alot can happen in a year, nations can dissappear, sunds can explode, disasters happen. a year is a long time to mortal men. to those like statesman it is but a measure of time, something to compare the growth of his family too.
to me it was not so long a time. i was concious, i could see and hear. but i was seperate from the mortal worlds. i was so close to the source of my powers, so close to the ancient creation that sustained me, made me strong.
but it ws out of reach.
the voice told me. there was such power in it. so familiar. so distant. it didnt speak. not as we would understand it. it was as if the words were burned into the fabric of my mind.
its not your time. thats what it told me. thats why i returned.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the past year had changed much in paragon city.
Faultline's reconstruction had begun, arachnos had been found in the abandoned supergroup bases.
maz had become pregnant late in the year, and had given birth shortly after Fury's re-arrival.

Morty had come and gone....and come again...then dissappeared mysteriously only to return in a crate labelled "return to sender", a fact that all coalition members were perplexed by.

the supergroup had grown, new members, new bases, new killer monkeys...ok forget that last bit, its not important.

all in all, though much had changed, the basic feel of the place had'nt altered at all, statesmand and the phalanx still faught the good fight, recluse was still a wuss and ran away at the first opportunity, friends were good, enemies were...odd.

all in al it was good to be back.

but there was that nagging in the back of my mind that something had changed. not in paragon city, but neerby. the rogue isles. that nagging took a voice. the same voice i'd heard before. hes stronger now, hes reached the final stage. beware.

cryptic as always.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"so, do you mind explaining to us just HOW you came back to life?" the words snapped Fury out of his own thaughts. morty had asked him to this conference to discuss the changes in Fury's abilities. it was evident that he was confused as to how a dead guy can come back to life.

Fury sighed a deep sigh, as he had every time that question had been asked. "im not entirely sure myself"this wasn't exactly true, but they didnt need to know. not yet."all i can say is that i wasn't dead. not realy. my essence had been scattered, but was pulled back together somehow." that was true enough. "besides, you mind elling us how you ended up in a crate?"

chuckles rolled through the room, and as morty blushed it was clear that he wouldnt explain. noone realy knew how he ended up in a crate. there were theories though. none of them pretty.

"Fury, how can you look the way you do, but be so young?" the voice was calm and smooth, it was maz. the only one in the room with the will to ask. before his sudden "death" noone had known Fury's real age, most suspected he was old, mainly due to his snowy hair. the truth had come out in an obituary issued by freedom corps, detailing his true name, age, and the fate of his family.
"its part of the way my powers work. the force of the energy that passed through my aged my body, made me strong. and had some...aftereffects" the aftereffects being the colour of his hair, and the eerie green glow that used to eminate from his eyes. though the colour of his hair had remained the same, the glow had been replaced with a blue calming light."in reality, though my powers now mimic those of your average peacebringer, my powers are no different. life and death are harmonious. you cannot have one without the other. this" Fury gestured to the neer permanant blue-white robe"is just the life part."
"so what are you saying? that you've flipped over? your the opposite?" magus, resident magic junky, and all round good guy....sometimes odd though, fan of psy's stranger moments.
"not the opposite, just a different aspect. t=im in a sort of..how to explain..larval form. a stage in between my original self, and a stronger power"
i cant keep this secret for much longer.
no, but you must not let thy friends know. it will change their view of you, and that i cannot allow
i will not tell them yet, you have my word.
and you have my word that it will not be long until you achieve your destiny

it would be a long night of questions, but they had the right to ask. better get some coffee...
black, no sugar. its better for you.
it would be a long night indeed.