A bright, sterile room housed a gathering of Earth-616's most powerful protectors—the Illuminati. They stood around a flickering hologram, their faces etched with concern.
Dressed in his sleek black-and-gold Iron Man suit, Tony Stark crossed his arms. His voice was sharp with skepticism.
"Black Swan, I don't know where you came from, but here? Reality follows fundamental laws. You're asking us to build some kind of—what? A 'reality-viewing mirror powered by perception and necessity'? That's just gibberish, lady."
Reed Richards tapped his fingers against his chin.
"Maybe we could reverse-engineer the idea. Work backward."
Beast, Henry McCoy, adjusted his glasses, his voice laced with urgency.
"Before we invest time we all know we don't have… why do we need this? And more importantly, what exactly does it do?"
Black Swan's expression remained impassive as she spoke.
"You need it because without it, you remain at a disadvantage. You needed it because they already have it."
Tony narrowed his eyes. "And who, exactly, is 'they'?"
Black Swan's voice was grave.
"It could be any number of inevitable adversaries you will soon face. But you should concern yourselves primarily with the Black Priests—they move through space and time the way you would."
Reed's brow furrowed.
"So it's a way to see things—a mirror of some sort. Go on. What does it do?"
Black Swan's gaze was unwavering.
"It allows you to observe other Earths. By focusing your intent, the mirror lets you witness incursions as they unfold."
Beast exhaled, rubbing his chin.
"So we're talking about complex rates of occurrence—universal oscillations, harmonic waves. That kind of architecture would require some form of quantum drive..."
Reed's eyes lit up with realization.
"Oh. These observations… We could scan for incursions because they all share a specific frequency. If we calibrate the scanning parameters to match the harmonic constants, we could track and observe them in real-time—an infinite process."
Black Swan gave a small nod.
"Yes. The mirror. You understand."
Reed's expression hardened.
"Of course I do. In fact... I can build it."
Tony scoffed. "Oh, really? Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?"
Reed, unfazed, tapped at a holographic interface.
"Unfortunately, no. Because I've already built one before, Anthony. What she calls a mirror… I call a bridge."
---
Deep beneath Wakanda, in the underground halls of Necropolis, the Illuminati gathered around the newly constructed device.
Black Panther, arms folded, studied the towering structure before them.
"Are you sure this will work?"
Reed adjusted a control panel, his voice steady.
"Yes. The original design contained a singularity powering an uncertainty engine. Attached to that was a variable imager, allowing us to accurately interpret data from alternate realities. The idea was simple: an observation device—one that lets us see how problems were solved on other Earths."
Black Panther's gaze sharpened.
"Then limit the search. Be precise."
Tony nodded.
"Clearly define the parameters."
Black Swan's lips curled into a knowing smirk.
"And then you can watch—watch the glorious deaths of universes as Earth crashes into Earth. Rabum Alal be praised."
Beast let out a slow breath, stepping closer to the Bridge. His fingers hovered over the controls.
"I still don't fully understand how this works. But… how could we come this far and not take a look?"
---
Back in the Living Room.
Rick and Morty sat on the couch, watching intently as the events unfolded on their interdimensional viewing box.
Morty leaned forward, eyes wide. "Rick, these heroes are impressive. They even built their own device to look into alternate realities."
Rick smirked. "Yeah, real smart, Morty. And yet, isn't it ironic? They built a machine to peer into other realities, but they'll never know that they're just a TV show being watched by us."
Morty blinked. "Oh… yeah. That's kinda messed up."
Rick took a sip from his flask. "Eh. Let's see how their little science project plays out."
On-screen, the Illuminati of Earth-616 powered up their machine, and an image of another Earth flickered into view.
---
On Earth-23099 a massive battle raged.
The city lay in ruins, its skyline shattered. Fires blazed in the distance. The Illuminati of this world stood their ground against an ominous force—the Black Priests.
A hero unleashed a powerful energy blast, striking one of the strange beings dead-on. The attack landed… but the creature barely reacted.
"They're resilient," someone muttered.
Black Bolt, the silent king of Attilan, stepped forward. He parted his lips ever so slightly.
A single word erupted from his mouth.
A catastrophic shockwave ripped through the battlefield, leveling buildings and engulfing the Black Priests in a deafening storm of destruction.
The dust settled. The heroes tensed.
And then… the Black Priests reformed.
Blood swirled unnaturally around their bodies, knitting them back together in an eerie, fluid motion. Their golden helmets and armor, inscribed with ancient symbols, gleamed under the fires of war.
Magneto scowled, pointing at them.
"None of our attacks are working. They keep coming back."
Professor X narrowed his eyes.
"Whoever these creatures are, Magneto… their purpose must parallel ours regarding the incursions. If they plan and scheme, then they can be controlled. And if not controlled, then perhaps I can understand their intentions."
Xavier pressed his fingers to his temple, reaching into their minds.
His eyes widened in horror.
These weren't mere enemies. They were eldritch constructs, forged through black magic—creatures bound by words and will.
They moved in perfect synchronicity, their golden helmets marked with a singular eye symbol.
As Xavier's mind touched theirs, they turned—every single one of them.
A distorted, inhuman voice echoed from their ranks.
"Find anything interesting?"
Blood dripped from Xavier's nose and eyes. His breath was shaky.
"My God… not one mind, but many. Their collective consciousness is unfathomable."
Magneto clenched his fist. "Enough mysteries. Let's see what these creatures really are."
With a flick of his fingers, he lifted their helmets using his magnetic control.
The truth was revealed.
Beneath the golden masks, there were no faces—no eyes, no mouths. Only a single symbol, etched into their featureless heads.
They turned toward the heroes, speaking in unison.
"We see you."
Reed Richards analyzed their behavior, running rapid calculations in his mind.
"They can reorganize their matter without any real structure. This suggests they lack conventional biology. If we're going to stop them, we need to rethink their weaknesses—the rules by which they operate."
Black Panther observed them carefully. "They are not alive in the way we understand. They are constructs—born of science and magic intertwined."
Iron Man soared above them, his repulsors humming.
"Great. So we just blast them until they turn to ash. No body, no regeneration."
One of the Black Priests tilted its head.
"Hrrrnn. Science… Magic. These concepts annoy us."
They raised their hands. The air vibrated, and their voices twisted into an unnatural cadence.
"A lesson for you, defenders of this dying world… Ignore disciplines. The underpinning of all things is much simpler. All that matters are the words. All else is best left unspoken."
They spoke—words not meant to be heard by mortal ears.
Reality itself bent.
The Illuminati screamed.
They burned.
Flames erupted from their very souls, consuming them from the inside out. Their flesh turned to cinders, their bodies crumbling into nothingness.
Moments later, only bones remained, charred and lifeless.
The Black Priests replaced their helmets and walked away, their work complete.
The planet itself trembled. Then, with a final, devastating rupture—Earth-23099 exploded.
---
The screen flickered. The heroes of Earth-616 sat in stunned silence.
Reed Richards stared at the remnants of the fallen Earth.
"Hmm… those beings are unlike anything we've encountered."
Tony Stark exhaled sharply.
"No kidding. They spoke a few words, and an entire team of world-class heroes ceased to exist."
He turned to Reed.
"Switch frequencies. Let's find another Earth."
Reed adjusted the machine. The screen flickered once more.
"Let's see what happens next."