Meaning.
Meaning is how sentient beings interpret nature or certain phenomena. It's the value we assign to things through understanding—a concept that goes beyond words, encompassing intellect, beliefs, and higher thought.
Meaning can signify many things. A universe—or even a timeline—can hold meaning too.
And in this case, the unique meaning of this universe might just be the keystone of the Dark Watchers' unspeakable agenda. It was also the very mystery Alex was now determined to unravel.
"You were right earlier, Miss Minutes," Alex said, eyes locked on her, an excited glimmer flashing across his face. "There's a special meaning to this world—one we don't yet understand. And that is the cornerstone of the Dark Watchers' entire plan!"
He'd finally found the missing piece of the puzzle—the reason behind his long-standing doubts.
Why did the Dark Watchers choose this particular universe, this very timeline?
Why go to such lengths to bring in variants who don't belong here?
Why deliberately disrupt the balance of this world?
There seemed to be no clear answer—until now.
Alex had once believed that sending Magik, Cloak, Dagger, and Wolfsbane back to the Wasteland Universe had messed up the Watchers' scheme. That's why he assumed they ramped up their efforts, throwing even more players into this universe.
But now, a completely different thought crept into his mind.
"All of this... every move we've seen... has been a smokescreen," Alex murmured. "Magik, Polaris, even the others—they were all distractions. They wanted my attention scattered. They wanted me to act like I used to…"
He paused. "Yes. That's it. Like before. They know me—better than I thought. Of course they do. They're Watchers. They see everything I do!"
The people the Dark Watchers had thrown into this world weren't randomly chosen—far from it. Every one of them was someone Alex knew—people from his memories. Even the rampaging Wild Sentry in Manhattan, and the mutants who'd bombed the Capitol—he'd seen them all before.
That was the Watchers' game. These people weren't part of the endgame; they were decoys, planted to mislead him.
Staring into the mirror above the sink, Alex met his own gaze. The excitement vanished from his face, replaced by grim resolve.
"If this were the old me... what would I do?"
This place wasn't just a battlefield—it was a trap. The Watchers had chosen it carefully. Every step he took here was a piece in their design. This battlefield was their home turf.
They knew his history. They knew how he would respond. And that knowledge—that prediction—is what gave them the nerve to act against him.
The player is blind, but the audience sees all.
Alex was now deep in their game. If not for Old Man Logan's warning, he might not have realized it in time.
Miss Minutes, watching Alex silently, scrolled through the vast archive of system records—logs of every decision he had made in foreign universes. Her eyes lit up with realization.
[Sir, do you remember how you acted in the universe where Deadpool slaughtered the Marvel heroes?]
"I remember. Back then, I wasn't as powerful as I am now. My only weapon was knowledge. I leveraged everything I knew about that world and used it—used every resource I could mobilize—to fight a threat I didn't understand."
[Exactly. That was your strategy then. But later, when you entered the Wasteland Universe, how did you resolve the disaster there—the crisis with the collision against Apokolips War?]
"Same strategy. I understood the timeline. I knew its cracks—its pressure points. I just had to adjust the narrative. Shift the perspective. Once I did that, the players aligned with my plan—whether they wanted to or not. The tide of fate took over."
[Yes... the tide of fate.]
Miss Minutes stared at Alex with a complex look.
[Sir, you're standing too high.]
Alex blinked, clearly caught off guard.
"What does that mean?"
Miss Minutes flipped through the files in her hand, blinking thoughtfully as she studied Alex.
[Sir, you are the great Lord of Dimensions—the Supreme Master of Time itself. You are omniscient within the timelines. Every event we've encountered, every universe teetering on the brink of collapse or already destroyed—you've always known what was happening in them. You've even known the exact role you were meant to play.]
[But—]
Her tone shifted.
[Your mastery over the timelines… has also become your greatest weakness.]
"You mean," Alex frowned slightly, "because I know this universe too well, the Dark Watchers used that against me. They made me instinctively overlook things—things I should've seen coming."
[Exactly.]
Miss Minutes nodded.
[Mental disruption is the only real weapon they have against you. They throw distractions at you—noise and interference to cloud your judgment. But there's one thing they will never be able to do: control your mind.]
"I should've already figured it out..." Alex murmured. He rubbed his temples, feeling the fog in his head thicken.
After a moment of silence, he turned on the faucet and splashed cold water onto his face, trying to bring himself back to clarity.
He washed again. And again.
Then, lifting his head, Alex stared into the mirror. Droplets of water clung to his hair and jawline. His reflection, hardened and soaked, stared back with deeper eyes—eyes that seemed to see further than before.
"It's time I changed my approach," he said softly. "Or rather… it's time I went back to the beginning. Back to some good old-school methods."
[You've got a plan, sir?]
Miss Minutes smiled, seeing the familiar fire return to Alex's expression—the one from her archives, where no matter the odds, he always found a way.
"You were right," Alex said, stretching out his hand and studying his pale palm. "I've relied too much on the power I wield."
He spoke calmly, almost to himself.
"I knew the stories of these worlds. I understood the threads of every timeline. And once I learned magic… as my strength grew, I started leaning more and more on this nearly invincible force. But now… all of that has become a crutch. Worse, it's exactly what the Dark Watchers have been targeting."
"I finally get it now—why Batman is called the greatest superhero on Earth."
A faint smile played at the corner of his lips. Pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The fog in his mind began to lift.
"Sometimes, power… omniscience… godlike strength—they're just chains. When you're up against something that can end a world—or the entire multiverse—what matters more is the will of an ordinary human."
"I still have advantages. Even here. Even in a battlefield chosen by the Dark Watchers."
"If I want to win this game… I may have to stop being the one playing it."
His eyes lit up with sharp clarity. He turned toward Miss Minutes, and that trademark confident smile finally returned to his face.
[I knew you'd come up with something, sir.] Miss Minutes beamed brightly as she jumped into Alex's palm. [So, what should we do next?]
"Let go of the distractions. Set aside all the power I've come to rely on. I'm no longer the Lord of Dimensions. I'm no longer the master of the TVA. I'm not even the traveler who knows the plotlines of every timeline... I'm just me. The version of me from the very beginning." Alex spoke softly, holding Miss Minutes in his hand.
[The beginning?]
Miss Minutes blinked, confused by what he meant.
Alex didn't elaborate much. He just gave a mysterious smile.
"Yeah… the me from the start—the one who knew nothing. The one who was anxious, afraid, paranoid, maybe even a little self-destructive… the one who first appeared in the Ruined Universe."
Miss Minutes heard this and wisely chose not to comment.
In her records, there was no data on what Alex had gone through before they met. Their origin point was always marked by that single moment—when Alex pulled her out of President X's vault.
Before that, she didn't know what he had endured.
Just as he didn't know what she had.
That silence between them had always been their quiet understanding.
But now… Alex finally knew what he had to do.
"Guess what, Miss Minutes," he said. "If I lose all my memories about this world, and I'm stripped of the powerful magic I've come to depend on… if all I have left is you and my identity as an ordinary human—then what do you think I should do?"
Miss Minutes tilted her head, saying nothing, simply waiting for Alex's next words.
He didn't keep her waiting long.
After a moment of silence, Alex finally spoke.
"In this world… where I'm undocumented, powerless, surrounded by dangerous enhanced individuals and hostile humans alike, there's only one thing I can do—stay hidden, and start gathering intel from the very bottom."
"Yes, Miss Minutes," he said firmly.
"I'm going back undercover.
It's time for me to rejoin the scavengers."
....
📢Advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: [email protected]/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
1. 30 advanced chapters of American Comics: Multiverse of Madness.
2. 30 advanced chapters of Warhammer, but Emperor's Chosen.
3. 20 advanced chapters of The Witcher: Wolf School's Hunting Notes.