The white-tethered lights of the Umbrella Hive lab felt strangely grounding after the shifting mists of the Sefirah Castle. Aryan snapped his eyes open, his consciousness anchoring back into his physical form. At the exact same microsecond, Wanda Maximoff's eyes flared with a fading scarlet glow as she too returned from the "Boardroom of the Gods."
They were standing barely a foot apart. The silence of the lab was absolute, save for the distant hum of the Hive's cooling fans. They looked at each other—two people who had just spent what felt like hours in a divine realm, only to find that in the physical world, the coffee on the desk was still steaming.
Aryan just grinned, a look of pure triumph on his face. Wanda lunged forward, throwing her arms around his neck and letting out a series of bright giggles that echoed off the glass walls.
"Fifteen minutes," she whispered into his ear, her voice trembling with a mix of adrenaline and amusement. "We just redefined the fate of three nations, and the clock hasn't even moved."
Aryan pulled her closer, his hands resting on her waist. "Time is a suggestion when you're friends with the Fool, darling." He leaned in, stealing a soft kiss that tasted of the ozone and cherry blossoms that always seemed to linger around Wanda's magic. "Are you ready to play God for our family?"
"Only if I get a better title than 'High Priestess,'" she teased, nipping at his lower lip before pulling away just enough to look at him.
The moment was interrupted by a exaggerated groan from the doorway.
"Seriously? I leave for ten minutes to get a protein shake and I come back to a romance novel?"
Pietro Maximoff was leaning against the doorframe, a silver blur of motion that had finally settled. Beside him stood Sharon Carter, who was looking at the couple with a mix of professional curiosity and a hidden smile. Pietro had long ago accepted the fact that Aryan was the brother-in-law who held the keys to the universe.
"Come in, speedster. And Sharon, thank you for coming," Aryan said, smoothly transitioning from 'romantic lead' to 'Master of the Hive.'
Aryan led them toward the center of the lab, away from the sensitive diagnostic equipment. He leaned back against a heavy workstation, his expression shifting from a relaxed grin to the focused intensity of a man who had just brokered a deal for the world's soul.
"I'm going to skip the long-winded explanation because we have work to do," Aryan began, his voice dropping into a serious register. "You both know I've been working with Stark. What you don't know is the scale of the organization we've formed. We call it the Tarot Club. It's a circle of the most powerful individuals on the planet—Tony, and a few others you'll meet soon. Wanda and I are already at the center of it."
Pietro crossed his arms, his foot tapping at a superhuman frequency. "The Tarot Club? Sounds like a high-stakes poker game for billionaires. What's that got to do with us?"
"Everything," Aryan said firmly. "I just returned from a summit where I secured the safety of our inner circle. I have paid an incredibly high price—a tribute that only someone in my position could offer—to buy permanent protection for the three of you. I've secured your lives for the next five hundred years."
Sharon's eyes narrowed, her SHIELD-trained brain immediately looking for the catch. "Five hundred years? Aryan, that's biologically impossible. Even the most advanced longevity research we've seen only adds a few decades, and usually, the side effects are horrific."
"This isn't a SHIELD project, Sharon. It's a Soul Anchor," Aryan explained, ignoring the technical skepticism. "I didn't bring back a drug or a serum that can be washed out of your system. I brought back a 'Blessing' that tethers directly to who you are. It's a dual-layered power. First, it grants you the foundation of a Super Soldier—the strength, speed, and durability to survive anything the world throws at you. But the second part is the Beta-Level High-Speed Regeneration. It's a passive force that repairs your body in real-time. It freezes you in your absolute physical prime. You'll live them as you are right now."
Pietro looked at Wanda, then back at Aryan. "Five hundred years... and no DNA change? No turning into a green monster or a lab experiment?"
"None," Aryan confirmed. "No scientist, no scanner, and no government can find a trace of this power in your blood because it's not in your blood—it's in your essence. It's the ultimate invisible armor. But there's a specific way to activate it."
Wanda stepped forward, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she leaned her hip against a lab table. "And this is where the fun starts. He's not going to give you a pill, Pietro. He's going to make you join his 'congregation.' Honestly, Sharon, look at him. With that serious face and the way he's standing, he looks like he's about to start a cult right here in the Hive."
Aryan let out a frustrated huff as Wanda started giggling. "It's a resonant authorization, Wanda! Stop making it sound like I'm passing out brochures."
"Oh, it's a cult," Wanda laughed, turning to Sharon. "He's going to make us touch him and chant lines about 'Fools' and 'Mysterious Rulers.' I hope you're ready, Sharon, because our 'Master' here is about to get very dramatic."
Sharon couldn't help it; a genuine laugh broke through her professional mask. "A cult leader? I was wondering when your ego would finally take you in that direction, Aryan. Do we get matching robes, or just immortality? Is there a mandatory donation of my life savings, or just my soul?"
"I'm trying to save your lives for five centuries!" Aryan protested, though he was starting to grin himself. "Honorifics are the only way the power recognizes you. It's a verbal handshake. So, if you're done teasing the man who just bought you five hundred years of youth, put your hands on my shoulders and get ready to chant."
Pietro rolled his eyes, but he stepped forward. "Alright, 'Grandmaster.' Let's hear the magic words. But if I have to start wearing a hood, I'm out."
"SHIELD is a middle-school science fair compared to where I've been," Aryan said. He stepped toward them, his presence suddenly feeling much 'larger' than the room allowed. "I've bought three 'Blessings.' The Super Soldier serum and Beta-Level High-Speed Regeneration. It's an anchor for the soul. It makes you immortal, unaging, and nearly impossible to kill."