A/N: Time frame wise, this is set 8 years after Burning Curve, for reference. :)
So updates might be a little slow as I deal with some big personal stuff. If you're interested you can read about it at my Tumblr. megaranoelle . tumblr . com
I don't own The Avengers, Loki, Iron Man, or anything of the like. Just the thoughts inside my head. And taking some personal freedoms with mythology and lore.
A month after returning from Jotunheim, Tony was happy to say that he hadn't had anymore visions, no more reason for Loki to keep an eye on him. He was unable to decipher what the vision could have meant though. He wasn't thinking about that today though. He had had to run to the labs today but was heading out to his car, knowing that Bruce would be at the mansion.
Bruce was coming back from his latest trip in India and Tony had offered a place to stay at the mansion. He knew he could lure him in the prospect of visiting with the newest Stark girl, as well. Sliding into his car Tony grinned. Today was going to be a good day.
He started the car and started to pull out of the parking garage. "Anthony Stark, a pleasure." Tony slammed on the breaks, eyes wide at the sound of a voice in the passenger seat. He looked over and saw a man sitting there, a smile on his face, long white hair, and dark eyes. Tony swore the color in his pupils moved.
"Uh, hi? Not to sound rude, but, what the hell are you doing in my car?" Tony tried not to let the fact that his heart was beating three times faster than usual show through.
"I came to see you. I would suggest you keep driving though," the man said, motioning with his hand towards the garage's exit. "You're the only one that can see me, so it might look a little odd to others to see you sitting here, talking to thin air."
Tony looked at him for a second longer before, against his better judgment, started driving again. "So, what's the reason for this surprise visit, or stranger that apparently only I can see?" It looked like it would take Tony a little longer to get home. There was no way that he was going to drive straight home with this stranger in the car. He wasn't exactly getting good vibes from the man.
"I need some information from you." Tony raised an eyebrow, keeping his eyes on the road. "I'm looking for one with a magical signature that is similar to yours. I unfortunately do not have his name, but I have reason to believe that you do."
"Interesting," Tony said slowly. "I may or may not be able to help you, I'm not sure. I'm going to need a little more information than that."
"Hmm, yes, I suppose that reasoning would sound vague to a Midgardian," the man admitted. Tony didn't try to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "I'm looking for someone with a certain magical signature. At this point I'm not sure if it's one that you share with him, or if it has simply rubbed off on you temporarily, but for these reasons I am led to believe that you know where they are."
"Hmm, that still might be a little vague," Tony said, turning onto a street that should be busy. It wasn't busy enough for him. "Recently I've been bumping shoulders with a lot of magic users from different realms."
"This man would be extremely powerful, doing things that it would seem no one else in the Universe can do." Tony felt the man lean towards him a little. "I would also suggest you stop stalling." Tony swallowed a little but didn't respond. "I'm afraid that I failed to introduce myself, perhaps if I had you might be showing the proper respect."
"Yeah, you did forget to tell me who you were." Tony sadly turned down another road to take him back to the mansion. His last hope would be that he could send some kind of mental warning to Loki when he got close enough. "I'm also going to need a very good reason as to why I would tell you who this person is, if I knew."
"Who do you think the oldest beings of the universe are?" The man asked and Tony raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I'm assuming like, some of the older Gods, possibly the Fates? I mean, they always know what's going to happen." Tony shrugged a little, having never really given it a thought before. "I mean, if somehow had created them, you'd think that they'd try to control them, to make things always happen in their favor."
"You assume that the one who created them lives a mundane life like those you encounter," the man said and Tony frowned a little. He really wasn't having a good feeling now. And they were getting closer to the mansion. "I have no need for their prophecies, I am to ensure that things run smoothly. I ensure that there is not one who will upset the balance, that there is one who will not become more powerful." Tony glanced over at the man, and he could see the shark like smirk on his face. "Most call me Creator, I don't argue it because that it what I have done, and I have no given name. I really have no need for one. I suppose that the one that I've heard the most, and have some kind of predilection for is Adir."
"I'm sorry, you just went on a little speech rant, and you might have lost me." Tony knew exactly what he was saying, he was just hoping it wasn't true. "Are you trying to tell me that you created, well, like, everything?"
"Not all Midgardians are slow witted, this makes me a little happy." Now Tony knew he was in trouble. "As for the reason why you will tell who it is I'm looking for? I must ensure that no one breaks their prophecies, that there will be no one who will become more powerful than they are meant to be."
"That no one becomes more powerful than you?" Tony asked tentatively. The man didn't respond, but he could practically feel the smile the man wore. Tony suddenly had a very bad feeling he knew who Adir was looking for. Unfortunately, it was at the same time that he pulled into the driveway of the mansion.
"Well, I think I've got some news for you." Tony said, pulling up, putting the car in park slowly, and cut the engine. "I may or may not know who you're looking for. Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to give you their name." Tony was already jumping over the door of the car, running for the house. When his body was fully facing the house he was stopped, slamming into Adir. He grabbed Tony's wrist, holding it up. Tony frowned when he felt something, some kind of power, sliding through his veins. Slowly his body stopped responding to him, legs starting to get numb.
"I was so hoping that you wouldn't say that." Adir held Tony up by his arm when his legs failed to keep his weight up. Tony started to lose all feeling in his chest, and eventually his arms, until even his eyes refused to blink. The only thing he could do was breathe. "I will be able to find this man on my own, I was just hoping that you would expedite my process." He let go of Tony's wrist and his body crumpled to the ground. Adir leaned down and pushed his eyelids closed. "Unfortunately for you, I don't care what happens to you past this point."
Tony's brain started to move a mile a minute. He couldn't access his powers, he couldn't reach out to Loki, he couldn't even make his breathing faster or try to make a noise. He was trapped in his mind, and he could only hope that Loki would be able to help him, because there was going to be a problem.