"You bastard!"
"Pietro! We just went out for a trip—what are you doing?!"
Wanda clung tightly to Pietro's arm, afraid he might lose control and do something reckless.
The anger in Pietro's eyes was almost tangible. During a single day of training, that damn robot had taken his sister all the way to San Francisco—and stayed there overnight!
Right now, Pietro wanted nothing more than to drag Renzo out and fight him to the death.
"Vision is a good person! A trustworthy teammate!"
"What kind of teammate takes you to a hotel overnight?!"
At that, Wanda's face flushed bright red. Seeing her reaction only fueled Pietro's frustration.
"You've grown up, haven't you?"
"What are you talking about?!" Wanda's embarrassment deepened. In a moment of flustered panic, her powers flared instinctively—she flung Pietro away, sending him crashing into the corridor more than ten meters away.
"Ah! Pietro!"
Wanda cried out in alarm.
Poor Pietro. It looked like he'd be bedridden again for a while.
…
Kamar-Taj.
Renzo sat across from the Ancient One.
"Didn't you do well in Sokovia?" she asked calmly, taking a gentle sip of tea. The faint fragrance filled the air—though Renzo, lacking a sense of smell, could only sigh inwardly.
"They're correcting history on their own," Renzo said quietly. "Nothing I do seems to change it."
"And so, you've chosen not to change it?" The Ancient One set her cup down, a faint smile on her lips. "Don't be so anxious, young man. Failure is inevitable. No one can guarantee success every time."
"Heh… thank you for the advice, Master," Renzo replied, shifting his tone slightly. "About what I left with you…"
"It's been repaired," she said, shaking her head with mild exasperation. "You really dare to leave anything behind."
"Aren't you worried it might come back to life and bring disaster again?" she added. "New York could become the next Sokovia."
"It doesn't have that kind of power anymore," Renzo said with a small, confident smile.
At that moment, his gaze shifted—locking onto the figure slowly emerging behind her.
Ultron.
Or rather… just a body. An empty shell.
Back in the forest, Ultron's final consciousness had been completely erased by the Mind Stone. There was no chance of resurrection. But the body itself was still valuable.
Now, that body gleamed with a dark, metallic luster. Faint magical runes shimmered across its surface—clearly the work of the Ancient One.
Renzo stared at it, and an image flashed through his mind—Infinite Ultron, annihilating entire universes.
His pulse quickened.
"With this… I could achieve something like that. Maybe even surpass it—with magic…"
"Do you want to take it now?" the Ancient One asked.
Renzo shook his head. "No… not yet."
If he suddenly returned in Ultron's body, it would only raise suspicion—especially from Steve. Keeping it hidden already walked a fine line.
"Then I'll keep it here for you," she said lightly. "When the time comes, you may take it. Though… by then, I may not be the one handing it to you."
Her smile held a quiet finality.
Renzo fell silent. He didn't share her perspective—her centuries of life, her understanding of time. He couldn't truly comprehend her acceptance of death.
"Go on, young man," she said, waving her hand. "And don't forget who you are."
A portal opened, and Renzo stepped through it.
…
Back at the compound, Renzo dropped onto the sofa, rubbing his temples.
"The next event is the Civil War…"
Zemo was still out there—an unstable variable. Sooner or later, Tony would learn the truth about his parents' deaths. And when that happened, conflict with Steve would be inevitable.
How was he supposed to stop it?
Renzo felt a headache coming on.
Could it only be avoided by defeating one side?
The consequences of that conflict were too severe. Because of their division, when Thanos invaded, Earth's heroes had been fractured—and they lost.
That future… couldn't happen again.
"Zemo…" Renzo muttered.
But right now, Zemo was just a decorated soldier—no criminal record, no grounds for intervention. Renzo couldn't act without cause. This wasn't a comic where you could arrest someone on suspicion alone.
"So annoying!" Renzo groaned, throwing his head back. Strategy was never his strength.
"Outsider… I need your help…"
A deep, whispering voice echoed behind him.
Renzo froze.
Two enormous, glowing eyes appeared in the darkness.
Before he could turn around, his body dissolved—like a breeze scattering into nothingness.
"Vision? Vision! Are you there? I heard you—"
Wanda knocked on the door. When there was no response, her brow furrowed. She knocked again, louder.
Still nothing.
Concern flashing across her face, she forced the door open.
"Vision!"
But she was too late.
…
Kamar-Taj.
The Ancient One held her tea, pausing mid-motion as if sensing something.
A drop spilled over the edge of the cup, landing on her hand—but she didn't react.
Instead, she gazed out the window, her eyes distant, as though seeing beyond time itself.
"It has begun… the multiverse…"
She murmured softly, then lowered her gaze and continued drinking her tea.
…
Renzo felt like he'd been shoved into a whirlpool and spun around endlessly.
He collapsed to his knees, dizzy, nausea rising.
Logically, a robot shouldn't feel like this—but—
A massive, elongated head came into view.
A pair of glowing eyes fixed on him, radiating overwhelming presence.
"The Watcher…?"
Renzo stared in disbelief.
A being who merely observed the universe—never interfering.
Yet now, he stood here… looking at Renzo with something close to urgency.
"I need your help," the Watcher said.
Renzo was stunned. None of this matched the timeline he knew.
Then he noticed—
His body.
It wasn't Vision's vibranium form.
It was his original human body.
Before he could process it, a thin, shadowy figure emerged behind him.
"Now things are getting interesting…"
Three eerie, glowing eyes locked onto Renzo.
__________________________________________
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