(AN: Holy Moly! It's been more than a week! And I can't believe I was stuck that long. And my salvation? [A F*CK*NG TIMESKIP!]. Can you believe it? I was almost losing my mind with all the distractions. Turns out, a simple time skip and a summary saved the day. And so, now you know the reason why there's a chappie for today! I'll see you on the next update next week!)
Silence lingered in the bakery, thick and uncertain, as if the world itself was waiting to see what would happen next.
At the center of it all, Wanda Maximoff sat on the floor, clearly still processing the mess inside her head.
Elias cautiously stepped forward, his eyes fixed on her, searching for anything wrong or if she was okay.
"…Are you okay, Wanda?" he asked.
Wanda blinked.
"I-, I'm fine."
She stopped. Her expression changed. Memories were overlapping each other. She now recognizes the feeling that the other Wanda has for Elias. The problem was that it wasn't unfamiliar. It felt like it was hers.
The warmth he brought when she was at her lowest. The quiet sense of home she had once she lost in this life and the other, she felt from him during the short time they were together.
Two lifetimes threading together into one.
She still remembered Sokovia and being rescued together with her brother, Pietro, by Stark and Barton. But she also remembers Pietro saving Barton, trading his own life to save Clint and a Sokovian kid.
And one more thing she most recently remembers was him. She lifted her eyes and found Elias looking at her with concern.
And something stirred in her chest. She knows what it was, and it was hers.
Wanda's lips parted slightly, her expression shifting again, softer this time, but far more complicated.
Elias noticed it instantly, yet his expression didn't change the slightest. All Wanda saw was his concern for her.
"…Alright," he said, exhaling lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm seeing a lot of expressions right now, and I'm not gonna pretend I understand any of them."
He stepped closer.
"Go on," he added, voice steady. "Tell me exactly how you feel right now. Do you need time to sort it out? What do I need to do?"
"You're my responsibility since I brought you here," he continued. "But I'll respect whatever you want to do."
Before Wanda could respond—
"Hey."
Pietro Maximoff stepped forward, placing himself slightly between them.
"Back off," he said, his tone sharp. "She's my sister."
The tension shifted instantly with Pietro's protectiveness.
Behind them, the others watched—Mara with folded arms, Lina practically holding her breath, Noah whispering something under it. Even Happy Hogan stayed put by the door, clearly unsure if he should intervene or just… get a popcorn and watch this drama unfold.
Elias glanced at Pietro. Then back at Wanda.
"Let me just make something clear," Elias started.
"What?" Pietro asked.
"She's not just your sister right now."
Pietro frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Elias gestured toward Wanda. "She's both. The one you grew up with—and the one I brought here."
A smile appeared on his face as he looked at Wanda once more.
"I'm not denying either of those," he added. "You have every right to stand there, beside her."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"But the Wanda I traveled with?" he continued. "She matters to me, a lot."
When he finished, Pietro's jaw tightened slightly.
"And if there's even a sliver of her still in there," Elias said, softer now, "then I'm asking you to give me a chance."
I might even end up your brother-in-law. His lips twitched faintly, the thought finishing silently in his mind.
Pietro opened his mouth.
"No! There's no way I-"
—but never got the chance to continue.
"Pietro."
Wanda's voice cut him off; it was that familiar tone she uses whenever he does something she doesn't like.
He froze. Then slowly, he turned back toward her.
Wanda stepped forward. Her eyes found Elias again.
And this time, she smiled.
"It's still me," she said.
"I still want to move in with you."
Elias blinked once.
Then nodded slowly. "Okay… good. That, that's good news."
Wanda tilted her head slightly.
"But—"
Elias sighed. "Of course there's a 'but.' So, what is it? I'll make sure to make it happen."
She almost laughed.
"We might need to prepare another room for my brother."
"What—?!"
Pietro's voice shot up instantly.
He grabbed Wanda by the shoulders, shaking her lightly in disbelief. "No—no, no, no—bring me back my sister! What is this?! What did you do to her? No!"
"Pietro—!"
"No! This is not happening—!"
Wanda sighed. Her eyes glowed faintly red. Chaos magic flared.
Pietro was suddenly lifted clean off the ground.
"Hey—HEY—!"
"Shut up," Wanda said flatly. "We are moving in with him!"
He flailed mid-air. "Put me down! I object to this entire situation! He's not even your boyfriend!"
Wanda went silent at his comment and stepped forward with a very gloomy expression. Pietro noticed it too.
"I- uh- I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I won't object anymore; you can move in with him. Just leave me out of it."
Wanda laughed and hugged him tight.
"I missed you," she said softly.
Pietro froze completely.
"…What?"
His voice dropped, confusion overtaking the panic.
"What do you mean you missed me?" he asked. "We literally came here together. We haven't even been apart."
Wanda didn't let go.
"I know," she said.
And she meant it.
Because for him, nothing had changed.
But for her, it had been years.
Eight years since the moment he had died saving Clint Barton and that kid from Ultron.
Eight years of living in a world where her brother no longer existed.
A quiet, almost ironic thought crossed her mind.
In one life, Pietro died saving Clint and a Sokovian Kid.
In this one, Clint saved Pietro and her.
The only difference was that Pietro gave his life to do it, Clint didn't. Wanda closed her eyes briefly, holding onto him just a little tighter.
"…It's just been a while," she murmured.
Pietro didn't understand. But he didn't pull away either.
And for now, that was enough.
The tension lingered for only a moment longer.
Then Wanda slowly pulled back from Pietro, her hands still resting on his shoulders as if making sure it was something real, because in her memory, she had once lost her brother, but now, he's still here.
Pietro blinked at her, still trying to process everything. "…Okay," he said cautiously, "but, are you sure you're really okay? And also—" he pointed past her, directly at Elias Mercer, "how did that guy become your boyfriend?"
Wanda answered him directly. "It's quite simple. I am both the Wanda from our world and the Wanda from the future. Although some memories differ, my feelings, experience, and all the knowledge from both are all mine."
Wanda walked straight up to Elias. And before anyone could react—
She cupped his face lightly and kissed him.
For a split second, the entire bakery froze.
Lina gasped.
Noah nearly dropped a tray.
Mara raised a brow—but didn't look surprised.
And then everyone started clapping once more.
Lina started it.
Then Rhea joined.
Caleb followed with a slow nod.
Even Happy Hogan, who had absolutely no reason to be emotionally invested in this, found himself clapping along anyway.
"…I don't even know what's happening anymore," he muttered, still clapping.
Elias blinked.
"…Well," he said after she pulled back, clearly recalibrating. "That's one way to confirm it."
Wanda smiled slightly.
Pietro, meanwhile, stood frozen in place. Utterly shocked at his sister's behavior.
The bakery was filled with laughter. Wanda and Pietro are going to change their address by the end of the day.
A strange, unexpected family was formed at Mercer's Hearth.
.
.
.
One Year Later
Time moved forward as it always did.
And in that year, the world followed a path that felt familiar—almost as if it were trying to stay true to something already written.
Hydra fell.
The Avengers, alongside the remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D., hunted them down to the last operative. Hidden bases were exposed. Networks dismantled. The organization that once thrived in shadows was reduced to nothing more than scattered remnants.
In the aftermath, Clint Barton made his choice.
He met Elias, secretly.
"I'm in," Clint said. "You have my loyalty."
"But my family comes first."
Elias didn't hesitate.
"Good," he replied. "Although you are under me, I won't come between you and your family. I am also not going to make you work for me all the time."
He wants Clint to remain within S.H.I.E.L.D. and continue his role as if nothing had changed.
"My only demand is that when I call," Elias had said, "you answer."
Clint nodded.
.
.
.
Far beyond Earth, another shift took place.
On Jotunheim, the winds of change carried something long overdue.
With Laufey gone, the throne stood empty.
And Loki—now something far more than he once was—returned not as an outcast, but as a claimant.
Beside him stood Thor, along with Sif and the Warriors Three, their presence lending weight to what was more than a simple visit.
It was a strategy from Odin himself.
The Allfather had ordered them to assist Loki in establishing his claim—to give him legitimacy among the Frost Giants.
This order was a safeguard for Loki. It was Odin's quiet attempt to ensure Loki would have a force of his own as he stood beside Elias, who was a rising force. He even entrusted the Casket of Ancient Winters in Loki's hands so that he may have a valid reason to rule the Jotuns.
The Jotuns accepted his claim, but not his strength, which was the nature of their tradition of who would lead them.
The Jotuns tested him.
And Loki, who was now a Saiyan, passed it easily.
His Saiyan physique, honed and sharpened through extensive sparring with Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three, became the deciding factor.
And just like that, Loki ascended as the new King of Jotunheim.
.
The pieces were slowly moving into place. And the main plot of the original flow of time finally makes it through.
.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, peace proved to be… temporary.
Tony Stark had not carried the nuke through a wormhole. He had not drifted alone in the void. He had not returned with the same kind of scars that once haunted his sleep. In short, he had no PTSD.
And yet, He still thought of taking the first step to defend Earth against the unknown. The fear didn't come from trauma this time. It came from a certain blabbermouth. It came from Elias' words that someone sent Loki, and that sooner or later, that someone will come to Earth.
Tony thought, when that day comes, will they be ready?
That thought stayed with Tony.
Long after the eradication of HYDRA ended. Long after everyone tried to move on, Earth is now a little bit safer.
It still didn't go away. And so he often thought about.
If New York had only been a test…
Then what was coming next?
What was out there?
Tony started running simulations through his mind.
The more he thought about it, the more he became convinced.
They weren't ready.
Not for something bigger. Not for something worse than what already happened.
If it came now, they wouldn't survive it a second time.
That was how it started. By the fear of 'What If?', I mean the unknown.
Tony found Bruce Banner in the lab one evening, already buried in research. This wasn't the first time Tony searched for Bruce.
"I need your help," Tony said without preamble.
Bruce didn't even look up at first. "That's never a good sign." Tony Stark, needing help.
Tony paced slightly, restless energy building behind every step.
"What if we're not enough?" he asked.
Bruce paused.
"…We've had this conversation. Whatever's out there, we will be ready. And we will be enough."
"No," Tony shook his head. "Not like this."
Bruce finally looked at him.
"What's going on? What have you thought about this time?"
Tony hesitated. Then said it.
"What if the next threat isn't something we can punch?" he asked. "What if it's something we don't see coming? Something bigger than all of us combined?"
Bruce studied him carefully. "Still about what he said?"
Tony didn't answer immediately. He didn't have to.
"That totally got to you," Bruce said.
Tony let out a quiet breath. "He wasn't lying, and it made sense."
"I want to build something," he continued. "Not a weapon. Not exactly."
Bruce crossed his arms. "That's reassuring."
"An armor," Tony clarified. "Around the world."
Bruce's expression shifted.
"You're serious."
"I'm always serious," Tony replied. "You just don't always notice."
That earned a faint huff from Bruce.
"…And what exactly does this 'armor' look like?"
Tony turned, eyes sharp now.
"Something that can think," he said. "Adapt. Respond faster than we ever could."Bruce went still.
"…You're talking about artificial intelligence."
"I'm talking about defense," Tony corrected.
"A global defense system with independent thought," Bruce said slowly. "That doesn't sound dangerous at all." Bruce's face says it all.
Tony stepped closer. "But it sounds and feels necessary."
Silence stretched between them. Bruce looked away briefly, thinking.
"You really believe something worse is coming," he said.
Tony nodded once.
"I don't want to wait for it to prove me right."
Then—
"…You're going to do this with or without me, aren't you?"
Tony didn't answer. Which was the answer. Bruce sighed.
"…Alright," he muttered. "But we do this carefully."
Tony's lips twitched faintly.
"Careful is my middle name."
Bruce gave him a look.
"…That's a lie."
"Completely," Tony admitted.
But it didn't matter.
Because the decision had already been made.
Ultron—
Was about to be born.
.
.
While the world moved toward its next crisis—
Somewhere far removed from it, somewhere in Queens, life continued in a much simpler way.
Queens was alive with its usual rhythm—cars passing, people talking, the hum of a city that refused to slow down. And tucked within it, far from war rooms and global threats, Elias Mercer and Wanda Maximoff spent the day like any ordinary couple.
A movie date.
Wanda walked beside him, her expression relaxed in a way it hadn't been for years—not in one life, and not in the other. The merging of her memories had changed something fundamental. The grief was still there, but it no longer consumed her. It sat quietly, balanced by something else.
Something warmer.
She didn't need to train with Pietro Maximoff anymore. The knowledge, the control—it was already there, carried over from a future she had lived through.
And because of her connection to Elias, she wasn't being pulled into every Avengers operation either.
Not that Pietro was spared.
He had joined them, reluctantly supervised, constantly watched—but still on the path to becoming one of the Avengers.
Elias, on the other hand, stayed out of it.
He focused on his bakery shop and on her girlfriend, Wanda.
The movie had been good.
Not life-changing, not unforgettable—but good enough to make Wanda smile and lean slightly into him during quieter scenes.
By the time they stepped out, the late afternoon sun had softened into something golden.
"I liked it," Wanda said.
Elias nodded. "Solid choice. No world-ending stakes. Very refreshing."
She gave him a look. "You sound disappointed."
"Give it time," he replied casually. "Something always tries to end the world eventually."
Wanda shook her head lightly, amused.
"I'll be right back," she said, gesturing toward the nearby restroom. "Wait here."
Elias gave a small salute. "Try not to merge with any alternate versions of yourself this time."
She rolled her eyes as she walked off.
For a moment, he was alone.
And that seems to be the perfect time for something to sound through his ears.
A familiar sound.
One he hadn't heard in a long time. Something he had almost hoped never to hear again.
[System Notification!]
Elias froze.
His expression flattened.
"…No," he muttered under his breath.
[The 1 year cooldown of task to becoming a Villain is done.]
[It is time to proceed to the next stage of being a Villain!]
"…You've got to be kidding me."
[Grandmaster Villain Task: A true Villain owns a Realm!]
Elias closed his eyes briefly and let the system load its instructions.
[ Task #1: Choose the most suitable location and raise the Frozen Throne using Frostmourne to declare ownership.][Reward: Restoration of 10 Yautja Hunter Servants][Punishment: Survive the Uchiha Massacre as a Jonin Uchiha under Fugaku, in the Naruto Universe.]
[ Task #2: Conquer the whole city or country where the Frozen Throne is raised.][Reward: Mob Infected from Left4Dead universe (500 assorted Zombies + 8 special infected)][Punishment: Survive 3rd Great Ninja War as a Jonin from Kirigakure, in the Naruto Shippuden Universe.]
[ Task #3: Conquer the whole continent where the Frozen Throne is raised.][Reward: 10 Noble Vampires (Underworld Universe), on par with Marcus, the progenitor of Vampires.][Punishment: Survive the Ambush at Whiskey Outpost on Planet P as one of the troopers in the Starship Troopers Universe.]
"…Why is every punishment basically 'go die somewhere else'?" he complained at this point.
[ Task #4: Conquer the whole world/realm where the Frozen Throne is raised.][Reward: 10 Primal Werewolves (Underworld Universe), on par with William, the progenitor of Lycans.][Punishment: Survive the 4th Great Ninja War in the Naruto Shippuden Universe.]
Elias stood there, unmoving, staring at his system, which he hadn't heard from for a whole year. Now that it did, it just dropped bombs on him.
He was reconsidering every life choice that led to this exact moment.
"…Shit."
The word came out flat.
He was being told to conquer the world.
Elias let out a long breath, glancing toward the direction Wanda had gone.
There was no way he was going to tell her about him being from another world. But the system tasks? He's definitely sharing this with her.
End of Chapter