Chapter 54: The Queen of Nevers

Pure white stretched in every direction—no walls, no ceiling, no floor that Jay could distinguish. Just endless, perfect nothing that somehow felt solid under his feet.

'Did I die again?'

The thought hit him like ice water. He'd been through this before, back when he first arrived in this reality. The same disorienting white void, the same question mark hanging over his existence.

'Is... is XYZ here?' Jay's mind immediately went to the entity that had brought him to this world. The one called ROB—Random Omnipotent Being’s assistant, who'd given him a second chance at life.

He tried to remember what had happened. The enhancement chamber. Reed's worried face through the glass. Going under sedation, being submerged in the serum tank. Then, sudden, overwhelming pain even through the drugs, and nothing.

"Well, that's concerning," he muttered to the white void. "Either I'm having the world's most boring near-death experience, or I'm about to get lectured by some XYZ for dying so soon."

That's when she materialized.

One moment he was alone in the endless white, the next a woman stood before him. Tall, regal, with flowing hair that seemed to shift between silver and starlight. Her dress appeared to be cut from the fabric of space itself—dark material shot through with points of light like distant galaxies.

Jay's comic nerd perk kicked in immediately. "Holy shit. You're the Queen of Nevers!"

She smiled—warm, motherly, with just a hint of amusement. "Language, dear. Though I suppose your recognition is refreshing. Most mortals don't even know I exist."

Jay's mind was racing. If she was here, this had to be serious. The Queen of Nevers, lover of Eternity himself. A cosmic entity so far above his pay grade it wasn't even funny.

"Am I—" His voice cracked. "Did I break something? The timeline? Was I caught as an illegal alien!?"

The Queen laughed—a sound like silver bells. "Oh, child. No, you haven't broken anything. Relax." She gestured around them. "This isn't the domain of your so-called ROB. This is the Land of Couldn't-Be-Shouldn't-Be, my realm. A place outside the Multiverse itself, where possibilities gather before they become reality."

That was actually reassuring. Sort of. At least he was still in the Marvel cosmos, not being dragged back to wherever he'd started.

"If I'm dead—or dying—why aren't I standing in front of Lady Death instead?"

The Queen's expression shifted. "Oh, that would have been the natural course of events. But honestly, dear, I don't think you'd be particularly happy to meet her. Given some of her... actions."

Jay grimaced, remembering the comics. Lady Death in Marvel was cold and cruel—she manipulated Thanos into genocide, cursed Deadpool with immortality, and was a major reason for the spread of the Zombie virus throughout the Marvel Multiverse. "Yeah, hard pass on that meet-and-greet."

"Exactly." The Queen stepped closer. "This is the realm of possibility and free will, existing just below the House of Ideas where all stories are born. I am the sentience of the Fourth Cosmos, and from here, I see all. The Land of Couldn't-Be-Shouldn't-Be is a plane of non-existence outside the Multiverse—a place where all possibilities exist before they choose to become reality."

Jay blinked. "Fourth Cosmos? That makes you older than..."

"Older than Eternity himself, yes. Though we are lovers now, I predate his current incarnation by eons." Her expression grew distant for a moment. "I have seen the rise and fall of cosmic cycles, watched realities bloom and die. All Nexus Beings come under my protection—those whose existence allows for infinite possibility in the multiverse. Wanda Maximoff, Franklin Richards, beings like them are keystones of reality itself."

"Am I...?" Jay couldn't finish the question, but she understood.

"A Nexus Being? No, dear. Nexus Beings are born to their roles, crucial to the ultimate coherence and stability of the Multiverse. You are something rarer—an outsider." Her smile held maternal warmth. "All outsiders are placed under my protection. Those who don't belong to the natural order of things but create change nonetheless. You see, Nexus Beings maintain stability. Outsiders like you? You create beautiful chaos."

"But what's the difference?" Jay asked, genuinely curious. "Between maintaining stability and creating chaos?"

The Queen's expression grew thoughtful. "Nexus Beings are like... anchors. Without them, reality would drift into complete randomness. Wanda Maximoff's probability manipulation keeps her reality stable. Franklin Richards' reality-shaping abilities ensure his universe continues to exist. They are watched vigilantly by cosmic forces—the Time Variance Authority, the Time-Keepers—because their actions determine whether entire timelines survive or collapse."

She gestured around them at the white void. "But you outsiders? You're wildcards. You introduce elements that were never meant to exist in those realities. Sometimes you save worlds that were destined to fall. Sometimes you doom universes that should have thrived. The One Above All finds this... entertaining."

Jay felt a chill. "So I'm just entertainment?"

"Oh, child, no." Her voice grew fierce, protective. "You are precious precisely because you choose your own meaning. Nexus Beings are bound by cosmic responsibility whether they want it or not. Outsiders can walk away whenever they choose. The fact that most of you stay, that most of you try to help despite having no obligation to do so... that's what makes you special. That's why I protect you."

The words hit Jay like lightning. His breath caught. He'd suspected there had to be others. Other transmigrators, other people given second chances, since XYZ appeared pretty used to the process. But he'd never been able to confirm it.

"There are others like me?"

"More than you could guess," she confirmed. "Scattered across infinite realities, each on their own journey. The One Above All allows their entrance because he loves to observe change from things he didn't create. Just as it’s his nature as a curious creator."

Jay's head was spinning. Everything he'd thought he understood was just the tip of an iceberg.

"What about the comics? The stories we know?"

Her smile turned enigmatic. "All that exists by the will of the One Above All. His whims, his curiosity, his endless 'what if.' To which the reasoning he only knows."

Jay had to ask. "Have other outsiders completed their goals? Where are they now?"

The Queen's expression grew distant. "More than you can count have tried. Many died before making their mark. Others left to explore the Omniverse. Some are still around, convinced they're the main characters of reality."

Her expression grew serious. "But even if you traveled the entire Multiverse looking for them, you would never encounter another. The One Above All doesn't like his shows to interrupt each other. Each outsider exists in their own narrative bubble, so to speak. You can consider yourself effectively alone in that regard."

Jay had never realized how much he'd hoped to someday meet someone who understood.

"But that's also why my protection is so important," the Queen continued, her voice gentling. "You cannot turn to others like yourself for support or guidance. You must find your way through relationships with the natives of your adopted reality. The Nexus Beings I protect at least have cosmic forces watching over them, ensuring their stability. Outsiders only have me... and the connections they build themselves."

Jay thought about that. It made sense, actually. If reincarnated people could meet, most would probably try to kill each other. Especially if they'd been losers in their old lives who'd gotten wishes to be overpowered. The ego clashes alone would be epic.

He did wonder what ROB gained from all this. Something to study later—if there was a later.

"So what now?" he asked. "Am I dead?"

The Queen shrank down to his size and pulled him into a hug. The embrace felt real in a way that made Jay's chest tighten.

She patted his back gently. Jay found himself clinging to her, unexpected tears flowing freely. It was like being held by the mother he'd never really had—not his biological mother with her endless expectations, but the kind of mother who loved you for existing, not for what you could provide to fulfill her expectations.

"All of you are like my children, trying your best to reach your goals," she said gently. "But Jay..." She pulled back to look at him. "You're always putting on a mask, always trying to make everyone win. I like that about you. But you're losing yourself. You matter too. You should do what's best for you, both physically and mentally."

The words cracked something open inside Jay's chest. It was exactly what Bobby had said, what he'd been trying to avoid facing.

The words hit close to home. "I'll still do what I think is the best way to survive and be free in this world," he said quietly.

She sighed and muttered something that sounded like "so you're one of the dense ones." Then louder "You're not dead, dear. Your body is adjusting to the enhancements, and your soul was pulled here so we could meet. You'll return soon."

Relief flooded through him. "Thank you. This conversation has really opened my eyes."

She laughed. "If you're truly thankful, won't you do me a small favor?"

Jay hesitated. Agreeing to do favors for cosmic entities was usually a bad idea. But she'd been nothing but kind, and he did owe her for her protection.

"What kind of favor?"

"I'll tell you later. But first—" Her expression grew serious. "The world has had some changes while you were unconscious. Changes you may not like. Be ready. And be truthful, within limits, if you want to keep your friends. The time for masks is ending."

The white void began to shimmer around the edges.

"Wait!" Jay called out as her image began to fade. "What kind of changes?"

But the Queen of Nevers was already dissolving into starlight.

"Remember, child," her voice echoed as everything went white again. "Some cages are of our own making. But every prison has a key—you just have to be willing to use it."

The whiteness rushed toward him like an avalanche, and Jay felt himself falling back into flesh and bone.

Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the steady beep of machines and harsh, urgent voices arguing. Whatever had happened while he was under, it sounded bad.

'Time to wake up.' he thought as consciousness pulled him back toward the waking world.