The streets outside were always full of life, the sound of honking taxis and the murmur of crowds. 'Its always so busy' I thought while I put my shoes on, a worn pair of sneakers that had seen better days, and grabbed my backpack from the floor.
"Thanks, grandpa," I said while throwing the bag over my shoulder as Harold handed me my lunch. "I'll be home by five, grandpa"
"Be careful out there, Liam. The city doesn't slow down for anyone," he warned with a smile. The familiar sight of his caring face was something I would never want to miss in my life.
I nodded and left, stepping out into the busy streets of New York. To everyone else, it was just another Monday morning. But to me, every moment in this world felt like walking on a tightrope between two realities. Because this wasn't just any New York City. This was the New York City. The one from the Marvel universe.
I still remember the first time I realized where I was. I had been young around seven or eight. Harold had taken me to the local bookstore, and while he wandered toward the history section, I'd walked past a comic book stand. The bright colors and bold characters immediately drew me in, but it was the name on the cover that stopped me: Stark Industries.
I felt my stomach drop as I realized what world I was in. 'Tony Stark? The Avengers?' I thought. 'I was living in their world?' That was the moment everything clicked. I had been reborn into a place where the lines between fiction and reality basically didnt exist. And I knew how the story went.
I wasn't an ordinary kid. I had the memories of another life---a life where the Marvel Cinematic Universe was just that, fiction. But here? Here was real---or at least, I thought it was. Somewhere out there in the universe was a mad titan, Thanos, capable of massacring half the population from entire planets.
It was a lot to take in as a kid, but over the years, I'd learned to accept it. I hadn't told Harold, of course. How could I explain to him that I knew the future? And that i could predict what would happen in the future because I'd seen it in movies from my past life?
But even with that knowledge, I wasn't a part of that world. Not yet, anyway. I was just a teenager going to high school, living in a cramped apartment while trying to act normal.
Tony Stark was alive. The Avengers were out there. And sooner or later, this world will collapse into choas.
-------flashback end---------
The day passed uneventfully, I sat through class after class, trying to focus, but my mind kept drifting. There were too many thoughts fighting for space in my head—too many things that made school feel insignificant compared to the larger, more extraordinary world out there. I mean, who cared about algebra when you knew the universe had beings like Thanos in it?
When the final bell rang, I bolted out of the building. The fresh air felt good against my face as I wandered through the streets, hoping to clear my head. But the more I tried to push the thoughts away, the more they resurfaced. The more I wondered if, in a world filled with superheroes, gods, and cosmic forces, could I ever be more than just… ordinary?
That thought lingered as I made my way to the library. Harold had always encouraged my love for history. I'd grown up fascinated by old myths and forgotten civilizations, the stories of ancient life. And now, in this universe, those myths weren't just stories—they could be real. The Infinity Stones, the Eye of Agamotto, Mjolnir—these weren't legends anymore.
I found my usual spot in the library, opening a few books on ancient history, though my mind was somewhere else. Because in this world, power wasn't a distant fantasy—it was real. People like Tony Stark built their own destiny while Thor wields the divine power of a hammer god. And here I was, sitting in a library, armed with knowledge.
A wry smile tugged at my lips. 'Maybe I should start digging up ruins in search of some artifacts—find my own Infinity Stone while I'm at it.' But the more I considered it, the more it seemed like a unreasonable idea. Nothing more then a wishful fantasy.
As I flipped through the pages of another old book, I was hoping to catch sight of an ancient map, half-erased by time. Somewhere out there, buried in the past or hidden by history, something that could be used to tip the scales. A secret power, a forgotten truth. Something that could give me a place in this universe--a way to be more than just a spectator.