Chapter 289: These Violent Delights
3rd March 2013, New York City
(Tony Stark POV)
"If we don't all end up dead, I'm retiring after the crisis is over. I've had enough of this ungrateful little planet. I swear, if I wasn't bound for thousands of years, I would have left this cursed place a long time ago. And the moment I'm freed, I have this multiversal crisis to deal with because I can't even leave the damn universe to retire. So, yeah, you'll have exactly what you wish for, mortal. You'll be free of me the moment the crisis is over, and we'll see how long you'll survive on your own."
Before he could retort, the woman stood up, "I'm leaving now. I've finished what I've set up to do. Take care of the kid for me and stay out of my way. I'm serious Stark; I don't want anyone involving themselves in the mess with Asgard. You're responsible for doing this. If I find out that anyone is meddling, then it's on your head."
The woman teleported away, ignoring the anti-teleportation shield he acquired from Reed Richards as if it was nothing. The billionaire groaned and palmed his head. This hadn't ended well.
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3rd March 2013, Sayre Manor
(Jasmine Sayre POV)
After my little conversation with Stark, I teleported home, poured myself a cup of tea, and sat on the balcony. I sighed at the previous meeting with Stark. I went to Stark Industries on a whim, really, the moment I saw Peter Parker fighting in an alley.
Arranging a meeting between the billionaire and Parker was my good deed for the day. Before the future became clouded, I had seen many of their possible relationships, which were almost always amicable, apart from a few unlikely outliers, that is.
Most of the time, they were as close to a family as one could get. There was always that father-son bond that they develop over time, and that helps the both of them deal with their insecurities. In a way, this was both a gift for Stark, to help him move on from his parents' murder, and a gift for the kid to have someone actively supporting him in his hero life.
This was my final gift for the kid, and me returning the favor to Stark by asking him to stop any mortal involvement in the conflict with 'Those who sit above in Shadow'. Odin would never allow any mortal's involvement in Asgard's affair. As far as I know, he's only accepting Selene, Wanda, and Rose's involvement because they're my family, and Jean because she's the avatar of the Phoenix Force. The king of Asgard did fall in love with a past avatar in one of his previous lives, but this was millions of years ago, before the war against heaven. He must still remember her power, and thus the potential that Jean embodies.
Speaking of Jean and Wanda, they are still in Genosha, helping Emma Frost run the country. From the white queen's reports, they have been involved in many operations targeting a mutant trafficking ring and took down a couple of mutant criminals in the outside world.
Project Genosha was a definite success. People just stopped complaining about mutants all the time and it was all thanks to their selective blindness. This was a test to see whether mages could be integrated back into the rest of the world. The truth was a resounding no.
If there was one definite truth I have learnt during this experiment, it was that superpowers made people nervous. Or, at least, right now. Charles Xavier and his followers thought that by showing the people the good that mutants were capable of, they would respect and understand their position. And now, I could say without any doubt, that Charles Xavier was an optimistic idiot. It was no wonder that he was dead. The reality of the 'mutant issue' was far more complicated than the fear of what is different.
The truth was that mutants made people nervous. To the people in power, mutants were unstable wildcards at best. They represented a drastic change in the balance of power governments have carefully cultivated. After all, what use as a few policemen to keep order when a criminal could vaporize a tank with his bare hands?
The possibility of a mutant uprising was a dark thought that had been thrown around the United Nations many times, as were the measures they spoke of to prevent such an occurrence. And with nutjobs like Magneto, who could blame them?
Power hungry warmongers were desperate in building their own mutant armies and thus wanted the world to see them as threats. They took advantage of the general public, scaring them into thinking of the dangers mutants presented, that they were taken over.
That's where I came in. With my company declaring neutrality on the issue, I simply asked them not to report any incidents on the matter. And with the Genosha program subtly arresting mutant criminals and vetting new mutants using the Cerebro machine that I took from Xavier's mansion and gave to Emma Frost. Mutants, in general, were immediately tracked down and given the option for them and their families to move to Genosha, and they would be tracked and forced to come if use their powers publicly, and even imprisoned if they commit crimes.
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With no news about mutants, people slowly started to forget about them and move on with their lives. Of course, the governments were trembling in fear, waiting for something to happen. They noticed the disappearances, of course, but with a very powerful mutant technopath on their side, their documentation vanished with them, alongside their savings, and personal possessions.
I pretty much copied the statute of secrecy, but without the massive reality magic spell hiding the magical world. I simply don't have decades of free time to power a single enchantment. Mutants' existence was still confirmed, but now, they are considered to be extremely rare. Considering that whatever remained of them outside of Genosha were just the ones without visible physical manifestations, and who had chosen to continue their lives without using their powers.
Ironically, I have completed Magneto's and Xavier's goals. People do not prosecute mutants anymore, and a nation made up almost entirely of mutants. As for Wanda and Jean, I will probably need to recall them soon. I wasn't blind to their relationship, and Genosha was a relatively stable environment that would have allowed them to develop it further. I did not want to trouble them too much with my problems until I need them. I have been letting them enjoy their time together for the last few months.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice Selene walk up to me and sit down on the chair on my right. She gave me a warm smile, "Did you have fun on your walk?"
I nodded, "Yeah, it was relaxing. The manor was getting a bit crowded with Thor and Loki constantly bickering. I swear they can't be over a millennium old. They behave more like children."
"They probably mature at different rates. Did your Thor act the same way?"
I shook my head, "No, he did not. There was a solemn wisdom to him that I admired. Well, his entire people were slaughtered to the last man, and he was alone and probably suicidal, and that's not even mentioning the knowledge he gained from his ritual. He was far from the brat we have been dealing with."
"I can understand that. Loki was a disappointment to me. I was always curious about the tales of the Trickster in my childhood. He was always this godly figure. Now, I just broke a fight between him and his brother because, for some ungodly reason, Loki thought that it would be hilarious to stab Thor."
I groaned in exasperation. At first, when Loki arrived, his relationship with Thor was strained. It made sense. People don't just forget the fact that their brother tried to kill them and commit genocide, try to conquer a planet using an army of aliens. There was too much history, and I was worried that they would take too much to make up.
Of course, the exact opposite happened. After their first fight, the two of them were like brothers and kept bickering. It grated my nerves because I felt more like a babysitter than a teacher.
However, despite their childish behavior, the two godlings were very serious in their education, trying to surpass the other as much as possible. As a result, Thor had grown impressively strong after relearning to control his abilities after the powerup from Odin. Even if Thor's growth was impressive, Loki's was on another level. It was like he was barely thinking about using his magic in anything other than illusions before, and the moment I started to teach him his potential, things just clicked.
I kept focusing on his abilities in transfiguration. The Jotun had impressive skills in self transfiguration, and a bit of conjuration, but he never explored the idea of transfiguring something else. As expected, he was a natural at it, but he needed to touch an item to change anything about it. His illusion magic was as strong as it needed to be, and we didn't have the time to cover enchantments properly, choosing to focus on ice elemental magics.
Truthfully, my tutelage of Loki was very different from Thor's. An elemental power is simple in theory but needed a lot of practice. Teaching Loki a magic system that was not my own was very tricky, and it was an adventure for the both of us, even if his magic reminded me of Rose's.
My mood dropped at the reminder of my sister's last words. She was cutting me from her life, and it broke my heart. I knew that her words were made in grief and pain. I believe that a small part of her always hoped that I would come back to the Potters and be a family again. I understand that she had a difficult childhood, being locked up in a house with two grieving parents and that she latched into this ideal version of me in her mind. But she should have grown out of it. Perhaps my lack of reaction to Nathan's death shook her. I did not know for sure.
Sensing my mood, Selene responded, "What are you thinking about?"
"Rose."
Selene just answered with a grunt, and I raised an eyebrow at her response, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
My wife sighed and spoke up, "My love, I have always thought that you were too attached to these mortals. It's your way of dealing with your immortality and that's understandable. I will not fight you on this anymore. But you gave the Potter girl everything. You acted like her sister, something that you really aren't. You taught her magics far above that mortal even dreams of. You have made her your heir, access to Avalon and the treasures within. Yet, she still undermines your authority and challenges you on the basis of morality that you are simply beyond. She blames you for the death of her brother, which you are completely blameless about. Granger was the one that killed him, and even then, he had betrayed her and captured her for the Court. You have given her time to grieve, but she still hasn't come back. I know that you were excited about the idea of a successor, but Rose has been nothing other than ungrateful to your gifts."
"I suppose you're right. I'm just scared that she might end up doing something reckless…"
Before I could even complete my question, I heard a loud explosion in the courtyard. Hoping that Thor and Loki haven't blown up half my mansion in a little feud of theirs, I run towards the noise. I was surprised to be met with the unconscious forms of Loki and Thor in the courtyard.
Facing them was a familiar figure of Rose that was glaring at them. That glare turned towards me when she noticed my arrival. I spoke up, "Rose?"
The witch pointed her wand at me and yelled out, "You MONSTER!"
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Alright, this is it, we're finally caught up to the current events of the story. This means that there will be no more mass uploads. I generally post four chapters a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I tend to be consistent (I have been for more than a year now) but I will let you know if I miss an upload day.
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