Mordo didn't seem happy at all, but since the Ancient One had spoken, he couldn't argue against it.
"Tony, we should leave," Liam said.
"Yeah, yeah. By the way, does this place need a little—let's call it 'modernization'? I could send some people in to upgrade the infrastructure. Y'know, throw in some better lighting, maybe a heating system?" Tony suggested.
"Mr. Stark, these walls were woven with magic, not mere bricks and mortar. They cannot be altered so easily. However, if you truly wish to contribute, I would be intrigued to see a blueprint that blends magic with modern innovation. Kamar-Taj would welcome such a creation," the Ancient One replied smoothly, amusement flickering in her tone.
Around them, several apprentices stifled chuckles.
Even Liam smirked. If Tony wanted to flaunt his wealth, might as well put it to good use.
"Oh, challenge accepted," Tony said, completely unfazed. "Give me a week, and I'll draft something that'll make this place look like a five-star magical retreat."
"Fenrir, take us to his home," Liam said.
Fenrir barked happily and stepped forward, opening a swirling black portal. The gathered apprentices stared, stunned.
"Wait, that's a portal?"
"That doesn't look anything like ours."
"I don't even know how to use a Sling Ring yet, and this thing just rips open space like it's nothing? Am I officially worse than a wolf?"
"If you know you're worse than a wolf, maybe try training harder," another apprentice shot back.
Their murmurs carried on for a while before they reluctantly returned to their studies.
The Ancient One, however, remained unfazed. She had witnessed far stranger things in her lifetime.
"I did not expect Fenrir to actually pull that off," Tony admitted. Then he pointed at the wolf with mock seriousness. "Fenrir, congratulations. You're now an honorary member of Stark Mansion. Full access. All the treats you want."
Fenrir wagged its tail in approval.
By now, they had all come to understand that Fenrir wasn't just an ordinary wolf—it fully comprehended their words and responded accordingly. In fact, ever since Fury had discovered Fenrir's capabilities, he had discreetly added the wolf to the Avengers' roster. Not officially, of course, but the sentiment was there.
After uncovering Hydra's infiltration of SHIELD, Fury had been quietly erasing and corrupting the organization's classified data for months. Any sensitive information on the Avengers? Scrubbed clean or replaced with disinformation. Tony had been actively helping him with this, ensuring that if SHIELD ever fell, Hydra wouldn't get their hands on anything truly dangerous.
"Return the books to the address when you're done. And don't go handing out everything—tell Yinsen to be stingy with the sharing," Liam said.
"Please. You think I just give away the good stuff?" Tony smirked.
Liam wasn't concerned about the Ancient One, but he didn't fully trust the apprentices of Kamar-Taj—especially with Kaecilius and Mordo still around. Giving them unrestricted access to certain knowledge was like arming them with weapons. And while the Ancient One had assured him that mastering multiple forms of magic was difficult, Liam wasn't one to take unnecessary risks.
Not with minds as sharp as theirs in the mix.
Now that they were back, Tony and Rogers had questions about Kamar-Taj and what they were, and Liam gave them a more detailed explanation from what he knew. The long line of Sorcerer Supremes started from Vishanti. He also spoke of the three Sanctums standing tall, always safeguarding Earth from other-dimensional monsters.
"So, what's the deal with the Bifrost manipulation she mentioned?" Rogers asked, frowning as he recalled it.
Liam hesitated for a bit before saying, "This isn't exactly magic. My eyes and my hands are basically Bifrost manipulation of the highest order, which gives me various capabilities."
"And you just conveniently left that out before?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Thor would have thrown a royal tantrum since his best friend is Heimdall," Liam replied.
That made both of them laugh. Liam was right—Thor knowing someone else had the same kind of power as his best friend would definitely stir up some drama.
"Yeah, I'd pay good money to see his reaction when he finds out," Tony smirked.
"Anyway, I'm heading out. You two have a trial coming up, so you better be ready," Liam said before stepping into the portal made by Fenrir.
But his happy days were soon over as Fury called him to Stark Tower one day. He didn't turn it down—he was getting a bit bored at home anyway.
"Fenrir, how do you feel about a little fun?" Liam asked.
"Good boy..." Liam said, then asked him to open a portal to Stark Tower. As soon as he walked in, he saw that everyone had already arrived.
"You held out on me, didn't you?" Liam asked, eyeing the room.
"Wasn't my idea. But you're the one who gave us the intel, so you needed to be here," Fury said, arms crossed.
"What intel?"
"The Red Room," Natasha said, her voice laced with venom. Her anger was unmistakable.
"Alright, I'm in," Liam replied. That didn't exactly make Rogers or Tony happy, but they weren't about to argue.
"Our guys in SHIELD finally tracked Dreykov to an abandoned gulag in Siberia," Fury said.
"Siberia? A gulag? Wow. Nothing screams 'Soviet nostalgia' like that," Tony scoffed.
"From what we know, he's trying to build what looks like a flying ship—thanks to a bunch of kidnapped scientists from all over the world. If we go in, this won't just be a takedown mission—it's a rescue op too," Fury said. He then opened a satellite image of the place and pulled up a 3D model of the facility.
" This place is built like a fortress. The main structure is a reinforced Soviet-era gulag, but Dreykov's made some serious upgrades. High-tech security, automated defenses, and patrols running on a tight schedule. We're looking at a total lockdown if we trip any alarms."
He swiped a hand across the interface, highlighting a large underground section.
"This is where they're keeping the Widows. Converted prison blocks—cells reinforced with biometric locks and surveillance at all times. From what we gathered, there are at least thirty active Widows being held here, possibly more. We don't know how Dreykov why he keeps them in prisons, I am guessing they don't listen to his commands well, possibly instable minds of all of them."