"There are still a few details to add," Malrick said, resting his hand on the doorknob. "But if you want to take a look around, you can follow me now."
Tony stepped forward, grinning. "Just looking isn't enough. We can also give you some suggestions for transforming your little world."
He spread his arms dramatically. "The greatest idea man on the planet is standing right here. I'm the founder of Stark Industries, and the world can't function without my inventions."
"Most of those ideas came from me, thank you," Malrick replied dryly. There was no winning against Tony's ego.
"I can help too!" Banner raised a hand, then added more meekly, "Magical animals need special growth environments…"
Wong and Mordo didn't bother speaking. They simply took their places at Malrick's side, like two tall, imposing guardians.
"It seems you're all eager," Malrick said, turning the knob. "Ready to be the first guests to see this world's birth?"
No one answered. They held their breath.
The door swung open, and dazzling light poured over them like a flood.
Beyond the threshold, the solid magical metal was gone—replaced by an endless expanse. Yellow earth stretched toward distant mountain ranges under an impossibly wide sky.
Tony was the first to step through. "Feels like a real planet. Gravity's similar to Earth… but it's completely barren. No vegetation—looks like a chicken that's just been plucked."
"What chicken?" Malrick walked past him. "Can't you just appreciate the scale?"
"It's incredible," Banner said, following. "A pocket world attached to the Solar System yet existing outside reality… like stepping into another dimension."
He knelt, running a hand through the dusty soil, then looked up. "There's an atmosphere too. Are we on a planet?"
"No," Malrick explained. "It's a continent, about five hundred kilometers in every direction, formed from condensed cosmic matter."
Betty, holding Banner's hand, glanced around. "Then where's the sunlight coming from? I don't see a sun."
"The light here comes from the world's laws. In the future, it can be linked to reality," Malrick said, answering each question calmly. "Once connected, when Kamar-Taj has sunrise, this place will share it. At night, you'll see moonlight."
"It's like something from a fairy tale… 'Alice in Wonderland'!" Betty said with a small laugh.
Wong shook his head. "No, more like the hidden paradise from The Peach Blossom Spring."
"Same thing," Malrick said, waiting for Mordo to step inside before closing the door. The wooden frame now stood in the middle of an open plain, absurdly out of place.
"Maybe build something around it in the future," Mordo suggested. "Right now, it's just a random door in the middle of nowhere."
"And widen it. Too small for more than one person," he added.
"No need," Malrick said. "You can place fixed portals anywhere inside to connect with the outside world, just like the ones in the library."
He waved his hand, and distant ground began to shift. Soil, sand, and rock rose, forming a small hill that surrounded the door. Now it looked like an entrance set into a natural mound.
"That's better."
"I'll start shaping the environment now," Malrick said, his eyes glinting. "You can watch… or offer suggestions."
The ground trembled. Rivers deepened, underground springs burst upward, and the barren terrain began to change. Malrick manipulated the world's raw power, forcing it through an accelerated evolutionary cycle.
In minutes, life emerged. Microorganisms, plants, and animals began filling their respective niches. Yellow wasteland turned green as forests rose. Mountains grew lush. In the distance, great lakes and seas formed, their waves crashing faintly in Tony's ears.
Finally, Malrick stopped. "Done. This world can now sustain life."
He clapped his hands, brushing away imaginary dust. Tony and the others stared in stunned silence.
"Malrick," Tony said, shaking his head, "if you told me you'd be a god soon, I might believe you."
"Godhood is far away," Malrick replied with a sigh. "I can only create small worlds and conjure low-level life… to pass the time."
The group exchanged looks, their expressions a mix of awe and disbelief.
"Let's discuss what's next," Mordo said at last. He'd been shocked by Malrick so often that his tolerance had grown. Months ago, when Malrick first began learning magic, his progress had been so absurd that Mordo had questioned his own worth. Now, he kept his face calm even as his mind reeled.
"The plan," Malrick said, "is to build a magic academy and raise magical creatures."
With a flick of his fingers, a three-dimensional map of the world appeared. "Here's the layout—five hundred kilometers across, with the rest surrounded by cosmic void. Ideas?"
"Plenty of water sources," Tony suggested. "If magical creatures are going to live here, they'll need it."
"And varied environments," Banner added. "Some magical animals need specific conditions."
"The academy should be breathtaking," Wong said. "A place that stuns anyone who sees it for the first time."
"I say keep it simple," Mordo countered. "Like Kamar-Taj."
Malrick smiled faintly. "Why not both?"
He snapped his fingers, and the ground rumbled violently. Mountains collapsed, plains split open, magma surged from below, and oceans erupted from hidden depths. Rivers changed course, reshaping the land in a dramatic display of destruction and creation.
Half an hour later, the shaking ceased. The world had been remade, ready for what came next.
---
Send PowerStones.