33

On Saturday morning, seven great-aged goofballs went for a walk at Disney World. Many had yet to go to this beautiful place for children of all ages for various reasons. Tony Stark's parents were always busy, Felicia's mother thought it was beneath her dignity to go to such places, May didn't have enough money or time to take Peter here, Jean had already given the reason - her uncontrolled telepathy as a child, and Jarvis was a newborn. The only one who'd ever been here was Pepper. She would have refused to go before but was tired of working 14 hours a day, so she agreed to go out.

   You can't wear an Iron Man costume in our park. We don't want Tony Stark suing us for illegal use of the character.

   Trouble for the company that moved the portkey to Florida began at the entrance. As it became clear, Stark wore his famous costume, which he trademarked after the reveal. That's not to say he was that greedy for money. He didn't want anyone making money off his image, much less TRYING to pay others for it. And there have been such precedents before. It's worth remembering Captain America, who had to change his costume because the original image belonged to other people. This is the kind of marasmus where the "original" doesn't have the right to be him because he didn't have time to patent the image.

   - I think he won't mind," Tony replied with a white-toothed smile, folding the helmet into a hood. In fact, he had purposely not shown his face before.

   - Tony Stark! - exclaimed with awe the guard at the entrance. - Can I have your autograph?

   - Of course! - A levitating marker appeared next to Stark, and he signed Tony's poster as Iron Man.

   - And me, and me! - shouted the surrounding children, and Tony, who had anticipated such a development, gave each child an insanely realistic, down to the smallest detail, model of his suit, which could move and glow by itself.

   And each of them was a harmoscope and a port-key beacon. If the child was in danger, the artefact would signal, and Jarvis's drone would teleport to the point. Stark didn't want to produce such things en masse, nor could he, as that would require personal attention to enchant each one. But as a gesture of goodwill, why not? Few people knew that the clinics under Stark's wing were using his panacea under the guise of supplements. Unfortunately, full licensing will take a few years at best. That's if they don't get in the way of the pharmaceutical companies that have a massive influence on the government. And they will interfere because they can close down in the case of a cure for almost all diseases. And in the meantime, how many people could be saved and cured? How many disabled people could get their limbs back? That is why his serum is used mainly to treat cancer patients after surgery, where even the most severe patients can go into remission. Well, or you can deny it, say there was a medical error, and everything was not so terrible. But now, Tony didn't want to think about the wrong things.

   - Don't you suffer from your popularity and fame? - Concentrating on the mental barrier, Jean asked.

   However, echoes of childish delight were breaking through the empathic barrier so that no, no, but a smile was spreading across her face. This caused men and quite a few women to stare at her, tripping and crashing into people and poles.

   - He enjoys them," replied Pepper, who smiled at Tony. She knew him like the back of her hand.

   - Tony would make a good father," May said, watching as Tony, with their parent's permission, put the twins in his arms and flew them round and round before returning them to the ground.

   - We're working on it," Pepper said, blushing.

   - They're working... They work for hours every night. It's impossible to sleep," Grey commented, more with envy than reproach.

   - Why are you people so dull? I know you need more images! - Stark returned and, holding his chin, thoughtfully looked around at the others.

   All were beautiful enough in their own right, yet dressed in casual clothes. So he waved his hand, and to the even greater delight of those around him, not just the children, he threw on illusions of clothes and make-up and changed their hairstyles. Peter Parker had a scar on his forehead, round bicycle glasses, a wooden wand and a Gryffindor faculty uniform with a robe. His athletic body and straight posture prevented him from becoming a full copy of Harry Potter. Felicia's platinum hair curled into a thick braid, and she wore a blue dress covered in diamonds that sparkled in the light as if they were miniature ice flakes. The fullness of the image was provided by a half-significant cape with patterns of snowflakes, just as sparkling as if covered with frost, and the girl herself smelled a pleasant cold and the illusion of icy fog. Felicia was already very similar to Elsa from "Cold Heart", and now she outshone even the professional actors in this image in Disneyland. Pepper's hair curled, and the most real bow appeared in her hand. She also appeared in a dress, only green. "Braveheart" that's precisely how Tony Pepper was seen. May got the role of Cinderella, which angered Mrs Parker:

   - Why the hell am I Cinderella?

   - Do you have a prince? - hinting at Thor, Tony snorted. - I do! So you'll be Cinderella. And I'm the wicked stepmother and fairy in one person.

   When Tony had dressed Gina in her Blood Angel costume, as the press had dubbed her, he turned to Jarvis.

   - Wait, no, I got it," he protested, turning into a middle-aged man with a severe military haircut and the cold stare of a killing machine.

   - Т-1000? It looks good on you," commented May, who had accepted the image. Jarvis made the famous Terminator gesture, shaking his finger from side to side.

      That's how accompanied by admiring exclamations under clicks of phone cameras - flashes in "Disneyland" were forbidden not to blind the actors and others, their company went inside. After buying ice cream for everyone, they went on the rides, where Tony took full advantage of his position for autographs and selfies with himself, getting ahead of the queue. All this was watched by the security service of Disneyland, about the paranoid work of which there are both rumours and confirmed facts. For example, in case of deaths of visitors and staff or if they become ill, they are taken away by underground and hidden tunnels and passages to the medics, so that with their appearance they do not spoil the holiday for others, especially for impressionable small children, to whom it can leave a psychological trauma for life. So even now, Stark's actions were monitored and intervened only if the visitors were too persistent. And if the requests didn't work, they were left to the exit. This said that Tony had agreed with everything in advance with the park management, and they thought that more popularity would be more favourable to them than temporary inconvenience. However, back to the company, which at this point had split up. Felicia and Peter went on several rides, like the Tunnel of Love. Stark and May entertained the kids while Pepper and Jean stood back and watched from the sidelines.

   - Do you want to talk to me, Mrs Stark? - Jean asked after a short silence.

   - Have you read my mind? Then you know my question.

   - I cannot do it without destroying your mind. Your adaptations and protective artefacts are indeed muscular. However, I don't need to read your mind to guess that you are unhappy with my being around Tony and the feelings I have for him.

   - I will immediately say that I am not giving Tony away and will not share him.

   - I understand that just as I understand that Tony is a one-woman man. He can sleep with hundreds of women without feeling for them, but when he loves one, he is really faithful to her, which makes me sad but also makes me respect him," Jean answered. - But you are mistaken if you think I follow Tony solely because of personal sympathy. He is a really good man who saved me as a person and did not let me fall to the level of a crazy psychopath destroying everything around me. Significantly earlier, I thought that only he could be my worthy partner.

   - Your... your demands are so great? - Pepper addressed the girl more favourably, having understood her feelings.

   Grey wasn't going to destroy their family or harm it. Especially Tony is not a fool and, in case of anything, will get to the truth with his capabilities. It's just that Stark is at a level of respect, loyalty and trust for Jean that not every parent can match.

   - No, purely calculating," the telepath smirked a little bitterly. - The slightest outburst of my power is far from something that not just a human, but not even every non-human, can withstand. And even if they do, it's still being determined if the man or woman will be a worthy person on a personal level.

   - And you're a broad-minded girl," Pepper commented, hinting at Jean's bisexuality.

   - The burden of telepathy. I don't care about a person's appearance, gender or material wealth, but their thoughts and thoughts, the kind of person they are come to the fore.

   - So what's different now that you've given up on Tony?

   In response, Grey looked toward Jarvis, who was laughing like a child riding a Russian roller coaster.

   - He is. He's clean, and his thoughts are as pure as a white sheet. That said, he will mature as a person soon enough. It's weird, but an animated AI can't be ordinary, right? Our world hasn't spoilt him yet, and I want to try and stop him from doing that. And then, maybe the interest will develop into something more.

   - Decided to raise your own husband? What can I say? Good luck finding your happiness," Pepper replied sincerely.

   - Thank you, it's rare to meet someone who really wants it. I know what I'm talking about.

   When Jarvis got off the ride, Jean joined him, engaging him in conversation. Pepper had seen the most powerful beings on the planet she knew having fun as children and entertaining children, and thought that was the kind of world they were fighting for. That's the kind of world they want to build, no matter how pipe dreams such a dream might be or how the realities of life smack them in the face.

   Five hours later. Cafe.

   - Did you see, no, did you see that? Ice cream for twenty quid! - Peter was indignant at the communal table where the whole company had gathered again.

   They could not be physically exhausted but mentally - quiet. However, Parker got into the taste and was doing magic, passing off magic as tricks. But that can be exhausting, too.

   - Peter, honey, you're an official dollar millionaire! - Felicia replied, nearly hitting her forehead with her hand. Elsa's facepalm attracted the attention of several more phone cameras.

   - So what? That doesn't mean I'm willing to overpay!

   - My student has a childhood disease. Beggar's Totalus. No matter how hard I try to cure him, I can't. Lucky for you, Peter, I'm paying for everything today. - replied Stark, who was tired of listening to his lamentations. Even if he agreed with him in some respects.

   It's one thing to overpay for quality or service, but it's another to get the same food and service as in an average cafe but at three times the price.

   - Don't, teacher, I'll pay for it myself! - Peter panicked, and so, with jokes and jokes, they had lunch, and then they went out and wanted to go further, but they saw a procession which they could not pass by.

   In wheelchairs, on prostheses and crutches, were children of different ages, from five to sixteen years old. It is a well-known fact that "Disney", charitable organisations and wealthy sponsors often allocate tickets to "Disneyland" for disabled orphans and children with cancer. Of course, the staff treats them the same way as typical children, and parents also try to do it. However, children are direct. Some of them are curious, others are frightened, which is why there is a zone of increased attention and alienation around such children.

   - Tony... May I? - Jean, who felt the emotions of these children, did not cry only because of her self-protection and self-control.

   Full of hope, joy and happiness and yet a purely adult understanding that they were going to die. Because their ward mate Mary went to heaven yesterday and little John a week ago. Many of them are also suffering from pain that is only dulled by powerful drugs that turn them into vegetables for the duration of their effect as a side effect. On the other hand, Tony was once again angry that his panacea wasn't being released for mass treatment and nodded, fully sharing the girl's thoughts. True, he stepped forward first so those would not be frightened by further events.

   - Children, do you want to see a miracle? - Raising himself two metres into the air, he asked.

   - Yes!" they exclaimed with that enthusiasm of expectation of a miracle which only children and few adults can show.

   - Now, my angel friend will come and cure you all, so don't be frightened!

   Jean soared in front of Tony, who whispered to her to make everything most epic. Kids, and not just them, love it. Besides, it doesn't take a psychic to guess that dozens of videos of what happened will be recorded from all angles and posted on YouTube in a few minutes. That's why he released invisible hidden cameras around, so that everything would be filmed in the usual quality and not with shaky hands on a sock. Grey was already so good at controlling her flames that she created detailed flaming wings four metres across, then flapped them and released jets of love in all directions to the screams of panicked people, who, however, could not move, held back by telekinesis, which prevented a possible crush. The flames didn't touch their clothes, pouring into people like warming sunlight on a frosty morning. Jean saw no point in treating only the children in front of her. Since she had been given permission, she wanted to help everyone. After all, it was the aspect of life she imagined, and life was about joy, development, and the continuation of life.

   In an instant, people squared their shoulders. Someone had a lifelong backache, constant gastritis, and a lot of diseases, accumulating and complicating their lives, but often people do not notice it, get used to the new burden on the body and continue to move forward. It's like a mule, which slowly increases the weight until he finally falls and breaks his legs. And if this weight had collapsed at once, the mule would have given up long ago. And these are ordinary people, and what to speak about those who lost limbs, had external defects or incurable diseases? Naturally, there was shock at first. And then... Then, something happened that Tony had not foreseen. The USA is one of the most devout countries in the world, and when people saw how a fire-winged beautiful angel cured them and, more importantly, healed terminally ill children, they began to fall on their knees and give thanks. First, the most devout and then the rest of us succumbed to the general mood of awe, admiration, and crowd effect, which overlaid their euphoria of feeling great and caused a religious ecstasy. It's a day "Disneyland" and the world will never forget. It was also the reason for Jean's canonisation as a saint.

***

   A week later. Ford Industries CEO's office. 2 April 2011.

   Mark Fields took over as CEO five years ago. He has had his ups and downs and even managed to overcome the 2008 recession and take the company to new heights. However, for six months now, his entire automotive conglomerate, and not only his, has faced something that no analysts could have predicted. Stark, and more specifically, its products. Economical, cheap, safe, environmentally friendly and technologically superior to current cars by an order of magnitude! How can you compete with them? And this against a backdrop of ever cheaper electricity, and again because of that bastard Stark! That's how horse breeders felt when automobiles came along. But then it took about forty years to make the transition, and initially, only the wealthy could afford a car. It was Henry Ford who made cars accessible to the masses.

   But what could Mark do now? The courts were dragging on, the lobby in the government was not helping, and competitors were dropping out of the race one by one, replacing each other. It was as if they didn't care that they would be bankrupt at this rate in a few years. Yes, right now, it's not all that bad yet. Stark's production capacity differs from the industry giants, but that's just for now. And even now, the impact of his damn star mobiles is being felt. Buyers are holding on to their money. They don't want to buy "last generation" cars. They demand for themselves, similar to what Stark makes. But it's trivially impossible! Even if you create a car as similar as possible to his in characteristics, it would be a hypercar for millions of dollars! And even so, it would look pathetic compared to Starkmobile, not to mention his speeders and flyers, which, in general, as if they came from some sci-fi film. Where did he get such technology from? Why hadn't he gone bankrupt renting out his cars for such a paltry sum?

   He sought those who could kill Stark and destroy his company! In big business, it's either you or you. There are no exceptions. And now, going into his office, he was thinking about who else he could contact because everyone was refusing or keeping quiet! Even Deadpool declined to take the order, saying he still had to live to go against the work's protagonist. Talking some nonsense about imba and story armour! And so, when he went inside, he saw someone sitting in his chair. He wanted to run away and call the guards, but suddenly, his limbs were bound by an invisible force, and he sat on the chair opposite. Where guests and petitioners usually sat.

   - Mark, Mark, Mark, Mark," the tall chair swivelled round to reveal a smiling Tony Stark, which made it even more frightening. - Why didn't you come to me? We would have discussed all our debates over coffee or something more substantial, and then we would have gone our separate ways, satisfied with each other? But you didn't come to me with respect, you didn't offer me friendship, and instead, you started to get involved with terrorists and criminals to kill me. Ouch, that's not nice.

   - It's because you're sick! Don't you realise that your actions will destroy the economy of our country and the whole world? Tens of thousands, if not millions, of people connected directly or indirectly with the automotive industry and cars will be out of work!

   - Oh, the giant wolf of capitalism has suddenly started to worry about the sheep he is ripping off to the very last hair? When you previously made tens of thousands of people redundant as "optimisation", often without severance pay, was that OK? When your Chinese colleagues used harmful production, polluted the environment and used child labour, was that normal? When you bribed, blackmailed and directly threatened your competitors or the inventors of engines that were only potentially dangerous to you, was that also normal? - Tony snorted sarcastically. - My friend, I didn't come here to lecture you. I'm not without sin myself. If you're worried about the staff, which I don't believe you are, they won't be out of work. I'm not going to flood the market like Steve Jobs. Here is a benchmark to aim for. And for that, I gave... Of course, it's not my technology but a theoretical justification for it. Your competitors invest billions of dollars in these areas instead of buying a tenth yacht.

   Stark knew. Off-the-shelf technologies would only hurt in the long run. Disconnected from previous research, without consistent development, much would be missed. Many discoveries were made by accident while studying something completely different. Like the same Teflon or microwave ovens. Not to mention the technological chains and development of science.

   - But instead of following their example, you decided to kill me. Do you know what they say in cases like this? If you're going to kill someone, be prepared to be killed.

   - You're gonna kill me? Don't be ridiculous. You'll be found out in no time. If you wanted to do it, you wouldn't have come alone.

   - You're right. If I wanted to, you'd be dead, and you wouldn't even know it was my fault. However, who says a personality change is better than death?

   Tony's eyes sparkled. He didn't need to make eye contact to use mental magic like he did for the same legilimensional magic, but it was trivially easier. There were no defences in the businessman's brain, and his will wasn't enough to hold off the invasion of Tony Stark, who had merged with the mind spirit and developed a mental sphere with the mind stone. So, the latter quickly wiped out their conversation and cast mental bookmarks on the honest and hard-working man. Deaths are such bookmarks for a prominent businessman, but in the short term, such things would lead to explosive growth for the company. Most of the profits will not go into the pockets of the board of directors but to development. Harsh? They were gonna kill him. Tony pulled out his Starphone, erasing another line on the long list of people who wanted him dead. In fact, Jarvis had been compiling the list even before Mystique had come into his wife's office, so the bell ringing had just prompted him to do something he'd expected to do earlier. After that, Stark apparated to the following office of the next big shot, who overthought himself.

***

   Nothing out of the ordinary happened for the next three weeks. The significant problems of Pepper and Stark were taken care of, but the sluggish and rather mucky than serious ones remained. Despite all the haters and critics, Stark Industries held on and became three times richer than it had been before. However, to the regret of many, after the past crises and "swings", as well as the actions of Jarvis, the shareholders of this company remained few, so a piece of such a fat pie could also taste a few, mainly Stark and Pepper. And the lion's share of that money went to lawsuits, the creation of branches in other countries, and scientific departments, through which, directly or indirectly, Tony "threw in" ideas and fundamental theories confirmed by alien species and himself. Stark wasn't going to pull human progress by the ears, just to show the way and kick it up the arse a bit. Anyway, having sorted out the current situation, Tony started teaching Peter magic, joined by Jean, who was learning healing magic, magical telekinesis, apparatus and plant magic, Jarvis, about whom more later, and sometimes Pepper, who had such an unprecedented luxury as free time. But back to the AI.

   - Jarvis, what do you need magic for? You've got a body and psionics that are so powerful. You'll be on par with Jin in that department with some practice.

   - Magic is a more exciting and flexible tool. Do you know that I can tap directly into the infosphere and, with a clear anchor in the form of a particular object, energy or charm, determine its history and information all the way back to the creation of the universe?

   - Let's say.

   That was indeed the case. Unlike any other sentient being who would go nuts over such volumes of information, Jarvis could handle them quite well with his mind stone as a central processing unit. In fact, that was how Tony had learnt from Jarvis that the stones were called infinity stones. However, where those were located was hidden even from the infosphere. Or rather, those were a level above the existing reality, which was what allowed them to control it.

   - So. The charms are some kind of reality control programme. Crooked slanted, as if created by a small child at random, but surprisingly, they work. And based on them, I'm trying to make a lower and more efficient magical programming language for rewriting reality. Mana may be as unnecessary for it as a fallen-off crutch, and everything will be produced through reason and will, as with non-humans of the psionic type.

   While still working on his serum, Tony Stark encountered a gradation of mutants, categorised not by their strength but by their method of influencing reality. Mutants of the physical type, whose abilities do not go beyond the classical laws of physics. Mutants of the magical kind, using mainly mana for influence. Psionic-type mutants who use mind energy. There are also mutants outside the categories whose influence is combined or impossible to determine. For example, Jean Grey falls into this category, as her Phoenix power is neither psionic nor magical and is comparable to the direct use of bahioni, which makes the girl, if not a god, at least a deity or, instead, his avatar.

   - It would be interesting to use one of those," Tony thought.

   - With all due respect to you, Master, your undoubtedly brilliant brain, compared to the vast majority of conventionally intelligent meat bags, is not suited for such calculations. Even for me, it is a daunting task due to the ever-changing billions of variables of the macro and, even more so, the micro world. This is quantum magic, affecting the very essence of the universe, probability and randomness, allowing the laws of the quantum world to affect the macro world in a particular and predictable way.

   - You're so arrogant. I remember you from Pentium 4. Remember how you glitched and I compiled you?

   - Please do not remember such shameful things of my childhood, - Jarvis really blushed like poppies. And all over his body at once.

   - You'll know how to call people meatbags. I knew I shouldn't have let you watch Terminators or play Mass Effect or KOTOR. They ruined my sweet little Jarvis. And who's gonna give me water in my old age?

   - You cannot grow old, Master. But if it's any consolation, I can get you some more robust water. Though it wouldn't make any difference to you if I brought you poison.

   - You're hitting me where it hurts! What have I raised in my own head?

   Despite everything, Tony enjoyed this kind of bickering. Especially since, as they say, "You get what you eat, you get what you drink." Even Peter had grown small balls and now snapped back. And before, he was afraid to say a word.

   Soon, more people, or rather non-humans, joined their magic circle. Kitty Pryde, a funny, pretty little girl who could become intangible, was allowed to pass through matter and energy thanks to a partial transition into subspace, and Ororo Monroe, Peter Rasputin, and Robert Drake. Each had their own reasons.

   Kitty was an avid Harry Potter fan and even wrote fanfics about it. Ororo wanted to learn more about her abilities because she was a teacher at Xavier's orphanage, a position she never left. She loved teaching children. And the teacher, in the first place, should be constantly learning.

   Peter Rasputin grew up in a simple family of collective farmers, but with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the collective farm began in the nineties, during which the then-still young mutant tried to bully or take the gang and got his parents too. His father, from despair, began to drink and beat his younger brother and sister; in fact, it was then that his abilities were awakened to protect his mother and the younger ones. However, the guy's persistence needed to be more, and he managed to get in touch with the X-Men, who were then on a mission in Russia - he did not let Magneto seize nuclear weapons, taking advantage of the general chaos in the country. So he, his mother and younger children were born in the USA, and he tried his best to make up for lost time and studied, studied and checked again to become a support for his family. The family was precisely the reason for joining Stark. He paid a lot more and promised to get his sister and brother into a good school and then a university.

   On the other hand, Iceman was dragged by Kitty, as the latter was depressed about Rogue leaving him. As long as the girl had her ability to absorb abilities and life forces, they could not even hold hands, but they were still together. Perhaps it was because Robert was the only one who was willing to date her no matter what. Having blocked her mutation, Anna suddenly found herself not an outcast but a wonderful girl with an excellent education and great prospects. Why would she need some mutant, with whom she was from hopelessness and lack of other choice, if there are millions of single, beautiful and wealthy men around now? So the guy just needed some kind of distraction. That's why he agreed to work for Stark. It was impossible to stay in the orphanage after Anna left, where everything reminded him of her.

   So Stark had a small class of students. He would have joined if Rowdy wasn't still in Asgard. Tony wasn't worried about his friend; he had a phone with a protean connection, so they communicated almost daily. Moreover, Shield had arranged for the colonel to have an indefinite tour of duty with a combat operation factor. Jokingly, the longer Rowdy stayed there, the more he could tell about a supposed ally, well, or enemy. The level of Asgardian forces, their numbers, technical and magical level of development, everyday life and mentality. You could get a medal of honour for that. And the fact that he's there mostly drinking and making love to the princess of Vanaheim? It's a cover! Getting behind enemy lines and fronts! It was a perilous operation, with the threat of capture through a slave gold ring!

   - There are a lot of newcomers today, so I'm going to give an introductory speech.- Tony got into the role of a teacher. For this purpose, he dug out his father's old glasses and removed the dioptres from the lenses. For the sake of image, he also dressed in the manner of Hogwarts wizards in a scarlet robe, trousers and camisole with gold embroidery. - Firstly, what is magic? Jarvis, can you tell us?

   - The process of manipulating reality through the will and magical energy of the operator," Jarvis, strangely enough, did not wiggle in class. And most of the people here were almost or already adults.

   - Right, A-plus for you, Jarvis.

   The latter sat down, shining like a polished nickel. Despite his incredible amount of knowledge, Jarvis' personality and body were more in line with a teenager. One who, although he often snapped at him, sought his "father's" approval.

   - So, you must understand the first rule of magic. Mana is important, of course, but the will counts. The most potent entities can squeeze through reality with it alone. At the same time, if you do not have a choice and do not believe that your spell will work in any other way, it will not work at all or do what you want, no matter how much energy you pour.

   - What else is essential to a wizard? - Stark asked, hearing silence in reply: "A forest of hands, I see. Perhaps Jin can tell us?

   - Mind? - the girl knew the answer, as she had been studying with Tony longer. It was easy to guess, too.

   - Exactly, the mind! Sit down, "A."

   Of course, grades meant nothing in Tony's class because none received diplomas, and everyone could leave anytime. However, when you are praised by a figure of Stark's level, it is significant and banally pleasant.

   - The mind determines how, when and where you use magic. Even spartan soldiers use tactics to make better use of what they have. Only fools act without thinking. A magician has no right to be a fool. It's only in fairy tales that magic can't harm a mage. It's idiotic. How can you heal yourself if magic doesn't work on you? So, a fool mage would rather maim himself than do something useful. It's also worth remembering that most mages have the bodies of ordinary people. A regular bullet or sword will kill an unprotected mage just as well as a familiar person. Besides, there are as many varieties of attacking spells as there are defence spells. So, a mage battle is like a quick chess game. You have to predict the opponent's actions, defend against them and attack back so that the opponent himself does not have time to protect as quickly as possible and during the creation of spells in battle conditions. Who has more aces up his sleeve, artefacts, prepared territory and who better and faster sorcery, as well as predicting the actions of the enemy, the one who will win. Of course, you can win by overwhelming force or speed, but this is not always possible. Any questions on the topic?

   - If the will is primary, why are magic wands, runes, words, and gestures used? - Robert asked.

   - That's an excellent question! Because it is difficult for a person to convince himself that without any action and cost, the result will be obtained. You need a whole new level of consciousness. And the will must be adamantium for such a thing. That's why magic wands, staffs, runes and gestures are like walkers for small children. They help you get used to magic faster, believe you're a mage, and, at the same time, make it more predictable. My gesture, Lumos, will be similar to yours. Whereas a child, believing that he can do anything, with his childish outbursts, can do something that ten archmages can't clean up. And it is good if the child survives in the process, stays in his healthy body and does not lose his mind. To use an analogy, will magic is like a nuclear reactor with no automatic defence systems controlled manually. It's much easier to cause a disaster or get irradiated than to get what you need. Concentrators, gestures and verbal charms are precisely the same automatic systems. Yes, you can't become a real magician with them, but you get exactly what you need. However, even here, some individuals manage to screw up and suffer.

   Stark remembered examples from Victor's impersonal memories when some people couldn't produce the simplest spells properly, even though they were taught with simple wands. That's the level of those who can't tie their own shoelaces. Not being able to do it at five was expected. At six was acceptable. At ten was shameful and embarrassing, and at twenty was evidence of mental retardation.

   That's roughly how the lessons went. First, the theory was discussed, then charm schemes, and then practice with independent work at home. Stark only demanded homework or repeated old charms if his students themselves came up with requests for help. They were all adults. If you need to work, work; if you don't need to work, just stay out of the way. However, even though the non-humans had supernatural abilities, magic attracted everyone. Because it was versatile and convenient. Tony showed the most valuable spells, not the safest and simplest ones taught to children. Cleansing, restoring, copying, food, healing, teleporting, transfiguring, etc. For lack of parts of magical creatures, everyone's wands were created from enchanted adamantium filled with their own blood crystallised and saturated with mana. Such rods were even more suitable than wooden ones and were not common in Vladimir's world only because of "blood magic". It was expected to use the giblets of rare magical animals, but using one's own blood was dark magic. Stark was glad that there were no such restrictions here.

   However, he was not happy for long because, after another lesson, Tony received a call from Professor Xavier and asked for an urgent meeting.