Tony Stark was still rattled. The scene of Pepper kissing another man replayed in his mind, growing clearer the more he tried not to think about it. There was no way he could calm down unless someone told him it was fake.
Ordinary Group Leader: "Of course it's real! You think your beloved group leader would send you a fake video?"
Ordinary Group Leader: "In the future, you and Pepper get married and have a kid. But because of a universe-level crisis, you sacrifice yourself to save everyone—so Pepper's single again, and that guy is actually your future teammate.
After you're gone, he looks after Pepper. With enough time… Well, you get the idea."
Ordinary Group Leader: "Dead serious.jpg"
Child of Nature: "…"
Richest Man: "I die? Then my teammate moves in on my girl?"
Richest Man: "Are you kidding me? A crisis involving the whole universe, and I'm the key?"
Richest Man: "Do you know how small Earth is, compared to the cosmos? What could a single person from Earth do about a universal threat?"
Richest Man: "And why would I sacrifice myself for anyone else? Don't be ridiculous!"
Child of Nature: "No, the group leader isn't lying—at least not about this."
Child of Nature: "Your future self really does sacrifice himself to save the universe. Even before that, you flew a nuke into space, almost dying to stop an alien invasion."
Child of Nature: "When Thanos arrived, you could have stepped back and just lived your life with Pepper, but you chose to fight anyway."
Child of Nature: "That's who you are, Tony Stark. A man who stood shoulder to shoulder with gods."
Child of Nature: "You're far greater than you think."
Tony fell silent. As much as he wanted to deny it, the serious tone on the other end suggested no one was joking.
Could he really give his life for others, for the universe? What kind of threat would force that?
With Earth's current tech—even counting his own—how could he possibly take part in such a conflict?
Wait.
If what they said was true and he was a character in someone's show or comic, it all made sense.
Because he's the main character, the crisis is about him.
Because he's on Earth, Earth is at the center.
Because it's a story, of course there's a universe-ending threat.
It all fit. But that somehow made it even harder to accept.
Richest Man: "What about the rest of you? Doesn't it bother you, finding out you're just someone's creation?"
Uchiha Dance King: "Hmph. Only the weak-minded can't handle that kind of truth."
Come Be My Son: "Gurarara! So what if it's a story? I'm happy enough with my life right now."
Queen of Evil Spirits: "After joining this group, does it even matter anymore?
Knowing the future—are you really going to just march toward it, without changing anything?"
Child of Nature: "And your questions just now—were those part of the 'original story'?"
Stew Daigo Into Soup: "Try seeing it this way: without the authors, we'd never exist in the first place.
That thought helps, sometimes."
Ordinary Group Leader: "Why do I feel like that just makes it worse?"
Ordinary Group Leader: "Besides Meowth, me, Brandon, and you, do you really think the others are satisfied with their original fates?"
Stew Daigo Into Soup: "Uh…"
Uchiha Madara was betrayed and stabbed through the heart by the ally he trusted most.
Whitebeard died, and his pirate crew was scattered.
The Invincible East died for love.
Minato Namikaze died sealing the Nine-Tails, his wife died, and their son grew up an orphan.
Kurumi Tokisaki was still chasing a way to change her fate.
Yeah, nobody's original ending was all that happy.
Glory of the Northern God: "Woof woof?"
Ordinary Group Leader: "Ah, right, almost forgot about you."
Ordinary Group Leader: "Guess the Shiba Inu gets a pass."
Richest Man: "Your comfort skills are really something, but I think I get it now."
Richest Man: "So, @Ordinary Group Leader… The Pepper thing—that was fake, right?!"
Ordinary Group Leader: "Well, the video's fake… but who knows about reality?
Not everyone wants to stay single for the rest of their life."
Richest Man: "…"
Richest Man: "Do you have the full version?"
Richest Man: "Name your price. If cash doesn't work, I can pay in gold or jewels, whatever you want."
Honestly, Tony wasn't trying to be stingy—it was just that money was the most universal currency.
Diamonds and gems might be worthless in another world, but gold would always be valuable.
Ordinary Group Leader: "Eyes shining.jpg"
Ordinary Group Leader: "Boring.jpg"
Ordinary Group Leader: "Forget money. I'm too weak right now—if word gets out, I'll be in trouble."
Ordinary Group Leader: "How about you whip up an AI like Jarvis for me instead?"
Ordinary Group Leader: "With the way aura has affected science here, progress has slowed way down.
Having Jarvis online would make me unstoppable."
Ordinary Group Leader: "Oh, and don't make him too honest. Our internet still works, and sometimes… Robin Hood stuff just happens, you know?"
Richest Man: "You could have just asked. Do I seem like the honest type?"
Child of Nature: "Make me one too. I'll pay you in pure aura."
Child of Nature: "It'll double an ordinary person's physical abilities—might help with your, uh, fragile body."
Richest Man: "???"
Richest Man: "My body's perfectly healthy, thank you!
If it wasn't for that barking, she wouldn't have been able to get out of bed for the next day and a half!"
Richest Man: "Anyway, let me know if you want anything else. Send me a few of those aura-boosters, too."
Richest Man: "Don't get the wrong idea—I don't need them. I'm just thinking Pepper's been a little overworked lately, so she deserves a treat."
Ordinary Group Leader: "…"
Ordinary Group Leader: "You really think we believe that?"
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