Kamala watched the woman, a single thought echoing in her mind. "It must have hurt." She wanted to go to her, to reach out, but she wasn't sure if her presence would offer any real salvation. Perhaps it was better this way. If she hadn't stayed back, she might not have survived at all. Or maybe she was just a coward for running. Part of her wondered if Riri had already started fixing everything, bringing the world back to some twisted sense of normalcy.
"I'll look back later," Kamala whispered to herself. "I'll check on that world. But… I'm not even sure how."
"Knull," she called out into the silence of her own mind. "Do you know how to do it?"
"There are many ways," the voice replied, cold and ancient.
"Like what?"
"You have a strange fascination with these things. I assumed you weren't intelligent enough to care about this stuff."
Kamala frowned. "Excuse me? If I'm so 'stupid,' why did you choose me? Besides, those 'intelligent' people you talk about don't even believe in you—or magic, for that matter!"
"But once they start believing… oh, Kamala, you wouldn't believe the talent they display."
"I said 'like what,' Knull. Answer me."
"The Darkhold. The Infinity Stones. Certain gods, a handful of sorcerers… or perhaps a boy who played too close to the multiverse."
"The Infinity Stones…"
Kamala lowered her head, the words tasting heavy on her tongue. She remembered Wanda—how terrifyingly powerful she became with them. She remembered the Hulk, and how even his strength buckled under the weight of their power.
"They… tell me more about them. What are those stones? What are they truly capable of?"
Knull's presence shifted, a wave of disdain washing through her mind. "I alone am greater than those trinkets. Those stones were powerless against anything that existed before them—or independent of them. Yet, bastards like Thanos always emerge, claiming they can rule the universe just by holding them."
●
Kamala had her answers, but one question remained, gnawing at her. "Knull… what about you? You brought me to this world."
"I did. But I cannot do it indefinitely. I have been… conditioned by certain circumstances. The place I inhabit now has become my prison."
"I see."
Kamala felt a chill run down her spine. The thought of something—or someone—powerful enough to defy a being like Knull and lock him away was terrifying.
"However," Knull continued, his tone shifting to something almost mocking. "I can still take you there. Just like your visit with Wanda—you will see them, but they will not see you. It costs me nothing. I could do it every night if you wished."
"Fine," Kamala said, her voice steadying. "Thank you, Knull."