John's vision blurred for a second. When it cleared, he found himself standing in a vast white expanse. There was no ground, no sky—just endless whiteness stretching in every direction. For a moment, he stood there in silence, confused and unsure where he was.
But as he looked up, he saw countless shining stars twinkling high above him, almost like they were alive. In the center of this white world, a glowing blob of origin energy floated quietly, pulsing with a gentle rhythm.
It took a few seconds, but then it clicked.
"This is… my spiritual sea?" John muttered to himself in surprise.
His spiritual sea had always been pitch black—calm, dark, and still. But now, it had completely changed. Everything was pure white, bright and serene. The sudden transformation left John feeling a little unsettled.
He blinked a few times and took a deep breath.
"It must be because of the soul stone," he thought. "That stone must've changed something deep inside me."
Even though the new white spiritual sea looked peaceful, John couldn't accept this change so easily. He had spent a long time with the black spiritual sea—it was something he had gotten used to. Seeing it turn white so suddenly made him feel like a stranger in his own mind.
But John didn't waste too much time thinking about it. He shifted his attention and walked toward a familiar area where runes—his meditation rune and the world coordinate runes—were quietly floating.
Everything seemed to be in its place. The runes looked exactly the same as before. The only difference was the background. He carefully examined them and found no problem. This gave him some relief.
Since nothing was out of order, John turned his focus to the stars above. He had a feeling that something new might be hiding up there. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the stars one by one.
And sure enough, he found something.
Among the countless stars, three runes were shining in a soft yellow light. They were new.
John floated up to them and observed them closely. The moment his eyes touched each rune, their information flowed into his mind like a gentle stream.
The first rune was a soul attack.
With it, John could use his mental energy to create a spiritual weapon, like a small dagger. If he launched it at an enemy, the opponent wouldn't feel any pain physically, but their soul would be struck directly. If the enemy had a weak soul, the attack could even kill them instantly.
"This... this is dangerous," John whispered with awe.
The second rune was even more interesting. It granted the power of mind control. By activating it, John could take control of someone for a short period. The weaker the target's soul, the longer they would stay under his control. It reminded him of how Loki had controlled Hawkeye in the Avengers movie.
"Scary… but useful," John thought to himself.
Then he turned to the last rune. Unlike the others, this one had no offensive power. But it felt stronger in a different way.
It was a defensive rune.
Once activated, it would build a wall of spiritual energy around John's spiritual sea. This wall would protect him from all kinds of mental or soul-based manipulation. Even beings like Wanda Maximoff wouldn't be able to invade his mind once this rune was active.
"Incredible… This one might be the most important of them all."
John's eyes gleamed with excitement and curiosity. These runes were gifts from the soul stone, and he sensed that more would appear in the future.
He also noticed something else. These soul runes were different from the powers of the space and time stones. With the space and time stones, he had to explore and experiment to unlock abilities. But the soul stone worked on its own—whenever he got stronger, new runes would automatically appear in his spiritual sea.
After confirming there was nothing else new, John slowly opened his eyes and found Tony standing nearby, staring at him with anticipation.
"Well," John said with a smile, "I got some new abilities. They'll be really helpful in the future. And before you ask what kind—just know they're all related to the soul. That's all I can say for now."
Tony crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Fine. But did you figure out why I didn't get the inheritance?"
John shrugged slightly. "That… I'm not really sure. Maybe the stone has its own way of choosing. Or maybe it just didn't think you were the right match. But don't worry, there are still three stones I haven't used yet. You might get lucky with one of those."
Tony was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then he waved his hand casually. "Not now. Maybe I'm just unlucky today. I'll try again later."
Then something came to Tony's mind, and he asked, "By the way, when are we going to that new world you mentioned?"
John's expression turned serious. "After I finish some preparations, we'll go. But you need to be ready, brother. Last time, I was lucky to end up in a world filled with humans. This time… it could be different. It might be a barren wasteland, or something worse."
John wasn't being paranoid. His experience of living on Mars for so long had taught him to never take chances. Not all worlds were like Earth. Even Mars—with its black and red dust, empty and lifeless—was still a world in its own way. If they ended up in a similar place again, without preparation, they could be in big trouble.
Tony, still relaxed, chuckled. "So what? Can't we just come back?"
John smirked faintly and shook his head. "You don't get it. Last time, when I traveled to that world, I was weak for months. My body couldn't handle the transition. And there's no guarantee it won't happen again. That's why I'm being cautious. If we rush in blindly, it could be our last journey."
Tony's smile faded, and a chill ran down his spine. He could feel the seriousness in John's tone.
'He's right,' Tony thought. 'If something goes wrong, we might not even survive long enough to find our way back.'
Tony stood up with determination in his eyes. "Alright then. I'm going to get ready. You go finish your stuff. I'm excited about this new world!"
With those words, Tony walked toward the lift and stepped inside. The doors closed behind him as he headed down to his workshop, already thinking of ways to prepare for the unknown.