Golden cosmic energy flowed at Margaret's slender fingertips, finally shaping itself into a complete human figure.
Before Josh's eyes, a high elf appeared—her looks strikingly similar to Vereesa.
"What incredible power…" Josh murmured with a trace of envy on his face.
The being Margaret created wasn't just a statue, but a living creature with flesh, blood, and vibrant life. The only thing missing was a soul.
But it wasn't that Margaret couldn't give her one—she simply chose not to. Without a soul, she was just a living construct; with a soul, she would have been true life.
This was the power of the Celestials. Unlike Odinforce-wielders or Josh, who could only barely be called gods, the Celestials were truly on a higher level of existence. To shape from the void, to create life itself—that was their strength.
"Hehe, so? Do you regret giving me this power?" Margaret waved her hand, and the elf instantly turned to dust and scattered, before she straddled Josh with a playful smile.
"…A little, yes. But not because of that. It's just—I've really got nothing left in me!" Josh feigned a horrified look.
"You're impossible!" Margaret laughed, then leaned close and asked, "By the way, I heard you sent Ben and Ancient One to another universe to seek out a new Celestial source. How's that going? Do you need my help?"
"It's only just begun, but so far it's going well. As for your help—no. Ancient One, aside from her dimensional tricks, is at the core just a powerful sorcerer. It's easy for her to mask her presence. But you're different. You've already stepped into another level of being entirely. The moment you cross over, you'd be noticed," Josh shook his head.
The ones Josh had sent—though strong—were still within the tier of mortal beings. And from his daily talks with Abbendis, he knew that after the Ancient One took control of C'Thun, she had used that Old God's power to taint herself and the others who traveled with her.
Because of that, unless someone at the very peak directly grasped their soul's essence, no one could truly tell they came from another universe. At most, others would assume they were minions of C'Thun or another Old God.
And since the Old Gods already carried enough infamy, what did it matter if they were blamed for a few more? It was like an ant carrying venom deadly enough for a lion—if it hid itself a little, the lion wouldn't even notice.
But Margaret was different. Even as the weakest Celestial, she was still a Celestial. She was a lion herself—too big a presence to hide. Unless she crippled herself like Sargeras had, she could never cross undetected. And if she did that, there would be no point.
So Josh would never send Margaret there.
"But now that I think of it, there is something I'd like your help with," Josh said after a pause.
"What is it?" Margaret tilted her head curiously.
"This!"
Josh waved his hand, and a necklace appeared in his palm.
It was none other than the Eye of Agamotto that Ancient One had left him—along with the Time Stone sealed within.
"The Time Stone? Ancient One actually gave it to you? Do you want me to keep it safe?" Margaret recognized the necklace at a glance. She had never seen the Ancient One use it before, but now that she was a Celestial—and after receiving the knowledge of her kind in the Primordial Land—she instantly understood its true nature, along with the hidden truths of the Infinity Stones. Of course, Josh had already told her a few things about them.
"You could keep it, sure. But what I mean is—we should gather the Infinity Stones. Don't forget about Tiamat! There shouldn't be any problem with Arishem on this, right?" Josh asked.
Tiamat! Margaret suddenly realized how she could have forgotten her. At once, she understood Josh's plan behind collecting the Stones.
It was indeed a clever way to bring Tiamat to full maturity without harming Earth itself.
And she also knew that a single Infinity Stone, on its own, had no real effect on Celestials.
But if all of them were brought together… that was a different story.
"Of course not. The Celestials sometimes use the Stones, but they don't care who holds them. But, love… the other Stones aren't too hard. It's the Soul Stone that's the problem…" Margaret's brow furrowed.
Inheriting the knowledge of the Celestials meant she knew well how the Soul Stone was obtained. And she knew it wasn't simply about the Stone itself having a will.
In truth, the Soul Stone's condition had been set long ago—by one of the highest beings.
Yes, the true Creator, the embodiment of the Marvel Multiverse itself—Eternity.
Since the multiverse was Eternity's creation, even though the Infinity Stones were anomalies, Eternity had placed a lock on them. That lock was the Soul Stone. Sacrificing a loved soul to obtain it—that condition was incredibly strict.
Even the Celestials struggled with it. Their kind were creatures of absolute reason, almost incapable of love. A Celestial like Tiamat, who truly cherished Earth's life, was one of a kind.
And among mortal beings, anyone who could actually pay that price… was unlikely to ever "abuse" the Stone. Even Thanos, for all his reputation, couldn't really be called an abuser.
So now—who would Josh sacrifice to get the Soul Stone? Margaret? Clearly impossible.
If he had meant to sacrifice her, why go to such trouble to help her ascend? Their children? A faint possibility, but still unlikely.
"What are you thinking? I never said I need the Soul Stone right now. And it's not like it has to be taken by me… right?" Josh laughed at her suspicious look. "We'll just gather the others first. When the Soul Stone shows itself, we wait. That's all."
"Fine. I don't know what trick you're playing at, but if you say it, I'll do it," Margaret rolled her eyes.
"Hehe, then let's start with the Reality Stone. And while we're at it—let's pay a visit to Odin's eldest." Josh smiled.
"Thor?"
"No… Hela."
--