An so ever strange presence
Tony Stark, Iron Man, whatever that meant. Whatever anything meant anymore.
He had thought that he knew suffering, loss even.
Nothing in his life, not the loss of his parents or the loss of friendship with Steve was comparable with the feeling of emptiness that had started to consume him.
He was never the stentimental type but even if he would have wanted to cry right now, no tears would have come out.
It felt like he had been burned out, frozen from the inside.
As if his whole being had been sucked out from the very core of his being.
He knew it the moment he first saw this strange man Stracks dissapear like he was never even there, this fool Quill and then and then Peter.
Just thinking about the talented young man hurt more than all the suffering he had endured in his life, he had made a promise to himself and he failed it.
It was like a thousand hot knifes in his chest.
He knew Thanos had won, he had reached his goal, eliminating half the universe.
He didn't want to think about Pepper, he couldn't.
The mere thought of her at the edge of his mind filled his heart with so much pain, he thought he would suffocate.
But, but there was still something to fight for.
Strange had said it was the only way, so that had to mean that as unlikely and horrbible it appeared this was the one of many millions of outcomes that would work however that would be possible.
He had to do something, there were still people back on Earth that he had to help.
He swallowed hard and got up, he had to find a way to get back somehow, work would help, get his mind of things.
There had to be something here on this god forsaken planet which he could use to get back to his planet.
,,Impressive, I've rarley seen such a resolve in someone so very human as you Mr. Tony Stark.'' a voice void of emotions called out.
Immidiatedly he turned around his suit in full alert and fully willing to go out guns blazings when he saw the oddest thing.
There sitting on one of the rocks of these many ruins was what appeared to be a young man. He looked a bit rough, dark coat hanging losely around his back, brilliant green eyes, a slightly pale face and a somehow not so neatly kept three day beard which grew over in his messy dark hair.
He appeared slender although it was difficult to say if he was thin or not.
,,Who are you?'' asked Tony, his voice rough around the edges.
,,It will pass, at some point, not today, not tomorrow, perhaps not even in a year but it will get better, '' and at Tony's non responsive face he added ,,your loss.''
Tony couldn't help himself and scoffed, he didn't know how dangerous this person was and he had to get back so he tried to stay as calm as he could with all this turbulence in him.
,,You don't believe me but that's ok.'' the strange man said.
Tony charged his weapons and as they started to hum he asked ,,I'll ask another time, who are you?''
,,So simple, yet so complicated to answer, to make it very short and simple. I am infinity and eternity, I am what you may call death.'' he spoke out.
,,And I am to believe that?'' Tony asked
,,This is up to you, It matters fairly little what you believe or not. My existence is not dependent on your belief, no matter what anyone or anything belives, death is always the end and the beginning.'' replied the man calmly.
,,So even if you are what you claim to be, what do you want, why are you here? Why now? Why not before Thanos killed half the universe, before he killed billions and billions of innocent lifes?'' he shouted as he walked closer to the mysterious person.
He didn't even really care who he really was, but there was just so much anger inside of him and this person who ever or whatever the fuck it or he was just sat there calmly like nothing happened.
,,I was right here, just like I was there when Thanos killed the man you call Vison and claimed the last stone for himself, when Steve Rogers impressed the Titan with his unbending strength of will and when even though the God of Thunder drove this Axe through his chest he snapped his fingers and erased just like he promised half of the universe. Like so many of your colleagues dissapeared into nothingness.''
He had heard enough, he didn't care if this whatever it was, was innocent, he just crossed over a line.
With a shout he unloaded everything he had onto the man, he vaporized this rubble of stones to dust and the man atop of it with it.
When the smoke had lifted there was nothing at first but then at the exact same spot as before sat the man on the same part of the ruin as before.
He could only stare and shout out the most obvious question ,,Why didn't you do anything then?''
,,Why should I have?'' asked the man back.
,,Thanos just killed half the universe and you are seriously asking this question?''
,,Very well, I will answer your questions but first let us go somewhere more calm.'' and before Tony could even say anything, reality blurred and when it got in focus again they were atop of a hill, sorrounded by green meadows, waterfalls and lush rainforest and a brilliant image of a setting sun over an azure blue sky.
It looked to perfect to be true, to happy, to nice after something so terrible had happened.
,,Where are we?'' he could simply ask.
,,Somehwere, you wouldn't understand, but this is not part of the question that interrest you is it?''
Tony looked back upon the strange man and after what had just happened he re-evaluated him or it or whatever, in front of him.
These eyes were quiet telling and strangley unsettling, he appeared to be young but looked eternal, could it really be true what he was saying, his eyes spoke of power on a level which he had not seen before.
He did not know what to think but the man seemed genuie when saying that he would answer his questions so he just tried to go with it.
,,No, I still want the answers to my questions.''
,,For the sake of this talk and to answer one of your unasked questions, my name is Harry or can be and I did not interfere with what was happening and always would have happened because this part of what or who I am. I am to keep balance in the universe and no matter how you may think of it, Thanos stayed true to his word, he truly erased hald the universe by random. Something quiet unique. So no matter what you might rightfully perhaps think of his actions he kept the balance except with you.'' and with that his brilliant green eyes bore into Tonys.
,,What do you mean me? It was random, was it not? I was just lucky.''
,,No, you were supposed to die but slyly as this man Steven Strange is he bargained once again with a god or titan and asked of Thanos word that he would spare your life in exchange for the time stone.
You may think many things of Thanos but he is a man of his word, so with this promise when he snapped his fingers and fullfilled his promise he spared you conciously, you my good man are an anomaly through time and space because in all possibilities you should be dead one way or another because the man Steven Strange would have never broken his vow but alas he used the power of the stone which works outside of that which we know, he understood and saw which did not happen. In every possibility he tried to protect it, just to ultimatley fail one way or another but in giving it up and asking that your life may be spared he created something new, a path not seen before. He made you unique in so many ways.''
The man looked up into the ever blue sky and chuckled ,,Oh Fate is going to hate this, quite the special man this Doctor Strange, I don't think anyone before could handle this aspect of Infinity so marverlous.''
Tony tried to take it all in but this was just to much, but he still tried, he had to.
He somehow understood some of it to a certain extend.
,,How did he make me special, what does that mean?'' he just went with it, information was information after all.
,,It mean you sir are an anomaly, a rupture in time and space and existence. You shouldn't be but you are. I am bound by certain rules to keep the balance in the universe, one of these is that I do not interfere, the power that I carry is to big to be used in any personal way and if I would start to judge what is right and what is wrong than I would break my vows and I promise you, this is not something this universe would survive. But as you are an anomaly of sorts I have a bit more leeway than normally, mostly because balance is only restored when you are no more an anomaly.''
It felt like this Harry was just speaking in riddles but well what to expect from the personification of death.
,,So what does that mean for me?'' he asked again.
,,Nothing in this universe can touch the Infinity Stones for long before they sucumb before their power, Thanos was the first to figure out how to channel the engery of these stones but alas you are not really from this universe anymore, in a very complicated way I can take this away from you or in other words give you the ability to wield them. No matter what happens, afterwards they will be split apart once more for they cannot be destroyed and shall not be.'' the man explained and while still not speaking planly he started to make sense.
,,So if we defeat Thanos, I could use the gauntlet to restore what he has done?'' he asked for clarification not matter how mad this all was.
,,It is one the possibilitys, yes.'' the answer came.
,,But how can we defeat him if he wields all that power, he could destory us in an heartbeat.''
,,The gauntlet is broken, he has to repair it which will take time, you can perhaps be touched by his power but he may not harm you using the stones directly as they carry the will of his commitment to his promise. Others will come and join you, faces not yet known will appear and friendship which had crumbled will arise once again just like the morning sun after a night thought to be forever lasting.''
If this was true they perhaps even had an chance at stopping whatever had happened maybe even reversing it, maybe they could stop Thanos and deep in Tony a small flame of hope arose which he already had thought dead.
And he thought of Cap and that this at least meant he was safe, which gave him more peace than he would have expected.
,,And now my friend it is time for us to depart from each other for now at least, I will stretch my rules a bit further to bring you back to your home as you will be happy to know that your heart is safe.''
Tony looked at the personification of death named Harry puzzled, what did ''your heart is safe'' mean.
For the second time he chuckled ,,Not the heart inside this body of yours but where your heart really lies.''
And although this man has done nothing but mostly speaking in riddles he understood perfectly.
With an almost broken voice he asked the unthinkable question ,,Pepper is alive?'' and again those brilliant green eyes turned upon him and it seemed gazed right through him.
,,Yes Tony she is alive and she will be through this endavour of yours, as you are an anomaly you will need an anchor and while this could be anything I have made her this, for this she shall be safe from all and everything throughout your endavour. You will need her in many ways if you want not to fail and be led astray by the darkness which resides in all. I have willed it so, so it will be.''
No matter how unbelivable it sounded but Tony just belived him, maybe he just wanted to believe but it was something, maybe the casual way in which he talked that made him belief that this person next to him was exactly what he always said he was.
And a third time he chuckled ,,Who would have guessed the great Tony Stark to have a change of heart.''
He looked upon this strange figure and asked one last question ,,Why are you doing this?''
,,I told you didn't I?'' came the non emotional reponse.
,,If you are Death than it's hard to believe that I could stand in your way to bring the universe back to balance.'' why ever he asked that and not just shut up and took what he got, no matter the circumstances he just couldn't change who he was.
This man Harry looked at him before doing the unexpected and breaking out in lauhter, it only lasted seconds but still it didn't even sound eery.
,,True, true. As I pervade all that has ever been and ever will be you are an unique thing to happen .''
Now it was the ageless young man who found himself under the stare of the intereresting human from Earth.
,,Hm, I shall watch you very carefully, such intelligence in such a way. True that this is not all, let all that I say be that I remember in a certain way what it was and meant to be what you are.''
He just didn't stop speaking in riddles it seemed thought Tony.
,,Be that as it may, our time truly has come to a pass. I will send you back to where your heart is and remember its importance, we will see us again Tony Stark.'' and with one last smile this strange man made a soft wishing hand movement and reality started to blurr again and when it cleared he was standing in his home, in the kitchen looking at the back of what the man called his heart.
He led out a breath he didn't knew he held and with that Pepper turned around away from the screen reporting all the destruction and looked with shock at Tony.
He couldn't even say anything before she was in his arms, her arms pressed around his back so hard that probably more of his ribs would be fractured afterwards than already.
All he could say was ,,I'm so sorry I missed our dinner plans'' wheras she half hertadly laughed and sobbed while he truly realized that he was truly back to his heart and there was work waiting for him.