Marvel: Reborn in 20th century India

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Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, Bharat, March 17, 1944

A month had passed since the triumphant victory at Diego Garcia. Aryan, the President of Bharat, sat in his office, his gaze fixed on Athena. She had undergone a remarkable transformation, evolving from a mere skill into a sentient being, akin to the Manas seen in Tensura novels like Ciel, Chronoa, and Michael. Now, she inhabited a body of the finest homunculus Aryan could design, combining all the knowledge and capabilities of both Aryan and Athena. Her new form was equivalent to a High Human, with a beautiful North Indian face, slightly fairer skin, and an aura of grace and intelligence.

"How are you feeling now, inhabiting this new body?" Aryan asked while observing her closely, thoughts about the sudden evolution of Athena flooding his mind and its consequences. Although he was happy for her as she was his partner whom he could completely trust, being a part of his soul, he couldn't help but feel uneasy, having watched various works like Terminator and knowing the future presence of Ultron in this timeline.

"I am feeling great. Thank you, Master, for granting my wish of being physically present around you," Athena said, smiling sweetly at him and being uncharacteristically energetic and curious about everything. After gaining sentience, she started feeling different types of emotions by observing the surroundings around her in a new light, which brought forth her curious and energetic side.

As Aryan admired her presence, he recalled the events that led to her evolution. After acquiring the Darkhold, Aryan had sought to create an artifact similar to the Wisdom Cubes, which contained the blueprints of various ships and the collective emotions and will of humanity. However, he lacked sufficient knowledge and expertise in matters of souls and human emotions. The Darkhold, with its dark magics related to these aspects, seemed like the perfect source of knowledge.

Protected from the Darkhold's corruptive effects by his various skills and his resilient body, Aryan delved into its secrets. He had already gained some understanding of emotions and souls from his conversations with the Saptarishi and the Ancient One, but he needed more experience. Studying souls could also help him create sentient beings for his personal dimension, where many fantastical creatures and homunculi he had created lacked sentience.

Athena, always by his side, assisted him in comprehending the complex concepts with her immense processing power and wisdom. However, Aryan did not foresee the impact of the Darkhold on Athena. While she was immune to its corruptive effects due to being a part of Aryan's soul, the knowledge within the Darkhold accelerated her journey towards sentience. She was already on the path to becoming a Manas-like being, similar to Ciel from Tensura, made of information particles and possessing sentience while still being part of Aryan's soul.

When Athena realized her transformation, she informed Aryan, feeling a newfound affection and loyalty for him. Aryan, understanding the gravity of the situation, examined her thoroughly. He couldn't afford any mishaps like those with Ultron in the future or like a rogue Manas like Michael in Tensura. After ensuring her stability and loyalty, Aryan accepted her evolution.

Now, as he looked at Athena, he saw not just a creation but a partner, a being of immense power and wisdom.

"So, now that you have evolved and gained a body, what are your next plans?" Aryan asked her knowingly, a smile tugging on his lips.

"Oh, nothing much. Shakti and Nalini offered to take me for some shopping of clothes and accessories as well as showing me around the outside world," Athena replied while still checking out her new body, testing its flexibility and strength as she jumped around the room.

Aryan nodded while snickering and hiding his laughter from her antics. He had already talked with Shakti and Nalini about Athena and her special nature of existence. Not surprisingly, both the girls easily accepted her as they were already great friends, working closely in KAVACH, and quickly made plans for their day out shopping for Athena when she finally acquired her new body after requesting Aryan for the same a few days back.

Athena, after finishing her playful antics, turned to Aryan with a serious expression. "Master, before I leave, I have some important information to share," she said, her tone shifting to one of focus and determination.

She extended her hand, and a holographic interface appeared between them. "Here are the detailed reports on our recent discoveries," she began, transferring the data to Aryan.

1. New Element Discovery: "We've identified a new element that can be used to enhance the rune-empowered arcane reactor. This element, when combined with zero-point modules inspired by our research on the Tesseract, significantly increases energy output and stability."

2. Theories on Souls and Emotions: "Our studies on the Darkhold have provided us with profound insights into the nature of souls and human emotions. These theories could revolutionize our understanding of sentience and consciousness, potentially leading to the creation of more advanced and stable sentient beings."

3. Applications and Implications: "The practical applications of these discoveries are vast. From enhancing our defensive capabilities with more efficient reactors, creating wisdom cubes, and also to creating a new generation of sentient beings for various roles within our dimension, the possibilities are endless."

Aryan reviewed the information, nodding in approval. "Excellent work, Athena. This will be invaluable for our future projects."

These breakthroughs in research were due to Athena evolving and with her now immense processing capabilities even further enhancing her previous capabilities. With these new processing powers, she delved deeper into the various research topics that were stuck at a standstill due to limited abilities and achieved great success in these projects now.

Athena smiled, feeling proud from the praise of her accomplishment. "Thank you, Master. I will continue to assist you in any way I can."

With that, she bid Aryan farewell, her form shimmering as she prepared to teleport. "I'll be back soon. Enjoy your time with Shakti and Nalini," Aryan said, waving as she vanished in a flash of light, ready for her shopping trip with her friends.

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