Chapter 227: Humanity

Chapter 227: Humanity

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I would like to thank my beta, Akisu, for his help in this chapter.

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22nd March 2012, New York City

(James Barnes POV)

James wasn't surprised about this. Rose had told him that Jasmine might be cold on the outside, acted a bit bitter towards life in general, but in her core, she was just kind. And in the end, no matter how she wanted to phrase it, she saved him out of kindness. She was going through something different, and in what could have possibly been her last week of life, she chose to show him kindness, and do what might have been, for her, one of the last acts of kindness she would ever do.

No matter how brave and unconcerned she looked, Bucky knew that deep in her heart the woman was terrified. But this was a person worth following and even if she could be changing after today, she deserved his allegiance, at least for now. The woman in front of him was worthy of his services.

He looked at her and steeled himself. The last time he had sworn allegiance to anyone was when he first joined the army. He had regretted it ever since. He really hoped that this would be different, "I've made my choice. I want to stay here. I want to join your team."

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23rd March 2012, New York City Read latest chapters at nov(e)lbin.com Only

(Jasmine Sayre POV)

Today is the day. It feels like a dream, in a way. The fact that after today everything was going to change, everything was going to be different. I was going to be different, on a very fundamental level. Over the years, as I grew more apathetic to suffering, to joy, to hatred, to life really, I could feel my humanity chipping away with every day I lived. Humans were never supposed to be long lived. They lived very short yet fulfilling lives, condensed like a story. Because what was life but a story. After everything was gone, after their deaths what remained but the stories, the tales of their pain, hatred, love, joy and sorrow. In the end, aren't we all stories that start the day we're born and end the day we die.

I gave her a sad smile, "I do not. Being bound to that entity caused me nothing but heartache, pain and misery. Never underestimate the value of freedom. It's such a precious commodity, such a precious privilege that you will never understand it until you lose it."

I looked towards Bucky, and he nodded, "I would rather live in constant pain and be myself, than return to Hydra's service."

I nodded at his answer and continued, "In many ways, the last few days, after I returned to this universe, was the happiest I'd been in a very long time. I realize now that it's gone, how much serving that entity had affected my everyday life in a very fundamental way."

That's not speaking about the fact that my servitude to Death had been something the entity had planned for. Over the years, I had researched the ritual the Grimm family created to summon Death. It was just plain wrong on so many levels. Firstly, if anything of Death's power didn't want to be summoned, there's nothing anyone could do. Secondly, the cost of a ritual that could summon something like Death was immense, and by immense, I mean draining the magic of the entire planet immense. It was unfeasible for mortals, Atlanteans or not, to summon a fucking cosmic entity of all things. The ritual could at most, summon a reaper, one of Death's servants, which means that the cosmic entity had actively chosen to possess a reaper, knowing that it would cause Atlantis to sink, and that I would protect it. It does explain why Death's power was so contained for an entity that represented the ultimate end of all things. She did all of this, to fight me and to make me an offer that she knew I would accept.

On that day, Death succeeded. I don't know why she chose me out of every single soul in the multiverse. There were many people who would have dreamed of taking my place, of serving Death and becoming immortal in return and yet she chose me. She didn't just choose me, she fought and allowed herself to be summoned by mortals of all things, just to get me to serve as her champion. With this, Death gained a champion, a hunter, but even then, this was one universe. I kept the balance on one planet, in one universe. I didn't understand why she chose to keep me here, why it matters. This universe might be in the center of the multiverse, but in the end, there were an infinite number of universes being destroyed because someone messed with the natural laws. If this reality dies, then another one will take its place as the prime universe. Forcing me to protect a single universe as her lone avatar didn't make sense.

Death had a plan, something that involved me and my reality, and I didn't know what it was. Maybe it involved Entropy's mad quest. I didn't have the faintest clue. It's not like I have ever spoken to Death after the day I accepted her deal. It was just orders; urges she gave me towards certain people. One moment, I would be fine, and another, I would become the hunter and kill the people who have disobeyed the laws of Death.

In the end, I just gave up trying to understand. Death was just beyond me, beyond my understanding. Now, I needed to focus on the ritual.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't even realize that I had stayed silent for five minutes straight. Selene had given me a knowing look, understanding that I was just lost in thoughts, Wanda though, looked at me worryingly, "Are you alright?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm ready. It's time."

"Where are we going?" Rose asked.

I gave her a cheeky smirk, one that was a bit forced, "Why, we're going to the most advanced country in the world?"

Rose looked confused and I didn't blame her. After all, I was going to perform a ritual, not visit a country. Still, she played along and tried to guess the country, "Latveria?"

Huh, not a bad guess, "No, we're going to Wakanda."