The group returned to their apartment after what had turned into an unexpectedly expensive dinner at one of Manhattan's finest restaurants. Lucien had insisted on celebrating, though he'd been vague about exactly what they were celebrating.

When he'd first returned home earlier that evening, his shirt was completely gone, and dried blood was still visible across his chest and arms. The sight had immediately sent everyone into panic mode.

"Lucien, what happened?" Anna had demanded, her hands hovering over the blood stains on his shoulders. "Why are you covered in blood?"

"There's so much blood," Laura had said, her own claws extending slightly as her protective instincts kicked in. "Who did this to you?"

"Wait, wait," Lucien had said, holding up his hands to calm everyone down. "I'm fine, see? The wounds are already healed. I just... kind of gained better control of my abilities. Had to push myself to the limit to figure some things out."

The explanation had been deliberately vague, but the others had eventually accepted it.

Still, Anna had insisted on checking him over thoroughly, and Daniel had peppered him with questions about what kind of training could leave someone looking like they'd fought a wild animal with superpowers.

Now, sitting around their living room with full stomachs and the warm glow of expensive wine, the earlier worry had faded into contentment.

Jeff was curled up in his bathtub, making the happy gurgling sounds that meant he was satisfied with life. Everyone was relaxed, enjoying the rare moment of peace.

That's when Galacta cleared her throat.

"I have something to tell you all," she said, her usual playful demeanor replaced by something more serious.

Everyone turned to look at her, the comfortable atmosphere suddenly tinged with concern. When someone with cosmic-level powers said they had an announcement, it was rarely about something mundane.

"I'm leaving," Galacta continued, her dark eyes meeting each of theirs in turn.

Anna was the first to react, sitting forward with obvious confusion. "Leaving? Where are you going?"

Galacta took a deep breath, as if gathering courage for what she was about to say. "I'm hungry. Like, planet-eating level hungry. I need to consume a planet... or several."

The room fell completely silent. Everyone stared at her, processing the implications of what she'd just said. This wasn't like announcing a move to another city or a job change.

Lucien was the first to voice the question that was on everyone's mind, though he asked it as gently as possible.

"So... will the planet be full of life, or what?"

It was the question they all needed answered, even though they weren't sure they wanted to hear the response.

Even if her answer was something they didn't want to hear, they couldn't blame her. After all, she was a cosmic entity, operating on a scale far beyond the morals and obligations that governed their lives.

Galacta laughed, a sound of genuine amusement that immediately eased some of the tension in the room.

"Don't worry," she said, waving a dismissive hand. "I asked Pops about that when I first started getting hungry. He said I can consume planets without life if I want to. Only problem is, they're far less nutritious in terms of life force, so to actually satiate myself, I'll have to eat quite a few more planets than he would."

Everyone visibly relaxed at that news. The thought of their friend needing to destroy inhabited worlds had been weighing on all of them, even in the few seconds since she'd brought it up.

"That's actually really thoughtful of you," Anna said softly. "You could probably just eat whatever you wanted, but you're choosing to go the harder route to avoid hurting people."

"Yeah, well," Galacta shrugged, though she looked pleased by the recognition. "I've gotten pretty attached to life forms during my time here. Even though I enjoy meat, it seems wrong to destroy an entire planet of sentient beings for a meal when there are alternatives."

Daniel leaned forward with curiosity. "How many planets are we talking about? Like, ballpark?"

"Maybe a dozen uninhabited worlds to equal what one densely populated planet would provide," Galacta replied thoughtfully. "The universe is big, and there are plenty of dead rocks floating around. I'll just have to be more thorough about it."

That's when she turned to look directly at Lucien, and he immediately recognized the playful gleam in her eyes that usually meant she was about to suggest something interesting.

"You know, Lucien," she said, her tone taking on a teasing quality, "you've grown quite a bit stronger compared to when we first met."

Lucien just smiled and said nothing, though internally he was wondering where this was leading.

"How about being my Herald?" Galacta asked casually, as if she were offering him a part-time job rather than cosmic empowerment.

The question hit the room like a bombshell. Everyone stared at her, then at Lucien, then back at her.

"Herald?" Laura asked. "Like what Galactus has?"

"Exactly like that," Galacta confirmed, her excitement building as she explained. "Pops has four of them—Silver Surfer, Terrax, and a couple of others. I'm not as strong as Pops right now, obviously, but I'm definitely powerful enough to have one Herald of my own."

She looked directly at Lucien. "I could empower you with the Power Cosmic. It would give you a major boost to your abilities—flight, energy manipulation, enhanced durability, the works. Plus, you'd be able to survive in space, which could be useful for all sorts of things."

Lucien considered the offer seriously.

The Power Cosmic was legendary—it had made the Silver Surfer one of the most powerful beings in the universe. Combined with his Shadow Monarch abilities, he'd become nearly unstoppable.

But did he even need it?

"Think about it while I'm gone eating a bunch of planets," Galacta said, seeming to understand his need to consider the implications. "I'm not expecting an answer right now."

"When are you leaving?" Lucien asked.

"Tomorrow morning," she replied. "One of Pops' Heralds is going to guide me to some suitable systems. Sort of a cosmic mentor situation."

That's when Daniel cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.

"I also have something to tell you guys," he said, standing up from his chair. "More like something to show you. Give me one second."

He disappeared into his room and returned carrying a small metal box. The surface was covered in intricate circuit patterns that seemed to shift and flow when viewed from different angles.

"Is that your work?" Anna asked, clearly impressed by the craftsmanship.

"My first real creation," Daniel confirmed, setting the box on the coffee table. "It's nothing too special, but I thought of it as a symbol of us being a group."

He opened the box, revealing several small bracelets nestled in custom-fitted compartments. Each bracelet was sleek and modern-looking, made from some kind of dark metal that seemed to absorb light.

Illyana raised an eyebrow. "You're gifting us friendship bands now? What are we, twelve?"

Lucien was silent, after all, he had seen Daniel working hard during the night, but did not question him.

Daniel laughed. "They're a bit more advanced than friendship bands. These can hide your mutant signatures from current scanning technology. The government's X-gene detection systems won't be able to track us while we're wearing them."

In a world where mutants were monitored, restricted, and sometimes hunted, the ability to move around undetected was invaluable.

"That's not all," Daniel continued, warming to his subject. "I've also added several other features. They have holographic displays for communication and data sharing. Built-in scanners that can identify objects, materials, and energy signatures. Emergency beacons. Basically, I tried to think of everything that might be useful for people in our situation."

He gestured to the bracelets.

Anna was the first to reach for one, examining it closely. "Daniel, this is incredible. How did you even figure out how to build something like this?"

"My powers helped me figure out a blueprint," Daniel explained. "I just imagined what I wanted to build, my powers gave me a blueprint, and helped me understand everything about it. I just kept creating till they finally worked."

One by one, everyone selected a bracelet and put it on. The devices immediately activated, creating subtle holographic displays that showed they were functioning properly.

"Thank you," Anna said genuinely. "This is amazing. You should be proud of what you've accomplished."

"Seriously," Laura added. "This is better than anything we have ever had."

"Much better," Illyana agreed, admiring the way the bracelet seemed to integrate seamlessly with her outfit.

Lucien examined his bracelet with appreciation. "You know, you could probably build a business with powers like yours."

Daniel looked confused. "How? I mean, I can build things, but how does that translate to a business?"

Lucien smirked. "You're our ticket to getting rich."

While the tech level in this world was generally higher than his previous one, what was actually accessible to normal citizens was nearly the same. The medical industry, in particular, operated with technology that was decades behind what was theoretically possible.

"I have some ideas related to the medical industry," Lucien continued. "Personal healthcare assistants, diagnostic equipment, treatment devices—things that could genuinely help people while also being incredibly profitable. I'll tell you more about the specifics later."

Daniel nodded enthusiastically. "That sounds amazing. I'd love to work on something like that."

"Well, I guess I know what to bring back as souvenirs for one person," Galacta interjected with a grin. "Some advanced tech from alien civilizations for Daniel."

Daniel's eyes lit up like a kid's on Christmas morning. "Really? You'd do that?"

"Of course! I'm going to be visiting multiple star systems anyway. Might as well pick up some interesting technology along the way."

The conversation continued late into the evening, with everyone sharing stories, making plans, and enjoying what might be their last night all together for a while.

Eventually, exhaustion won out, and they all headed to bed.

The next morning, Lucien completed his daily quest and returned to find everyone else already awake and waiting for him to start breakfast. Then came the time for Galacta's departure.

After she left with promises to return with stories and alien technology, Lucien sat down with Daniel to discuss his medical industry ideas in detail.

"So here's what I'm thinking," Lucien began, pulling up some basic information on his phone.

"Personal healthcare robots. Think of them as medical assistants who can monitor vital signs, provide basic treatment, offer medical advice, and serve as a bridge between patients and healthcare professionals."

Daniel listened intently as Lucien outlined his vision—robots that could revolutionize healthcare by making quality medical attention accessible to everyone, not just those who could afford expensive hospital visits.

"The technology exists," Lucien continued, "but nobody's put it together in the right way yet. With your abilities, we could create something that's decades ahead of current medical technology."

"Like a personal doctor that never gets tired, never makes mistakes based on fatigue, and can access the complete medical knowledge of humanity instantly," Daniel said, his excitement building.

"Exactly. And the best part is, we'd be helping people while building our own financial independence."

Lucien handed Daniel his black card. "If you need funding for materials or equipment, use this. Don't worry about the cost—consider it an investment in our future."

Daniel stared at the card, then looked up at Lucien with determination. "If this works out, we could change the world."

Lucien smiled. If everything went according to plan, they'd soon have something very much like Baymax from Big Hero 6 in this universe—personal healthcare companions that could save countless lives.

.....

POWER STONE GOAL: 700 ( 1 Extra Chapter)

Want to read ahead of the public release? Support me on Patreon at "https://www.patreon.com/FreakyHaru" and get access to:

5 and 10 chapters of all my fanfictions.

Ongoing Projects:

Marvel: Shadow Monarch

Upcoming Projects:

DC/MARVEL: The Kryptonian Emperor(Started Publishing on Pa t re on)

Your support helps me keep writing and brings you more content faster!

Thank You