First, he thought maybe he'd misread it. Second, he suspected the system had glitched. Only on the third thought did it hit him.
Damn, something really might have happened!
If this high-energy reaction was real, then it could only mean what Stephen had predicted—the Transformers and the Annihilation Wave were fighting!
Tony immediately told Friday to call Lorien. But of course, the call didn't go through. Because the universe doesn't have phone carriers. How could an Earth phone possibly reach Pluto?
Yeah, right.
After trying, Friday reported back.
"Sorry, sir. Dr. Su's phone is out of service area."
Out of service area? No way!
Tony's satellites orbit with Earth's rotation. As long as someone's on Earth, he can call them, anywhere, in any state!
Wait.
Tony suddenly realized.
"Not on Earth? Then Lorien must already know, he's gone beyond Earth?"
The thought made him breathe easier. As long as Lorien knew, that was enough.
If such a massive high-energy reaction really hit Earth, even detonating every nuclear bomb on the planet wouldn't compare to just a few of those earlier fluctuations.
And the warning had been active for a while now. Yet Earth hadn't shown any disturbances. That meant, for the moment, the waves hadn't reached the planet.
Tony even started to wonder—had the Transformers already won?
Because if they'd lost, the Annihilation Wave's next target would no doubt be Earth. But from the looks of it now, the Transformers' civilization had the upper hand!
"If we can't reach him for now, so be it," Tony muttered, exhaling. "I'll ask him tomorrow."
With that, he looked down at Pepper, still sound asleep, her belly round and full. This was his everything now.
For these two lives, he was willing to give up everything.
If the Annihilation Wave really invaded Earth, Tony swore he'd do whatever it took, even if it killed him, to stop them.
Watching Pepper's peaceful face, he bent down and gently kissed her forehead. Then he wrapped his arms around her and went back to sleep.
...
On the other side—no, in another universe.
Within Kamar-Taj of that universe, Stephen tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
"Sigh..."
He finally got up, conjured his clothes with magic, and stepped out to the observatory deck of Kamar-Taj, gazing at the stars.
Something still felt off.
This inexplicable pounding in his chest wasn't imagined—it was real.
What was happening?
Why did he feel this way?
Stephen moved his fingers, and the Eye of Agamotto, housing the Time Stone, appeared on his chest. He lifted it and examined it. A green glow flared in his hand, only to vanish suddenly.
That was when he remembered.
He was in another universe.
Even what he saw here wouldn't be accurate.
So what use was looking?
He would have to return to see for himself.
"Stephen?"
At that moment, from within the Sorcerer's Sanctum, the young Stephen flew out. He too wore the Eye of Agamotto on his chest.
Upon spotting Stephen on the observatory deck, the younger counterpart explained,
"You just used it—that's how I knew."
So it had that function?
Stephen nodded and turned back to the starry sky.
Young Stephen studied his expression.
"Looks like you need to return."
"Yes." Stephen gripped the Time Stone.
There was a pressure here, a weight reminding him it was time to go.
With that confirmation, Young Stephen felt a wave of sadness.
Truthfully, these past two days, they'd enjoyed their conversations immensely.
They had spoken about the Sorcerer Supreme, the future, looming crises, Dormammu, Wong, Kamar-Taj, the Sanctum Sanctorum—almost everything tied to their lives.
Through those talks, they had become close friends.
Though they had known each other less than three days, it felt like speaking with someone most familiar. In a way, wasn't that like sharing a home—akin to marriage?
So even in just those few days, they had come to know each other deeply.
With Stephen preparing to leave, Young Stephen couldn't help but feel sorrow.
"When?" he asked, wanting to confirm.
"The moment the sun rises," Stephen replied.
"Get some rest." Young Stephen patted his shoulder before turning to leave.
...
Morning came.
Stephen never went back to bed. Instead, he stayed to watch this world's sunrise one last time. As the sunlight spilled across the land, filling the courtyard of Kamar-Taj, Young Stephen arrived with America.
But as they walked up, Young Stephen kept one hand hidden behind his back, as if concealing something.
They came to stand behind Stephen.
Stephen turned and held out a magic ring.
Young Stephen revealed what he had been hiding—another magic ring.
Both of them froze when they saw the other's gift.
"Wow~" America laughed in surprise. "The presents you picked for each other are exactly the same!"
Indeed, they were.
"It's one of Kamar-Taj's specialties," Stephen explained.
"Mine too," Young Stephen chuckled.
They exchanged glances, smiled, and swapped their rings.
Looking closely, they saw that while both were magical rings, the patterns and details differed. Subtle distinctions, but real ones.
They shook hands, embraced briefly, and said nothing more. Words weren't needed—they understood each other perfectly.
Young Stephen then signaled America to open a portal to the Parallel Universe. He looked back at Stephen, sighed, and said,
"If you get the chance, come by often."
Stephen nodded.
"You too."
Bzzzzz~~~
America opened the shimmering blue portal.
The two Stephens shared one last glance.
Then the Stephen Lorien knew stepped into the portal.
Once he was gone, America closed it.
Young Stephen lingered for a long while, lost in thought.
Only when Wong arrived did he finally turn and leave.
...
In the universe where Lorien resided,
Stephen returned to Kamar-Taj, appearing directly above the plaza.
It was already morning. Rows of sorcerers were lined up, practicing their morning exercises. The moment Stephen appeared in the sky, the formation instantly fell apart.
Not out of excitement, but because of caution. After what had happened before, they no longer knew which Stephen this might be. Was he really their Sorcerer Supreme—or another impostor in disguise?
So their reaction wasn't joy. It could just as easily have been fear.
Fortunately, Wong was there. With a single glance at Stephen's state, he knew this was the Stephen he recognized.
"Continue training. It's the Sorcerer Supreme!"
Wong ordered the apprentices back into formation, then left the group and approached Stephen.
Hearing that it was indeed the Sorcerer Supreme, the apprentices sighed in relief and resumed their spell practice.
Stephen slowly descended as Wong stepped forward to meet him.
"Kamar-Taj has been repaired," Wong reported. "The sorcerers were injured, but no one was lost."
"During your absence, everything continued to run as before."
Stephen patted Wong's shoulder with trust.
"Thanks to you."
Wong glanced at his hand. "Of course."
"But I need to leave immediately."
"?"
A question mark all but hung over Wong's head.
Seriously? Just got back and already leaving? Addicted to being a hands-off Sorcerer Supreme, huh? Might as well hand the title over to me and go wherever you please.
Noticing Wong's suddenly darkened expression, Stephen coughed lightly and rushed to explain.
"Listen, Wong. I came back early for a reason."
"I sensed a major crisis. I need to meet Tony, then confirm things with Lorien."
"Once that's done, I'll return to handle Kamar-Taj's affairs."
Hearing this, Wong's irritation eased. If it was a real crisis, then it made sense.
He nodded and stepped back. "Go. The sooner you're back, the better."
Stephen gave him an OK sign, then drew a circle with his hand, opening a portal to Tony's residence.
Stephen stepped toward it. But before he crossed through—
"Wait."
Wong called out.
"Hm?" Stephen turned back, puzzled.
Wong hesitated for a moment, then said, "Christine asked me to tell you that when you return, you can find her at the old place. She's there every weekend at 2:30 in the afternoon."
Stephen froze. After a long pause, he nodded slowly, then turned back to the portal.
"I understand. Thanks."
The next moment, he stepped through, and the portal closed behind him.
Wong shrugged.
Love was complicated. For someone to wait years for a single person… hard to fathom.
Good thing he wasn't in love. Saved him the headache.
...
On the other side, the portal opened in Tony's backyard.
Tony had already changed clothes and was sitting in a wooden chair, eating a homemade sandwich and sipping his custom milk tea.
When Stephen appeared, Tony chewed his bacon, glanced at his watch, and said,
"I thought you didn't know."
"Something came up."
Stephen sat down in the chair opposite him.
"So, what's the plan? Do we go find Lorien now, or later?"
Tony swallowed the last of his bacon and wiped his mouth.
"Did you use the Time Stone? What's the outcome?"
Stephen shook his head.
"Once an event has already happened, looking back just creates another outcome—several, in fact. If I see it and then act, it doesn't count."
Yes—once spoken, it wouldn't count. Just like making a wish. That was the very reason Stephen hadn't told Tony in the original timeline.
Tony nodded, then gave his take.
"My advice? Wait. Maybe send a message first."
"His phone was dead last night. Lorien probably wasn't on Earth."
"And the crisis happened last night. Since Earth hasn't been affected, it probably means the crisis has already been dealt with."
"So we can take it slow. Send him a text, let Lorien get some proper rest?"
Stephen nodded, but then frowned.
"Does Lorien really need extra sleep with his level of power?"
"Doesn't he?" Tony countered.
"Should he?"
"What if he just likes sleeping? Who doesn't love a good nap?"
"Well… that's true."