Tony Stark did not know how he had walked out of that restaurant, nor how he had gotten into his flashy Audi R8.
His mind was a mess. Everything that had just happened felt like a dream, yet the cold touch of the steering wheel and New York's familiar clamor beyond the windows reminded him that it was all real.
Spatial teleportation, stopped time, telekinesis, sorcerers, gods...
It all sounded like the ravings of a madman or a cheap sci-fi novel, yet it had played out right before his eyes.
"Sir, your heart rate is excessively high, and your cortisol levels are elevated, indicating acute anxiety symptoms. Would you like to go to the hospital or contact Miss Potts?" JARVIS's steady voice sounded inside the car.
"No... no need, JARVIS. I'm fine." Tony slumped over the steering wheel, one hand tightly clutching his chest. It was not only because of his old injury, but also an indescribable sense of suffocation.
The scientific knowledge he had always taken pride in had been utterly shattered, over the course of a single breakfast, by several "people" using methods beyond his comprehension.
That fear of the unknown, coupled with the realization of his own insignificance, triggered the anxiety disorder lurking within him.
He took several deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart and chaotic thoughts.
Just then, Hua Wei's calm voice rang directly in his mind once more. "...That promise remains valid for a long time. When you need it, I can help you once."
It was a promise—a promise from... a "god"?
A "wish" that could resolve his physical condition, perhaps even accomplish more unbelievable things?
The enormous temptation nearly made him invoke that promise immediately and fix the wound in his chest.
But the pride and stubbornness that belonged to Tony