"That's right, I am using you," Rosen said, his voice level. "But I'm also saving you. I'm helping you escape the Red Room. Escape Dreykov. And escape a life where you have to look over your shoulder every time you step outside."
Natasha narrowed her eyes. "What's the price?"
"It's simple. You work for me. When I have a mission, you answer the call. When I don't? You live your life. Real life. Under the sun, using your own name."
"Under the sun?" Natasha scoffed. "And how exactly do you plan to pull that off? S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't going to just stop looking. The CIA, Interpol, every intelligence agency in the world has my face on a watchlist."
Rosen wasn't surprised by her skepticism. A week ago, her doubts would have been valid. Hiding her in the Marvel Universe was possible, but giving her a public life? That was a pipe dream. S.H.I.E.L.D. had satellites that could read a license plate from orbit. Tony Stark had an AI that tracked global surveillance feeds for fun.
But then came the Special Store refresh.
Rosen had nearly dropped his coffee when he saw the new items.
[Small Dark Portal (Single Universe Version)] Effect: Opens a permanent portal to any coordinate within the current universe. Price: $10,000,000
[Small Dark Portal (Multiverse Version)] Effect: Opens a portal to a random parallel universe. The destination is permanently bound after the first use. Note: Time flow is 1:1. The first opening guarantees a safe spawn location. Price: $100,000,000
One hundred million dollars. It was a staggering sum, nearly draining the reserves he and Jessica had built up over months of dismantling gangs across the tri-state area. The criminal underworld had gotten smarter; cash was harder to find. But Rosen hadn't hesitated. He bought both.
He had already activated the Multiverse portal once, just to verify the destination. What he found changed everything.
"I can prove it right now," Rosen said, a confident smile spreading beneath his mask.
"How?" Natasha crossed her arms, still wary.
Rosen didn't answer with words. Instead, he willed his equipment to shift.
The heavy, intimidating Blade Armor dissolved into motes of light, replaced instantly by the flowing red fabric of an Archmage's Robe. The terrifying Moon Glaive morphed into the glowing, crystal-tipped Staff of Antonidas. On his head, the Crown of Kings shimmered into existence.
For the first time, Natasha saw his face.
It wasn't scarred or old. It was young—shockingly so. He looked barely out of his teens, with sharp features and eyes that held a strange mix of youthful energy and ancient knowledge.
"Wow," Natasha blinked, caught off guard. "I didn't expect the mysterious warlord to be... a kid. Are you even legal to drink that potion you gave me?"
Rosen ignored the jab. He needed to focus. Opening the Multiverse Portal required 1,000 Mana.
His base mana was 225. The Staff added 450. The Crown added 75. The Robe added 90. He was still short.
He reached into his inventory and equipped two Pendants of Mana (the "Small Blue Cards" from the game), each adding another 150.
Total Mana: 1,140.
"Stand back," Rosen commanded.
He raised the Staff of Antonidas. The crystal tip flared with blinding violet light. He slammed the butt of the staff against the rotting floorboards.
THRUM.
The air in the room tore open. A swirling vortex of green and black fel energy erupted from the floor, stabilizing into a rectangular gate about seven feet high. It looked like a miniature version of the Dark Portal from Warcraft, crackling with raw power.
"The gate stays open for thirty seconds," Rosen said, his voice strained from the mana drain. "Move."
Natasha stared at the portal. It defied physics. It defied logic. But looking at the kid in the wizard robes, she realized logic had left the building a long time ago.
She took a breath, steeled her nerves, and stepped through the swirling energy.
The Other Side
The sensation was like being pulled through a straw. For a split second, Natasha felt weightless, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of stars and void. Then, gravity snapped back.
She stumbled forward, her boots hitting a polished hardwood floor.
She blinked, expecting a dungeon, a lab, or maybe an alien planet.
Instead, she was standing in a penthouse living room. Sunlight—bright, warm, unfiltered sunlight—streamed through massive windows. Outside, a futuristic skyline gleamed under a clear blue sky. Flying cars zipped between skyscrapers that spiraled into the clouds. Holographic billboards advertised products she didn't recognize.
It was Earth. But it wasn't her Earth.
Rosen stepped through behind her, the portal snapping shut with a soft pop. He looked a little pale, but triumphant.
"Welcome to San Fransokyo," Rosen said, gesturing to the view.
Natasha walked to the window, pressing her hand against the glass. "Where... when is this?"
"Parallel universe," Rosen explained, stripping off the mage robes and returning to his casual clothes. "Technically, it's the world of Big Hero 6. No S.H.I.E.L.D.. No Hydra. No Avengers. Just a few tech geniuses and low-level villains."
He walked over to a sideboard and poured two glasses of water.
"Here, you're nobody," Rosen said, handing her a glass. "Your face isn't in any database. Your fingerprints don't match any criminal records. You can walk down the street, buy a coffee, and no one will look twice. You can be whoever you want to be."
Natasha stared out at the vibrant, peaceful city. For the first time in her life, the knot of tension in her chest—the one that had been there since the Red Room—began to loosen.
"And when you need me?" she asked, turning back to him.
"I open the door," Rosen said. "And we go back to work. But until then? Enjoy your vacation, Natasha."
Natasha took a sip of the water. It tasted clean.
"Okay," she whispered, a small, genuine smile touching her lips. "I'm in."