Chapter 15: The Ancient One's Arrival
The air in the Stark Industries workshop was thick with the weight of a looming crisis. On one monitor, news footage of a panicked military quarantine zone near a university campus flashed, a news ticker scrolling with reports of a "gamma radiation" incident. On another, the glowing cosmic symbols of the decrypted Kree message pulsed ominously. The message was a simple declaration: "Your world is next."
Tony stood beside John, both in their armors, the hum of their respective arc reactors a low thrum in the tense silence.
"A Hulking green rage monster," Tony said, a grim smirk on his face. "And a whole alien fleet on its way. Just another Tuesday, I guess."
"This is bigger than just a fleet, Tony," John replied, his voice calm. "The Kree are scouts. There's something else out there that wants our world, and we're the only ones who can see them coming."
Just as they were about to formulate a plan, a profound stillness fell over the room. The lights flickered, not from a power surge, but from a disruption in the very fabric of reality. J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice, usually a paragon of calm logic, sputtered in static. "Sir... I'm detecting an unidentifiable energy signature. It's... impossible."
A point in the air before them began to shimmer, a nexus of reality and magic that defied all of Tony's scientific laws. A perfect circle of golden, shimmering sparks tore through the air, and from within it stepped a woman. Her head was bald, her face unlined by age, and her flowing golden robes seemed to drink the light in the room. This was not a physical intrusion; this was a being who had bent reality to her will. This was the Ancient One, Earth's Sorcerer Supreme.
Tony's armor whirred to life, targeting the new arrival. His repulsors charged, a bright white light in his palms. "Who are you?" he demanded, his voice laced with suspicion. "You're on private property. And I've got a lot of firepower."
The Ancient One didn't even glance at Tony. Her eyes, ancient and full of a profound, cosmic wisdom, were fixed entirely on John. Her voice, calm and resonating with an otherworldly power, bypassed Tony's comms and spoke directly to John's mind.
"I have been watching you, John Vance," she said. "The power you wield is a cosmic anomaly. It is a beacon that draws all things, good and evil, to you. I have seen the future, and I have seen the coming of a great war. Not of this world, but of a thousand dimensions. A great demonic invasion is brewing, a war that will spill onto this world if it is not contained. You, and you alone, have the power to stop it."
John was silent, his mind racing to process the words. He knew this was not a threat; it was a call to destiny.
Tony, feeling completely out of his depth, lowered his hands and removed his helmet. "What is this? Is this some sort of magic trick? J.A.R.V.I.S., give me a full scan! This is not possible."
"Your friend is not a part of this," the Ancient One said, her voice now audible to both of them. "This is a destiny he must face alone. The power you gained from the Kree is a mere fraction of what you will need. The true path to master your unique abilities lies in a different dimension, a place where you will face challenges that will forge you into a true protector of reality."
John knew what she was talking about. He knew about the massive, unreceived attribute points, and the unimaginable skills that were waiting for him.
Tony, however, was not giving up. He stepped forward, his eyes pleading. "Alone? We're a team! We have to handle the Hulk. We have to be here for the alien invasion. John, don't listen to her. We do this together."
John looked at Tony, at the fear in his friend's eyes, and he smiled sadly. "Tony," he said, "I trust you to handle this." He raised a hand and, with a subtle display of his newfound kinetic power, he lifted a heavy table from across the room and set it down without a sound. "You're a genius, a hero, and a force to be reckoned with. You can handle the Hulk, and you can handle the Abomination. This... this is a war I have to fight on my own."
The Ancient One nodded in approval. "He is ready." With a wave of her hand, the golden portal behind her flared to life, its shimmering light beckoning.
John looked at Tony one last time. He gave him a small, reassuring nod. "I'll be back," he promised.
Without another word, he turned and stepped into the golden portal. It swirled with golden sparks and then, with a pop of displaced air, it vanished, taking the Ancient One and John with it.
Tony stood alone in the silent workshop, the hum of his armor the only sound. The impossible energy signature was gone. The Kree message and the Hulk news report still played on the screens. He had just lost his partner to a sorceress he couldn't comprehend, to a war he couldn't see, leaving him alone to face a monster he could only hope to defeat.