After resting enough in the quiet sky fortress, John slowly opened his eyes. The soft breeze still moved gently across the empty fortress, but he no longer wished to stay idle.
"It's time to get back to work," he whispered to himself, standing up.
There was no hesitation in his steps as he walked across the empty hall. His mind was already focused on his next project — something he had been planning for a while.
Mars.
John's goal was not to completely terraform the red planet. That was an enormous task, even for someone like him. Instead, he had a more manageable plan: to transform a small part of Mars, just enough for humans to survive and live there comfortably. A small oasis on a dead world.
And no one knew about it.
Not the Avengers.
Not even his brother Tony.
This was his private project. But once he succeeded, then the Star Academy would have a whole planet for its expansion.
John exhaled slowly, his heart beating a little faster from the excitement. He didn't want politics, distractions, or anyone trying to stop him. This was something he would do quietly.
He closed his eyes once more and sank deep into his consciousness, entering his spiritual sea.
The calm blue light welcomed him again. The ancient meditation rune floated steadily in the center, shining like a small sun. John's gaze, however, was drawn to another part of the space — in the sky a particular small rune, shaped like a compass, glowing faintly at the edge.
This was the Positioning Rune — one of his earliest abilities. When he first inscribed it, it allowed him to teleport anywhere he wanted to on Earth by locking onto invisible space nodes. But after reaching the second level of Star Wizard, something had changed.
Now, he could feel the hidden nodes of the entire solar system.
John activated the rune with just his thought, feeling it respond instantly. Thin lines of silver light spread out, connecting to countless distant points — planets, moons, empty space... and Mars.
He focused on one node near the Martian surface. It pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat calling to him.
"Let's see what Mars feels like," John smiled quietly.
The moment he locked onto the node, a water-like portal appeared in front of him, rippling softly.
Without a second thought, John stepped through.
The sensation was strange — as if he was falling through layers of warm and cold water. He felt his body stretch and shrink at the same time, before being gently pushed out on the other side.
Thud.
John stumbled forward slightly, steadying himself.
The first thing that hit him was a sharp pain in his chest.
He gasped.
There was almost no oxygen. The air was thin and dry, like trying to breathe inside a vacuum.
Coughing, John quickly formed a thin water bubble around his head using his rune powers, and then summoned a light breeze to fill it with enough oxygen. It wasn't perfect, but it would keep him alive for now.
Even though he was strong, surviving in a true vacuum without protection would still mean instant death for him. His body was tough, far beyond an ordinary human's, but not yet strong enough to completely resist the cruel environment of space or planets with no atmosphere. However, John was confident that once he broke through to the third level of Star Wizard, his physical resilience, spiritual energy control, and elemental manipulation would grow to the point where surviving in extreme conditions — like outer space, the deep ocean, or even volcanic zones — would become possible for him. For now, caution was necessary.
Taking slow, deep breaths, he finally calmed down. His heart was still pounding in his chest.
"That... was too close," he muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead.
He took a moment to truly look around.
The sky above him was a deep rusty orange, with streaks of dark clouds floating slowly across it. The sun — smaller and weaker than on Earth — was hanging low in the sky, giving everything a dim, reddish glow. The ground was cracked and dry, filled with dust and small rocks. The whole world felt ancient, silent, and lonely.
John realized he was standing on a small mountain. Behind him was a sharp, steep drop — a trance-like cliff that seemed to fall endlessly downward. In front of him, three narrow paths led down the mountain slopes.
He turned slowly, letting his eyes take everything in.
The air was still. No sounds, no animals, no rustling leaves. Just an endless, heavy silence. Even his own breathing sounded too loud here.
John raised his head and looked toward the setting sun. Judging from its position, he figured that direction was west. If west was in front of him, then behind him — the cliff — must be east. The path to the back looked much easier compared to the rough rocky trails on the front.
He thought for a moment.
"I'll explore west later… for now, I should find a safe place to build a temporary base," John decided. His voice sounded small against the vastness of Mars.
A soft breeze stirred the red dust at his feet. He stood there for a few more seconds, feeling strangely small under the huge alien sky.
But deep inside, there was no fear — only an overwhelming excitement.
He was standing on another world.
And this world… would soon have a living oasis because of him.
John smiled faintly, feeling the pulse of adventure quicken in his veins.
"This is just the beginning," he whispered, turning his eyes toward the vast red horizon.
And with that thought, he prepared to take his first step down the mountain — toward the unknown.