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Don't worry. I'll find our daughter.
Hawk had tried to reassure Wanda in the same way when Gwen went missing, but things were different with Jean.
He knew where Gwen was—Universe-828. That universe had blocked him out and put up huge cosmic barriers. To get her back, Hawk would have to break in by force, but he needed to awaken the Eighth Sense first.
Jean hadn't been locked up anywhere. The Celestials tried to take her, but she escaped during the dimensional transfer. Unlike Gwen, who was basically under house arrest, Jean was lost somewhere in the endless multiverse.
Hawk did not know which universe she had entered.
Fortunately, neither did the Celestials.
He just had to find her before they did. He didn't need to search every reality himself. As soon as his Phoenix Universe reached the one Jean was in, he would know exactly where she was.
Back in the living room, Hawk watched Wanda closely. They had just come back from deep space, and she still looked deeply worried.
"Trust our daughter," he said. "Give it time. Once the Phoenix reaches the universe she landed in, I'll know exactly where she is."
Wanda stared at him without blinking.
"But..."
"But what?" Hawk said.
Her eyes turned red, but she stayed silent. She just waited for him to say what he hadn't said yet.
Hawk sighed. "Provided she landed somewhere safe."
Wanda's expression tightened.
Gwen might have been trapped, but she was almost impossible to hurt. Even if everyone else on Earth-828 died, Gwen, William, and Bella would still survive.
The Celestials were not the only ones protecting them. Universe-828 itself had no choice.
Hawk had made the consequences clear when he appeared in that universe. If Gwen died, Universe-828 would die too. That warning wasn't just for the Fantastic Four—it was a promise to the Celestials and to reality itself.
This fight was about his ascension. The main multiverse didn't want Hawk to rise higher, so its agents used dirty tricks. Hawk understood that. War almost never followed the rules.
There were still limits neither side could cross.
The Celestials took Gwen to distract him and shake his resolve. They never meant to hurt her. If Hawk lost and didn't ascend, he would just stay a Chief God for another billion years.
But if they killed his family, the fight would turn into a war where both sides would be destroyed.
That made Gwen safe.
Jean had no such protection.
"She isn't in the same position as Gwen," Hawk said quietly. "The Celestials and Universe-828 are both keeping Gwen alive. Jean escaped on her own."
He paused before continuing.
"I don't know where she is, and neither do they. The multiverse is endless, and not every Earth is like ours, Earth-616, or Earth-828. Some universes are dangerous. There are zombie worlds, pixelated worlds, and some are already falling apart."
Wanda's hands slowly clenched.
"I can anchor the World Tree and send my power through the multiverse using my bloodline, but that takes time. Jean has no powers right now. She'll get them back once my power reaches her, but until then…"
Hawk's voice lowered.
"If she landed on a dead world…"
Tears gathered in Wanda's eyes.
Hawk saw her tears and quickly changed the subject.
"But that's impossible."
Wanda frowned. "Why?"
"Remember Death? Remember how she tried to bargain for Jean's soul?"
Wanda recalled their conversation atop the dead Celestial.
Hawk smiled. "Death is the embodiment of every soul in the multiverse. Wherever there are souls, she's there. Do you really think she doesn't know where Jean ended up?"
Wanda's eyes widened. "Then the Celestials…"
"She won't tell them," Hawk cut in. "Death, Eternity, Infinity, and Oblivion won't get involved."
Confusion crossed Wanda's face. "Why not? You said Death hates Eternity, and the Celestials serve Eternity."
"Because if those Abstract Beings step in directly," Hawk said, his voice cold, "I'll flip the board."
Wanda stared at him.
Hawk smirked because he meant every word.
If those four powerful beings joined the fight, all limits would be gone. Hawk would stop following the rules and start erasing any universe that got in his way.
Years ago, he had given Mephisto a similar warning. If the demon touched Anya, Hawk would spend eternity hunting him across creation.
Hawk considered himself a decent person.
He had never claimed to be a saint.
So far, he had followed the rules because those Abstract Beings stayed out of the fight. He still considered himself a Transmigrator rather than an agent of total destruction.
"Either way, Death and the others won't intervene," Hawk said. "That's why I asked whether she knew where Jean was."
Wanda's expression shifted as she understood.
"And she asked for Jean's soul in exchange. If Jean had landed on a dead or dying planet, Death wouldn't have needed to bargain with you. That was her way of telling you Jean is safe."
Hawk shrugged. "There's no need to overthink her reasons. When it's time for the answer, it'll show up."
Wanda nodded, and some of the tension finally left her shoulders.
After a moment, another question occurred to her.
"Why did Erebus believe abducting Jean would delay your ascension?"
Hawk walked behind the bar and poured two glasses of bourbon. He slid one toward Wanda, lifted the other, and took a drink.
"She's my firstborn daughter. Firstborns are always special."
Wanda clearly did not understand.
Hawk decided not to keep her guessing.
"Think about gods and their firstborn daughters. Zeus and Athena. Odin and Hela. What do they have in common?"
Wanda searched her memory, but nothing came to her.
"They were both prophesied to kill their fathers."
"..." Wanda whipped her head toward the stairs.
Anya was leaning over the railing, listening to their conversation.
She hurried down the steps and ran toward the bar. "I got it right, didn't I, Brother?"
Wanda turned back to Hawk, horror spreading across her face.
Hawk chuckled.
"Jean would never do that," Wanda said.
"It isn't about whether she would."
Hawk emptied his glass and set it on the counter.
"Neither Athena nor Hela actually killed their fathers. The prophecy was there because they could have. Like I said, firstborns are special."
Wanda struggled to process his explanation. "Are you saying the Celestials want to use Jean to kill you?"
"What? No."
Hawk immediately shook his head.
Wanda looked even more confused. "Then I don't understand."
"That's fine."
If Hawk had been a native god, the Celestials' plan might have worked. Western gods almost always feared their firstborn children.
Hawk was a Transmigrator.
To him, this was just another cheap mind game. The Celestials wanted him to doubt Jean, lose trust, and break his focus so he couldn't finish his ascension.
Their plan had no chance of working.
Hawk's mind was beyond their reach.
Why would he fear his own daughter?
He wasn't someone who inherited power from a long line of gods. He was the creator who built everything from scratch.
Zeus and Odin inherited their thrones.
Hawk created his own.
Every bit of his power was his alone. He was the World Tree, the Phoenix, and the Cosmo. Nothing could be used against him unless he let it happen.
Hawk reached across the counter, took Wanda's half-finished glass, and drank the remaining bourbon. He tossed both glasses into the sink, then stepped out from behind the bar.
"Let's go."
Wanda looked at him. "Where?"
"Kamar-Taj."
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