"And... I... am... Iron Man."

Once he'd finished saying the very words the words he knew would be the harbinger of his death, not wanting to give Thanos a chance to charge at him, he snapped his fingers. The world turned into a radiant white, and for a brief split second, he thought the Stones had evaporated him with their release of power. But his fear, along with the unspeakable pain that had come with wielding the universe's most powerful artifacts, dissipated when the white began to fade.

Once the blindness had left him, Tony blinked then looked around.

Where was he?

One thing he knew for sure he wasn't on the battlefield any more because everywhere he looked, everything around him had a strange sort of soft orange glow to it. It was like the setting sun had bleed its liquid gold into the sky.

He walked forward, then stopped when he realized he wasn't standing on the battlefield any more, but rather in what looked like the middle of shimmering pool of liquid gold.

I'm definitely not in Kansas or even on Earth any more. Where am I? What's going on? Am I dead?

"No, you are not on Earth, presently... or rather what you would call your soul, is not presently not on Earth. You are in the Soul Realm, a place that exists outside of time. As to what is going on, you have just wielded the greatest power in the universe in order to defeat your greatest enemy, and stop him from killing everyone that you love. To answer your final question, Stark, no you are not dead and neither are you going to die."

The voice speaking to him, Tony knew it. It was one he had not heard for fifteen years because he knew the owner of the voice was dead. But sure he himself wasn't dead. .

"No, I am not the man you once knew, Stark. In fact, I am not a man at all."

"Where are you?"

"I am here."

A hand had touched him from behind at the same time the voice answered his question. Tony nearly jumped out of his skin, expletives tumbling from his mouth as fast as he could say them while his han shot upwards to clutch the area where the arc reactor was once embedded. He can feel his heart racing, so he takes a few deep breaths before he turns around to look at the hand's owner.

Yinsen.

Yinsen is standing there with the soft, amused smile on his face that he remembers so well from all those years ago. The other man, his fellow captive had rarely had this expression on his face when he had looked at Tony because of the constant pressure and fear their captors had them under every single day.

"Oh yeah, I'm dead. I am so dead!" he stated.

"No, you're not dead."

"Uh yes, I am dead! I can't be anything else but dead since um I know you died over fifteen years ago!"

Yinsen or whatever this… ghost, apparition, hallucination was gave him the same amused, infuriating smile he remembered so vividly from all those years ago before he contradicted his assessment. "No, Tony Stark, you are not dead and no I... am not who you think I am. I am not actually this man you knew in your past life."

He pointed his finger in the other's face, "Aha! There you see! You said past life just now! Oh yeah, I am dead! Why don't you just confirm it already? Because if I am dead, then it's not really a shocking surprise since I knew I would die from wielding the Stones! Now granted I was kinda… uh maybe hoping it wouldn't be so instantaneous like being vaporized or something because I would have liked to have just a little bit of time to maybe see some of the people I love before biting the bullet. But when am I ever that lucky? It's pretty obvious I have bitten the bullet Oh well looks like it is what it is and I guess for the afterlife-"

He paused to look around them, "This isn't bad, especially since I wasn't sure if there even was an afterlife. I uh certainly didn't think I'd be going here Heaven, of all places! I thought for sure if there was an afterlife, I'd be going to the other place, if you know what I mean? But I looks like the universe is still capable of surprising someone like me!"

"I have another surprise for you, Stark. You are not in either place you mortals believe you will go after death because you are not dead," Yinsen, or rather the being with his face insisted,

His mouth was poised to continue arguing with who or whatever this was standing in front of him but he stopped. He stopped because he decide to look deeply into Yinsen's eyes and saw something he knew he would never see in the man's eyes if this were actually the man he'd known in the Afghan cave fifteen years ago. Who this is, or whatever he was, he was ancient. He was ancient by astronomical terms if judging by what he could see in those eyes.

If Tony had to guess he'd say the being who wearing Ho Yinsen's face was way, way, way older than Thor, by thousands of years.

Maybe by millions?

He didn't even want to contemplate him being billions of years old because he wasn't sure his little puny, finite mind could take it.

He started laughing at the puny, finite thought. His mind, when among ordinary, honest to goodness human beings was anything but finite. But this was a whole new ball game, especially if he was indeed staring into the face of an impossibly old supernatural or celestial being or whatever.

It didn't escape his attention that Yinsen or whatever he was, had been watching him the entire time he tried to work out what was going on in his mind. Finally when he had his thoughts organized enough... or he hoped were organized enough, he cleared his throat as though he needed to get the being's attention.

"Okay... okay let's say I uh completely buy what you said. I'm not dead, and you're not actually Yinsen. If I am not dead and you are not Yinsen, then why am I here, where is here, and who are you? Better question maybe to ask first is what are you?"

The being with Yinsen's features smiled, and he answered, "I am not human-'

"No kidding, like duh Sherlock,I kinda figured that one out already! And oops, sorry for interrupting! Not really! But you know I just couldn't help myself since that was such a Captain Obvious statement."

The being because that was the way to describe him since Tony didn't have a clue what he really was, waited until he fell silent then continued, "I am not human, and I am not a life form as you normally think of one."

"Are you going to tell me what you are instead telling what I already know that you're not?"

There was a nod of the head, "Yes, I am what you would call one of the Infinity Stones."

Tony knew his eyes widened to cartoon proportion in size, for some reason he sudden;y had trouble getting the simple question of,"You're what?"

"I said I am what you and so many of the others on your plane of existence call an Infinity Stone."

Tony stared at him with what he knew was an idiotic expression on his face, and then in a flash he burst into laughter. Laughter that may have rivaled Thor's own past boisterous guffawing but there was no way of knowing not one else was here to judge and neither was Thor.

The one who looked like Yinsen and told him he was an Infinity Stone watched him with the amused look of someone who not only on a more superior level but who actually knows that they were.

"If you are one of the Infinity Stones, the Soul Stone, and if it's true that you can take on any form so we can communicate, then why did you choose Yinsen?"

"I chose him because we thought he would help put you at ease. But given your response by the arguments you have made, it seems we made the wrong choice. Perhaps I should take on another form? What about this one?"

Yinsen vanished, and in his place was...

"Pepper!"

"Yes, the one you call Pepper."

"She's my wife."

"Is this better?"

"Not really! I mean I could spend eternity just looking at her face and listening to her talk but when it's not really her, no it's not better!"

"Very well, perhaps this form would better suit you?"

Pepper vanished to be replaced with that of a young woman, a teenager. Tony studied her face, not sure who he was looking at for some time then the light of recognition went off in his head.

"Morgan?"

Before him stood the almost grown version of his daughter, and he didn't like it. If he had to judge the double apparition's approximate age he'd say she was about fifteen or sixteen. She was beautiful and still looked so much like him except for her cheeks reminded him more of Pepper's than his own. Perhaps he was being given a look into his daughter's future, and he thinks that most fathers would find that an amazing experience to have. But not him because it was a reminder that he was currently at a rest stop from the reality of where he was actively dying.

"Could you please go back to being Yinsen?" he finally asked when he at last found the words.

The transformation back was instantaneous, and once more he was looking into the other man's eyes. He gave relieved nod, "That's better. Now about you being one of the Infinity Stones... it's obvious that you wanted to talk to me because if not then why are the both of us standing here in this... uh place? So why did you want to talk to me? I mean I am not exactly in a big hurry for my lights to be punched out for the last time ever but it doesn't mean that I want to stand here for an eternity with talking to you either. Sooooo how about we get this show on the road so I can get on with whatever is coming next." He'd thought about using the word inevitably, but changed his mind a microsecond later when he remembered it was the very last thing Thanos had smugly said in their final showdown. Then he realized his other mistake he'd made just now.

Good one, Tony. You just told one of the immortal Infinity Stones that you want it to make whatever point it wants to make so you can get on with dying!

When Yinsen arched an eyebrow at his statement, Tony swallowed, hard, thinking he had without a doubt just said the wrong thing.

Oh well, not the first time his mouth had gotten him in trouble and if it had this time, at least it would be the last.

He knew there was no taking the words back now, and even if all that was waiting for him whenever he left this place was death, he meant every word he uttered.

"Very well if you wish for us to get this show on the road, then we shall do as you wish."

Of course, at hearing this not Yinsen refer to himself in the plural form yet again, Tony couldn't help nor did he want to help the smart remark that shot out of his mouth, "Who is this we you keep referring to?"

"The other Infinity Stones, of course."

"Oh, right. Of course the other Infinity Stones!" he quipped, gesturing for the doppelganger to continue.

"You may be one of the most impertinent, infuriating mortals we have ever encountered but you will live," Yinsen stated simply.

"I... what? What did you just say?"

"I said, Stark, that when you are returned to your place in the flow of time, you are going to live. You are not going to die as a consequence of wielding one of the greatest powers in the universe."

"I'm not?"

"No, you are not."

"But... not that I want to die but why? Why would you l-let me live when I knew going in using the Infinity Stones would kill me?"

He remembered what he said to Thor what now an hour... or few hours ago now? He had seen the Asgardian was truly in no shape to wield the Stones. Once the demigod may have been able to handle their power coursing through him without them killing him but not in his current physical condition. Thing was, Thor had known it too and he probably wanted the Stones to kill him. He was suicidal and there was no way Tony could stand there and let him kill himself just to end whatever emotional and mental agony he'd been in for the last five years.

He had known when he swapped the Stones from Thanos for the final time, and went to use them after they were in place, he was going to die. If a damaged demigod couldn't use them without being killed, then it was the only logical conclusion that he, a mere mortal man in a can would be literal toast.

No, it's not just the fact that that glove's channeling enough energy to char a continent. I'm telling you, you're in no condition to.

"It is because you did not use the greatest power source in the universe for your own gain but for the true gain of others, we have decided to let you live."

"You have? Decided to let me live that is?"

"Yes, we have. Remember our warning to you: The road ahead of you won't be easy or even short. You have a long recovery ahead of you, Stark."

"But a long and difficult recovery, right? The keyword is long, right?"

The Yinsen apparition nodded his head, "Yes."

Tony gave a watery, grateful smile, "Well, it's not like I haven't done long and difficult before in the past right? I can do it again. I will do it again if it means I get to be there to be there for my kids." More than anything in the entire universe he wanted to be there to see his baby girl grow into the strong, beautiful woman he knew she was going to be from the moment he first held her in his arms, and he wanted to be there to continue to help Peter on his own path to greatness. But also knowing he was going to be able to grow old with the love of his life, while being able to continue to give Rhodey and Happy more gray hairs made him choke out the two most gratitude words of his life, "Thank you."

"You may want to hold back thanking us, Stark, because as I said before the road you are about to travel isn't going to be easy. For the only part of what should naturally happen that we are interfering with is what should have been your death. The life you will know once you leave this place will not be, at first, without a great amount of pain."

"Hey, I'm going to live. You said so and so what if there's a lot of pain that goes with getting to live? I'm not a stranger to most forms of pain. For example..." He pointed to his chest where the arc reactor housing rested, "The original version of this came after you carved a hole in my chest so you could stick a car battery powered electromagnet in there."

When the apparition of Yinsen gave him a look of confusion he added, "Well not you you but the guy you just happen to look like right now... he's the guy who put this..." His voice trailed off as he gestured lamely in the housing's direction again. He cleared his throat, "Anyway, like I said, getting that done without anesthetic was one of the most painful moments of my life. Of course that was a like a walk in the park compared to what I felt when I used the Stones to..."

He stopped talking again when he realized that he was rambling on and on, then said, "Anyway, I can handle the pain if it means I get to live and be with Pepper and my little girl, and and..."

The gentle smile on the Yinsen lookalike's face made him fall quiet once more because for a brief moment the smile made him believe the actual man he had known in that cave was standing right there in front of him, listening to him babble on and on.

Suddenly, the doppelganger's face became serious, and his tone was equally as serious when he spoke, "You must leave this place soon."

Tony swallowed, sobering at the words. He didn't mind the pain he knew was waiting because he knew he was going to live. But just because he had said that he didn't mind the pain if it meant he would get to live, it didn't mean he was looking forward to going through it either. Still there was else nothing for it, and in the end it really was a small price to pay to be able to live after he had fully expected to die.

"But first..."

These words snapped (no pun intended) Tony from his thoughts and he made sure he was listened to what the apparition had to tell him.

"But first before you leave, there is someone here who would like to see you."

"Who?"

"Why don't you turn around and see?"