---
Russian Arctic – 2007, Nightfall
The cavern trembled as Hann stood beneath the ancient sigils. The staff pulsed in his hand, responding to thoughts he didn't even know he had. His breath came fast, steam swirling from his mouth like dragon smoke. The Nine Rings floated silently above his forearm, humming in harmony.
He staggered outside into the blistering wind, eyes glowing faintly with new awareness.
The world had changed.
No—he had.
---
A memory stirred.
Not his own.
---
The year is 1203.
A golden monkey fights atop a jade pagoda, fending off celestial soldiers. The heavens themselves have dispatched enforcers to seal away the "Heavenbreaker," a rebellious construct born from a wish, a whisper, and a warrior's madness.
The monkey laughs, staff blazing, rings orbiting faster than light.
But he is outnumbered.
He whispers a final spell—splitting himself, staff and rings, across continents and generations. "Until one worthy enough…"
---
Hann gasped as the vision ended.
He collapsed in the snow, the staff clattering beside him. The rings hovered close, protective like loyal sentinels.
He realized something terrifying: this wasn't just a gift.
This was a mantle.
---
Three Days Later – Outside Helsinki, Finland
Hann had hitchhiked through subzero towns, silent forests, and storm-beaten roads. No passport. No papers. But the staff made things easier.
It responded to his will—shrinking into a cane when he needed to blend in, expanding into a warhammer when danger struck. Once, when a pair of thieves tried to rob him near Rovaniemi, the staff moved before he even swung it—protecting him like it had a mind of its own.
But the rings… those were different.
He could feel each one breathing with individual energy. One hummed with gravitation, another pulsed with illusion, and another radiated raw thermal current.
Not ten like Wenwu's—but Nine. And these had voices.
Sometimes, in quiet moments, they whispered. Some curious. Some mocking. One, the third, always laughing.
---
Meanwhile – Wakanda, Royal Archives
Shuri leaned over the table, analyzing a scan with narrow eyes. "This frequency—it's not Vibranium. But it's ancient. It matches the legends."
Okoye, standing nearby, frowned. "Legends?"
"The Nine Spirits. Zulu oral myth calls them Izwi ezilahlwe—the Cast-Out Voices. But they're older than language. They predate even the first tribes."
She tapped a waveform.
"And they just lit up—somewhere near the Arctic. Someone found them."
---
Back in Finland – An abandoned steel mill
Hann sat beside a rusting fire barrel, staff balanced across his knees, rings orbiting in slow motion.
A voice broke the stillness.
"You're a long way from home, Weihan."
Hann stood quickly, staff extending in a flash.
The man who stood before him was dressed in sleek black robes, lined with faintly glowing sigils. His face was stern, unmistakably Chinese, his eyes sharp with experience.
"Who are you?" Hann demanded.
"I am Master Ren of the Hidden House," the man said. "Your father's greatest mistake… was not killing you when he had the chance."
---
Flashback – 1992
The baby cries under the red moon. Xu Wenwu stands over the crib, torn. The prophecy says the second son will undo the House of Ten Rings. He orders the child sent away—far away. A woman in white whisks him off to South Africa, never to return.
---
Present
Hann's jaw clenched. "You served him?"
"I served the Ten Rings," Ren said. "You were never meant to awaken. But now you've tampered with Heavenbreaker's gift."
He took a stance—hands glowing with green fire.
The rings around Hann's arm flared in response. The staff twitched in his grip.
"Let's see if you're worthy."
---
The Battle – Steel vs Storm
Ren moved first, chains of jade-fire lashing toward Hann. The boy ducked, rolling behind a support beam that shattered seconds later. The staff extended on its own, catching one of the chains mid-air and snapping it like a twig.
Hann's instincts kicked in. The rings spun faster—one launched a gravitic pulse, smashing Ren against the wall. Another shifted light around Hann, bending his position.
But Ren was a veteran.
He moved through shadows, reappearing behind Hann with a flaming blade—striking a deep cut across his back.
Hann screamed, turning, staff spinning. It collided with Ren's ribs—crack—sending him tumbling.
Blood dripped from both of them.
Ren smiled.
"Not bad, Heavenbreaker's son."
Hann's eyes flared golden. "I'm not his son. Not anymore."
He raised the staff—and for the first time, willed the rings to strike.
All nine flared outward in a cascade of energy:
One drew power from the earth
Another twisted time in a microburst
A third summoned a wall of flame
And the ninth—it split Ren's own shadow from his body
The man screamed as the attacks landed, his body flung across the mill. When the dust settled, only smoking robes remained.
---
Later – Bleeding but alive
Hann collapsed by the fire barrel, breathing hard.
The staff shrunk again, resting gently beside him.
The rings returned to their orbit, calm once more.
He stared at his hands—scratched, bloodied, dangerous.
He wasn't ready.
But he had no choice.
---
Wakanda – Royal Throne Room
King T'Chaka read the report silently.
"This boy," he murmured, "he carries ancient technology. But it is more than that. I have seen this power once before. In the hands of a warlord."
Shuri looked up. "Should we bring him in?"
T'Chaka nodded. "Send word to the border tribe. The one near Lesotho. They may have someone he trusts."
---
Hammanskraal – South Africa
Naledi stepped outside her hut, brow furrowed. A shadow moved in the reeds.
A Wakandan emissary stepped forward, cloaked in near-invisibility. "You must come. Your friend... he carries fire too great to burn alone."
Naledi clenched her fists.
"Hann?"
---
Elsewhere – Deep Space, Sanctuary II
Thanos turned from the star chart.
"Something has changed," he rumbled.
Ebony Maw bowed. "Yes, my lord. A new beacon of power has awakened. Ancient. Forbidden."
The Mad Titan looked toward Earth.
"Prepare the daughters. And alert the seer. I wish to know who dares challenge fate."
---
End of Chapter 2