"Hey, so we're winning the war against Thanos, but only if I snap my fingers? Yeah… that's terrible news.
"And by the way, I'm not the type who likes 'noble sacrifices.' My philosophy is: use my brain, my knowledge, and my tech to change the world— not throw my life away like an idiot."
In Nepal, at Kamar-Taj—the sanctuary of the Masters of the Mystic Arts—Tony Stark sat on a wooden chair, a rebellious glint in his eyes, sneering as he responded to the future sacrifice Bruce Banner had mentioned.
After Tony and the others stepped through the portal, they arrived inside Kamar-Taj, protected by layers of magical barriers.
Not even Sentry could pinpoint its coordinates.
They were temporarily safe, but Baron Mordo simply gave them a small room and left without another word.
With no one interrupting, Dr. Bruce Banner told the team everything he remembered—future memories stored in both his own mind and in the "Brain Allens" system.
When Tony heard that he would eventually wear the Infinity Gauntlet and die after snapping his fingers, his expression turned complicated.
But of course, his mouth didn't stop throwing acidic commentary.
Compared to Tony's venomous sarcasm, the other Avengers remained silent.
Ant-Man, Scott Lang—who had done research on the quantum realm—finally understood what Hank Pym meant by "Quantum Chaos State Theory."
"Okay, guys, no matter whether Sentry or Allens rules the Earth in the future, we have to stop him."
Captain America, Steve Rogers, ever the moral compass, obviously wanted to prevent Allens from taking control of the world. After hearing Nick Fury describe how he had already come here once and been killed by Allens, Rogers became even more determined.
"Come on, noble Captain America. Maybe you've died hundreds or thousands of times already, but you're alive right now, and that's all that matters. Quantum Chaos distorts time, but we can't forget our mission. We're here for the Infinity Stones—nothing more."
Scott shook his head. Compared to Steve, who didn't have much tying him down, Scott had a daughter in the future—someone he desperately wanted to return to.
"I agree with the little guy," Tony added with a shrug. "In the future, I'm married, and I have a beautiful daughter. Steve's still single, but I actually have something to lose. I'm not doing a pointless suicide mission."
"Everyone… I think we should do what the Captain says."
Bruce Banner spoke quietly. His mind was full of fractured future memories. He knew that if they didn't stop Allens—an intelligent super-brain—then no one in any timeline would be safe.
Two against two.
No one could convince anyone.
As Tony and the others continued arguing—Tony and Scott insisting they only needed to retrieve the Stones, while Steve and Banner insisted Allens had to be stopped—
Creak.
The door opened. Baron Mordo entered with a cold face. Nick Fury, who had been silently turned away, finally looked up.
"Let's go. The Sorcerer Supreme wants to see you."
Mordo barely acknowledged the Avengers, and completely ignored Nick Fury—a mere mortal in his eyes.
"Alright then. Time to meet the Sorcerer Supreme," Tony said, curiosity lighting up his face.
He stood and followed Mordo without hesitation.
Captain America and Ant-Man exchanged looks and trailed behind him.
Dr. Banner straightened his clothes out of respect. He remembered meeting the Ancient One once before—during the Battle of New York.
Nick Fury alone hesitated, his eyes flickering with thoughts. He did not follow.
Mordo didn't care in the slightest. He led the four Avengers to an ancient, worn-down room. His icy expression melted instantly into reverence.
"Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One. Your disciple, Mordo, has brought the Avengers."
Mordo's tone was humble beyond anything Tony had ever heard.
"Very well, Mordo. Let them in."
The calm voice of the Ancient One echoed from within. Mordo opened the door, and Tony glanced at the others before stepping inside.
The room was plain—simple furniture, few decorations. At the center sat a bald woman in a yellow robe, eyes closed in meditation.
"Avengers from the future," she said as her eyes slowly opened, filled with deep wisdom. "You must have many questions. I will answer them. Oh… Dr. Banner. We meet again."
"Ancient One, it is an honor to see you again."
Banner folded his hands respectfully. According to his future memories, this was indeed their second encounter.
"Ancient One," Banner asked urgently, "according to theory, we returned all the Infinity Stones. So why hasn't the timeline repaired itself? Shouldn't all branches have disappeared?"
In the original 2012 timeline, he had debated the same concept with her.
"What you said is correct in theory," the Ancient One replied softly, "but time travel is like throwing a pebble into a calm lake. Ripples spread. The lake does not become still again until the ripples have faded."
Her Zen-like explanation made Banner frown, but Tony's eyes lit up.
"Banner, she's talking about Quantum Entanglement Chaos. When we time-travel, our personal timeline doesn't move forward in a straight line. It becomes entangled—like star particles. That's why Captain America had already died once before we even started this time mission."
"In a strict sense," Tony continued, "we exist in the past, present, and future… all at once."
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[Naruto: I Don't Want Recognition]
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