Portal

Feeney wouldn't let one bad experience put him off everything, but he also didn't want to be controlled by his power. The thought of a future where he couldn't fantasize about anything was terrifying.

After all, some things were better left as fantasies. If they actually became reality, he wouldn't want them at all. Like, for instance, what it would be like to wear women's clothes!?

In his new home, the TV was full of reports about Tony Stark's disappearance after an attack. A week had already passed, and most people were speculating that Stark was dead.

This had also caused Stark Industries' stock to plummet. Feeney had wanted to buy some shares while prices were low, but he found that none were available. It seemed someone had already been buying them up in secret.

That made sense. Obadiah Stane had planned the attack, so he must have foreseen the consequences of Tony's death before carrying it out. The stock decline should have been expected, so it wouldn't be easy to swoop in and grab a bargain.

The best time to buy would be after Tony's unexpected return, when he surprised everyone by announcing the closure of the Weapons Division.

Still, with his funds, he probably couldn't buy many shares—certainly not enough to become a director or anything like that. Keeping them and selling them after they went up in value would be a decent option.

Feeney watched TV, silently mulling it over.

As for rescuing Tony Stark and making him owe Feeney a favor, he hadn't given it much thought. If he wanted to, he might be able to pull it off with the Jack Sparrow Compass.

But there was no point. Without Feeney's interference, Tony Stark would become Iron Man, a hero who fought for justice. He might be arrogant, conceited, and self-important, but there was no doubt that he had a just heart.

Feeney didn't want to change that. There was nothing wrong with having more good people in the world. Besides, he had already latched onto the Ancient One, the biggest thigh around. There was no need to go out of his way to curry favor with Tony Stark, too.

In Feeney's mind, the scientific and magical sides were at odds!

Even if he didn't want to change Tony's path, that didn't mean Feeney had to do nothing. At the very least, Obadiah—the Iron Monger—would make a great Experience Baby.

The question now was how to ensure he could beat him as thoroughly as possible.

Possessed by Evil Spirit was powerful, but compared to Iron Man, it had two serious shortcomings at the moment. First, it lacked offensive power, and Feeney's magic was still underdeveloped.

Second, it was weak against aerial opponents. Possessed by Evil Spirit could evolve, but Feeney couldn't yet make it develop an aerial combat ability. He also couldn't open a portal, which was a real headache.

Thinking about it, Feeney suddenly realized how weak he really was. He couldn't help letting out a gloomy sigh.

But in practice, that wasn't quite true. He had no idea how strong the metal armor Iron Man used was, but unless it was made entirely of Vibranium, it should be no match for Possessed by Evil Spirit.

On top of that, Possessed by Evil Spirit boosted Feeney's body far more than Tony's suit boosted his—his strength, agility, and other attributes.

If they kept the fight on the ground, then with nearly a year of combat experience, and considering the current state of the artificial idiot as well as Tony's own abilities, Feeney should be able to beat him to a pulp in close combat.

Besides, the hardest part of opening a portal was guiding the energy. After the last jolt of inspiration, Feeney had managed to produce sparks. That meant he wasn't far from opening a portal successfully.

With the full boost from Possessed by Evil Spirit, it shouldn't take long. Then he'd at least have some means of fighting in the air.

Thinking it over, Feeney regained some confidence.

In the living room, Skye came out of her room and saw Feeney sitting on the couch, watching TV intently. When she noticed that he was particularly focused on the reports about Tony Stark, she couldn't help feeling surprised. "I've noticed you've been following that guy's news pretty closely lately."

"Of course. He's going to be paying for my future."

Feeney stood up and stretched. He'd been keeping an eye on Tony Stark these past few days because he was worried his own existence might cause some kind of Butterfly Effect. So far, though, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Hearing that, Skye asked curiously, "What do you mean? And aren't they all saying that Tony Stark was attacked by terrorists and is dead?"

"How could he be?"

Feeney glanced at the host on TV, who was listing Tony's many accomplishments with a solemn expression, and curled his lip. "That guy's a tough one. Right now, he's probably sweating buckets as he does the most important thing of his life with the most important man in it!"

Yinsen had sacrificed himself to save Tony, so he probably counted as the most important man in Tony's life. Building the Mark I involved hammering metal, which was bound to be hot. And if they failed to build it, they'd die, so it was definitely the most important thing.

"???"

Little Skye had a lot of questions.

But Feeney, who never spoiled anything, ignored Skye's questioning gaze and straightened his clothes. "I'm heading back. I might be busy for the next few days, so stay home and keep your parents company."

After taking Feeney's advice, the elderly couple had retired from the Law Firm. They weren't used to having nothing to do all of a sudden.

Kamar-Taj was a sacred place where sorcerers trained, so it wasn't suitable for bringing ordinary people to visit or stay for long. As for having the two of them train there...

If magic were really that easy to learn, sorcerers would be all over the streets by now.

So Feeney had been thinking about arranging a vacation for them. As long as they stayed out of New York, the safety level elsewhere seemed pretty high.

Feeney's most urgent task now was to learn how to open portals, then get started on his fourth draw as soon as possible. If he hadn't drawn Possessed by Evil Spirit on his third try, he wouldn't have made such rapid progress.

After thinking it over for a long time, Feeney first sent his parents to London and Hong Kong for an extended vacation. There were Sanctums in both places, and if anything happened, he could get there right away.

The days passed, and more than two months flew by. News about Tony Stark gradually died down. Almost everyone believed he was dead; they were just waiting to find his body so they could make the official announcement.

That is, everyone except Obadiah, who was being blackmailed by the terrorists; Tony's friend in the military; and perhaps the one-eyed, bald director.

Kamar-Taj, training grounds, at night.

Wearing the Eye of Agamotto and Possessed by Evil Spirit, Feeney practiced alone with all his might. In the darkness, sparks of energy flared and shimmered in the air.

"Portal!"

Inside the armor, Feeney focused and said the words in a deep voice. As he moved his hands through the gestures, a portal that looked like a Fire Ring finally appeared in front of him, slowly taking shape. On the other side was the apartment he rented in New York.

Feeney hurried through the portal. Seeing the familiar surroundings, he was so excited he could hardly contain himself. He'd finally done it.

With the help of both Golden Great Deduction Technique and Possessed by Evil Spirit, he had finally learned the spell he'd dreamed of mastering over the course of a year's training. The range was limited for now, and opening the portal was slow, but no matter what, he'd succeeded.

All he had to do next was learn the Mirror Dimension, and he'd have no regrets on the path of a sorcerer—for the time being.

Sigh, as usual, please recommend and bookmark!