"Alright, that's enough for now! Go rest!"
Satoru announced to his apprentices who were discussing among their respective groups.
"Master Gojo," one apprentice asked for his attention, which he acknowledged. "Are we... Are you going to continue your lesson in the afternoon?"
Throughout the morning, the apprentices got a real look at how Satoru's mind worked. For Wanda and Illyana, it was a lot to take in. They had plenty of power but no training. Satoru's way of explaining things was fast and unconventional.
Even though they have little to no prior knowledge of sorcery before ending up here, by the time he's done, they both feel like they understood what he was talking about, but at the same time, not at all.
Satoru pulled his phone out and checked the notification that just popped up with a ding!
"Afternoon? Hmm, no," Satoru said, sliding the phone back into his pocket. "I have an important errand to run. If I'm late, the person I'm meeting will never let me hear the end of it."
Satoru threw a casual glance toward the back of the courtyard, his gaze landing on the blonde girl.
"Illyana," Satoru called out, gesturing for her to follow. "Come and take a walk with me. I want to hear about your experiences on your… 'vacation'."
Finally, he turned to Wanda. "Wanda, I'll be back by sunset, I'll talk with you by then as well."
Not expecting to be called, Wanda paused for a second before nodding.
Illyana caught up to Satoru as they made their way outside the training ground side-by-side.
Wanda's gaze lingered on Satoru's back until he turned on the corner and his frame was gone.
Satoru led Illyana away from the courtyard and toward a quieter side of the mountain. He kept his hands in his pockets, strolling with a relaxed gait.
They walked in silence for a minute before Satoru spoke. "So, I know a thing or two about Limbo, but I wanna hear it from you," He glanced at Illyana who had been silently following him. "For me, you gave me a chocolate bar about four or so hours ago. For you… how long was it?"
Illyana stared straight ahead, her eyes fixed on the distant, snow-capped peaks. "Eight years," she muttered. Her voice was grating, like she hadn't used it for anything other than screaming.
"Eight years, huh?" Satoru hummed, not sounding particularly shocked. "I figured. Time in those dimensions is messy."
He tilted his head slightly toward her. "How did it happen? One second you're on a lifeboat, the next you somehow ended up there?"
"Belasco," she spat the name like it was poison.
She subconsciously reached for the space where her Soulsword usually manifested, her fingers twitching. Satoru noticed the movement but didn't comment on it.
"We went to see Piotr," Illyana whispered. "My big brother. He was in New York, staying at a large mansion with others like him…"
'Like him?' Satoru caught on to that, but didn't interrupt as she continued.
"Mom and I… we were happy because we would be staying with him after so many years apart and after what happened with Sokovia. But, then…"
When she got to this point, she shivered violently. The memory of that time clearly still scared her.
Satoru didn't need her to finish, he filled in the blanks himself.
Kidnapped from a place of safety, dragged into a hellscape, and forced to survive by the whims of an individual holding higher power.
He stopped walking and gently rested a palm on her shoulder.
"That's enough," Satoru said softly. He didn't pull her into a hug, he knew better than to crowd someone who had spent eight years fighting for their life, she might slash out by instinct with her sword.
"I get the picture," he continued. Then, he smirked. "You're safe now. And I can promise you, no dimensional ruler can reach this temple unless I allow them to."
Illyana looked up at him. "You don't have to worry too much about me. I've got the blood of that place in me now. I'm not... I'm not a normal girl anymore, and I don't need your protection."
"That's not how I see it," Satoru shrugged, finally retracting his hand and shoving it back into his pocket. "You know, just between you and me. I've been to a different type of Limbo once."
Illyana looked at him curiously, wondering what he meant by that. He continued. "I promised myself and made a decision that I'd live a normal life while I was in that Limbo, but look how that turned out."
"Look at where we are," Satoru said, gesturing to the ancient stone structures and the snowy peaks. "Normal was never an option for us, Illyana. It's just a word for people who don't have to deal with the things we do."
Satoru gazed up at the clouds. "But don't get it twisted. I'm not offering to protect you because I think you're weak. I saw you take down that demon, you've got plenty of teeth."
He turned his head toward her, his smirk softening just a bit. "Protection isn't always about holding a shield in front of someone; sometimes, it's just making sure you have a place where you don't have to constantly look over your shoulder."
Illyana stayed quiet. She didn't say thanks, but she didn't argue anymore either.
"Anyway, use that phone," Satoru said, nodding toward the device she was still clutching.
He started walking toward the edge of the mountain path, where the cliff dropped off into another building of Kamar-Taj down below.
"Go find Wanda," he said over his shoulder as her gaze lingered on him. "She's just as lost as you are. You two should stick together, misfits are always better in pairs. I'll be back by sunset."
Not waiting for another word, he casually stepped off the ledge and freefall. Then, with a blink, he disappeared and teleported somewhere.
Illyana stood there alone for a long time. Looking at the scenic view over the cliff where they had unknowingly ended up on with their walk.
'Did he… purposely led me here to calm my mind?' Illyana thought to herself. She clutched the smartphone against her gray robes and… a smile slowly formed on her face. But, it was gone as soon as it appeared.
…
[ London ]
Satoru can be seen walking up the steep winding path of the private hillside he owned in Hamstead. He adjusted his grip on the bouquet of fresh lilies and the bottle of expensive whiskey he carried.
He had bought this land through a connection he got to know of years ago. He went here whenever he got a lot on his mind, or just for fresh air.
He passed the small, well-kept cottage near the trail, but he didn't stop to go inside. His destination was further up.
At the very peak, sheltered under the sprawling branches of a massive tree, two slabs of polished marble stood side-by-side.
"Hey, Nihlie. I'm back," Satoru greeted the marble slab on his left. "Wasn't late this time."
He knelt and placed the lilies on the stone engraved with the name Nihility Miller. He traced the letters with a finger. "Here are your favorites. The flower shop sent me a reminder text. If they hadn't, I probably would've forgotten it was your anniversary today. Don't haunt me for it."
He shifted over to the second stone. He set the bottle of whiskey down firmly next to it. "And for you, Arthur. Good ol' pal. I brought the expensive stuff. Try not to drink it all at once."
Satoru sat down on the grass between the two graves, crossing his legs.
He reached up and pulled the blindfold relic away from his face, letting it rest in his lap. His Six Eyes, brilliant and crystalline, looked out over the rolling green hills of London.
He let out a long and heavy breath, finally letting the exhaustion of the last few days show on his face.
"Crazy things have been happening lately..." Satoru muttered, looking at the stones as if they were about to talk back. The wind rustled through the leaves above, the only answer he received.
He leaned back on his elbows, staring up at the shifting grey clouds. "Want me to tell you what happened? I've got a bit of time before the sun goes down."
He paused, a faint smile on his lips.
"Hmmm," he hummed, tapping his chin. "Where to start..? Uh-huh! Let's go start with me meeting the Avengers for the first time. You would hate them, Nihlie. They were…"
Satoru rambled on with his story, his voice carrying through the quiet hillside as he sat there alone with the graves of his friend and his friend's husband.
…
[ Hydra Siberian Facility in Russia ]
The Siberian mountains were covered in a heavy, unending layer of snow, hiding an old Soviet bunker built deep into the rock.
Inside, the air was freezing and smelled of stale grease and chemicals. In a large, dimly lit room, several technicians were busy working around a row of cryostasis chambers.
One by one, seven people — men and women — were unstrapped and dragged out of the pods. They were naked, their skin pale and covered in a thin layer of frost. Heavy chains and leather straps were immediately locked around their limbs to keep them secured.
The technicians forced them to sit in seven wooden chairs arranged in a semi-circle. As the heat of the room hit them, the subjects began to heave, their breaths coming out as thick clouds of ice as their lungs struggled to function after years of being frozen.
A man in a dark coat, holding a weathered red book, began to walk a slow circle around the chairs. He ignored their gasping and shivering, his focus entirely on the words he was about to speak. He spoke in Russian:
"Zhelaniye."
"Rzhavyy."
"Semnadtsat."
"Rassvet."
"Pech."
"Devyat'."
"Dobroserdechnyy."
"Vozvrashcheniye na rodinu."
"Odin."
"Tovarnyy vagon."
As the last word left his lips, the effect was immediate. The seven people, who just moments ago were shaking and fighting for breath, suddenly went still.
The sound of heavy boots echoed from the hallway as another man entered the room. He stopped near the chairs, looking over the row of seated subjects.
"Are they ready?" the newcomer asked, looking at the man with the red book.
The man with the book didn't look away from his work. His eyes were settled on two of the seven people in particular.
One was a person whose face was mostly hidden behind a black mask. The other was a man with a metallic prosthetic hand resting on his knee. To the man with the book, these were his masterpieces.
"They're ready," the man replied, his eyes remaining on the masked man and the one with the metal hand.
...
[Author's Notes]:
Daily chapter drop (One each): Monday → Sunday.
Powerstone Goal (When including the DCD and this goal is met, there'll be two chapters released when Sunday arrives): 1,800 Powerstones
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Discord: discord.gg/E5Nhb5aSNY