Time flies, the days pass, and in the blink of an eye, Finney is a year older. He has now entered the fateful year of 2010—a year that, without his intervention, will mark the beginning of chaos for the world.
Iron Man's emergence, Norse mythology unfolding, alien invasions, sentient life threatening humanity—all of it is about to crash down at once. By April, it has been nearly a year since Finney arrived at Kamar-Taj. The calm and steady pace of life has allowed his strength to grow steadily, and the fourth skill draw isn't far off.
Just as he was growing comfortable with this peaceful routine, a piece of news shattered that stability. In the middle of spell practice, he accidentally wiped out the entire portal while casting sparks.
"It's been a year. Iron Man's missing, and I still can't even open a damn door," Finney muttered in frustration, staring at the Sling Ring in his hand.
Over the past year, he had almost given up on learning other spells just to master this one—and still failed. He was beginning to think the Ancient One had exaggerated his potential.
Tony Stark's disappearance made it impossible for Finney to continue relaxing at Kamar-Taj. He began to worry about the safety of his family.
In fact, since the New Year, he had been trying to persuade his aging parents to retire. But they insisted they were still young and had refused to stop working.
Now, with Iron Man's debut approaching, Finney couldn't let them continue working in New York. Who knew—maybe one day a nuclear bomb would fall on the city.
If they absolutely refused to leave New York, Finney was prepared to have them move. Over the past year, he'd gone to great lengths to purchase a home near the New York Sanctum. It was the only place in the city where he felt they would be truly safe.
"Why do we have to quit and move there?" his parents asked, puzzled by Finney's insistence. Even Skye didn't understand why he wanted to bring the whole family.
Faced with their confusion, Finney hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and explained, "New York is going to become dangerous. That place will be safe for a long time."
His father, Eli, thought Finney was simply concerned about their age. Smiling, he said, "Kid, when we first moved to New York, you weren't even born yet. I know this city better than you do."
Finney sighed and, with a reluctant gesture, activated the Sling Ring. His parents watched in stunned silence.
"Trust me, you might not know as much as I do. This world is about to become more dangerous than you can imagine," Finney said.
"Also—I forgot to tell you—I'm a mage."
Having spent years with them, Finney was confident his parents wouldn't be alarmed by his confession. He didn't see a need to lie or sugarcoat the truth.
"When did you start doing this?" Eli asked, staring at the Sling Ring. He reached out to touch it, but Finney pulled it away.
"Just this past year. Skye knows, too," Finney replied. There was no need to go into deep detail, as long as they believed him. Technically, he had only learned magic last year.
Eli and Vera looked toward Skye, who seemed equally stunned and unsure how to respond.
"But what does this have to do with danger?" Eli asked, his lawyer instincts kicking in. He wanted details and was worried the threat might be connected to Finney directly.
"Do you believe in aliens?" Finney asked. Then he continued, "A mage's duty is to protect Earth from external threats. There are many beings in space who have been eyeing our planet for a long time. Over the next few years, there's a good chance they'll make a move. The place I want you to move to is a sanctuary established by mages. If there's any danger, they'll protect you."
"What about you?" his mother asked, more concerned for Finney than herself. "Are you going to fight those aliens? Is it dangerous? Should we inform the military?"
"Don't worry. I'm actually very strong now," Finney replied with a smile. "As for the government—there should be some organization for that. If necessary, I'll absolutely step in. If Earth is destroyed, we're all done for anyway."
When it came to threats like Dormammu, Finney would never leave the outcome to mere negotiation. If there was even a chance to stop such beings, he would try.
Despite Finney's calm tone, his parents couldn't help but worry. But they ultimately agreed to move and asked more questions about Kamar-Taj.
With his parents' safety settled, Finney finally felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He had a good relationship with Master Daniel of the New York Sanctum and had already told him about his parents possibly moving nearby.
As the youngest mage of Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One's disciple, and an eccentric at that, Finney's identity alone was enough for other mages to respect his wishes.
There was another reason Finney was so eager to handle his parents' situation. Despite his progress, he was still far from powerful enough to face beings like Dormammu, Thanos, or Ego.
Even against Hulk or the soon-to-be-debuting Thor, he wasn't confident he could win. Iron Man alone was already a handful.
To close that gap, Finney needed to grow stronger. And combat experience was the fastest path. With Iron Man's appearance, Earth would no longer lack enemies.
The past year at Kamar-Taj had brought many improvements, but his greatest progress wasn't with the 'Haunted by Evil Spirits' ability—it was with the rarely used 'Golden Great Technique.'
What limited the power of the Golden Great Technique was the magical barrier created by the Sanctums—the power of the mages.
After becoming a mage himself, Finney deeply understood this force. It was like studying an enemy: even if you hadn't defeated them, understanding them allowed you to find ways to overcome them.
The Golden Great Technique had grown more powerful not from intense training, but from understanding how the mages' magic suppressed it. That understanding allowed him to use it more effectively.
Although the Ancient One had warned him of its dangers, she never actually restricted him from using it. In fact, she had even helped him once.
The more Finney learned about the Golden Great Technique, the more he understood her warning.
"Magic that alters reality based on one's thoughts"—that kind of power was terrifying. As he grew stronger, even minor distractions could have serious consequences.