Chapter 16 : The Morlun family

The Morlun family. The multiverse. Hunting.

These words together held a grim significance. Russell hadn't expected Spider-Man's abilities to stem from something predatory rather than purely magical. What kind of being was Morlun, and how powerful must his family be to hunt across universes?

His knowledge of Marvel lore, pieced together from a mix of popular science videos and fan theories, only went so far. Yet, he wasn't particularly worried. Stuck here in the void, there was little point in panicking. Besides, with his plunder entry system, he had time on his side—power would follow.

Russell smirked to himself. When the day comes, who's to say who will be the hunter and who the prey?

Still, the warning did make him ponder something curious: the sacred timeline versus the multiverse. If Loki hasn't ascended to his role beyond time yet, if the sacred timeline hasn't been liberated, how is Morlun's family hunting across a multiverse?

He thought back to the differences he'd noticed between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the comic book universe, like mutants existing in one but not the other. Could it be that some of these "variants" aren't actual branches of time, but different versions of characters bound by the TVA's timelines?

The Marvel Universe itself, he mused, seemed to have been tangled up in the "Disney Universe," growing more complex with each adaptation. Russell sighed. Forget it. Overthinking doesn't make me stronger. Power will answer all questions.

Suddenly, purple lightning flashed across the distant sky. Russell caught a glimpse of a massive shadow—a time monster. Without another thought, he turned and sprinted along the riverbank, moving fast, Spider-Man's agility plus his Venom suit, super serum, and Extremis Virus giving him a speed that rivaled a small car.

After a hard run, Russell found an old, rundown house in the woods and dashed inside. He recalled from both the Loki series and Deadpool 3 that as long as one stayed within an "anchor" of dead objects, the time monster, Alioth, wouldn't detect them. He slammed the door shut, darted into a room, and slid under a bed.

Perfect—

Thud!

Russell froze as someone else entered the room and slipped under the bed. A moment later, he felt the soft, warm presence of another body pressed against him.

"Who!?" The girl whispered, eyes flashing open as claws extended from her hands. But before she could attack, Russell wrapped his arm around her tightly, leaning close to her ear.

"Quiet," he whispered, "unless you want Alioth's attention."

The girl stopped struggling, her breathing slowing to a faint whisper. Clearly, she'd encountered Alioth before. Russell gathered that she was young, maybe sixteen, but with a hardened, survivalist edge. Despite her age, she was remarkably well-built—he couldn't help but notice as he kept his hold.

They lay silently, waiting. Russell knew Alioth was a formidable creature. While Loki and Sylvie had once managed to control it, he suspected that was more the work of plot armor than actual strength.

After a tense few moments, the girl finally whispered, "You've got me. Let go; I won't attack you."

Russell didn't quite trust her. She'd nearly lunged at him moments ago; who knew if she'd change her mind once Alioth left? But he kept his voice low.

"Relax. I'm not letting go until we're safe."

The girl didn't argue. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she realized their proximity. She was no naive fairy-tale heroine—she understood the situation, even if it made her uncomfortable. After all, she was only sixteen and had been trapped here since she was thirteen, with no experience in this kind of closeness.

As time passed, the heat of their bodies added to the discomfort. The girl shifted slightly, whispering, "It's… a bit hot."

Russell was feeling it too. Unable to stand the tension any longer, he finally asked, "How long does Alioth usually stay?"

The warm breath on her ear made the girl's face redden further, but she whispered back, "Two to four hours. It devours anything alive within its range."

Russell sighed internally. Looks like we'll be stuck here for quite a while.

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