In the Supreme Court, the Elders were watching the stream, their faces unusually grave.
"Southwest Region." Elder Gladwin broke the silence, his voice low. "Do you still remember the strange phenomenon that appeared in the southwestern territories of the Federation 10 years ago?"
Elder Hyeon nodded slowly. A faint light of memory flickered in his eyes, before hardening into something closer to awe.
"I remember it clearly. I was stationed in that sector for an astronomical survey at the time. My team and I had planned to camp overnight in the wilderness. We were preparing dinner when the sky suddenly lit up. A dazzling aurora appeared out of nowhere." He paused, still haunted. "At that latitude, auroras should be impossible. Yet this one was brilliant, radiant bands of light, shimmering like a rainbow."
Hyeon's voice lowered, carrying weight. "The aurora twisted downward like a funnel, whirling with a piercing, unnatural howl. It lasted only four or five seconds, then vanished completely."
He steadied himself, then continued. "We rushed toward the epicenter. What we found there was… a pattern scorched into the earth. Not random, but deliberate, precise, geometric, as if someone, or something, had branded the land. I recorded it in my autobiography as the Rainbow Funnel Pattern. But within days, even the imprint disappeared, leaving no trace."
The chamber fell silent. Everyone knew of the phenomenon, whispered about in academic circles and among citizens, but only a handful had witnessed it directly. Most dismissed it as an obscure meteorological event, or a quirk of Terra's unstable magnetosphere.
But Elder Gladwin was not convinced. "The Director of SHIELD has reported fresh disturbances in the Southwest. Hearing this, I cannot help but link the two."
Across the table, Orson and the others exchanged uneasy glances.
"The deeper we dig," Gladwin said gravely, "The more we realize Terra's history is far from simple. The era of Tony was not only an age of invention, but of divided power systems."
He lifted a hand, counting them off. "First: Suits, the foundation of technological civilization. Second: the System, the supernatural organizations that arose in the Southwest. Two paths of civilization, side by side. If they collided, what do you think the outcome would be?"
Hyeon frowned. "Conflict? Collapse? Perhaps even annihilation."
"And don't forget the third element," Gladwin pressed. "The ordinary people trapped between powers they cannot understand, and the shadow of artificial intelligence, still feared even now." He turned sharply. "Notify the Director. Restrict access to the Southwest once again. This is our only surviving clue to Terra's forgotten past."
The name that came next drew a hush over the chamber. The Immortal Warrior. His influence now extended far beyond fiction; for many, his visions of reincarnated memories felt like revelations of lost history.
"Is the president unavailable?" One elder asked.
"He holds the highest authority," Another replied. "But without him present, we cannot act openly."
The group fell into silence again. At last, Hyeon managed a thin smile. "The Immortal Warrior still endures. As long as his strength holds, Terra has time. And through Tony, the scientific genius, may yet glimpse the truth."
The elders all turned their gaze back to the glowing broadcast, anticipation burning in their eyes.
Elsewhere, across Terra's network. The hunt for "the great technology" had turned into a frenzy. Scholars, magnates, and adventurers all speculated wildly, using fragments of past-life memories as evidence.
At a quiet party, Aldice sat among four friends. What had once been a lighthearted weekly gathering had twisted into obsession. The others traded theories animatedly, insisting Tony's father had left behind a hidden legacy, a power that could alter the world.
They scrolled through the chat of Immortal Warrior, even throwing in rewards. Aldice, who had once dismissed the reincarnation craze as fantasy, now found herself isolated. Everyone else seemed caught in the fever.
[ In a dim underground workshop, an old film projector whirred. Tony scribbled notes as footage of his father flickered on the wall. ]
[ Howard: "Through technology, all things are possible… This is not just an invention, it is my life's work. The city of the future… the key to the future." ]
[ Tony frowned. There was no clear answer. ]
[ Howard's voice sharpened, calling his son's name. "Tony, you're too young to understand. So I've left this message for you ahead of time." He gestured toward a map model, intricate and shining. ]
[ "This," Howard said, "is more than a design. One day, you will understand. it is not only my legacy, but your destiny." The camera lingered on the model as Howard whispered: "My greatest invention… will always be you." ]
[ The vision fractured. ]
[ Tony bargained away a luxury watch for a box of strawberries, then sped toward Pepper's office, tension etched across his face. ]
The chat erupted.
"???""…So the legendary technology… is a map model?"
"His father was trolling him all along!"
"Your son's in crisis and you're leaving puzzles, old man!"
"I'd cry too if I traded a Jaeger-LeCoultre for strawberries."
But when Tony returned to his workshop, staring at the silver globe in the model, realization struck.
[ He raised his hand, gazing through his clenched fist at the design, and a spark of inspiration ignited. ]
[ "Jarvis," Tony commanded, "scan every template. Convert them into digital schematics. I need a full operational projection." ]
The audience leaned forward.
"Here it comes."
"Tony's about to unleash the future!"
"That model… it really is the key."
The screen burned bright, heralding what came next. The Key to the Future.