Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
So, back with the second chapter. This is going to be similar to the original story, but next chapter onwards is where I'll start doing more of my own stuff.
Some of the stuff is inspired by Aragorn II Elessar's fic 'Rise of the Great Demon' as it was in the original version, so thank you to him.
And since we will have some doppelgangers in this chapter, its time for designations.
For Doctor Strange- MCU/Benedict Cumberbatch version will be called Strange and Earth-96/Ewan McGregor version will be called Stephen.
For Constantine- Arrowverse/Matt Ryan version will be called Constantine and Earth-38/Keanu Reeves version will be called John.
Now with that out the way, let's begin.
Chapter 2- Revelations
Earth-199999, New York Sanctum
The New York Sanctum had visitors once more, and there were some more arriving.
A grandfather clock's ticking was currently the only sound throughout the building.
The residents of 177A Bleecker Street and their visitors stood waiting in its lobby. Strange and Wong were both wearing their tunics as Masters of the Mystic Arts.
Doctor Fate was standing there as well, his golden helmet concealing his face as his golden cape fluttered behind him, just like Strange's idiosyncratic Cloak of Levitation.
He wasn't the only one with a cloak like that though, as his doppelganger Stephen wore his version of the Cloak of Levitation too.
Both John and Constantine stood there as well.
"Am I the only one who notices that you sound…kinda old?" John randomly asked Fate.
"You are correct. My host, Kent Nelson is in his early 70s." Fate revealed, shocking him.
"Bloody hell, you're still powerful for an old wanker." Constantine quipped; ignoring the glares sent his way.
"They'll be waiting then?" Wong said about their invited visitors, getting back to business.
"Apparently, they arrive precisely when they're needed," Strange recalled what one of them had said to him once.
"What are you first going to discuss with him?" Wong wanted to know.
Strange's tone was nothing other than serious as he replied. "Getting our guest to talk. Otherwise, it'll be harder to solve what else we found."
"Which could be a false alarm, or something terrifying." Stephen added.
The grandfather clock melodiously chimed it was nine o'clock. Slipping on his sling ring, Strange reflected being dumped on Everest was about as steep a lesson one could get.
He regretted the Ancient One wasn't alive to see how much he had progressed and that he had finally succeeded her.
Strange fluidly moved his hands, unimpeded by his injury. A bright spinning portal rapidly formed a few yards in front of him.
It opened to a dense section of forest upstate. Strange had selected the spot so the sorcery to bring his visitors to the Sanctum went unobserved by darker powers.
It was the first time Gandalf and the Winchester brothers- Sam and Dean had used this mystical form of long-distance travel. They allowed themselves a moment to admire its ethereal beauty.
Strange closed it the moment the Wizards crossed over to the Sanctum.
"Much obliged, Stephen," Gandalf said gratefully. "You saved an old man quite a walk."
"Actually, we have agreed to call me Stephen, and him Strange." Stephen piped up.
"Oh! Apologies for my mistake then." Gandalf apologized with a chuckle.
"What about you two?" Sam asked John and Constantine.
"John." John said.
"Constantine." Constantine said as the same time.
"Well, this is gonna be confusing." Dean muttered, rubbing his head.
"I could've brought you here straight from Valinor." Strange reminded Gandalf.
"I know, but we needed to talk beforehand," Gandalf explained as he gestured to himself and the Winchester brothers. "Where're Master Laufeyson, Master Reyes and Lady Valkyrie?"
"Loki and Valkyrie had something to attend to in New Asgard, and Reyes had some work too." John told him.
Strange then escorted them all through the New York Sanctum.
Even though all of them had been here before, except Stephen, Strange, Wong and Fate, none of them could help but cast intrigued eyes at the various artefacts on display. All of these artifacts were very powerful- and dangerous!
"And to think that only a few years ago, the most mind-blowing thing we had to deal with was Demons and Angels." Dean muttered to Sam.
"Times change." Sam agreed.
As they walked Dean said. "So, we got your message."
"What did you wish to show us?" Gandalf asked.
The group of magic-users was soon walking down a passage.
"Wong found her in an alleyway two days ago," Strange explained. "Physically, she's fine. But she's not human. At least, she no longer is."
"And you're certain she's from Runeterra?" John asked.
"She mentioned a place called the Shadow Isles, which as far as I'm aware, only exists in Runeterra." Strange replied.
The group walked into the room where they were greeted by a shocking surprise.
It was a humanoid woman. Her skin was bright blue, with glowing spears sticking out of her back and sides. Magical restraints kept her in place.
"I will have your heads, betrayers!" she screeched, causing Dean to clamp his hands over her ears.
Annoyed, Wong flicked his wrist and a magical clamp appeared over her mouth, muffling her screeches.
"Who is she?" Sam asked.
"From the word 'betrayers', I think she may be the one known as Kalista, also known as the Spear of Vengeance." Stephen revealed.
"Her mind is warped and twisted by dark magic," Strange continued. "Wong and I were attempting to free it."
"Who else knows she's here?" Gandalf asked his hosts.
"Only us. Wong found her in an alley two days ago where she nearly killed him." Strange said.
The Spear of Vengeance had not uttered a word since 'betrayers.'
Since then, Gandalf and the Winchester brothers had been using their powers to free Kalista of the dark magic that had enslaved her.
Strange, Stephen, Fate, Wong, John and Constantine watched patiently as Gandalf, Sam and Dean cast an array of spells in a variety of Middle-earth tongues and Latin tongue in the latter's case.
All of them had tried to use their magic to bring Kalista to normal but none of them were that kind of magic-users who could go into the mind.
They held a slim hope the White Wizard's magic might succeed where theirs had failed.
But after an hour of repeated spellcasting, Gandalf's patience was exhausted. His reaction was similar when confounded by the Doors of Durin.
"Oh, it's useless!" Gandalf sighed in frustration. "I've tried every spell I know."
"Same here. Nothing works on her." Sam said as he scratched his chin.
"None of our spells worked either," Wong indirectly sympathized. "And she's kept screaming about betrayers the entire time."
"Maybe we should look beyond spells," Gandalf prefaced before suggesting. "Earth's knowledge of medicine is far more advanced than in my world."
"Metro-General has all the toys a neurosurgeon could want," Strange answered he had already considered a medical solution. "But none of them could help in this case."
"Damn it!" Dean snapped.
"There is someone else who can help." Fate said.
"I think you brought me here, Stephen, in order to bring you someone else." Gandalf knowingly said.
Masters of the Mystic Arts were accustomed to speaking in riddles.
"Another magic-user?" Wong assumed.
"Yep," Strange said. "A witch."
"I know exactly who you're talking about." Constantine smirked.
Jason Stark and Wanda Maximoff were walking down the street together. Since the Battle of Earth a few months ago, they had become good friends.
While neither of them was romantically interested in the other, they still enjoyed each other's company.
As they walked, a spinning portal opened up in front of them and Strange and Gandalf exited.
"Strange! Gandalf!" Wanda said in surprise.
"Ms. Maximoff. Dr. Stark." Strange greeted.
"Well at least someone knows I have a doctorate," Jason mused. "Not many people remember that."
"It is good to see you again, Jason." Gandalf said with a smile.
"You too, Gandalf," Jason smirked. "But I doubt you two showed up because you wanted to say hi."
"No," Strange said seriously. "We need your help, Wanda."
"I'm in." She said firmly.
"I'm in too," Jason added. "I'll help anyway I can."
Stephen, John, Fate, Constantine and Wong weren't offended they, Jason and Wanda had the quickest of hellos.
Ever since entering the room, Wanda's attention had almost been solely on Kalista. Jason had texted his step-sister Rebecca a quick apology as to why he wouldn't be able to meet up with her.
The Spear of Vengeance's state filled Wanda's heart with pity. Sure she didn't know her, but Gandalf had told her about the Wraith's state.
And just as Steve Rogers had broken her out of the Raft, Wanda was determined to free Kalista from her enslavement.
The Scarlet Witch was first told about Kalista's condition. From what Wanda had been told about the Shadow Isles, entering the Wraith's mind was also potentially dangerous to her.
Jason, Strange, Fate, Stephen, Gandalf, Sam, Dean, John, Constantine and Wong watched silently as she cautiously went about the task.
Wanda walked up to Kalista and bent slightly towards him. The Wraith struggled and screamed as she came closer. Wanda took a steadying breath before gently touching Kalista's temples…
The Scarlet Witch immediately found herself in total darkness. Her thoughts went back to reading Kalista's mind for the first time.
Wanda found her current surroundings every bit as unnerving as standing in the presence of Morgoth and Thanos.
"Vengeance!"
"Betrayers!"
"Blood!"
"Death!"
These voices screamed out, seemingly infinite in number.
The Scarlet Witch broke contact at the equivalent of thousands screaming into her ear.
Wanda stumbled back. Concerned she was about to fall, Gandalf rushed up and steadied her from behind.
"I'm okay." She quickly assured all present.
Relaxing his grasp, Gandalf's voice was still laced with concern.
"What did you see?" he asked Wanda.
"It was pitch black." She replied.
All present knew telepathic contact was not simply visual.
"Any sign of Kalista?" Wong enquired.
"There were so many voices, all screaming for blood and vengeance." Wanda breathed.
"Hey Wanda, can you perhaps enter again and unlock it?" Jason asked.
"Like a key?" John asked.
"Exactly."
Wanda looked down, thoughtful. "I can try."
She walked back to Kalista and bent over.
Wanda willed a stream of psychic energy out of her fingertips. The stream snaked into Kalista's ear.
It represented how Wanda could now 'hear' her more clearly. More streams began to follow. They weren't just in aid of Kalista though.
Jason, Strange, Fate, Stephen, Gandalf, Sam, Dean, John, Constantine and Wong quickly found themselves surrounded in a red mist.
It was to allow the group of magic users to witness the memory Wanda now yanked from the blackness within Kalista's mind.
It was a beautiful island filled with lush trees and marble buildings.
An attractive brown-skinned woman with flowing jet-black hair and light armor stared in horror.
An army of knights were rampaging across the island, slaughtering the natives.
"Kill them all!" a young attractive prince screamed.
"Hecarim, stop this!" Kalista yelled.
A knight on horseback turned, his eyes shining with malice.
"Never."
He swung an ax, cleaving a monk's head from his neck and splattering blood.
Kalista swung her spear, killing a knight by impaling him through the throat.
"For Camavor!" she roared, charging. Fighting tooth and nail, she killed many knights, only for a spear to go through her back.
She fell to the ground, her lifeblood leaving her. Hecarim continued fighting. Kalista's vision faded as she swore revenge. A Black Mist consumed her as spirits merged with her body, pushing her mind down.
Her last memory was of Wong standing over her.
Those who had witnessed the memory found themselves back in Kalista's room. All eleven were shaking from the experience.
It wasn't just from its sheer vividness and intensity. What happened to Kalista had disturbing individual parallels as well.
To Jason, this surpassed the Dusting, SCP-682 and even Chaos King himself as the most horrifying thing he'd seen.
"Everyone all right?" Wong asked being the first to recover his wits.
"Poor woman." Jason muttered in sympathy.
The others nodded. Wanda saw her hands were still on Kalista's. The Wraith had calmed down, her eyes wide. The Scarlet Witch immediately glanced up.
"Look!" she directed the other's attention.
Kalista erratically blinked as if woken from an uncomfortable slumber. Her eyes darted around trying to make sense of her surroundings.
"Who…who are you?" she asked, in a normal voice that held a twinge of a Spanish accent.
Everyone stared in shock that it was no longer nameless spirits talking, but a young woman.
She looked down, seeing her blue skin.
"NO!" she burst into tears, horrified at what happened.
Gandalf found the situation not dissimilar to when Théoden had been freed of sorcerous possession.
"Breathe the fresh air again, my lady." He said gently.
Kalista was soon back on her feet. Wanda's telepathy counselled her mental state was still somewhat fragile though.
Jason, Strange, Fate, Stephen, Wong, John, Constantine, Sam, Dean and Gandalf just briefly introduced themselves also.
Telling the former Spear of Vengeance about the Masters of the Mystic Arts (let alone being in New York) would have been too much to begin with, though Strange had briefly told her he was a sorcerer.
However, the first step was to help Kalista regain his strength.
Like how Gandalf felt after returning to life, Kalista's ordeal left her quite hungry, despite being Undead.
The group then reconvened in the Sanctum's kitchen. As Kalista ate a meal of beef and onions, the others quietly spoke out of earshot.
The one exception was Wanda who chose to sit across from Kalista. Taking care of someone was always more important to her than planning or strategy.
Standing a few yards away; Strange, Fate, Stephen, Jason, Gandalf, Sam, Dean, John, Constantine and Wong were quietly piecing together what the Avenger's telepathy had revealed.
"Well, that was fucking scary." Jason said.
"That was the destruction of the Blessed Isles, which according to my sources, happened over a thousand years before Sara Lance of Earth-96 ended up on Runeterra." Wong revealed.
"What happened to it?" John asked.
"It became the Shadow Isles, a place of undead and nameless horrors." Stephen said.
Meanwhile, Kalista had finished her meal.
"Thank you." She said to Wanda, who gave her a small smile.
"Kalista," Strange said as the group walked back. "Have you ever heard of the Multiverse?"
"No, what is that?" she asked in confusion.
"Basically, there are an infinite number of worlds besides Runeterra that all exist within the same space and time but vibrate at different frequencies so that they are all unable to see each other." Stephen explained.
"Some of the monks on the Blessed Isles did mention other worlds," Kalista said thoughtfully before her eyes widened. "Wait…am I on another world?"
"Yes. Wong over here found you two days ago." Strange said.
"Do you…do you know what happened to me?" she gulped, looking at her hands.
Everyone traded looks.
"Do you remember Hecarim killing you?" Jason asked gently. She nodded. "After that happened, you were resurrected as a Wraith."
"No!" she whispered.
"And Viego has returned." Stephen added.
"To resurrect Isolde, his wife." Kalista finished.
"Yes."
She looked down before standing up.
"I owe you a debt which cannot be repaid," she said gratefully. "I will aid you in any way I can."
The group traded surprised looks.
"Way to go." Dean chuckled.
"So, that's it?" Wanda checked if there were any loose ends.
"Ah…not exactly." Strange awkwardly confirmed.
"They all need to show us something, Wanda," Gandalf summarized what the pair had privately told him, Dean and Sam. "And it's not here."
"Where then?" Jason cautiously asked.
Strange arched a wry eyebrow at her. "You ever been to Kathmandu?"
"I have," Stephen said as all looked at him. "Just not this one."
"Hints of who we are looking for are there." Fate said enigmatically as all decided it was time to go there.
Strange suddenly waved his hands and Kalista's appearance changed. Gone was the Wraith appearance, she was now her pre-Ruination self.
"By the Gods." She muttered, tears in her eyes.
"Why did you do that?" Dean asked curiously.
"Having a sword or knife is one thing, but I doubt people will take kindly to those monstrosities," Strange said, gesturing to the spears that fell out of her body. "She would most likely impale someone by accident."
"Fair point." Constantine shrugged.
Kalista turned and eyed the group, noting their appearances.
"Well, do we pass inspection?" Jason asked sarcastically.
"My father once told me that fortune makes for strange bedfellows." Kalista commented.
"You should see the problem where we're standing," Jason chuckled. "You travel with two Avengers and some of the most powerful magic-users in the Multiverse. While we travel with a literal ghost."
Surprisingly, instead of getting angry, Kalista broke into a grin. Then, for the first time in over a thousand years, she threw her head back and laughed.
"I like you, little man," she grinned. "You're game!"
And this is done too. Thank you to Aragorn II Elessar for letting me (and Arrowverse Fan 217) use a portion from his fic.
So Kalista is here and her mind has been restored. Now that the first two chapters from Arrowverse Fan 217 are done, next chapter onwards, I will do my own stuff to build up to the inevitable war between the Heroes and the Ruined King.
And the first arc of this story is done too.
Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.