A Letter from Father

"Stark, you can't keep going on like this."

Pepper really couldn't stand Tony Stark's recent behavior as a playboy any longer.

He'd entrusted the company to her, then gone back to his days of wine and women—even his friend Colonel Rhodey couldn't stomach it anymore.

What was wrong with him? Hadn't he promised to turn over a new leaf? Why had he reverted to his old ways?

"Pepper, I'm leaving everything to you."

Even as Tony said this, he didn't forget to flirt with the girl beside him, which pushed Pepper past her limit.

"Here. This is a letter I found among Obadiah's belongings. It's addressed to you, says you're supposed to open it. Take a look."

Seeing that Stark wouldn't even glance at the letter, Pepper stamped her foot, tossed it onto the table, and turned to leave.

Stark acted as if he hadn't noticed, simply raising another glass with the girl beside him.

Too bad Pepper didn't double back—otherwise, she'd have ended up back in her old job.

After nearly three hours of dalliance, the sky gradually darkened. The girl walked out of Tony's villa carrying bags and bundles, leaving Tony alone once more.

He'd drunk a bit too much, and his body felt weak.

Tony forced himself up, intending to head to the bedroom for a nap, when his eyes accidentally caught the letter. The envelope read: To Tony Stark.

"Hmph, let's see what that bastard Obadiah still has to say to me."

After all, they'd known each other for years—the man had watched him grow up like an uncle.

Even though Obadiah had tried to kill him to seize control of Stark Industries, he was dead now, and Tony himself was already on a countdown to death. What was there left to hold onto?

But when he opened the letter, he was surprised to find it wasn't from Obadiah at all—it was from his father, Howard.

"Tony.

When you see this letter, it means I am already dead. I left it for you to tell you about a great secret of our family."

A secret?

What great secret could the Stark family still have that he, the sole remaining member, didn't know?

"Tony, everyone thinks our family grew and prospered because I was an innovative inventor and entrepreneur.

During the war, I invented many weapons and armaments, making great contributions to the nation's military industry. Those sales amassed a fortune for the Stark family.

But have you ever wondered—why was I able to invent so much?"

Reading this, Tony froze. Was there some other hidden reason? Wasn't it just because his father was a genius?

He forced himself to read on.

"The reason I could accomplish what others couldn't is that I received a gift from a God!"

"Nonsense! That bastard Obadiah must be slandering him. He wanted to kill me, then smear my father's name to take over Stark Industries!"

Tony cursed bitterly. Though he harbored resentment toward his father, he would never allow anyone to defame him like this.

His father was a true genius—how could it come from some unknown God's gift?

But Tony was curious to see what came next.

"That great God, the unnameable entity called Gh'gth, His prophetic book revealed the future to me, allowing me to reach the heights I did.

That book foretold the outbreak of the war, the rise of Hydra, and our victory.

It even predicted the distant future—the invasion of the Chaos Legion, the awakening of the Elder Powers, the awakening of the Lord, and... my death."

Reading this, Tony's eyes went wide.

If this crappy book predicted his father's death and he knew about it, then how did his father die? Couldn't he have avoided it?

"Tony, I know you want to ask—since I knew when I would die, why didn't I find a way to avoid it.

Fate is inscrutable. I once tried to escape my death, but in the end, I couldn't. I ultimately died at the hands of Hydra."

Hydra?

Those Nazi remnants—how could they still exist? And they killed my father?

Tony's eyes turned bloodshot. He'd always suspected there was more to his parents' death. Now, was it all true?

"Tony, my son, I'm sorry I can't bear the future that awaits you. My stage has already closed. In my heart, you've always been the best. I'm proud of you.

I wanted to leave that book to you, but fate played a joke on me—the book vanished. I don't know who took it.

Find that book. Find The Gh'gth Revelations. Perhaps there is still hope. You can seek help from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, but remember—only the Director is trustworthy."

The letter ended there, but Tony's emotions were a tangled mess. Before he knew it, tears streamed down his face.

His father hadn't been indifferent to him on the surface—he had loved him, just never shown it.

And Tony himself had never noticed.

Now, his father was dead. Whatever he said, it was too late.

As for whether the letter was real, Tony thought it likely was. But The Gh'gth Revelations—if it existed—where could it be?

And that Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division—why did his father say he could seek their help?

There were far too many questions in all of this.

"Jarvis, search for any information about the Chaos Legion or the Elder Powers."

After a moment of thought, Tony decided to have Jarvis look into whether any relevant data existed.

"Certainly, sir. Searching now... After cross-referencing, the only match for this information is the Red Hulk incident."

Red Hulk?

What was going on? Wasn't it the Hulk?

Frowning with confusion, Tony reviewed the data Jarvis had retrieved, and his brow immediately furrowed.

Those military folks had gone and pulled another colossal screw-up.

They'd turned the Hulk into the Red Hulk, who, after wrecking a military base, had left with a group of soldiers in tow.

Just from the look of it, Tony could tell something huge and disastrous was brewing.

This Red Hulk seemed even harder to deal with than the original Hulk. His current armor probably wouldn't stand a chance against him.

What baffled him was that this Red Hulk had taken those soldiers with the intention of forming some kind of Chaos Gang.

That made even less sense to Tony. This Red Hulk clearly had his wits about him.

If that were the case, how could he possibly think that simply forming a Chaos Gang would make the soldiers follow him?

There were too many unknowns. Tony decided to go confront the Red Hulk, to see if this really had anything to do with some chaotic power. And after that, there was that book—The Gh'gth Revelations.