The room was silent except for the sound of breathing...
Sean lay on the hard floor. Strange fluctuations emanated from his cerebral cortex. Between his closed eyelids, the small room appeared clearly in his mind like a three-dimensional projection.
According to Skynet, in his brutal battle with Thanos, he had barely managed to claim final victory, severely wounding the aggressive cosmic overlord and successfully obtaining the second Infinity Stone.
Yet when Sean awoke, he found neither the replicated Infinity Gauntlet nor the Space Stone embedded within it. Instead, a phantom image of a yellow gem projected itself in his mind.
This Mind Stone seemed to have bestowed new abilities upon him. He focused intently on this peculiar sensation, observing the world through an entirely different perspective.
His mental power amplified, forming invisible waves that enveloped the cramped bedroom. Pietro's steady breathing suddenly became erratic as his brain neurons were stimulated into sudden hyperactivity.
Vivid illusions emerged in his sleeping consciousness. He gripped a steering wheel, driving a luxury sports car through city streets, envious gazes cast from both sides. In the passenger seat sat a curvaceous blonde whose eyes overflowed with tender affection.
Next, they arrived at an upscale restaurant where the usually arrogant manager bowed obsequiously with an ingratiating smile. A renowned chef attended to them personally, presenting exquisite delicacies.
Having grown up in poverty, Pietro subconsciously projected this vision of luxurious living. In this illusory dreamscape, fast cars, beautiful women, status and wealth... everything one could desire was present, making it almost impossible to willingly wake from such bliss.
Sean observed all this like a deity overseeing his creation. With a slight shift in thought, the extravagant fantasy vanished instantly. Pietro, who had been immersed in this paradise, suddenly found himself returned to his impoverished reality.
"How fascinating." Sean sensed a force of rejection as Pietro's calm emotions turned turbulent.
Clearly, the illusions he had conjured had deeply disturbed the sleeping young man.
Slowly withdrawing the psychic waves, the room soon returned to silence. The young man touched the phantom image of the yellow gem in his mind, watching its faint glow pulse as he carefully extended his mental energy toward it.
A violent consciousness quietly spread through his being; killing, destruction, violence... Negative emotions flooded his body like wildfire, the intense heat transformed into countless raging currents that surged recklessly along his neural network, nearly overwhelming his mind and body completely!
The yellow gem emitted radiant light, its soothing power like cool water continuously pouring down, instantly dispelling the inner turmoil.
Sean pondered this, a hypothesis vaguely forming...
The terrifying power of the Void State had temporarily exceeded his capacity to control, much like Jean Grey's past predicament. It was an imbalance between power and psyche where the slightest misstep could lead to loss of reason and descent into bestial madness.
The appearance of the Mind Stone had suppressed the Void State's negative emotions while also sealing away portions of his memories, only releasing critical information when absolutely necessary.
"It seems I need to gain deeper mastery over this stone," Sean thought to himself.
Closing his eyes again, it was as if his mind contained an antenna, strange fluctuations radiated outward like threads to receive external psychic frequencies. Bypassing his first test subject Pietro, he directed them straight toward Wanda in the adjacent room.
Compared to her brother, Wanda's cerebral cortex seemed extraordinarily sensitive. Without needing Sean's stimulation, it automatically generated all sorts of fantastical visions.
The old house became carpeted with flowers, vivid red blossoms pushed through the aged walls, growing visibly larger by the second, their rich fragrance filling the air.
Clear spring water flowed from the rusted faucet, splashing up in white frothy sprays. The television played melodious music while plates came alive like dancing sprites. Outside the window, a faint rainbow arched across the sky, casting brilliant light.
The cramped living room floor became covered with young plants, tender green shoots weaving an emerald carpet dotted with slowly blooming white and pink buds.
Dense flower clusters spread everywhere, transforming the musty old house into something resembling a fairytale castle. Wanda spread her arms and twirled gracefully, welcoming this romantic scenery that existed only in her imagination.
Silently observing the entire scene, Sean watched as the phantom image of the Mind Stone glowed brightly, almost seeming to rejoice. Compared to himself, Wanda appeared far more favored by the stone.
Concluding this small experiment, the young man lay staring upward, then waved his arm slightly. A deep blue force field gradually materialized from the void, an invisible passage slowly opened before him like a magnificent starscape unfolding.
Peering through this illusory galaxy, a metal gauntlet embedded with two stones came into view...
....
~Malibu Beach, Coastal Mansion~
Tony lay in bed, unusually unable to sleep. In the past, he might have called up a bevy of supermodels and thrown an all-night party to burn off excess energy...
But New York's most notorious playboy had turned over a new leaf, bidding farewell to his former debauched lifestyle. It was a transformation his friends attributed to the miraculous power of love.
"What's wrong with me?" Tossing and turning, sleep eluded him.
His mind kept replaying the horrific war on Asgard; the purple figure seated upon the floating throne, the massive metal leviathans prowling the skies, the Chitauri army swarming like locusts.
These terrifying scenes repeated like a film reel, stirring anxiety that prevented any rest.
Iron Man felt as if he had developed an anxiety disorder. He couldn't stop wondering... if Earth faced such formidable enemies, these alien armies like steel tides, what could they possibly do?
Fight desperately only to be annihilated? Or struggle helplessly awaiting disaster?
Tony got out of bed, wiping cold sweat from his forehead as he donned a robe and descended the spiral staircase to his underground lab...
The Ultron program continued its constant updates and refinements around the clock. What had begun as a human-head-sized data model had expanded into a massive sphere. Endless data streams refreshed like waterfalls to construct a complete framework.
A satisfied smile crossed Tony's face before he turned to the display cases containing his Iron Man armors. Various models and designs hung like new suits in a wardrobe. This was another project he'd been working on alongside the Ultron program.
Perhaps Iron Man alone couldn't save the world, but an entire Iron Legion just might.
Tony had implanted a miniature relay device in his body that could remotely summon armor within a certain range. A bold innovation that meant his bodyguard, Happy, wouldn't need to haul around suitcases anymore.
~...Sir, you haven't rested for seventy-two hours. You just said you would get some proper sleep...~
JARVIS reminded him dutifully.
"I can't sleep, JARVIS," Tony replied, donning the Mark armor.
His anxious and irritable heart suddenly calmed.
As Tony Stark, he felt utterly vulnerable. Only inside this suit of armor could he slightly alleviate his fears and unease.
Now the entire world knew civilizations existed beyond Earth in the cosmos, and they might not be as friendly as imagined, possibly even preparing for war at any moment.
SHIELD, the Avengers, world leaders... everyone was urgently seeking solutions.
The most immediate impact was on Umbrella Corporation's human enhancement serums and energy weapons research. The Department of Defense had doubled its orders overnight while allocating massive funding for military R&D projects.
Tony wasn't the only anxious one. The entire world found itself caught in this tense atmosphere, though ordinary people continued their daily lives unaware of the undercurrents beneath the surface calm.
"I really envy Sean. He actually has time for Arctic expeditions. I could really use a drink with him right now." Clad in his armor, Tony lay down on the lab floor.
He had no desire to return to the soft bed, choosing instead to remain here.
The intelligent JARVIS remained silent, considerately dimming the lights as soothing sleep music played. Within it, Iron Man drifted into slumber.