[Sir, Mr. Cloud's location signal disappeared in the Brooklyn area half an hour ago. He appears to have... used some unknown method to block all my tracking.] JARVIS's standard AI butler voice carried a note of confusion.
"Damn it!" Tony cursed under his breath. "Where the hell did that guy wander off to at a time like this?"
"Could he have... left?" Steve's voice was heavy.
This question made everyone's hearts sink.
Yes, he wasn't from this world.
What did this coming war have to do with him?
He had no obligation to fight for this world.
If he truly chose to quietly slip away before disaster struck, no one could blame him.
Natasha clenched her fists so tight her nails nearly broke skin.
She didn't know if what rose in her heart was a loss of control as an agent, or a sense of loss as a woman.
The room's atmosphere grew even more oppressive and heavy due to Cloud's absence.
...
And what was Cloud—the one everyone was worried about—doing at this moment?
He was sitting atop the massive cables at the highest point of the Brooklyn Bridge.
This spot, hundreds of meters above ground, enough to make any extreme sports enthusiast dizzy, felt to him as stable and comfortable as a rocking chair in his own backyard.
The night wind tousled his black hair.
Below him flowed endless streams of traffic, like golden arteries coursing through the body of this steel behemoth.
In the distance, Manhattan's brilliant skyline sparkled like a cosmic river.
All of New York lay beneath his feet.
Beside him, there was no fine wine, no gourmet food.
Only an old-looking bento box, carefully wrapped, carrying the scent of Japanese cuisine.
He opened the bento box. Inside were several rice balls of various shapes, each molded round and plump.
One was shaped like an adorable rabbit, with two long ears made from seaweed.
One was a chubby panda, its eyes made from black beans.
And another had... Iori Yagami's signature salon-styled red hair?
"Sigh, Mai's aesthetic sense is still as unique as ever."
Cloud couldn't help but laugh as he picked up the "Iori Yagami" rice ball and took a bite.
The sweet taste of rice mixed with the slight sourness of plum filled his mouth.
That flavor also carried a trace of Mai Shiranui's fierce yet possessive "love."
This was the "loving bento" Mai had insisted on giving him before he'd crossed dimensions.
He had used the power of Time Law to preserve this bento at its freshest moment.
To him, this wasn't just food.
This was the taste of home.
In this strange world full of chaos and crisis, it was his only and warmest comfort.
He ate the rice balls while watching like a true spectator, taking in this city that was about to be engulfed in flames of war.
His divine sense had long spread like an invisible network, covering the entire planet.
He could "see" the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier entering maximum combat readiness.
He could "hear" Nick Fury's anxious commands echoing through the command center.
He could "feel" those emotions intertwining in Stark Tower—tension, anger, and determination—belonging to the Avengers.
He could also "see," high above in the distant sky, a wormhole opened by the Tesseract, invisible to the naked eye, slowly taking shape.
On the other side of that wormhole was an endless army of Chitauri, ready to strike.
Everything was under his observation, like a stage play with a script already written, proceeding step by step toward its climax.
He could act right now.
A single thought could cause that half-formed wormhole to collapse prematurely.
A single mental command could turn the Mind Scepter in Loki's hand into an ordinary fire poker.
But he didn't.
Because he knew this was a "coming of age" trial this world had to endure.
Flowers raised in greenhouses could never grow into towering trees.
Without experiencing true despair and trials, the so-called "Avengers" would forever be nothing but a loosely assembled troupe.
They needed a war devastating enough to force them to abandon all their differences and unite—to complete their final transformation.
They needed a truly painful lesson that everyone would remember, to understand just how heavy the words "peace" truly were.
And he, Cloud, would be the examiner for this "coming of age."
And the final insurance.
He finished the last rice ball and carefully put away the bento box.
Then he fished out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
He took a deep drag, the smoke rings slowly dissipating in the night wind.
He looked at the bright lights of Stark Tower in the distance, his gaze calm yet profound.
Calm like a spectator about to enjoy a grand fireworks display.
Profound like a chess master who already knew the ending, controlling the board.
He knew this was his last night as an "observer."
Starting tomorrow, when the first artillery fire streaked across New York's sky.
He would have to step from behind the curtain to center stage.
Not because of some bullshit about responsibility and duty.
Not for some grand slogan about protecting the world.
The reason was simple.
"Sigh..."
He gazed at this city, still dazzling like a dream in the night, and let out a soft sigh.
"Who knew... I'd get so attached to the hot dogs here."
"If those alien uglies destroy everything, where am I supposed to eat?"
"And... Natasha's massage technique just started getting good. Wanda's scarlet butterfly just learned to fly."
"I can't just let my personal assistant and adorable student become homeless, can I?"
He smiled, snuffing out his cigarette.
The night wind brushed against his clothes.
Behind him, it seemed as if countless stars were slowly being born and dying.
Atop the Brooklyn Bridge, the last "spectator" had taken his seat.
Tomorrow, New York's stage would open for him alone.
...
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