After the 'talk' with the Avengers, I left Stark Tower. My mind, now cleared of the blinding rage that had driven me, was calm and calculating. My old phone, a casualty of the fight, was a minor inconvenience.
(AN- He should've bought a Nokia, it could've been used as a weapon.)
My first stop was an electronics store where I bought a new one, and then a real estate agent. I needed a place to call my own in this city.
A ready-to-move-in house in the suburbs was a bit extravagant but simple solution. I texted Danny my new address and spent the night in a hotel, preparing for the next day.
At dawn, I made my way to the hotel's rooftop garden to do my morning routine. I began with my usual meditation, clearing my mind of all distractions before moving on to my physical exercises.
It was a rigorous, highly disciplined series of forms and breathing techniques designed to cycle my body's energy. The process was both physically demanding and mentally draining, but it was essential for maintaining my balance.
As I moved through the cycles, a jolt of surprise ran through me. I was astonished to discover that I could now complete 14 cycles, with a little energy to spare. This was more than I had ever achieved before.
I stopped, my breath leaving me in a small cloud of steam in the cool morning air, and sat down to meditate on what had just happened.
I remembered the last talk I had with Lei Kung before I left K'un-Lun.
"Old man, the next time we meet I'll beat you in a fight," I declared, my youthful bravado bubbling to the surface.
Lei Kung, the Thunderer, simply chuckled, his ancient eyes twinkling. "Keep dreaming, boy."
"How about I prove it to you right now?" I retorted, a challenge in my voice.
"Oh?" he asked, a knowing smirk on his face. "How far have you gotten with your morning routine?"
I puffed out my chest, proud of my progress. "Nine cycles. I'm already halfway there."
He laughed, a sound like grinding stone. "No, my boy. That means you are just beginning. After the 12th cycle, increasing that number will be much, much harder."
The confidence drained out of me. "And what's the minimum to defeat you?" I asked, a hint of desperation in my voice.
"To even stand a chance, you'll need at least 21 under your belt," he replied, his gaze unwavering.
I was stunned. "But didn't you say the theoretical limit is 18?"
"Yes, but I also said there is no upper limit," he explained patiently. "You couldn't go beyond 18 with mere peak human strength. After reaching 18, every further increase is a chasm."
"Why?" I asked, baffled by the physics of it all.
"Because each of the 24 movements contains acceleration, movement, and deceleration," Lei Kung said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "To reduce the time of a movement, the inertia you'll have to overcome will increase exponentially. It's basic physics."
"Shit," I muttered under my breath, the reality of my long, difficult journey sinking in. But I looked him in the eyes, my resolve stronger than ever. "I'll beat you someday."
The old man only smiled.....
"Rudra, a warrior's true strength is not in his fist or his body, but in his Will," he had said, his voice as ancient as the mountains around us. "Your parents' death forged a Will that is strong, yet it is a Will born of sorrow and anger. That is a blade that cuts both ways. The path to becoming a true master is to temper that sorrow, not forget it."
He had looked at me with those knowing eyes. "I sense in you a great well of wrath. It is a fire that can consume you, but if you can control it, it can also amplify your internal energy beyond your understanding. Should you ever find a cause worthy to temper that wrath, it will be a crucible for your soul. It will either break you, or it will elevate you to a new level of power. The number of cycles you complete will be your measure of that strength. It will be the sign that your Will has been truly forged in the fire."
I opened my eyes, a new sense of purpose filling me. The rage had not consumed me; it had tempered me. My grief, my anger, my sheer, unyielding fury at the injustice of it all had been a crucible for my spirit.
My impromptu fight with the Avengers had been an outlet, an uncontrolled release of that power.
Now, through my meditation, I had regained control of that strength. The 'talk' with the Avengers wasn't just a misstep; it was a catalyst. It had been the catalyst that forged my Will and my power. I was not just a powerful man anymore; I was something more.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
After completing my morning routine, I sat down, my body humming with a new, raw power.
But my mind was elsewhere, adrift in a sea of memories. A profound sadness filled me as thoughts of the past flooded my mind—my parents, my grandparents, my great-grandmother. The life I had so cherished, now gone in a puff of dust.
And then, as suddenly as the sadness had come, it was replaced by a deep calm. My mind was still, yet underneath, I could feel the raging current of emotions—the grief, the rage, the sorrow. I knew this was the crucible Lei Kung had spoken of.
The anger hadn't consumed me; it had tempered me, and my disciplined mind was now the sheath for a newly sharpened blade.
As I sat there, I couldn't help but remember my meeting with the Guruji at the temple before I left for K'un-Lun. He had seen the nascent fire in me then, the same fire that had now forged my Will.
He had looked at me with those knowing eyes, his voice as ancient as the temple itself. He had told me to come back to the temple when I was ready, "when you are ready to face yourself."
Now, after all the chaos, the loss, and the rage, I finally understood. The sadness was a part of me, just as the strength was. I had to face the man I had become, scarred and powerful. I had to face myself. And I knew exactly where to go. It was time.