The frozen winds of Antarctica howled endlessly, but within the throne chamber carved from black ice and crimson flame, there was only stillness. The Scarlet King sat motionless, his eyes closed, his essence pulsing through the ley lines of Earth like blood returning to a heart long dormant.
He had made his presence known. The world was stirring. But he was not yet whole.
To act with subtlety and reach beyond his prison of awakening, he needed voices. Hands. Eyes. He needed avatars—beings who could carry his will into the world.
The ley lines trembled beneath his will. Threads of destiny stretched out across the planet. Billions of souls. Countless possibilities. But only two shone with the clarity of true potential. Two beings, powerful and ambitious, broken yet unyielding. Perfect reflections of what he desired to shape this realm into.
He reached.
---
Latveria
The wind outside Castle Doom blew cold as ever, but inside, the air was thick with power. Victor Von Doom stood alone in his sanctum, his fingers tracing ancient sigils carved into obsidian.
He had felt the presence. It had not come as a surprise. Doom always knew the boundaries of this world were thinner than most believed. He had ruled nations, wielded gods' power, and peered into the abyss more than once.
But this... this was something different.
The chamber dimmed as red mist gathered around him. His eyes narrowed. "So. You've decided to come."
A voice echoed in his mind, deeper than reality itself.
Victor Von Doom. Monarch. Sorcerer. Creator. Destroyer. You walk the line between man and god. But you have not yet chosen.
Doom remained silent.
They fear you. They chain you. But I see what you are. Let us cast down their illusions.
The vision took shape—an Earth remade in order, ruled by logic and strength. No hypocrisy. No weakness. Only will.
"And what do you want in return?" Doom asked.
Only that you serve as my voice. My will. Until I rise in full.
He hesitated. Doom did not serve. But this was not subjugation. It was alliance. A pact between sovereigns.
"Very well."
The red mist surged, flooding into him. Runes carved themselves into his armor, glowing crimson. Doom's eyes flared—burning with cosmic truth and ancient hatred.
Doom had ascended.
---
Massachusetts Academy – Frost Estate
Emma Frost sat alone in her study, fingers curled around a glass of wine, her mind drifting through psychic currents. There was a new disturbance—an ancient pressure crawling into the minds of sensitives and psychics.
She had ignored it at first. Then it came to her dreams.
The fire. The throne. The being with six burning eyes who looked at her not as prey—but as kin.
Tonight, he came fully.
The room froze. Not physically, but psychically—a cold that dug into her soul.
She stood, unfazed. "You're late."
You always were perceptive, the Scarlet King spoke through the ether.
"I've seen a hundred tyrants and would-be gods. What makes you think I'll play servant to another?"
Because you already see the truth. They will never give you the world you deserve. But I will.
Visions filled her mind—cities bowed to her will, minds reshaped in perfect clarity, a world ruled by flawless thought. No fear. No weakness.
And at the center, her voice—sharp as diamond.
Emma smiled. "You had me at 'truth'."
Power surged into her. Her skin shimmered with red and silver, her diamond form now streaked with infernal veins. The air around her pulsed. Minds screamed and then bent in awe as she walked past them.
Emma Frost, reborn.
---
Elsewhere
Doctor Strange clutched his staff, the Eye of Agamotto swinging wildly as chaos flared in the mystical plane.
"Two anchors," he whispered. "He's chosen avatars."
In Wakanda, Shuri watched the skies turn slightly red for a moment. T'Challa tightened his grip on the edge of the palace.
At Avengers Tower, Stark's HUD flickered. Energy readings from Latveria and Massachusetts skyrocketed. "We've got problems. Two of them."
Wanda felt it, too. Nearing the Scarlet King's resting place, she paused. "He's chosen them," she said to no one. A smile crept onto her lips.
"It begins."
---
Back in Antarctica
The Scarlet King opened his eyes.
"Victor. Emma. The world is blind. You will help them see."
In Latveria, Doom's shadow stretched across his nation, and the stars seemed to flicker in respect.
In New England, Emma stepped onto the snow-covered lawn of her estate, the wind swirling around her as students knelt without command.
Two heralds had risen.
The King's return would no longer be silent.
It would thunder.