past so they would serve him? It wasn't too hard – saving a poor sidekick from an exploding rocket, introducing a young telepathic mutant to the wonders of violence… before a decacycle had passed, the heroes that once fought against the man now served him."

"Of course, there were a few things the man didn't expect. The monsters and villains the heroes once fought became heroes in their own right, serving their new world now instead of me." Kang shook his head, amused. "It seems even I cannot know everything."

No… no way. This entire war… this world… was altered by this mad man?!

"So now you know the truth. You live in an alternate timeline of my making. And now that I have this magnificent weapon, I will make my dream a reality… starting with the destruction of this accursed world."

Yay! I finally uploaded this chapter! You guys have no idea how long I've wanted to do this. As always, reviews are welcome!