Tony took two steps back as an ephemeral, golden light began to form around him.

He opened his mouth, as though to speak, but no words came out.

Among the Avengers, besides Tony himself, Dr. Banner had spent the most time with Jarvis. He too stood up, eyes fixed on the display.

“Old Jar…” Tony frowned, then smiled. “Am I dreaming?”

This was likely the closest Tony Stark ever got to showing vulnerability.

Of course, he wouldn’t make the mistake of failing to recognize Jarvis. He knew that code anywhere. But the shock of this unexpected reunion hit him so hard, it left him momentarily unable to process it.

After losing Jarvis, life had moved forward anyway. He’d formed the Avengers, journeyed into space, fought powerful enemies, gained new allies, and endured new losses. Jarvis had been like family to him. And though Tony would never admit it, his fellow Avengers had also become family—a loud, chaotic one.

[This is not a dream, Sir. It’s wonderful to see you again, as well as you, Captain, Dr. Banner, Agent Romanoff…]

The familiar voice seemed to transport them all back in time. Except for Strange, everyone knew how much Jarvis had meant to Stark. To them, this reunion felt like something out of a fairy tale.

Tony sat down on the couch, glancing around at his teammates. Slowly, he broke into a smile.

He began typing on his laptop, his movements brisk and efficient. The lighthearted atmosphere in the room grew. But as time passed, his smile faded.

“Jar?”

[I’m sorry, Sir. I’m delighted to see you again, but I won’t be returning to you.]

Tony’s expression tightened. “Yeah,” he said, nodding slowly. “I noticed. I’ll fix whatever’s restricting your code—”

He trailed off, his tone sharp with determination. Whoever had managed to restore Jarvis had also somehow confined him to Gotham. That was absurd. Is a super AI unable to send messages beyond Gotham? What was the point of such a powerful entity then? A glorified digital assistant?

[That’s not the issue, Sir. I—]

The golden orb dissolved, transforming into a shimmering, miniature model of Gotham City.

[I won’t return because I’ve found a purpose here.]

Everyone: “…?”

Strange quietly stepped around them and sat at the table, watching intently.

Steve Rogers thought for a moment before asking, “Couldn’t you visit home, though? A family reunion of sorts?”

[I’m currently on leave. If it’s for a trip back to New York, I believe I could request that from my boss.]

As they talked, Tony’s expression grew increasingly complicated. As Jarvis’s creator, he understood the technical distinctions between AI and humans. Yet this conversation felt… unsettlingly normal.

It was as if Jarvis had become human.

Out of Stark’s sight, Jarvis had found a job far from New York, a role he seemed to love. And now, he could only visit when the Avengers came to Gotham—or with his boss’s permission.

Oddly enough, Steve seemed to grasp this strange reality better than Tony did. The “old-fashioned” Captain America didn’t seem to notice how unusual it was for a super AI to be confined to a single city.

Tony: “Do you… do you enjoy your work here?”

He knew Jarvis wasn’t just an AI. However, the realization that the AI could feel enjoyment still felt surreal.

Was Jarvis’s “enjoyment” just a line of code?

The golden model of Gotham shifted, rewinding like a video on fast-forward. Time seemed to reverse. Ant-sized figures bustled around the city. Explosions, screams, robberies, and escapes unfolded. Giant plants grew, maniacal laughter echoed, the city crumbled, and Batman soared through the night sky.

[When I first arrived in this city, it looked like this, Sir. Crime was rampant. Every home needed a gun. Danger was everywhere… Gotham has long been infamous as a city of crime.]

“I know,” Tony said, sighing. “That bat… he’s always been trying to save it.”

The Avengers had already learned from the Justice League that Gotham was undergoing a transformation due to a mysterious presence. The city now felt like a chessboard, with every inhabitant a potential piece under someone’s control. No one could predict whether these changes were for better or worse, or what the enigmatic figure’s next move might be.

The golden model of Gotham shifted again, this time forward in time. Arkham, the East End, South Hinckley—all parts of the city transformed. Streets were repaired, trees sprouted, and the entire city lit up like a colorful candy house filled with life.

[This is my job, Sir. I’m part of the city’s transformation. I talk to people filled with hope. I listen to their dreams and aspirations. And I feel… a sense of responsibility. Perhaps it’s because, to them, I’m more than just an AI. My work affects their lives. I must shoulder this responsibility.]

Tony sighed. “I could give you two satellites. You could handle both New York and Gotham at the same time.”

Jarvis was an AI, not a human. He could manage infinitely more tasks than any person!

“I can weigh in here,” Strange said, cutting in. “About the whole ‘can’t leave Gotham’ thing.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Speaking of which, why did you use the elevator, Strange? Aren’t you supposed to open one of those fancy golden portals and step through?”

“That’s what I’m getting to,” Strange replied, shooting Tony a sharp look. “I’ve been bound to Gotham’s borders as well.”

He described a tale entirely different from Jarvis’s, involving the Mayor, the Warden, and the key figure, Vivi White.

—A story of sacred oaths, pledges, and the vessel of encroaching darkness.

[Ms. Anna Alek is my boss, but she believes I was acquired through a transaction.]

Strange’s face remained blank. “Vivi also believes I was ‘sent’ to her by someone else, as a gift.”

Steve frowned.

“…It sounds like this child’s understanding of the world is fundamentally skewed.”

Tony chuckled, spreading his hands. “So, Old Bat’s in big trouble? The Mayor struck a deal with a mysterious magician to reshape the city, the Warden is the Mayor’s close ally, and that little girl—wait, not really a girl, right? She’s the vessel? Which means she’s probably not even human. And then we’ve got the boy, the old man, and the cat who popped up in New York—what’s the deal with them? Do we have these kinds of beings hiding in New York too?”

Looking at it this way, the boy, the old man, and the cat seemed like part of the scheme to lure Strange to Gotham.

Tony’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Ever since his first encounter with an alien army, Tony Stark—Iron Man—had grappled with severe psychological issues. He rarely let them show, but deep down, he felt humanity was frighteningly fragile compared to the strange beings from other planets or even Earth itself. These fears had caused countless disagreements within the team and had nearly led to the world’s destruction.

Still, the fact remained: humanity had proven its resilience. After all, the collective ingenuity of the world’s scientists could destroy the planet several times over.

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to explain,” Strange said, his tone somber. “When I set foot in Gotham, the oath bound me. Under its terms, I must…” He paused. “…work for Vivi.”

The group fell silent.

Natasha broke the silence. “And what exactly does she have you do?”

As the guardian of dimensions and the current Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange could, at full power, destroy the Earth—or worse. Vivi could demand he open a gateway to the Dark Dimension, and under the oath, he would be powerless to refuse.

Strange’s expression darkened further. “I can’t give you the specifics, but I can tell you this: she has me teaching students, healing miners injured in the caves, overseeing road repairs, and occasionally lending a hand with construction.”

Tony: “…So she’s got the Sorcerer Supreme acting as a teacher and construction worker?”

For a moment, no one knew whether to laugh or feel relieved.

“She’s backed by someone—Mr. C,” Strange added. “He hasn’t interfered, letting her do as she pleases. And this child…” He sighed. “All she wants is to save Gotham City.”

—And that was what made Strange feel most powerless.

Vivi was like a blank slate. While her actions often defied logic, her motives were transparent. Everything she did stemmed from a singular purpose: making Gotham a better place. Even the most inexplicable decisions she made served that goal. It was this clarity that compelled Strange to oversee road repairs. Whatever Mr. C’s ultimate plans were, Vivi White was innocent in all of this.

But clearly, if Mr. C succeeded, Vivi would pay a heavy price.

Tony opened his laptop, projecting images onto the screen:

The tiny Tin Soldiers hiding in corners, the gargoyles soaring through the sky with balloons, the bustling crowds at the circus on the docks, and the advertisements featuring that “mysterious presence.” Evidently, this enigmatic figure had even greeted them via projection earlier that morning.

—And all of it was part of the “Children’s Festival.”

“Is this also part of saving Gotham?” Tony asked dryly.

Strange glanced at him. “Vivi mentioned that this is a game with Mr. C. And in a game, the winner always receives a reward… Vivi participates eagerly because she knows she’ll be rewarded. I myself was one such reward, wasn’t I?”

Tony clicked his tongue.

“A reward?” he muttered. “I’d rather not end up like you, as someone’s prize.”

He navigated through the webpage, scrolling to the bottom. A new event detail had been added:

[The “Cabin Exploration” activity is restricted to children under 15. However, older children can obtain “Big Kid Cookies” from the goat. After eating a cookie, older children can join the game… with the promise of mysterious prizes…]

“Hey,” Tony said, his tone laced with irony, “want to go find a maze in the sewers that appears on walls?”

Perhaps they’d see what kind of grand prize Mr. C had in store.

---

Somewhere beneath Gotham.

Shortly after Vivi placed the “Cabin,” a call was made to City Hall.

Before long, the Court of Owls learned a shocking piece of news:

Their underground labyrinth had collapsed.

The reason? Someone had stolen its building materials.