Levi stood amidst the ruins, staring at his reflection in the Dark Trident.
The blade showed a pale face—his face—with traces of dried blood still clinging to the corner of his mouth.
Wanda was gone.
The fact was like a nail hammered into his mind, impossible to pull out. But he knew this wasn't the time for grief or rage.
As a transmigrator who knew the future, he understood better than anyone that these five years were only a long intermission. The real final battle had yet to begin.
And to start that battle, he needed one key person.
Levi put away the trident and closed his eyes. His super hearing swept across North America like an invisible radar, filtering out countless noises as he focused on a single, unique energy signature—
Tony Stark. The Arc Reactor.
It didn't take long to lock on.
A lakeside cabin in upstate New York, about eighty kilometers away. The energy fluctuation was faint but stable, indicating Tony wasn't wearing a suit—just maintaining basic cardiac support.
That was the place.
Levi raised his hand and tore open a spatial rift. On the other side lay a tranquil lake, sunlight shimmering across its surface. A two-story wooden cabin stood by the shore, smoke curling gently from its chimney.
A warm, peaceful scene—completely out of place in this dead world.
Levi stepped through, appearing on the lawn before the cabin as the rift silently closed behind him.
A rocking chair on the porch held an open book. Inside, a man's voice could be heard, along with a child's laughter. Everything matched the storyline he remembered.
He walked up to the door and knocked three times.
The sounds inside stopped abruptly.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
Tony Stark stood there, holding a frying pan. He looked far more haggard than five years ago—wearing an old T-shirt and jeans, unshaven, his once brilliant eyes now filled with quiet exhaustion.
The moment he saw Levi, he froze.
Clang.
The frying pan slipped from his hand and hit the floor.
"…Levi?" Tony's voice was hoarse, full of disbelief. "You… you're alive?"
Levi nodded. "I am."
Tony stared at him, as if trying to confirm he wasn't hallucinating. Then he suddenly turned and shouted out of habit, "JARVIS, run identity scan—"
Silence.
Tony paused, then gave a bitter smile. "Right… JARVIS is gone. FRIDAY too."
He bent down, picked up the pan without looking at the mess, and stepped aside. "Come in."
Levi followed him inside. The living room and kitchen were connected, warmly decorated, with childish drawings hanging on the walls.
"Morgan, go play upstairs for a bit," Tony called toward the staircase.
A little girl, around four or five, peeked out, her big eyes curiously examining Levi. "Daddy, who's this?"
"An old friend," Tony said, forcing a stiff smile. "Go on. I'll make you a fresh breakfast in a bit."
The girl nodded obediently and ran upstairs.
Tony tossed the pan into the sink, grabbed a beer from the fridge, twisted it open, and took a long swig.
"What do you want to know?" he asked, leaning against the counter, his tired eyes fixed on Levi. "What happened these five years? Or where Thanos is?"
"All of it," Levi replied calmly, sitting down.
Tony drank again, silent for a moment, then began.
After the Snap, only a handful survived. Peter Parker turned to dust in his arms. Doctor Strange vanished, leaving only the words: "This was the only way."
Later, Carol Danvers appeared, and they found Thanos.
"We thought it'd be a final battle. A revenge story," Tony said with a self-deprecating edge. "But we lost again. Completely."
The Thanos they found was a monster—someone who had tried and failed to fully absorb the power of the Infinity Stones.
"He became stronger. And crazier," Tony continued, his fists tightening. "He said he tried to fuse all six Stones into himself, but that power nearly tore him apart. To survive, he used their power to destroy the Stones themselves. Their laws dispersed into the universe."
Tony's voice grew heavier.
"Then he started rambling about how 'balance' was just the beginning. That he had… a greater goal. The way he looked at us—it was like we were insects. And then he left. We couldn't even stop him."
The Avengers returned to Earth with total defeat—and total despair.
No target for revenge. No hope of reversal. The team fell apart.
"Steve runs support groups. Natasha watches over an empty base. Thor's in Norway, drinking himself into obesity. Banner merged with Hulk—he's a celebrity now. Clint…" Tony paused. "He lost it. He's out there as Ronin, killing criminals he thinks deserve it."
Tony turned to the window, staring at the lake.
"And me? I quit. I married Pepper. We had Morgan. I grow vegetables, go fishing… I gave up, Levi. There's no hope. The Stones are gone. We don't even know where the enemy is."
Levi listened quietly. He already knew most of this—but hearing it from Tony carried a crushing weight.
"You gave up," Levi said.
"Yes. I did." Tony's expression didn't change. "I'm just a man. I can't build something that overturns the laws of the universe. The story's over."
"What if there's a way?" Levi said slowly.
Tony let out a dry laugh. "What way? You found another set of Infinity Stones?"
"No." Levi met his gaze. "Time travel."
Tony's smile froze. He frowned. "What are you talking about? Time travel? That's science fiction. You planning to build a DeLorean?"
"The Stones are destroyed in the present," Levi said evenly. "But in the past, they still exist. There's a place—a dimension—where time and space don't behave like they do here."
Tony's expression sharpened. As a genius, he immediately understood.
"…The Quantum Realm," he muttered.
"Exactly." Levi nodded. "We can use it as a passage—a backdoor through spacetime. Go to the past. Borrow the Stones."
Tony's mind raced. "Impossible. The Quantum Realm is pure chaos—no coordinates, no direction. You enter, you're lost. You'd need a temporal navigation system—something that doesn't exist!"
"That's why I'm here." Levi's gaze was sharp. "I need someone who can build a spacetime GPS. Someone who can turn theory into reality. I need the Tony Stark who built an Arc Reactor in a cave with scraps."
Tony's breathing quickened.
The idea was insane—but it was a spark, landing in the ashes of his deadened heart.
"That's… crazy," he said. But in his tired eyes, a faint light began to return—curiosity, doubt, and the thrill of challenge.
"Wait," Tony added suddenly. "Even if this works—even if I can build it—how do we enter the Quantum Realm?"
"Pym Particles," Levi replied. "Hank Pym's technology."
"Then we find him." Tony said immediately, almost impatient now. "I don't like the old man, but for this… I'll talk to him."
Levi was silent for a moment.
"…Tony. Hank Pym and his daughter Hope disappeared five years ago."
The light in Tony's eyes dimmed instantly.
"…What? They too… So the formula's gone? What about existing particles?"
"Without Pym Particles, it's all meaningless."
Tony stared at Levi.
Hope had been given—and taken away in the same breath.
"I understand the principles of Pym Particles. I can recreate them," Levi said, offering a new thread of hope. "And the second Ant-Man is still alive. He should have some left. I'll find him. You focus on your part."
Silence filled the room, broken only by Tony's heavy breathing.
At last, he set his half-finished beer down with a firm thud.
"Morgan likes cheeseburgers," Tony suddenly said, seemingly out of nowhere.
Then he looked up at Levi.
The fire in his eyes was returning.
"Tell me everything. Every detail of your plan."
He straightened slightly, something of the old Tony Stark resurfacing.
"Let's see if there's anything in this world… that I can't build."
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