Seeing his parents standing before him once more, Stark froze completely. His father, Howard, and his mother, Maria, had not changed at all from the last time he saw them.
Maria tossed the bag she was carrying to Howard, rushed forward, hugged her son, and began to cry.
Stark stood stiffly in place, having no idea how to respond. Only when Maria began talking about his childhood did he become certain that these truly were his parents, not some illusion or substitutes.
Howard stood there holding Maria's bag, looking at Stark, who now appeared to be about the same age as him, and let out a somewhat emotional sigh.
Everyone else exchanged knowing glances and slowly withdrew. Strange grabbed Schiller and asked in a low voice, "What happened? How did you bring the Stark couple back? They weren't faking their deaths, were they?"
Schiller shook his head. "Of course not. They really did die. They were simply resurrected afterward. Besides, come with me. There's someone you need to see too."
Schiller pulled Strange toward the office nearby. As though he had guessed something, Strange shook off Schiller's hand and said, "What are you doing? Having a grand reopening sale? Didn't you say there were no resurrection slots left this year?"
Schiller ignored him and pushed open the door. Inside were, just as Strange had expected, his younger brother Victor and his father Eugene. His father snorted irritably, and Victor hurriedly grabbed hold of him.
Strange looked a little awkward. Old Eugene stood up from his chair, his face flushed and his voice booming:
"Stephen! You wastrel! What did I tell you before I fell into a coma?!! Don't put me on that ridiculously expensive machine!! What good was it? You spent so much money, and didn't I still die?!"
Strange's