The darkness slowly dissolved.
The endless battlefield of corpses vanished. The blood-soaked courtyard vanished. Emma Stone vanished. The mocking Imperial Family vanished.
But the scenes lingered inside Tony's mind like invisible scars. When his vision finally returned, he found himself standing once more before the World Tree Spirit.
Neither of them spoke immediately. The atmosphere felt strangely awkward. Tony stood there silently while staring into the distance. The images of the nightmare still lingered before his eyes. He could still remember the disappointment in his father's gaze. He could still remember kneeling before the bodies of the Clark Family.
Even though he knew it was merely an illusion, the emotions it invoked felt entirely real.
