Chapter 1: Marvel

(A/N) Note : This is my first fan fiction, so bare with me. I've had a craving for a specific kind of marvel fanfic and decided to take matters into my own hands. Any helpful suggestions are welcomed. I'll try to upload 1 chapter a day. Lastly, I do not own any of the characters in this story, except my own. This is purely for entertainment. Enjoy~

---

New York City, one of the most vibrant and iconic cities in the world, is renowned for its towering skyscrapers, bustling streets, and rich cultural diversity.

On the Upper East Side of this famous city stands Collins Men Preparatory Academy, a prestigious high school celebrated for its academic excellence and distinguished alumni.

The school serves as a gateway to college and the broader world, with its graduates going on to become leading figures in various fields.

Currently, inside the boy's dormitory located on the western side of the campus, someone could be seen tossing and turning in his bed.

This continued on for a minute, until the figure suddenly shot up into a sitting position, their eyes scanning the surroundings as they panted in exhaustion. 

It was a teenage boy, definitely no older than fifteen, with long, curly black hair that currently lay in a mess due to friction during sleep.

After a minute or so, the boy finally seemed to catch his breath. Though, he remained silent as he continued to observe his surroundings. Closing his eyes, after about five minutes he reopened them, a hint of disbelief nestled inside.

"So...," The boy spoke while looking down at his hands.

"There is life after death...," A grin formed on his lips as he subconsciously clenched his fist.

The boy's name is Zora, and he is not from this world. Or, well, at least a part of him isn't.

Closing his eyes and comparing the two sets of memories in his brain, Zora confirmed once again that he wasn't dreaming.

He had somehow awakened the memories of his previous life. A life on a planet very similar to his current one, aside from a few differences here and there.

His name also being Zora, and his upbringing scarily similar. Both of them being orphans who grew up in the system with nobody to look after them. Both getting scholarships to prestigious academies in order to escape the system and the poverty that came with.

One, though, being the victim of an explosion at a nuclear power plant he interned at.

The memories of said life now resting in the brain of this current one.

Sighing, Zora got up from bed while trying to process his new situation.

For a moment, Zora couldn't tell who he truly was; the memories contrasting and clashing in the back of his mind, each vying for dominance over his identity.

He made his way to the bathroom, switching on the faucet and allowing the tub to slowly fill.

As he watched the water slowly rise, he began to gradually calm down the racing thoughts in his head.

"At the end of the day, I'm still myself, whether that self is from a past life or the present..."

He understood that all his pondering was pointless. What truly matters is the here and now.

Zora felt a feeling of clarity as he slowly dipped his body into the now filled tub. Lying in the now quiet atmosphere of the bathroom, the only sound being the occasional drip of water leaking from the faucet.

In his brain, the memories settled down in a special way, subconsciously shaping a new Zora, one with the experience of two lives.

As he lay there, he involuntarily started looking through his memories again.

The action causing an alarm to go off in his head as it remembered a fact that he had previously disregarded.

"Stark industries...," A murmur escaped his lips as the implications of those two words slowly sank into his mind.

"No...," Zora's disbelieving mutter was cut short as another piece of information resurfaced in his brain.

"Oscorp Industries...," At this point, the bits and pieces he had been subconsciously suppressing since the new memories came began bursting into the light.

'Mutants, Charles Xavier, Magneto, Tony Stark...,' Connecting the powerful figures in his memories to those of that he had read in books in his previous life left him in slight disbelief.

The shock on Zora's face, though, was less than one might have expected.

But after all, it was only natural considering he had already lived fifteen years in this world, these names were no stranger to this body. The memories of his previous life, though, brought with them a whole other set of implications.

"So, this is the marvel universe?" Zora spoke the words to himself, feeling the absurdity in it but understanding deep down that this was the case.

'Not only could I not rest after dying, but I get reincarnated into a world where universe ending disasters are occurring religiously every Sunday, like church.'

By this point, Zora had already finished washing up and was standing in front of his luxurious bathroom mirror as he gazed up at the ceiling, his hands on his waist.

He knew of the Marvel universe from the various movies he had watched. That alone was enough to hint at the dangers of this world. However, he understood that the movies were just a glimpse of the true Marvel story.

In the comics, Marvel is made up of a vast network of interconnected universes called the multiverse.

Compared to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are countless other universes out there which are just as perilous, if not ten times worse.

Looking at the memories of mutants, Zora could only pray this was but a universe blending the concepts of X-Men with the MCU and not something much worse. 

His contemplation was suddenly broken by the sound of the school bell ringing throughout the dormitories.

This meant there were fifteen minutes until morning classes.

Zora made his way out of the bathroom and into his closet. He picked out a simple outfit: a white polo with the schools' logo, blue jeans, and a pair of Vans. Grabbing his school bag, he headed towards the door.

For now, he decided to maintain his usual routine until he figured out what he wanted to do in this world.

After all, according to his memories, it was only 1999.

"I have time until Mr. 'I am inevitable' shows up. Maybe I should just bail from New York, live somewhere remote, and pray I don't get snapped out of existence," Zora joked to himself.

Though, he knew this was unrealistic. Not to mention the fact that he could still die at any given point due to some other random world-ending event. Could he still be content living as a normal human being, knowing the extraordinary heights of this world?

Zora wasn't sure.

"Shit, maybe I should try to intercept Spidey's powers... No, wait, that's way too far in the future. I'd have to survive New York's invasion first," he muttered, feeling his stress rising.

Who could blame him? Not many people would be able to go back to living normally knowing the things he knew.

The various god-like beings who were constantly monitoring this planet. Who could sleep at night knowing that?

He had been pushing back the one thought he didn't want to confront... Did anyone notice his arrival in this universe?

If so....

Zora felt the skin on the back of his neck prickle as he imagined himself being watched at that very moment.

Thankfully, it had been over thirty minutes since he woke up and no mirror dimension had formed.

Taking a deep breath, Zora shook off these useless thoughts before opening the door and exiting his room into the hallways.