Top floor of the Future Technology Building in Queens, New York.
A tall figure stood near the glass wall that overlooked the sprawling cityscape, his silhouette still as he gazed into the skyline. Reflected in the transparent screen before him was a rapidly updating news feed, projecting headlines that seemed absurd at first glance—but were now part of everyone's new reality.
"Shocking Revelation! Captain Steve's Previous Life Was a Simple Farmer in the European Countryside!"
"The Previous Life of the World's Richest Man, Owner of 100% of Stark Industries and Iron Man Superhero—Tony Stark—Was Actually a Penniless Beggar?"
"It Has Been a Month Since the [Past Life Exposure Screen] Appeared on Earth. So Far, Six Individuals Have Had Their Past Lives Exposed—Including Superheroes and Notorious Criminals!"
"The Seventh Exposure Is Imminent! Who Will the [Past Life Exposure Screen] Choose This Time? Stay Tuned!"
Snap!
With a crisp snap of his fingers, James turned off the projection. The flickering headlines disappeared, and the smart glass gradually shifted from display mode to transparent. Now, James could clearly see the blue expanse of the New York sky stretching before him.
But he wasn't focused on the clear skies or the drifting clouds.
His gaze was fixed on something else—something immense, otherworldly.
Hovering high above the Earth, visible to every eye turned toward the heavens, was a glowing, panoramic screen that defied explanation. And it wasn't just over New York. The same screen floated above Wakanda, Kamar-Taj, Asgard, and even on planets far beyond Earth's solar system.
As long as a planet had intelligent life capable of sight, that civilization could look up and see the brilliant screen: the mysterious and awe-inspiring [Past Life Exposure Screen].
James frowned slightly, his jaw tightening.
This screen, this bizarre phenomenon that had thrown the world into chaos, had first appeared a little over a month ago. Since then, it had randomly selected people—regardless of status or power—and displayed their past lives to the entire universe like episodes of a reality show.
But James wasn't just anyone. He wasn't originally from this universe at all. He was a time traveler. And this wasn't even his first time traveling between worlds.
He had already undergone several reincarnations before he ended up here—in the Marvel universe.
Back when he first awakened the mysterious SCP Foundation Role-Playing System, his journey had taken him to a world that made even the most apocalyptic corners of the Marvel multiverse seem like playgrounds.
That world was one of endless dread—the SCP universe.
A realm filled with anomalies that mocked reality itself. Some were harmless—a bowl that refilled with noodle soup endlessly. Others were nightmarish—reality-warping gods, memetic viruses, multi-layered narrative structures, anti-universe beings, and unspeakable horrors that could unravel your mind just by being aware of them.
In terms of pure survival difficulty, the SCP universe was undoubtedly one of the top three conceptual realities known.
James had seen that world torn by civil wars, plagued by terrorist groups, corrupted by eldritch cults, and haunted by forces that denied logic or morality. Ordinary people perished by the thousands every day.
So James made a decision—he joined the SCP Foundation.
He didn't just become part of it. He lived through it.
Starting as a disposable D-Class test subject, he worked his way up—becoming a Mobile Task Force operative, a researcher, a lead scientist, a senior supervisor… until finally, after what felt like lifetimes, he witnessed the impossible:
SCP-001 was contained.
That moment marked the end of his mission. The system he had depended on for survival quietly dissolved, and James chose to leave the SCP world behind.
He arrived in a new universe—the Marvel Universe.
Compared to the terror of the SCP world, Marvel felt almost tranquil. Sure, there were alien invasions, cosmic threats, time travel paradoxes, and morally grey billionaires flying in iron suits—but all of that was manageable.
Here, James believed he could finally rest. Build a life. Live in peace.
But that illusion was shattered a year later—when the [Past Life Exposure Screen] appeared.
Now, in this vast Marvel universe, everyone—from gods to janitors—stood an equal chance of having their past life revealed to the entire cosmos. Their souls laid bare. Their history told like stories from a godlike narrator.
Some were celebrated. Others became memes. Some, like Captain Steve, were humiliated.
Who would've guessed that the legendary Captain America was a poor European farmer in a past life?
Or that Iron Man, the symbol of wealth and intellect, used to be a homeless beggar?
Tony Stark hadn't appeared in public since the broadcast.
Most ordinary people, of course, dreamed of being chosen. For them, it meant fame, recognition, even wealth. Some opened talk shows. Others cashed in on merchandise. Being selected was like winning a universal lottery.
But James? He wasn't dreaming of anything.
He was dreading it.
His past life wasn't just embarrassing or surprising. It was dangerous. Deadly, even.
He remembered the memetic viruses—conceptual diseases that could infect a mind just by thinking about them. He remembered the infohazards and cognitohazards. The Euclid- and Keter-class anomalies. The anti-logic entities that fed on dreams.
If even a fraction of his previous life's memory were exposed to the public, the consequences could be catastrophic.
He had neutralized them, yes. Contained them, fought them, destroyed them.
But that didn't mean they should be known.
"I just want a quiet life," James muttered to himself, his eyes still fixed on the screen in the sky.
But reality doesn't care what you want. It has its own plans.
As if to confirm this cruel truth, a sacred and mechanical voice echoed from the skies, heard by every intelligent being across galaxies:
[Previous Life Exposure System — Beginning Random Selection!]
[Selected Planet: BLUE STAR!]
[The past life of the selected individual will be revealed in the form of a universal broadcast video!]
In that instant, humanity collectively lost its mind.
People ran into streets. Phones lit up. Social media exploded. News anchors stumbled over their words. Livestreamers screamed in excitement. In bars, homes, bunkers, temples—eyes turned toward the sky, hearts pounding with anticipation.
This was it.
The seventh reveal.
The screen shimmered, energy building, and then—
[BEEP!!!]
[Selection Completed!]
[Exposing: Former Identity — (DATA EXPUNGED) of the SCP Foundation]
Ssszzzt...!!
The feed glitched.
The screen—normally crystal clear—flickered violently, as if resisting some unseen force. The audio warped, crackled, distorted by forces beyond comprehension.
In that surreal moment, the entire planet held its breath.
What the hell did that mean?
DATA EXPUNGED?
SCP Foundation?
Those were terms of classification, usually redacted to protect viewers from harm.
And now, the exposure system—something believed to be omnipotent—was malfunctioning?
Panic surged like a tidal wave.
People collapsed to their knees. Others ran from the screen as if it might explode. Governments scrambled jets. Shield satellites went into high alert. The multiverse trembled—not from physical impact, but from the psychological weight of what was coming.
Then, the screen stabilized again, the disturbance vanishing like smoke.
But the next announcement didn't soothe anyone's nerves.
[Exposed Individual Identified — Owner of Future Technology Foundation: JAMES]
And then came a prompt no one had ever seen before.
[WARNING!]
[The previous life of this individual involves EXTREMELY DANGEROUS information!]
(Including but not limited to: memetic infection, reality distortion, sanity degradation, and other irreversible effects.)
[During this broadcast, viewers may choose to opt out of viewing the exposure video.]
[Please make your choice rationally.]
[WARNING!!!]
[Comment System Unlocked | Extraordinary Chat Group Activated!]
The entire Marvel universe was in uproar.
A warning?
A choice to refuse to watch?
Never before had the exposure system allowed this kind of option. The implications were terrifying.
Who exactly was James?
And what kind of monstrous past had he lived through?
As people braced themselves and the sky-screen slowly transitioned to the first frame of James' past life… a question echoed in the hearts of all:
Was the truth meant to be seen at all?
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