Twenty days passed in the blink of an eye.
Wanda and Pietro had gradually integrated into the household. With Karl's arrangements, they were enrolled in school under refugee documentation. Pietro adapted quickly, his energy finding an outlet through sports and video games with Peter.
Wanda, however, stayed close to Karl whenever he was home.
It wasn't dependency.
It was recognition.
Even before her powers awakened, Wanda Maximoff possessed heightened empathic perception — a precursor to the reality-warping chaos magic she would later wield in the comics. Karl's presence felt stable, grounded… safe in a way she could not explain.
Pietro bonded with Peter.
Wanda gravitated toward Karl.
Karl accepted both dynamics without comment.
His days followed a disciplined rhythm:
training telekinesis, teleportation, and optic projection using the enhanced training box,
refining control and scale of the Ice-Ice Fruit,
monitoring Tony Stark's armor construction via encrypted surveillance,
and spending time with May.
Yet he soon noticed something troubling.
May seemed distracted.
Quieter.
More self-conscious.
Through the shadow network, Karl discovered the cause: she felt insecure.
She believed she was too old for him.
Karl's presence drew attention everywhere — tall, striking, mysterious, wealthy, powerful. After Stark Industries stock rebounded following Tony's presumed survival signals, Karl's leveraged position had multiplied his assets exponentially.
He was now, by any societal measure, extraordinarily desirable.
May feared she could not compete with younger women.
Karl did not confront her about it.
Instead, he began researching genetic enhancement pathways — looking for a stable, side-effect-free super-soldier variant that might extend vitality and longevity.
Not to change her.
To protect her.
To ensure time could not take her from him.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark's armor neared completion.
When Karl saw Stark preparing the Mark I for escape, he knew the moment had come.
Two shadow ninjas emerged behind him.
He stepped into the Shadow World.
They raced across continents toward Afghanistan.
Afghanistan — Ten Rings Cave Complex
"Yinsen, hurry!" Tony said urgently. "Help me seal the chest plate!"
The crude armor — forged from scavenged missile fragments and steel plating — locked into place piece by piece.
Sweat ran down Tony's face.
Outside, shouting echoed through the cavern tunnels.
"They're coming!"
Yinsen finished tightening the final brace.
"What now?"
Tony gestured toward the computer.
"Press Function Eight. You'll see a progress bar."
Yinsen pressed the key.
A loading bar appeared.
Power synchronization.
Servo activation.
Weapons routing.
"Okay… it's running," Yinsen said, exhaling.
"We just need it to finish," Tony replied. "Then we leave."
A thunderous blast shook the chamber.
Tony's improvised explosive charge detonated outside, blowing open the reinforced door and scattering the approaching guards.
"Impressive," Yinsen murmured.
Tony allowed himself a tight smile.
"Yeah. I built it."
Gunfire erupted in the tunnels.
Yinsen looked toward the corridor, then back at Tony.
"This won't hold them long."
Tony shook his head.
"No. We wait."
Yinsen's expression hardened with resolve.
"If we wait, we both die."
Before Tony could respond, Yinsen grabbed a rifle and moved toward the exit.
"Yinsen, don't—"
"You must live, Tony Stark."
He stepped into the tunnel.
Gunfire erupted.
Yinsen shouted as he fired, drawing attention away from the chamber.
Tony slammed his eyes shut.
Rage replaced fear.
Outside the Cave — Shadow World Overlap
Karl watched the scene unfold from the liminal darkness between realities.
He smiled faintly.
Tony Stark would owe him more than one favor.
As Yinsen retreated under fire and the Ten Rings fighters closed in, shadows beneath his feet suddenly rippled.
Black hands erupted from the darkness.
Yinsen vanished.
He landed on solid ground — not rock, not sand, but something indistinct and endless.
Two shadow ninjas steadied him.
Karl stood before him.
"Hello, Yinsen."
Yinsen stared in astonishment.
"Who are you? Where am I? I was just—"
"My name is Karl. You are safe. This is… adjacent to your world."
Yinsen studied him carefully. He sensed no hostility.
"You saved me."
"Yes," Karl said plainly. "I came for Tony Stark. Saving you was part of that."
Yinsen absorbed this silently, then bowed his head.
"Thank you."
Cave Interior
The Ten Rings commander stared at the spot where Yinsen had stood seconds earlier.
Gone.
No body.
No blood.
Nothing.
Before he could process it, explosions and heavy impacts echoed deeper in the cavern.
"Stark!"
He rallied his men and advanced.
Tony stepped forward in the Mark I armor.
Heavy.
Crude.
Immovable to small arms fire.
Bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the plating.
He advanced through gunfire, each step shaking the ground.
A punch sent one terrorist flying.
Another fell under a metal gauntlet strike.
The Mark I was not elegant.
It was a walking bunker.
More militants poured into the chamber.
An RPG launcher rose from the crowd.
Tony pivoted just as the rocket fired.
The explosion detonated against the cave wall.
Tony launched a shoulder-mounted micro-charge.
The blast scattered the attackers.
Smoke filled the cavern.
The terrorists faltered.
The armored figure advanced through fire and debris like an iron giant.