"Is it possible… that the mysterious being behind the Quiz Game is actually Eternity itself?"
As soon as Steve said this, all eyes turned toward the Ancient One—Tony Stark, Bruce Wayne, and Diana included.
It was clear that they had all entertained this theory before—especially after the Quiz Game revealed Thor's future. The coincidences were piling up, and it was getting harder to dismiss the idea outright.
Facing their curious stares, the Ancient One smiled.
"That's part of why you invited me here, isn't it?"
Bruce Wayne didn't deny it.
"One of the reasons, yes. Nothing escapes you."
In truth, they had consulted Stephen—their universe's Stephen Strange—first. For clarity, let's refer to him as Doctor Strange #1. He had received knowledge from multiple alternate versions of the Sorcerer Supreme through the Quiz Game, so he was arguably more informed than most.
However, even he admitted he knew little about Eternity—only that it was an immense, near-omnipotent entity. Some other Sorcerers Supreme had supposedly encountered Eternity directly, but oddly, none of those memories had transferred to Doctor Strange #1.
He suspected it was due to the vast disparity in dimensions. Eternity might be a higher-dimensional being—like a fourth- or fifth-dimensional intelligence—trying to pass information down to lower-dimensional life forms. But due to that dimensional gap, the information could never be accurately conveyed. It would become distorted… or simply incomprehensible.
In short, Doctor Strange believed he'd need to reach the same level of enlightenment as those legendary Sorcerers before he could even begin to understand Eternity properly.
So when Bruce and the others pressed for answers, Stephen couldn't offer them anything definitive.
But he did offer one piece of advice:
"If you want real insight, ask the Ancient One. She might know something. Oh, and one more thing—if you're going to discuss this, you'd better do it in another universe."
According to him, a being on Eternity's level—while not exactly omniscient—might still be powerful enough to sense when people were talking about it. Ordinary conversations might not matter, but if the Quiz Game was somehow connected to Eternity, they needed to be cautious.
Being in another universe might help shield them from detection.
The others agreed with this line of reasoning, even if they couldn't help but be a little critical of Stephen for dragging his former master into it.
Stephen had just shrugged.
"Hey, I'm just as curious about the Quiz Game's creator as you are."
And so Bruce and the others assembled this so-called "observation delegation"—a half-baked diplomatic team—bringing the Ancient One along, hoping to kill multiple birds with one stone.
Now, under the weight of their collective curiosity, the Ancient One's smile slowly faded, replaced by a serious and solemn expression.
"Curiosity, when taken too far, can be a dangerous thing."
Bruce Wayne responded calmly.
"You say that as if you're confirming our theory."
But the Ancient One shook her head.
"I had the same suspicions once, but I can now tell you definitively: The Quiz Game has nothing to do with Eternity."
The room fell into silence. But on everyone's face was a single, unspoken sentence:
Really? I don't buy it.
The Ancient One sighed and continued.
"Remember the dream Stephen mentioned in his future video? The one where he saw a version of himself from another universe?
I've had similar dreams. In one of them, I found myself standing beside Eternity. We shared a deep connection. In fact, the Eye of Agamotto itself was a gift from him…"
"In that dream, I asked Eternity directly about the Quiz Game. And he—this near-omniscient, godlike entity—replied: 'I don't know.'"
"He said that ever since the Quiz Game appeared, all the worlds he could once observe began to change. It was as if those vivid, living worlds had turned into... paper. Every life—even Eternity himself, and beings beyond him—had become mere pages in a thin book. That terrified him. Not because it felt like an attack, but because... what if this wasn't an invasion?
What if it was a restoration—a return to the world's true form?"
At that, the Ancient One bowed her head.
Bruce and the others looked at one another, all deeply unsettled.
It wasn't that they didn't understand her words—
It was that they did.
The idea of their living, breathing world being reduced to mere pages was disturbing, but not impossible to grasp. It sounded like a massive, universe-wide dimensional collapse—a kind of deconstruction carried out by an overwhelmingly powerful force.
If that were all, they could deal with it.
But to be told that those paper-thin versions were the "real" versions of their world?
That was something else entirely.
It led to a cascade of existential questions:
"Is this world even real?"
"Are the things I see and feel just illusions?"
"Am I real? Or just a fictional construct?"
And worst of all—there were no answers.
Still, in a way, they had the Quiz Game to thank. Without it, they would never have been exposed to this unsettling truth.
The Ancient One let out a long breath.
"The more you know, the more burdened you become. That's why I was hesitant to share this."
Tony was the first to break the silence. He rolled his neck and muttered thoughtfully:
"Maybe that chatty nutjob Deadpool had it right in the last round. What if we are just comic book characters… or movie characters… or figments of someone's imagination?"
Steve crossed his arms, contemplative.
"Ever since the first future videos came out, I've felt like they resembled movie scenes—the cinematography, the tone. It's uncanny."
Bruce tapped the table with his knuckles.
"We've discussed this before. It's not a new theory."
Tony chuckled bitterly.
"Come on, Bruce. No need to pretend. Sure, we talked about it—but nobody really took it seriously."
His gaze turned distant.
"Damn it… I thought we were dealing with science. Or maybe magic. Or at worst, theology.
But now? Now we're stuck with an unsolvable philosophical paradox. And I hate philosophy!"
For all their strength, their courage, and their intellect—this was the one truth they found hardest to accept:
That behind the Quiz Game wasn't a god, a villain, or a mastermind… But the horrifying possibility that everything—their entire existence—was just a fictional entertainment product.
_____
T/N:
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