A New Beginning - Endgame Fixit

Soul Realm

A dim orange glow spread through the timeless nothingness. It brightened until Tony found himself standing in an empty orange realm. The only ground appeared to be water, but it supported his weight easily. The pain was completely gone. He looked down at his hands. There was no sign of the damage from the infinity stones, or any other scars. His gaze shifted to his chest, and though he knew what to expect it still startled him.

The arc reactor was gone, and his chest looked as if it had never been even scratched.

He was officially dead.

He took a shaky breath and at the same time wondered if he needed to breathe. After staring down for several more seconds he looked around. The water and the orange sky extended as far as the eye could see.

"Thought there'd be more clouds," he muttered, turning slowly in a circle.

As he lowered his gaze, he found himself staring at someone he hadn't seen in years.

"Yinsen," he said. There was no mistaking the face of the man who'd saved his life- in more ways than one- all those years ago.

"Tony," said the man with a smile, offering his hand. "It's been a long time."

"Yeah, it's...it has," Tony said, shaking it.

"You've come a long way."

Tony just nodded.

"When I told you not to waste your life, I knew you had gifts...but I never imagined you would one day save every living thing in existence. I could not be more happy with the man you've become."

It took Tony a moment to let that sink in. He'd expected to feel proud, but he mostly felt relieved. Earth was safe now. Even if it meant he was dead.

"I really did it," he said, almost to himself. "They're safe for good?"

Yinsen nodded. "The soul realm is empty again."

"Wait...," he said, trailing off. They'd only brought back those Thanos had killed. There should've been millions of dead people left.

"The soul realm is not the afterlife," Yinsen explained. "It is...an in-between place. A place where the living and dead can communicate, and where souls with undecided fates dwell. It is where those who vanished came, before you and your friends brought them back."

"What was it like for them?" He'd been under the impression that to them, five years had instantly passed, but if they were in the soul realm...

"They remained in the same mental and physical state during the entire time here. Time functions differently in this realm, so five years felt much shorter to them. They were told of their situation and were able to emotionally process it, and find joy in their return. They understand what happened without remembering how they know."

"Are they gonna be okay?"

"More than okay." Yinsen smiled. "You don't have to worry anymore."

"I'm probably going to anyway," he said with a sigh. What would it be like for Morgan? Did she know he was...dead...yet?

"Come with me," said Yinsen, turning to walk. "There are some people I want you to meet."

"Do I know them?"

Yinsen smiled. "It's my family."

As they walked along the flat, endless watery plane, more shadowy figures came into focus.

Yinsen's wife stood with a baby on one hip, a five-year-old girl holding her hand. A ten-year-old and a twelve-year-old grinned and waved as Yinsen told Tony their names.

Tony smiled at them, but it was a sad smile, and his heart felt heavy. He didn't want to miss out on that precious time, watching Morgan grow up. She was strong, but already he'd seen how hard it was for Peter without his parents, and he didn't want that for his daughter.

Yinsen seemed to read his thoughts. "I understand you left behind a family of your own."

Tony didn't say anything. His throat felt too tight.

Yinsen and his wife looked at each other and after a moment she nodded. Yinsen took a breath.

"You deserve a happy ending too."

Tony blinked, hope creeping through his heart. "You mean...I can go back?"

Yinsen nodded.

The hope bloomed, and his voice caught as he asked, "Will I remember all this?"

"It will seem to you like a dream. In a way, it is...the soul realm is very different from the physical." He gestured to Tony's scarless chest.

"So it's like that part in Harry Potter, where Dumbledore says of course it's happening in his head but it doesn't mean it's not real?" He knew he was rambling, but didn't care.

"I don't quite understand the reference, but it sounds about right."

That made sense. "I can go back," he said again.

"Yes."

A smile flooded Tony's face as relief flooded his heart. "Thank you."

"It was good to see you again, old friend," said Yinsen, holding out his hand.

Tony went for a hug instead, surprising the man at first, but Yinsen hugged him back. After several moments they let go.

"You too," Tony said.

"May your family be as happy as mine," said Yinsen.

As Tony let go, Yinsen's form blurred and the orange world faded to black.