John's body slumped backwards the moment the Soul Stone glowed faintly in his palm. His eyelids dropped heavily, and before Tony could react, John had already lost consciousness.
"John? Hey—John!" Tony shouted, quickly catching his brother's falling body. His brows furrowed in worry as he gently laid John down on the couch nearby. Pepper, hearing the sudden commotion, hurried into the room with quick steps, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor.
"What happened?" Pepper asked, her voice tight with concern.
"I don't know. One moment he was fine and now… but I think he will be fine," Tony muttered, brushing a hand through his hair, his usual calm cracking ever so slightly.
But while they fussed over his body, John's mind had already drifted far from the room.
---
John slowly opened his eyes—or at least, it felt like he did. To his surprise, he wasn't lying on the couch anymore. Instead, he floated a few steps away from his own body, his form now translucent and glowing faintly like a thin silver mist.
His physical body lay still on the couch, his chest gently rising and falling. Tony was kneeling beside it, adjusting a cushion behind John's head, while Pepper stood next to him, her brows knitted in deep worry.
John blinked. He could see everything perfectly clear, yet there was no weight to his body anymore. No heartbeat, no breath. Just a strange lightness, as though he had become air itself.
'Am I... outside my body?' John thought, looking at his transparent hands in amazement.
Carefully, almost hesitantly, he reached out towards his physical form. His glowing fingertips were about to brush against the skin of his motionless hand—
But before he could make contact, a sudden force exploded around him.
A powerful whirlwind, invisible yet impossible to resist, wrapped around his soul form and yanked him away violently.
The scene of Tony and Pepper blurred and spun into darkness.
---
When the spinning finally stopped, John found himself floating in a black vacuum. Silence surrounded him—thick, deep, and endless. His breath caught at the sight before him.
In the far distance, a galaxy slowly rotated like a graceful dancer. Its spiral arms stretched outwards, sparkling with countless stars—shades of blues, purples, and golds blending softly into one another. A gentle golden glow pulsed at its core, radiating outwards like the heartbeat of the universe.
It was mesmerizing. For a moment, John forgot everything else. His lips parted slightly as he gazed in awe, a calm feeling washing over him.
But just as he was about to float closer to appreciate the beautiful scene—
The whirlwind struck again.
Faster and stronger than before, it spun him through space, darkness folding in all directions.
When the force settled once more, John realized he was now in a different place.
All around him floated large, translucent bubbles. They shimmered slightly, as if coated in thin films of rainbow light. Some bubbles drifted alone, spinning gently, while others clustered together like grapes. Within each bubble, dim shadows flickered—some seemed like stars, others shapes he couldn't recognize.
John slowly spun in place, his brows furrowing as he tried to make sense of it.
'What… is this place?' he wondered. The bubbles stretched endlessly in every direction, hanging quietly in the dark void.
But before he could study them any longer, the familiar whirlwind returned. It tore through the space once more, grabbing his soul form and pulling him swiftly back.
His vision blurred, lights and shadows mixing together—and when clarity returned, he gasped softly.
He was back in the real world.
---
John's eyes flew open, sharp breaths filling his lungs. His fingers twitched slightly as the weight of his body returned to him. His back pressed into the soft couch cushions.
Above him, Tony leaned over with a deep frown and tired eyes. Beside him stood Pepper, relief softening her features the moment she saw John move.
"Finally," Tony muttered under his breath, sitting back with a loud exhale.
Pepper bent down, placing a gentle hand on John's shoulder. "You're awake… You scared us for a second there."
John's throat felt dry. He slowly pushed himself upright, accepting the glass of water Tony passed him. Taking slow, careful sips, he let the coolness soothe his parched mouth.
Tony waited patiently, arms crossed, before asking quietly, "What happened to you?"
Setting the glass down, John wiped his lips and met Tony's gaze seriously.
"I… saw something. Something unbelievable," he said softly.
And so, John carefully explained everything—the feeling of leaving his body, the sight of the slowly rotating galaxy in the void, and the endless field of shimmering bubbles. His voice stayed calm and steady, but Tony's eyes widened slightly as he listened.
When John finished, Tony leaned back in the chair, clearly trying to process it all.
"That's… insane," Tony finally said, shaking his head slowly. "And you're sure you weren't hallucinating or dreaming?"
John gave a tired smile. "Trust me. It felt more real than anything I've ever experienced."
Pepper, seeing that John seemed alright now, finally relaxed. She gently squeezed John's hand.
"I'm glad you're safe, John," she said warmly. Then glancing at her watch, she sighed. "I have to go take care of something at the company. You two don't get into too much trouble while talking about the mystery of the universe."
She gave a small smile before turning and walking out of the room, her footsteps fading down the hall.
Tony leaned forward again, his elbows on his knees as he stared at John thoughtfully.
"So how do you feel?" Tony asked with interest.
He knew that whenever John got the inheritance, he went unconscious, so he wasn't that worried. The only thing Tony felt was envy towards John, who somehow got the inheritance while he couldn't.
Hearing Tony, John felt his body for a while but found that there weren't any noticeable changes. Still, somehow he felt great—like he had woken up after a long time of sleep.
"I don't feel any changes so far, but I feel great for some reason," John said, preparing to close his eyes to check out the spiritual sea.
---
(This chapter is dedicated to author MarcoBR. Thank you for your kind words, bro.)