John and Tony walked side by side, their pace steady, their expressions unreadable. Behind them, Peter Parker, Kamala Khan, Ava Ayala, Cloak, and Dagger trailed silently, glancing at one another with questions none dared speak aloud.
After leaving the gardens, they passed through a quiet district of villas. Most of the homes stood empty, their windows dark, giving the area an oddly abandoned feel. Only one villa—the one where Peter and the others lived—showed signs of life. The group didn't linger.
Ahead, rising over the plaza, stood their destination.
The central hall.
A colossal sphere of glass and silver, it gleamed like a second sun against the fortress sky. From a distance, it looked less like a building and more like a jewel set into the heart of the fortress.
Tony suddenly asked Peter while looking ahead, "Have you guys come here since you've been here?"
"No, Mr. Stark. We were just busy with our meditation and all."
"Oh… it must be boring, right?" John suddenly asked out of nowhere.
"Yes, it was… I mean, no, it wasn't boring at all," Peter quickly corrected himself.
"Hahaha." John just laughed out loud.
When they approached the building, the massive doors opened soundlessly.
---
Inside, the chamber spread wide and high, its arched ceiling glowing with soft light that seemed to come from nowhere. At the center stood a circular table of polished silver, lines carved neatly across its surface.
Without hesitation, John walked forward and sat in the central seat.
Tony plopped down on his right, spinning his chair once before leaning back with a smirk.
The five young heroes froze at the sight.
"It couldn't be," they all thought. But none of them spoke.
The silence didn't last long as one by one all the members of the Avengers started pouring in—Thor, Banner, Fury, and Sam Wilson. In just ten minutes, everyone was present and took their respective seats.
On the far side of the hall, Peter, Kamala, Ava, Cloak, and Dagger pressed back against the wall, silent observers. Even Peter, normally full of chatter, dared not say a word.
---
At first, greetings filled the air.
Thor boomed with laughter.
"Stark! You vanish for months and return as though nothing happened! Truly, Midgardians have strange habits."
Bruce smiled faintly.
"Good to see you both safe."
Steve gave a firm nod.
"It's been too long, Tony. John."
Natasha's lips curved ever so slightly.
"Whatever this trip was, it must've been interesting."
But Fury cut in sharply, his single eye narrowing.
"Where have you been? What were you doing? And why the hell didn't you inform us? You don't get to disappear for months without explanation."
Steve added calmly but firmly,
"He's right. We've been holding things together here, waiting for answers."
Questions piled up quickly, voices overlapping.
John simply raised his hand. The room quieted almost instantly. His voice carried, steady and calm.
"Enough. We've been on a trip. It took longer than expected, that's all. Now that we're gathered, let's move on."
His gaze turned to Fury.
"Where is Coulson? I informed him already, but he hasn't appeared."
Fury's tone was flat.
"He's on a mission. Once it's finished, he'll be back—with his team."
John gave a short nod.
"Good."
He looked around the table, his eyes lingering on each face in turn.
"How have you all been?"
Replies came one after another.
Bruce said he was fine. Natasha gave a quiet nod. Steve reported steady progress. Wanda admitted she had been training harder. Pietro grumbled about being bored. Thor laughed that he was "mighty as always." Even Clint shrugged with a reluctant, "Still alive."
Hearing them, John's expression softened slightly.
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear."
---
Then his tone shifted.
"The last time I was here, I went to Mars," John said evenly. "I built a city there."
The room went very still after John spoke.
I built a city there.
For a moment, no one moved. The quiet stretched, heavy enough to make Peter and the others against the wall hold their breath.
Clint broke it first with a scoff, leaning back in his chair.
"You've gotta be kidding me. A city? On Mars? What's next, a pizza shop on the Moon?"
Bruce frowned, his scientist's mind already running through the details.
"John… that's not just ambitious. Mars has no air, no water, dangerous radiation—building anything stable there would take decades. How did you even—"
Thor slammed his palm on the table, grinning wide.
"Glorious! A city on another world! John, you outdo yourself. I would gladly see such a place with my own eyes!"
Wanda shifted uneasily, her voice soft.
"A city that far from Earth… who would live there? Would it really be safe?"
John nodded once, his voice even.
"Not just a settlement. A foundation. I was considering if that city could serve as a college. A place to learn, to train, to grow—away from Earth's chaos."
The words hit them harder than the first.
Maria Hill stared at him, surprised.
"A college? On Mars? John, that's not a short trip. You're talking about sending young people across space to a planet where one mistake could be fatal."
John smile slightly." Don't worry about it, I already have a solution for this."
Sam folded his arms, raising an eyebrow.
"And who exactly do you plan to send there? Soldiers? Scientists? Regular kids? Not everyone can survive a place like Mars."
Tony leaned back in his chair, smirking, but his eyes showed something more thoughtful.
"Sounds insane. But honestly? If anyone could do it, it's you. And between us, it still sounds better than half the colleges I ever went to."
Natasha's gaze sharpened, her voice steady but carrying weight.
"A city on Mars could be more than a school. It could be a fortress. A safe place… but also far from help if things go wrong."
The air in the hall seemed heavier now. Every word, every look circled back to John.
But he didn't flinch. His voice stayed calm, strong, certain.
"I don't build things to collapse. Call it what you want—a sanctuary, a school, a stronghold. But it's there."
Around the table, faces showed doubt, wonder, and quiet fear.
Even Peter and the others against the wall felt the weight of it. Their earlier suspicions hardened into near-certainty.
This man… he really is the Arcanist.
Seeing they were still in doubt, John stood up and looked at everyone.
"Why don't you see for yourself, and then you can decide."