52. New Memories

Avengers Tower,

The soft hum of music filled the air as three figures sat in the luxurious lounge of Avengers Tower. The dim lighting cast long shadows across the room, emphasizing the tension hanging between them.

Tony Stark sat at one end of the couch, swirling the whiskey in his glass, his sharp eyes locked onto John. Bruce Banner sat beside him, one leg crossed over the other, his fingers tapping idly against his knee as he studied John's expression.

And then there was John—silent, deep in thought, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his hands loosely clasped together. His clothes were slightly disheveled, a sign of the intensity of his recent ordeal. He had barely spoken a word since they returned to the tower.

It wasn't that John was angry. He was silent because, after breaking through, he had received another set of new memories. After going through them, John realized he had walked a path that no one else had before, which left him feeling uneasy.

The foundation of Star Wizardry was simple: at the first level, a wizard must inscribe only one elemental rune, the one that aligns with their natural affinity. This rune would act as the cornerstone of their future growth, stabilizing their progression.

But John?

He had inscribed multiple elemental runes from the very start—Fire, Ice, Lightning, Earth. He had defied the rules of magic, purely out of ignorance.

And now, the consequences loomed over him.

Would this lead to an untapped source of power?

Or an eventual collapse?

He clenched his fists.

"I don't know… and that's the problem," John thought.

Tony, never one for patience, finally broke the silence.

"Alright, magic man, spill it. What the hell happened back there?"

John exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple. "I... I'm not sure yet."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me you just pulled off an interdimensional house demolition and don't even know what you did?"

John didn't respond immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes, retreating into his mind.

Bruce leaned forward slightly, his scientific curiosity piqued. "Are you… inspecting yourself?"

John gave a slight nod. "Yeah. I need to understand what changed."

Tony waved his hand. "By all means, take your time. It's not like we're sitting here with zero clue about whether you just turned into a demigod or a walking bomb."

John ignored the remark and turned inward.

---

The moment he focused, John's consciousness was pulled into his spiritual sea—a vast, starry expanse within his mind.

Except… it was different now.

Previously, his spiritual sea had been a dark world, but now it was colorful. John had already noticed this during a brief check earlier, but now that he took a proper look, it was breathtaking.

However, he didn't stay there long. Instead, he went directly toward the meditation rune. As expected, the Space Stone was missing. But what surprised John was the presence of five unknown runes floating around the meditation rune.

John could probably guess that these runes were somehow connected to the Space Stone, but he wasn't sure. Leaving that aside, he instinctively scanned his overall status.

Spiritual Energy: +112 points

Physical Strength: +105 points

His eyes widened. This wasn't just a simple power increase—John had estimated that his power boost would be tremendous, but this was beyond expectations. A single breakthrough had elevated his energy and strength levels beyond anything recorded in the memories he had received.

But thinking about the elemental runes, he felt that same weight of uncertainty press down on him again.

---

As John slowly opened his eyes, he found Tony staring straight at him.

Tony leaned forward, tapping his fingers against his glass. "Alright, that look on your face? I don't like it. What's wrong?"

John hesitated, then sighed. "I… I messed up."

Bruce sat up straight. "Messed up how?"

John leaned back against the couch, rubbing his face. "I took the wrong path. At the first level, a Star Wizard is only supposed to inscribe one elemental rune—the one that matches their natural affinity. But I inscribed multiple. I ignored the rules… even though I didn't know about them before."

Tony exhaled sharply. "Okay… and? I mean, you're still alive. That's a win, right?"

John gave a half-smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "For now. But I have no idea what's going to happen next. I've basically walked into uncharted territory."

Bruce furrowed his brow. "So what's your plan?"

John let out a deep sigh. "For now? Play it safe. I don't know what's ahead, but I won't let anyone else make the same mistake."

He turned to Tony, his gaze firm.

"Tony, I need you to remove all your elemental runes except one. Keep the one that matches your affinity and erase the rest."

Tony blinked. "Wait, what? You want me to delete all my cool powers?"

John sighed. "It's for your own safety. I don't know what kind of backlash this path might bring. I've already taken the risk—I don't want you to do the same."

Tony groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Damn it. I was just getting used to the idea of being a badass sorcerer too."

John chuckled softly. "You'll still be a badass. Just… a safer one."

Bruce, who had remained silent for a moment, finally spoke. "John… are you sure about this? What if the multiple runes actually make you stronger?"

John's jaw tightened. "Maybe they will. Or maybe they'll destroy me from the inside out. I don't want to take that risk with you guys."

Tony clicked his tongue. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Responsible brother mode. Fine. I'll do it."

He stood up, stretching. "I'll start removing them tomorrow. But if I lose my fireball trick, I'm blaming you."

John smirked. "Actually, you can still use the ability runes with no problem."

Tony pointed at him. "Couldn't you have said that earlier?"

John's smirk widened.

Bruce shook his head, a small smile forming on his lips. Despite the tension, moments like this reminded him that they were still a team.

Even if they were walking into the unknown.

"By the way, I found something very interesting. I'm sure you'll like it," Tony said with a proud smile on his face.