No one knew what had happened in Wakanda; no one knew that Ultron had nearly destroyed the World.
Tony looked out the window and remained silent for a long time.
"Jarvis, what is the status of Stark Tower?"
"Sir, the tower is operating normally. Ultron did not breach the tower's systems. Your private laboratory and armor manufacturing center are intact."
Tony breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, some good news."
Banner, standing nearby, said, "Then I'll head back to the tower. The data Ultron left behind still needs to be cleaned up; I'll need Jarvis's help."
Tony nodded.
Thor said, "I'll go to the tower too. I have nothing else to do back home anyway, so I'll see if there's anything I can help with."
Tony glanced at him. "You know how to repair armor?"
Thor shook his head. "No, but I can help you move things."
Tony thought about it and felt it wasn't a bad idea—Thor certainly had plenty of strength.
"Fine."
Thor turned to look at Loki. "What about you?"
Loki leaned back in his seat and said lazily, "I'm going back to Big Sister's. Her garden needs watering."
Thor curled his lip. "You just don't want to work."
A slight smirk appeared on Loki's lips. "And you do?"
Thor huffed and ignored him.
Wanda and Pietro sat in the corner, listening quietly. Pietro whispered to Wanda, "Sis, where are we going?"
Wanda thought for a moment. "Let's go back with Mavuika."
Pietro nodded. They had grown accustomed to Mavuika's Villa, the lavender in the garden, and the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen. Although they wouldn't call it 'home' yet, that place was starting to feel more and more like one.
The jet landed on the helipad atop Stark Tower, and Tony, Banner, and Thor disembarked. Tony stood on the pad, looking at the building that soared into the clouds, and took a deep breath.
"Jarvis, run a full system self-check."
"Sir, all systems are normal. The laboratory is preheated, and the manufacturing center is ready."
Tony nodded. "Good, let's get to work!"
He turned to look at Mavuika on the jet. "You guys head back first. I expect I'll be working around the clock for a while."
Mavuika nodded. "Don't overwork yourself."
Tony gave a bitter smile. "Saying I'm not tired would be a lie, but there's no way around it. The work is there, and it has to be done."
He turned and headed inside the tower, with Banner following behind him. Thor, shouldering Mjolnir, followed as well. As he reached the door, Thor looked back at Mavuika and grinned.
"Big Sister, I'll be back for dinner tonight!"
Mavuika smiled. "Alright."
The jet took off again, flying toward Long Island.
The streets of New York sped by below—the skyscrapers of Manhattan, the residential areas of Queens, the bridges of Brooklyn—everything was peaceful, like any ordinary morning.
Mavuika sat by the window, watching the city outside, when she suddenly frowned.
She leaned forward slightly, her amber eyes fixed in a certain direction.
She could sense that in some corner of New York, space was being torn apart.
It wasn't the powerful, radiant tearing of the Bifrost Bridge, but something more hidden, more delicate—a cut as precise as a scalpel.
"Stop," she said suddenly.
Loki turned to her. "What's wrong?"
Wanda and Pietro also looked at her.
Mavuika didn't answer. She stood up, walked to the hatch, and placed her hand on the release.
"I feel something is wrong. Wait for me here."
Loki put down his book and stood up. "Big Sister, I'm coming with you."
Mavuika glanced at him and nodded. "Alright. Wanda, Pietro, you two stay on the plane."
Wanda stood up. "No, we're coming too."
Her tone was firm, and Pietro stood up as well, flanking her.
Mavuika looked at them, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.
The hatch opened, and Mavuika jumped from the air. Golden-red flames rose from beneath her feet, supporting her as she descended slowly.
Loki followed behind her, green magical light shimmering around him. Wanda's hands glowed with dark red Chaos Magic, carrying her and Pietro down slowly.
Pietro stood on the ground and stretched his legs. "What's here?"
Mavuika didn't answer. She stood on a quiet street surrounded by ordinary New York blocks—old apartment buildings, a corner coffee shop, and a few elderly people walking their dogs early in the morning. Everything looked normal.
But she could feel a rift less than twenty meters ahead.
It wasn't a physical rift, but a rift in space itself. It was like a transparent scar hanging over the sidewalk; ordinary people couldn't see or feel it, but Mavuika could.
She walked up to the rift and raised her hand.
The moment her palm touched the rift, ripples appeared in the air. They weren't like ripples on water, but ripples in space—like a stone thrown into a calm lake, the waves Swirled outward.
"Back up," she said.
Loki took a step back, and Wanda and Pietro followed suit.
Mavuika raised her hand and brushed against the Akasha.
That brush was like a hand sweeping across the surface of water, tearing open the rift.
Space began to shatter. It didn't crack slowly; instead, it was like a mirror struck by a heavy hammer. Countless cracks spread from the center in all directions, emitting a blinding light that exploded in the air like lightning.
Loki's eyes narrowed. "The Mirror Dimension."
Wanda frowned. "What is the Mirror Dimension?"
Loki didn't answer. He watched as the cracks continued to expand and as the 'mirror' peeled away piece by piece, revealing another World hidden behind it.
That World was identical to the street before them—the same apartment buildings, the same coffee shop, the same streetlights.
But space was distorted, and the air was stagnant. There was no wind, no sound, and no sign of life.
The Mirror Dimension—a reflection of the real World, a parallel dimension created and maintained by the Sorcerer Supreme. Fighting here would not affect the real World.
Mavuika stepped into the Mirror Dimension, with Loki following behind her. Wanda and Pietro exchanged a look and followed as well.
Pietro stepped onto the street of the Mirror Dimension, the stone slabs beneath his feet making a crunching sound—not the sound of crushing Shitou, but the sound of crushing glass. Every step left fine cracks, like walking on thin ice.
"This place..." Pietro said in a low voice, "feels really strange."
Wanda didn't speak, but the dark red light in her hands grew brighter.
Mavuika walked at the front, her gaze locked on the end of the street.
There, someone was fighting.
It wasn't an ordinary brawl, but a duel between sorcerers. Various colors of magical light intersected in the air, and Spatial Blades flew around like darts, striking buildings and leaving deep gashes.