Accompanied by the lights coming back on, Steve's actions began to play out in reverse. He stepped backward until he was back at the entrance of Stark Building. Before his entrance, he looked up. His gaze passed through the glass facade of the Stark Building and entered Stark's lab.
In the lab, JARVIS controlled a robot's body, equipping his arm with a strange electrical shock device.
Stark, who lay on the lab table, was somewhat quiet. The laboratory was filled only with the "buzzing" sound of the current. It seemed less like a scientific center and more like a prison lined with torture devices.
Suddenly, a portal appeared in the lab, from which Loki and Doctor Strange walked out.
"Your timing is perfect..." Stark began, but Loki appeared somewhat shocked. He turned to Stark and asked, "Are you really planning on seeking death through suicide?"
Stark, lying on the lab table, nodded affirmatively, appearing completely unshakeable in his decision.
Stark turned to look at Doctor Strange, who turned to Loki and said, "See? I told you, I've worn out my voice these past few days trying to change his mind, to no avail."
Afterward, he started pacing restlessly beside the lab table. "I told you, he and Shiller are both crazy. Is there really something so significant that they have to die for it?"
Loki, who had just received this news, narrowed his eyes at Stark, contemplating his mindset. He thought much deeper than Strange, thus, gaining a certain understanding of Stark's motives.
A few days ago, Stark had sought Doctor Strange's help to complete his next plan. Yet, the first step of this plan had left Doctor Strange astounded - Stark wished to seek Death through suicide.
Obviously, Stark didn't necessarily have to seek Death by such extreme measures. Perhaps if he ascended above the universe and searched meticulously, he might have been able to identify traces of Death.
But on one hand, he needed to act swiftly and complete this task as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would not be able to keep it from Steve or Professor X. These high-morally-grounded individuals would never permit him to take such a risk. If the Goddess of Death refused to let him come back, it wouldn't be just the Stark Group at loss.
The quickest method was indeed suicide. From his daily dialogues with Shiller, Stark had learned that the Goddess of Death was not completely impartial; special souls received special attention and guidance. He strongly believed that once he died, he would meet the Goddess of Death.
On the other hand, Stark and Shiller were nearly identical in many aspects. Shiller, due to his mental health, could not accept any imperfections, while Stark, owing to his inherent emotional sensitivity and sense of responsibility, forbade any of his friends from sacrificing on his behalf.
When such an occurrence took place, the guilt and self-blame would disturb his rest until he found solace by compensating with his own injuries and bloodshed.
Stark knew that each time Shiller negotiated with the Goddess of Death, he committed suicide on the spot. He was also acutely aware that even if Shiller was mentally ill, the pain and fear of facing death didn't lessen. It was to say that, in order to save them and the entire human civilization, Shiller had died many times.
If that was the case, why couldn't he die once?
He too was the savior of the human race, the most brilliant mind in the world. If others could sacrifice, why couldn't he? Why should the sacrifice always be someone other than him? This was the essence of Iron Man—thinking this way had always caused him immense pain.
During the process of Shiller's withdrawal, the members of the alliance of superheroes had suffered just as much as Shiller—it was a mutual torment.
Shiller experienced distress, while the superheroes, burdened by moral and friendship-based pressures, didn't fare much better. Stark, inherently mentally unstable, had his anxiety worsen.
For various reasons, Stark had made this extreme decision. Despite Doctor Strange's several days of persuasion and reasoning, Stark remained indomitable.
That didn't mean when confronting death directly, he would not feel fear. This was not a battlefield where one lived or died in the blink of an eye, where adrenaline had surged to the extent of numbing pain for survival. Merely hearing the activation of the shocking device, Stark began to feel incredibly apprehensive.
In the dark and cramped caves of Afghanistan, during the nights he was operating on the arc reactor on his chest by controlling the machines himself, and when the initial prototype was crashing to the ground, Stark had always gritted his teeth alone. He never revealed to anyone that he was actually afraid of the dark and pain.
Shiller was playing Shiller, Stark was playing Iron Man, and Steve was playing Captain America. Everyone could perceive each other's abnormalities, yet they acted as if oblivious—neither exposing one another nor admitting their own situations.
Stark sighed, looking at Doctor Strange and Loki, "If you consider me a friend, you should support my decision at this time..."
Doctor Strange Tucked away his bandages and said with a furrowed brow, "I've said what I've had to say, and I've tried persuasion as well. I am all talked out these past few days, but you just won't listen, insisting on suicide. What can we do?"
"I've already said it, I'm not committing suicide!" Stark emphasized again, "I am going to find the Goddess of Death, retrieve the price Shiller paid. We can't just ignore this, can we?"
Stark drew his legs up and rested his arms on his knees, saying, "Shiller paid a huge price, and in return, he got Howard and Maria. I can't just tell him, what you did was wrong, so let's cancel the deal."
"That would be unfair to him!" Stark, looking into Doctor Strange's eyes, said, "During the process of Shiller's treatment, I expressed too much emotion about missing my parents. This led him to believe that I hadn't accepted my parents' death yet, which is why he took such extreme measures, paid such a huge price, to bring them back."
"So, it's not like I can find him now and say, 'you're crazy, I never intended for this, you misinterpreted it all on your own, I never asked you to self-harm to help me, so cancel this deal right away!'"
"Even if we backtrack, as a friend, not noticing his extreme mentality and abnormal mental state is also my mistake. I must take responsibility."
Stark sighed slightly, saying, "Moreover, if I ask Shiller to cancel the deal, then Howard and Maria might die again. Facing the fear of death once is enough."
"And what about you?" Strange couldn't help but exclaim, "You said that facing the fear of death once is enough. Then, what are you doing now? Hasn't that trip to Afghanistan, where you narrowly escaped death, taught you how dreadful death is?"
Loki, the most knowledgeable about psychology among the three, crossed his arms and looked into Stark's eyes, "Although you think this is a rational decision, I must tell you, haven't you noticed that you have self-destructive tendencies?"
"You're always blaming all the problems in the world on yourself, blaming your failure to fully utilize your genius brain. Shiller drove himself to self-harm, and you're driving yourself to suicide. You're not much different."
Stark sat there, silently lowering his head. He only spoke after a few tens of seconds, "Truth be told, you, me, Stephen, and Shiller, we're all cut from the same cloth. None of us is in any position to criticise the others."
"You, Loki Odinson, you're not an Odinson, not even an Asgardian of the Aesir, but you're determined to find a perfect path for Asgard, rejecting any loss or sacrifice. You're even ready to sacrifice yourself for this goal at any time."
"And you, Stephen Strange, you never allow yourself to make mistakes, you never leave any sort of retreat for yourself. Even with a divine artifact like the Time Gem, you're unwilling to give yourself a second chance for surgery."
Stark took a deep breath and said, "We're all constantly pushing ourselves, refusing to accept any imperfections. All the pain we've gained from this, we deserved it."
Everyone in the room fell silent. Loki, who was adept at sophistry, and Strange, who was always defiant, could not find any more reasons to rebut Stark. This was because, in their hearts, they knew that among the Luminous Alliance and even the entire superhero circle, the four people Stark mentioned were the most alike.
Full of wisdom, adept at calculations, patient, persistent, greedy, and proud. They're always pursuing the endless path to perfection, which eventually leads to a road of self-destruction.
Strange sighed and decided to talk about something more realistic. So he said, "I should remind you that the fear of death is one thing, but on the other hand, it's definitely going to hurt..."
"Even if you don't know any medical knowledge, with a simple thought, you should know that the pain caused by an electric shock stopping your heart will be unparalleled. Do you still remember the pain you had during the neural intervention surgery? It's only going to hurt more than that. Moreover, you have to face death straight on!"
"Facing death straight on..." Stark mumbled in a low voice, then closed his eyes. His body began to tremble gradually and before Strange could even ask him, he gritted his teeth and said, "I feel a bit cold..."
Strange was about to refute when he realized that Stark's shivering was not due to a drop in body temperature, but spasms caused by extreme nervousness and anxiety.
But Stark wasn't looking at him, he was looking at Jarvis, who upon feeling Stark's gaze, said, "Sir, I'll go get you a coat."
After Jarvis turned around to leave, Stark weakly lay back on the bed, his eyes starting to well up with tears, like a father who was filled with pain but refused to show weakness in front of his child."
Loki heaved a sigh, looking out the window, and said, "Thor often lectured me, teaching me to accept bleeding and sacrifice."
"But the truth is, in this world, the thing that requires the most courage is to calmly accept the sacrifice of those you love on the path to reaching your goal, and after which, mustering the courage to move on."
"Guilt is a sharp knife, those who continue to march forward with this knife plunged into their hearts are the most fearless warriors in the world."
Loki closed his eyes and sighed, saying,
"The only thing I admit, where Thor surpasses me, is his ability to surge forward bravely without being knocked down by guilt and sadness, despite carrying the sacrifice and death of countless comrades."
Loki's tone was surprisingly calm. This ever defiant little prince would never utter such words in front of someone like Thor due to his pride."
"When facing Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods, I am not afraid to become the first sacrifice, just like Thor. But that doesn't prove that I am braver than him, because the Asgardians have never feared death."
Loki closed his eyes, his expression was not the usual desolation when talking about this topic, but calm and far-reaching."
If there were any Asgardians here at this moment, they would be shocked. What could make the God of Mischief exude the loyalty and determination that every Asgardian has, from his words."
"Asgardians, they hope for a Father of All Gods who leads the charge and is ready to sacrifice."
"And I, I only hold reverence for a god who has the courage to die last, the new king of Asgard."