The ruins of Wundagore.
Loki's footsteps crunched on white snow. They didn't falter when they saw the crushed stone, or when they looked closer and saw the prophecies inlaid upon them.
He'd seen it all before. Countless things were different in each multiverse, but Wundagore always remained the same. He kept walking until they reached the center of the ruins, where the damage was the worst of all.
Loki spotted specks of blood on the snow and his mouth stretched into a smile, his fingers summoning up a ball of green energy. With a thrust, the shattered stones were lifted clear off the ground and hurled several feet away, revealing the source of the blood beneath them.
Wanda's robes were torn, half of her headpiece broken in half, an arm shattered, a shard of stone impaled straight through her chest, and a pool of scarlet staining the snow under her. Weak threads of energy twined around her fingers, still stained black from use of the Darkhold.
"Wanda," Loki murmured. "Wanda, wake up."
No movement from the witch.
With a sigh, Loki leaned down and kissed Wanda.
Wanda's eyes flew open, and she gasped for breath as her lungs strained to keep her alive.
Loki chuckled.
"You didn't expect to wake back up, didn't you?" He said.
The witch merely stared at her. "Why am I not dead?" she finally asked.
"Were you trying to die?"
The witch's eyes narrowed, as if such a question was inconcivibly stupid. "Anyone who collapses a mountain on themself is trying to die."
"Well, you can't."
"Why?"
"Because it's not your time yet," Loki responded. "Your destiny is to either rule your universe or destroy it. As you can see, it isn't over, and you're not ruling. Therefore, not dead."
The witch frowned. "Why did you come for me?" she asked.
Loki laughed."Cause i have feelings for you, you know this Wanda."
Wanda's mouth fell open as Loki pulled his hood back. Sunlight glinted off his golden headpiece crowning a face that she recognized instantly: Loki
Just like she had seen in her vision.
Loki grinned at her surprise.
"Loki?" Wanda asked faintly.
The grin on Loki's face stretched even wider.
"The Scarlet Witch, of course. You're one of the only people who exist in every single universe."
"Why?"
"Because eventually in time, every universe must be destroyed. An old friend of mine saw to that" he said.
Wanda sat back in shock, her eyes unfocused. Loki's eyes swiveled to the growing pool of red beneath them. Wanda had lost a lot of blood.
Wanda's eyes fluttered shut—
"Wanda."
Loki snapped his fingers in front of her face, and Wanda groaned, forcing her eyes open.
"Wanda, I need you to stay with me, okay?" Loki said. "I didn't come all this way so you could let yourself bleed out."
Wanda stared at him,curiosity, distrust, and love warring inside her.
"Wanda, you need to heal yourself," Loki said. "Do you really want to die here?"
Wanda frowned. Did she? A couple minutes ago, the answer would have been yes. But not anymore. She twisted her fingers, summoning up a ball of red energy, and sighed in relief as bone and muscle and tissue healed and dissolved. The blood on the snow disappeared, pulled back into its rightful place.
The pain was gone.
Wanda looked up at Loki. Why did you save me?" she asked.
"Because I want you," Loki said " Plus i still need your help"
"My hero days are over," Wanda said.
Loki snorted.
"Who said anything about being a hero?" He said as he pulled off his gloves, which had gotten soaked in Wanda's blood. "None of our variants are, Wanda. Not a single one. And this isn't a job for them. It's a task for the cold-hearted."
"Why should I help you?"
"Because if you do, I can bring your children back. Properly. The right way. No hexes, no sitcoms, no traveling to other universes. Real boys."
Loki offered Wanda a hand up, but Wanda's attention was focused on her Loki's fingers. Just like her own, the tips were stained black.
"You've been corrupted by the Darkhold," she said, stunned.
"I wouldn't call it corruption. Are you coming or not?"
Wanda stared at Loki in shock. "That's the book of the damned," she said. "Do you have any idea what you're playing around with?"
Loki stared at her, and Wanda noticed something dead in his eyes. "I'm a god, Wanda. Perhaps I'm older. I used it to find you. Does that make me any less ruthless?"
"I—I don't understand," Wanda said.
Loki chuckled. "We're both villains, Wanda. I just got started with my evildoing a bit earlier."
With a wave of his hand, she created a glowing portal.
A glowing square portal.
"You killed America Chavez?" Wanda asked incredulously.
"What? No i got this from the TVA remember" Loki answered
Wanda gazed into the portal and saw only some kind of alien landscape. "What's in there?"
"A world that's waiting for us," Loki responded.
"To do what?"
A grin stretched across Loki's face.
"To do what we need to do," he said. "Fix this shit"
