Half a month after the Battle of New York ended, the top floor of Stark Tower.
This was no longer a conference room; it had been transformed into a temporary farewell venue.
The core members of the Avengers, along with all the comrades who had fought alongside Lin Huai, were gathered here.
The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
Lin Huai stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city below where order was beginning to be restored, and spoke calmly.
"I'm leaving."
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
Tony, Steve, Natasha, Banner, Clint, and even a still-weak Loki were there.
"Back to my World, to save someone very important to me—my good brother."
No one was surprised.
From the moment Lin Huai confessed his background, they knew this day would come sooner or later.
Lin Huai raised his left hand; the dark gold glove, inlaid with the six Infinity Stones, shimmered under the lights.
"Before that, I promised you that I would grant your wishes."
"This is also a task I must complete as a Miracle Invoker."
He walked toward Tony Stark.
"Then, starting with you, Tony."
Lin Huai snapped his fingers.
The green light of the Time Stone and the red glow of the Reality Stone intertwined.
The surrounding space instantly warped and folded, as if reshaped by an invisible giant hand.
In an instant, they were no longer in Stark Tower.
Before them was a hallway steeped in 1980s style, permeated with the scent of old paper and cigars.
Lin Huai's voice rang in Tony's ear.
"I have sent you back to a real historical node. I cannot interfere; I can only be an observer."
"Go, see the person you want to see, but remember, do not change the trajectory of history."
Tony took a deep breath; he knew who was in the study at the end of the hallway.
He straightened his collar and pushed open the wooden door.
Inside the study, an elegant middle-aged man was frowning at a blueprint.
An elegant and beautiful lady held a coffee, a trace of worry on her face.
Howard Stark and Maria Stark.
"Who are you?"
As soon as Tony entered, Howard looked up.
His eyes were sharp, and his right hand quietly reached for a button under the desk.
"How did you get in? Where is the security outside?"
Looking at those two faces that only existed in his memory, Tony's heart gave a violent tug.
He opened his mouth, but his throat felt blocked, unable to make a sound.
Maria set down the coffee and gently comforted her husband, but her gaze toward Tony was equally filled with caution.
"Howard, don't be nervous."
"Sir, who are you looking for?"
Tony's eyes instantly turned red.
He looked at his father, the man who was always strict yet kept his love buried deep in his heart.
He looked at his Mother, the harbor that was always gentle and accepting of him.
"I..."
He wanted to say he was Anthony, but as the words reached his lips, they turned into a code that only Howard could understand.
"...The variable has appeared, but the blueprint for the stabilizer... I haven't decided on it yet."
This was a concept Howard had mentioned intermittently to a young Tony after getting drunk once.
He had never mentioned this secret to a second person.
Howard stood up abruptly!
He stared intently at Tony, his eyes full of shock and disbelief.
"You... who are you? How could you know..."
Tony's voice carried a sob as he stepped forward, one pace at a time.
"Because you only told me."
"When you had drunk half a bottle of whiskey, hiding in the Underground Room, staring blankly at the engine blueprints."
Maria covered her mouth in horror.
She looked at the stranger before her, yet in his features, she saw the shadows of both her husband and her son.
"Anthony?"
She asked tentatively, in a voice that was almost inaudible.
That name caused Tony's emotions to instantly break through the dam.
"Mom!"
He could no longer restrain himself and rushed forward like a child, hugging Maria tightly.
Maria's body was stiff at first, but then, sensing the familiar blood connection in her arms, she reached out and tremblingly embraced her long-grown son.
"Oh, my dear Anthony, how did you... grow so big."
Howard stood frozen in place, his mind a complete blank.
He looked at the embracing Mother and son, then at Tony's face—so similar to his own yet marked by the passage of time—and finally accepted the fact.
"The future... did I succeed in the end?"
He asked hoarsely.
Tony let go of his Mother, wiped his tears, and turned to look at his father, a complex smile appearing on his face.
"You succeeded, Dad."
He emphasized the word 'You' particularly heavily.
Howard was stunned, then understood everything from Tony's words.
He smiled gratifiedly, a smile filled with the pride of a heavy burden lifted.
"I knew it."
Maria caressed Tony's cheek, her eyes full of heartache.
"We are proud of you, child."
"But Tony, you can live better. Promise us, live well, and don't always carry everything alone."
Howard added with a smile.
"Also, I hope next time we meet, you can bring your child to see us."
Tony nodded vigorously.
The ripples of reality spread once more, and the scene of the study slowly dissolved.
Tony stood on the top floor of Stark Tower; though there were tear stains on his face, he carried an unprecedented sense of relief.
Next, Lin Huai walked up to Steve.
"Captain, your wish."
The light flowed again.
This time, they came to a noisy ballroom.
Steve, wearing that familiar military uniform, stood somewhat awkwardly by the edge of the dance floor.
A beautiful and capable lady in a long red dress was smiling and reaching out her hand to him.
Peggy Carter.
"You're late, soldier."
"Sorry, something held me up on the way."
Steve took her hand and carefully led her onto the dance floor.
The two danced clumsily, yet they were perfectly in sync.
As the song ended, Steve gazed into Peggy's eyes and whispered.
"Can I... stay?"
Peggy shook her head, her gaze gentle yet firm.
"Steve, every time has its own responsibilities. Your World needs you, just as my World once needed you."
She stood on her tiptoes and planted a long kiss on Steve's lips.
"Go, go fulfill your mission."
When Steve opened his eyes again, he had returned to Stark Tower.
There was a trace of regret on his face, but more so an unprecedented determination.
He had finally made peace with his past.
Lin Huai's gaze turned to Natasha.
A crystal composed of pure Darkness emerged in his hand; it was the Beyonder characteristic left behind by the Demoness Kaelan.
Lin Huai spoke softly.
"Natasha, you crave redemption."
"Sequence Pathways are neither good nor evil; a Demoness can be a calamity spreading pain, or a saint who tastes the pain of others to bring comfort."
In front of everyone, he used the power of the Reality Stone to decompose that Sequence 5 characteristic.
Then, he rewove those characteristics, extracting the one belonging to a Sequence 9 Assassin.
"This is the starting point of the Demoness."
Lin Huai handed that characteristic to Natasha.
"If I successfully return, you can choose to consume it and become a true Demoness."
"Become my believer, or... become His believer."
Natasha took the shimmering characteristic, feeling the power contained within, and nodded solemnly.
Finally, it was Clint Barton.
For this marksman who only wanted to go home, Lin Huai did not create any illusions.
He simply placed his hand on Clint's shoulder.
"Witnessed by the god of wishes, your mission is complete."
A soft light enveloped Clint.
Lin Huai said with a smile.
"Retire, Clint. You and your family will live a healthy and happy life; you've earned it."
Clint looked at Lin Huai; this man who had always hidden behind his bow and arrows showed sincere gratitude in his eyes.
Having finished all this, Lin Huai walked to the center of the living room.
He looked around at all his partners, knowing the moment of parting had arrived.
"Everyone, before I leave, there is one last thing."
"Please remember my honorific name; it is also the proof that will support my return."
His voice became solemn and majestic, carrying a grand resonance that transcended time and space.
"The miracle born in struggle,"
"The wanderer drifting from another World,"
"The witness of the great journey,"
"The guide for Earth and Asgard's unwilling fates,"
"The great struggler, Lin Huai."
"If one day, at the most critical moment, I need you."
"Please recite this honorific name—the more people, the better. This is the greatest support you can give me."
As he finished speaking, his body began to turn transparent, turning into specks of light that drifted upward.
"Goodbye, friends. I will definitely return."
With one final whisper, his figure completely vanished into the air.
Leaving behind a room full of silent heroes and a promise belonging to the future.