"Coward!"
"Coward!"
"Run, just run! Why resist? Don't you want to forget all this? Forget it! Forget everything!"
In the depths of Raiden mind, a dark phantom danced maniacally, wildly swinging a bottle in its hand.
The multicolored liquid inside splashed onto the void-like ground with each movement.
These vibrant liquids were fragments of Raiden past—memories he wished to erase, the pain buried deep within his heart.
Raiden Akatosh...
His hands were once stained with blood, his past marked by brutality. In an endless span of time, in a world both illusory and real, he had been a bloodthirsty monster.
Yet, in a small cave in the Marvel universe, he had also appeared utterly cowardly. Raiden had tried to discard these memories, tossing them into a corner along with the emotions he had lost. But now, they had all returned.
In this world, every cause has its effect, to end something, one must first find its beginning.
Raiden beginning in the Marvel universe lay in the Middle East, with the Ten Rings, and with that bald man. If Raiden wanted to live the life he desired in this world, he had to confront the nightmares within him.
That very night, Raiden left. He departed from the United States and returned to where it all began—the Middle East.
...
"Boss, forty thousand, forty thousand dollars, and you can drive it away right now" a car dealer stood before Raiden, holding up two fingers. Behind him was a military-green modified off-road vehicle.
"Fine, forty thousand it is" Raiden patted the car door, pulled out four stacks of dollars from his pocket, and tossed them to the dealer. Then, he opened the door and got in.
The dealer sniffed the money, ran his fingers over it, and couldn't help but grin. Doing business with wealthy patrons like this was always a pleasure.
Raiden glanced at the dealer but said nothing more. He shifted into gear and drove off.
This was Birjand, Iran, a place close to his destination. Yet, even so, it was still two hundred kilometers away from where Raiden needed to go. That's why he had chosen to buy a car for the journey.
"Sir, continue straight on this highway for forty kilometers" Serana voice came through the car GPS.
"Hmm," Raiden grunted in acknowledgment.
Having an intelligent assistant was incredibly convenient. As long as there was a network connection, Serana could provide Raiden with assistance.
Even the earlier exchange with the car dealer had been facilitated by Serana through the Bluetooth earpiece in Raiden ear.
"Sir, Mr. Stark and Mr. Ho have called you a total of twenty-seven times" Serana voice reminded Raiden after a while.
"Don't bother with them" Raiden gripped the steering wheel tightly.
This time, leaving the U.S. and coming to the Middle East, Raiden hadn't informed Tony or Yinsen. He wanted to resolve this on his own.
Raiden hadn't even asked Coulson for any additional information, only gathering a rough location before setting off.
Of course, this was mainly because Raiden knew someone who might know even more than Coulson.
"But sir, I don't think we can keep this hidden for long. If Mr. Stark wants to find out, he'll soon be able to access your departure information," Serana added.
Raiden stared straight ahead, his tense body suddenly relaxing as he leaned back and said.
"Then let him find out."
...
United States, New York.
Tony and Yinsen were sitting in Raiden's Manhattan home, their expressions visibly conflicted.
"Yinsen, where do you think Raiden went?" Tony stood up and walked to the window.
"Who knows? Maybe he just went out for some fun?" Yinsen pondered for a moment before replying.
"But it's been almost a day, and he's not answering his calls. Plus, he had Serana block both of us. He must be up to something behind our backs" Tony turned to face Yinsen.
"Don't worry, Raiden will be fine. Maybe he just wanted some alone time?" Yinsen walked over and patted Tony on the shoulder.
In truth, it would be effortless for Tony to find out where Raiden was.
He could simply have JARVIS pull up nearby surveillance footage or check Raiden phone and credit card usage.
However, out of respect for Raiden and for family, Tony felt he shouldn't casually investigate Raiden whereabouts. What if Raiden had some private matters to attend to?
Yet, out of concern for his family, even though he knew Raiden was more than capable of handling himself, Tony couldn't help but feel a bit worried.
Torn between these conflicting emotions, Tony ultimately decided to have JARVIS look into Raiden recent activities.
"Mr. Stark, Mr. Akatosh booked a flight to Birjand, Iran, at 9 PM last night. The plane arrived on schedule at 2 PM this afternoon" JARVIS announced while Tony and Yinsen were still discussing Raiden possible whereabouts.
"Iran? Birjand! Why would Raiden go back there?" Yinsen face paled as he exclaimed.
Tony, noticing Yinsen reaction, took a deep breath and asked hesitantly.
"Birjand... that's the place, right? The cave is there, isn't it?"
Yinsen nodded. "Yes, it's close to Birjand, near the border with Afghanistan. But why would Raiden go back there?!"
Yinsen couldn't believe Raiden would return to that place without a reason. After all, if it were Yinsen, he would never want to go back there—it was filled with painful memories.
"JARVIS, immediately check who Raiden has been in contact with over the past few days!" Tony ordered sharply, his mind flooded with questions.
Why would Raiden choose to return to that place alone? It wasn't exactly a vacation spot.
Tony and Yinsen sat down, closing their eyes in deep thought as they waited for JARVIS to deliver the results of the investigation, though it would take some time.
Finally, Tony abruptly stood up. He couldn't just sit there doing nothing any longer!
"Yinsen, we're going to Iran!" Tony turned to Yinsen and declared.
Yinsen looked at Tony and nodded. "I'll go book the tickets right away."
"No!"
Tony reached out to stop Yinsen and said.
"Perhaps we have another, faster way to get to Iran. Let's go, to my place."
Tony and Yinsen left Raiden house without delay and headed to Tony home on the East Coast.
As for Raiden, he had already driven off the highway and was making his way toward the chaotic border region.
In a desolate desert, amidst the remnants of bones and the scars of war, Raiden arrived at a long-unvisited place.
Before nightfall, he reached a familiar small town.
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