X-Force: Beyond Omega

[Hela's mind]

Hela folded her arms, fingers tapping against her armored forearm as she raised an eyebrow at Aron and gave him a look of pure amusement.

"Oh, this is rich," she said, tilting her head with a smirk. "You, some arrogant immortal or maybe a half-immortal with unknown power, think you can fix what Odin himself failed to? The same Odin who wielded the Odinforce, who shaped the realms, who conquered countless worlds and fought Gods?"

She took a slow step forward. The cracked, decayed half of her body pulsed with dark energy, the deathly rot creeping up her arm as her black cloak writhed unnaturally.

"Odin gave me this cloak," she continued, gripping its edge between her fingers, "not as a gift, but as a cage. A lie. A means to hide my true form because even he couldn't stop what was happening to me. And believe me, I have searched, longer than you have been alive, for a cure. For a way to heal this."

She raised her necrotic arm and looked at it, moving her bony fingers.

"And do you know what I found?" she said, her voice cold. "Nothing. No spell, no relic, no cosmic force that could undo this. I am death incarnate, boy. There is no cure for what I am."

Aron simply stared at her, his expression unreadable. Then, he let out a sigh, his fingers flexing as the Phoenix Force continued to flicker around him. "Alright," he said, his tone unnervingly calm. "But let's say, just for fun, that I can do it."

Hela rolled her eyes. "Oh, by all means, do entertain me."

Aron smirked. "What would you do if I healed you? If I heal you, remove Odin's leash from your body, burn away his influence, and let you keep your power, all of it, without the cost?"

Hela narrowed her eyes slightly, the amusement in her gaze dimming just a fraction.

"You talk as if such a thing is possible," she said.

Aron stepped closer, closing the distance between them. The warmth of the Phoenix Force radiated from him, colliding with the icy, deathly energy that clung to Hela like a second skin. Then Hela sensed another power. The aura of death, but far more superior than her power. 

'That's the power of death! That golden energy... It's too suffocating and primal. What kind of being is he? Well, well, well, my dear little brother... It would seem your little plan gave me a golden chance. If he can heal me and cut off Odin's influence then... Oh, Loki, I'll rip your head soon enough,' Hela thought. 

"You didn't answer the question," Aron said softly, tilting his head. "What would you do, Hela?"

The Goddess of Death held his gaze, her lips pressed into a thin line. For the first time, the smirk faded completely from her face.

What would she do?

For so long, she had accepted her half-rotted form as her fate. A curse she could never escape. She had never dared to truly consider the possibility that it could be undone. Even Odin had failed. What made this man think he was any different?

And yet…

There was something about him.

The way he spoke. The certainty in his voice. The sheer power coiling around him like a living flame, something far greater than any force she had ever encountered.

Her mind raced, but she forced herself to scoff. "You really are arrogant."

Aron grinned. "Takes one to know one."

Hela exhaled through her nose, crossing her arms again. "...If you actually could do it, which I still highly doubt, I'll allow you to woe me."

"Eeh?!" Aron's eye twitched. 

He blinked.

For a solid five seconds, he just stood there, staring at Hela as if she had just declared that she was going to join the X-Men and start a charity for orphaned kittens.

"…Wait, what?" he finally said.

Hela smirked, clearly enjoying his reaction. "You heard me." She took a slow, deliberate step toward him. "If you truly possess the power to 'fix' me, to remove Odin's leash, to make me whole... I'll consider it an impressive feat."

Her smirk deepened, her emerald eyes gleaming with mischief. "And as a reward, I'll allow you the honor of wooing me."

Aron blinked again, his mind trying to process what the hell just happened. He still wasn't sure he'd heard her right.

"…Woo you?" he repeated slowly as if testing the words.

Hela smirked, her emerald eyes gleaming with mischief and something deeper—something sharp, calculating. "Of course," she said smoothly. "Isn't that how it works? Two powerful beings, drawn together, their might combined to create something even greater?"

Her fingers traced the edges of her cloak, the very thing that had bound her to Odin's will for centuries. "If you're telling the truth... if you can truly make me whole, then it's only natural that we join forces."

She let the words hang in the air before adding, almost teasingly, "And breed."

Aron choked.

Hela chuckled, clearly amused. "What? Did you think gods and kings seek love? No. They seek legacy. They seek heirs who will surpass them. Our children would inherit our power. They would be stronger than us. Greater than us. They would conquer the realms, not as rulers, but as absolute forces."

Her voice took on a low, almost hypnotic tone. "You hold yourself back. I can see it in you. You walk among humans, play mortal games, restrain your power when you could shape the stars themselves."

She stepped even closer, standing mere inches from him. "Why do you limit yourself to Earth when you could have the universe? With me by your side, all the realms will fall under our heels. You will become the King and I as your wife, the Queen. Together, we'll rule."

Aron remained still. His expression didn't change, but his eyes darkened slightly. For the first time, he saw something in Hela beyond arrogance, beyond cruelty.

She actually believes this.

She wasn't boasting. She wasn't mocking him. She truly, deeply believed in power for power's sake.

Conquering. Ruling. Expanding.

That was all she knew.

Aron took a deep breath.

"Alright," he said. "Let's say I do that. Let's say I stop holding back. I take the universe. I rule everything."

He met her gaze. "What then?"

Hela's smirk faltered, just a fraction.

Aron continued. "After I conquer every realm. After I kill all my enemies. After I sit on a throne above all…" He tilted his head. "What would I do next?"

Silence.

Hela's expression didn't change, but there was a flicker of something, just for a second, in her emerald eyes. Something like hesitation.

Aron watched her carefully. "You've spent your whole existence fighting, ruling, proving yourself. You want to make the strongest offspring, create an empire. Fine. Let's say you succeed. Let's say we take everything. And when there's no one left to fight? No more enemies to kill. No more realms to take."

His voice softened. "What do you do then, Hela?"

Hela's jaw tightened.

Her mind raced for an answer. Conquering, ruling, expanding... that was the purpose of power. That was how the strong lived. That was the way of the gods. She was made for that. That's all she ever knew.

And yet…

She had never thought about what came after.

No one had ever asked her that before.

And that unsettled her more than she cared to admit.

Silence stretched between them, the void of her mindscape pressing in like a thousand unseen eyes waiting for her answer.

But she had none.

Hela had lived her life in pursuit of power, of conquest, of proving her worth. The idea that there could be nothing left to take… that she could win and still have no purpose beyond that?

It rattled something deep inside her.

Aron watched her carefully, waiting, letting the weight of the question sink in. Then, finally, he exhaled, shaking his head.

"Yeah," he said. "That's what I thought."

Hela scowled, defensive. "Tch. Don't act like you've figured me out, boy."

He smirked. "I don't need to figure you out. You did it yourself."

Hela's fists clenched. "What do you want, then? What grand wisdom are you about to bestow upon me, oh mighty one?"

Aron chuckled. "Oh, it's simple." He stepped back, folding his arms over his chest. "I'll heal you. I'll burn away Odin's leash, free you from his influence, and let you keep all of your power."

Hela raised a brow, waiting for the catch.

Aron smirked. "In return, you serve me for five years."

Silence.

Then, Hela laughed. It wasn't just a chuckle—it was full-bodied amusement, her head tilting back as her rich, sharp laughter echoed in the mindscape.

"Oh, that is adorable," she purred, looking back at him with a smirk. "You really think the Goddess of Death would agree to servitude?"

Aron shrugged. "Five years is nothing to a god."

Hela's smirk twitched slightly, her amusement dimming just a fraction.

He was right. To mortals, five years was a long time. To her? It was nothing. A blink. A moment.

But still. Her? A servant?

She scoffed. "You insult me."

"No," Aron said, voice unwavering. "I'm giving you a choice."

Hela narrowed her eyes. "A choice?"

Aron nodded. "You can keep pretending that power is all that matters. That conquering and ruling are the only things that define you. And if that's the case? Then you'll never be free. You'll always be Odin's failure, no matter how many thrones you sit on."

His words cut deeper than she wanted to admit.

"Or," he continued, "you can take the deal. Five years, and in return, I'll show you that there are more things than power. You are much more than just Odin's creation. The power Odin tried to suppress all these years... I'll help you unlock your true potential. But all in all, you will be my servant for 5 years."

Hela's eyes widened. "What did you say? My true potential?!"

"..." Aron paused for a moment. "Ah! You don't know, do you? Hahahaha!" He burst out in laughter. 

"Out with it, boy," She grumbled. "Tell me the truth."

'Odin suppressed my power? Is it true? Why? No, more importantly, how does he know all these things? I must discover his real identity.'

"Take the deal and I might just tell you... Or better, help you reach your full potential. Then, you can go to your daddy and beat the answer out of him," Aron smirked.

Hela was still stunned, trying to process everything. 

"So... What's it gonna be?" He asked.

"Very well," Hela agreed. "5 years. I'll serve you 5 years without any questions."

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