The bus moved smoothly through the city traffic. Sebastian leaned back, letting his thoughts drift as he stared out at the glowing skyline.
Suddenly, the bus jerked to a stop. Passengers gasped, some standing to look out the front. A loud boom echoed through the air, followed by the clash of metal.
Snapping out of his daze, Sebastian opened the window and peered ahead. Two armored figures were fighting in the street. One was a huge, heavy gray suit throwing punches like a wrecking ball. The other was a sleeker red-and-gold suit, moving fast and dodging with skill.
It didn't take long for Sebastian to figure it out.
This had to be Tony Stark—Iron Man—and his first major battle. What luck to witness it live.
And what better chance to get Stark's attention?
Without wasting time, Sebastian pulled up his hood, climbed out the bus window, and disappeared into the crowd. In a quiet alley, he whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa," and used the charm on himself. With a few light steps, he launched into the air, quickly closing in on the fight.
Stane, wearing the bulky Iron Monger armor, had just lifted a car filled with women and children, ready to throw it at Tony.
Sebastian raised his wand and aimed.
The car stopped mid-air, gently floating to the side and landing safely on the ground. The driver, a panicked mother, slammed the gas pedal and sped away.
One less thing to worry about.
Both Tony and Stane turned toward Sebastian.
"Who are you?" Tony asked, eyes narrowed.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" Stane growled.
Sebastian didn't bother answering. He pointed his wand at Stane—and with a sharp motion, the giant suit lifted off the ground. Stane shouted in anger, flailing inside.
With another flick, Sebastian launched him across the city, sending him crashing toward an empty construction site.
Then he turned to Tony.
"Finish the fight there," he said. "Too many people here."
Tony blasted into the sky without a word, chasing after Stane, who had just been hurled away. Sebastian followed using Wingardium Leviosa, floating up in powerful bounds. He was slower than Iron Man, but the distance wasn't far—he caught up quickly.
Tony's arc reactor, the one he'd built while trapped in a cave, was nearly out of power. He couldn't use his suit at full strength, so he had to rely on fists and quick moves.
Sebastian landed with a sharp flick of his wand, canceling his levitation spell. He didn't hesitate—he aimed at the giant suit's chest and shouted, "Reducto!" A flash of white light struck the armor, leaving only a dent.
It wasn't enough.
Most of Sebastian's powerful spells were made to hurt living things, not metal machines. He knew bigger attacks like Bombarda Maxima or Fiendfyre could do real damage, but those were out of reach for him—at least for now.
The Iron Monger spun and opened fire. Its Gatling gun roared, spitting bullets at Sebastian.
He raised his wand. "Protego!" A magical shield appeared, stopping the bullets mid-air—but the gun was powerful. The shield shimmered and rippled under pressure. He could feel the strain.
Tony swooped in and landed a heavy punch on the Iron Monger's arm, knocking the gun's aim off.
Sebastian didn't waste the opening. He moved fast, circled around, aimed at the armor's knee joint, and fired another Reducto!
This time, the spell hit a weak spot.
BOOM!
The leg joint sparked and gave way, and the massive suit dropped down on one knee.
Inside the armor, Stane roared. "What did you do to my armor?!"
Metal groaned as he forced the suit back up, but the leg dragged behind.
Sebastian stepped forward. "Stane, stand down. We're not going easy on you."
Stane didn't answer—he just threw a punch that sent Tony flying. Then he aimed a rocket right at Sebastian.
Sebastian reacted instantly. He aimed at the ground, flicked his wand upward, and shouted, "Confringo!"
The ground exploded upward, forming a thick stone wall. The rocket slammed into it, bursting into flames and rubble—but the blast didn't reach him.
Sebastian gritted his teeth. Transfiguration spells like that took a lot of energy. He was running low.
Still, he wasn't done.
He aimed one more time at the damaged leg and fired Reducto again.
CRACK!
The consecutive attacks shattered the joint, rendering the leg powerless. The massive suit collapsed to one knee, and no matter how Stane struggled, it wouldn't rise again.
"Dang it! What did you do to my armor?!" Stane yelled.
With a loud roar, the Iron Monger fired another rocket at Sebastian. But Sebastian was ready. He flicked his wand and summoned a slanted Protego shield. The rocket bounced off and exploded harmlessly in the sky.
"Tony, go for his targeting system!" Sebastian shouted.
He wasn't worried about using names—he'd been listening to them talk during the fight and knew it wouldn't raise questions.
Tony gave a quick nod. He was already thinking the same thing. The Iron Monger didn't have many weapons—just a big gun and rockets. If they took out the targeting system, the suit would be nearly useless.
"Cover me!" Tony called out.
He took to the air, flying around the Iron Monger to find a weak spot. Thanks to Sebastian helping earlier, Tony still had enough power left in his suit to pull off some risky moves.
Sebastian aimed his wand. "Incendio!"
Flames shot out, twisting like snakes and slamming into the Iron Monger. Fire and smoke blocked Stane's view.
That was Tony's chance.
He zoomed behind the bulky suit, grabbed hold, and yanked hard at the wires near its head. Sparks flew as he ripped out the systems that controlled aiming and vision.
"NO!" Stane shouted, furious.
Blinded and angry, the Iron Monger thrashed around. It managed to grab Tony's arm and slammed him with a heavy punch. Tony flew through the air and hit the ground hard, landing near Sebastian.
"Cough… I disabled the targeting system. What's next?" Tony rasped.
Sebastian waved his wand subtly, conjuring wisps of black smoke that veiled his figure and features. Though his primary goal in aiding Tony was to lay the groundwork for a future connection, he knew patience was key. Rushing the process could jeopardize a mutually beneficial partnership. For now, secrecy and strategic timing were essential—help Tony today, reveal more later.
Assisting against Stane was merely the first step. Any thoughts of deeper collaboration would come later.
"Leave it to me," Sebastian said. "With the visual and targeting systems gone, Stane's either blind or forced to open his armor and aim manually. If he exposes himself, he's no match for me."
As Sebastian spoke, the Iron Monger's chest hissed and parted with a metallic groan, revealing Stane inside.
"I never thought I'd be into this, but man, wearing this suit is awesome! It makes me feel unstoppable!" Stane shouted.
He raised the Iron Monger's arm, and the Gatling gun on its right side unleashed a wild spray of bullets. With the targeting system wrecked, the shots went everywhere, totally off-target.
"Oh, you trashed my aiming tech, Tony, but it's no big deal. You talk about shutting down Stark Industries' weapons, yet you built the ultimate weapon yourself. Bet your dad would be real proud, Tony!" Stane sneered.
Tony ignored him, turning to Sebastian. "You said you had a plan once Stane opened his armor. So, what's the move?"
"Chill, I've got this," Sebastian said.
He stepped forward, staring at Stane. "You know your biggest screw-up, Stane?"
"Screw-up?" Stane snapped.
"You left yourself wide open."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
Stane's gut told him something was off, and he tried to close the armor, but it was too late. Sebastian raised his wand and cast Stupefy. A red flash shot out, hitting Stane square in the chest. He passed out instantly, and the Iron Monger froze, completely still without its pilot.
Tony, still in his suit, stared, stunned. "Wait… is that it? It's over?"
"What, you wanted me to keep brawling with him?" Sebastian joked.
"Ha! Dude, you're hilarious," Tony chuckled, finally loosening up and showing his laid-back side.
But then Tony stumbled, dropping to one knee. The arc reactor in his chest was almost out of juice, too weak to keep his suit running.
Sebastian frowned and knelt beside him. "You okay? Can I do anything?"
"If… if you can… grab the power core from Stane's armor," Tony panted.
Sebastian got the picture and hurried to the Iron Monger. The core was locked tight. He stepped back, waved his wand, and cast Reducto a few times, blasting the compartment open. He pulled out the arc reactor inside.
When he got back to Tony, the chest plate of Tony's suit was half-open, revealing the dead reactor inside. Sebastian handed over the new core. Once it was plugged in, Tony let out a huge sigh, sprawling on the ground.
"Thanks, man. You saved my butt twice today," Tony said, eyeing Sebastian's wand. "But seriously, what's that thing? It shoots beams and fire like some high-tech gadget, but I don't see any battery or wires. Is it, like, a hidden power cell?"
Sebastian held up his wand with a grin. "Nope, not tech. This is a wand—just wood and feathers. No batteries, no gizmos. It's all magic."
Tony stared at Sebastian, blinked, and grinned. "You're messing with me, right? Magic's not real—this isn't some Disney fairy tale."
"That just means you don't know enough about the world," Sebastian shot back.
"Hey, I don't like that vibe," Tony said, smirking. "I'm already sold on aliens existing. I'm betting I'll run into them someday."
Sebastian gave him a weird look and nodded. "Yeah, I believe that. You'll probably meet a ton of aliens eventually."
"Magic, though? That's a bit too—" Tony started.
Before he could finish, a shadow moved nearby, followed by voices. Sebastian flicked his wand at the corner of his eye, casting Lumos to sharpen his vision in the dark. He spotted a group of agents in black suits sprinting toward them, guns drawn, with Pepper guarded in the middle. Right away, he knew it was S.H.I.E.L.D., back when they still went by that name.
"Tony, we'll debate tech versus magic another time. People are coming, and I'd rather not deal with them. It'd get messy."
"People? Who?" Tony asked, squinting.
"You'll find out soon. I'm not a fan of them, but they're not bad news for you. They'll keep you safe."
"Cool, but how about we swap numbers? Or, like, Instagram or something?" Tony suggested.
"Nah, I'm sure we'll cross paths again soon," Sebastian said.
As he spoke, Coulson arrived with his team, escorting Pepper. They noticed Sebastian standing next to Tony and were about to speak when he leaped into the air. With a light bound, he soared into the night sky and vanished.
Realizing they couldn't chase him, Coulson and his team turned their attention to Tony and Stane. But Coulson's mind was racing. The way Sebastian moved and disappeared reminded him of the mysterious figure who saved Jessica and took down Kilgrave. They could be the same person—possibly Sebastian Shaw. He wasn't sure.
Coulson pulled out his phone and dialed Sharon.
"Hello, sir," she answered.
"Sharon, I've got a job for you," he said.