Chapitre 1: Choose Your Own Adventure… Excelsior!
Earth-616
Six years ago…
"Hey, pass the ball…!"
"Here!"
"Mark, fall back! They're trying to draw you in!"
"Ugh! Change of tactics! Let's bring out our secret weapon!"
It was a pleasant sunny day.
The afternoon sun in all its glory was still sparely obstructed by the clouds, and even so, there were still enough gaps that revealed the blue painting of the unique rich blue firmaments. As a result, it makes today the perfect day especially for the little kids who were on their summer vacations to come out and frolic around in the community park.
"Nice one, Sheeran! Hidden weapon or not, you aren't gonna' get pass our deffy."
The leafs on the branches were still lush green, proving that the vitality held within the numerous trees littered around the central park were still there. It painted a sparse forest, one with enough space that when looked closer, still contains a mystical elements that draws you in…
"Hey guys, time out! I'm feeling thirsty. I'm going to get something to drink from my mom."
"Alright… But when you're coming back, bring me lemon juice."
"Sweet tooth."
The community's park was particularly teeming on days like this. Lovers and families coming for a lovely day out. Bachelors and spinsters sprinkled around, hoping to become that lucky person as they exit the park. Even loners and tourists could be scantily spotted around, sitting at some park benches or under tree shades, just enjoying the beautiful scenery their present location presented…
But surely there must always be an odd one out….
The 10 year old African-American sat gloomily on the swing, watching the panorama with dull eyes. Dressed in yellow sleeve shirt and shorts of a darker tinge. It was expected by his folks back at home that he was supposed to dirty his present wear by enjoying himself.
'Be with your friends,' They said. 'Childhood always happens once in a life time,' They said.
Bah!
For the little boy, all their sayings would have been correct… If he strangely wasn't the only Black kid in the community.
It has been speculated around the world, that your method of upbringing could either make you or break you. It could either hasten your growth or slow it down.
Just look all the young superhuman kids for example.
The boy would like to believe that it helped him grow. If it weren't for the fact that his dad refused to let him to carry his books, then he would have been sitting under a shade far from this racket reading comfortably. Or, better yet. He would have been napping, although, the numbers around here makes would have made it hard to do so.
"As if the Red Skull isn't enough." The 10 years old muttered dryly to himself.
Both his feet pushed against the pasture giving the child momentum to swing himself like a pendulum. Sighing, he wondered why he was even doing this, before the answer then came to him.
His dad is a police man assigned to this neighborhood. And for all the police were purported to be a fair legal establishment, there were still racial nuances and prejudices back at the station that made his dad dead tired at most times. So the boy didn't want to ruin his father's free day.
Absentmindedly staring at an orange butterfly that flapped pass him. The boy wondered, for all talks of USA being free, was it truly that. FREE…
Like for examples, the Mutants. A specific group of people with a little something in their blood system that either changes their forms horribly or grants them superpowers. But instead of the world to help them acclimate back into the society with their new changes, they crease their face in disgust calling them freaks, progenies birthed by the devils.
Mobs chase them down and kill them…
Their parents disown them, chasing them from what was once their homes…
Giant robots fly around, looking to capture them like they weren't like the next man or woman just some seconds ago…
How stupid…
Is it truly a surprise that most of the Mutants would resort to villainy?
Dad always says that, people shouldn't blame the world for the actions they take as they are the masters of themselves. But what if it was the world who presented it to those people as the only option?
"Quite the line of thought coming from a little child that ought to be playing with the others on this beautiful day."
The boy shivered as cold sweat covered his back. Just at his side, an old man with pure white hair wearing a simple brown jacket, a white-collared inner and black slacks sat by his side. Dark obscuring glasses hid the old man's eyes, but the boy could have sworn the man's eyes had a subtle cherry twinkle.
"Indeed they do, son."
'There it is again.' The boy shivered.
How is the man doing that? Reading his mind like that. Is he some kind of Mutant telepath? Magician, Alien, maybe even a God or a higher entity. Fear took hold of the 10 year old as he wondered what he had done to warrant such a visit.
The strange old man scratched the side of his head, before turning to the crowd and then emulated the young boy's swinging.
"Those are some fanciful names you got there, kid. Well, I've been called many things by many people. But I would prefer calling myself, Stan Lee. But you kid can call me, Mr. Lee."
The boy dumbly nodded to which the old man chuckled.
"So kid, what's yours?"
"Abram…" The boy replied, as he strangely felt calm around the man. "Adams."
"So Abram, eh. What are you doing here all by yourself under this wonderful weather rather playing with your age-mates?"
It was then, Abram resumed back to gazing at the scenery. The boys who had just taken a short break had resumed back, playing football with full throttle.
"As you can see, apparently because I'm black, I'm neither invited nor welcomed." Abram replied back with his voice becoming a little snarky.
"Because of your skin color, eh?" The stranger hummed. "How unoriginal. Well, it isn't that much of a surprise. No matter how far the world has progressed, there will still be a primal instinct in men to group together against something different in their midst. You can be sure that the same thing would happen, even if you were a white kid in a black neighborhood."
"Yeah I know that." But then the boy smiled. "Although, it does make me feel like those X-men folks?"
Mr. Lee huffed in amusement. "… Just like the X-men."
The swinging duo were quiet for some seconds, Abram feeling quiet strange and giddy? As he sucked in a deep breath. The summer air suffused in delicious food from all flats and outdoor barbecue were making him to feel quiet hungry.
"Up we go."
The African-American turned to see Mr. Lee stand up dusting his pants.
"Hey kid. How about we go grab a hamburger and something to drink?"
Abram tilted his head. "But I don't have any money."
The stranger brought his glasses down revealing a blue eye that winked at the child. "Don't worry about that, I still got some spare change left on me."
Suddenly feeling an urge to smile, Abram gave a large swing as he hopped down bopping his head. "Well, thanks!"
…..
"So kid, how do you feel about comics?"
They had already changed their location to a park bench at a higher ground that provided a wonderful view of the scenery…
"Comics…" Abram took another bite of his hamburger, using his sleeve to clean his lips before he immediately replied. "I love them."
"Hmm~" Mr. Lee smiled as he rested an arm on the rest, crossing his leg as he regarded the child. "And, what do you love about them."
Now feeling a little bit self-conscious, Abram bashfully rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I really don't have a complicated answer, except that it's just fun. To be someone, to go one a mystical journey, fight the bad guys, save the day… Comics gives me this adrenaline feeling that the real world can't provide safely."
Incursions from aliens, invasions from hell-spots. From ordinary super-villains to all-powerful titans set on destroying or conquering the Planet. Adams Abram had never been so thankful that he lives in a small unknown town far away from the big fights. With his dad being a policeman and all, would mean absolutely nothing in the face of Gods and Superhumans.
He would only be the initial casualty, his life taken from him in the line of duty…
Even so, it doesn't mean that he hates superhumans. Rather he likes them, or to be more precise, the adventure of what being 'Them' would present. Alien worlds, dimensions, realities. That and many more comes with the perk of being one of 'Them.'
So yes, through that colored piece of paper, Abram likes to soak himself into the life of a Super-Hero and adventure every once in a while.
If the boy was expecting Mr. Lee to feel disappointed in his reply, then he was so very wrong.
"100%, A, excellent! That is what I like to hear! You see, Abram. Comics for me are like a window opportunity presented to the common folks. Not as an avenue of power play, but rather as a form imaginative interaction. To feel what the characters feel, laugh when they laugh and cry when they cry… You, Abram have made me a happy man."
'And have also affirmed for me that you are really deserving of my gift. '
Mr. Lee sighed sitting up, gazing straight forward as if he was looking at a fond image.
"You see kid. I'm heading somewhere far away. Where I don't know? But where I'm going… I'm never coming back."
A wave of sadness filled the 10 year old, as he shook uncomfortably. As one without friends, while strange, it wasn't a surprise that Mr. Lee was suddenly growing on the young child. Even though Mr. Lee might be somewhat peculiar…
"Are-Are you, dying?"
"Dying…? No-no, rather I'm heading for another big adventure. You see, I have friends waiting for me over there, and I'm already due for that place after all." Seeing the child's despondent look, shook the old man's heart. So with a smile filled with age, and most important of all, 'Satisfaction,' Mr. Lee continued.
"Come on, it's no big deal. And also, before I go, I've decided to create a little something for this world, a last 'Legacy' of sorts. I'm somewhat of a 'Comic Artist' after all."
It was then, the young Adams Abram heard the question that would spark the beginning of the greatest adventure of his life.
"A mutant, a god, an alien or a cosmic entity. Which one do you like among all the ones I mentioned?"
Abram blinked at the sudden question being thrown at him. The child was about to question why Mr. Lee was asking such kind of question until he noticed that the man appeared quite serious.
Upon seeing that, he took one last bite gulping down the remaining burger, flushing down it with his drink. Clearing his throat, Abram ruminated aloud.
"Mutants, like the X-men. Gods as in Thor and Hercules. Aliens like that purple man that calls himself, The Gladiator, or Cosmic Entity… Like Galactus? Hmm…" The boy closed his eyes making a show of swaying his head in contemplation.
"I say… Mutants."
Mr. Lee's eyes shot up. "Why not the others? From what I've been seeing, being a Mutant is more of a lottery. If you are lucky, you become powerful, if not, then your power becomes what literally kills you."
Abrams nodded in affirmation. Mr. Lee was right about that. From those propagandas presented on TV shows –especially those FOHs- they always show Mutants as one big inhuman shaped monsters. But the boy knew that most of them didn't even want to be that.
Some Mutants like the terrorist Magneto get to be powerful, while some others get to look like monsters. It was always a matter of luck…
But even so…
"I still prefer Mutants over the others, simply because I am rooting for them and no matter what all the others say about them, they are still the same as us, humans in the end."
Correspondingly, when he sees ordinary 'Gifted' humans standing alongside super-powered gods, cosmic beings and aliens. It subtly fills him with pride, that yes, even the people of Earth got what it takes to stand on its own in this wide and alarmingly dangerous universe.
Mr. Lee stared in intently at the boy, before shaking his head. "You really know how to keep this old-bones amazed, kid. Mutant, huh, got it. Now, how about the main question I've been meaning to ask. Tell me ' Three' of your favorite Superhumans."
"Three?" Abrams echoed before giving a light chuckle.
That was quite funny because, if Mr. Lee had asked him the number of his favorite superhumans, then the African-American would have said that exact number.
Three…
"Blue Marvel, Sentry… And Spawn."
"Spawn?" The old man echoed, feigning a show of being confused.
Fortunately the boy didn't get Mr. Lee undercurrent tone as Abrams bashfully laughed. "He's a comic book character, my favorite character. I like his cool costume, his powers and most of all, even though everyone is always calling him the bad guy, he's more of an anti-hero who uses his rather evil powers for good. Kind of like the X-men and the Hulk."
"Heh~" Mr. Lee looked up to see the sun approaching its midpoint. "Spawn, huh. With Sentry and Blue Marvel, although I can see why you picked those two. The yellow Guardian with cool powers, while the other is a man who by all right should have hated the world, but still decides to be the better man."
The boy nodded. "Right on the dot, Mr. Lee."
Resting both his elbows on his laps, Mr. Lee steeple his hands together with his face taking on a look of utmost concentration. "Mutant. Sentry, Blue Marvel and Spawn. Quite the bar I got this time, how fun. So how am I to mash them all together?"
…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…
At that very moment,
In a certain dimension. An Omnipotent being closed his eyes, as he sat before a plain piece of paper, pencil in hand, with cleaners and rulers by the ready…
He, who drew an infinite adventurous narratives in the House of Ideas is once again, ready to begin his next, and final tale.
With a snap, TOOA's eyes cranked open as a jolly smile creased his lips. With a bubbling emotion that could never be contained.
TOOA for the last time drew with all his heart… Like he always did.
…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…
"Hahahahahahaha, I got it!" The old man whooped in childlike wonder. "From magic to science, from the supernatural to all scientific wonders… I can see it now, and it'll be so cool."
Facing the utterly bemused Abram Adams, Mr. Lee's wild smile turned soft. His hand went into a pocket in his jacket and from it produced out a necklace. It had a dull golden sheen that suggested its mineral authenticity, but the 10 year old couldn't be so sure. It also had a thin crisscross like chain work while at the center was a ruby like cross.
"Here, I want you to take this."
Hesitantly, Abram took the cross off the man's hands observing it in curiosity. "It's beautiful." But the boy still couldn't help but ask. "But why are you giving me this?"
"Hmm~" The old man shrugged. "That's for the future you to find out."
Ruffling the boy's head, Mr. Lee shoved his hands into his pocket. He would have loved to say more, but unfortunately, it is finally time to get going…
"Kid, I want you to remember as you go forward, that life would not always be easy for you. It doesn't matter if you are a hero, a villain or even a normal civilian. I won't say, with great power comes with great responsibilities' but always remember. 'Live life to the fullest,' and… Excelsior!"
"?" The boy tilted his head at the last word, "Excelsior?"
But at the next blink of the child's eyes… Mr. Lee was gone. Turning around, Abram furtively cast his gaze left and right trying to spot where the old man had left… In the end, the African-American would later go home thinking what had just happened was all a dream.
Meanwhile around his neck, the ruby like gem glowed…
-Spawn Ω Archetypes-
It was a place of free of ideas… A %$ of pure blankness, free from the colors of creations. A space that will never be known to anyone else… Except the lone old man who trekked across the space that had no such thing as distance. But in that moment, he granted it such a concept…
"Humm~!" Stretching his hands while groaning, Stan Lee smiled with a look of accomplishment. "Whew~ that really took a lot out from me than I imagined. Although, it seems like I did made him tad bit too powerful… Eh~ well the world can surely handle him."
His nonchalant tone was a sign of an unbreakable trust, he had in a cosmos that has and will always face an uncountable number of tribulations and still thrive in the end.
"Abram Adams, huh… Or should I be calling him, the Divine Spawn." The man who could be described as another facet of 'The One Above All' smiled.
It was on a whim, a little stroll he took at an unassuming park, where he saw the little kid looking on forlornly… Oh, the creator could smell the adventure aromatizing out from an Omni-verse away. He couldn't help but give in.
"I'll be seeing from the other-side, the kind of changes you'll be making in around here. Although, I know it wouldn't be a small one."
His sudden musing was cut off, as just besides Stan Lee, a young maiden like voice called to him. "Oh, dear. It seems like the wonders of the world has cut you off once again."
It carried such a familiarity that his eyes widened at the sight of the beautiful maiden that stood beside him. "Joan…"
His mouth opened in mute shock, before his apparently younger wife chuckled pulling him along. "Honey. You've got to tell me of all the wonder things I have been missing."
"Everything." The young man who had once and shall always be called 'The True Loving Father' replied, as he strengthened his hold around his wife's hand.
"Only this time, I'm never letting go. Let's go see it all together."
"Excelsior and beyond…"
"… … …" A trail of tear passed through his eyes as they both entered cavity in the blank space, heading for the unknown. "Excelsior and beyond."
…-…-…-…-…-…-…-...
It was felt throughout the cosmos. It couldn't be described, neither was there any explanation… From every being, thing and concept that possess a modicum of thought felt a trail of something slid down their cheeks.
And when asked, this was their strange report.
Something wonderful has just left on a journey of no return.
.
The Living Tribunal bowed to an empty seemingly Throne. It was his only way of showing respect to his creator, the one who granted him life and purpose. But The Living Tribunal knew the emptiness of the True Omnipotent Seat of Power wouldn't be there for long…
He is coming…
-Spawn Ω Archetype-
Earth-616
Present day…
'Dancing through the snow~'
'On a one horse open sleigh~'
'One the fields we go~ laughing all the way~'
'Hahaha~'
The falling snow, coupled with the thrumming carols that echoed all around, resonated with the eminent season of cheerful giving. There was a jolly atmosphere in town…
The streets were lit up with multi-colored lights from the roofs of houses nearby. Occasionally, snowmen could be spotted around, some with carrots serving as their noses while the others had only had a scarf around their invisible necks. It was only two days to the most famous day of the year…
As such, it was the norm that holidays were expected to be taken by most companies, industries or institutions -except the Black Companies, of course- But even though it was just 5 in the morning, there are some individuals in which their line of work demanded absolute dedication.
That means no breaks taken…
The mailman still dressed in his uniform thankfully covered by his windbreaker, goes houses by houses delivering mails to the pillar box every single day.
Exhaling out a white fume, the 16year old African-American sighed as he slotted in the last mail. Looking at the double floor residence, he had never been so thankful that his boss had relived him, giving the boy time to go and freshen up before he can deliver signed papers back to him.
"Whew~ but you really can smell the Christmas, eh."
The aroma of fried chicken wafts into his nose, overcoming even the artic chill. The now adolescent Adams Abram breathed in with his stomach responding to the stirred delicacy with a growl.
"Oh, don't you worry." He rubbed his torso in pacification. "I'm gonna' do you justice, today, just you wait and see."
A growl followed as if saying 'it couldn't wait.'
Chuckling, Abram pulled up his hood hopping onto his bicycle pedaling away.
…-…-…-…-…-…-…
"Home sweet home!" Abram incanted as he stood before a small residence.
Hopping down, he guided his bicycle though the small entrance fastening it against the lone metal pole. Giving his neck bone some reliving pops as he walked up the rickety stairs, the 16year old opened the door and greeted out loud with a smile.
"I'm back~!"
He stood still waiting for a reply that he knew would never come. From the side of the living room, a picture of the boy's Dad and Mom hung up on the wall staring at their son unable to reply.
Swallowing a lump, the African-American gave a watery smile trying to get into the Christmas cheer. Even though, he knew it was on this day he lost his last surviving family…
"…!"
Abram suddenly let out a yelp, as he found his view obscured by soft dainty palms. But then when he realized that both palms had a familiar feel to it, the boy relaxed, while his smile became more sincere.
"Can you guess who?" The woman behind him asked.
Her voice had an accent that contained a surly undertone that always seemed to light a fire in the boy every time he hears her speak. Abram smiled at the dumb but cute way, his ordinary but also unordinary girlfriend decided to surprise him.
"Hmm~ allow me to guess." Abram said, cupping his chin like as if he was considering a particular scenery. "Chloe?"
The pressure tightened in response. "It seems like you don't need this eyes, then."
"Wait-Wait-Wait-Wait-Wait babe!"
Panicking, the boy knew his girlfriend had the freakish strength to do what she had just said. So he deftly slipped through the hold as he turned bringing his rather lithe girlfriend into a hug.
"I'm just screwing around, Sylvie. Come on, no need to take things that far."
She drew the tress currently obscuring one of her eyes, as she too contemplated in his hold. "You're lucky that you're embracing me tight, right now. I don't like being mistaken for another woman, you know that, Abram."
"Right, mam." The boy primly nodded as he looked down to see his girlfriend.
She had a fair unblemished skin, coupled with raven dark hair, and verdant green eyes that contained a mystical kind of glow. The boy could even say her beauty surpasses that of those famous models. It was that unearthly.
"I don't know what you are thinking of right now, but I have quite the feeling that I'll like it." She said releasing her boyfriend, as she went to hang her rather expensive looking dark fur coat while making herself right at home.
'I swear, you and that strange old man are kind of the same.' Abram thought as his hand instinctly went to the necklace beneath his clothes giving it a rub.
Well, even though she was quite the strange unordinary girl. Adams Abram would always be the first to say how lucky he is the luckiest man alive to have Sylvie Laufeydottir as his girlfriend….
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone