Vormir, the resting place of the Soul Stone, was truly a desolate corner of the cosmos. It was a wasteland where no soul stirred; let alone civilization, the entire star system seemed incapable of nurturing even the simplest form of life.

It was a world of contradictions—smothered by endless sands yet pockmarked with stagnant pools of water, all beneath a sky that remained perpetually overcast and gloomily grey.

This was Vormir.

After three days of flight, their vessel finally breached the atmosphere.

Even Thanos, a man hardened by a lifetime of conquest, felt a flicker of unease at the sheer, suffocating silence of the place. His expression darkened as he took in the bleak landscape.

Madam Herta, however, remained entirely unimpressed.

"So, the location of the final Stone... you knew it all along." Thanos looked toward the distant, towering peaks with a complex swirl of emotion. "Why didn’t you claim it sooner?"

"Because I couldn’t back then."

Herta’s reply was clipped and concise.

Couldn’t?

Thanos found the answer baffling. To be clear, Thanos possessed an immense, almost religious faith in Herta. In his eyes, there was no such thing as "impossible" for her; if she hadn’t done it, it was merely because she hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

"Anyway, let’s just grab the thing and get out of here."

Herta had no intention of elaborating. With a casual flick of her wrist, she tore open a shimmering portal and stepped through, appearing instantly at the jagged base of the mountain.

As they arrived, a figure draped in a tattered black robe and hood descended from the air, floating like a ghost birthed from the shadows. His gaze drifted over the pair before lingering significantly on Herta.

"Welcome, Thanos... and you, Madam Herta."

His voice, usually a hollow rasp of exhaustion and death, seemed to vibrate with a sudden, eerie spark of life.

"You know us?" Thanos frowned, his hand tightening.

This place felt utterly disconnected from the rest of the galaxy. Was this the power of the Soul Stone at work?

"It is my curse to know all who journey here," the specter replied to Thanos, yet his eyes remained fixed on Herta. "But... I do not know you, Madam. I can see nothing of your past, nothing of your essence."

In other words, he only recognized Herta through her association with Thanos.

As he spoke to her, his tone carried a faint, desperate note of anticipation. Thanos was all too familiar with that look.

In fact, anyone who could learn of Herta’s existence and remain indifferent was a rare breed indeed. Even Thanos, sixty years ago, had looked to her with hope and had been granted one of her Curios. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"We’re here for the Soul Stone," Herta stated plainly. "Looking at you, I’d say you’re a prisoner of the Stone. Which means when I take it, you’ll likely fade away. Sorry, but simply acting as a tour guide isn’t enough to make me lift a finger to save you."

After all, Herta already knew the way.

At her words, the cloaked figure’s spirit plummeted. But perhaps it was for the best.

To sink into an eternal slumber was far better than being denied death, rotting in a cycle of endless, agonizing loneliness.

"To claim the Soul Stone, a price must be paid." The cloaked man—Red Skull—was in no hurry to lead them up. From his perspective, these two couldn’t possibly obtain the Stone through the methods he understood.

Of course, he didn’t rule out the possibility of a method beyond his comprehension. His knowledge of Herta came from Thanos, and Thanos’s estimation of her was so high that even Red Skull wondered if she could bypass the very fundamental laws of the Stone.

Still, he felt it best to lay out the terms clearly, if only to avoid a wasted trip—and perhaps to earn a bit of favor, just in case.

"The Soul Stone holds a unique station among its peers. One might even say it possesses a certain... wisdom," Red Skull explained. "To ensure that whoever wields its power understands its weight, it demands a sacrifice."

Thanos felt a sudden, cold pang of dread, accompanied by a wave of visceral loathing.

"To take it, you must lose that which you love. A soul for a soul."

Thanos remained silent.

The one who sacrificed a loved one would receive the Stone. He was not a man who trusted others; he wouldn’t send a subordinate to make the sacrifice only to hand the Stone over to him.

He would have had to come here himself. He would have had to sacrifice Gamora.

The mere thought sent a sharp, stabbing pain through his heart.

"Stop wasting time with the chatter and lead the way." Herta didn’t bother acknowledging Red Skull’s warning. Her supreme confidence convinced both men that she held a different card in her hand.

And she did.

When the trio reached the summit, a formless yet palpably divine power began to radiate from Herta.

Both Red Skull and Thanos had encountered—and even mastered—the Infinity Stones. To them, Herta seemed to transform into a living, breathing Infinity Stone herself, emitting an identical, overwhelming aura.

What they didn’t realize was that this wasn’t the power of the Stones at all.

Well, one could call it that, but it was more accurate to say it was the power of the "Universal Laws" that the Stones merely tapped into.

Having collected five Stones and studied them with her characteristic intensity, Herta was now capable of influencing the very fabric of this universe’s rules. Altering them entirely was well within her reach.

The Soul Stone, at its core, was just a sentient gem with a bit of an ego. It had its own logic, but that consciousness was far from perfect.

Under Herta’s magnetic pull, it felt as though it had found one of its own kind. With a strange mix of hesitation and longing, it manifested itself before her.

The sight didn’t surprise the other two, but it left them awestruck nonetheless.

Was Herta’s talent truly without limit?

A sudden hollow sensation washed over Red Skull, a delayed realization that his end was near. After a momentary flash of fear, he remembered the eons he had spent here—the infinite silence, the unchanging view. He hadn’t gone mad only because the Stone required a puppet.

With those memories, his fear dissolved into a profound sense of relief.

With a final, silent sigh, Red Skull dissolved into mist and vanished.

"You did it." Watching Herta hold the Soul Stone, Thanos felt the last of his strength and schemes leave him. Now, there was truly nothing left in the universe that could challenge her.

Herta, however, didn’t respond immediately.

It wasn’t that she was already deep into researching the Stone; rather, she was about to snap a photo of her prize to brag in the group chat when a specific notification popped up, tagging her directly.

[Amber: @Herta HELP! HELP!]

Confused by the frantic message, Herta naturally scrolled up to see the context.

[Alice Tendou: Ta-da! Arrived at a new map!]

[Alice Tendou: Whoa! It’s the world of One Punch Man! Alice is going to start an adventure here!]

[Amber: One Punch Man!?]

[Amber: @Herta Help! Save me!]

--+--

The Herta in the MCU Arc: End

--+--

T/N: I have a Patreon!

It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!

[email protected]/AspenTL

If you guys wanna check it out.