Months has passed by since meeting the Ancient One, told her to try living among the mortals once again though she did had some deep thoughts on it but never the less, it's up to her decision.
Right now.. I'm just chilling in a small town of Pennsylvania.. The kind of town where mostly everything closes at nine, the coffee shop smelling like dust and cinnamon, and old men gather at the same diner booth every morning to complain about taxes and football.
Today I'm not wearing my daoist robes.. just a plain gray hoodie, black pants and some nice shoes but naturally I am not willing to cut my hair off, it's too precious.
The diner radio plays softly in the background, some classic rock station fading in and out between static.
Then the news comes on.
"In other updates, billionaire Tony Stark continues his public feud with the alleged terrorist known as the Mandarin…"
I pause mid bite, fork hovering over half-eaten scrambled eggs. My eyes drift to the small TV mounted near the ceiling in the corner of the diner.
Grainy footage. A speech playing explosions, panicked crowds, and Stark's face flashes across the screen. The tone in the news anchor's voice wasn't casual anymore.
I lean back in the booth, arms folded behind my head.
"So it begins," I softly said..
Iron Man 3
"But I have no plans for participating.. so.. let it all be as it goes in the movie"
Then suddenly
"Hey, Uncle! Your hair is quite long" A kid approached besides me in my booth looking at me curiously with a juicebox in his hand.
I glanced at the kid "That's right"
He tilted his head and asked "Are you a wizard? Or in a band? Mom tells me guys with long hair are usually musicians and maybe a wizard actor.. so are you one of them uncle?"
I chuckled lightly and gave a feint smile "Maybe I'm both kid or I'm not.. you will never know"
As the kid was about to say anything else, his arm was grabbed by a older woman.. maybe in her forties, it seems to be the kid's mother.
"Sorry about that!" The boy's mom rushed over and gently grab him away from my booth. "Come on, sweetie. Let's not bother the man."
The kid waved at me as she led him away.
"Bye, Wizard Uncle!"
..
"A wizard uncle? Well that's new for me"
I continued on just sipping my coffee and chewing some bacon but another surprise comes again.. Two SHIELD Agents coming inside the diner.. as how I know? Well there's a particular bald guy with a smirk..
That's right, it's Agent Sitwell, but SHIELD coming into this town.. maybe there's something here I don't know..
My brow twitched slightly, but I kept eating. They weren't here for me.
They took a booth a few rows down, quietly speaking to the waitress, who gave them a nod and poured two coffees.
I caught part of their soft quiet conversation as the radio dipped low for a second.
"...that pulse again just same as last night, same coordinates and the local wildlife were spooked and an signal interference for miles."
"Another geomagnetic flare?"
"Not solar, this is something different. High frequency, directional.. Like someone left a portal half-open."
"Rift?"
"Maybe.. or just leftover noise from 'The Incident' Who knows what's still leaking through after New York."
They went quiet after that.
I glanced down at my plate, then out the window.
..
"..A secret realm???"