The grim specter of inevitable doom, which had settled over them upon realizing the scientific impossibility of their task, had been banished.
In its place was an electrifying tension… the high stakes pressure of a team preparing to make a single move. Hope had returned to the room.
Steve Rogers watched in stunned awe. The men and women in this room, who a moment ago had been confronting the absolute limits of their own genius, were now engaged in a debate of a kind he had never witnessed.
It was a fusion of theological philosophy, legal pedantry, and strategic linguistics.
They were crafting a key, designed to fit a lock they couldn't see, on a door that led to the salvation of two universes.
"We need to be precise," Tony Stark stated. "We can't ask, 'How do we stop the incursion?' The ritual might just say, 'You can't.' It's too broad."
"The Chancellor's suggestion was the correct one," T'Challa said. "We must focus the query on the core variable: Captain Rogers. His return to his own timeline is the proposed solution. Our first question must be an absolute confirmation of that hypothesis."
"So, question one," Aryan said, "is 'If we send Steve Rogers back to his home reality of Earth 199999, will the incursion event be prevented?'"
"It's good," Wanda said. "It's a direct, yes or no question. But is it enough? 'Prevented' is a strong word. What if it's only delayed? We need to know if it's a permanent solution."
"She is right," Namor rumbled. "We must not trade a one year death sentence for a ten year death sentence. The answer must be definitive."
They debated the wording for nearly an hour. Every word was scrutinized. 'Prevented' became 'permanently averted.' 'Send Steve Rogers back' became 'successfully return Captain Rogers to his point of origin.'
Steve just sat there, a silent observer at a meeting that was debating the very mechanics of his existence.
He watched these powerful guardians of the world, and he saw a level of intellectual rigor and collaborative focus that the heroes of his own time had rarely achieved.
They were a multi faceted mind, attacking a problem from every conceivable angle.
The first question was agreed upon. But they all knew it was only half the equation.
"Okay," Tony said, taking a deep breath. "Let's assume the answer is 'yes.' That just leaves us with the same problem we had before. The 'how.' We still can't build the machine in time."
He looked at T'Challa. "So, the second question has to be the practical one. 'How do we send him back?'"
"Again, that is too broad," T'Challa countered. "It might give us a scientific blueprint that would take us twenty years to build. We need a solution that is constrained by our one year deadline."
"More than that," Aryan added. "We need the fastest solution. The one that requires the least amount of new invention on our part."
More debate followed. They workshopped the language, adding constraints, removing loopholes.
At last, they were ready. The two questions were displayed on the main holographic screen for final approval.
Query 1: Will the successful return of Steve Rogers to his original point of departure in Earth 199999 permanently and completely avert the incursion event between the two realities?
Query 2: What is the most immediate, direct, and accessible method available to us to safely return Steve Rogers to his original point of departure in Earth 199999 within the next calendar year?
Aryan looked around the table at the five other primary members of the council. "Are we in agreement?"
One by one, they gave their solemn assent. The decision was made.
T'Challa, as the one whose culture provided the 'key' to this mystery, became the focal point.
He straightened his back, his posture becoming that of a king preparing for a sacred and solemn duty.
"I will need a moment of absolute silence," he said.
T'Challa closed his eyes.
In the silent space of his own consciousness, T'Challa began to recite the sacred words.
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era."
"The Mysterious Ruler above the gray fog."
"The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck."
"The True Creator who embodies luck, deception, and fate."
"We pray for your grace."
"We pray for your blessing."
"We pray for the mercy of your gaze."
As he completed the honorific, he felt the familiar connection to the power of Sefirah Castle. He framed the first query. He then authorized the first billion Origin expenditure.
YES.
Without pausing, T'Challa immediately posed the even more critical question. He focused on the words, and authorized the second billion Origin payment.
This time, the answer was a block of text, complete with an image.
METHOD: 'THE RETURN SCROLL'. A SINGLE USE ARTIFACT THAT REVERSES A TEMPORAL TRANSGRESSION. UPON ACTIVATION, IT WILL INSTANTLY RETURN THE SUBJECT TO THE EXACT MOMENT AND SPATIAL COORDINATE OF HIS ORIGINAL ARRIVAL IN THIS TIMELINE.
COST: 2 BILLION ORIGIN.
AVAILABILITY: IMMEDIATE.
T'Challa's eyes snapped open.
The entire process had taken less than five seconds. He looked as if he had just returned from a journey that had taken him to the edge of creation and back. An undeniable hope radiated from him.
PS: We need only -6 more Power Stones for the bonus chapter.
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