Desolate Land

King of Hell wasn't perfect.

Yes, it could heal most of the injuries in no time, recovering nerve function, healing from burns, and even constructing broken bones anew. However, it had one flaw. A major one, in Nagato's opinion.

It could not heal the soul, and that's exactly what had been harmed the most within Nagato. The Infinity Stones weren't only extremely threatful to physical condition, but they also attacked the soul, ripping it piece by little piece.

Nagato could feel his soul trembling from the recent battles, for it couldn't withstand the constant confrontation with the Infinity Stones. Perhaps one or two more applications of Tesseract and his life would simply terminate. Just like that, unknown to the heeds of everyone. Silently.

Dwelling in this perpetual darkness as his wounds vanished one after another, Nagato realized one important thing. He was too careless. No... he was just plain stupid.

He rushed into the battle, not hindering any danger, thinking of himself as invincible. Only that he was not, and the stones have actually done a lot of harm to him so far. He needed to be more careful, more sly, and manipulating.

But could he really be blamed for his haste?

Perhaps it didn't appear so, but the thought of gaining all the Infinity Stones motivated Nagato to extremes. Even if it would be just a moment, he could become a creature that could change the reality itself. And then he could cease the existence of hatred from the entire universe, restoring the ancient harmony.

'It seems that the time for a change has come.' Nagato heard a clicking sound from the darkness, and an agonizing light revealed itself in the distance. 'I need a team... No... I need an entire army dedicated to following me to the gravest battles.'

As Nagato pondered, the light was nearing with each of his steps. Before, he thought that creating a team would only bring more troubles his way, however, he now understood that it was essential for his success. No matter how powerful Nagato was, he couldn't fight thousands of soldiers alone. Especially when their leader is someone of equivalent strength to Ronan.

"I presume I am lucky enough to not be in an open ocean." Nagato escaped from his thoughts, stepping out of the King of Hell, who unsummoned himself afterward.

The entire skyline, no matter which direction Nagato peeped, was covered in snow. The air was chilly, and Nagato felt exceptionally cold since the upper part of his body was completely exposed.

If there were any trails of human beings left behind, they ultimately disappeared because of the relentless storms happening in this area. Hail formed on the aggregate of Nagato's body, forcing him to naturally shiver in response.

"Or perhaps I am not." Nagato coughed lightly, flames escaping through his nostrils. The surrounding snow somewhat abated, and Nagato rose into the air. Unfortunately, even from above, he couldn't see anything that would catch his attention.

Thus, Nagato did what everyone else would do in his position. He chose the path at random and then began to fly that way, not knowing even what to expect from this desolate land.

Nagato flew, and flew, and flew. He had already lost the track of time, though he was sure that a few days have definitely passed. Before long, he summoned one of his creatures with the ability to fly and switched to traveling on it.

It was much more efficient this way and Nagato spent this free time pondering over the probable location of other stones. He had only a hint that one stone may be on Asgard, a planet inhabited by one of the most powerful of gods.

Odin.

However, that was just an assumption, and he had no definite truth. Nagato needed a passive source of information, which would give all the truths needed for his plans. There was so much to do, yet he was stuck in this unhabit- Nagato ordered the summon to stop immediately.

"Finally," Nagato mumbled in delight, regarding two soldiers from above. They were dressed in dark costumes entirely and had weapons in their hands, appearing to be guarding the entrance into a shelter beside them.

Who were they defending it from, though? It was a desolate land and no normal human would survive during these conditions.

Nagato grew interested. There was definitely something of great value inside, for they wouldn't create a bunker here in the first place. Silently, he jumped off the summon's head.

Surprisingly, the soldiers took their job seriously, as they were constantly inspecting left and right for any viable threat. Never would they have expected an enemy coming from above.

Nagato landed in between them like a snowflake. They stood for a few seconds unfazed, blinking their eyes as if trying to comprehend the current situation. As soon as they regained their composure, however, it was already too late.

Nagato grabbed both of them by their hair and propelled them against each other, killing them in an instant. Each of their bodies fell against the ground with a silent thud, almost disappearing within the lots of snow.

"This symbol... it seems so familiar." Nagato grabbed the jacket off a dead body, inspecting the read skull symbol on its shoulder. Hydra, a terrorist organization that was almost always the cause of everything evil happening in the world.

Nagato already forgot whose memories were these, but he didn't even care that much as to remember. Hydra... that's exactly what he needed. A force that had networks all over the world and had thousands of soldiers in their ranks.

Nagato smiled.

-

An old man stood before the floating image of a gorgeous, blonde-haired woman, his eyes conveying reprehensible grief. The planet shook with each of his scowls, for he was the planet itself.

"Yet another of my kids dies and yet another cycle of life has to begin." Ego mumbled, sadness clear in his eyes. Silently, he glanced into the blue sky. "Oh, my dear Meredith, will I ever be able to achieve the greatness I desire so much?"

***

I am sexy.