###**Chapter 7: The Cave of Fate**
Chapter 7: The Cave of Fate
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[Severence's POV]
The desert stretched endlessly beneath him, an ocean of golden sands rippling under the relentless sun. From high above, Severence drifted through the air, unseen and untouched, his gaze locked onto the events unfolding below.
For days, he had followed Tony Stark, watching the man indulge in wealth, invention, and distraction. The billionaire's mind never stopped moving, forever seeking the next great creation—yet even now, he remained oblivious to the fate rushing toward him.
A fixed point. A moment of suffering that could not be avoided.
Or rather, a moment that was not meant to be avoided..
Severence stood at the precipice of intervention, yet he made no move. This was the fire that would forge a legend.
From his vantage point, he saw the sleek private jet touching down in the middle of the Afghan desert. The convoy was waiting—rows of military vehicles, soldiers, and high-ranking officials, all gathered for a demonstration of Stark's latest masterpiece.
The Jericho missile.
A weapon designed to shake the battlefield itself.
Severence narrowed his eyes as Stark stepped off the jet, oblivious to the unseen forces already converging upon him.
This was it. The beginning.
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[Tony Stark's POV]
"Is it better to be feared or respected?"
Tony Stark's voice carried across the desert as he stood before the gathered military personnel. He wore his signature confidence like a tailored suit, holding a drink in one hand while the other gestured toward the weapon behind him.
"I say, is it too much to ask for both?"
He smirked, waiting for the chuckles before he continued. Behind him, his team prepped the demonstration—his latest achievement, the Jericho missile.
"This is the weapon that will ensure peace," he continued, stepping aside as the launch sequence began. "One missile… and your enemies won't even want to get back up."
The missile shot into the air, splitting apart mid-flight. A chain of explosions followed, spreading across the distant mountains in perfect synchronization. The sheer force of the blast sent a powerful shockwave through the desert, kicking up a storm of sand and wind.
Tony turned, arms wide, basking in the moment.
"This is how Dad did it, this is how America does it, and it's worked out pretty well so far."
Scattered applause. Impressed murmurs. Another deal sealed.
"Alright, let's pack it up," Tony called over his shoulder. "I've got a date with—"
Then came the first explosion.
It wasn't his.
A fiery blast tore through the convoy behind him. The force of it sent soldiers flying, vehicles erupting into flames.
The air filled with chaos. Gunfire. Screams. The unmistakable whistle of incoming rockets.
Tony barely had time to react before the second explosion hit, knocking him off his feet.
The sky spun above him, sand filling his mouth as he hit the ground hard. His chest burned—something was wrong.
Through the haze, he saw soldiers scrambling, some returning fire, others falling. The ambush was swift, precise. They knew exactly what they were doing.
Then—pain.
A sudden, sharp impact slammed into his chest, stealing the breath from his lungs.
He looked down.
Blood.
A metallic shard, embedded deep in his body.
His vision blurred. His mind slowed.
Then he saw it.
A missile, half-buried in the sand a few feet away, its casing dented but still intact. His eyes locked onto the lettering painted along its side.
STARK INDUSTRIES.
His own name. His own company. His own weapons.
Used against him.
Tony barely had time to process the horror before his body gave out.
The last thing he saw was masked figures closing in, rifles raised.
Then—darkness.
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[Severence's POV]
The world had returned to silence.
Severence remained on the ridge, watching as the ambush ended in total victory. The attackers moved methodically, finishing off the wounded, gathering equipment, and securing their most valuable prize.
Tony Stark.
Severence had seen countless fates unfold, and this one was crucial. Had he wanted to, he could have intervened.
He could have severed the attackers' lives before they even pulled the trigger.
He could have changed Stark's fate in an instant.
But he didn't.
Not because he lacked the power.
Because this suffering was necessary.
He watched as they dragged Stark's unconscious body into a truck, the billionaire's fate sealed for now. Soon, he would wake in the darkness of a cave. Soon, he would face his crucible.
Severence turned away, stepping into the void between moments.
For now, Stark's fate remained untouched.
But when the time came, he would decide whether to sever it or let it play out.
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[Tony Stark's POV]
Pain.
It was the first thing he felt as consciousness clawed its way back into his body.
Then—heat. Stale, suffocating air pressing against his skin.
His eyes fluttered open.
A cave.
Dim light flickered from a single bulb, casting jagged shadows against the stone walls. A generator hummed in the background, barely keeping the space illuminated.
Instinct kicked in, and Tony tried to move—only to feel a sharp, searing pain in his chest. His breath hitched. Something was inside him.
His eyes traveled downward.
A crude device. Wires. A car battery connected to his chest.
Panic flared as he struggled to understand. His body was weak, his mind fogged.
Then he noticed the man sitting nearby, watching him with an expression of exhaustion.
"You're awake," the stranger said simply.
Tony groaned, forcing himself upright. "Yeah," he rasped, wincing. "Not my best morning."
The man gave a tired smile.
"You're lucky to be alive."
Tony swallowed, his thoughts piecing themselves together. The ambush. The explosion. The pain.
Then, like a flood breaking through a dam, the realization hit.
He was captured.
He was in enemy hands.
And something had been done to him.
His pulse quickened. He didn't know where he was. He didn't know who had him.
But he knew one thing.
He had to get out.
---
[Severence's POV]
Far beyond the cave, where no eyes could see, Severence watched as the story began to unfold.
Stark's panic. His confusion. His slow, creeping understanding of the horror he was now trapped in.
The world called this moment the birth of Iron Man.
But fate was not absolute.
Severence had not yet decided if it would be severed.
For now, he remained in the shadows.
Waiting. Watching.
And when the time came, he would decide whether Tony Stark would walk free… or fall.