Gamora's words made the atmosphere turn solemn. It sounded a bit far-fetched—but not entirely impossible.
The ship reached a jump point, entered a weightless state, and soon arrived in another star system.
Karl shook his head. "We don't want to get involved in this. You'd better leave soon."
Neither Karl nor Diwen had any intention of involving themselves in such matters again. Every time they stepped into something, more trouble followed. Karl wasn't a savior or some great hero—he only helped with what was directly in front of him. As for things that might happen in the future, he had no interest in interfering, especially if it might create problems after they left.
Seeing that persuasion was useless, the others fell silent. They had originally come to discuss leaving the Ego system—and maybe recruit Karl—but they wouldn't force him.
They had always relied on themselves while wandering the galaxy.
"We just wanted to warn you about what might happen," Gamora said. "Since you don't want to get involved, we won't push you. We're leaving now. If you need anything, you can contact us—our info is stored in your ship's system."
After that, Gamora, Quill, and Nebula left.
Watching them go, Karl turned to Diwen. "How's your understanding of the multiverse lately?"
Diwen shook her head. "Not great. I've studied it for a long time, but it's too difficult to grasp."
"You're doing fine—but you need to improve. The more I understand the multiverse, the safer it is when we leave. I can break through the barriers between universes… but I can't guarantee what's inside."
Breaking through a universe's barrier was already extremely difficult—but that wasn't the hardest part. The real danger lay in navigating the chaotic environment beyond.
Even at his peak, Karl had barely managed it. The multiverse was like a raging ocean—sometimes calm, sometimes a devastating tsunami.
When it was weak, it was harder to break through—but paradoxically, that was the safest time to travel.
When it was strong, it became unstable. Sometimes, without even breaking the barrier, multiversal energy could sweep people away. The lucky ones would land in another world. The unlucky ones would die in the chaos.
That was also the most dangerous time—violent energy waves like a cosmic tsunami. One misstep, and you'd be torn apart.
Karl hoped Diwen could better understand these patterns and rely on her own strength to survive. But taking her along directly was too risky.
If crossing universes were easy, cosmic order would collapse. Every world had powerful beings capable of breaking barriers—but not all could survive what lay beyond.
In the multiverse, no matter how strong you were, you could still be destroyed by the tides of energy.
Karl had absorbed the Black Crow Stone to ensure his own survival—but it didn't guarantee anyone else's.
That was why he cared so much about the stone. The one within Diwen could keep her from dying—but just in case, he still wanted her to understand the multiverse better.
"So… I should continue secluded training?" Diwen asked.
Karl thought for a moment. Seclusion would deepen her understanding—but it also left her vulnerable. Still, the current universe was relatively calm—one of the safest environments available.
"I'll build a place for you to train," he said.
If she wanted to cultivate in seclusion, she needed the right place. For others, finding such a place might take years—but for Karl, it was simple. He couldn't see the entire universe, but most of the galaxy was within his reach.
The Guardians had already left, heading somewhere unknown—having even driven off a ship three times larger than theirs.
"You might never meet them again," Diwen sighed.
Even on Earth, losing contact with friends was common—let alone across the galaxy. Who knew if fate would ever bring them together again?
Karl looked into the distance. There was a beautiful planet—a perfect place—but it had no life.
He withdrew his gaze. "We'll make eight jumps. That's where your training place will be."
Diwen clenched her fists, trying to steady herself.
Karl smiled. "The system will just pause temporarily. You won't be fighting. I'll stay with you—I promise the first thing you see when you wake up will be me."
"My first seclusion… I don't know if I can handle it," Diwen said nervously. "I'll want to watch dramas—even the ones I acted in. If I have to sit there for thousands of years, I won't last!"
Then she asked seriously, "If I sit for days… won't my legs go numb? Will I even be able to stand?"
Karl burst out laughing. "With the Black Crow Stone, that's the least of your worries. You're overthinking everything. If you can't do this, then you're not ready."
"Don't!!" Diwen cried. "I'm almost thirty! If I wait longer, I'll get old—my parents won't even recognize me!"
Karl walked to the console and set the destination. "Even if you're a hundred, you'll still look like this. But… whether you can go back—that's another question."
Diwen frowned and grabbed his arm. "What do you mean? You don't know how to go back?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Karl regretted it.
Without coordinates, and with the multiverse constantly shifting, finding their way home was incredibly difficult. It would require countless attempts—and remembering the unique "signature" of each world. Otherwise, they might just loop back to where they started.
Diwen grew anxious. "What do you mean by that?"
Karl shook his head. "We'll go back. The multiverse is vast—it'll just take time."
The ship entered a chain of jump points, transitioning rapidly from one node to another.
Inside a spatial node, speed and propulsion increased dramatically. Normally, careful stabilization was required to prevent drifting—but none of it affected them.
Diwen stared at Karl. He pressed his lips together, saying nothing. The atmosphere grew heavy.
After eight jumps, they reached their destination.
Ahead lay a beautiful planet—about half the size of Earth's moon. Its surface shimmered with colors, but there was no life, no vegetation.
Diwen didn't look outside. She stared straight at Karl. "How much are you still hiding from me?"
Karl didn't answer. He looked out at the planet instead.
"Look at me!!" Diwen shouted, her eyes reddening.
She suddenly felt betrayed—realizing Karl had hidden far more than she thought.
Karl finally turned to her, his expression conflicted. There were too many things he hadn't said—about the Black Crow Stone, his identity, even events in this universe. Not because he didn't want to—but because once spoken, everything would change.
"…We'll talk about it after I leave this world."
Some things weren't simple. Many events on Earth could end before they even truly began.
It wasn't that he didn't want to explain—he feared the consequences.
Without another word, Karl stepped forward and passed through the ship's hull as if it were nothing, flying out into space.
He had come here for one purpose—
To build a secluded sanctuary for Diwen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
read 20 advanced chapter visit my patreon:
patreon.com/fatimasoomro123
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~