CHAPTER EIGHT | " BETWEEN LOVE AND MADNESS "

COMPULSIONS OF UNTOLD HEAVED THE HOLY GROUND.

Muffled yet enraged voices accompanied Peter's tingling, sensing an expanding gush coming from a distance. The surge of dimensional energy hit the blue cloud, making it fade within their bodies. A whirl of time's flow soaked into the walls that shook. A bunch of webs fired as a reflex, letting the fluid fill the cracks in the ceiling and pulling the redhead closer to him to shield her from the falling grit.

They yelped, looking for a focal point of a balance they were losing due to the invisible force shattering throughout reality. Air velocity increased, stirring up the forbidden discovery. The planning room was collapsing rather than shuddering. The roof vibrated, releasing sawdust from the beams which huddled and steered for Strange's face. A hand signal focusing on the matter split it in half. Dust aroused around the group and transformed the fillings into a temporary shield that shaped the burst into a fresh breeze, and reverted back.

"You said by the end of the week!" Peter muttered heatedly, picking the dust from River's red hair, and examining her safeness. He gaped at the sorcerer who was more than disappointed of learning the truth of an unsound mind. He couldn't comprehend the fact that the trust he gave up to someone, was now used against him.

"That was one of the few expansion waves that are coming in," he responded eventually out of breath, realizing that he forgot something important, as the cloak of levitation brushed off the grime. That couldn't be said about his face, which was irritated by a touch of the dust needles, "before total destruction, the fracture has to expand in order to consume."

"...till there's nothing left." Enigma finished his sentence.

River was still disturbed from the vision. She was trembling, similarly to the ground that intensified every time steps echoed in the corridors. Seeing the dashing hopes in her father's eyes, made her not lose hope to deliver justice. Riv clenched her fists as the ends of her hair strands became fiery.

"Hey!"

Enigma gazed towards the redhead, now blazing blue, portraying her inner emotions of disappointment and fury.

"You saw the future! Tell us what to do to prevent Doomsday from happening!" River shouted, wanting to stop this universe-breaking insanity, "And don't you dare to use the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff against us!"

The woman in black raised her eyebrows, astonished by the girl's verve.

"I would listen to her, she's definitely a firestarter," Peter blurted out, being proud of his girlfriend and the urge to negotiate. Radiating warmth had him step back a little. Spiders were cold-blooded. He wasn't attracted to heat sources, still, his girlfriend was an exception.

"That is why we're here. In my visions, I never revealed the initiator to any of you," Enigma elaborated the theory of her foresight, "by changing these moments, decisions, we can fool the outcome. You're proof of that, you've done it yourself." She pointed out Stephen's little trick of pitching his ideas in riddles before fading in a snap sequentially to have his successors swap all of the infinity stones in the time heist, instead of just borrowing them from the past.

Stephen sighed. He did what he needed to do, save everyone even if it meant breaking the rules instead of the continuity.

"So what do we do?"

Kamar-taj entered tranquility. In the stories Stevie had read, the place was described as lonesome, hardly anyone showed up, making it hard to imagine it full of life. Sorcerers either discussed techniques or trained, having her to observing those little details of their attires, gestures, and ornaments engraved on walls as she couldn't take photos. Her remarks and her knowledge could help her and many others with writing.

She was a visualizer, needing a reference to catch the essence of a place, pulling out a notebook was natural for her, to transcribe her observations. Perceiving the golden flares welcoming Doctor Strange, caused an uproar of curiosity, even from Stevie, traveling through a portal must've been better than unexpectedly emerging from shadows. The feeling of her body being disfigured and floating in the void will haunt her forever, more likely than Wong's lecture on the usage of witchcraft.

The arrival didn't do much to Nicholas as he stood as far away from the girl as possible, blaming himself for all of the things that happened to her.

"You have to be careful with that one."

Nick looked over his shoulder a bit, not realizing he was fidgeting with the medallion he found in the ashes. Keeping his hands busy occasionally cured his anxiety attacks. Unfortunately, Sara Wolfe's utters caught him off guard. She was usually minding her own business, patiently waiting for Wong's signalization to let her join the quarrel.

Nick behold the piece of embellished metal.

"Blood rifts are not so pleasant to sense," she warned him, "they deviate the blood pressure like a silent disease. Especially if the blood there is your own, even so, no one should mess with this kind of damned sorcery."

Hearing foot slipping and a newbie struggling with master's training was now Sara's main concern. She had to pursue the importance of other things rather than handing advice.

Nick scowled, walking to Stevie till his eyes lit up in the absence of his own thoughts, just like his expression that blanched. He was glancing at his opened palms, holding the answer that messed with his head. It must've been his blood as he remembered the figure wounding him. Damned magic came from the book that held only the dark. He read it, as immune to the darkness he was, he didn't remember anything about blood-related spells. Perhaps the magic was more ancient than the damnation itself or it was just his memory getting hazy. Either way, the medallion rapidly evaporated, proving his sudden realization.

"I made a few changes to be a little more useful. I don't want to get in your way that often," Stevie stated happily, browsing through the pages in the journal to share her ideas, "I scripted that I'm in better shape, have better reflexes and my wounds heal faster. That's not everything. Check this out!"

Stevie cutely tittered. All she had to do was to focus on the journal that later on glistened as the cloud of iridescence lifted it into the air. A hand waved and the journal flipped through as if she was using telekinesis, "Cool, right?!"

Nick nodded.

"Also, I've been thinking a lot about my superhero name. If you had any suggestions, here with them, they are fully welcome. Cause from my understanding and the reaction of others... Zimzalabitch is too much for a superhero name, is it?" Stevie wondered, continuing to giggle until she noticed that he was suspiciously quiet.

The smile disappeared from her face, instantly closing the notebook with the wind ruffling her bangs, "What's wrong?"

"Stevie, I think I screwed up..." Nick let out with the heartsick tone that always made her sadder, "It's not her."

She clenched his hand, attempting to secure his perception, "What do you mean? Who is it then?" Her shoulders drooped, in shock as drums resounded, urging some of the sorcerers to meet in the planning room.

"The Scarlet Witch," Wong repeated pensively after Stephen Strange came back from a meeting of the intended help in this kind of situation, but it went wrong as usual. He was surrounded by the masters of the mystic arts, eagerly listening to every word the sorcerer supreme emitted.

"Wanda's gone. She's got the Darkhold and the Darkhold has her."

"The Scarlet Witch is a being of unfathomable magic. She can rewrite the reality as she chooses, and is prophesized to either rule or annihilate the cosmos," Wong continued the monologue, acknowledging the addition.

Stevie noticeably gasped, hearing about the rewriting part. She stopped in mid-sentence as she was silently writing down the dialogues. Her body rocked with nervousness. She had the feeling that she was taking part in something illegal. Not only was she still wondering what was on Nick's mind, but she was also scared that others will find out about her own reality alternations.

"She took over a whole town using her mind. If she gets America's power..." Stephen took a long pause to search for the girl that was hunted by the demons as well. He stared at Stevie who was doodling something into a book, "she can enslave the entire Multiverse."

"So, the person you went to ask for help, and told exactly where I am, is the person trying to kill me?" America Chavez joined the havoc, glowering.

"Yeah."

"Suspend teaching at once and arm the students," Sorcerer supreme commanded Sara, his faithful assistant, "Kamar-Taj must now become a fortress."

Booming sounds echoed through the sacred temple, complementing the steps of masters taking positions. Portals opened and closed to greet the armed reinforcement.

"Nicholas!" Stephen Strange shouted, noticing that his son from another universe wanted to leave at all costs. He had no other choice than stop and become a part of the story for a small moment which he was not entirely happy about.

"Look after the girls. Make sure that no one comes near to them," Stephen instructed him, making America take part in their group. Nick inclined shyly, abashed by the immediate trustworthiness. They went into a hallway that led to the rooms, in the opposite direction from the others.

"Wait!"

The only boy in the group turned around at the last minute to take a glimpse at Stephen briskly removing the sling ring and placing it inside his hand and closing it himself, "If something were about to happen, bring the danger to me, okay?"

Nicholas analyzed the ring, stunned to express a single word. He looked up, observing somewhere in the coldest blue of Stephen's eyes genuine fondness like nothing else was important, only him.

"Can you do that for me?" He heartened. This question evoked memories in his mind space, to a vision of his father encouraging him at his worst right before Morgan's conquest. Nick didn't hesitate to hug him.

He wished Stephen would feel it the same, however, that wasn't ever in consideration. Nicholas was lonely and conflicted, his mind urging him to hug tighter. He didn't belong and when he belonged at least for a split second, he wanted for it to be true. He felt the burning that made him numb, burning Stephen way more. At the end of the day, he was nothing, the same as his feelings.

Stephen firmly grasped his arms and harshly pushed him away. The boy shook under his touch with brows that pulled in, confirming his despair as a burden, killing those around him slowly.

"Do what I've asked for." He breathed, patting his back, entirely avoiding eye contact with him, and then disappearing in a crowd of passersby to guide them to assigned formations.

Stevie couldn't help but watched the misery from a distance. She couldn't go anywhere without him, thus her arm-twisting him to tag along was the only hope. They ran, crashing into others that headed to the cloister. A sling ring flashed on his hand as he sought shelter in the Kamar-Taj's shrine.

"What will we do now?" A girl in a starry jacket asked, trying to give the atmosphere a bit of a spark as everyone seemed so depressed.

"Wait till it's over. Duh." Stevie responded sarcastically, eventually pausing at her thought. She acted like a fool. These could be her last moments, "I'm Stevie by the way. Just for the casualty, and also we're probably going to die together."

"Hope that won't happen." She laughed.

Vie beamed, slightly squinting as her mind informed her that she didn't say goodbyes to her always-busy mother or her too-ambitious father. Her expression was sour, knowing damn well that her annoying sister would mourn her, claiming they were best friends. She couldn't let that happen. Veronica would most likely sell all of her K-pop photo cards and Avengers merch.

America had no idea what to do as her eyes were drifting toward the boy that was sitting on the ground unlike them who were persistently walking around, "Is he okay?"

"Oh yeah, don't mind him. He's always sad and quiet, and I sometimes don't even know what's wrong... Well, I dunno if he told you but he's from a different universe just like you. Not like he's from your universe but from somewhere else, get it?" Stevie mentioned casually as if it was no big deal. She lent him her journal so he could draw the things that disturbed his mind. Art was his form of therapy, yet he didn't touch it at all. He was just sitting quietly, nipping the skin of his palms, completely unnoticed.

"I see—" America's words were cut off as she noticed a shadow passing through the alley, not the following anything materialized, "Is that her? How the hell did she get inside?"

The shadow eclipsed the room much like the rays of the darkened sky coming from outside. Unexplainable shivers were running down Nick's spine and nape as the cold gradually engulfed his body and the room, needing him to move. He stood up.

"What— What was that?" Stevie queried, pressing her ear, thinking she heard murmurs.

A squeak closed the window shutters and blew out the candles. The girls gather in the corner, screeching, completely frightened.

"Stay here. I'll be right back."

Nick followed the shadow even though both of them convinced him not to. The corridors were empty and his mind was hollow, blindly approaching the dead end. He watched the archways move and circle as if they were part of a kaleidoscope. Diverse shapes merged into the curves and lines, ending nausea for good.

"It's always the boys who are curious and slacking around."

Nicholas' head sharply turned left, eyes locking with a lady gloomily dressed.

"Where the hell have you been? You're running out of time." Enigma revealed her face that was unrecognizable to him. Youth from his face vanished as the gold from her hair. The future was indeed cruel to her, venting its anger as the end was near.

"Oh no... Did—?" Nick blurted out terror-struck.

"No, not yet," she denied accusations, "But it will be gone if you don't come back, teacup."

Nicholas walked past her, inspecting her closely. Enigma's abilities let both her body and consciousness be fully here and there, not necessarily using the astral projection spell, although the universe was losing the connection to the Multiverse. He gulped over the fact that everyone lived in fear, like him every second of his life.

"I'd like to... but... I can't. Someone's after me. I can't bring the menace with me. Not now, when it's falling apart and they are out there hunting Stevie as well."

"Listen, you don't have to pull wool over my eyes, I know everything. The future showed me. And I stayed quiet, minding my own cake. I watched it burn, and that was the moment I realized that I've never been so connected to any other universe than this one, just like you," Enigma was explaining with a pain released from her voice, "You can fix it. It is never too late."

His chest tightened as he stuttered, "Fix what?"

"The chaos you created." Enigma's lips curved into a grin.

Nick turned away to recollect memories and understand the problem the lady tried to uncover. His mouth opened, yet no words were formed, suppressing tears.

"Deep breath, darling... Everyone already knows. You don't have to be afraid of anything. I've taken into my responsibility and told them to save you from their hissy fits and those hunched angry faces. We can figure it out, you have to hit the road," Enigma proceeded to reassure him.

"No no no. It— It may seem like that but, please, believe me, it was never my intention!"

"It's alright. No one's mad at you."

"I am! I am mad. Don't you understand?"

"And you are mad by right. I would be as well If I were in your place. I wish that the people you love, in fact, everyone who you keep close will gain the opportunity to live longer. They are at the end of the rope. There's no time to spare, just tell me if you found the time stone. So we can fix the madness."

"That... That madness isn't mine! I'd never, never in my life thought of destroying something I've once fallen in love with," Nick spoke slowly to emphasize the words that were hurtful to him. His voice was tearful, depicting his heart that ached from the blind spots her mind's eye couldn't see.

"Nick—"

"—stop twisting my narrative! Because that is the only thing I haven't lost! I am my own person, able to speak for myself and tell the story I've seen and been through. No one has the right to take it from me. I do not exist for you or anyone's pleasure. But you'll never understand that. You'll never understand me or the pain I bear for everyone to protect them."

"Do you have the Eye of Agamotto?"

Nicholas' chin trembled as he gulped in agreement with her question. She ignored his struggle, proving that he as a person wasn't really important. Even the things he was capable of had a higher value than his suffering. His pupils widened and his face became senseless, almost crying out of an understanding that everyone saw him as a flaw.

"Then you have to come back. If you stay here a little longer, you will harm this universe as well. I'm sure you don't want that, do you?"

Nick didn't have the strength to shake his head. Perceiving reality, everything around him turned dark within a second. He wondered what it would be like if left to save his universe right away or what if he hadn't ended up here at all.

"No..." He finally responded, playing with his hands irritated by the constant scratching from before. He sobbed, knowing that he will soon betray someone who he seemingly made happy only with his presence. Perchance he didn't exist for oneself but for how others perceive him. That was the only thing that protected him from being himself. He backed away as his eyes were watery and glistened with sorrow and collapse, "I'll be better. Please just let me be better."

"That's why I am here. You have the chance to prove yourself," Enigma continued to convince him to save a place that replaced his long-lost home. He tried it once when he donated saved-up money to cover the damage and the bills of families that lost their homes when the dome expanded and they had to abandon them. Now he had the chance to save the future.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Nick stopped sort of startled.

"I have to say goodbye to Stevie. I can't just leave her. I- I have to be sure that she's going to be okay. I promised something," he mumbled, running over the sling ring that was given to him. He had to make sure that both of them are safe. He knew that this will be one of the hardest goodbyes, for which he did not even have a sufficient explanation.

"I'm worried there's no time for that."

"There must be!" He gushed, nevertheless he froze just after that. Was he exaggerating? He took a deep breath.

"I'm so sorry... I didn't want it to sound like that," Nicholas declared downheartedly, reaching for the doorknob to leave. They could be separated from destruction by a moment that he could've used for his return instead of farewell.

"Are you sure that is the right thing to do? You'll only hurt yourself. We can't afford that. We cannot afford to lose you—"

"Just... Just give me a moment so I can settle it down, to think it through."

Yes, he made mistakes and this was the time to fix all the bad he caused. This was just a reassurance, something he should have done a long time ago even with Chaosverse. He ignored what others feared. The door creaked.

"Nick."

"No. This isn't going nowhere, and neither is he," Enigma glanced at him quite unsure of his doings. A figure of Doctor Strange appeared from a thin air, projecting himself and joining the brawl. He lifted his hand, in the urge to continue.

"Nick!"

Nicholas shut his eyelids close, fighting the urge to leave. Once they narrowed, he turned to follow the direction of the voice.

"What? What is it?" he waited, excited by the curiosity of what he wanted to say to him. Chaosverse's Stephen Strange was as cold yet caring as the variant he met here. Regardless, there wasn't a day when he would express a single interest in him but now he was not afraid to look at him nor talk to him.

The corners of Stephen's mouth shivered as he felt heavy all of a sudden, letting the feelings he suppressed speak for themselves, "I love you."

Nicholas slightly raised his eyebrows, befuddled by his choice of words. He swallowed his previous thoughts as the tears returned to conquer.

"I love you in every universe." Stephen knew what he was talking about. He saw him in his dreams and the way he was treated by his lookalike. His variant no matter how loved him and did many things better than him. This kind of connection was terrifying and brought to his mind only regret. "It's just... I get scared..."

Nick looked away from him, allowing the tears to do whatever they want. He didn't know if that was something he wanted to hear. He sobbed.

"That's enough." Enigma jumped in, suspecting that something wasn't right, eye-twitching to the side, "I said enough!"

"I'm scared of losing and failing what once was perfect," Strange ignored the lady's interruption. He never let his emotions speak, "I don't want the same thing to happen to you... because once you cross that fear, you can't go back and erase it. It may be too late one day and you will regret it like me now, knowing too well that I ever allowed myself to fail you."

Probably it was all from the lament and mourning, the fact that he never re-consider his priorities before his disappearance. If he was the one who sacrificed himself in an attempt to save humanity, everything could've been different. Except he wouldn't have the opportunity to tell him that he always loved him.

The boy was sniveling, striving to find comfort. His hand reached to wipe the tears from his cheeks, exposing the Eye of Agamotto on his neck, inkling his final decision of going home. Stephen's rush surge of relief was postponed by a cold sweat forming on his forehead. Enigma stepped forward out of nowhere, quickly overshadowing Nick, pulling something blue out of her sleeve. Why was she so scared? Why didn't he feel joy? His mouth was downturned. Then it hit him. A blast of an overwhelming light. An outburst engulfed the room and devoured everything in its path.

Even Nicholas.

Stephen woke up with a jolt. Ears rang, attempting to process what he witnessed. His eyes stung, unable to close them. His heart was a missing pulse. He felt it inside his head. Thudding like the explosion itself. He was breathless as he heard mumbles, begging for help. The woman's shrieking pierced his ears. He slowly turned, pupils widened. The kids wailed. Red residues were consumed. They tried to help her but they were as frightened as he was. They called his name. They begged him to help as chaos magic was eating Enigma alive. He couldn't react, not after what he saw. He stood there, listening to the screeches of madness, burning it to the core.

Until there was nothing left of her.

You don't know how I'm proud of myself for finishing writing this emotional rollercoaster. Anyways share your thoughts below, I'd highly appreciate that !