Karl had never been one to hide his thoughts. To him, his priority had always been protecting the people around him—everything else could burn for all he cared.
He was never cut out to be some so-called superhero, nor did he want to be one. All he wanted was to live in this world with the people he cared about—eating, drinking, messing around, and enjoying life.
Tony seemed to be swayed by Karl's words. He let out a long breath.
"Thanks, Karl. If you hadn't been here today, I might've spiraled."
He smiled, visibly relieved.
"You're right—we're not gods. We can't save everyone. But we did save the world. Like you said, without us, half the planet would already be in ruins. That woman wouldn't even have had the chance to come question me."
Once he worked it out, everything felt clearer. Tony stood up and stretched. Before, he had always wanted to save more people—all people—and had even blamed himself for those who died. But now, he saw it differently. The ones he couldn't save might resent him—but those he did save would be grateful.
"All I can do… is give back as much as I can. Help those who've lost their families live better lives."
Karl stood up too, slinging an arm around Tony's shoulders.
"That's more like it. We can't save everyone—but we can save the world."
The two stood side by side, looking up at the starry sky. The stars seemed brighter somehow, the Milky Way stretching across the heavens—just like the clarity in their minds.
---
Early the next morning, Karl was still fast asleep, holding Gwen in his arms, when bang—Skye kicked the door open.
Karl and Gwen shot upright instantly, eyes unfocused, clearly still half-asleep. Their bodies had reacted on instinct—Gwen even raised her hand as if to shoot a web.
"Something's happened!"
Skye pointed at them, sending out a faint vibration. In an instant, Karl and Gwen were forcibly jolted awake.
"Something happened? Who—what—huh?"
Karl looked completely confused. Anyone would be, getting forcefully rebooted out of deep sleep.
"Something's happened to Wanda."
Skye's expression was serious. She tossed their clothes at them—only now did they realize they hadn't even gotten dressed.
"Meet me at the office."
With that, Skye turned and left.
"Maniac…"
Karl muttered, though he was already pulling on his clothes.
---
Ten minutes later, Karl and Gwen arrived at the office. Skye was already there, staring grimly at her computer.
"What happened to Wanda?"
Gwen dropped into the chair beside her.
"Take a look at this."
Skye projected the screen onto the TV. A news broadcast appeared, with the headline: "Avengers Sued — Global Anti-Violence Movement Rises."
"On the 15th of this month, in Lagos, Nigeria, eleven Wakandan citizens were killed during a conflict between the Avengers and mercenaries. The cause—an explosion that destroyed four floors of a hospital, allegedly triggered by the Avengers."
The female anchor spoke rapidly as footage played—showing that the direct cause of the explosion was Wanda.
"The Avenger known as the Scarlet Witch can be seen redirecting a self-destructing mercenary toward the hospital, resulting in casualties on floors ten through fourteen. According to reports, the victims were in Nigeria providing humanitarian aid."
Her tone grew sharper.
"This raises an important question—are the Avengers truly necessary? Are they saviors, or are they the root cause of escalating global violence? Are they heroes—or an unchecked extremist force?"
She spoke fluently and confidently—but truthfully? Reporters like her were becoming rare. Most didn't care about facts anymore. They cared about attention, about traffic, about profit.
Did the truth matter in this case? Not to them.
The footage cut to Wakanda's former king, T'Chaka, standing at the United Nations podium, surrounded by reporters.
"The blood of our people was spilled on foreign soil—not only because of criminals, but because of those who claim to stop them. Their disregard for life led to this tragedy. A victory achieved through the sacrifice of innocents is no victory at all."
Below the stage stood T'Challa, the new king, and Prince Erik.
"Erik, stay here and watch over Father. I need to find someone."
T'Challa glanced at his father before turning to leave.
"Got it."
Erik knew exactly who T'Challa was going to find—Karl.
He, T'Challa, and the Wakandan council had already reviewed the footage. It was clear: Wanda had been trying to save people.
When the Hydra agent triggered the explosion, Wanda had already wrapped him in her chaos magic, trying to send him skyward. But she had been distracted—Steve's fight with another Hydra agent had interfered.
More precisely, a bullet deflected by Steve's shield had veered unexpectedly toward Wanda. She blocked it—but that split-second interruption caused her magic to falter. The explosion detonated early.
Then the broadcast returned to the anchor, still talking endlessly.
"They operate outside international law—outside any law. If we don't act now, the entire world will become their playground. They can use violence at will, endanger civilians at will. What legal authority do they even have to operate in Nigeria? And—"
Skye couldn't take it anymore. She shut off the TV.
"How can they say this?! Without Wanda, more people would've died! She saved them—and now they're blaming her?! No, I'm going to find her!"
Skye was furious, practically ready to vibrate that anchor into dust.
Gwen looked just as angry—but beneath it, there was worry. Wanda had always been emotionally fragile.
And now—
No one knew what state she was in.
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