Chapter 97.
The night deepened, and the banquet, which had been underway for several hours, was finally drawing to a close. Despite a few tense moments, the event had concluded without anyone being seriously harmed or overly distressed. Tony had delegated the responsibilities of the banquet to Pepper, as he felt he had a more pressing duty, to see off his friends in the Justice League. This marked a successful end to their gathering, which, while eventful, had proceeded relatively smoothly.
Of course, Thor, who had been pouting for nearly a full day, would not have agreed with that assessment.
"It was a pleasure, everyone, and I hope to see you all again soon!" Tony bid them farewell as he watched Captain America, T'Challa, and the others depart.
With their departure, only a handful of people remained in the villa.
"Tony, we'll be heading back as well," Felix said. "I'll leave Danny Rand in your hands. We'll see you next time."
"Alright, Felix, you can count on me. I'll take care of everything," Tony replied with his usual confidence.
Hearing this, Felix felt there was nothing more to explain. It was more convenient to leave Danny Rand, who was meant to return to New York anyway, in Tony's care. Felix then led Louise into a swirling blue portal. As they stepped through, the portal instantly dissipated, leaving behind a few motes of blue light that were quickly carried away by the breeze.
After Felix and Louise vanished, the silence in the room was palpable.
Rhodey, still reeling from the day's events, stared at the spot where Felix had disappeared. The shock lingered, and he couldn't help but ask Tony, "How do you know Felix? And how does he have so many incredible abilities?"
"Oh, Rhodey, you –know so little about him," Tony said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "The more you know, the more shocked you'll be. There's no upside to it. But you do have to keep everything we've talked about a secret."
"I understand, I won't say a word," Rhodey promised. Then, recalling something Felix had secretly told him, he took a quick glance at Tony, made up his mind, and said casually, "Hey, Tony, since you have such a cool steel armor, could you lend me one of your old suits?"
"Lend you one?" Tony asked, looking at Rhodey with a mix of amusement and surprise. He had never seen his friend so forward and couldn't resist a bit of teasing.
Tony's face split into a wide grin before he feigned a serious expression. "No," he deadpanned, turning to walk downstairs.
"You lied to me, Felix! You said Tony would agree!" Rhodey thought, the smile on his face freezing. He quickly shouted, "Wait, Tony, let's discuss this again!" and hurried after him.
Time, of course, waits for no one—unless you possess the Time Stone.
Felix did not abuse the Time Stone, so the Marvel world soon found itself on April 30, 2012. He rarely used the Eye of Agamotto that hung around his neck, even after spending the last two years studying numerous books on time magic. While he could perform some minor time spells, they were of little use in combat. It made him realize just how gifted Doctor Strange was to have learned to use the Time Stone so freely after only a few months of training. It was no wonder the Ancient One had chosen him to be the next Sorcerer Supreme.
"Maybe I don't have much talent for magic," Felix mused, "but at least I have my life to fall back on."
Sitting in the ancient halls of Kamar-Taj, sipping a refreshing cup of tea, Felix felt a sense of peace. He was no longer troubled by his inability to fully utilize the Time Stone.
"It's been four years now," he thought. "I wonder when Loki will invade Earth and try to get the Tesseract."
Felix sighed. Because he hadn't been absorbing large amounts of energy and was only relying on daily practice, the stars in his mind were lighting up at an unusually slow pace. It wasn't until a few days ago that his fourth star finally became fully lit.
This meant he could now travel to the next world at any time. However, Felix knew he couldn't leave the Marvel world just yet. If he were to travel to another world and Loki invaded Earth, he would miss his chance to acquire the Tesseract.
He had considered taking the Tesseract directly from S.H.–I.E.L.D., but when he had gone to the base where the Avengers would later form, he found it empty. The Tesseract had been moved. While he could have forced Nick Fury to hand it over, Felix wasn't a villain and didn't want to resort to that. So, he had been patiently waiting for Loki's arrival.
Meanwhile, on a massive spaceship countless light-years from Earth, a special conversation was taking place.
A giant, over two and half meters tall and clad in golden armor, sat on a huge, floating throne.
"Who are you?" he boomed, addressing a slender figure below.
"Why have you come here?" Beside the giant stood a thin, old creature, respectfully waiting.
"My name is Loki," the figure replied deferentially, "and I am from Asgard."
"Oh? From Asgard?" the giant asked with a hint of curiosity. "And who are you to Odin?"
"Odin was my father," Loki said, a brief flicker of resentment in his eyes. "But not anymore."
He quickly masked his emotions and continued, "Thanos, I hear you wish to acquire the Tesseract. I happen to know where it is. It's on a planet called Earth. I've placed a special mark on the Cube, and with your help, you could send me directly to its vicinity. I can get it for you and offer it as a gift to you."
Loki's tone, while respectful, was tinged with a confident ambition.
"Oh?" Thanos, said, intrigued by the mention of the Space Stone. "And what do you need me to help you with? What are you conditions that must I agree to?"
"I require an invincible army to conquer all of Earth," Loki stated, his words deliberate, as if remembering a past grievance. "And in return, when I succeed, you must grant me the Earth as my reward, to rule as its sole king."
Thanos looked at Loki for a moment, "Agreed."
And so, Loki and Thanos forged an alliance. Thanos promised Loki an army of Chitauri to help him conquer Earth and even provided him with the Scepter of the Mind Stone as a weapon. In return, Loki would seize the Tesseract for Thanos.
After Loki departed, the thin old creature, Ebony Maw, finally voiced his concerns. "My Lord, you've given him an army, but why give him the Mind Stone Scepter as well?" he asked.
"I saw the look in his eyes, he is treacherous and cunning. He may have other motives for taking the Tesseract and might just use our army to –achieve his own goals."
"I already knew the Tesseract's whereabouts," Thanos said, not at all bothered by the question. "But that planet called Earth is not as simple as it seems. It has a powerful guardian, a guardian even I am not confident against unless I have all the six infinity stiones." Thanos clenched his left fist, feeling his immense strength, the source of his confidence.
"No matter what this Loki's purpose is, for us, true power is all that matters. All conspiracies and tricks will be ruthlessly crushed by overwhelming inevitable strength."
"I understand, my lord. Thank you for clearing my doubts," Ebony Maw said, bowing respectfully.
The Tesseract was being secretly studied at a special S.H.I.E.L.D. research base under the guidance of Doctor Selvig. This was the second phase of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., which had been restarted with the goal of harnessing the Tesseract's near-infinite energy to create weapons of mass destruction.
Just like in the movie, Nick Fury, having received word of a change in the Tesseract, took a helicopter to the base to investigate. The researchers had not yet delved deeply into the Tesseract's secrets and were utterly baffled as to why it had suddenly activated and started emitting such powerful energy. As they stood perplexed, a powerful energy burst from the Tesseract, creating a blue wormhole a few meters high.
An elegant young man in black and green slowly emerged from the wormhole, holding a staff-like scepter that glowed with a blue light at the tip.
"Earth," he said to himself. "I am finally here again. And this time, I have been burdened with a 'Glorious Purpose'."
(E/N : Yeaah, yeah! I'm a Loki fanboy.)
At that very moment, Felix, enjoying his tea at Kamar-Taj, felt a sudden shift in the force...cough...in the fabric of reality.
He set his cup down and looked in a particular direction, a feeling of deep familiarity washing over him. He sensed a powerful energy wave that was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
"The Tesseract has activated," he thought. "So Loki has arrived on Earth."
He was certain the energy he felt was a massive surge of spatial energy, and the only thing on Earth capable of producing such a powerful burst was the Tesseract, which contained the Space Stone. There was no other possibility.
"You're finally here," Felix said, his heart racing with excitement. "I've been waiting impatiently for this moment."
"It's time to make some preparations," he concluded.
Felix rose immediately, leaving his tea unfinished. He quickly made his way to the training ground to find Master Mordo. "Master Mordo," he said, "you can withdraw the masters stationed at the New York Sanctum. I will be taking up the post there myself."
Mordo, who deeply respected Felix as the Sorcerer Supreme, was surprised by the sudden request. "Sir, why? Is something about to happen there?"
"There is a strong possibility of a major event in New York," Felix explained, not revealing the specifics. "But it would be inconvenient for our mages to get involved. I will go and guard the sanctum myself."
"Understood, my Lord. I will see to it immediately," Mordo replied, his trust in Felix absolute.
"I'll take you –there," Felix said. "You can come back with them." With that, he extended his hand to Mordo, and they were instantly transported to the New York Sanctum.
The New York Sanctum, located at 177A Bleecker Street in Manhattan, was only a few blocks from Stark Tower. Felix knew that the future Doctor Strange, who was still a –surgeon at this point, was not far away. It was worth noting that Stark Tower had been completed two months prior, and Tony had already invited the members of the Justice League to visit their new base. Thor and Banner were already living there.
As Felix and Mordo arrived, several robed mages surrounded them, prepared for a confrontation. But upon seeing who it was, their expressions relaxed, and they bowed respectfully.
"What intruders would dare to break into the sanctum?" one of them asked to the other, who seems to have alerted the others of someone intruding.
"Sorcerer Supreme, Master Mordo!" another said.
"Master Daniel, it's nothing to worry about," Mordo said, returning the mage salute. "I'm here to take you all back to Kamar-Taj. From now on, the Sorcerer Supreme will be stationed here personally."
"Understood, Master Mordo," Daniel replied. Despite his confusion, he said nothing more and, with his fellow mages, went with Mordo back to Kamar-Taj.
"This place isn't bad at all," Felix said to himself, looking around the luxurious, castle-like building. "No wonder Doctor Strange was also willing to stay here."
The walls and floors were adorned with numerous magical artifacts, many of which Felix was unfamiliar with. He didn't know how to use them, but he also didn't need to, as his own strength was already immense.
As he explored, he suddenly saw a very familiar object.
"Oh, isn't that Doctor Strange's cloak?" he exclaimed, instantly captivated.
It was a crimson cloak, one of the exclusive magical artifacts that would become Doctor Strange's companion, the Cloak of Levitation.
"What the... I'm not your master! Why are you looking at me? You've got the wrong person!" Felix shouted in surprise at the magical cloak, which had started to move toward him.
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