Testing Powers and a Chat with Death

One of the very few good things about having a parent that doesn't want you around is that they don't care if you are late coming home or don't come home at all. School was out and Captain Stacy had come to pick up his daughter like he does every day.

Using a few key words to convince him, I was able to get Captain Stacy to take Peter, MJ, and Jean home with him, while Sam was picked up by her mom earlier. I told them I'd take the bus, but I don't think Jean fully believed me, if the concerned look on her face was anything to go by. I felt bad, but I really needed to go someplace quiet to practice my powers and test my limits.

I found that place simply by wishing I was there, and I was. It seemed to be an abandoned warehouse near the trainyard. I searched around for a long time in there to make sure there weren't any back entrances or other ways someone could sneak in with. The last thing I wanted was some snot-nose kid seeing me do 'magic' and being blackmailed later on. Especially if there was some sort of limit on my powers that I'd be discovering soon.

The front door was chained shut from the jingling noise made by the door when I pushed against it and the side entrance I blocked by pushing a very heavy drum barrel in front of it. Other than a few cracked windows way too high off the ground for anyone to reach, there was no other way of getting in.

I smiled as I was free to go wild. The first thing I created was something simple. I waved my hand in front of me and created a cube of iron about 2 meters on any side. I smiled when the loud thump struck the floor. It probably weighted several tons.

I walked around the cube, giving it a good knock all around to spot for vulnerabilities. Once I was sure it wasn't just a shell of iron, I snapped my fingers, wishing for it to disintegrate, which it did. It instantly became dust that poured over the earth beneath where it originally lay. I snapped my fingers once again, and the dust simply ceased to exist.

I jumped a bit in happiness for a bit, giddy at the results before continuing the process with various different metals and materials. All of which had the same result. Vibranium was weird, as it made a strange noise when I knocked against it, but eventually, it grew to be very tedious after the first few tests. I didn't want to suddenly find myself in a situation where I couldn't manipulate a specific type of metal something stupid like that, so I finished the testing out as quickly as possible.

Test #1 Complete: Creation and Destruction of any material is possible. It is also possible for me to change the shape or properties of any material I create myself.

Next, I tried some more complex shapes and structures. I created a lightbulb powered by a hand crank. It worked flawlessly and was actually quite bright, though after a few seconds of cranking it, my arms got tired so I stopped. I didn't like the fact I was in a kid's body but didn't want to mess with it yet, lest whatever changes I cause disable my newfound godly powers.

I deleted the hand-crank and created a modern smartphone from nothing. I turned it on and messed with the settings for a while before making a call. I instantly connected to my house number.

"Hello, who is this?" I heard a voice on the other end. It was my mother in this life. She didn't seem to be drunk, but she may have just started with her drinking, so she's not completely out of it yet.

"Mom, its me! I'm going to be sleeping over at Peters house tonight!" I said clearly.

"O-oh. I see." My mother sounded quite upset, but it was probably her guilt at driving me away eating at her. I felt bad for her, but since I knew she was going to immediately drown her sadness in alcohol, which was the route cause of the issue anyways, I tried not to let it ruin my day too badly.

"Love you!" I said, trying moderately to cheer her up before ending the call.

That conversation really sucked the wind out of my sails, but it confirmed something else. I can create any item I want and give it any ability I can imagine as well. I know this because it's the year 2000. Cell phones and the infrastructure to support wireless calling, like cell towers, don't exist yet, yet I was still able to call my mother effortlessly.

Test #2 Complete: Anything I create will work as intended, even if it shouldn't physically be possible.

Next, I willed the knowledge of how to bake a delicious apple pie into my head. This was something I legitimately didn't know how to do, so I was testing if I could grant myself knowledge.

I didn't feel anything in particular after willing in the knowledge. I was half-expecting a headache or overwhelming flow of information but got nothing of the sort. I shook my head and proceeded with the test anyway.

I decided to create a modern working kitchen in front of me. Obviously, it was also sized down so that I could use it with my child's body without needing to fly or create a stool or anything like that. Instinctively, I created the ingredients from mid-air and began to make the pie by hand. It was tiring work, but I decided to do it. If I cheated with my powers then it wouldn't be a proper test.

It took me a long time, almost an hour, but I was eventually able to put all of the ingredients together in the oven easily enough.

Test #3 Complete: I can implant mundane knowledge inside of my mind with no effort or sacrifice.

My next test was to manipulate reality to make the oven cook at a hyper-accelerated rate. I wanted to see the extent of my manipulation of time. I felt a slight tingle from my fingers when I waved them like his, but I was a success. My pie came out piping hot and perfectly cooked.

Test #4 Required Experimentation: I can manipulate local time but the consequences of doing so may vary.

I wasn't sure what that tingling feeling was, but when I stopped manipulating time, it stopped the tingling. I took this as a warning to not get ahead of myself and proceeded to the next test. I granted myself the knowledge of where Captain America was located and got a ping in the arctic.

I created a jacket for myself and gave myself snow boots before willing myself to the location. I immediately began to shiver as I became aware of where I was. It appeared I was inside of an ice cave somewhere. There was barely enough sunlight piercing through the glacial cave's roof to see, but more than enough to spot the vibranium shield laying next to a frozen body.

"Huh? I guess he didn't retire. I had a hunch they were lying about that to not let everyone know they'd lost his body." I muttered a bit to myself before teleporting back.

I didn't want to somehow break the timeline of his discovery, so I left him where he was for now. It's not like I couldn't teleport back there to get him myself if need be.

Test #5 Complete: I can grant myself knowledge unknown to everyone.

The next test would be the most painful. I willed a pill and knife into existence. My heartbeat was running a million miles per second as I quickly ran the knife down my own finger in one solid motion.

"Ow!" I yelped as I dropped the knife and pulled my injured bleeding hand back.

I wasn't into cutting myself for fun or anything like that. I just needed to test the limits of my own power. I quickly there the pill into my mouth and along with a swig of water from the water bottle I'd created earlier, downed it in one gulp.

After a moment, the pain faded and I watched as the cut on my finger magically began to stitch itself back up in under a second.

Test #6 Complete: I can create items that grant supernatural effects. Ow!

Seeing all of my tests were going so well, and not wanting to experience any more pain, I decided to do something big with my next test. My mind wandered and eventually returned to the voice on the other end of the phone. I didn't want to have to go through the abuse of my mother again, however, I still loved her. It was probably the side of me from before my memories awoke, but I didn't really care. He was me and I was him, therefore, I love my mother.

After thinking over what the best thing to do to remedy this situation was, I came to a shocking conclusion. It was time to use my power to its fullest extent yet for one final test.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. 'A small rewrite in the fabric of reality wouldn't cause too much distortion, yeah?' I told myself.

"Test #7: I can bring the dead back to life?" I spoke aloud.

I waved my hand and, in an instant, the man I'd both never seen before and also missed for a long time manifested in front of me.

"Damian? Son? Where are we?" My father asked. He was dressed in his firefighter's uniform looking around, completely confused. The uniform itself was in tatters and a thick stench of smoke permeated through the air. I saw a shattered gasmask hanging over his shoulders, a large metallic shard stuck where his eyes would be. That was undoubtedly the cause of his death.

My eyes began to water and I felt weak in my legs. I was about to lose myself to crying, but I knew my work wasn't over yet. I closed my eyes once again, ignoring my father who was looking around confused by the small kitchen set beside him from my apple-pie-making test, and concentrated.

'Make it so that he never died in the first place!' I wished. There was a brief flash of light and I was alone again.

I looked around. Eyes still in tears. My father was nowhere to be seen, but everything else was normal. I felt my heart sink a little bit. 'I guess I wasn't all-powerful after all.' I thought.

My phone began to ring, which was strange since the aforementioned 'no cellular network' rule hadn't changed in the hour since I'd created it.

I quickly saw who was calling. It was my home number. I sighed and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Damian, honey, where are you!?!" I heard my mom yell from the other side. I sighed again, I guess this is one of her drunken ramblings.

"I'm at Peter's house," I explained calmly.

"No, your not! Your father just came back home! He saw Captain Stacy drop off Peter and MJ! He said you weren't with them! Where are you actually!?!" She said.

My heart jumped and my feelings soared as I heard that. My change had occurred and fit so well that my mom was mad at me because my dead father had disproved the lie I told her about my location. I shook for a bit before deciding to answer.

"Fine, I lied. I'm not at Peter's house. It's a surprise where I am. I'll be home in a bit!" I said and hung up just as my mom opened her mouth to rebuke me.

"I'm so going to be grounded for this..." I said with a smile on my face.

"Probably." I heard an amused quip from beside me.

I instantly turned around and came face to face with someone I really didn't want to meet. It was Death. Not Mistress Death from Marvel, but Death of the Endless. She was sitting on the floor, helping herself to a piece of the apple pie I made earlier. She pulled out a fork from somewhere and scooped up a piece before eating it.

"Mmm. You're a good baker. Maybe you should stick to that, hm?" She quipped seeing my frozen stiff posture.

"Oh, weren't you expecting me?" She snarkily added.

"C-can't say anyone is expecting you," I replied, trying to calm my nerves.

"Oh? I see. You're not dead if that's what you're thinking." She smiled.

"Forgive me for being rude and not believing you, but people don't tend to see you if they aren't," I responded.

"Well, your not, so don't worry about it. I'm actually here for another reason." She stated.

"Is it because I resurrected my dad?" I asked.

"Well that too, but no. Resurrections happen occasionally and while I'm not exactly thrilled when people's souls are stolen from me, it's not like I won't be claiming everyone in the end anyway." She stated.

"I see." I had finally calmed down enough to begin thinking of things more rationally. I created a table big enough for the both of us and mentally willed a slice of the pie towards me and the plate I'd created. I pulled out a seat mentally for Death and waited for her to sit in it.

Death chuckled. "What a gentleman." She said, taking a seat, which I willed to scootch in just enough to be comfortable but not enough to be too tight. I then got into my own seat and took a piece of the pie for myself.

"So, what brings the literal embodiment of the cycle of life and death into my humble... storage shed?" I said, trying to sound a lot more confident than I actually was by making a joke.

Death smiled, probably seeing through my faux bravado but not mentioning it at all. "You see, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't really care much about you, however, I know for a fact that I didn't deliver the memories that inhabit your body now into your soul when you were birthed here. That, and a few other recent circumstances have drawn my attention to you." She explained.

"I don't know why I suddenly awoke my memories here if that's what your asking, but can you explain what you mean by 'other occurrences?" I asked.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt." Death said, mirthfully. She took another bite of the pie.

"This universe was somehow cut out of the rest of the multiverse, you know." She said casually.

"Wait, so you mean that this new universe is the center of a new multiverse now? Like the Prime earth? How is that possible?" I asked, rapidly firing off questions.

"No. I said it was 'cut out' of the multiverse." Death said and waved the fork in front of her. An image of a white dot appeared in the air like a hologram. "In case you don't remember how the multiverse works, every action or choice a person takes, creates a separate universe wherein that action either did not occur or where the opposite choice was chosen." She said as a white line was being traced out from the origin point of the dot. After a moment, the line began splitting appear into two separate lines. Then those two lines split into four and on and on and on as if to demonstrate her point.

"Yeah, I know that. It's the thing that basically makes all of life's choices meaningless, as nothing really matters." I stated, kinda depressed about that fact.

"Well, you're not exactly wrong, but some entities' choices and decisions DO matter though, and won't create a timeline split. It's more of a multiversal defense mechanism, but that's beside the point." Death explained.

I nodded my head at that. It made sense. If that wasn't the case, then during every story where a villain plans to destroy the multiverse, then there would be one 'final battle' where the heroes were victorious and saved the day, and by the rules of the multiverse where every action has its opposite action also occur, then there must be a 'final battle' where the multiverse was destroyed somewhere in the multiverse. If there wasn't some sort of defense mechanism to prevent that, then the multiverse would've already been destroyed.

"I know what your thinking. It's about the paradox right?" Death mentioned, to which I nodded.

"Well, you don't have to worry about any of that at all." Death mentioned, waving her hand again. One of the white lines was suddenly isolated and cut out, becoming a yellow line while the others faded.

"This is the current universe. See any issues with it?" She asked.

I looked at the now yellow-colored line and shrugged my shoulders. "Not really. It's just not creating parallel universes right?" I stated before my eyes went wide. Death noticed and smiled again.

"That's right. Somehow, someway, this universe has been isolated in its entirety and no new universes can be made from it." Death explained.

"I'm guessing this started when I regained my memories then?" I asked.

Death nodded, taking another bite. "Everyone's been looking for the source, but it looks like I've found it first." She said.

I tried to suppress a shiver that was running down my spine as Death looked at me with almost 'hungry' eyes. "I-is that so? Don't suppose you could keep it a secret?"

"I don't mind, but it's not like you're in trouble or anything. You're not the first reincarnator in the multiverse, though you are the only one in THIS universe." She commented.

"Then... am I all good?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well, it's not like anyone other than the tribunal has been particularly troubled by this development. For most of us Abstracts, we are unique to each universe, but there is only one of him, so trapping him here may cause you issues later down the road, but since it wasn't directly your fault, he won't condemn you for it." She spoke.

I gave out a sigh of relief at that. "So it's only this universe then huh? At least I won't have to worry about Mephisto then." I commented off to the side.

"I blocked it this time, but in the future, you shouldn't say his name, you know. He can hear it and he's one of the ones who would come after you for real." Death scolded me a bit more harshly than her normal relaxed tone.

I shivered, noticing my stupid mistake. "I'll be careful." I declared.

"Good. Now, show a girl a good time, yeah?" Death said, finishing her pie and standing up.

I raised my eyebrow at her. "I mean, could you come back when I'm older? This body can't-"

"Not like that, you perv." Death lightheartedly rebuked my joke.

"I only get a day per century to live as a human. When you're ready, give me a call. A person who can do anything is likely to give me the best day ever." She smiled.

"It's a date then," I smirked, trying to lightly tease her.

I blinked and Death disappeared from her current position across the table and reappeared not even an inch from my side. "Nice try, death doesn't get flustered easily." She said teasingly and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

I turned to face her but she was gone.