Protectors- Wrath of The Stranger

Chapter One: Injustice

In the dank city slums, a person walked alone, his form shrouded in a black cloak. It was dangerous to walk alone, and the five thugs that followed them were willing to prey upon the weakness of the stupid wanderer,

"Stay away," the figure breathed, "you are not supposed to die tonight,"

The sheer presence in the voice gave the grunts hesitation,

"Come on, guys," the biggest one said, "there's no point in jumping someone who's gonna fight back,"

The gang left, but even before they had turned away from the alley, their skulls were split open, spilling brain tissue on the shady brick walls,

"So you came for the rematch," Wraith said indifferently, "Noctum,"

"To think that you would sap my abilities to the point that Kinetic could survive them unharmed," Adam replied, eyes flashing with the crimson fire that signalled his wrath, "I will not hold back against you, even if there is something strangely familiar about your voice,"

He punched at the air, the vacuum wave pulling him forward until he was face to face with Wraith, staring into the shadows that masked its face. Almost in acknowledgement of Noctum's scrutiny, Wraith lifted its hood, pulling the mask of shadows apart like cobwebs. Below the shadows was something. It was not something that can be readily explained. Human features were worn down, eroded by something, until the thing that Adam gazed upon could no longer be human,

"What happened to you?" Noctum asked coldly,

"I am Misfortune from an alternate reality, one where Kinetic won," It began, "the Goddess transformed me, turning me into a being of darkness, an enforcer who's only job is to kill threats to the timelines,"

"Why are you only here now? There have been many threats to the multiverse,"

"I am only arriving now because the anomalies that occurred in this timeline were controlled. None of them had the possibility to grow powerful enough to endanger the multiverse. None, until you arrived,"

"I was supposed to come back to life, then?"

"Certainly, but your final death was to happen over a decade ago, sacrificing yourself against The Stranger," Wraith answered, "due to your survival, things have been breaching into other universes, even cracks have been appearing within separate multiverses, people being pulled beyond. That has kept me busy for the last ten years,"

"Except it has been a lot longer than that, for you," Noctum noted, "you must have been travelling for millennia, solving all of these threats,"

"You are truly a specimen, aren't you," Wraith stated, "the only Adam Oughton across the multiverse so far who survived The Stranger's defeat, save for Zavant, of course,"

"You have to have faced off against him," Adam realised, "to correct all problems with the multiverse means that you must have battled Apis at some point,"

"I have, and I was able to win quite handily," Wraith replied, "but, of course, he is a lot weaker than you are now, considering you are a match for my cosmic shadows,"

"I am a lot more powerful than you have gauged," 

"Then show me,"

"Since I know that there are no more rogue superhumans on your side, that is exactly what I will do. There is no more knowledge to be gained from you, and therefore your life has no more use,"

Noctum lashed out suddenly, the force of his punch creating a crack of the breaking sound barrier as it connected with Wraith. Shadows engulfed his fist, freezing him there as Wraith laughed callously, a black, oily substance running from under the hood,