Marvel: NIHILITY

As the dust of the battle settled and Odin lay disarmed before her, Hela stood in the quiet aftermath, her breath steady. The echoes of her victory seemed to fade into the surrounding chaos, but before she could savor the peace that followed, the ground beneath her feet began to tremble.

At first, it was a slight vibration, nothing more than the usual aftershocks of a great battle. But soon, the tremors grew stronger, violent even, until the very earth seemed to quake with urgency.

A horrifying sound split the air, a deep, bone-rattling groan that seemed to come from the very bowels of the planet itself. Hela turned sharply, her eyes narrowing as she followed the source of the noise.

Then, as if the world itself was giving birth to something monstrous, a massive, celestial head began to rise from the horizon.

It was unlike anything Hela had ever seen before—colossal, with a face that seemed to stretch the limits of the sky. Its eyes were vast, cosmic pools that seemed to reflect the universe itself, and its mouth opened in a silent, inevitable roar that sent shudders through the planet.

Odin's expression shifted from anger to dread as he gazed at the celestial being emerging from the earth's core. "This… this is not part of my plan," he muttered under his breath, his eyes wide with fear. "This… This thing will use us as nourishment."

The realization hit Hela like a tidal wave, but she had no time to process it. Her thoughts raced, but there was no immediate solution. The celestial was rising, its massive form eclipsing the horizon, and as it emerged, it seemed to tear at the very fabric of the planet.

"Get out of here!" Hela shouted to Wenwu, but her voice barely reached him over the roar of destruction. The celestial was coming, and nothing in their power could stop it. 

But just as things seemed hopeless, a figure descended from the sky—David, now standing next to Hela, his expression one of determination. His eyes scanned the scene before him, analyzing the celestial, its power, and the danger it presented.

Without hesitation, David extended his hand, and a wave of pure energy pulsed from him, cascading over the earth as he began to formulate a plan.

"I will erase it," David said, his voice cool, calculated. "This celestial doesn't belong here. And I sense a weird energy from him. I'll stop this thing.."

But before he could act, an unseen force gripped him, pulling him backward. The light around him twisted as he was dragged into an empty, void-like space, the world around him collapsing into darkness.

David tried to fight against the pull, but it was futile. The energy that grasped him was overwhelming, and in an instant, he found himself standing before a being that radiated pure cosmic authority: The Living Tribunal.

"You fucker," David growled, still disoriented. "What is this? I was about to save them!"

The Living Tribunal's voice boomed like thunder, its presence vast and incomprehensible.

"The events of this universe have been tampered with," it said, its three faces regarding David with an unfathomable gaze.

"Someone powerful has altered the course of fate here, injecting that celestial with a volatile energy core, and we have determined the culprit—someone from the transcendent realm."

David's eyes widened in realization. "The fucking Beyonder of all things ?" He clenched his fists in frustration. "I need to go back right now! I need to help them!"

The Tribunal's expression was unreadable, its tone unwavering. "You cannot alter the course of this event. The Beyonder's influence has set these events in motion, and the celestial's rise was inevitable. The destruction of the planet is beyond even your reach. All you can do is cut the losses."

David's anger flared, his energy surging as he demanded, "Send me back! I won't let them die like this!"

But before he could resist any further, the world around him flickered, and in an instant, he was back where he had been. But it was no longer a battlefield. The sky had cracked open, the land had split, and the once-thriving world was now a wasteland of ruin.

The castle where he stayed with Wen Wu and the people were all gone, along with China itself. Hela's broken form lay in the wreckage, her body battered, barely alive, the gradully fading glow of the ten rings that shielded her slowly vanishing. It seems the last act of Wen Wu was to protect the lover of his friend, whom he treated as brother.

David stumbled forward, his heart racing as he rushed to her side. The destruction around him was unthinkable—Earth was no more, torn apart by the celestial's birth, and the aftermath left only desolation in its wake.

"Hela!" David called, his voice laced with panic as he knelt beside her. She opened her eyes weakly, her breath shallow. There was no mistaking it—she was dying.

She gazed up at him with tear-filled eyes, a weak smile gracing her lips. "David…" she whispered, her voice strained. "I didn't want you to see me like this."

He reached out, his hand trembling as he cupped her face. "Hela, no. You're going to be okay. You're going to make it."

But she shook her head, her hand weakly grasping his. "No, David. This… this is how it was meant to be. I guess I had to be punished for my sins." She coughed, a tremor shaking her body as she gathered the strength to speak.

"I… I wanted to ask you something. Before the fight… before all of this… I wanted to ask you to stay with us and have a family together. To stay with me until the end."

David felt his heart twist as he listened, his mind refusing to believe the words she was speaking. "Hela…"

She smiled again, more softly this time, her eyes filled with both sadness and gratitude. "Thank you, David. For showing me the beauty of life. For helping me find my way, even when I had forgotten how to live."

She took a shallow breath, her hand reaching up to touch his cheek. "If there is a next life, promise me… promise me that you'll knock some sense into me before I fall again. Before I embrace destruction."

David's throat tightened as he fought back tears. He couldn't accept this—he couldn't let her go. But his powers were not working on her or the planet. As if some greater force had chained him down.

"I promise," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "I'll make sure you don't fall into the darkness."

Her lips curved into the faintest smile as her eyes fluttered shut, and with that, Hela, the goddess of death, breathed her last.

David held her in his arms, his heart breaking as the world around them crumbled. The celestial had claimed the planet, and now, it had claimed her life.

But as he sat in the ruins, alone with his grief, the promise he had made echoed in his mind. He would find her. He would stop this cycle. But would it be really her ? This universe, it can't be reset any more. Meaning they were gone for good.

And one day, perhaps in another life, he would be the one to guide her away from the darkness before it consumed her again. But that probably won't happen, such things only happen in fairy tales.

The stars above seemed to shimmer, a quiet testament to the life and death of a soul who had learned the beauty of both. The golden glow around David was flickering crazily, unlike his expressionless face.

The light around him was dimming, and a hint of darkness was trying to break free from the golden cocoon. The world held it's breath, watching him with dread as his eyes lost the usual warmth, enveloped in a terrifying chill that consumes all.