Putting my attention on Vision, I ask, needing to know, hoping for a good answer, "Did Wanda share those memories with you?" If she has, it will make what I need to do that much easier.
Vision replies, his voice curious, "Yes, she did. How did you know?" The energy of Wanda ripples, her own mind wondering.
With a chuckle, I state, my tone cryptic, "I may be blind, but that doesn't mean I can't see," uncrossing my legs, I change position to Seiza, then carry on, "Do you have full-body control? I mean, are your movements precise enough to carve those runes with perfect accuracy?"
He responds, confirming, "Near full-body, yes. Although I can manipulate the positioning of my entirety with total exactness, I must still take into account external interference, such as the rotation of the planet." I shift my eyes to where he sits, giving him a flat stare, incredulous at the fact that his internal sensors are sensitive enough to detect the normally unnoticeable spin of the Earth.
With a roll of my eyes, I continue sarcastically, "I suppose I'll just have make do with your limitations then," extending a hand, I start to tap the table around the locket, eight points, equal distance from each other and the pendant, "From the first tap, following the order, I need you to carve the runes I provided. I sent them over to Wanda here," I gesture to her, "in sequence, so adhere to that, understand?" I ask with seriousness, "Because, and I cannot stress this enough, should you mess up, I won't be able to stop the fallout."
Warning delivered, I go to wait for him to proceed, before remembering to question, "Actually, I forgot to ask; is it alright to damage the table?" I've gone into this without concern for their thoughts, which I can admit was a mistake. I've no idea how they'll react to what I plan to show them, so I need to try and leave a good impression; who knows if they'll unjustly blame me for their future? As much as I'm familiar with these people, I don't actually know them; I've only seen what little bits of their lives were shown on the big screen.
Wanda answers me, her voice distracted, "It's fine; it came with the apartment."
Giving her a nod, I turn to Vision, intending to press him to begin, his body still annoying invisible to my senses, when I get an idea, and speak, "Hold up a minute." Pulling the gloves I stole from my pocket, I place them on the table and hover my hands over them. Bringing a quantity of Chi to my fingers, I touch them to the gloves, infusing them and making them shine in my senses. Step one complete, I summon to Purpose to me, its cane form floating into my hand to the surprise of Wanda.
To put off any instinctual retaliation, I forewarn them, "This," I shake Purpose, "is a sword." Notice issued, it dispels the illusion at my request, its sheathed appearance appearing to the two.
Wanda leans forward in her seat with curiosity, as Vision queries, seeking to understand the process, "How on earth did you do that? I didn't detect any abnormal energy signatures."
Smiling, I reply, "You wouldn't." Unsheathing the sword, I place the blade over the gloves and answer, "It's a simple illusion enchantment, designed to alter the senses of those that look upon it, making them perceive whatever I want them to, within reason," I slice the edge through the tips of the cotton fingers, cutting them from the whole, "As long as the chosen illusion is similar enough to the original object, it'll work; I can't make people think that it's a car, for example."
While I re-sheathe Purpose and put it the side, Vision takes this moment to speak, expressing his intrigue, "Fascinating, truly. It's similar to the way in which I alter my appearance, but through a completely foreign method."
Humming in agreement, I pick up the gloves and pass them over to Vision, requesting, "I need you to put these on," pre-empting any questions, I make clear, "Due to the fact that you're not a biological being, composed of flesh, blood, and spirit, you generate no Chi, effectively making you invisible to my energy sense," he takes the gloves and slides his fingers into them, "Adding to that, you barely register to my other senses on account of your body being composed of mainly Vibranium, its inherent properties interfering with my method."
Reaching over, I wind my hand out and grab at his newly glowing ones, testing the accuracy, judging it to work well enough. Nodding in satisfaction, I inform him, "You can start whenever," getting an okay back. Turning away from him and to Wanda, I tell her, "While your partner is working, you and I need to have a little talk." Without waiting for a reply, I grab my rubbish and start to walk away, moving round the sofa and into the small kitchen in the back, having mapped the flat when I first arrived.
The sound of footsteps on the rug-topped, wooden floor follow as Wanda moves after me, her energy radiating her anxiousness. Pushing open the half-glass door, I enter, the cool of the tiles under me passing through my socks, and hold it open to her. After she brushes passes me, I turn to her, wanting to explain, when she speaks first, her voice apologetic, "I'm sorry," she starts, "I shouldn't have pushed, invading your memories as I did; I just– I needed to–"
Seeing where this is going, I interrupt, speaking softly, "Wanda," she stops, "That's not why I wanted to speak to you. While yes, what you did was sorta rude, I… honestly, don't care that much."
Her hands draw up her sides, crossing and clutching her upper arms as she asks, confused, "You don't?"
Shaking my head to her, I clarify, "Well, I do a little bit, but I stopped you before you saw anything really private, so all's good," as she relaxes, I move on to the purpse of our talk, asking of her, "Do you know where your powers come from? Why you awakened to your psychic abilities?" I detect as the motion of Vision's carving hands pause momentarily, his focus shifting to me, before he carries on.
Wanda tilts her head slightly and answers hesitantly, "...Wasn't it through exposure to Vision's Stone?"
Taking in her ignorance, I lean back to the wall and regard the limited woman before me, her power great but her true potential untapped. Focusing my senses on her, I peer deep into her energy, frowning as the red-eyed spectre reappears, staring back, its powerful, malicious gaze falling on me. I regard it, an idea as to its identity, then look away, ignoring it, not wanting to touch upon that potential disaster right now.
Putting the interaction to the back of my mind for the moment, I reveal to the waiting Wanda, "You're partially right, of course." Thinking on how best to explain without causing a crisis, I raise a hand, palm up. Flowing my Chi through it, I demonstrate, "This… is Chi; life-force," I swirl it around and through my fingers, "Through it, I can do many things, such as enhance my physical abilities to superhuman levels, convert its energy into elemental forces, manipulate the surrounding world, and much, much more.
"Chi is an intrinsic part of every flesh-based being, not counting some rare exceptions and outliers, and…" I trail off, giving Wanda a pointed look, "a single part of ones whole." I walk to her as she falls into contemplation, throwing the container in the bin then reaching round her, flicking on the kettle, the water inside starting to gradually boil. Closing my eyes, I sense for the location of her tea, then open up and pick a couple bags out of the top cupboard, grabbing two mugs at the same time.
The steps of Vision, his job finished, sound to me as he approaches, passing the boundary into the room and watching; a silent observer. Keeping my back to him, I start to pour the ready, scalding water into the cups, when Wanda seems to come to a realisation, her bewildered voice sounding out next to me, "Are you saying that… my power has always been a part of me? And that the stone simply brought it to the surface?"
Glancing to her outline, apathetic to the considering gaze of the thing in her spirit, I confirm, "Exactly, though it's more complicated than that," stepping to the fridge, I grab the milk and add it to the tea, stirring it in with a careful application of Chi, "To be more precise, it strengthened your dormant power, activating an aspect of it." Grabbing my cup as I turn to them, sliding the other over to Wanda, I take a sip, the liquid burning my tongue, then grimace in disgust, "Ugh, is this skimmed?"
Pausing, I shrug, then take another sip. As I swallow, I consider how to play this, very much aware of the dormant, greater being listening, its barely hidden wrath swirling in its eyes. I slide my senses to it, perceiving the happy smile on its face, then frown, coming to a decision. Ordering my thoughts, I turn to them and say, "Before I can begin, imparting to you how you have such power, you must first learn the why, the reason."
Steeling my spirit, I stare into the deep, demonic eyes of the creature, fearful of it's retaliation, then begin to speak, relaying a myth from times primordial,
"Roughly four billion years ago, when the Earth was young, before the times of Humans, Psyklops, and Dinosaurs, the planet was ruled by the Elder Gods, incredibly powerful creatures spawned by the Demiurge Primordial. Initially benevolent, they used their dominion over the elements of creation to guide the development of the world, choosing to watch over the newly emerging life, something they did for hundreds of millions of years," pausing to take another sip, the two not jumping in, listening intently, I resume,
"Then one day, for reasons unknown to me and my fellow sorcerers, most of the Elder Gods started to wage war between themselves. This… Godwar culminated in Serpent Set discovering he could increase his powers by cannibalising his siblings; with the consequence of his vile actions causing him to degenerate, becoming a demon. The other Elder Gods, driven into temptation by the lure of furthering their own strength, soon began to imitate him, to the horror of Benevolent Gaea, the Mother Goddess."
The demonic being snarls at the name, the red of its eyes darkening into a deep, lightless black, a promise of death carved across its skin. My lips curl up at its rage, a smirk coming to my face, when I continue, "The Great Mother, despairing at the state of her family, came up with a plan, one that caused her great sadness; to bring death to her siblings, and ensure the survival of her beloved Earth. Calling upon their creator, she exchanged breath with it, giving birth to a son, Atum, the first of a new race of gods.
"This newborn god immediately started to hunt the Elders Gods and absorb their power, a process that transformed it into a monstrous being know as the God-Eater, Demogorge. With its overwhelming power, Demogorge scoured the earth, slaying any and all demons, until their were only four survivors remaining; Set of Water, Oshtur of Air, Gaea of Earth, and… Chthon of Chaos, the greatest, most terrible demon of them all." As its name is invoked, the demon begins to howl with laughter; a disgusting, evil pleasure scraping along my brain.
I try not to react as I half-feel the shadow of a wet, lengthy tongue lick at the back of my neck, it's sickening, broadcast emotions causing my spirit to shake. Revolving my Chi as my limbs begin to grow cold, I attempt to negate its influence, my spirit showing worrying signs of loosening, of desynchronisation. A tightening grips my lungs as I stagger, clutching back at the counter, careful not to spill my tea, the hand of Wanda reaching out and supporting me, concern rolling off her.
Turning to her with difficulty, I raise a shaky hand and place it on her face, sliding it past and pinching her hair, taking it between my fingers. Her heart beats quickly beneath my touch, her anxiety obvious, when I quickly pull, snapping off a strand, causing her to flinch. Winding it around my digits, I reveal to the worried Avengers, my voice trembling in strain, "Backlash, f-from your patron, Wanda," taking a quivering breath, I advise them, "You should take a couple steps b-back, I don't know w-what it's trying to do."
Bracing myself against the sideboard, I place my tea down and take steady my breathing, falling into meditation, trying to find my centre. I stifle a grunt as a piercing, agonising pain shoots through my heart, the scars over it splitting, blood leaking from and running down my breast. Clutching at my chest, I glare at the beast, my anger falling into the void of its spirit, a lake of absolute calmness meeting my fury. Muffled voices reach me through the sudden fog of my perception, noting as they move away from me.
A tingle starts to rise in my chest as I slide down to the floor, my legs failing me, feeling the gradual crawling of many limbs climb up my throat, a scratching at my tongue. Nausea turns over in my stomach, my mind sickened by an idea of what's happening, when I start to gag. Closing my eyes in disgust, sensing as the two start to fret, I fling my hand out to the side, summoning Purpose to me with urgency, it responding with haste, almost teleporting into my hand. Taking a quivering breath, I warn the couple, "T-this next part is gonna be a tad messy."
Drawing it sharply, I flip it and hold its tip to the side of my neck, then clench my teeth, cold sweat gathering on my forehead. Ignoring the worried shouts of my hosts, I grip the handle, then pull, piercing the blade into throat. Instantly, scorching blood begins to spray out, leaking out from the wound and flooding my front, soaking into my clothes. As my jumper begins to stick to my skin, I wrench my sword, cutting through and across my throat, opening it up and exposing my insides to the world, a gurgle of choked breath leaving me.
My consciousness blurs as Purpose clatters to the ground, my fuzzy mind focused on Healing, on staying alive, when I bring a trembling hand to the slash. Without a moments hesitation, I plunge my fingers inside, unnatural, distant pain assaulting my senses, and search around, my digits clawing at a slimy, foreign mass. Reaching in further, my hand sliding inside, I grab at the resisting object, small, sharp protrusions leaving cuts in my skin, then begin to draw it out, my open throat bulging as it passes.
A scream of shock rings in my ears as the thing hooks into my wound, fighting my strength, before I gather my resolve and yank, tearing it away, my injury widening. I throw the creature onto the floor with a splatter of blood and bring one hand to my throat, covering the wound as it begins to slowly knit back together. With my other, I grasp Purpose and raise it in fury, then pierce it down into the parasite, the blade passing through it and into the tile below, dark delight filling me as it dies with a quiver.
Still at risk, I wrap the long, stolen hair around the corpse, then slap a hand into the blood below and infuse it with Chi, the pool alighting in my Detection. My throat mostly healed, I run a finger through my blood and draw five runes of offering, then begin to chant, my croaky, raspy voice echoing through the kitchen,"With this Offering, I beg for Guardianship from the mother of Life, asking for her Forgiveness in my invocation in matters relating to her Family!"
The runes spins and glow, absorbing the blood and transforming the spawn, a slowly flowering seed appearing its place, growing gradually, a golden Daffodil rising to face me. A guttural, hate filled scream from the denied demon shakes the room, scraping the inside of my head, the floor shaking, the clattering of cutlery and tableware ringing out. A comforting feeling, that of a mother running her fingers through her child's hair, warms my heart and protects me as I stare down, a ghost of a hug wrapping around my shoulders from behind.
My skin tingles as a soft, life-filled breath rolls over my head, brushing past and tickling my cheeks, before enveloping my eyes and flowing inside. A heat rises behind them as broken, torn, golden lines flash through the nothingness of my vision, their frayed ends slowly reaching out to each other. A hint of vitality green appears between the separations, mists appearing and twirling, attempting to heal the damage, when a pulse of light runs from the distance, passing along the strands and impacting the healing, preventing and destroying it.
A sigh of disappointment kisses over my ears as the warmth pulls away, the period of protection finished. Clenching my eyes shut in frustration, I slide a leg out from under me and lay its foot on the bloodsoaked floor, placing a hand down, then push up, starting to stand, my knees weakened. A large hand slides around my back and under my arms, assisting me, the quite, concerned voice Vision filling the silence of the room, "...Lets get you sat down."
Weakly nodding to him, I lean against his body as he leads me back into the living room, turning my head to the following Wanda and asking of her, "Can you grab me a bowl? Preferably big and plastic, please." A whisper of agreement reaches me as I hear her move off, the opening of a cupboard sounding. The outline of the soft armchair approaches me as I walk forward, breaking away from Vision with a word of thanks and carefully lowering myself into it.
He stares at me for a moment as I let out a groan of relief, settling my weight into the cushions and feeling my tension leave me, before moving back and sitting down on the sofa, his head turning to his nearing partner. She stops before me and passes the bowl, my tired hand rising up to grab it, judging it to be a plastic, mixing bowl based off its weight and texture. Holding it just under my face, I channel my Chi and swirl it around my stomach and lungs, collecting every drop of loose blood.
Hammering at my chest, I rise the Chi up and pass it through my throat, feeling it flow over my tongue, before throwing up, spitting out the glowing blood into the bowl, hearing it impact with a splat. Wiping my mouth with the back of my sleeve, I place the filled bowl on the side table and rub at my eyes. With a silent huff, I lower my hands and look to the waiting couple, their minds no doubt filled with numerous questions, and start to explain, "Sorry about all that; demons can be petty fuckers, especially ones who fear interference in their investments."
Wanda speaks out, her voice filled with tension, "How– Why did you cut yo–…" she pauses, collecting herself, "What was that?" she stresses. Leaning back into the chair, I hold a hand out, Purpose flying into it from the kitchen, its blade wet with blood, and place it across my legs, then answer,
"It was the result of another of my mistakes; one of the many that I seem to be collecting lately. You remember the last Elder God I mentioned?" I question as I pull my jumper off, leaving me sitting in a wet top, my figure outlined as it sticks to my skin. Noticing as Visions turns away from me slightly, I wrap the clothing up and start to rub it over the blade, cleaning my blood from it, as he responds, going to say,
"Yes, the demon of fire? Cht-"
"Ah, stop!" I cut him of with a shout, whipping a hand to him as a slight chill fills the room, goosebumps rising over my skin. The demon in Wanda glares at me in pure hate as I prevent Vision from calling upon it, but I ignore it as best I can, not giving it an opening to reach out, "Do not say its name. Defenceless from corruption as you are, you should never invoke a principality or deity without sufficient preparation," lowering my hand, I continue, "As you've now experienced, there are powers beyond science and logic that pervade this world, that thing being one of them,
"I told you the history of the Godwar for one very important reason, one that directly involves the two of you and is a deciding factor in your near futures," locking my blind eyes on the vague figure of Wanda, I state, my words heavy in the room, the air stilling, "Wanda is the chosen vessel of this demonic God of Chaos."
Silence meets my words, the couple not knowing how to respond, before Wanda release a quite word of confusion, "...What?" With a sympathetic expression on my face, I expand on my explanation,
"Your psychic abilities, the telekinesis and mind control and all that, are but a surface level manifestation of you true power, Chaos Magic, the oldest, greatest form of magic," standing from my seat, my wounds fully healed and my tiredness vanquished, I step to her, holding my hand out and gesturing for her to grasp it. She hesitates, but does as I ask, placing it in my palm and gripping, Smiling at her in reassurance, I say, "Now, channel your energy into me." I feel her eyes on me as she thinks, before doing as I say.
Vision leans towards us, the Mind Stone shining, its light captivating, as he stares intently at us, the chance to learn something new stealing his attention. Wanda's energy fluctuates beneath her skin as it lights her fingers and passes into me, the sensation pleasant. Joining my Chi in its dance, I wrap it round the childish, dormant magic, capturing it and containing it in my hand. I wriggle my fingers, the digits tingling with potential, and draw my hand away with a tapping on the gripping hand of Wanda.
Moving to the pendant on the table, I kneel and tell them, "Watch," then run my empowered fingers over the carved runes, working counter-clockwise from the first, infusing them with the Chaos. The runes alight as I power them, a small gasp of surprise leaving Wanda at the sight, as I cast, "Lingering Lies of Loki!" The red runes shine in response to my words and rise off the tables, turning to the pendant and lapping over it, fusing with it, the locket flashing and flickering in my perception, then settling, a slight, red glow remaining.
Reaching out, I pluck it from the table and pass it over my head, wearing it round my neck, then turn to the two with a flourish, my arms wide, "Tada! Magic!" Clutching the hanging pendant in hand, I display it to them, "This tool was created using your magic, Wanda." She stares at the locket, whatever expression she's showing hidden from me. Stepping forward, I crouch between them and look to her, "Chaos Magic is a font of destruction and creation that embodies possibility, existing at the edge of unreality and reality,
"It represents life and freedom, defying predetermination and fate, existing between what is, and what will be; and is required for the maintenance of all magic and life. As a wielder of Chaos, with enough training, you will be able to control and change fundamental aspects of existence, from creating life, manipulating time, warping space; there is no limit to what you could accomplish." Placing a hand on her knee in comfort as I sense her begin to panic, I soften my voice and continue, "But that all comes with some lingering issues,
"You'll have no knowledge of this, unfortunately, but you're a descendant of a long line of witches and warlocks, originating from a place of power known as Mount Wundagore. What your ancestors will not have known is that, before escaping the wrath of Demogorge, the God of Chaos retreated to this mountain and carved his dark spells upon its walls, infusing it with his power and binding it to him, turning it into a source of power." I squeeze her knee to focus her, then resume,
"Over the millennia that your bloodline resided there, the evil of the God gradually infected them, shifting their magic towards his own, Chaos. The demon did this in preparation of creating a vessel, one that will allow him to escape the notice of the God-Eater and resume his corruption of the material world." Wanda's body tenses as she come to a silent conclusion, causing me to nod at her, "Yeah… Seems like you get it," Sighing, I finish, "You, Wanda, are the culmination of this corruption, his final, perfect vessel; the Scarlet Witch."
Vision reaches out an arm and pulls Wanda in to a side hug as she takes in this life-altering information, her face buried into the crook of his neck as he rubs her back. Looking at me silently, the light of the Stone flashing erratically, he speaks, asking me with barely suppressed distress, "How do you know all this?"
Not answering for a moment, I stand and grab at the low table behind me, picking it up silently and placing it off to the side, creating space in the centre of the room. Taking a few steps into the open space, I glance at him, my hand held over the newly enchanted locket in gesture, preparing to cast, "Because, I've bared witness to the destruction he causes once Wanda falls to his influence, seen with my own eyes as the innocent are murdered by the masses, watched on in horror as the Earth is blackened, its land broken and its seas boiled,"
I turn away from him, not wanting to him to see my expression, then begin to conjure an illusion based off my memory, the room around us warping and transforming, "And I'm sorry, but… It all started with you, Vision." Working inwards towards us is a still recreation of a forest clearing, with green leafed trees and dark dirt; a distant, futuristic city beyond the connecting fields.
The ground slowly grows to us, flora and grass rising from the it; a toppled, twisted log nearby, beside which kneels the figure of Vision. He looks up confusedly at a muscular, alien man, his purple body clothed in a dark bodysuit, his scapl absent of hair and his chin ridged. His left arm extends to the head of Vision, a golden, gemstone embedded gauntlet equipped on his hand. Nearby, sprawled out on the dirt, lays the red-leather clad form of Wanda, a look of dread on her face as she stares at the scene.
With sadness in my heart, I share, my tone solemn, "What I'm about to show you isn't something anyone should ever have to see, but know that it's needed." Nervousness fills the room as I gently swipe my hand, moving it out to the side, the scene starting to play. The being reaches out and lifts Vision into the air before by his neck, his mouth open and gasping in breathless terror. A quiet, fearful, "...No." sounds from the watching Wanda as the other, bare hand of the alien rises up, his fingers pinching at the Mind Stone and starting to pull, strain showing on his face.
A shout of shock and sadness leaves her as, with a grunt, the man tears the Stone from Vision, chucking him off to the side like he's a piece of garbage. His greying corpse rolls over, tumbling through the long grass and coming to a stop, his blank eyes and open skull staring up at us. As Wanda starts to sob, the scene of her partner dying hitting her hard, the real Vision comforts her and speak to me, his voice more serious then I've heard yet, "...Who is that?"
With a gesture, I remove the majority of the illusion, leaving only the standing, victorious, purple giant, his face showing his satisfaction as he stares up at the stolen Mind Stone. With a deep frown, my tone sharp, I reply,
"Thanos, the Mad Titan."