no longer the capital city of Sokovia. In mere hours, it had been turned into a pile of rubble and dust. The debris was never-ending, the death overwhelming. The city had been uprooted from the earth, brought towards the heavens, and then decimated in a grand explosion.

Amidst the destruction, surrounded by death, new life was thrust into the world. Her eyes shot open, her first sight upon the world being simply the charred remains of what had been. Her first breath brought a fit of coughs, her lungs choking on the suffocating dust. This was no place to be born.

The muscles in her fingers ached as she flexed them for the first time, her hands only feeling decay. Dirt became lodged under her fingernails as she recoiled from shock. The feeling of power surging into her veins was overwhelming, her life force was quickly strengthening.

Moments later, she was able to stand, the death of others providing her with life. All she saw was endless obliteration, the remains of a city that once stood. Hidden throughout the landscape, mangled corpses were scattered every which way. These bodies, people that once had a name - a life, had allowed her to be born again.

Treading on, she walked, mentally thanking each disfigured body for her reincarnation, sending a silent prayer into the void for each of their souls. She did not know how or why they died. She did not know why Oblivion had chosen such a place to plunge her essence into. Perhaps he forced her to be made anew in the middle of disaster so she would regain her strength easily. There was an endless supply of energy here. However, between the souls departing and her rebirth, the energy was slowly dwindling into nothingness.

before she saw someone who wasn't dead. Approaching in a vehicle, she waited silently, her back against what was once a building but was now no more than a skeleton of foundation. Their faces were solemn, only the ghost of an emotion present. They wore military uniforms, presumably a search party for survivors of whatever disaster she had been born from.

Exiting the now parked vehicle, four men stood before her. Surprise danced in their eyes but their faces showed no signs of it. "How are you alive?" One finally spoke, Sokovian words leaving his mouth.

"Death always brings new life."

One of the other men aimed a gun at her, his finger on the trigger. "Stop speaking in riddles, bitch! How the fuck did you survive?"

The men had seen their home crumble into nothingness, turned into mere particles of dust. They had watched as people with unfathomable abilities fought a legion of robots. The group could do nothing but watch as the Avengers left them with the aftermath. The Sokovians had seen enough.

"Heike and Carl."

She observed as one of the men snapped, his hand grabbing the barrel of the gun, forcing it downwards. His face was no longer placid, his emotions on display before her. A mix of hope and grief painted his features, not yet knowing which was appropriate.

"I know where they are. Your father too."

Her accent was foreign, but not completely unfamiliar. He couldn't pinpoint the origin of it but it was simultaneously on the tip of his tongue. It was as if he had heard her voice before, long ago. With a ghost of familiarity, he nodded, allowing her to lead them to his family.

Miles away from the epicenter of the destruction, he found the three bodies. His wife and son had died in the arms of his father. His family was gone. Grief struck him, sucking the humanity from his body as it did. He sunk to his knees, a silent cry leaving his lips.

He turned to ask her how she knew where they were, how she knew who they were, how she knew him, but he never got the chance to. The whirring of a helicopter stopped his question as it was about to fall from his mouth. He looked up, his eyes landing on the black mechanical bird that proudly sported the S.H.I.L.D. logo. His men readied their weapons, eyes on the new target.

An eye-patched man stepped out once the helicopter landed, his long coat whipping behind him as the blades died down. "Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." He introduced himself, shouting over the noise. "What's left of it anyway."

"I know who you are," the man who lost his family spat in English. "You helped form the Avengers, the team that slaughtered my family."

"That was Ultron, son. The Avengers helped save millions of lives. There were bound to be some casualties. I'm sorry for your loss." He turned to address the girl. "We caught word of there being a single survivor among the casualties. Physically speaking, that's impossible. Wanna tell me how you did it?"

"Death always brings new life."

"Do you mind coming with me and explaining that in more detail?" He asked, his arms crossed over his chest assertively. She was going with him one way or another.

"She was found on Sokovian ground!" One of the soldiers interrupted, implying that his group had jurisdiction over her.

"Are you a Sokovian citizen?" Fury pointedly asked, practically ignoring the soldier's comment.

"No," she simply answered.

"Then you have no more say over what this woman does than I do," Fury continued, only now addressing the man who had protested.

A sharp pang shot through her brain, causing her to wince in pain. Oblivion, her master, had made the decision for her.

Turning to speak to the man on his knees, she bent down to join him. Placing a hand on his shaking arm, she spoke in a whisper. "Their bodies are gone, not their souls."

With that, she stood and followed Fury into the helicopter. The grief-stricken man could only watch as she left.

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