Magneto's POV
"Is this… heaven?" one of my subordinates murmured, clearly dazed and struggling to process the view in front of us.
And honestly, I get it. Because yeah, if I had to name what I was seeing, 'heaven' wouldn't be a bad word to describe it.
Truth be told, I hadn't expected much from her kingdom aesthetically. Given her whole vibe—dark green clothes, death goddess aesthetic, and her title—I was half-convinced we were heading into some gloomy underworld with eternal night, strange winds, and maybe a talking skull or two.
So when she wrapped up her speech and said, "Let's go home," I was already mentally preparing myself. As long as we had food, shelter, and weren't being hunted or discriminated against, I figured we'd make something work. After all, I've built sanctuaries out of worse.
But… I underestimated her. She's a goddess, after all. I still don't know what the full extent of her powers is, but from what I've seen? This isn't just impressive—it's divine.
The sunlight here is golden, soft, almost surreal. Not too hot, not too cold—the kind of warmth that seeps into your bones and makes you want to stretch out in the grass and take a nap without a care in the world.
And look at the trees—they're nothing like the ones on Earth. Towering giants, majestic and ancient.
Even the apple tree nearby was at least 20 meters tall—and that's just the one I happened to catch with my own eyes. Most of them were even taller. And deeper in the forest, I could sense magnetic signatures from animals—familiar ones. Earth animals. Somehow, they're here too.
Before I even realized it, a smile crept onto my face. The air… it was clean. Pure. It felt like breathing for the first time.
"Welcome to Hel," Hela said, snapping me out of my thoughts. That grabbed everyone's attention. We'd been teleported here so fast, I hadn't noticed she was gone. I glanced around, half-expecting her to still be dealing with the fools she crushed earlier, but nope—here she was.
I didn't ask where she'd been. Didn't care. I had bigger questions now. Like: where's the actual city? Are there homes? Infrastructure? What about laws, currency, systems? You know, the basic boring stuff that actually matters.
But I kept quiet. I figured she'd explain eventually.
"In this land," she said, her voice smooth but firm, "I'm the supreme ruler, and my word is law. Like I promised earlier, you won't go hungry here. You won't face discrimination. You won't be wrongfully punished. As long as you don't cause problems, you're free to just… be."
Huh. That last part sounded almost like something out of an American political ad. Freedom and equality for all citizens of Hel!!
"Now," she continued, "let me introduce one of the most important systems in my kingdom."
A glowing dark-green screen popped up in front of me—no warning, no buildup. Just bam. Right there. And judging by the chorus of gasps from the people around me, I wasn't the only one who got one.
I looked over at Mystique, and she just nodded. Nothing needed to be said—we understood each other. ...
[Name: Max Eisenhardt
Age: 62
Civilian Number: #7
Alias: Magneto (can be changed)
Good Credits: 0
Bad Credits: 0
...
...
...]
I took a deep breath as I finished reading the surprisingly detailed profile. Not just my birth name and age, but a bunch of other info—some of which I didn't even remember sharing.
And then something I hate happened.
Data—explanations, instructions, details—started downloading straight into my mind. No words. No screen. Just—there.
Like telepathy.
Like the crap Charles used to do when he thought he was being subtle. Except this time, I didn't even feel it happening until it was too late.
Which confirms one thing: Hela is a telepath. A powerful one. And worse—my helmet didn't block her.
I hate telepaths.
Charles, Emma, all of them—always digging around in your head like it's a public library. Annoying as hell.
Still, no use complaining now. The information was already there, so I focused.
Turns out, this 'panel' is something every resident of Hel gets. Like an ID. It tracks your personal info, yes, but it also comes with features—Good Credits, Bad Credits, and apparently, more to come.
Good Credits are earned when you do things that benefit the kingdom. Help people, build stuff, make peace—basic productive citizen behavior.
Bad Credits? You get those when you commit small-time crimes. Nothing jail-worthy, but still frowned upon.
There was also a mention that Hela would be sending announcements directly through the panel in the future. And new features would be added over time—especially related to the Credit system.
So, yeah. Welcome to the afterlife. You get a second chance, sunlight, fresh air, and a literal moral scoreboard.
And somehow, against all logic… I think I actually kind of like it. ...
Magneto wasn't the only one thinking this way—honestly, pretty much everyone here seemed to be on the same wavelength. And to be fair, it looked like they were right choosing to come to Hel.
A lot of them were already itching to explore every inch of this place, like kids on a treasure hunt, ready to uncover every hidden coin and secret Hel had to offer.
Hela, of course, was well aware of this. That's why she didn't bother with another long-winded speech. She already felt like she was turning into a full-blown politician, and frankly? She was way too lazy to play babysitter.
Let them figure things out on their own. That was half the fun. Besides, she'd already set a spatial boundary—they couldn't leave the island yet anyway, not until she finished merging all the other versions of Hell.
"Alright, listen up," she said casually. "There's fruit, animals, and food scattered around the forest—separately. Animals can't enter where the food is stored. You'll need to handle stuff like cooking, shelter, and all the basic survival things on your own."
"Also, for every good thing you do, you'll earn Good Credit points. Help others, don't be greedy, and don't act like a jerk. There's a limit to how many Bad Credits you can rack up before… well, you really don't want to find out what happens next."
Just a little bluffing was more than enough. Humans were funny like that—tell them there's a rule or a limit, and boom, they'll obsess over finding ways around it. Teach them something directly? Nah. They'll only really learn if they stumble into it themselves. So why not let them have their little taste of 'freedom'?
Of course, Hela wasn't actually letting go of the reins. With Archive Magic, she could monitor everything in real time. If anything went sideways, she'd know immediately.
Satisfied that things were under control, she teleported straight back to the Hanging Garden. She also teleported Jean, while Wanda was left behind—she needed some one-on-one time with her brother and had another role to play.
Once Hela plopped herself down on her throne, which was about to become very useful for what she had planned, she glanced at Jean and asked, "So? What do you think?"
After spending so much time together in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber—and absorbing a few lingering emotions from Hela—Jean had grown even more mature… but also picked up a mischievous streak.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say she understood Hela better than anyone else alive. Even more than the Ancient One. Even more than Odin.
And honestly? Jean was digging Hela's current vibe. She looked ridiculously cool. At Hela's question, Jean paused for a second, then nodded. "I think it's good. With Wanda there, she'll explain everything to her brother, and it'll naturally spread from there. And honestly, I didn't feel a single person in the crowd holding any bad feelings toward you. Taking out the bad apples early was definitely the right move."
Well, Jean wasn't squeamish about killing anymore, either. Not after the year they'd spent together. After all the stories Hela had told—universes collapsing, planets wiped clean, literal zombie apocalypses—it was a miracle Jean wasn't completely emotionally fried.
"That's what I thought too," Hela said, pleased. "Anyway, you and Wanda are my representatives now. Your words are mine. Since this is just the beginning, I need you to stay connected with everyone, talk to them, keep them in check. Wanda will play the good cop… and you," she smirked, "you'll be the bad cop."
Jean laughed. "And you? The big bad wolf?"
She knew Hela loved wolves—practically her favorite. Calling her the 'big bad wolf' actually fit pretty well.
"Eh, whatever," Jean waved it off, grinning. "What I really care about is all those other worlds you mentioned. When are we going? That's what I'm excited about!"
Yeah, that was the real hook. The idea of visiting other worlds—whole universes different from this one—was even beyond exciting.
Hela had teased her about it once before, dropping little stories about parallel worlds, alternate realities, and infinite cosmic playgrounds. Jean was dying to see them for herself.
.....
I was listening to one of my favorite music genres yesterday, Trance music, something I hadn't deeply touched in the past two years, and then I was literally in a trance the whole journey. I woke up at 6 in the morning and didn't even cross the door of my bedroom until 8 at night. That was one kind of journey. And don't forget to vote.