"I need a picture of the place." Stephen spoke and Vision handed him a tablet which had the picture of the place, perhaps taken by the Satellites. He nodded, giving the tablet back to Vision, before moving his hands in circle opening the portal. He was about to step in before he was suddenly reminded of a very minute detail he missed.
He turned back, looking at the pair. Vision was staring at the portal with fascination, as he looked at Stephen for permission. Stephen gave a nod and Vision moved forward, stepping through the portal. Stephen then turned to Toni, who was staring at the portal apprehensively.
"It is perfectly safe, Toni, I can assure you that." His voice was soft, and Toni's head snapped towards him. She frowned heavily at his words. It was like he knew her views on these damned holes in air, and the idea itself scared her. This wasn't supposed to happen, no one was supposed to know!
"Whatever you mean, Dr Strange." The edge in her voice disheartened him, but he knew this would be the same way he would react if someone suddenly appeared in his life, knowing his worst fears. So, he didn't continue the argument further, but took a deep breath and offered his hand to her.
If Toni was shocked by his actions, she didn't show. Instead, her mind replayed his words from earlier.
Perhaps its my master plan to win your trust, Toni.
What if it really was just a master plan? What if this was all just a ploy? She didn't know that, but what she knew was that something was coming, something far bigger than New York. And Stephen was honestly the first one who not only believed her but was ready to take necessary actions to stop it. He disclosed his entire order, their possession of Time Stone to her, just in hopes to save the universe.
Toni found that she didn't like this conflict going on inside her. She gave a last glance to the portal, before looking at the hand she was offered. For a moment, she decided to gulp her pain and just cross the portal, without accepting Stephen's hand.
But some part of her didn't like the idea at all. That some part, which was nothing but a useless blood pumping organ, it was asking her to just take the hand for once. And Toni, despite what her brain was yelling at her, moved her hand forward.
The moment their hands touched, Toni felt current rushing in her body like her powers were finally set free. The gasp she heard, and the look Stephen held, it clearly indicated her eyes were blue right now. Toni wanted to retract her hand, to take it back from his grasp, but instead, she firmed her hold, as if her actions weren't her own. She felt the scars that were brushing against her skin, and refrained from looking at them, instead stared at Stephen who quickly jerked his head aside, making Toni frown. What happened?
Stephen felt the mystical energy inside him jerk at the contact. The sensation of contact made his magic rush in his body like blood. But apparently, he wasn't the only one feeling the effects. Toni's eyes shone blue as her powers reacted to the contact in a similar way as Stephen's. Stephen knew it was the soul bond, reacting to their first contact which was willed by both of them, and the thought alone was enough to send him near a cardiac arrest with the way his heart was pumping aloud. But all that giddiness, all that sensation, it all vanished when Stephen felt a thumb brushing on his scars. And the realization that he forgot his gloves hit him like a slap. Stephen jerked his head aside when he realized that Toni could feel his scars now, and he didn't know what to make of it. He wanted to remove his hand from her hold, wanted to run from there at that point, just wanted to vanish from there.
At that moment, he felt as if he was naked, his worst memories, his worst past, now was in the hand of someone he loved, someone whom he wanted to protect from that darkness lingering in his scars.
He knew that was it, Toni herself, would be retracting her hand from his hold as soon as she felt the scars, those ugly marks which were the most horrible reminder of his pain. But his every thought, every doubt vanished when instead of retraction, all he received was an even firm hold on his hand. His head jerked back, his eyes staring at those blue ones which were now losing their glow and returning back to those glowing brown ones. His heart wailed in disappointment when Toni closed her eyes, but it at least was enough to bring him back to reality, as he himself turned his head back towards the portal.
With a deep breath, he moved to the portal, guiding her through it, suppressing the tingling feeling of butterflies fluttering in his stomach. It wasn't time to act like a fool, damn it.
Toni opened her eyes when she felt the pull. Her eyes caught the sight of Stephen who was now guiding her through the portal. When she crossed the sizzling barrier, Toni couldn't help but hear her racing heart. Stephen turned back, vanishing the portal with a flick of his fingers, before turning to Toni, who definitely didn't want to catch his gaze. The genius shuffled, freeing her hand from him, as she moved towards Vision, leaving Stephen standing there.
Stephen sighed silently to himself, before smiling when the cloak patted his cheek. He rolled his eyes at the relic, before looking at Toni, and reminding himself that it will take time, but he knew he would wait, he was ready to wait for her for years, if not centuries.
He blinked, centuries? Where did that come from?
Shaking a head, Stephen quickly followed the genius that was moving ahead of them. When they neared the co-ordinates of the location, Stephen, Toni, and Vision remained hidden behind woods. Surprisingly the location was in some farms surrounded by woods, therefore giving them enough space to hide.
As they scanned the area, the first thing that got their attention was the huge ship landed at the side, with a stupid attempt to keep it hidden.
Toni's mind rushed at the advanced machine. If she could just get her hands on that miracle once, just to take a reading and understand the mechanisms. She could recreate the model, if the elements for construction were available, if not, then she can always substitute them with her own inventions.
Meanwhile Stephen? Stephen's eyes widened as soon as they caught the sight of the ship. How in the name of Vishanti did this happen? And how did he miss that? He remembered that ship from more than ten million realities, along with the residents, or travelers, he thought to himself. Suddenly it all made sense and Stephen found his heart calming down at that.
Their unwanted guests weren't really a danger. A spaceship landing in Missouri?
"I'm not from Earth. I'm from Missouri."
"Yeah, that's on Earth dip-shit. What are you hassling us for?"
A residual energy of tesseract?
A glowing woman with blonde hair appeared in front of his vision. Carol Danvers, or better known as Captain Marvel, stood in front of Thanos, holding the infinity gauntlet in place, not allowing him to snap.
The Sorcerer Supreme berated himself, for not thinking about it. But suddenly frowned, when the question popped up - what were they doing here?
His thoughts were scattered when he heard Toni's voice calling his name. Turning his head to the genius, the Sorcerer noticed her narrowed brows looking at him, and realized he must have zoned out.
"Is something wrong?" Her voice was low, careful enough to not reveal their presence obviously. But Stephen suddenly smiled a bit. Nothing was wrong now. After all he knew the Guardians for more than ten million of timelines.
"I know them." He spoke as an answer, not really sure if it would be wise to mention about million of realities in front of the android. Toni looked at him with wariness, before nodding her head.
"Are they friendly? Or is this another Loki?"
Toni looked at Stephen with apprehension, were they dangerous? Did they had to fight right now? But something in Stephen's eyes told her that this was fine. Unexpected, but fine. Toni frowned to herself, when did she start understanding what Stephen was meaning to say without him even using his words? They were meeting for just a second time!
"They are allies. They will fight against him."
Toni understood who this 'him' was, but Vision looked slightly confused. Yet he didn't question, remaining silent as he observed the two. There was something about these two which baffled him. The way they responded to each other, the way they talked, it all made him believe that there was a bond between them. A bond created so naturally that it made him frown. He knew that it was just their second meet. That they hadn't ever met before that, just except the day Toni accepted the sorcerer in the Avengers. So, it created the question, how could they understand each other so well? How could a string, which Vision rarely saw in anyone, be present between them?
Toni's sigh made him look towards the woman who was the closest thing he had to a mother, a parent.
"So, what's the plan, Wizard?" Stephen looked pained at the name, before shaking his head.
"A few shared words would definitely help."
Toni thought about it. What could go wrong? With a group of aliens, a residual of Tesseract being involved, and including the possible factor of this timeline being different? What could really go wrong? The answer was everything. Toni sighed, looking at Strange once more, and when she saw the look, he was giving her, that look of absolute trust, it made her wince. Trust, it destroyed her, brought her where she was, and suddenly, Toni felt irritation at Stephen's ability to trust. She wanted nothing more than to warn him. To tell him that this road held nothing but pain at the end. She knew he wasn't naïve, wasn't going to trust people blindly, like she did. But it still made her worried for the man in front of her.
"Let's go." So, she answered, trying to sound confident, but her senses were wary, ready to defend.
Stephen nodded as he led the way. His mind travelling to the way Toni looked as she agreed to his request. She was tense, apprehensive to meet these newcomers. And Stephen understood it. He himself would have been wary, would have been doubtful, if he didn't know the Guardians for millions of futures. That is why it pleased him to see that Toni already held a certain amount of interest in his words, that she accepted when he asked to have few words with them. And he was content with that.
His steps and thoughts came to halt when he reached the door, his mind growing cautious. He knew the Guardians, but he also knew that it wasn't always a possibility.
So, he turned to Toni and Vision, raising his hands and creating two mandalas. Toni stiffened, raising her arm ever so little, while Vision's mind stone glowed a bit. The Sorcerer Supreme suddenly realized how it might have looked and berated himself, closing his eyes and swallowing the hurt. Obviously, Toni's trust in him didn't go that deep, even though in hundred of them, Toni never even twitched her smile when he performed magic on her, trusting him and loving him so easily.
But this Toni was not that Toni, she didn't know him long enough to trust him. Stephen opened his eyes, looking apologetic.
"I am sorry, I should have warned you both, though I was going to ask the permission before using it. They are protection shields; I am not sure if... the possibilities are too many, and I am not willing to take the risk." His voice was low, careful enough to not reveal their presence. But Toni's eyes narrowed, looking at Stephen for any kind of deceit. Stephen waited patiently, waiting for her judgement, while glancing at Vision who gave a nod to give his consent. Stephen nodded back, releasing one of the glowing mandalas to cover Vision and smiling slightly when he saw the runes taking effect.
In all the futures he saw, Vision always remained an important entity in Toni's life, even though in some of the realities he sided with Maximoff and left to live with her. Stephen wasn't sure what this Vision would do, but as much as he could deduce, this Vision won't be leaving Toni for Wanda.
"Okay." Toni's whispered consent made Stephen giddy inside, and he looked at her, only to find his guts churning. Toni was looking at him like a wild rabbit, her eyes staring at him as if he was a predator, a risky one, with whom she was trying to make a deal. Her face and eyes clearly expressed what she was trying to say. Stephen was getting a chance, a chance not to break whatever they held now. It nearly looked like a test to him, Toni could protect herself, could make her armor appear in seconds. But now, instead of denying, she was accepting his offer, and it meant that she was willing to give him a chance. A chance to prove his words, that he was here to win her trust.
Stephen nodded, determination flashing in his eyes, along with care as he proceeded to place the shield around her. The slight gasp that escaped Toni, after his magic made contact with her.
Stephen ignored the pleasing flutters and moved to create a shield around himself as well, before turning and ringing the bell. The trio stood there, waiting as sudden silence descended the chaos that they presumed was going inside from all the voices that rang inside, before the door was finally opened by the people Stephen knew as Star-Lord and Carol Danvers.
The smile on Danvers' face nearly made him roll his eyes at amusement. In all those million possibilities, he never saw the lady smile so much. The curve of her lips was entirely fake, a bit too much. It appeared so unnatural that he could sense Toni's grimace without even looking at her.
"Yes?" Quill questioned, his voice squeaky and that was when Toni took the lead.
"I am Iron Maiden, and these are my teammates Vision, and Dr Strange. We are here after some of the disturbances were felt in this area just a few hours ago." The smiles fell as if a switch was turned off, and before anyone knew, a yell and a gunshot was heard. Within seconds, Toni's armor covered her face, Stephen erected his mandalas, and Vision took off in air, Mind stone shining brightly.
"What the fuck?" Toni cursed; her hand outstretched as her repulsor buzzed.
The lady with fake smile outstretched her own hands, and before anyone knew, she started glowing.
"I share your sentiments." Stephen murmured from his place beside her, before he took off in air, quickly followed by Toni. Apparently, the glowing lady could also fly, as she appeared in front of them. The man with her pressed some sort of button, before two guns, a helmet and some sort of hovering device appeared. Toni suppressed the need to curse once more, and Stephen looked at them with a frown. Toni knew how he felt, knew how it felt when someone whom you trusted broke it.
"We come in peace." Toni tried, but they weren't ready to listen as the glowing lady went for Stephen and the man attacked her. The rest of the occupants came out too, and before anyone knew, a fight ensued.
Toni swiftly blasted the man with her repulsors, but was surprised at the agility with which the man ducked out of the attack. Stephen raised his shields just in time to block the attack, before moving his hands in a pattern and creating ropes to bind the lady. The lady dodged the attack and lunged at him, ready to aim her punch and Stephen had to duck to avoid getting hit.
"We don't wish to harm you." Stephen tried. But the lady just raised her brow.
"How do we trust you?" She asked and Stephen wanted to bang his head in a wall.
"This is getting too much." He murmured to himself, before creating another spell that would trap the lady. He succeeded when a ball of runes appeared out of his hands and engulfed her, capturing her. He battled with a much powerful Carol in those million possibilities, he knew how to control her. After he was sure she was restrained, he turned to Toni, who now had the man tied with some sort of rope. Where did she even get it?
Vision used mind stone to destroy the gun held by the Racoon which he was using to fire at them. The rest looked helpless as they all stood on the land, witnessing the fight in air.
"Stephen, look out!" Toni's shout made him look ahead, and the cloak moved just in time to drag him away from the dagger which would have pierced his heart. He looked around when he saw that Toni didn't even waste a second before firing her repulsor at the green lady who had to jump back to avoid getting hit. But the beam did blast the ground, bringing the others on their knees.
"Are you all out of your mind? We came here for peace! You all arrive here with a fucking spaceship, entering our planet without our permission and when we try to talk, peacefully I might add, you try to kill us!" Toni yelled, her mask retreating as her eyes glowed blue. Stephen didn't know what to think of it. Toni snapped because of him, she was now furious because of him. But was it true? Or was he overthinking? Stephen chided himself internally. Obviously, he was imagining.
"Toni." He called her name, calming her, before moving his hands and tying them all with rope.
"Now I believe we can talk peacefully." He looked at them pointedly. The weird group looked at each other before they nodded.
Toni huffed and Vision looked as impassive as ever, but there was a certain amusement on his face.
*****************
The three Avengers could now be seen standing in the living room of the old house. The interiors were surprisingly well maintained, even though dust and webs had already made their way on the different objects. Her eyes fell on the baby plant, which looked like tree, sitting there and looking at them with black beady eyes.
Toni tilted her head, observing the creature, only to be interrupted by a growl. She noticed the source of growl was the raccoon who spoke and was firing at them. A protective mama-bear, she deduced, before turning her head away.
"So, what motive do you have to arrive here unannounced?" Stephen started, clearly used to remain comfortable in presence of such diverse creatures.
The Christmas lady and the green-bean shared a look with the only human in their group. Toni rolled her eyes mentally at the names she was calling them by.
"I am Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme of Mystic arts." He started, and was surprised to see some sort of recognition in Danvers's eyes.
"Earth houses the Sorcerer Supreme of universe?" she asked, her brows squinted, and Stephen himself had to control hard to not show his surprise. The guardians looked at one another, before Carol spoke again.
"I know of the Mystic Arts, after all travelling across the universe certainly provided you with knowledge. I heard about the Sorcerer Supreme, a lady who protected the universe from inter-dimensional threats. Not the whole universe off course, but she was the reason apparently we don't face as many inter-dimensional threat as we should. You certainly don't look like a lady." She looked at him, her eyes observing him, and Stephen sobered at the mention of his mentor, before rolling his eyes at her last comment.
"The last Sorcerer Supreme passed away, entitling me to take up her mantle." He offered as an explanation, and Carol smiled at him. This time a real one.
"Oh well, then it's great that you came to find us, because obviously it would have been a tedious task if we were supposed to do it." Her words made everyone frown but Carol decided to remain oblivious to the questioning stares.
"I am Carol Danvers, and these are the Guardians of the Galaxy. He is Peter Quill, or better known as Star-Lord." The man waved his hand at that, and Toni fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Drax, the destroyer;" the gray colored man replied with a grunt. "Mantis, an empath;" the girl with antennas smiled sweetly. "Rocket the Racoon;" Toni looked at him amused, before sharing a glance with Stephen who was surely sharing her sentiments. "Gamora and Nebula, daughters of Thanos;" Carol added with a grimace at the name of Titan, but Toni looked alarmed, her eyes wide, and before she knew, her sight sought for the man she didn't even think to find. Stephen moved swiftly, holding her armored hand, and suppressing his wince at the slight burn his palm felt when the repulsors heated up.
"Thanos?" Toni was proud her voice didn't waiver, and Stephen shook his head, regretting the minute detail he forgot to tell her.
The green lady, whom Toni and Vision now knew as Gamora huffed, jerking her head away. "We have nothing to do with him. He took me and my sister from our homes after destroying our planets." Toni looked at Stephen, and the man gave a slight nod. That was when Toni's eyes fell on their connected hands, and she swiftly removed her own from his grasp.
The light brown circle on his already scarred palm became visible, and Toni suppressed her wince at the hiss that escaped Stephen, guilt covering her guts. The guardians stared at them with a frown, but thankfully the tension was broken when a soft childish voice rang around.
"I am Groot."
The Guardians rolled their eyes at the tree, and Stephen moved his hand out of everyone's sight. He decided to lead the conversation now, avoiding the look in Toni's eyes. He really didn't need pity now, not from his own soul mate.
"And for what purpose did you wish to find me for?"
Their faces grew solemn, before Carol stepped forward, staring at Toni and Vision, before her eyes travelled back to Stephen.
"Are you sure your company is trusted?" The question made Toni glare at the woman. The question hurt more than it should.
"They wouldn't be accompanying me if they weren't." Stephen's words were professional, but the tone was nothing like that. The intensity of the voice made the Guardians nod, before Gamora spoke up.
"The red man carries the Mind Stone in his head, and I believe we can trust the lady who defends her land."
"This lady single-handedly destroyed the entire fleet of chitauri when they knocked on New-York's door few years back, I believe she is more trusted by me than any of you here." Stephen's words were downright snappy, his eyes hard, and Toni couldn't help but feel the strange feeling that settled in her chest.
Something was definitely wrong with her. The genius deduced, as she looked at the Guardians, before she noticed all of them were gaping at her.
"You are Stark?" The question made Toni blink. What? Didn't she introduce herself?
Suddenly like a bulb went off, Toni realized she introduced herself as Iron Maiden, not Toni Stark. Toni glanced at Stephen, who for whatever reason, looked pleased at the reaction.
"I am Toni Stark." Toni replied in a tone which clearly implied as if she was stating a fact and the guardians glanced at each other, before Nebula stepped forward.
"It's an honor to be in your presence, Toni Stark." The bow she gave, Toni somehow found was the biggest form of respect she would ever show, if the look of surprise on her sister's face was anything to go by. Before the sister herself stepped forward, and somehow manifesting a double-edged blade in her hand from a small device, and bowed herself. "It surely is an honor to meet the one who made our father wary."
The words made Toni nearly stumble. Made Thanos wary?
Peter himself nodded, and Toni had to suppress the giggle that threatened to escape her when both Gamora and Nebula both gave her a glare.
"It's surprising to see that so many worthy heroes live on Earth." Carol smiled at her, and Toni suddenly found that she was much more welcomed in this group than she was before. Did making Thanos worry about something such an incredulous feat?
"You can be a fierce fighter, Stark." Drax commented, and Groot just told her his name again, which made her frown, because somehow, she understood these words on a completely different level.
It simply didn't sound his introduction anymore, for some reason it sounded like he was complimenting her on her power.
"Uh, thanks, I guess?" she spoke, clearly unsure, but that was when the Racoon spoke up. "Did you build the missile yourself?"
Toni tried to remember the nuke that she took to space, and shuddered suddenly.
"Was there any survivor?" She asked instead. Gamora nodded, "From the whole fleet that prepared to attack Terra, only One-third returned."
Toni nodded back, before looking at the Racoon. "If I would have built it, there would be no survivors. I just carried the nuke." Her thoughts wandered to Jericho and all the other weapons she built. Mass murderer, that was the nickname given to her.
Rocket, for some reason looked pleased at her answer as he laughed gruffly and spoke up. "Perhaps coming to Terra was a right choice."
"You still haven't told us the reason." Stephen cut in, diverting their attention back to the topic. Quill nodded, before bringing out a device, which looked like a smart phone. He pressed few keys, before allowing a hologram to take over in the space above the device.
A crown.
Stephen stared at crown for a few seconds with a frown on his face. It felt like he had seen this crown, but he had eidetic memory, surely he won't forget it.
Suddenly the three Avengers gasped, a sudden influx of power, a certain glow washing over the trio, while the Guardians shuddered at the wave of power they felt.
Toni gasped; her eyes wide. It felt like, that was it, that was everything. That she reached it, her salvation. Power and pleasure thrummed in her nerves, and the girl felt the happiness of both Time Stone and Mind Stone. Her breath became hard as the surge of current in her blood became unsufferable.
Home.
A voice whispered in her ear.
Home.
Stephen felt the Time Stone vibrating in the eye, and thought for a moment if it was better if he released the stone. But he couldn't. Something in the back of his head told him to not do it, not now. There was something about this picture that made an infinity stone lose its conscious.
Home.
The voice rang in her ears now, getting louder. Her powers were collecting on her fingertips, she could feel it.
Vision found a sudden throbbing present in his head. The mind stone, his processor supplied while trying to calm the ache that now made it unbearable for him to even think. What was going on?
Home!
The ringing grew louder, and Toni had to physically clasp her hands on her ears to try and stop the noise. But it looked like it didn't work, for the noise was ringing inside her head. It threatened to escape, made Toni wish to scream. She wanted to scream, wanted to just let it all go!
Carol felt a rush of power washing over her, as if the tesseract itself came alive, and it made her feel content. She was the only one from the Guardians who felt the shift probably. That was when her eyes fell on Stark, who was now clasping her hand on her ears, few blue tendrils coming alive on her fingertips, she frowned.
"Strange!" When she got his attention, she pointed her hand towards Stark and all those present there, took a step back.
Home!
Toni felt as if she was going to burst. Her eyes were squinted shut, her hands trying to clasp her ears. Her armor was returning to the arc reactor, rendering her completely prone to any attack, yet all she could feel was the power.
Home, home, home.
Her mind was chanting, or perhaps, it wasn't hers. But someone's else.
Home, home, home.
It was becoming painful, a sharp sting piercing her throat. She had to bite her tongue to stop the scream, but she couldn't. The power, it was thrumming mad. Toni felt as if it belonged to her. It was hers, no ones else. It felt as if she was that power, that she was the one who could control it, who could handle it. At that moment, Toni felt invincible.
HOME! HOME! HOME!
It grew too much, and that was when, she let it all out.
******************
Stephen could say that he was proud of his reflexes, that there was a reason he was the Sorcerer Supreme at such young age, for as soon as he felt the shift, he swiftly put all of his magic behind a single spell, protecting the people around him from the explosion that followed seconds later.
A loud bang and the everyone around were sent tumbling away, as if they were not humans, but dolls, not alive, but puppets. Pushed away in just one strike. But amidst that blast, was a scream, a scream so horrifying, so painful, that it made Stephen's heart stop. He knew that voice, recognized it. And he wanted nothing more than to step it and save her.
But he couldn't move, invisible forces holding him back. When the explosion finally quietened, Toni Stark stood in the center, her breathing ragged, her face blank, the only thing that Stephen knew was different was the blue glow surrounding her, enveloping her like a shield.
He looked around, noticing all the Guardians were safe, protected by his spell, even though it made him exhausted from absorbing the power of explosion. For this power was not normal, and he couldn't help but think what it was. That was when, his eyes took in the damage, everything was blasted, reduced to splinters. Sunlight was now clearly making its presence known, as there was no roof to obstruct it anymore. The scale of destruction was something Stephen never thought was possible. But that was when his eyes fell on the only thing that remained unchanged.
The hologram of Crown.
It hit him like a slap, a book, few lines, the library of Sorcerer Supreme.
With the existence of Infinity, came the power to balance them, or that is what is believed. The ancients and the elders believed in it, but none could find it. The only holder of Infinity, or that was what it was called.
Legends, myths, and folk tales all across the universe mention it, but despite the millenniums that passed, despite the eons since its construction, not many have ever laid their eyes on it. At least not anyone from Earth. The Ancients have sworn to claim, so had the eldest of the Celestials, to have caught a glimpse of it. But no one could ever draw it, no one could ever record it. The only thing that I have for it, is a description, which I got from one of the friends who grew up among these tales of myths.
A crown so gold,
tinged with darkness that it holds,
Six blanks spaces that long,
for those six gems who belong,
at the destined gap for them
from where it stems,
the power which no one could hold,
except for a single blessed soul.
But don't believe, don't hear, until you see,
The only thing, that could control the Infinity.
Stephen never remembered from where he saw the crown, yet he felt it looked familiar. And now he knew why, for he never saw it, no one ever did, it was just written in poems and folks, in myths and legends. Its existence remained question since the beginning of time. But he did read it, imagining it in his head.
And even though, he should be relieved that he finally got the answer, all he felt was his guts churning in his stomach. He couldn't help but wonder, that if this crown was going to be a hindrance, or the key to win.
After all, what could he expect, from the Crown of Infinity?