The Marvels: Soul World (Book 1 in the Marvels series)

Chapter 2

The Marvels, as they now called themselves, walked in a direction to......somewhere. The Soul World seemed to be an endless place, with some unknown people who had the misfortune of perishing not fully.

Loki felt awkward. Most of them (except for Peter Parker) hated or at the very least disliked him from his reputation. Loki has only wanted to please his family (mostly his father), and in doing so cause so much chaos.

Even though he had denied it, he still felt deep down like his adopted parents were his real ones, and that Thor was his true brother. He just hadn't had the chance of telling them that.

Loki wondered if his parents were here somewhere.

"Um, Mr Loki, are you ok?" Peter Parker asked.

Loki sighed, he must of zoned out. "Yes, I'm fine mortal, er, Peter. Just wondering if my parents are somewhere here too."

"I was wondering the same about my parents," Peter nodded. "I never got to meet them, so....."

Loki felt  a purge in his chest, realizing that he felt bad for the kid. He technically never meet his actual biological mother, but nevertheless he wanted to see her. Ask her some questions maybe. But he didn't think he would get close with his biological family who never got to raise him.

He really wanted to see Frigga and Odin. He hoped that in this new group's quest that they would run into the former king and queen of Asgard.

"Well, we are getting quiet the looks from the other dead people," Drax noted as they passed by some other souls of people who were wondering endlessly. There were a few ruined structures and ghost towns here and there, each passing hour they found even more souls.

"You got that right," Sam said. "I haven't been looked at this strangely since I became a wanted criminal."

"Well, no wonder why, we are a strange group," Agent Hill chuckled. "A big one at that."

"Yeah. Let's, er, sit down for a bit," Nick Fury said.

"Why don't we go there?" Vision asked, pointing to random ruins (that everyone could of sworn was not there before) that looked suspiciously like the ruined city in New Mexico.

They found a building with only two adjacent walls standing. The Marvels also found dirty chairs and cushions to sit on, so they gathered in a circle.

"So what do we talk about?" Peter Quill asked out of boredom.

"Whatever you want to," Wanda shrugged.

"I am groot," Groot said with an attitude, not looking up from his video game.

"Woah!" All the guardians exclaimed.

"This attitude again?" Star-Lord asked. "I think he's in the earth equivalent of his teenage years. Well, for a second time I guess."

"Really? What's the story?" Peter Parker asked interested. "I mean, what is all of you all's stories? The cool superhero backstory-type things."

And so everyone, one at a time, went around and shared their past adventures (or what Peter called everyone's origin story). They talked and laughed together, bonding together.

After a couple of hours (well, sort of, time was hard to track in the soul world), they decided to try to eat and get some sleep (because even if your in the soul world you can eat and sleep) for a little bit.

The group was able to find food in an abandoned restaurant, then went back to their new camp. They continued to talk about their pasts, further bonding.

(A/N yeah I know I'm not being specific, because we already know their origin stories and adventures)

"Wait," Nick Fury said, ripping a piece of meat from the chicken wing he had and eating it. "You all are saying that the kid was bitten by a radioactive spider, the guardians are criminals, Janet van Dyne was stuck in the quantum realm for years, and Loki may not be as bad as we thought?"

Everyone else laughed and nodded.

"Well, we currently have five guardians, Barnes, Wilson, the three van Dynes, the kid, Loki, Dr Strange, Wanda, Vision, T'challa, Agent Hill and i," the director counted. "That makes eighteen of us. Quiet a large number."

"Better to be large in numbers then not," T'challa shrugged.

"But larger numbers are also a bigger target," Loki countered.

"But we are dead right?" Peter asked nervously. "Or sort of."

"Well yeah," Dr Strange frowned. "But all souls go here before whatever afterlife you believe in. So we are dead, but not dead dead."

"What are you saying doctor?" Nick Fury asked frowning.

"We are dead yes, but not past revival yet," Dr Strange explained. "So hypothetically if you kill someone in the soul world, they would die but revive, but still in the soul world. It all depends on where you get revived from."

"So your saying we are dead, but not completely?" Nick Fury asked still confused.

(A/N: this is my theory on how exactly the Infinity stones could bring the souls back besides being able to bend the universe)

"I'm afraid i don't quiet follow," Loki frowned.

"How is that possible?" The others all asked.

Dr Strange shrugged. "I found it in an old dusty book that hadn't been read in years. It's mostly a theory, but i believe it's true. I mean we can eat and most likely sleep, why not be able to be revived? Besides we are in the company of the impossible, what's wrong with a little more impossibility?"

"He may have a point," Vision agreed. "I mean I am mostly just a machine with feelings, and I'm here."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Wanda said, wrapping an arm around him. Vision returned the hug gratefully.

Peter Parker looked deep in thought, then grew pale. "Wait guys, remember what Mr Loki—"

"Just call me Loki."

"Ok, remember what Loki said earlier about our enemies being here too? And then Dr Strange said that we could be killed but then revived again? Well what if the bad guys attack?"

"Then we fight," Drax said simply, munching on something.

Peter Parker looked scared. The group softened, some hugged him to make him feel better.

"Huh. Everyone was so tense earlier, then the kid gets worried and everyone softens up and likes each other," Fury huffed in a joking manner. They all laughed and split apart from the hug.

"But don't worry kid, we'll defend ourselves," Sam assured. "When has that not worked out?"

"Um, didn't we just lose though," Star-Lord asked.

"Well we would of gotten the gauntlet off, but somebody had to punch Thanos," Dr Strange grumbled.

Star-lord's face grew red with embarrassment. "I wanted to know what happened to Gamora."

"Yeah but we could've—"

"Alright enough," Nick interrupted. "What's done is done ok? Anyway, we should get some sleep. Who wants first watch?"

The five guardians all volunteered. Everyone else found a nice enough spot to rest, then fell fast asleep.

If they thought that their darkest nightmares were the worst, then they were about to see how wrong they were.....