All the Avengers sat on a couch in a circle at Clint's house, which was now bigger than before. Everyone was focused on John after witnessing his incredible display of power. The room carried a tense atmosphere, and it was clear that everyone now took John very seriously.
Looking at their serious expressions, John nodded inwardly. This was the reaction he had hoped for because what he was about to reveal was the biggest secret in this universe. If John wanted their help to achieve what he had planned, they had to believe him first.
"Here's the thing," John began. "During my three months of travel, I discovered quite a lot of things that would have sounded unbelievable otherwise. But now I believe it, and I want to warn you so that all of you can prepare in advance."
"The first thing is about the New York war. The person behind the war wasn't Loki, as we believed." John paused, scanning their faces for reactions. As he expected, everyone looked surprised.
"What do you mean?" Captain America asked suspiciously.
"What I mean is, Loki was just being used by someone else. I believe Thor must know this much," John added, shifting his gaze toward Thor.
"My friend is telling the truth," Thor confirmed without hesitation. "And that's why I was able to come to Earth to stop Loki."
"So you know the reason why he's doing this?" Fury asked after a moment of thought.
"Yes," John answered. "He's searching for the Infinity Stones."
"What's that?" Hawkeye asked, bewildered.
"There are a total of six Infinity Stones in our universe," John explained. "The Space Stone, which on Earth is called the Tesseract; the Time Stone; the Mind Stone; the Soul Stone; the Power Stone; and lastly, the Reality Stone. Each one of these stones is a weapon of mass destruction. Among them, the Tesseract and the Mind Stone are still on Earth. This means the person behind Loki won't stop until he gets what he wants."
"So he sent one of the Infinity Stones with Loki to retrieve another one. Am I missing something?" Tony asked, looking directly at John.
"Correct," John replied. "But it's not just about the Tesseract. There's still one more Infinity Stone present on Earth besides the Tesseract and the Mind Stone — the Reality Stone."
As for the Time Stone, John decided not to reveal its whereabouts to anyone for now because of the Ancient One.
The room fell into silence. The weight of John's words seemed to hang in the air like a storm cloud. Natasha crossed her arms tightly, her brows furrowed. Steve clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as if bracing for more bad news. Even Tony, who was usually quick with a sarcastic remark, seemed lost in thought.
"And that's not all," John continued, his voice low but firm. "I also need to tell you about Thanos."
"Who the hell is Thanos?" Tony asked, breaking the silence.
"Thanos..." John paused, gathering his thoughts. "He's a ruthless warlord who believes in balance through destruction. He sees life itself as chaotic and believes that wiping out half of all living beings will bring balance to the universe. He's powerful and relentless. And he was the one who sent Loki in the first place."
The air in the room seemed to turn colder as John waved his hand, activating his new ability — 'Memory Virtualization.' A shimmering blue light filled the room, forming a vivid image of Thanos, his towering figure clad in golden armor with an eerie grin stretching across his face. His cold, merciless eyes seemed to pierce through them. Beside him stood his sons and daughters — Gamora, Nebula, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, and the others — each radiating an aura of menace.
"This is Thanos and his family," John explained grimly. "They are powerful warriors trained to destroy without hesitation. Thanos has already begun his search for the Infinity Stones."
The Avengers stared in silence, absorbing the grim reality before them.
"That's... terrifying," Natasha muttered.
"You don't know the half of it," John said gravely. "Just when you think you know the true threat, there's more."
He took a deep breath before continuing, his eyes meeting each of theirs with unwavering seriousness. "There's also Mephisto, the lord of the underworld; Zeus, the god of Olympus; Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension; Eternity, the embodiment of time; the Living Tribunal, the cosmic judge; Galactus, the devourer of worlds; and finally... the Beyonder."
Each name seemed to strike a different chord in the room. Thor's face hardened at the mention of Zeus, his fingers gripping Mjolnir tightly. Tony's brows lifted in disbelief, while Steve looked like he'd just learned the world was ending. Clint exhaled sharply, muttering something under his breath.
"These beings are forces of nature," John said. "Each powerful enough to destroy worlds with ease. They exist beyond our understanding, and any one of them could decide to wipe out our universe without warning."
The room fell into stunned silence. For once, Tony had nothing to say. Steve seemed numb, his mind processing the overwhelming scale of what they'd just learned. Natasha's normally sharp gaze softened with concern. Even Thor, a literal god, seemed uneasy.
"I know this is hard to take in," John said, his tone softer now. "But this is the reality we're facing. The universe is far more dangerous than we ever imagined."
No one spoke. The air was thick with tension, and the weight of the revelation seemed to hang heavily on everyone's shoulders. The Avengers, Earth's mightiest heroes, now sat speechless, numb, and uncertain about the future that was yet to come.