Chapter Forty-Six: Magic and Vampires

“As the star of the evening, Tony does seem quite popular.”
Michael began to steer the conversation elsewhere.
Gwen glanced over and saw a crowd of glamorous women gathered around Tony.
“What, are you jealous?”
In that moment, Michael finally understood what it felt like to be under his girlfriend’s thumb.
A giant, glaring warning sign seemed to flash above his head, as though he’d already crossed some invisible boundary.
“N-no, not at all. I’m not that kind of person.”
Seeing how nervous he looked, Gwen couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Michael realized he was being overly anxious.
“By the way, are we here just for the food?”
Michael thought for a moment and said, “If you want to dance later, we can. Though I only know a few of the dances.”
Gwen looked at Michael and said, “What I meant was, shouldn’t you try making some friends? It might help your future career.”
Michael smiled and replied, “This world is made for the capable. If you have ability, everyone will rush to befriend you, just like our socialite of the night, Mr. Tony. If you don’t, you can fawn over others all you want and they still won’t care.”
Confidently, Michael gazed at the crowd below. “Tony Stark is one of the most capable people in the world. And as it happens, so am I.”
Then he turned to Gwen with a mysterious air. “Would you believe me if I said Tony Stark will come looking for me in a moment?”
“I don’t believe you.”
Gwen played along perfectly.
“Let’s make a bet. The loser does one thing for the winner.”
“Deal.”
Gwen agreed. She thought Michael might be famous in the field of medicine, but his reputation didn’t extend much beyond that, so Tony, as the host, had no reason to seek him out.

Through the surveillance cameras, Tony finally spotted Michael.
With Pepper at his side, he made his way through the crowd and quickly reached Michael’s area.
“Hello, Michael. May I call you that?”
Michael looked at Tony’s outstretched hand, understanding everything—Tony’s ability to investigate was formidable; it would be strange if he hadn’t found anything.
“Of course. And may I call you Tony?”
Michael extended his hand, and they shook.
“Certainly.”
Tony looked at Michael with a complicated expression. “This is Potts, my secretary and also the company’s CEO.”
“Hello, Miss Potts. I’m Michael. Allow me to introduce my girlfriend, Gwen Stacy.”
After a brief exchange of greetings, Tony sat down and asked curiously, “Are you an alien? Like, from Krypton or something?”

Michael smiled. “No, my life has been traceable since birth.”
“Then how do you do it? Flying with your own body, no wings—it's completely unscientific. Are you a mutant?”
“No, I’m not a mutant.”
Michael had to draw a clear line there; mutants were known for sudden mutations, and in a country obsessed with freedom and race, mutants and humans were never really on the same side.
“Tony, science is just a system of knowledge we currently understand. Just because you can’t grasp it now doesn’t mean you never will.”
Tony nodded in agreement.
“So how do you do it?”
Michael picked up a bottle of red wine and swirled it clockwise, forming a vortex.
“Genetic modification and magic. The former is like Captain America—genetic enhancement made my body stronger. As for magic, it opens up all possibilities.”
“Magic? That really exists?”
Tony could understand genetic modification—his father had told him all about Captain America’s transformation.
But magic sounded far too fantastical.
“Yes. Not just magic—vampires, werewolves, they’re real too. They just hide in the shadows or, sometimes, walk among us as high-ranking officials. There might even be a few vampires at this very party.”
Tony glanced nervously at the crowd, a chill running through him; he was starting to believe.
“No way. You must be pulling my leg.”
Michael smiled. “Haven’t you noticed? In recent years, movies have started to romanticize vampires and werewolves. People aren’t afraid of these creatures of the night anymore.”
Tony understood. Motives always drive behavior; whatever they promote in the media, there’s always a purpose behind it.
“Goodness, that’s terrifying.”
“It’s not so scary—they’re clever. They know mainstream society is human, so they’ll always hide beneath human skin.”
As long as they followed the rules, they were manageable. Tony relaxed a little.
“Alright, I admit they’re dangerous, but so are terrorists.”
Michael flicked his glass, and the deep red wine transformed into fluttering petals that danced away on the breeze.
“Magic was taught to me by an elder. I only know a little—some illusions, white magic, and spatial magic. What you saw yesterday, the portal, that was spatial magic.”
“There, mystery solved.”
He looked at Tony.
Tony caught a petal, feeling its tangible texture.
“This is… illusion?”
It felt almost too real.
Michael nodded.
“It can also be called psychic magic.”

A glimmer of excitement flashed in Tony’s eyes. “Can you teach me?”
“Probably not. I’m not qualified to teach magic to others.”
“Oh.”
Tony understood the implication and nodded, disappointed.
Michael wondered what the world would be like if Tony became the Sorcerer Supreme. In the end, he let the thought go—for now, Tony was still too busy keeping the world safe, hardly the type to manage a sanctuary in his spare time.
Michael glanced at Gwen, who was chatting with Pepper.
The two women smiled at him.
Michael swirled his wine again, and the glass filled with wine once more, as if by magic.
Only then did Tony notice that none of the chefs or guests nearby seemed to react at all, as if they hadn’t seen anything unusual.
“An illusion just for me? Remarkable.”
He saw Rhodey signaling him from across the room.
Tony stood up. “I have something to take care of—excuse me.”
“By all means.”
Tony left with Pepper.
Pepper, puzzled, asked, “What were you talking about? Neither of you said a word.”
Of course Tony knew why she asked and explained, “We conversed within an illusion. Or maybe you were under a spell and didn’t hear us. We talked about a lot—magic, vampires…”
“Vampires?”
Pepper thought he was out of his mind.
Tony said nervously, “He told me there might be vampires at the party. These immortal creatures have infiltrated the highest levels of society.”
“Oh, that’s terrifying.”
Pepper reacted just as Tony had, quickly scanning the other guests.
After that, everyone started to look like a vampire to them—especially the elderly who still looked robust and rosy-cheeked.
“Rhodey, did you need something?”
Rhodey glanced at them, puzzled. “Why do you two look so tense? Did someone threaten you?”
Tony and Pepper exchanged a look.
“No, but… you might not believe this…”