John stood at the center of the floating island, watching as the Avengers dispersed to carry out their respective roles. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, feeling the wind brush against his skin.
With a single thought, John activated his teleportation ability, vanishing from the floating island in an instant. When he reappeared, he found himself standing in the dimly lit hallway of Avengers Tower. The familiar structure stood tall against the night sky, its lights flickering like a beacon.
John walked through the corridors with purposeful strides, heading straight to his private quarters. The door slid open with a quiet hiss, and what appeared in front of him was a minimalist room, adorned with only the essentials—a large bed, a desk cluttered with schematics, and a reinforced meditation platform in the corner. The room exuded calmness, a stark contrast to the chaos that usually surrounded his life.
With a weary sigh, John sank into the chair by his desk and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. The past few days had been nothing short of overwhelming. He closed his eyes, letting the memories flood his mind as he began to summarize everything that had transpired.
The first thing that stood out was the passage of time between worlds. When he was in Touya's world, he had spent a full year. Yet, upon returning to Marvel, he discovered that only three months had passed. That meant time in Touya's world moved at a different pace—one year there equaled just three months here. This realization brought with it an important decision. If he wanted to bring Yumina and Alsie to Marvel, he would have to wait at least one full year before going back so that both of them would be a little more mature and more powerful as well. If they still did not reach level 2 of Star Wizard, then John wouldn't bring them back. Putting this thought to the back of his mind, he exhaled deeply, running a hand through his hair.
He had decided to travel back to Touya's world, but not immediately. He needed time—to stabilize the floating island, to ensure the Avengers were prepared for future threats, and to break through to the next level.
His thoughts shifted to his own power. Arriving at his spiritual sea, he observed the dense origin energy swirling within him. The energy was far more refined than before, feeling heavy like water, which was a sign that he was nearing his breakthrough—a result of his constant meditation and battles. He estimated that it would take at least a week or two to fully break through to the second stage of a level 2 Star Wizard.
He recalled the process—there were three stages within the second level: the gaseous stage, the liquid stage, and finally, the crystal stage. He was currently at the peak of the gaseous stage, on the verge of transitioning into the liquid stage. This meant his magical power would become more condensed, granting him far greater control and efficiency. A year of non-stop meditation in Touya's world had pushed him close to this breakthrough, and now he was merely a step away.
His mind then drifted to his return to the Marvel world and the battle against Ultron. Taking down the AI had been straightforward, but tracking down his clones had been a grueling challenge. Every time he destroyed one, another would surface elsewhere, forcing him into a relentless game of cat and mouse. But now, that chapter was finally closed. Ultron was finished for good.
Yet, the real fortune had been the floating island. Because of Ultron, John got the ready-made floating island, and for that, he had collected the best runes available, but there was one problem—they were inscription runes, not ability runes. This meant that while he had the knowledge to fortify the island, he needed someone to inscribe the runes properly. That was why he would have to assign this task to Tony later.
A mischievous grin spread across John's face as he imagined his brother Tony's reaction upon realizing the full extent of the work ahead. The billionaire genius might have been brilliant, but even he would be in for a shock.
"Hehehe… I can't wait to see his expression," John muttered under his breath, amusement dancing in his eyes.
With his thoughts finally settled, John stood from his chair and walked toward the meditation platform. He sat cross-legged, closing his eyes as he began to meditate. He focused inward, guiding his origin energy, feeling the shifts and subtle changes within his spiritual sea.
Time passed in a blur. Day turned to night, and night into day. John remained in deep meditation, completely attuned to his inner world. The outside world continued to move, but he was oblivious to it. His body remained motionless, his breathing slow and rhythmic.
Ten days passed like this.
When John finally opened his eyes, they gleamed with a newfound intensity. The energy within him had shifted—denser, more potent. He was one step closer to his breakthrough.
Stretching his arms, John let out a satisfied breath. His plans were in motion, and soon, he would be ready for the next step.
---
Just as he was about to start another meditation session, a knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. Knowing who it was, John stood up and walked to the door, opening it to reveal none other than Tony Stark.
"Hey, magic boy," Tony greeted with a smirk. "We need to talk."
"Finished already, huh…" John muttered softly.
"Of course, what do you take me for?" Tony said proudly.
"I mean, I knew you could do it. So let's talk about the next step," John said with a smile on his face.
"What next step?" Tony suddenly felt foreboding and became a little vigilant.
"Oh… you are going to love this. Actually, by the way, how is your inscription work going? Have you made some progress?"
Tony felt something was wrong but still answered proudly, "You should see some of my work. You wouldn't believe it."
"Oh… Is that so?"