Chapter 42: The Old Man Time

Wassup people!

I'm back! And today, I have a surprise for you. Because you guys waited for a whole week, I decided to post two chapters today! I'll probably be posting a new chapter everyday from now on until further notice.

Enjoy today's chapter and don't forget to leave comments.

Peace!

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[Still uncertain about further eruptions of Mount St. Helen, authorities have ordered the evacuation of almost half a million people as a precaution. Meanwhile, ashes have fallen away as far as Lake Tahoe and Vancouver and the entire Mount St. Helens area has been closed off within a hundred miles radius. Although no deaths have been reported, minor injuries and illnesses include-]

"Damn, who could have known that Mount St. Helena would go off like that. I know that it was active, but this was a complete surprise. I wonder what happened to it?" said Tony as he heard the news being broadcasted on the TV.

It has been a little over three weeks since Isaiah's Birthday party. Isaiah and Pepper got to know each other as they saw each other almost every day and he no longer had to hide from her. The boy would talk to her every time she would come over.

In the beginning, Pepper felt awkward around the child. She has never interacted with one and she never thought to. Of course, like most, she had ideas about what it was like to have a child, but she never thought about having one herself. There is also the fact that every time she saw the boy, she felt something ugly in her chest. It wouldn't go away. It was more like when she thought about who's child Isaiah was.

Tony Stark and another woman.

Every time she thought of that, she was assaulted by many conflicting emotions. She didn't know why she was feeling like this. She never thought had thoughts like this when her boss had one-night stands almost every week. She never felt like this when he flirted with other women.

Perhaps what triggered those emotions was how changed. He had this sort of expression that she couldn't describe when he talked about Sarah Sharpe. She had done some research on her and Tony had shown photos of her and she couldn't honestly say that her beauty was breathtaking. She could certainly see that Isaiah had inherited her eyes and his father's facial features and hair.

Of course, all this is not Isaiah's fault. She made sure to lock those feelings and throw them in the back of her mind when interacting with the child. It took a lot of time to get used to him with him being a sorcerer with untold powers that even his teacher didn't know the limit.

There was also the fact that along with the child, her whole view of the world had changed. To her, the most extraordinary thing is the rare mutants she had heard stories about. People who could fly, read minds and even move objects at will although she has never seen any of them. Mutants are known to the public. They were more like an open secret. Unfortunately, they were mostly persecuted by normal people due to them being different.

Now, she was told that that was only a small part of the work. She was told that magic existed along with a whole Pantheon of gods and monsters. She even got a demonstration on Isaiah's birthday when a pack of them attacked the Stark Mansion. Luckily, Isaiah's barrier blocked them and his demigod's friends defeated them. The shock was so much that she had to take a few days off just to digest that information. During that off, she had an existential crisis, but she was Virginia Potts. She wouldn't back down just because literal monsters that could kill her with the snap of their fingers existed. One of her boss's missiles could do the same and she was not scared of it. Why should she be scared of some god that she never met?

And so, she picked herself up and got back to work. She went back to work as if nothing happened and Tony had welcomed her back. And so that's how the weeks went by.

Right now, Tony was in the kitchen getting a drink. Isaiah was on the sofa watching the news and she was currently looking through emails her boss has received. She saw the boy looking at the TV intensively with furrowed eyebrows as he seem to be in deep thoughts.

"Because it was not supposed to happen," Isaiah said and Pepper looked at the boy with a raised eyebrow.

Tony stopped mid-sip to look at his son,

"What do you mean?" he asked.

The boy pointed at the screen which showed Mount St. Helens with its top part now blown off,

"That was done artificially," he said.

"How do you know?" asked Tony.

"A new weapon? Which weapon could be that powerful?" asked Pepper.

Isaiah shook his head,

"It's not a weapon. It was done by a person."

"A mutant or one of those monsters. Maybe a god? There are too many possibilities. You gotta be more specific, kiddo," Tony asked.

Isaiah shook his head once more,

"Nah, it was done by a demigod. One that we know too well."

It was then Pepper and Tony came to one conclusion.

"Percy?" the man asked in disbelief

"Bingo! Yup, it was him."

"But how? And why would he do this? He doesn't seem like a kid who would do this." asked Tony as his drink was left abandoned.

"I know. I was sure there was an explanation so I asked Teacher about it. Are you perhaps familiar with the stories of the Labyrinth in Greek mythology?" Isaiah said as he turned around to face them.

"Are you talking about the maze invented by Daedalus under the order of King Minos?" Pepper asked.

Both males turned toward her,

"You know Greek mythology?" asked Tony.

Pepper deadpanned,

"I was informed that those myths were not myths anymore, Tony. So I decided to do a little homework and try to read as many myths as possible."

"Right. Right. So you were saying?" Tony replied as he turned back to Isaiah.

"Yeah well. Greek myth moves according to where civilization's flames burn the brightest. This means that, throughout history, it settles in the country which has the most influence in the world. At the start, it was Ancient Greece, then the Roman Empire and it continued so on."

"Now, it's the US." Tony finished.

Isaiah nodded,

"That's right. So along with many of the myths, the places mentioned also changed like the Labyrinth."

"Are you saying the Labyrinth is in some place in the US?" asked Pepper.

"Some place?" Isaiah replied with a snort. "The Labyrinth is a self-aware and malevolent maze where time and space get wonky. Today, it's as big as the USA itself" the boy declared.

"Shit."

"Tony!" Pepper said. "Don't use that language in front of Isaiah."

"What? He's twelve already. Kids his age curses like sailors." Tony replied.

"Doesn't matter"

"*Sigh* So what's going on?"

"Well, you know how there is a war between the titans and the gods right now?"

"Yeah."

"Apparently, the Titan of Time's forces are trying to find a way to navigate through it because one of their spies has found an entrance directly into the heart of Camp Half-Blood. After that, the camp sent a group to find out more information about it. Fast forward to two weeks ago, I asked Teacher about what happened to the volcano and she told me that Percy was the cause of it though he mostly did it by accident. And now the camp thinks that he's dead since they can't find him." Isaiah said.

"Aaaand, looking at your expression, he's not?" Tony asked.

Isaiah turned back to watch the TV,

"Yup. According to Teacher, he's on some island meeting a pretty girl. Teacher advised me to not tell anyone about it. In fact, she didn't want to tell me about the future due to my power to defy Fate. But she compromised. She'll tell me if I don't tell anyone. Besides, she told me I didn't need to interfere since it'll work out in the end. Why fix something that's not broken?" the boy finished.

Tony decided to gloss over the fact about Percy meeting a pretty girl. He didn't even know if Isaiah knew what a pretty girl looked like.

"So you didn't tell anyone at the camp that he's alive. Don't you think that they'd be worried? And what about Percy'd mother?" asked Pepper.

"Oh, they're already worried since they're the ones who told me of Percy's supposed death. However, Zeus doesn't like me and he "banished"..." Isaiah made air quotes, "me from interfering with Greek matters. And I already told Sally that she didn't need to worry."

"Wait, hold up. Why doesn't he like you and why would he banish you?" Tony asks incredulously.

Just what did his son do for the King of gods to not like him?

"I told you before. I have the power to defy Fate which is a huge thing for a mythical pantheon. It could either destroy them or help them. And with Zeus's personality and paranoia, he would rather have me killed than ask for help."

"For real?"

"For real. That god's paranoia is on the next level."

Pepper simply gawked at the boy who just admitted that he had a major god wanting to kill him.

"Also, the second reason is I'm part of the Order of Masters of Mystic Arts. It's a completely different faction and me helping them could also involve the Order which would incur huge political ramifications."

"The hell? Then why are you still talking to your friends? Wouldn't it be a huge problem?"

"I said I can't interfere, not communicate. It's not like all the gods hate me. Poseidon and Hades were against having me killed so I guess you could say that I'm not their target at the moment. Besides, if I tell them that Percy is still alive, it will change the existing timeline and I don't know if it will be for the better or the worse. The power to change destiny is a double-edged sword, you know."

It was then Pepper spoke while rubbing her temples,

"I didn't understand much about what you said, but what you are saying is that we don't have to worry?"

"That's right. According to Teacher, he should be arriving today."

"Oh good. Should we be worried about the war between the two forces?" asked Tony.

Isaiah shook his head,

"Not for now. The Order will make sure that it stays between them and that it won't harm any normal human. Can I have some juice?"

Tony nodded and brought out a carton of juice before pouring the liquid into a glass.

"Here."

Suddenly, the glass floated off the table and flew in the boy's hand without dropping a single drop.

"Thanks."

Tony raised an eyebrow,

"How convenient. I wonder if I can learn it?"

"You could if you're ready to drop everything and spend a lot of time amongst monks reading books and meditating."

Without a single moment of hesitation, Tony denied the proposal,

"Yeah, that's not going to work for me. I better stick with my science and inventions."

Isaiah shrugged,

"Suit yourself."

Pepper couldn't help but smile at their interaction. It was honestly quite jarring how much Tony had changed in the last few months. The man who kept almost everyone at distance and would sleep with any beautiful woman was now changing into a man trying to care for his child. Even if said child was an overpowered sorcerer. But the simple fact that the man who didn't wasn't responsible enough for anything was now learning to raise a child was a sight that she didn't think was possible to be seen.

Soon it was lunchtime and all three of them sat down to eat. The food today was being served by robots. As Isaiah was sitting on his chair. A small robot cane up to him to give him his plate. Today was chicken alfredo pasta along with salad and some pie as dessert. As soon as he was about to dig into the appetizing food, he was suddenly overcome with a sense of drowsiness.

"Tony?"

The man looked up from his plate,

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm about to pass out. Could you catch me so I don't ruin the food?" Isaiah calmly said shocking both adults.

"WHAT!?"

"I'll... tell you... laterrr..." Isaiah could barely say his last words before his face started to tip forward.

Seeing the child pass out, Pepper had the quick reflexes to catch his face before it fell into the food. Tony had sprung forward to catch his body which started to slip off its chair.

"What's going on!?" the man said in a panic.

"I'll call an ambulance!" Pepper said and she was about to pick up the phone when the man stopped her.

"Wait! We can't!"

Pepper looked at him incredulously,

"Why not!"

"Because he's not even supposed to be known to the public!"

"Then what should we do?"

"Hold him, I'll call his Teacher maybe she can magic him awake or something. Tony said and leaned the boy towards the woman who grabbed Isaiah.

Tony quickly picked up the phone and called the Ancient One.

[To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Stark, ] Fiona answered

"Isaiah passed out of the blue when we were about to have dinner! What do I do!?"

[I see. What did Isaiah look like before passing out?]

"I don't know. But he looked calm at me. He even warned me."

[Alright, Mr. Stark. Would you place the child on a soft surface like a mattress or a sofa?]

"Yeah. I'll do just that."

Tony picked up the boy who was surprisingly heavy and laid him on the sofa.

"Now what?"

[Now you let him rest.]

"Do you know why he passed out? Do I need to do something?"

[You don't have to worry, Mr. Stark. Isaiah is most likely having a vision.]

"Vision?"

[That's right. When he came back from the Akashic Records, the child kept a connection with that place. Due to it being a compendium of knowledge from the past, the present, and the future, Isaiah sometimes gains knowledge from it through visions.]

"What kind of visions?" Tony asked.

[It could be just about anything. The future, unknown spells, visions of another world, the past. It could be just about anything. Please call me when the child wakes up, I will be coming over.]

"A-Alright. See you then."

[See you then, Mr. Stark. And you don't have to worry since Isaiah is a really strong child with an incredible will.]

"Okay. Thanks." Tony replied and hung up

"So?" Pepper asked.

"She said he was going to be fine and he would wake up soon."

"But why did he pass out?"

Tony pressed his lips in hesitation before explaining.

Pepper understood a little,

"So is this going to be a normal occurrence?" she asked.

"From his teacher's tone of voice, she said it was normal and that we shouldn't worry."

Pepper simply nodded as she looked at the boy who was asleep. Although, if she looked closely, she would see his eyes twitching under his eyelids.

***

As soon as his vision was engulfed in black, Isaiah immediately knew that it was the start of one of his visions.

'Huh. Haven't had one in a while. Let's see what the Root has to show me this time.'

Soon the black void he was in started to shift as colours returned and, not before long, his vision cleared. It was then Isaiah was confused. He looked around and saw an unfamiliar scene. He looked around and saw that he was in some sort of office. Looking down, he saw that he still had his body.

*Scritch* *Scritch*

The boy looked up and found himself looking at an elderly-looking man. He looked around sixty, but Isaiah could tell that this was no ordinary man. Sporting white hair and a sharp white beard, he also had a mischievous grin. He could see that the old man was well built even with the clothing he had on. However, the most unusual feature was his eyes.

They glowed blood-red.

He wore a scholar's cloak over what seemed like a dignified uniform. Isaiah had seen those types of clothes on the internet. They were usually worn by scholars and professors. The man was also wearing white gloves and a cane rested beside him by leaning on his desk. He seemed to be writing something on a paper when he suddenly stopped. Isaiah looked at him as he slowly put his pen down and, to the boy's confusion, suddenly grinned.

"Hoh? How interesting." the man says.

He then lifted his head and stared directly where Isaiah was.

"It seems like we have an unusual guest today."

It was then Isaiah finally realized who he was talking to.

"So what can this old man do for you, my otherworldly friend?" The man asked as he

The old man was Kischur Zelretch Shweinorg and the user of the Second True Magic, Kaleidoscope.

Isaiah was shocked. Although he has heard of him when he first connected to the root, he doesn't actually know him. And this was the first time, someone not from his Reality Marble, has interacted with him. The boy decided to try his luck and opened his mouth.

"Y-You can see me?" he asked.

Zelretch smirked,

"Was I not supposed to?"

Isaiah was now confused. Was this really a vision or did he actually travel to another world?

"I don't know? I mean this is a first for me."

"Really? Interesting." the Wizard Marshall.

The sorcerer then got up from his chair and walked up to the boy. Isaiah had to look up since the man towered him by a lot. Of course, he was still twelve years old and the one in front of him was over a thousand.

Zelretch then kneeled down and his eyes met Isaiah's.

"I see. So that's how it is."

Isaiah tilted his head,

"That's how what is?"

Zelretch raised his hand towards the boy. Isaiah wanted to step back in reflex, but the man was too fast and, to his surprise, the hand passed through Isaiah as if the boy was some sort of ghost.

"Huh?" Isaiah let out.

Zelretch eyes twinkled as he stroked his beard.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho! This is really amusing! What's your name boyo?"

"Isaiah. Isaiah Sharpe."

"Isaiah Sharpe, aye? Nice to meet you, my boy. I go by many titles such as Wizard Marshall or Kaleidoscope or even the Old Man Time! But my name is Kischur Zelretch Shweinorg. I'm the one known as the user of the Second True Magic, the Kaleidoscope." Zelretch introduced himself and gave a dramatic bow with a hand to his heart.

"How about you introduce yourself Mr. Sharpe and tell me how you landed in this particular situation?"

Isaiah didn't know what to do. This was the first time he was in this sort of situation. Luckily, the man in front of him wasn't hostile for now. Besides, it seems like he already knew that he was from another world.

"Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg. I've heard about you."

The old man raised an eyebrow,

"Do you, now? Am I known from wherever you are?"

Isaiah shook his head,

"No. In fact, you don't exist from where I am."

Zelretch grinned at the unexpected news,

"So you're from that kind of world. Tell me, how do you know about me if I don't exist in your world?"

Isaiah grinned,

"The same way you got your Magic."

Zelrerch corrected the boy,

"I don't know about your world, but here we call it Magecraft."

Isaiah grinned,

"I know."

The Wizard Marshall looked at the pre-teen for a moment before realization settled. He then began to laugh. He began to laugh hard as he held his forehead in his palm and gripped his cane really hard.

"Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Incredible! Simply incredible!"

Zelretch turned back to the boy and the latter could see a wild look in his glowing red eyes.

"Do you know what you're saying, my boy!? Do you understand the implications of the words you just said!?"

Isaiah shrugged,

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't know."

"J-Just how old are you my boy?"

"I'm twelve."

The Dead Apostle Ancestor was speechless. Here was a child, not even in his teens, claiming that he had reached a goal that the vast majority of magic could only hope to dream: The Swirl of Root. A boy had reached the Root! Was that even possible?

"Astonishing! Let us talk more! Have a seat." Zelretch said as he mentioned to the chair in front of the desk.

"Huh, Sure," Isaiah replied.

He was about to move to the chair when he found out he couldn't. He felt like he could only move his head. Noticing him not moving, the old man asked him,

"What's wrong, boyo?"

"I can't move and I don't know why. Maybe because this was supposed to be a vision?" Isaiah replied.

Zelretch looked at him,

"Possibly. Right now, only a part of your soul is present. I'm sure that no one would notice you due to your special circumstance."

"Why's that?"

"Because it seems like only those who have a connection to the Root could possibly see you. Even then, I only noticed you when I felt dimensional turbulence right in front of me. No matter, if you can't seat then I'll remain standing. I may look old, but I'm still as spry as a bull." the old man replied as he stood in front of Isaiah,

"Now, is there a time limit in this vision?"

Isaiah gave him a half-lidded stare,

"You're not going to try to find me and kidnap me to experiment on me do you?"

Zelretch simply laughed at the question,

"No, no. I don't have any desire to do that. Although, I will try to find you."

Isaiah simply stared at him before shrugging,

"Alright. About my vision, they're inconsistent so I can't really tell."

"I see. Let us make the most out of it then. Tell me, how is your world?"

Isaiah thought about what to say,

"Well for one, we don't have magecraft. In fact, mana is extremely rare over there. I'm probably the only one that has mana generated by magic circuits."

"What? Then how do you use magic or magecraft?" Zelrectch asked intrigued

"The thing is that the magic system over there is completely different. Actually, the entire universe is probably different from here. It would be better to show since there is too much to put in words. However, in the Order that I'm part of, the sorcerers perform spells by borrowing power from different dimensions of our universe."

Zelretch stroked his beard,

"Interesting. I must find a way to your world. But from what you are describing, your world is part of another multiverse."

This stumped the boy.

"Say what now?"

Zelretch gave the boy a massive grin and spread his arm wide open. His next words would shock the boy.

"Your world is part of a different multiverse, boyo. In turn, your multiverse, my multiverse and the rest of the other infinite multiverses are part of a greater system: the Omniverse."