First, I'm sorry if the previous chapter didn't look like there's something new, I was a little struggling when I first made that chapter. I almost didn't want to write that and skip to the point but that won't make sense for the coming chapters, that's why I had to put it in, but at the same time, it was kinda hard.

I'm sorry if the previous chapter was not interesting to you all I had to brainstorm a lot on how it'll go in certain directions, so the more chapters I've written, the harder it has been.

I try to post every week, but if I miss it, I'm so sorry as well.

The reason I decided to update as well is that this week, I'll be a bit busy with my work. So, I'm trying to schedule my time better. Hence, this chapter.

Here's compensation from me to you. Enjoy! Oh, and this time, there's a post-credit scene. So, stick around after my notes!

"So," Loki cleared his throat, "If this theory is right, that Wanda is the target, why hasn't he showed up yet? Why didn't he attack us back in our last battle?"

"He must've been waiting," Stephen crossed his arms, "Wanda has the power to bend reality, of course, one would want to be cautious when confronting the Scarlet Witch."

Wanda didn't look like she took the compliment well as she raised her brow, "Thank you?"

"As much as this is great for you, you are in grave danger as well," Stephen said, "If Nightmare found your location, there is a chance that he'll come after you."

"Doesn't sound like he knows yet though," Loki commented, "And if that's the case, we don't even know his location, do we, Pangborn?" he looked to the disabled man.

He sadly shook his head, "I met Mordo a long time ago, I don't even know where he is now."

"We'll get you fixed up again," Stephen gave a pat on his shoulder, and turned Wong, "If you will."

Wong understood what he meant, he then created a portal and pushed Jonathan towards it. Most likely going to Kamar-Taj, after all, they are all there. And Wong and Jonathan left the four of them together.

"So, what do we do?" Peter chimed in, "Do we wait until he attacks?"

"I'm not certain he'll do that," Loki hummed before turning to Wanda, "I think he's trying to tire you, Wanda."

She blinked, "Tire me? How?"

"We have been fighting countless variants of Kangs, and not ones did Mordo ever showed up until we saved the twins that led us to our last battle," Loki explained, circling his other fellow magicians, "He picked the time to show himself to Billy at that moment…"

"Or he let it slip?" Strange guessed.

"No, these entities are clever, very dangerous," he slowed his pace to a stop, wracking his brain on what this magician could do. Perhaps it's time for them to know another truth, "When Sylvie watched Billy's memories, she saw something else that doesn't belong to him."

The magician raised his brow, "What do you mean?"

Here goes, "The entity was talking directly at her, not at Billy."

"What?" Strange uncrossed his arms and looked at him with alarm, "This is not some kind of trick your girlfriend made up, is it?"

"No, it's not, Strange. Sylvie is not a liar, her magic cannot lie, and I saw it myself in her memories," Loki glared at him sharply, if looks can kill, he'd probably be dead by now. As much as Wanda wanted to break them apart, this is something these men need to settle.

Stephen looked at him with so much anger, "She wasn't even supposed to be out of her cell or use her magic."

"And we won't even know there is some ghost haunting children in the dark thanks to your friend that you didn't keep tabs on," Loki countered swiftly.

"You could've waited until we get back," Stephen spat, "But no, you just had to get her out of her cell, likely jeopardizing our goals and selling us out."

"Ah yes, of course. And let this subject sit like a sitting duck while you all are out there chasing another Kang for God knows how long and that would most likely get us nowhere while I had to deal with a crying child asking for when his mother would come back so that she can kiss him goodnight and tell him that the 'nightmares' isn't real but apparently, it is."

"You forget that she is the reason why this all happened," the sorcerer supreme darkly said, glaring daggers at the God of Mischief, Wanda can see his hands turned to fists, "What if this Nightmare possessed Kang instead? Do you know how powerful he can be? He may probably be even more powerful than Thanos."

"Know your place, Strange," Loki growled like a wolf, clearly not backing out of this, "Whether Sylvie had done it or not, your little friend had tried to contact with a devil likely from the very depths of hell and trying to break loose…."

"STOP THIS!" Wanda shouted, her eyes glowing red and red sparks floating on her hands, frustrated that these arguments are going nowhere and her and her children's lives are in danger, "This debate you boys are having is getting us nowhere, this is exactly what Nightmare wants," Wanda shouted, she felt like she was watching another argument between Steve and Tony and she's genuinely afraid if history will repeat themselves from these two, "The last time I saw a team argued, they broke apart, and we lost a war and the people we loved."

Wanda's heart broke at the thought of the people dear to her who lost their lives like Pietro. She thought about Tony Stark, who gave her shelter in America, she thought of Natasha, the person who taught her about speed and stealth, and she remembered Steve, who guided her into his hero business. And most of all, she thought of Vis who lost his life because of the stone. All of them dear to her, gone. If the Avengers never broke apart, maybe they would all still be alive. "I'm not going to see that happen again, and we do not want to stand against Nightmare on our own. We have to do this together. It doesn't matter whose fault it is not, what's done is done. We have to figure out how to stop him."

Loki and Stephen looked at her for a moment, and then at each other. Clearly, they look like they still want to have a go, but they are trying to hold their tongue. Eventually, Loki sighed and slipped his hands into his pockets, "You're right. We have a villain on the run, and we need to work together," he said coolly, it's as if the argument they had never existed, "And since that's the case, I want Sylvie free."

"No," Stephen immediately stated firmly, making Loki's eyes widened.

Loki gritted his teeth, "Did you not hear what Wanda just said? We're supposed to be doing this together! And she's a fighter! A reliable one, I assure you."

"She's still under our little probation until we know for certain that she won't let her emotions get the best of her again," Stephen explained, "There may be a reason why Nightmare appeared before her in the memories of the child, he must've wanted something from her, and we're going to have to watch her closely to prevent unwanted advantage for him."

"Then I'll be the one watching her," the God of Mischief countered back.

"As Wanda said, we are going to do this together," he said, "I do not mean any ill will towards her," Loki scoffed at that part, "But we cannot be sentimental in this war, the last time it happened, it didn't end well. So, it's still best she stays on our watch."

That last part seems to strike Loki, his eyes squinted as he clenched and unclenched his fists. Eventually, he let out a long breath, "Fine, is there anything else you'd like to say?" Wanda let out a relieved sigh, they handled this better than Steve and Tony.

Stephen shook his head, "That's all I have to say. Perhaps we're going to want to be prepared as well, Mordo might attack our sanctums or any places."

Loki nodded, and showed his palm to him, "May I have the documents? I'm going to return them to my friends."

"Of course," with a flick of his fingers, the document neatly piled into one and floated towards Loki, "Thank you for your part."

Loki didn't say anything, only stared at him coolly as he took the documents in his hands and held them closely on his hips. For a while, all he did was look straight into Stephen's eyes, Wanda's heart beats uneasily, what if another argument broke?

"When without a shadow of a doubt that Sylvie is clear," Loki began, his tone deep and menacing, "I want her released immediately."

Stephen didn't say anything at first, only glaring at him, clearly still stubborn on his decision. But eventually, he opened his mouth, "Then I hope that Sylvie can prove herself to us."

Loki nodded, he then turned around and tapped something on his bracelet, and a translucent rectangle the size of a door appeared in front of him, Wanda assumed that that is the TVA's version of a portal, "Thank you for everyone's participation," his tone didn't sound angry, it's like the argument they had never happened. Then he calmly walked towards the portal, and it disappeared like a tv screen.

Wanda sighed and turned to Stephen, "Did you really have to be so harsh on Sylvie?"

Stephen turned and began looking through a book's contents, "I had a team member who was sentimental because his love died, and if he didn't let his emotions get the best of him, that snap would never have happened in the first place," he explained calmly, he too was able to control emotion, "Just as you said, I too am not going to repeat the same mistake again."

Wanda swallowed nervously, "You aren't talking about me, are you?"

"He was talking about Peter Quill," Peter chimed, she nearly forgot that Peter is still here. The young teenager shifted uncomfortably, "It's true what Mr. Stephen had said. Quill got a little too emotional after finding out that Thanos…..well, murdered his own daughter for the soul stone. So he, well, as we were trying to get the gauntlet off Thanos, Quill lost it and hit him several times until he awoke," he murmured sadly as he recalled the events, "I can't blame him though, I probably would've done the same thing if anything were to happen to MJ."

How many histories must repeat again? Her heart clenched at that thought, she knew that feeling. To watch your loved ones, pass right in front of you. It hurts so much.

She turned to Stephen, "Is it true?"

Stephen nodded as he scanned through the contents, "Perhaps if he stayed his hands and control his emotions, things would've been different," and then he closed the book, "But as you said, what's done is done. We can't change the past anymore, only the outcome of the future."

Wanda nodded, "I suppose so," she looked down sadly, recalling the time she spent with Sylvie. But she refused to believe that she'd do the same mistake again, "Stephen?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you at least give Sylvie a chance?" She asked, hoping that perhaps he'd consider lightening her punishment. She understands how she felt and would want to help her every way she can, "I'm sure she had learned her part."

"That is up to Sylvie," he replied. Wanda blinked, this is the first time she heard him called her name, "I do not hate her, nor do I not want to antagonize her, I assure you. But she must prove to us that she won't repeat the same mistakes, that is why we must watch her. We cannot afford to lose this battle between magic and mystics from another small mistake again. Your Avengers friends cannot help this time, magic must be defeated with magic. And that is something we all have here."

"I do!" Peter chimed, making him frown, "Remember that portal web you made me?"

"No," Stephen growled immediately, "Go home, Parker. This is something you shouldn't be involved in the first place."

"Oh, come on," Peter whined, "I just got here."

"Good, and now you may go. Be a friendly neighborhood while we do our part," Stephen lifted his hands and began to wave a circular motion, creating his spark portal. He pointed towards the portal that leads to what looks like a bedroom, "Go home, Parker. You have done your part, thank you. But afterward, this is something that science cannot explain but magic and definitely not the same as our last battle with Thanos. While we fight, you can help us by keeping the city out of trouble and return to your normal life."

"But…"

"Go home, or I'll put you back in your Astral state again," Stephen warned with a death stare, "and this time, I won't know when I'll bring you back."

Peter shuddered at that statement, Wanda thinks that it must've haunted the boy. Though it's cute to see a boy with powers afraid to be in a ghost form, it seems that a boy of science is still foreign about magic. The young teen pouted, "Fine," he mumbled and without complaining again, he walked towards the portal, "Good to see you again, though," he then turned to Wanda and gave her two thumbs up, "See you again, Wanda."

Wanda smiled and waved goodbye to him before he disappeared, sometimes she envies Peter that he got a nice normal life. She wondered what it'd be like if she had one, but it seems that that is not her life yet. Perhaps one day.

"Wanda," Stephen called her.

"Yea?"

He handed her the book he was reading, "I'd like you to read this book," the book floated in front of her face and she grabbed it and read the title Dimensional Personas, "This book contains the records of what our former master encountered through different dimensions, one of them contains pages about Mephisto and Nightmare," those names made the Scarlet Witch's blood boil and she felt nervous at the name as well, "I suppose you might want to read something about them, gives you some insight on who you'll be up against."

Wanda nodded and looked at the book. It's a dark brown book and heavy like a textbook, "I see. Thank you, Stephen."

He nodded, "Let's head back."

She nodded, she wants to meet Sylvie and her twins again, "Yea."

"So, she's still not off the hook, huh?" Mobius popped a piece of lettuce in his mouth from the salad Loki compensated for him, "But I suppose, Stephen Strange is not a guy who can be persuaded that easily lest there is concrete evidence right in front of him. After all, he was a doctor."

"Human magicians are so dull," Loki scratched the back of his head as leaned his back on the chair and looked around the cafeteria of the TVA. It felt like yesterday when he first pitched the idea about the apocalypse to him, now he's like a true consultant to the organization, "It's not like she's the one attacking their realm or on Nightmare's side, this is why I don't hang around most mortals," he turned back to Mobius who gave him an unimpressed look on his face, "No offense of course."

"None taken," he chuckled before getting another bite of his salad, "So then, how is she now?"

"Better," he turned back to him in a calm manner, "She's slowly opening up to others, making friends with Wanda and her twins."

"Oh, that's good," he chewed as he spoke.

"Hmmm," he hummed, looking out the cafeteria window.

"But if this Nightmare was specifically speaking to her, maybe it's a good thing she's in that cell," Loki's eyes darted at him, he raised a brow up looking skeptically at him, wanting confirmation on what he meant. Mobius wiped his mouth with a tissue, "I mean think about it, if her cell doesn't require magic, then there's less chance that this ghost might not know her location."

"Yes, but that negates her abilities to even fight him back. If he knows where the child and Wanda are, then they might know where Sylvie is," Loki remembered seeing her memories, it looked as if he was threatening or wanting something from her, "Nightmare wanted something from her, but what did he want from her?"

Mobius shook his head, "The TVA doesn't have any records about a ghost or beings that are not from the physical world. It's hard to be sure aside that Mordo might be possessed by them."

"Are the documents here still outdated?"

"Well thanks to your clean-ups, we were able to re-organize which people are from which universe," Mobius took a sip of his juice box, "So, it's not exactly outdated, just messy. You know, which files belong to which universe."

"That's good to hear," Loki clasped his hands before leaning his back to the chair, "Mephisto is known to be another version of the devil, someone enslaving souls and bending their will to his purpose. What does he want from Sylvie then?"

"A new girlfriend?" Mobius joked, earning a glare from Loki. He raised his hands in defeat, "A joke."

The God of Mischief grumbled before he calmed down, "I read that Mephisto is unable to leave his own realm, that's why now he has Nightmare to go in his steed and he, in turn, possess Mordo to get to Wanda. And Wanda has the ability to change reality, perhaps that's why Mephisto wants that power," he crossed his arms and tried to connect the dots, "But why Sylvie?"

"Do you think Kang wants revenge?" Mobius guessed, "After all, Kang kinda introduced Mordo to the ghosts. So maybe his other self doesn't want to end up the same fate as the Kang she killed."

"That could be a possibility," Loki said, "that's why I'm not a target."

"Yea."

"But that'd be too easy, and if Kang wants revenge, he could've just shown himself instead of a ghost," Loki said, "In her memories, she was threatened for all her nightmare to come true."

"Which is the point of a death threat," Mobius said as if it's the most obvious thing.

"If I were Mephisto, what would be my advantage for getting Sylvie's soul?" he crossed his arms, thinking hard, "She has quite a decent power on enchantment, being able to manipulate a large mist monster," and just as he said that something clicked in him, he looked up at Mobius, "Enchantment."

Mobius furrowed his brows, "What about it?"

"He wants all her powers, manipulation powers," Loki determinedly said.

"For what?"

"To enchant Wanda to give in her powers!" he brought his chair closer, "If he cannot get to her children, then he'd go for Sylvie. That's why in Billy's memories, Sylvie was seeing something else but the same entity. Sylvie has the ability to enchant anyone, except me of course," Mobius gave a scoff at that remark, "And if he can manipulate Wanda…."

"It will make Mephisto easier for her to bend to his will and give him her powers," Mobius finished for him.

"Exactly."

His friend rubbed his chin, "That's not a bad theory. Makes total sense."

"Which is why I need her out of her cell," Loki exclaimed, feeling a little alarmed by this theory. He doesn't like it when he's away from her.

"But if she can't use her powers there, wouldn't Mephisto won't be able to use it?"

He shook his head, "The purpose of her cell is to negate her use of powers. So, at this moment, her powers remain dormant. Besides, he can take her soul."

"So, there's a chance that they can still take her powers?"

He nodded sadly, "This is why I wanted her out of that damn cell, and all that damn magician tells me is that she needs to prove herself. How will she do that when he locked her up like a dog?" Loki clenched his fists, feeling frustrated that Strange isn't allowed her freedom yet, "She won't be safe there without her magic."

"Well," Mobius scratched his head, "She's got you," and he said that with a grin.

"Oh please, I won't be there for her all the time," Loki scoffed, as much experience he had with other ladies before Sylvie, this is way more different. Because this time, he cared so much for her well-being. He needs to be sure that she is safe, no longer chase after some bozos from other realms and erase her reality again.

"Yea, but," Mobius scratched the back of his head as leaned back on his chair, "She can take care of herself. She's strong, ya know. Kinda like you."

"But not with her abilities shackled like this."

"You know what, man?" Mobius crossed his arms and grinned, "I think you are too paranoid."

Loki was taken aback at his response, him? Paranoid? He was always known as a relaxed and chilled person. But paranoid? "I beg your pardon?"

"I think you worry too much about what you can't control," the older man pointed out to him, "You are living in one of the most protected grounds in the world. You got the Scarlet Witch and a Sorcerer Supreme and his team by your side. Not to mention two boys with super strengths."

"And one is a complete prick," Loki mumbled under his breath, thinking about Stephen Strange.

"Hey, look," his friend leaned forward on the table, "Whether you like that guy or not, you both have the same goal. To bring down Mephisto. The least you can do is trust your teammates and cooperate."

"Oh, here we go again," he rubbed his face, "It's always about trust issues here. Have I not proof enough that I'm on the side of good? And for god's sakes, I'm training the kids of Wanda."

"I'm not talking about you, Loki. I'm talking about you cooperating with your friends and try to see their point of view," he said.

Loki sighed, leaning back at his chair, and looked up the ceiling. This is why sometimes he went off on his own, mortals are so hard to understand, "Wanda wants her family back, Strange wants to restore balance," he looked back at Mobius and shrugged, "Sounds about right."

Mobius chuckled, "It's more than just that, Loki. How do you think we were able to be friends?"

The God of Mischief blinked, now that he mentioned it, he couldn't really pinpoint. He looked up, trying to think how such a thing happened, "Hard to say."

"Alright, fine. Do you want to know how I became friends with you?"

"You were looking for Sylvie," Loki immediately answered, it's simple as that.

"Well, we didn't really get along at first, didn't we?"

This made Loki chuckle, their first impression of each other was terrible, "It was horrible."

"Yea, but we managed to come around, didn't we?" Mobius smiled at him, then he looked around the cafeteria, "Man, felt like that was yesterday, wasn't it?"

Loki smiled at that memory, the time where they quarreled like married couples to prove each other right. Come to think of it, he was like another version of Thor, just a little more brain.

"We were arguing about your motives," Loki cringed at that memory, seeing his entire future made the hair at the back of his neck stand, "And then you managed to get on my nerves on finding Sylvie, talking too much, and then you found a theory to find her. Man, what a ride, don't you think?"

He scratched the back of his head, "I suppose," he looked down at his hands, mind going a little blank and relaxed, "Say, what happened to Ravonna?" He can't believe he went out all this time without giving a second thought to the other person who made Sylvie's life miserable.

Mobius shook his head, "Can't say, she left without a word nor threats. And she hasn't been on our radar as of late, so we put her search on halt while we figure out the Kangs."

"Best to still keep an eye out of her," Loki suggested, "You never know if she may also be the one behind all this mess."

"Yea, I probably should. Problem is, we don't know where to start," he scratched his head, "That's why we haven't been searching for her yet, just keeping our eyes up."

"I see," Loki leaned back again, staring at the table, "In the end, all these guys are just playing hide and seek. Even the devils."

"Looks like it," Mobius agreed, "Though for Mephesto's case, he sleeps while his soul or whatever consciousness is out on the run. How does that work? Is that magic stuff that you guys do?"

Sleeping soul. Consciousness. His brows furrowed. That phrase somehow struck like a bell to him, reminding him of something important he read that might be relevant. Something that might be relevant. "Sleeping soul. Consciousness," he repeated out loud in a whisper.

Mobius looked at him strangely, "So?"

His green eyes darted at him, and without thinking, he patted his friend's arm, "You're very clever, thanks for the files," and without missing a beat, he flung himself off his seat and tapped his bracelet to go back, creating the portal door that the TVA would use and ran to it.

The portal then disappeared, leaving Mobius on his own on the table. The middle-aged man blinked, not understanding what that demi-god has in his mind. He only remembered the bit that he told him about being intelligent, "I know?"

So this one is a little shorter, not because I'm trying to write fast or just to make multiple chapters (I never planned for this fic to be too long as well anyway), but for the next scenes I wanted to write about, it just didn't seem right to fit it in here. It'll be overcrowding and not the purpose of this chapter.

This chapter focuses on realizations and new answers. Like Loki realizing that Stephen is still harsh, but for a reason. And Wanda had to keep two men nice the way Natasha did for her Avengers buddy hahhaa honestly, it's like a poet writing this. I see Loki and Stephen's argument like Tony and Steve back in the first Avengers and Wanda like Natasha just wondering what the men in her life are even trying to achieve.

And then, the part Loki realizing that there might be a better answer for…..something. I'll tell in the next chapter :D

Oh, and Peter's web portal was based on the toys leaked online. So, I put that as a fun easter egg.

Once again, sorry if it's short. I'll make it up for the next one hopefully soon.

And of course, don't forget to review :D let me know your thoughts!

Dark. Light. Loud. Silence. It's what he has been feeling as of late. His new powers have amplified everything he feels or senses. This other mirror dimension where he resides now gave him a better environment to feel his powers flow and into his body. To stay hidden from Strange.

He feels stronger now. He had unlearned to learn something greater and more powerful. All the things that his former master taught him had long been abandoned.

He has a new voice in his head now, the voice of a true master. The one who will bring judgment to balance these sorceries. There's too many of them, and many are perverting their nature now, all for the sake of mystic's arts of preservation.

It ends now.

Yesss, the deep voice in his mind hissed, you are readyyy.

"Master," he called to him in his thoughts.

You are stronger now, his master cackled, you can sense her. You saw her children. I need that power.

"Yes," he knew where they are. At first, he was reluctant because they were many and he was alone, but now, he's more certain. This battle will end before they know it.

Because he is not alone anymore. He had trained to understand this new power, to master it, and to learn the new weapon that can fight the things that's perverting nature of magic.

And if she's still stubborn, his master whispered, there is another who can persuade.

"But what if persuasion is no longer the answer, master?"

Then a soul for a soul it is, he sneered, after all, a soul of a demi-god worth more than a hundred souls to restore me.

"I see," he understood.

And what if you see your dearly beloved friend of yours? He gave him a skeptical tone.

Strange, that name made his blood boil. The very man who greatly perverted magic, "He means nothing to me."

He can feel his master grinning, showing his vampire's teeth, You are very ready, my apprentice. You have it all planned out perfectly.

"I did."

Now go. Give me the Power of the Awakening.

"Yes, master."

Mordo opened his eyes, a new surge of bursting flame rose in him. It's time for the sorcerers to end.