I fell in Marvel with Essence Gacha but I’ve never heard of Marvel

Sharon, having experienced something similar to Natasha before, decided to explain everything to her. The two women came from different timelines, but there were enough similarities between their worlds that Sharon was probably the best person to help Natasha get her bearings. Natasha herself had arrived with some basic knowledge, as all summons did, but it was mostly surface-level information about this world, Lex's team, and the people around him. It was nowhere near enough to understand just how different this timeline was from the one she had spent her entire life in.

“So there's a new genetic evolution of humans and they have powers?” Natasha asked, her brows drawing together as she wrote something down in a small notebook. “But it's not actually new and is thousands of years old? Well, if there were people like that on our Earth, I'm sure we would've known. The closest thing I can think of would be the Inhumans, but you're saying Inhumans exist here too and they're a completely different group?”

“Pretty much,” Gwen confirmed.

Natasha stared at the notes she'd made for a few seconds before adding another line. She had the look of someone trying to organize an enormous amount of information into something that could actually make sense.

“So it seems just like Sharon's world, your timeline is quite different too,” Lex said. “Since mutants don't exist at all in your timeline. Did you guys have a Battle of New York or something? That's where the Avengers formed, right?”

“Of course,” Natasha immediately answered. “Loki came with an army, and we defeated him.”

“So that part is the same, huh?” Lex mused. “Timelines are always so interesting.”

“Very,” Gwen said, letting out a small smile.

Natasha nodded before continuing, but then something else seemed to occur to her.

“Well, since the current year is 2014, you guys should probably beware of Tony and Banner building Ultron. It's an artificial intelligence that wants to wipe out humanity or something.”

“Oh, Ultron was already built,” Lex said casually. “We're actually trying to track him down currently.”

Natasha stopped writing.

“Really? That's early.”

She seemed genuinely surprised before apparently deciding there was little point questioning it. Instead, she reached for one of the biscuits Grayfia had placed on the table and took a bite.

“Maybe we should prepare for Thanos early too.”

The biscuit disappeared in a few bites.

“These are really good. Where do you get these?”

“I made them myself, of course,” Grayfia replied as she passed by with another tray before continuing on her way.

Natasha watched her leave.

“Why do I feel like the maid is the scariest one of your lot?”

A few people around the table chuckled.

“Who's Thanos?” Lex asked.

Natasha looked at him as if she had just remembered that he had no idea what she was talking about.

“Where do I even begin?”

She leaned back slightly, thinking about how to explain it.

“Thanos is an alien overlord who wants to collect all six Infinity Stones in the universe and use them to wipe out half of all life in the universe.”

“Why?” several people asked almost simultaneously.

Donna was the only one who didn't join in, being far too busy eating another cookie.

“As far as I've heard, he wants to do it because there aren't enough resources for the current population or something,” Natasha replied.

“And killing half the universe is supposed to solve that?” Lex asked, genuinely baffled.

“Don't ask me. It's not my plan.”

Natasha shrugged and took another biscuit.

“Tell us the whole story,” Sharon said. “Everything you know. The future and all.”

“Sure.”

Natasha settled more comfortably into her chair, clearly understanding that this was going to take a while.

“It all started with the Sokovia Accords...”

As Natasha began explaining the events that followed, the room quickly became less like an interrogation and more like a group of people comparing notes about three different histories.

When she explained the Sokovia Accords, Gwen's expression became increasingly incredulous.

“No way. The Tony I know would never sign anything like that. Placing himself under government control?”

“He did in my world,” Natasha replied.

“That's... weird,” Gwen muttered.

When Natasha reached Bucky and explained that he had been responsible for the deaths of Tony's parents, Sharon nearly choked on her coffee.

“Wait, Uncle Bucky killed Tony's parents?” she asked, her voice rising. “No... If Tony really finds out about that, then Civil War might truly be inevitable.”

Natasha gave her a strange look at the sudden emotional reaction, but Sharon was already staring down at her coffee as though it had personally offended her.

Kara, meanwhile, seemed to focus on an entirely different part of Natasha's story.

“Wait, Wakanda is a really powerful hidden nation?” Her eyes lit up. “Cool. Maybe I should visit there sometime.”

Natasha blinked.

“That's what you got from that?”

“Sounds interesting.”

“Well, our Hulk didn't leave,” Lex pointed out when Natasha reached the part about Bruce disappearing into space. “So would we get no warning?”

“That might change things considerably,” Natasha admitted.

“So these Children of Thanos are the ones we need to look out for first,” Gwen said thoughtfully.

Natasha nodded.

“And they all went to space, huh?” Sharon said after Natasha explained the later events. “Well, this might actually be easier for us. Lex has a spaceship.”

Lex nodded.

“I've got a few.”

Natasha's eyebrows rose slightly at that, but she decided not to interrupt.

The story continued.

Civil War gave way to the events of Infinity War, and the mood in the room gradually changed as Natasha explained what happened next. The arrival of Thanos, the fight for the Infinity Stones, the battle on Titan, Wakanda, and finally the Snap.

When Natasha described Thanos closing his fist and half the life in the universe disappearing, the room fell silent.

There was no clever comment from Kara this time. No joke from Lex. Even Donna stopped eating.

Natasha continued explaining what happened afterward, her voice becoming quieter as she reached the years that followed.

“For five years, we tried everything. We searched for answers, tried to find a way to reverse it, but there was just no hope.”

Her voice faltered slightly.

“And then...”

She paused, taking a breath before continuing.

“Time travel.”

Gwen tilted her head.

“Time travel, huh? For me, it usually doesn't end well.”

Donna immediately looked toward her.

“Wait, you can time travel?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“You never mentioned that.”

“It's not really something worth mentioning.”

Gwen shrugged as though she had just been asked whether she knew how to cook.

Lex could only shake his head.

Natasha continued, explaining how the Avengers eventually found a way to travel through time, retrieve the Infinity Stones from different points in history, and use them to undo the Snap.

“So what happened?” Sharon asked, bringing the conversation back on track. “Did you guys actually succeed in getting the Stones?”

“Yes.”

Natasha's expression became more complicated.

“Well... I died.”

The room went quiet again.

“But I was able to stay as a spirit and even help them out with that wish.”

She left the explanation there, not seeming particularly interested in going into whatever exactly had happened after her death.

“Never would've guessed...” Lex muttered when Natasha eventually described Tony's final sacrifice.

He had already understood the implications.

The Space Mall's quests weren't nearly as random as they had first seemed.

Save Iron Man from his original death.

Let Natasha not sacrifice.

The connection was obvious now.

Natasha finished telling them everything she could remember about the Battle of Earth and the aftermath of the Snap, though there were plenty of details she either didn't know or didn't have any reason to explain.

Then it was their turn.

Lex and the others spent the next several hours explaining their own world to Natasha. The mutants, the Avengers, Krakoa, the different worlds they had visited, Lex's powers, the Gacha, the people he had summoned, and the bizarre chain of events that had led to Natasha herself standing in this room.

Natasha listened with the same focused attention she had shown when writing down information about mutants earlier, occasionally interrupting with questions when something seemed particularly strange.

Eventually, Lex decided it was time for something he had made almost routine with his summons.

He gave Natasha a drop of his blood.

It had become a habit after what had happened with Kara and the Beast. Whenever someone new joined his group, Lex preferred to make sure they had the protection and benefits his blood could provide rather than waiting for some future crisis to demonstrate why it mattered.

The effect on Natasha was immediate.

For a moment, Lex thought she was actually going to transform.

The change was far more dramatic than anything he had seen from his blood before, although he hadn't witnessed Peggy's transformation personally, so he couldn't compare it to hers. Natasha's body visibly changed as the effects spread through her, the accumulated wear of years seemingly disappearing before their eyes.

Her skin became clearer, her complexion brighter, and the subtle signs of exhaustion and age that had been present in her face faded away. Her entire body seemed to settle into a state of perfect health, every injury and imperfection being corrected as her regeneration rebuilt her from the inside out.

Natasha stared down at her hands.

Then she touched her face.

Her breathing became unsteady.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

Lex's expression softened. He didn't know exactly what she had just regained, only that whatever it was had apparently been something she had long since accepted she would never have again.

Sharon immediately moved closer and placed a supportive hand on Natasha's shoulder.

Natasha covered her mouth with one hand, trying and failing to hide the emotion on her face.

“Thank you...” she whispered.

Another tear slipped down her cheek.

“Thank you. I never thought I'd get that part of me back... ever.”

“Now you take some rest. We’ll all talk tomorrow, alright?” Lex said before asking Grayfia to lead Natasha to one of the free rooms.

“We still have free rooms, right?” Lex asked, looking around the mansion. At this point, it already housed Lex, Sharon, Donna, Kara, Grayfia, Gwen, Jubilee, Jean and now Natasha. Regina technically had a room as well, even though she rarely stayed at the mansion anymore.

“There are still four rooms available in the basement,” Grayfia replied.

“Hmmm... should we really switch houses? I kinda like it here,” Lex said, glancing around as though he was seriously considering the possibility.

“I know, right? Everything’s close by,” Sharon added, having apparently been listening to the conversation.

“Actually, if you guys want, I can find a place somewhere else to live,” Natasha offered, a little awkwardly. She didn't want to impose on a household that was already crowded enough.

“Of course not. You’re living with us, and that’s that,” Lex said immediately. “Unless you feel uncomfortable here, of course. The whole house thing is more about expanding because, you know, more Summons are coming sooner or later anyway.”

“Oh, you’re planning to summon someone? Can you do Kara first? I wanna see her reaction,” Kara immediately said, apparently far more interested in the idea than the actual housing discussion.

“Oh no, I already called dibs on Raven a long time ago,” Donna shot back.

“Guys, we can discuss that later. First, let’s give Natasha the tour... and we also need an explanation for Jean,” Sharon said, steering the conversation back on track.

“Jean only, not Jubilee?” Donna asked.

“I mean, she’s kinda one of us now,” Sharon replied after a moment. “I think we should just tell her the truth, right?”

“I’m cool with her knowing,” Kara added.

While the others continued talking, Grayfia led Natasha upstairs to an empty room. She opened one of the wardrobes and began pulling out clothes, laying several different outfits across the bed and asking Natasha to see what fit. Summons only arrived with their most iconic costumes, and Grayfia had already anticipated the obvious problem of suddenly having another adult living in the mansion, so she had purchased a large variety of clothes in different sizes and styles.

“Just choose a few for now. Later, you can go shopping and get whatever style you actually like,” Grayfia suggested.

Natasha changed into something more comfortable before returning downstairs, where Donna immediately took over the task of introducing her to Fluffy.

“Wow... I never knew something like this existed,” Natasha said, running a hand through the Polar Bear Dog’s thick fur. “And you guys definitely named him right. He really is Fluffy.”

The creature seemed perfectly content with the attention, his tail moving lazily behind him as Natasha continued petting him. His coat had actually grown considerably thicker since the last time Donna had paid attention to it, and she mentioned that he probably needed some proper grooming soon.

“So, what does Lex usually expect from Summons?” Natasha asked casually, her fingers still buried in Fluffy’s fur.

The question sounded innocent enough, but Donna could probably tell there was more behind it.

Natasha was a former SHIELD agent, after all. No matter how strange her circumstances were, she wasn't going to completely trust a powerful stranger simply because he had given her a new life. She could be truthful and respectful toward Lex and the others while still trying to understand their real motives. She had already been given more than she could have imagined, and that alone made her wonder what, exactly, they expected in return.

“Not much, to be honest,” Donna replied. “We all do whatever we want most of the time. Sometimes he asks us for help with something, and other times we ask him for help. It’s mostly just... that.”

“Oh.” Natasha glanced toward the others for a moment before looking back at Donna. “You know, seeing all of them being women, I thought... well, he might be a pervert or something. Maybe expect a bit of sexual stuff.”

She delivered the comment teasingly, but Natasha was watching Donna's reaction closely. It was partly a joke, but it was also a test. She wanted to understand Lex’s personality, and more importantly, the relationship he actually had with the people around him.

Everything she had seen so far only made him more difficult to understand.

Lex had helped her tremendously, far beyond anything she could have expected from a stranger. He had given her his blood, healed her body, and restored something she had long ago accepted she would never have again. Why would someone with that kind of power do all of that for nothing?

There had to be a catch.

Natasha wasn't necessarily opposed to that idea. Whatever Lex eventually asked of her, what she had already received would have been enough to make her willing to work for him, even if the task turned out to be something morally questionable. But that still left the question of what kind of price he might eventually ask for everything else he had given her.

“Yeah, it’s all girls around here,” Donna admitted with a small laugh. “Well, Lex is kinda a pervert too... a little bit. But his power is also pretty odd. For some reason, it seems to give him more women than men.”

Natasha considered that answer for a moment. The sexual aspect itself wasn't particularly concerning to her. Even if that eventually became part of what Lex wanted from her, he was certainly an attractive young man, so it wasn't exactly an unpleasant possibility. What mattered more was everything surrounding it.

The way Donna spoke about Lex didn't sound like someone talking about her superior.

Neither did the way the others interacted with him.

There was no obvious master-and-servant dynamic, no rigid hierarchy, and certainly no atmosphere of fear. The women seemed comfortable teasing Lex, arguing with him, asking him for things and simply doing whatever they wanted. Whatever Lex's relationship with them was, it seemed far more personal than that of a commander and his subordinates.

Natasha looked around the mansion again, quietly taking in the people moving through it and the casual atmosphere between them.

For now, she could only observe.