The quiet hum of energy slowly faded from the room as the portal shimmered shut behind the departing Avengers. One by one, they had returned to their respective missions, leaving only two figures behind in the sun-drenched lounge of Avengers Tower—John and Present Tony.
For a moment, silence filled the room.
John stood still, watching the space where the portal had just disappeared. The glow of the Eye of Agamotto on his chest pulsed faintly, its rhythm now almost aligned with his own heartbeat. His thoughts drifted momentarily—to the moment when time had frozen, to the vision of collapsing stars and the shadow that devoured galaxies.
But he was brought back by Tony's voice.
"I'm heading out," Tony said, breaking the stillness. His tone was calm, but there was a quiet spark of purpose behind it.
John turned slightly. "Sky Fortress?"
Tony gave a nod, walking over to the nearby table to grab a small tablet displaying schematics of the floating island base he had been constructing. "Yeah. I'm going to start engraving the main structure with runes. If we're really going to be playing gods with time and stones, I want that fortress to be more than just floating eye candy."
John smiled faintly, then reached into the side of his robe and pulled out a thick, leather-bound book.
"Here," he said, extending it toward Tony.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Homework?"
"Something like that," John replied. "It's a book I compiled myself. Every inscription rune I've collected,fifteen hundred of them. It's all there—categorized by function, complexity, and elemental affinity."
Tony took the book with both hands, the weight of it pulling his arms down slightly. The leather was etched with subtle sigils, and the corners of the pages glowed with faint mystical lines.
He opened it, flipping through slowly.
His eyes widened. "Whoa… this isn't just some scribbled journal. This is… comprehensive. Even Stark-level impressive."
"Only the best for you," John said with a small grin. "But don't go crazy. You're only supposed to use the essential ones."
Tony glanced up. "Like?"
"Like the Energy Absorption Rune, which can absorb energy from the surrounding environment, and the Energy Distribution Rune, which can power up all the runes on the Sky Fortress. As for the Floating Rune and Stabilization Rune, they work just as their names suggest. Next are the Elemental Shielding Rune, Reinforcement Rune, and Temporal Shielding Rune—these runes can save us in times of trouble. And maybe throw in a few Auto-Repair Runes if you're feeling adventurous."
Tony's fingers brushed over one of the glowing runes on the page. "I could probably power half of New York with just a few of these…"
John chuckled. "That's why I trust you with them."
Tony closed the book carefully, tucking it under his arm. "Alright then. Time to tattoo the sky."
With that, his body began to shimmer. A soft hum surrounded him as the teleportation spell activated. A moment later, Tony disappeared in a flash of light—leaving behind only a brief ripple in the air.
John stood alone.
The sunlight now seemed warmer, quieter. The lounge, once filled with chatter and movement, was completely still. After that he turned and walked away.
---
John entered his room, shutting the door gently behind him.
His room was quiet, dimly lit. The curtains had been drawn shut, leaving only a single lamp glowing softly in the corner. John sat on the floor and took a deep breath, letting the calm wash over him.
His mind wandered to the future Avengers. Their expressions, their urgency. He knew they were fighting a battle that will cost them thier life. And specially Tony, he didn't wanted Tony to die just like in the movie. So john decided to do something about it.
And the first step… was to make sure that he had a way to get thier and help them. And john was pretty sure that the rune he got from thier first meeting would be the key.
He closed his eyes and focused.
From deep within his memory, a new rune emerged—the one he had glimpsed during the visit, hidden in the aura surrounding the future Avengers. It had a unique structure, unlike any he had seen before. Delicate but powerful. Complex but fluid.
It took him a full hour just to recreate its pattern inside his mind. Once he was sure it was correct, he began the process of inscribing it into his spiritual sea.
Within moments, he was inside the calm ocean of his spiritual sea. The vast, shimmering space surrounded him, deep and quiet. Countless stars of light floated within the sea—each one representing a rune or a magical construct he had embedded into his being.
As john started, The rune resisted at first. Its energy didn't blend easily with the others already etched within him. John bit down, sweat beginning to form on his forehead as the process grew more intense.
Hours passed.
He adjusted the lines carefully, making sure every symbol connected perfectly. A single mistake could cause the entire structure to collapse. Several times, the rune flickered and tried to disperse—but John held on, redrawing it with stubborn focus.
Then, as the final curve of the rune clicked into place, a radiant surge of energy exploded outward.
John's body, even outside his spiritual sea, flashed with green and silver light—bright and wild for a second before fading into a soft glow. His spiritual sea trembled with the release of origin energy, then slowly calmed.
In the center of the sea, beside the meditation rune, the new rune floated—glowing gently, rotating slowly in place.
And then the knowledge became clear.
John's eyes widened as realization dawned.
Just as he had suspected, the rune's purpose wasn't simply teleportation.
It was a coordinate—a key to a parallel Earth.
---
John opened his eyes slowly. His entire body ached from the strain. But there was satisfaction in his expression.
It was done.
And with that, he leaned back against the wall, letting his breath steady. The next step on this journey would come soon.