It had been a week since Wanda discovered the Baxter Building's hidden base. Reed had wasted no time evacuating everyone. He had no shortage of safe houses, and not all of them were in the United States. There were facilities in Australia, Iceland, across Europe, and even beneath the Arctic. Each underground base had cost a fortune to build and maintain.
The battle had left a deep psychological scar on every hero who survived it. Many of them had never witnessed Wanda's true strength or fought the terrifying infected firsthand. Now they understood exactly what they were facing.
The infected charged like enraged beasts, snorting violently through bloodied noses as they threw themselves at anything alive.
Heavy-hearted, everyone followed Reed to the North Pole, where another base lay buried beneath an enormous iceberg. It had been jointly constructed by Wakanda and the Illuminati, originally intended to monitor a colossal armored life-form resting on the ocean floor—far larger than the legendary Norwegian Kraken.
The giant showed no signs of life. Reed suspected it was trapped in a state of suspended animation, much like Captain Carter had been, preserved by the crushing cold. Unlike her, however, it had no allies searching for it, nor anyone capable of rescuing it from beneath ten thousand meters of frozen sea.
"I'll miss her."
Kitty Pryde clung to Rogue's arm, struggling to hold back her tears.
"Twinkle will always stay in our hearts."
Rogue gently stroked the girl's hair as she looked at the patched-together body resting inside the ice coffin.
The X-Men had lost yet another teammate.
Scott's eyes were wrapped in thick bandages. Susan had managed to operate on them after Wanda's words had literally sealed his eyelids shut. Fortunately, it hadn't been like Black Bolt's mouth disappearing entirely. Otherwise, the X-Men would have lost another soldier for good.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
"Maybe it's time to rebuild the Illuminati."
On the thirteenth underground level—the second-lowest floor of the entire facility—a massive round table dominated the chamber. Six chairs surrounded it, but only five were occupied. One seat remained empty, waiting for the final member.
"I've sent T'Challa more than thirty emails." Reed adjusted the goggles resting on his forehead as he walked out of the laboratory, still wearing his white coat. "He rejected every one."
He had been working nonstop on a device capable of blocking the crimson mist. Using the Space Stone's power, he hoped to create a dome-like barrier that could shield entire regions from its spread.
Without informing either the government or the military, they had become wanted fugitives.
Those officials had eagerly blamed everything on them. After making a show of deploying fighter jets, tanks, and special forces, they eventually discovered the Baxter base. Reed had no choice but to flee to the Arctic.
Using private jets.
A lot of private jets.
"We need more people," someone said. "We're stretched too thin."
"It's not about numbers." Renzo rested his chin on one hand, but Wanda's cruel words continued echoing in his mind. "No matter how many people you gather, it won't stop a mad witch. Ants can bring down an elephant... but they can't kill a blue whale."
"For now, the Infinity Stones still keep her in check," he continued. "But she'll eventually find a way around them. Just like the Avengers always do—we always figure something out. We beat impossible enemies and somehow save the day."
He pointed toward Triton's water tank beside Charles.
"And what about you, Triton? Where can you take those children? Back to the moon? Try to rebuild Attilan's dream?"
"Don't think that far ahead. The world's about to end. Eat, drink, enjoy today—who knows if there'll even be a tomorrow? God is dead! We're just NPCs waiting for the protagonist to wipe us out in the next cutscene!"
Renzo lunged onto the round table, dropped into the center seat, raised both hands dramatically, and began acting like Paul, completely losing himself.
He wore a green sweater with white stripes.
Wanda had knitted it for him herself on Christmas Day in 2017. She had smiled and told him the color would match the Christmas tree perfectly.
The truth was, Renzo preferred flashy clothes. Gold, sequins—anything that sparkled. Green had never really been his style.
Love was a strange thing.
According to the original course of Earth-838, the Avengers would continue living their lives while only the six founding members of the Illuminati met their tragic ends. But Chthon's influence had twisted this once-unremarkable universe into something much closer to the comic books, where countless heroes and villains were active at the same time.
It was chaos.
"Calm down..." Reed raised his voice and leaned closer.
"You don't understand."
"What does an NPC know?" Renzo barked. "I'm the player! I came here to change the future—to stop all those tragedies!"
He grabbed Reed by the collar, staring directly into his eyes.
"But look at reality!"
His voice cracked.
"The future I'm involved in just keeps getting worse... just like this place! They weren't supposed to die! Not this many people... not here!"
He was falling apart.
His appearance flickered uncontrollably between Vision and Paul. The golden cloak on his shoulders flashed in and out of existence as his violent emotions pushed his unstable system toward collapse.
In truth, the system had never been fully repaired after arriving in this universe. It had only been slowly healing itself over the past twenty days. His artificial limbs flickered constantly. They weren't the originals, and they had already reached the limit of what the system could synchronize with.
He couldn't endure it anymore.
He had always kept a certain emotional distance from this universe.
But Wanda's words the previous night had pierced straight through him.
Every sentence from the woman he loved had become another blade, hacking relentlessly into his heart until even vibranium would have shattered under the assault.
"You don't know who I am!"
Dark mist spread across Renzo's pupils.
Reed froze.
Inside those eyes he saw only despair.
Silence.
Hopelessness so pure it was almost tangible.
It felt poisonous enough to seep beneath the skin and rattle the soul.
"It doesn't matter who you are." Mordo sat rigidly in his chair. "I don't need to know. If staying here only torments you, then leave."
After Doctor Strange's death, Kamar-Taj had urgently needed a new Sorcerer Supreme.
Only Wong and Mordo had remained as viable candidates.
Both had trained under the Ancient One since they were young. Before Stephen Strange appeared, Mordo, Wong, and Kaecilius had been regarded as her three greatest disciples.
In the end, Mordo inherited Strange's place within the Illuminati and became Kamar-Taj's new Sorcerer Supreme.
Determined to reform Kamar-Taj, he soon discovered a depressing reality.
There simply weren't enough sorcerers.
The crimson mist had little effect on them, but only a few dozen remained. Every one of them possessed exceptional combat ability, faithfully upheld their duties, and devoted themselves to protecting the world.
Watching Renzo sprawled across the table, Mordo finally experienced what it felt like to lead others—even if one of those people was a new Illuminati member, a Guardian of an Infinity Stone from another universe, and currently the strongest Avenger among them.
Mordo was an exceptional sorcerer.
Whether he could become an exceptional leader was another matter entirely.
His pride kept him from seeing his own limitations.
"Go back?" Renzo laughed bitterly. "You want me to go back? I've crawled through one hell after another, and now you think I can just walk away because you said so?"
He threw back his head.
"That's hilarious."
His eyes locked onto Mordo's.
For an instant, Mordo felt as though he had been dragged into a frozen abyss.
An overwhelming chill raced through every part of his body.
It wasn't entirely an illusion.
Since arriving in this universe, the Black Lantern Ring had been quietly restoring its strength. The deaths of so many heroes had replenished part of its power, though not nearly enough. It was like taking a single sip of water when dying of thirst.
The ring stirred.
Pitch-black liquid rolled endlessly across its surface like a rising tide.
It almost seemed alive.
Almost joyful.
Like a child discovering a new toy.
Without realizing it, Renzo's personality had begun changing under its influence.
He knew the ring was dangerous.
He also knew he couldn't abandon it.
He needed its power.
He needed something capable of carving out a path to survival when every escape route disappeared.
The Black Lantern Ring had fully awakened only three times.
The first was when Eddie obtained it. The combined influence of the symbiote, dark magic, and death energy had nearly overwhelmed the inexperienced Renzo before he barely managed to suppress it.
The second came during the battle against Apocalypse.
Fed by hundreds of thousands of dead souls across Cairo, the ring unleashed unprecedented power, sweeping through the battlefield before dragging the self-proclaimed god into the depths of hell.
The third was when Wanda disappeared after Chthon captured her.
That was the first time Renzo truly lost control.
The Black Lantern Ring seized his consciousness completely, drowning him in darkness and death until every trace of hope vanished.
Ever since then, Renzo had feared its power.
It was unimaginably strong.
It even carried traces of the Black Hand's master—the Black Lantern entity itself.
But he feared what it would turn him into.
He had nearly killed Strange after transforming into a Black Lantern corpse, with no memory of what he had done.
If one day his mind were completely swallowed by that endless black tide, becoming nothing more than a drifting leaf upon a sea of death...
He would never forgive himself for whatever followed.
Renzo slowly closed his eyes.
Only then did Mordo realize he had been holding his breath.
Professor Xavier had remained silent the entire time.
Even he had been shaken.
Whatever darkness surrounded Renzo felt even more terrifying than the horror Wanda inspired.
It wasn't the presence of a living person.
It felt like something that had crawled straight out of hell.
If Renzo truly lost control, Charles had already decided what he would do.
Even if it cost him his life, he would destroy Renzo's mind before anyone else could be hurt.
Fortunately...
It never came to that.
Drenched in cold sweat, Mordo slumped against his chair.
No one noticed.
Everyone's attention had already returned to Wanda.
"What are we supposed to do now..."
Reed rubbed his aching neck.
For the first time in his life, his genius felt completely useless.
Mr. Fantastic.
Leader of the Fantastic Four.
The man capable of advancing civilization by centuries.
Now he sat beside a round table with a handful of equally desperate heroes, discussing strategies that barely deserved to be called plans.
He remembered who he had once been.
A brilliant scientist.
Trusted comrades.
A loving wife.
A mischievous little son who liked curling up in bed while Susan read him bedtime stories.
Franklin was still so young.
Reed lowered his head.
If he failed...
If Wanda killed him...
Then Susan would die.
His son would die.
Everyone he loved would die.
Johnny Storm had fallen in Attilan.
Ben Grimm had been imprisoned after Bob froze him, locked away in the former Baxter detention facility. Wanda eventually discovered its location and released every inmate.
No one wanted those violent criminals to become infected as well.
If that happened...
The heroes would be helpless.
Like lambs awaiting slaughter.
Their bodies torn apart.
Their souls consumed.
"Wade is already on his way back," Charles finally said. "He brought Logan with him."
"Don't worry. Wade may seem unreliable... but when it matters, you can count on him."
Just yesterday, the chatterbox in the crimson suit had stabbed Logan clean through the ribs with both katanas before hoisting him over his shoulder like livestock.
With Domino accompanying him, the mission had gone surprisingly smoothly.
Aside from Wade getting cut in half twice.
"We've also sent a distress signal into space. S.W.O.R.D. should have received it by now. Something this serious can't go unnoticed."
"Then why haven't they come?" Renzo asked, tilting his head as he sat cross-legged like an obedient child.
"They're probably gathering intelligence... preparing reinforcements..."
Charles smiled weakly.
Even he didn't believe it.
Too many people in positions of power had always viewed mutants—and superhumans in general—as threats.
Expecting them to rush to the rescue was wishful thinking.
If they simply stayed out of the way, that alone would be a blessing.
His words drove the room back into silence.
"I've got it!"
Renzo suddenly shot to his feet atop the round table.
His energy returned in an instant.
He spread his arms as though embracing the entire world.
"We might be able to ask him for help."
__________________________________________
You can read early chapters on Patr*on. If you enjoy my work and would like to support me, consider becoming a patron. My Patr*on username is Renzo28557.