A/N: Alright, time for another chapter! Just so you guys know, I will be hopping to multiple different universes in each chapter, including this one, so have fun!
It took all of ten words for Strange and Frank to explain how the meeting went with Wong and America, and in ten seconds, the room seemed to get colder.
Wanda Maximoff is the one who has been hunting America Chavez.
Wong's face paled, realizing the threat she posed, while America herself looked at Strange quizzically.
"So, the person you went to for help is the one who was after me all along."
"Yeah." Castle muttered.
"What's he still doing here?" a nearby sorcerer pointed to Frank. "He doesn't know any magic."
"Mister Castle has a close relationship with Wanda Maximoff." Wong answered. "There is a possibility he can bring her to her senses."
"Yeah, I'm not too sure about that." Frank confessed. "She's being controlled by Chthon."
Wong's eyes went wide as saucers, staring at Castle in horror.
"The demon Chthon? Are you certain?"
"We both saw it ourselves." Strange revealed. "Wanda's gone. When she took the Darkhold, Chthon must've sunk his claws in her."
Wong gulped, regaining his composure, before addressing the group of sorcerers in front of them all.
"The Scarlet Witch is a being of unfathomable power. She can rewrite reality as she chooses, and she is prophesied to rule… or annihilate the cosmos."
"She once controlled an entire town with her mind, without being fully aware she caused it." Strange added.
Frank took a deep breath, before addressing the sorcerers.
"I have history with the demon possessing her," he announced. "Chthon made a deal with me that I would save my brothers in Kandahar, and the price was my wife and kids. I can't imagine what he's got planned in exchange for letting Wanda see her children."
"It could mean the enslavement or destruction of the multiverse." Stephen finished, as Wong turned towards an African American sorceress.
Music: "Protect To Kamar-Taj" from Multiverse Of Madness OST
"Suspend teaching and arm the students, Sara. Alert the masters of each sanctum. Kamar-Taj must become a fortress."
Sara nodded and marched off, while Womg looked at Frank.
"I need to know you will do what is necessary, Mister Castle." the Sorcerer Supreme requested. "If we are unable to make her see reason…"
Frank's eyes hardened, but he nevertheless nodded.
"If I can't bring her back, we'll put her down."
"Good." Wong nodded, just as they all heard the chorus of drums being played, signaling that they were going to war.
Sorcerers, both seasoned and student, grabbed bows, arrows, staffs, and spears. Cannons were loaded and primed. Sling rings were handed out. Just as Frank and America were led by Wong towards the private chambers, two portals opened up, revealing sorcerers in various clothing and ethnicities.
"More friends?" Frank asked, while Wong grinned.
"The masters of the London and Hong Kong sanctums."
The Sorcerer Supreme stepped towards the masters, who bowed to him.
"Thank you for arriving on such short notice."
"Wherever the Sorcerer Supreme needs us, we will be there." a man in a green buttoned coat shook Wong's hand. "We are honored to fight by your side."
"It is an honor to court death with you once again." a Chinese woman agreed. With the masters arriving, Wong rejoined Frank and America, leading them deeper into the compound. Once they arrived at a secured room with only two exits, ancient relics lining the walls, and a partially opened view outside, Wong ushered them inside.
"Mister Castle, will you wait until my sorcerers come to protect America?" he requested. Frank gave a respectful nod, and the Sorcerer Supreme left for the time being.
Wong made his way back to the courtyard, approaching Strange, who overlooked the rest of the sorcerers arming themselves.
"Are you certain Frank Castle can help us? After all, he is only human."
"Like you both said, he's had experience with Chthon." Stephen folded his arms. "And he has helped in neutralizing Agatha Harkness and quelling the multiversal threat that involved Spider-Man. He will be of help with Wanda."
Once she knew Frank and Strange had left, Wanda returned to her home, conjuring a wall of concrete in front of her. She held out her hand, and scarlet magic coalesced to form the shape of a sledgehammer, finishing when it became whole.
Child… what are you doing? Chthon asked curiously as Wanda gripped the hammer in both hands.
"Getting in the mood." she answered in a mutter, before swinging the sledgehammer against the concrete. A small hole formed, and Wanda pulled back, only to swing again and again. Each time, she grew more furious, as she saw the faces of those who were once her friends.
Doctor Strange. Frank Castle. Even Clint Barton.
Oh yes. Despite what she said, she did visit Clint shortly after the incident after the Statue of Liberty. Hell, she'd say that he was one of the other reasons, after Frank, as to why she was doing this. Not that he understood.
Nine Months Ago
Clint Barton and his daughter Lila were outside, the latter practicing her archery, when they noticed a flash of crimson illuminate the area from behind. Barton wore a smile, turning around, but upon seeing Wanda with… bags under her eyes, he faltered.
"Clint." she said, almost breathlessly.
"Wanda." he murmured in response, before touching his daughter's shoulder.
"Hey, go see if your mom needs help inside."
Lila nodded and ran back to the house, while Hawkeye looked his old teammate up and down. She still wore that suit from last year, the crown too, but she looked… tired.
"Clint, I… I need your help."
Barton frowned, closing the distance.
"What happened? Are you alright?"
"Yes, but…"
Maximoff took a deep breath, looking up at Clint.
"I think… I think I found a way to see my kids again."
"Your kids? The ones from Westview?" he asked out loud. Wanda slowly nodded.
"Wanda, you know they weren't real."
"I know." she whispered. "But they're real in a different universe."
Clint stiffened, realizing what she was asking.
"No."
Wanda blinked, expecting that to be the response, just that it wouldn't be that… blunt.
"Clint, please-"
"No." he repeated. "Wanda, you… you can't. What if those kids have their own mother? Their own version of you?"
"I… I…"
Wanda hung her head, stepping back, as she created a portal.
"I'm sorry I bothered. I should have known you wouldn't help."
That was the last thing Wanda had said to Clint Barton. After she stepped through that portal… she hasn't seen him since.
Maximoff tightened her grip on the sledgehammer, again and again, until lifting it above her head and coated the end in scarlet magic. With an angered yell, she swung hard, and due to her powers augmenting the hit, the entire concrete wall was blown to smithereens.
Wanda breathed heavily, dropping the hammer, which dissolved back into magic and disappeared.
You see, Wanda? I am your only friend. Only I can help you get what you want.
Wanda nodded, wiping away a stray tear. When did that happen?
No matter. Everyone else abandoned her, but not him.
Not Chthon.
Back at Kamar-Taj, Frank cleaned his guns, as America approached him with a curious expression.
"Mister Castle… why do you do what you do?"
Frank stopped, looking up at her, and licked his lips in nervousness.
"I, uh… there was this covert operation I was in. Cerberus." he told her. "We were tasked with taking out high value targets for the government, without direct association, but it was just a cover to smuggle drugs into the country. Someone found out, but the assholes I worked under, they had friends in the CIA who went after him. Then they came after me thinking I had something to do with it."
"But… you didn't, right?" America raised an eyebrow. Frank looked down at the floor, shaking his head.
"The guy who tried to blow the whistle, he sent the evidence to me on some disc. So my old squad, they tried to kill me and my family… they got the job done halfway."
America covered her mouth in shock, feeling tears pool in her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I… I didn't know…"
"Not your fault." Castle murmured.
"No, I mean…"
Chavez sighed.
"The last you I met wasn't like this."
"Come again?" Frank looked up in confusion. "What other me?"
"I… I met a variant of you. Around the same time I met Strange's variant." she revealed.
"What? What happened?"
Instead of answering right away, America gave him a grim look, before taking a deep breath.
Four Hours Ago
Another Universe
I met the other you when I was traveling the multiverse. I was… I was looking for something important, so we went and visited the other Strange for help.
America Chavez and Frank Castle, who wore a leather jacket over a dark red skull shirt, walked into the Sanctum Sanctorum, seeing Doctor Strange, his ponytail slightly swaying, descend the steps.
"Mister Castle. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Strange." Castle nodded, before pointing to the girl. "The kid says she can travel the Multiverse, and I know you got more of an expertise on it than I do."
Stephen nodded, looking towards Chavez.
"If you can travel to different universes, why come here?"
"I… am looking for someone." America answered. "My parents."
"But you don't know where they are, so you could need my help." Strange guessed. Once he saw the girl nod, he sighed.
"Very well. Follow me."
Frank and America followed Strange deeper into the Sanctum, coming to a chamber that housed three… colorful individuals. The first one was easily the most recognizable, having a gigantic green body and wore oversized brown pants. The Hulk, as everyone knew him, although he recently was able to retain the intelligence of his alter ego Bruce Banner. The woman next to him wore silver armor and carried a sword, whom Frank didn't recognize. And the third…
"Red?" Frank raised an eyebrow, seeing a man in a black and red suit with horns on top of a black helmet. "Strange invited you to this club?"
"It's not a club, Frank." Daredevil sighed. "We're the Defenders."
"Call yourself whatever you want. It's still a club." Castle scoffed.
"Meet the Defenders." Stephen told America. "The Incredible Hulk, Valkyrie, Daredevil, and of course, myself. Now first…"
He turned towards Bruce.
"Doctor Banner, I'll require your assistance." Strange spoke to the Hulk. "This young girl told us she needs to find her parents. However, they are lost in the Multiverse."
"Got it." Banner nodded. "How long have they been missing?"
"Uh… ten…" America swallowed. "Ten years."
The Hulk widened his eyes, while Daredevil tilted his head.
"Ten? Wow." Bruce sputtered. "Maybe… maybe we can use the quantum tunnel to go to the time she lost her parents and follow them."
"That could work." Stephen nodded, before turning to Chavez. "But first, I'll need to perform a memory spell to look in your mind."
America but her lip, reluctantly nodding, and Strange stepped closer, holding his hand out. Both their eyes began glowing white, as Stephen began to see her memories.
A beautiful field full of flowers…
A young girl with two older women…
A bee landing on the girl's hand…
Music: "Gargantos" from Multiverse Of Madness OST
Crash!
Strange suddenly broke off the connection, as a wall of the Sanctum burst open, and a monster made of ribbons emerged, roaring loudly. The creature zeroed in on America, beginning to make its way towards her, until the Hulk blocked its way.
"Everyone, stay back!" Bruce yelled, jumping up. The monster roared, using its ribboned appendages to grab the green hero by his arms and legs, ripping him in two from the waist.
"Bruce!" Valkyrie shouted in horror, looking up at the monster. Her fear was quickly pushed down, replaced by anger, and she revealed a sword from her back and jumped up, slashing at the monster's ribbons. The ribboned creature screeched, lashing out and stabbing its tendrils through the armor, ripping the woman apart from the inside. At this point, Daredevil and Frank got over their initial shock, as Castle pulled out his guns and began firing, while Daredevil jumped up and threw his night sticks at the beast. The weapons bounced away, leaving the creature unharmed, as its limbs stabbed into the devil's body, turning him into a pin cushion.
"Murdock!" Frank yelled, continuing to fire at the ribboned monster. The creature paid him no mind, instead focusing on America, and wrapped her up in its limbs. It held her high into the air, roaring loudly, as blue colored mist began to seep from the girl's body.
"No… it's trying to absorb her powers." Stephen murmured in shock. Frank heard that, and quickly aimed for the appendages holding Chavez, destroying them and freeing the girl.
"Strange, get her out of here!" Frank ordered, as America fell to the ground.
Stephen got over his initial shock, before grabbing America's hand and leading her away.
"But what about you-"
"Don't worry about me!" Castle shouted back, firing round after round in vain. Eventually, the monster set its sight on Frank, and with a furious growl, three of its tendrils impaled Castle through the chest.
While Strange was leading America to a door, which opened to reveal what looked like a pocket dimension of interchanging bridges, she heard a scream of pain, and turning around, saw the creature fling Frank's body to the ground. The man looked up at Chavez, the life fading from his eyes, and whispered one last word:
"Run."
"…and that's when the other Strange and I went into the pocket dimension and found the Book of Vishanti." America finished, looking at Frank in sympathy. Castle slowly nodded, looking down at his hand holding the gun.
"Are you okay? You seem to be taking your own death… well."
"I've died before. You remember when I said my family died?"
She nodded.
"I died that day too." Frank revealed. "Some bitch DA ordered that I don't get resuscitated, and I flatlined. Woke up a minute later, and demanded the doctor with me take me home."
Chavez looked at Frank in sadness, before squinting.
"If… you you died, how'd you come back?"
Frank shrugged.
"I don't have an answer to that. Could be Chthon." he guessed. Before he could say anything else, they heard rumbling, followed by two sorcerers entering the chambers.
"Speak of the Devil." Castle humorlessly joked, as one of the sorcerers- having a long white beard and one arm- cleared his throat.
"She is here. We will protect Miss Chavez."
"Right." Frank nodded, stepping out of the room… and prepared to confront Wanda.
When Frank arrived in the courtyard of Kamar-Taj, seeing Doctor Strange, Wong, and every sorcerer already outside and battle ready. Pushing through the crowd, he stood next to Stephen and the Sorcerer Supreme, before he looked up at the sky with a grim expression, seeing an unnatural black pall of smoke hover above them all. Castle's face dropped, for within the dark mist was a flash of crimson, and the Scarlet Witch appeared, glaring down at them. Like a child ready to squash an anthill under their foot. But as Frank continued looking up at Maximoff, he realized she wasn't just staring at anyone in Kamar Taj.
She was looking right at him. And he knew what he had to do.
"Strange." Castle murmured, causing the sorcerer to look towards him. "Lemme talk to her."
"You?" Stephen furrowed his brow. "What do you think you can do, Castle?"
"She isn't herself. It's Chthon." Frank reminded them. "I know what it's like to have that asshole in my head. Let me go to her."
"We should let him." Wong added in support. "Because of their unique relationship, perhaps he can talk her down."
Stephen sighed, but reluctantly nodded, while Frank looked back up at Maximoff.
"Can I borrow your cape?"
"It's a cloak." Strange frowned, but the Cloak of Levitation removed itself from Stephen's shoulders and wrapped around Castle, pulling him upward.
"Remember, choose your words wisely." Wong called back. "The fate of the multiverse could depend on it."
Frank couldn't lie, being carried into the air by a supernatural cape- cloak- was a whole new experience to him. He'd only really come into contact with magic over the last year, mostly due to Wanda herself, but this…
Castle shook his head, as the cloak pulled him closer and closer to a waiting Maximoff, who tightened a fist.
"Why are you still here?" Wanda hissed, glaring daggers at the Punisher. Frank took a slow breath, remembering what Wong told him.
"I'm stopping you from making a mistake." Frank answered. "The people down there, even Strange, they don't know you. But I do."
Maximoff averted her gaze, looking down at the dozens of sorcerers below them.
"All this, for a child you and Stephen met yesterday…"
"Yeah." Frank murmured, pausing to swallow the lump in his throat. "Look Wanda, I get it. You wanna see your kids again after Westview, after everything you sacrificed-"
"Shut up!" Scarlet Witch shouted, flying a few feet closer to Frank. When she calmed down, she looked at Castle directly in the eyes, glaring in anger.
"All those nights we spent- in the van, in the woods, in a fucking foxhole- it meant nothing." Wanda growled. "I opened up to you, and you pushed me away. It was all for nothing. You have no right to speak to me of sacrifice, Frank."
Maximoff took a minute to compose herself, before continuing to speak.
"If you give me what I want, I'll send you to a world where you can be with your family." she offered. "You'll be able to see Maria. Lisa. Frank Junior. Isn't that what you want?"
Castle gulped, looking away. The truth was, that was what he wanted, more than anything. But if it meant that the kid would have to die…
"Yeah… but this isn't the way."
Below Frank and Wanda, Wong could be heard shouting "DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!", and a single look down showed all the sorcerers conjuring shields over their hands.
"Wanda, don't do this." Frank spoke quickly. "I know what it's like, having him in your head."
"He gave you what you wanted." Maximoff reminded him. "So you understand why I am doing this."
Castle's eyes narrowed, as his hands formed into fists. Sure, Chthon gave Frank what he wanted in the moment, but it came at a hefty price.
"Then you know why I'm telling you to stop." the Punisher replied. "C'mon, what's your plan here? Chthon helps you take the kid's power, see your kids? That will not work, trust me. There's always a catch, a price to that. I should know."
Frank willed the cloak to pull him forward, until he and Wanda were now just a foot away from each other.
"Wanda, please." Castle mumbled. "You gotta fight him. Get him outta your head, he's not letting you think straight."
"Oh, I could not see things any clearer." Wanda sneered. "you have no idea just how reasonable I've been."
"You call this reasonable?" Frank gestured around him. "Sending monsters after the kid, coming here to take her by force?"
"Sending those creatures after her instead of myself was a mercy." Maximoff snorted. "And despite everything between us, and despite your hypocrisies, I have begged both you and Strange to safely stay out of my way."
Frank squinted closer, noticing that a tear was forming in her eye.
"I do not want to hurt you, Frank, but you have exhausted my patience. But know this, that even now, what's about to happen, this is me, being… reasonable."
With that, Maximoff fired a beam of crimson magic from her hand, directing it straight at Frank… only to be blocked by a massive shield that was otherwise invisible until now. As Wanda looked on in confusion, Castle hung his head, his shoulders sagging.
"I'm sorry." he whispered, before the cloak lowered him back to the ground of the courtyard, where the magical clothing rejoined Strange.
"Maybe you should've talked to her." Castle told him, while Wong shouted "REIENFORCE THE SHIELDS!"
Music: "Battle Time" from Multiverse Of Madness OST
Wanda began to hurl orbs of her magic at the energy shield, flying around and searching for a weakness. It seemed that every place an orb hit though, the shield remained strong, though the foundation of the compound itself shook.
Wanda… you know what to do…
Realizing what the voice meant, Wanda calmed down, lowering her arms, and tried to pinpoint a weak link.
"She's trying to get in their heads." Strange murmured, while Frank looked up at her.
"SORCERERS! FORTIFY YOUR MENTAL DEFENSES!" Wong yelled. No sooner did he say that, an apparition of Wanda appeared in front of Frank, looking at him with a pleading expression.
"Frank… help me…"
Castle clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. Maximoff promised some time ago that she would never read his mind. Doing it now… despite knowing Chthon was manipulating her, that didn't make him feel better.
"Get out of my head, Wanda." he hissed out. "You're not getting near that kid."
Wanda's expression changed, morphing into a cold smile.
"That's okay. I got what I was looking for anyway."
"What?" Frank asked, just as the apparition vanished. "What did you do?"
His questioned was answered when he looked out to the sea of sorcerers, just barely noticing another illusion of Wanda floating behind him.
"Run."
Dammit.
A few seconds later, the man screamed in fear, turned around, and began pushing other sorcerers away. When he got close enough, Frank clotheslined him, but the damage was done, and the shield weakened, creating a gap. Seeing her chance, Wanda conjured an orb of her magic and fired directly at the ground, rocking the entire structure and throwing sorcerers off balance, but otherwise was harmless.
"CANNONS!" Wong yelled. Frank looked around, seeing several ancient looking cannons emerge from portals, with Sara manning one of them.
"FIRE!" Womg yelled, and a second later, a flaming projectile shot out, directed straight towards Maximoff. Due to the Scarlet Witch not having enough time to move out of the way, she instead braced herself with a shield around her body, right as the blast hit her.
Frank and the sorcerers waited with bated breath, watching the smoke clear. Castle's eyes suddenly widened, as when he got a full view of Wanda, her eyes were pitch black, and her mouth formed a grotesque smile.
"Shit."
Chthon conjured an orb of black colored magic, sending it at a row of sorcerers, vaporizing them instantly in a fine red mist.
"Fire again!" Wong shouted, as the cannon shot another fireball. Chthon was ready though, and as the orb flew towards him, he reached out, grabbed the projectile, and hurled it back at the people wielding it, causing not only the cannon, but their bodies to explode in a shower of limbs and organs. A row of archers fired arrows, but Chthon simply turned them back on their masters, impaling their chests, mouths, and eyes.
"Retreat! Into the sanctum!" Wong yelled, ushering Frank and Strange inside. A few sorcerers followed after them, while most stayed outside, firing magical spells at Wanda. Not that it mattered, as Chthon dive bombed to the courtyard, slamming his feet into the ground and creating a shockwave that threw the sorcerers off their feet.
The possessed Wanda looked around, seeing a few mystics get back up, and smiled a grotesque grin.
"This is going to be fun."
Two sorcerers rushed at Chthon, but he casually threw an orb of magic that blasted through their bodies, leaving fist sized holes where their hearts were. A third got over his momentary shock, conjuring a staff made of mystical energy, which Chthon simply flicked with his hand, causing the man's arm to move towards his neck and slice his own throat.
Chthon turned around, seeing a sorcerer trying to sneak up on him, and using his dark magic, slowly crushed his body, limb by limb, before snapping the neck. The sorcerer behind him wore a look of horror, about to run, but it was too late, as Chthon threw the twisted body at him, using it as a puppet to tear the screaming woman apart.
Once both bodies became barely recognizable, the demon relinquished his magic, fading away, and allowing Wanda to regain control. Once she did though, her eyes widened in terror, seeing the mangled corpses before her. Maximoff felt bile rise up, and she keeled over, retching loudly, until the contents of her stomach poured out into the ground.
"Why… why?"
Wanda, it was necessary. Chthon told her. They were preventing you from seeing your boys.
All at once, Wanda felt like a dark cloud passed through her thoughts, and she stood up, her face serene. She slowly nodded, and turning towards the entrance to the compound, walked briskly. The Scarlet Witch blasted the doors open, stepped inside, and realized… she didn't know where America was.
Maximoff took a deep exhale, closing her eyes, and concentrated. She focused on seeing into the halls of Kamar Taj, gliding through the compound with ease, until she saw America and a few sorcerers, all huddled in the private chambers. A moment passed, and America gasped, turning around.
She knew Wanda could see her. Not that it mattered.
Wanda smiled, opening her eyes, only to find Frank and Strange in front of her.
"Wanda, stop." Castle begged. "You don't gotta do this."
"Yes I do." Maximoff hissed. "And if you won't help me, so be it."
"If you want the girl, you'll have to go through me." Strange challenged.
The Scarlet Witch bared her teeth, taking a step forward.
"Fine."
Music: "I'll Rip Your Soul Out" from Evil Dead 2013 OST
No sooner did she saw that, did the room suddenly blur and split into multiple copies, rotating around, until Stephen and Frank vanished. All that was staring at her was her own reflection. Almost like…
The mirror dimension. Strange put her in the mirror dimension.
Wanda looked around, chucking an orb of chaos magic, but the ball merely bounced around the small cell, almost hitting her if she didn't duck. Damn.
Everywhere she looked, her reflection stared back at her. She couldn't break out of her through brute force. So how could she-
Wanda… let me show you.
Maximoff slowed down her breathing, nodding slightly, and her eyes turned black. Chthon smiled, stretching out his fingers, and touched one of the reflections.
This time, the fingers pushed through, as if it was merely a puddle of water.
Doctor Strange and Frank ram into the chamber, seeing America stand up in alarm.
"I could feel Wanda trying to find me! Wong what happened?" Chavez asked.
"Kamar Taj has fallen." Wong answered grimly.
"We need to go." Stephen announced, rotating his arms. "The mirror dimension won't hold him for long!"
"Him?" Castle frowned. "You talking about Chthon?"
"He can teach Wanda how to escape the dimension." Strange nodded, creating sparks. "We need to leave, now-"
Stephen paused, noticing the sparks to create a portal were blood red. He looked down at his sling ring, just in time to see it evaporate in a scarlet colored mist.
"No." he murmured. At the same time, Frank looked around, seeing the doors to the chamber slam shut and lock on their own, followed by the room feeling… colder.
"Ah, shit."
America frantically whipped her head around, trying to find a way out, when she noticed a pair of black, smoke like tentacles emerge from a puddle of water, wrapping around the sorcerer next to Wong and mangling his body, snapping the bones and pulling him through. The other sorcerer, the one missing an arm, fared no better, as tentacles exited the puddle underneath him and dragged him down. The sorcerer screamed in terror, as a low, demonic cackling could be heard. Once the tentacles and the sorcerer disappeared, the screams stilled for a few moments. Out of curiosity, America slowly approached the water, noticing it turn red, when Frank pulled her away.
"Stay back!"
The moment they moved, the puddle erupted in a geyser of blood, shooting up into the ceiling. The girl screamed in horror, being showered in the crimson fluid, but when it eventually died down, Doctor Strange grabbed a nearby cloth and threw it over the water.
"They're using the reflections to break through."
Realizing what he was trying to do, Frank tore off his leather jacket and threw it over another puddle of water in the corner, while Wong and America took pieces of cloth from the walls and tables, covering anything that would have a reflective surface.
Inside the mirror dimension, Wanda narrowed her eyes, watching as one by one, the reflections disappeared, closing off the gateways to her escape.
There is one bridge still open. Chthon murmured in her head, directing her towards the last remaining reflection. Maximoff's eyes darkened to black once more, as black colored magic engulfed her limbs, twisting and contorting into angles that should not be survivable.
"It will be painful, but it will pass." Chthon chuckled, hearing Wanda's screams echo over the sound of her body's bones breaking.
Back inside the chamber, America threw one final cloth over some water on the floor, when she looked up, seeing a gong a few feet away. Curious, she approached the metal instrument, just barely seeing a flicker of scarlet reflect off the golden surface.
"America!" Strange yelled. "Cover it!"
Too late, as the middle of the gong burst open, and a hand with three broken fingers reached out, grabbing Chavez.
"Shit!" Frank shouted, clamping a hand on the girl's shoulder and pulled back. The hand let go, but also pushed outward, further splitting the gong, and Wanda slowly crawled out. Castle and Chavez backed away, barely noticing Strange and Wong flanking them, as Frank was more focused on Wanda's escape.
Whatever she had to do to break free of the mirror dimension had mangled her body, evidenced by her limbs being bent completely the wrong way. Both arms were snapped, fingers on each hand were broken, it appeared her entire torso was twisted backwards…
And then Chthon's black magic washed over her body, snapping everything back in place. First were the arms and legs, that was easy. Next came the torso, which spun her arms around like a windmill. Finally, her head twisted back a hundred-eighty degrees, Chthon's smile plastered on Wanda's face as it did so, until her body was completely healed. Despite everything Frank had seen, he'd be lying if he said the sight before him didn't make him pause.
Once the black eyes faded back into brown, Wanda stumbled slightly, though still looked at everyone else in anger.
Music: "Not A Monster" from Multiverse Of Madness OST
"You… you gave all those lives… just to keep me from my boys."
"You took those lives." Stephen said without missing a beat. "You cannot be allowed to access the multiverse."
"I didn't kill anyone." Wanda denied. "I would never hurt anyone."
"No?" Frank raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't you that just destroyed Kamar Taj?"
Wanda bit her lip, looking down.
"That wasn't me. It was…"
Castle's eyes widened slightly, realizing what she meant.
"Chthon."
Maximoff audibly swallowed the lump in her throat, looking back up.
"I don't relish in this bloodshed. I'm not a monster, Frank. I'm a mother."
"Wanda, you have no children." Strange reminded her. "Your boys aren't real."
"Oh, but they are- in every other universe." Wanda insisted. "I know because I dream about them."
Maximoff conjured the Darkhold out of thin air, opening the pages, and small crimson orbs appeared, showing images of Wanda and two boys- her sons, Tommy and Billy. Frank took a closer look at them, seeing that a lot of the variants of Wanda looked like her… but not all of them.
As he continued looking, something caught Frank's eyes, and he turned to see one particular orb, showcasing Wanda, the kids, and… himself?
Frank took a step back, remembering the dreams he'd been having recently. If this was from an alternate universe, then… did that mean… he and Wanda…
Yes, Frank…
Castle looked back to Wanda, thinking Chthon took over again, but she looked… normal.
I can give that to you, Frank. We can give that to you.
Before Castle could respond, Wanda continued speaking.
"I dream of my boys… of our life together. Every night, the same dream, but every morning I wake up… the same nightmare."
America watched the images flicker around her, feeling she couldn't help but sympathize with Wanda, the same way Frank was… despite trying to kill her.
Wanda let her magic fade away, as Strange looked back up.
"And what happens when you reach them?" Strange asked, making Wanda pause.
"What happens to the other you, their mother?"
Wanda narrowed her eyes, glaring at the sorcerer. Her silence spoke volumes, and voiced her intentions clearly. And that… something inside Frank snapped at that moment
"You gonna kill your variant, Wanda?" Frank suddenly asked, walking towards her. "Are you ready for that? You ready to take someone else's mother away from them, is that who you are?"
Wanda looked at Castle in fury, her eyes glowing scarlet.
"SHUT UP!"
She raised her hand, and Frank noticed his body become engulfed in magic, just before he was thrown across the room. In response, Doctor Strange conjured snakes from his hands, which flew towards Wanda, but she stopped them in midair, using her own magic to explode their heads. While she was momentarily distracted, Wong created his own magical whips, hurling them at Maximoff, who flew up into the air to avoid the attacks, then proceeded to kill the last of the snakes.
As the three magic users fought, America ran over towards Frank, helping him back up.
"Mister Castle, are you alright?"
Frank grunted, pulling out his pistol.
"I'll live."
Wanda conjured several spikes of crimson energy, throwing them at Strange and Wong. As Steven created a shield that stopped the projectiles, Wong hurled magical saw blades at the Scarlet Witch. Seeing the blades, Wanda quickly stopped them, before turning them back on their master, striking Wong in the chest and knocking him unconscious. With the Sorcerer Supreme knocked out, she turned back to Strange, engulfing him in her chaos magic and slamming him into a nearby wall like she did with Frank moments ago, incapacitating him for the time being. With her immediate obstacles eliminated, Wanda turned back towards America, only to see Frank pointing his gun at her.
"Don't do this Wanda." the Punisher all but begged her. "Don't make me do this."
Wanda gave him a cold stare, before slowly walking towards him, stopping when the barrel was an inch away from her head.
"Tell you what, Frank." Maximoff told him. "I'm going to take America. I will take her power, and I will go to one of the universes where my boys are real. So you do what you have to do."
To emphasize her point, she leaned forward, resting her forehead against the barrel. Frank knit his brow, remembering having said that himself. His arm started shaking, causing him to lower the gun, before slowly putting the weapon back in its holster.
"Yeah." Wanda murmured, her eyes boring into his. "That's what I thought."
Before he had time to respond, the Scarlet Witch kneed him in the stomach, followed by a right hook that sent him back towards the ground. With all her adversaries down, there was no one to stop her, and Maximoff lifted America up into the air, as wisps of blue light began to get sucked out of the girl. Chavez screamed in pain, feeling her life force get drained, as her eyes lit up in a sparkling blue. A moment later, a star shaped portal burst open behind her, showing what looked to be shattered glass. The wind picked up, beginning to pull leaves and objects around the room into the doorway, which also caused Frank and Strange to stir. The two looked at the girl, then at each other, exchanging a nod. The men scrambled up, Stephen using the cloak to fly, Castle running full speed, but they both barreled toward America. Unfortunately, Wanda noticed.
"NO!"
Frank looked off in Wanda's direction, just in time to see an orb of magic hit him in the chest, pushing him into Strange. It was too late though, as both of them crashed into America, sending them all through the Star shaped portal. They flew out into the courtyard of Kamar Taj, but just when they nearly hit a wall.m, another portal opened up, and they all smashed into it.
At first, Frank saw nothing but blue colored shattered glass. Then, when the glass broke away, he found they were… flying over some type of desert? Before he could process that, they slammed through another portal, where they saw a trio of stony heads looking at them. Were they alive? Or just statues?
Another portal opened up, sending them underwater, forcing Frank to hold his breath. The three of them floated for a few moments, before yet another portal emerged, this one sending them all, as well as some fish, into a world that made them look like… cartoons? Frank looked down at himself, seeing that he looked animated. Like one of those kids films he used to watch with his daughter.
Before they hit the ground, a final portal opened up, and they all fell through, finding themselves soaring through the air, until they slammed against something that broke their momentum. Castle groaned, feeling himself slide down, and when he opened his eyes, he realized they were in a forest of sorts. They must've hit a tree.
Frank looked down, seeing America and Strange slowly get up, with Stephen's cloak helping them both.
"Kid, you good?"
Chavez slightly nodded her head, while looking around.
Music: "Discovering America" from Multiverse Of Madness OST
"Where are we?"
Castle tensed, looking off into the distance to see smoke billowing above the trees.
"Let's find out."
"No, we need to get back!" Strange argued, looking at America. "You have to send us back so I can help Wong!"
"I… I can't!" America stammered. "I can't control it!"
Strange squinted his eyes, striding forward.
"What?"
"I can't control my powers!" Chavez repeated. "Every time, I've popped up in a random universe!"
"You can't be serious!" Strange grumbled, throwing his hands up in the air. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, and looked down.
"I'm sorry kid, it's not your fault."
"Look, we gotta find a way out of this." Frank announced. "Let's follow the smoke first. There could be a camp."
The Punisher trudged along, leaving Doctor Strange and America to follow after him. As the smoke got thicker, Frank began to smell burning, as well as a bright orange light shining through the trees. Fire, most likely. But why was the fire so… big?
"Mister Castle?"
Frank looked over his shoulder, seeing Chavez staring at him curiously.
"Kid, you can call me Frank."
America furrowed her brow, as if she was trying to work up the courage to say his name, but eventually… she did.
"Frank. You spoke to her as if she wasn't trying to kill us."
"She's not." Frank murmured. "It's Chthon."
"You seem to be pretty sure of that." the girl realized. "Did that… demon really make a deal with you too?"
Frank sighed, lowering his head, and nodded.
"Yeah. That thing I mentioned in Kandahar? We were ambushed. Our CO got his arm blown off by an RPG, and I had to get us out."
Castle stopped, averting his eyes. Like he was studying his boots.
"I went into this compound run by insurgents, alone, and they began to overwhelm me." he continued. "I thought I was done for, but I heard this voice. The same voice that I heard out of Wanda's mouth earlier today."
"Chthon's." America realized.
"Yeah. He promised he'd get me home to my wife and kids. He promised I'd get my men home safe. He kept his promise." Frank muttered. "Until today, the last time I heard that asshole speak was when he told me 'things were set in motion'. Turns out those things were my family dying."
Castle shook his shoulders, almost in a shudder, while America moved forward, placing her hand on his arm.
"I'm sorry."
Frank slowly looked up, about to say something, when Strange cleared his throat.
"We should keep moving. I doubt it'll take long for the Scarlet Witch to find a way to follow us."
Frank numbly nodded, offered a "Sure", and began to trudge along.
The trio kept walking forward, seeing the smoke get closer, and noticing a rather large fire past the trees. Castle narrowed his eyes, realizing that this wasn't a campfire- it was a cabin that was set ablaze.
"Strange…"
"I got it." Stephen announced, clapping his hands together and rotating them around. Orange symbols began to appear, and Strange parted his hands, conjuring a torrent of water from his palms that slammed into the cabin and doused the fire. While the flame was being extinguished, Frank took a better look of his surroundings, noticing that the ground looked… red. Almost like blood. But there was so much everywhere, the only way it was possible would be if an entire army was slaughtered here.
Frank shook his head, seeing a puddle of blood a few feet away from him ripple, and he looked closer, just barely seeing a drop fall. Curious, he looked up, noticing that the blood drips were coming from a tree branch, despite no indication that something died there.
Nothing was making any sense. Unless… it was raining… blood?
"What the fuck happened here?" he asked, not daring to believe his own thoughts.
"Evil, Frank."
Castle looked over his shoulder, seeing Doctor Strange reach towards the ground, picking up a blood soaked book that he didn't notice before.
"Evil happened."
"What are you talking about?" Frank raised an eyebrow. Stephen looked at the book, opening it to flip through the pages, before closing it.
"I've heard of this book before. The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. Or one of the volumes, at least."
"That like the Darkhold?"
"Not completely. But they do share some properties." Strange answered, before waving his hands to create a loop of rope from magic, which attached the book to his belt.
"We should go."
Frank looked around again, seeing the blood soaked ground… and realized it seemed to have a an area around the cabin. The treeline they all came from was covered in blood before. But what was intriguing to Castle, was just beyond where Strange found that book… there seemed to be spatters of blood, going in the direction of towards the trees.
A trail. Which meant someone might still be alive from… from whatever happened here.
"I think I found something." Frank announced, following the blood spatters. "Come on."
"Wait!" America shouted, pointing back towards the cabin. "Something… something's moving!"
Castle looked back at the partially burnt building, just barely noticing movement, and drew his pistol.
"Stay behind me."
Doctor Strange activated his magical shields, as both men cautiously walked forward. The closer they got, the more they could hear faint noises from inside, which sounded like… laughing?
Music: "Demon Possession" from Evil Dead 2013 OST
"Join… join us…"
Castle frowned, looking at Stephen, but when he looked back, a figure suddenly leapt out of the cabin towards them, screeching like a banshee. America screamed in horror, while the creature tackled Frank to the ground, and that was when he got a good look at the thing that was in the cabin.
The creature, for lack of a better word, appeared human enough, having worn a faded blue jacket and brown pants, both burnt, and had short trimmed beard and buzzcut hair. That was where the humanoid resemblance ended, as in addition to being burnt, the thing that looked like a man's skin looked partially rotted, colored gray, and the eyes appeared bloodshot with sickly orange irises. Out of everything Frank had seen in the past few years, nothing seemed as nightmarish as this.
"Join us!" the monster screamed, spitting out blood onto Frank's vest. The Punisher responded by slamming his head into the creature's, while also throwing him off. Before he hit the ground, Strange threw his shields towards the monster, and just as the orange circles were on either side, Stephen clapped his hands together. In an instant, the shields slammed into the thing so hard, the entire bloody exploded, showering everyone in a hail of blood and gore.
"Aw shit." Castle muttered, looking down at himself… and noticing that his vest had a gaping hole in it that destroyed the skull image. Must've been what happened when Wanda threw that sphere of chaos magic at him.
Ignoring the vest for now, Frank looked back up, noticing Strange was staring at the bloody remains in shock.
"Hey. What the hell was that?" Castle spoke up.
"That… was a deadite." Strange explained, taking a shaky breath. "We must be in one of the universes where they're prevalent."
He looked over to America, then at Frank.
"We need to leave. It's not safe here."
"Right." Frank nodded, beginning to walk in the direction of the blood trail.
"What are you doing?" Stephen asked.
"If there's a survivor of whatever happened here, they'll need help." Castle stated, continuing to follow the trail. America and Strange looked at each other, before silently following Frank, who was already deep in the forest.
"So these… deadites." Chavez began. "Have you seen them before?"
Stephen sighed, closing his eyes, and shook his head.
"Not exactly. But when Wong and I were monitoring the multiverse for possible threats, they showed up in a few worlds."
"So they're… zombies?" America asked, thinking back to the creature that attacked them.
"No- they're worse." Stephen told her. "These deadites, they are… pure evil. Being puppeteered by demons. If they take you… your soul will go straight to Hell."
Chavez gulped in fear, as they continued following Frank… who exited the woods and came out to an old road. The Punisher frowned, looking from side to side, until he spotted a faraway figure in the distance, with the blood trail going in their direction. They must be the source.
"Hey, hey!" Frank called out, picking up his pace and walking faster.
"Hey! You alright?"
Frank continued running, until he caught up to the figure, who was a woman. From the back, she appeared to be wearing a red dress, ankle high boots, her long black hair was matted to her back…
And she was covered from head to toe in blood.
Music: "He Won't Let You Out" from Evil Dead 2013 OST
"Hey. Hey, stop."
Frank quickly stepped in front of the woman, and that's when he paused. In addition to being drenched in the scarlet fluid, the woman was missing her entire right hand. It almost looked like it was torn off, not even cleanly cut. Did one of those… deadites do that? Or did she do it herself? But if so, why?
"Jesus." Frank whispered, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Hey… what's your name?"
The woman finally stopped, slowly turning to look at him.
"Mia… my name… is Mia."
"Mia. Okay, Mia." Castle looked her in the eye. "You just come from that cabin back there?"
Mia wordlessly nodded, as tears formed in her eyes.
"I… I had a brother… David. David, is he…"
Frank felt his stomach twist, realizing the deadite that attacked him and Strange must have been her brother.
"I'm sorry."
Mia winced, and then the dam broke. Tears streamed down her face, and she leaned onto Castle's shoulder, shaking like a leaf.
"Oh my god, David… no…"
"Hey, you'll be okay." Frank tried to console. "But we gotta get you help."
As soon as he said that, he overheard what sounded like a truck driving toward them, and he turned around, seeing a pickup stop a few feet away. A man came out, wearing a plaid shirt and gray hat, looking at them in confusion.
"Hey, are you guys okay?"
Frank shook his head, looking over at Mia.
"She needs to get to a hospital."
The man nodded, nudging his head to the truck.
"Okay, go ahead and get in-"
"Castle!"
Frank turned around, seeing Strange walk up to him and Mia, while parting his hands. A wave of orange magic flowed from the Eye of Agamotto trailing straight towards him.
No, Frank realized, as it got closer.
Towards Mia.
"Get away from her!"
Castle widened his eyes, realizing what happened, and pushed Mia away, just in time to see her eyes turn bloodshot, with the irises glowing yellow.
"Aw, you're pushing me away?" Mia pretended to sound sad. Before anyone could do anything, the deadite pounced on the truck driver, plowing her fist through his chest and ripping out his heart.
"You're breaking my heart!"
Mia laughed, throwing the heart at Frank, before jumping towards Strange and America, punching the sorcerer before he could cast a spell.
"Well hello!" the monster cackled at Chavez. The girl screamed, as Mia grabbed her throat.
"Mmm… fresh meat!" Mia licked her lips. America's breathing picked up, and she screamed. Her eyes began to sparkle again like before, as a star shaped portal burst open right behind her. At the same time, Strange got up, conjured a whip around Mia's throat, and pulled her off the girl.
"No fair!" the deadite screeched, clawing at the magic rope, while Stephen tackled America into the star. Seeing that as his cue, Frank ran forward and jumped in as well. Just as he felt like they would be safe, Castle looked behind him, just in time to see Mia jump into the portal after them.
"Oh no you don't!" she yelled. "I haven't had enough of you yet!"
A/N: That's right, one of the recurring universes and its characters will be the 2013 reboot of Evil Dead! I love that film, and since it's technically connected to Sam Raimi, I'll be using the music and characters in this story quite a bit! Speaking of, the next chapter will send the heroes to another familiar universe, but it's one of my own making!
Oh, and Wanda will be constantly towing the line of wanting to see Tommy and Billy, but will question if it's worth it if Chthon is going to destroy everything in their way. Her reaction to the destruction of Kamar Taj is one example of that.
Anyway, happy Thanksgiving everyone!