Chapter 435: The Mysterious Man!
The Reality Stone!
Since Silas hadn't personally meddled with events beyond Earth yet, according to the timeline, the Aether should currently be in the possession of The Collector. That meant Thanos was likely already on his way to kill The Collector and seize the stone.
If that were the case, Thanos currently possessed both the Power Stone and the Reality Stone, and he was on the verge of obtaining the Space Stone.
The Soul Stone would come later after the sacrifice of Gamora, and the Time Stone would be handed over by a certain "Doctor Horse-Face" in exchange for sparing Iron Man's life. The Mind Stone was typically the last for Thanos to acquire; because of his unique connection to it, he saved it for the very end. After all, compared to the other stones, the Mind Stone was less likely to encounter "accidents" while on Earth.
Thinking of the Mind Stone, Silas's thoughts drifted to Vision. In the original story, Vision tried to destroy the stone, only for Thanos to use the Time Stone to reverse everything. It had been a futile effort.
"Silas?" Peter waved a hand in front of Silas's face, confused.
Silas snapped back to reality. "What is it, Peter? Did something happen?"
"Nothing happened, I was just wondering what you were thinking about. I called your name a bunch of times and you completely ignored me," Peter said, exasperated. He couldn't fathom what could be so engrossing that his brother would tune him out like that.
"Nothing, just random thoughts. Since Gwen is better now, you should spend more time with her. That's the easiest way to win her heart," Silas said, immediately changing the subject.
Mentioning Gwen worked like a charm. Peter's focus shifted instantly, and he asked shyly, "Really, Silas?"
"Of course. I'm a total master in the field of romance," Silas said, decisively borrowing Uncle Ben's old catchphrase.
"Hearing you say that makes me think of Uncle Ben," Peter chuckled.
"That's different. I'm a true expert," Silas teased with an eyebrow raise. Thinking of Silas's history with Felicia and Misty, Peter nodded in agreement. He didn't doubt that for a second.
After chatting a bit longer, Peter headed back to his own room to sleep.
"Finally handled him." Silas sat back in his rocking chair, closing his eyes to rest. With the Horse Talisman, he didn't technically need sleep anymore, but old habits died hard. Now, he just had to wait for Thanos to arrive and try to get close enough to the Reality Stone to unlock the Rat Talisman.
The City of Liberty
Following the incident with Carol Danvers, Tony Stark had moved his contingency plan to the top of his priority list. The new suit was already mostly finished, but it lacked refinement. Now, he felt a desperate need to perfect it.
"Tony!" Pepper Potts shouted from the laboratory entrance.
She didn't know why, but since the recent conflict, Tony had buried himself in his lab. He had been in there all night, and Pepper was terrified he was going to burn himself out.
"Don't worry, Pepper. I'm fine," Tony said, walking out with an exhausted but determined look. JARVIS was helping him; if anything went wrong, the AI would have notified her immediately.
"I'm just worried about you. Do you want breakfast? I prepared some," Pepper said, sighing in relief.
"Mmhmm... sounds good." Tony followed her out, leaving behind a laboratory where a new set of armor was being rapidly assembled by robotic arms.
School
"Long time no see, Gwen! How are you feeling?" Felicia asked, sitting in her seat with a look of surprise and joy. She had been worried about Gwen for days.
"I feel great! Don't worry, it was just a fever," Gwen said, her face glowing with health. Based on her complexion, she had recovered perfectly.
As the friends celebrated Gwen's return, Harry Osborn walked in, his face dark and brooding. Every student who saw his expression immediately steered clear of him to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"What's wrong with him now?" Gwen asked quietly. Since she had been away, she wasn't up to speed on Harry's situation.
"I heard Oscorp is being targeted by Parker Industries. All their major clients are being snatched away," Felicia whispered, leaning her head on her hand. "Oscorp's reputation has plummeted. It's no wonder he's furious."
"I see," Gwen nodded thoughtfully.
Peter looked at Harry with concern. Through their time together, he had realized that Harry was prone to extremes, though his heart wasn't inherently bad—he was just easily influenced by his circumstances.
"Harry," Peter called out, approaching him. The other students turned to watch in shock. Peter was the only one brave enough to approach Harry when he was in a foul mood; even the teachers were keeping their distance.
"What is it, Peter?" Harry started to snap, but when he saw his friend, he managed to suppress his temper.
In the front of the class, Gwen was surprised. "I didn't realize Peter and Harry were that close!"
Felicia nodded. "Yeah, though I'm not sure when it happened."
"I heard it was after that incident on the rooftop," a nearby student chimed in.
In the back row, Misty spoke up lazily, "You been busy lately, Silas?"
"Not really, why?" Silas didn't know where she was going with this.
"That girl, Wanda... she's actually the Scarlet Witch from the Avengers, isn't she?" Misty said nonchalantly.
"How do you know that?" Silas was genuinely shocked. He hadn't told her anything about Wanda's identity.
"I'm a bit of a hacker. My skills aren't top-tier, but I make sure to gather intel on my competition," Misty said, blinking her bright eyes at him like an innocent child.
"Impressive." Silas admitted it. Misty would have found out eventually anyway.
"So, Silas... what's your power?" Misty asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"You know about that too?" Silas frowned. Since Misty had returned, he felt she had changed—as if she were a completely different person.
"Actually..." Misty leaned into Silas's ear. "Do you remember when you left me at the school field? During the collapse?"
"When you were trapped under the debris?" Silas realized. He had sent her out to safety, yet she had still ended up pinned.
"Mmhmm. I was worried about you, so I followed you back. I saw you put on a mask and vanish."
"I was shocked at first, so I started looking for you. Then the building collapsed and I got trapped. I was lucky to survive," Misty said, a hint of lingering fear in her voice.
"Can you tell me more about what happened to you?" Silas asked. Misty had definitely gone through something significant.
"Of course. That's why I'm telling you this," Misty smiled.
After School
"Can you tell me now?" Silas asked as he walked side-by-side with Misty down the street.
"While I was at MIT, I met a mysterious person. I don't know if they were a man or a woman; they wouldn't even tell me their name. They just taught me a few spells and told me to tell my 'little boyfriend' something."
"They said: 'Do not fear death. Perhaps behind death, another miracle awaits.'"
Misty recounted her experience and the message intended for Silas.
"A mysterious person?" This was the second time Silas had heard of this figure. Who were they? Why were they appearing to Thor and Misty, yet avoiding him?
"Yeah. I called them the 'Mysterious Person' and they didn't seem to mind. They just taught me a few small spells for self-defense."
As Misty spoke, she checked their surroundings. When she saw no one was looking, her hands moved in a fluid motion near her waist. A shower of orange sparks began to flicker and dance between her fingers.
"I won't show more, since people are nearby," Misty said, closing her hands and smiling.
"Kamar-Taj..."
Silas's sharp eyes recognized the magic immediately. Those sparks were unmistakable—they belonged to the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj!
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