With a violent flex of my will, I shatter the image of Thanos, the illusion fracturing and breaking, then take a calming breath, collecting myself. Turning to the staring Vision, I hold my hand out, palm up, and begin to conjure a new illusion as I explain, "Thanos… He's an insane, genocidal warlord; a madman obsessed with death and stability," five, indistinct shapes of varying colours start to form over my hand as I continue,
"Roughly a thousand years ago, he correctly predicted that a lack of resources and overpopulation would devastate his homeworld, Titan, so devised a terrifying, deranged plan; to kill half the population." The blurred shape of Wanda turns to me in shock, her head rising from where it rests on Vision, her energy stuttering as she exclaims, her tone sickened,
"That– It's psychotic." I nod at her in agreement as Vision voices his own thoughts, providing a counter-opinion,
"While indeed, it's a proposal no one of sound mind would ever conceive, I can understand the thinking," Wanda leans away from him as he speaks, her feelings on the matter clear. My eyes slide over to him and stare, his shape appearing in the corner of my Blindsight, appreciation of his understanding in my gaze, "From a purely logical perspective, absent of any emotion, his method is highly likely to succeed; the reduced presence of intelligent lifeforms granting the depleted planet a much needed recovery period, making it stable enough for future life."
With a hum of thought, I respond, "That may be so, Vision, but that doesn't mean that it's right."
"No, of course; I was simply assessing its viability, offering what insight I gleamed." He replies, not truly supporting the plan, before looking to his partner with apology. Adding the finishing touches to my illusion, stabilising the small images, I add,
"Unfortunately for Thanos, his fellow Titans didn't see it in the same light as you. Instead, they exiled him from the planet, forbidding him from ever returning. Alas, what Thanos calculated came to pass, the planet afflicted by devastation, Titan suffering near mass-extinction, with few surviving.
Witnessing the fall of this world and with knowledge of why, Thanos came to believe that the ever-expanding array of life in the universe would inevitably consume the entirety of its resources,
With a sigh of disappointment, I continue with frustration, "Obviously, he's a fucking idiot; but no matter how foolish of a being he may be, the sheer threat he represents cannot be understated," I finalise the small projections, putting them a stable orbit over my hand, "Overtime, Thanos leveraged his charisma and intelligence to acquire armies and loyal followers, using them to wage war across the cosmos, conquering and invading planets. Obsessed with an ideology of his own making, of balancing the universe, he would murder half of all life on every planet he attacked,
"For nearly a millennia, he has spread terror throughout the galaxies, instilling fear into numerous civilisations, until one day, he came to a conclusion; there is too much life, and too little time. Realising he could never truly achieve balance under his own power, he began a quest for objects of great power, the Infinity Stones," pausing in my explanation, I gesture, causing four of the illusory stones to rise from their orbit and float above, their size increasing and the colours glowing, lighting the room.
Sensing their attention on the projections, I carry on, "The Infinity Stones are six artefacts that formed when the Celestial, Arishem the Judge, initiated the Big Bang, creating the current universe from the darkness. Each one represents and has absolute dominion over a different, necessary aspect of existence," under my will, the first Stone flashes purple and enlarges, moving to take a prominent position,
"The Power Stone, the most deadly Stone; the embodiment of both the sustaining and destructive forces of the universe. If ones body is resilient enough to survive contact with it, the wielder will be granted tremendous energy manipulation abilities, enough to annihilate a planets surface. Currently, it's in the hands of the Nova Corps, the military force of the Nova Empire; though, they'll soon be destroyed by Thanos." Floating it back into place, I go to replace it with another, when Wanda interrupts,
"Destroyed? How can you be so certain?" Glancing at her, I start to spin a tale, creating one that slots in well with my knowledge of coming events,
"...Because, Wanda, I'm from the future; I've witnessed the effect of their fall ripple out through the galaxy, destabilising whole sectors of space," bringing the orange Stone to the forefront of the illusion, I continue, "Moving on; theSoul Stone, the representation of the spirit, with absolute control over life and death. This Stone is the most enigmatic of all the Infinity Stones; with no known previous wielders and its location a mystery. There is a rumour that the Stone requires a sacrifice before it will allow one to control it, but obviously that can't be verified."
Sending it back, the third Stone takes its place, a wriggling mass of red, thick liquid, similar in appearance to Chaos Magic, "If you've been keeping up with Thor, then you might familiar with this one; the Reality Stone. Called the Aether by the Dark Elves from before creation, it governs reality, granting its wielder control over the fabric of said reality; able to warp and manipulate it, changing it according to their will, and remake it in their own image. For the next few months at least, it will remain in the hands of the Collector of Knowhere, who acquired it from the Asgardians."
The last, hanging Stone floats forward, swapping places with the last, its blue shining, a faint cube surrounding it, "The Space Stone, or, as it's better known, the Tesseract. This one you should no doubt recognise, what with it being the source behind the Battle of New York and all that. It represents space, clearly, able to bend and distort it, creating portals and enabling teleportation, and contains near-unlimited energy. Since being confiscated by Thor, it's been housed in the vault of Odin, the Allfather, though will soon be moved when Asgard is destroyed by Surtur."
The perplexed voice of Vision sounds, a hint of uncertainty in it, "Pardon?" Hearing the unspoken question, I go to elaborate, but ask,
"What today's date?"
"The fifth of April, why?" He replies. My head whips to him in response to his answer, a sudden bout of urgency gripping me, as I demand, confirming,
"Are you sure? You're absolutely certain you've the correct date?"
Wanda answers, confusion in her words, "Yes?" I feel my breathing start to quicken and my heart begin to race, the floating illusions almost fading as my concentration slips, before I snap myself out of my dawning panic. Taking a deep breath, I calm, focusing on the warmth of my Chi as it flows through my meridians, then release, a tired drawl leaving me as I look to the two,
"Shit." Letting out an annoyed sigh, I explain, "Before I crashed into the North Sea, it was February fourth; I've lost two months." I finish, a deep frown on my face. "I thought I had more time to prepare you all for that fuckers arrival, but…" I trail off, my thoughts churning as I reorganise my plans, removing steps and adding new one, shifting projected timelines, "No matter, I can deal." With a new sense of urgency wrapping my heart, I resume what I was doing.
Banishing the four described Stones, their images vanishing, I look to the remaining Stone above my hand, it's green light casting on my face, and detail, "...Of the six Stones, two, unluckily, are on Earth; the Time Stone, it's capabilities clear, possessed by my friend Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth Dimension, and, finally…" I reach out my senses into the light of Vision, and cast, pulling a duplicate from it and suspending it between us, "the Mind Stone, that governs hearts and mind, presently located in this very room, embedded in the forehead of you, Vision."
I watch in silence as a glowing, gloved hand rises up and carefully touches at the Stone, its light waving and concentrating on me, a feeling of gratitude reaching me. With a small smile, I affect the Chi around it and gently touch upon its surface, acknowledging it as Vision voices his thoughts,
"...So, its identity is revealed to me." He falls silent, contemplating the Stone, before continuing, "I always believed the revelation to be inevitable, and feared the knowledge would be followed soon after by great trouble," he releases a soft exhalation of amusement, "And it seems I was right."
He lower his hand, turning to Wanda and grasping her hand in comfort, before speaking, his words directed at me, "...Why are you here, Miss Sarah? Your comprehension of this Thanos denotes some form of relationship; though your negative feelings regarding him are clear, so I know not to fear you." He turns to me, looking away from his partner, the light of Stone washing over me, "What do you wish to accomplish?"
I stare at him, the room quiet, our thoughts hidden from each other. My lips drawing taut, I bring a hand up my bloodstained shirt and grasp the locket, drawing the Stones to me, "...When all six Stones are gathered together," I raise my free hand, a golden gauntlet, six sockets over the joints and back, forming on it. The illusory stones descending slowly, rotating and setting in, "they grant the wielder nigh-omnipotence, with enough power to affect the entire universe en masse.
"Should Thanos acquire them, equipping them to his Infinity Gauntlet, then…" I bring a finger and thumb together, and, "Snap." With a click of my fingers, the three of us start to flake away into ash, breaking down into nothingness and disintegrating. Letting the moment linger for a second, emphasising my point, I remove all the illusions, making us reappear. Wanda's energy radiates alarm, while Vision keeps his composure, his emotions stable.
"With the power of all six Stones, Thanos plans on enacting his ideology on a universe scale, killing half of all life; across every dimension and planet, impacting all species, from the sentient and the sapient, all the way down to the microscopic, single-celled organisms." Pausing, my feelings becoming heated, I calm myself and continue, "That, Vision, is what I hope to accomplish; to guide you all in stopping that deluded death worshipper."
They take in my words, a tense period passing as the sheer weight of potential genocide falls on their spirits, before Vision queries, "I notice you seem to exclude yourself when speaking of the coming conflict; would you care as to share the reason why?" Stepping back, I fall into the chair, his question playing at the forefront of my mind, having anticipated that he, of all beings, would be the one to catch my underlying thoughts. Rubbing at my mouth, I let out small sigh, then turn my blind eyes to the couple,
"The reason, you ask?" I hum, "Because I have no intention of getting involved." Confusion ripple through the energy of Wanda as she hears my answer, when she presses,
"Do you honestly expect us to believe that? You barge your way into our seclusion, identifying us despite your lack of sight, then proceed to upturn our lives with intimate knowledge about us and the future; and what? Your don't want to get involved?" She stresses her words, anger and resentment lining them, "How dare you?"
I narrow my eyes at her as her energy pulse under her skin, placing a hand on the hilt of the leaning Purpose, gripping it in preparation, and argue, "This," I gesture broadly, "isn't my world, Wanda. I arrived on your Earth, in your timeline, by accident. I have no wish to die fighting a being that has exactly zero impact on my reality, nor will I risk attracting his attention." I snarl at her, my emotions getting the better of me momentarily, "While he may be a threat here, there are numerous greater threats out the multiverse, ones that dominate my every waking thought,
"So no, Witch, I will not be 'getting involved'!" I shout, my Chi slipping from my control briefly, the room shaking slightly, before I close my eyes and breath, ashamed. Her question was valid, I can admit, as is her outrage, but I allowed them to interact with my own fears, enabling them to overcome me. The longer I've stayed in this reality, with no timetable as to when the Crossroads will be repaired by Gaea, the more I've begun to worry for my own.
With how that dimension operates, who's to say whether I'll return anytime close to when I left? Even with the guidance of the Vermilion Bird, with it hopefully pointing the way and leading me home, it might only take me to the right door. What if, after I enter, I find my self stuck in the distant past, great gulfs of time separating me from my friends and family? Or… I exit out into the future, everyone I've grown to love dead and buried, six feet under, turned to dirt and bone?
Calming myself, my Chi back under thumb and cycling, I open my eyes and sit up, then stand, locking onto their position, and, "I apologise for my outburst," I bow, "forgive me," I stay bent over, hoping to show my sincerity, then straighten, not waiting for them to accept, and probing, "Would you like me to leave?"
I detect as a hand of Vision is place on the arm of the irate Wanda, showing his support for her while at the same time indicating for her hold back for now, "No, that will not be necessary," he starts, his tone tired and measured, "The recent hours have been a lot, perhaps it would be best if we took a break?" He suggests, mediating. Relaxing my body, I nod at him, saying,
"If you think that will help, then I'm okay with it. Wanda?" I open the suggestion up to her, needing her agreement, not wanting to overstay my welcome if it would make everyone uncomfortable. She thinks in silence, the seconds ticking by, before I sense her nod, accepting the proposal. Letting a breath of relief, I ask, hopeful, "In that case, can I have a shower? Or a bath, if you have one, cause, you know," I pull at the front of my top, peeling it from where it's sticking skin, "I'm covered in my own blood?"
Vision stands at my enquiry, saying, "Certainly." He holds his hand out to side, indicating at the small room I detect towards the back on the home, "If you'll follow me." I start to move, going after him, before stopping as I pass the sitting Wanda, turning my head to her and speaking,
"I am sorry, Wanda, truly. I wish I could help you all with Thanos, but I have other responsibilities that need my attention back home." Piece said, I walk on, leaving her to her thoughts, catching up to the no-doubt listening Vision. I find him standing beside an open door, the outline of an in set bath visible inside, and step pass him as he informs me,
"Towels are on the bar, with a clean robe on the back of the door. I will ask Wanda if she would be willing to borrow you some of her clothing, but I am unsure if any would fit you, given your stature." Nodding at him in thanks, I wave him off, then move over to the bath and start to run it, the immediate hot water beginning to fog the room. Stripping, the dried blood coating my skin cracking as I move, I stand nude in the unfamiliar bathroom, listening to the filling of the tub.
As I fold my clothing and place them beyond the room, closing the door for some privacy, faint, heated conversation reaches me, the couple engaging in an excited exchange of opinions. With a little laugh, I step into the bath, the water scalding, and lay back, closing my eyes and getting comfortable.
...
Fluffy robe over my now clean body, I towel at my hair, its length longer than I'm used to. Wrapping it around, balancing it on top of my head with a twist, I unlock and open up the door, stepping out into a silent home, the rug covered floor soft under my feet. Moving back into the living room, I hear the whining of a nearby washing machine, the clothes inside tumbling, and take a seat in the armchair, taking the leaning Purpose into hand. Infusing it with my spirit, I ask of it, 'Anything interesting happen while I was gone?'
It sends back a burst of information, relaying the couple's spat, their differing thoughts on me clashing. As I review their conversation, the lone Vision walks back into the room, stopping in surprise as catches sight of me, before explaining, "Wanda's has decided to stay at a hotel for the night." With a small frown, I offer, my tone sympathetic,
"I apologise if I am the cause of any discourse; that was nowhere near what I intended."
Vision takes my words at face value, nodding to me, then, "It's quite alright, today has been heavy for all of us," he pauses, shifting slightly, "I hope you don't mind, but I placed your clothing in the wash." With a little shake of my head, I reply,
"Do what you want with them, their not mine anyway." I feel the stare of Vision on me as I relax back into the chair, Purpose in hand, when takes his on seat on the sofa and asks, curious,
"Yes, you said something similar when Wanda purchased your locket. What did you mean, if you don't mind me asking?"
Loosing my grip on Purpose, I tell all, "When I washed up on the shore of Scotland, I was naked as the day I was born, not to mention blind. Thankfully, I had experience relying on alternate senses, so it wasn't too much off struggle to navigate; but, as you can imagine, a tall, buff, bare women walking the streets raised a few eyebrows, so I had the police called on me," I let out a little laugh, the memory fond, "Not wanting to be arrested, especially when I had no identification and don't technically exist, I ran.
"I happened upon a good samaritan and lied to her about being attacked by some rapey youths, so she offered me sanctuary in her home," looking away from him, I carry on, "As she went off to call the police and report my supposed attack, I knocked her out; with a simple disruption to her Chi, mind, and stole some of her partners clothing." Raising a hand, I wave it slightly, "It's actually where I got these," clenching it into fist, I explain, "On my way out, I repayed her by healing her of her cancer with a newly acquired power, a universal healing domain by the name of Sun-kissed."
Vision listens with rapt attention, interested in furthering his understanding of my personality and hoping I'll open up, if only slightly, "Fascinating. And how did you come into possession of this power, if you are willing to share?" I smile at his curiosity, enjoying being able to teach someone of Vision's intelligence a field completely outside of his purview,
"To get into that, I'll need to give you a primer on the structure of the multiverse," with gleaming eyes, I ask him, my voice leading and teasing, "You think you can handle it?"
The light of the Mind Stone intensifies greatly, Vision's interest deep, as he responds, his tone eager,
"Of course, Miss Sarah."
...
The cold, night air brushes my skin, entering through the latched window, as I sit in the centre of the dark room, crosslegged and meditative. My eyes glow behind their closed lids as my mind descends into the depths of my spirit, trying to recreate the journey Gaea's power took through my body. Since I've yet to master the Qi Stage of my cultivation, I haven't mapped the complete structure of my physique, with its greater mysteries hidden from me. This has caused no small difficulty in finding my damaged Dao, the ease with which the Elder Goddess accomplished it deceptive.
The fact that there's only two months until the arrival of Thanos, until I might be forced to fight him, has left me considering taking a risk. I figure that, if I cast Revelation, I could follow the power back to its source; but there is a good chance that I'll just end up worsening the damaged connection. The best result I could hope for is a simple, extended period of blindnes; while at worst, the connection snaps entirely, leaving me absent a crucial power and with no choice but to recultivate the Dao, a process that will take years.
With a slow breath in, I expand my consciousness, overlapping with and folding it through the surrounding soul of the world, utilising it as a blanket of protection. Releasing the breath, expelling any doubt and fear, I raise my hands and cover my eyes, then cast, well aware of the consequences. Revelation activates with ease, information on my local space and time feeding back to me, before I retract it, every wisp of my focus concentrated on its retreat, perceiving as it withdraws inside me.
Timing it perfectly, I manage to latch a Chi-infused portion of my spirit onto the tail-end of the ability, hitching a ride atop it, a slither of my senses experiencing the trip. The power moves at a fluctuating pace, travelling independent of time and causality, its course slipping between before and after, when it passes through an ethereal barrier. As it flows through, my split spirit tagging along, its limited senses being assaulted, we emerge into a colourless space, my mortal perception unable to comprehend its complexity.
Familiar, golden strings slide into existence as we head deeper, some pulled taut and frayed, with more, a seemingly infinite number, floating loose and full. Revelation weaves between them as the loose strings drift towards it, the cause of the attraction unknown, before it comes to an open space and pauses, a pulse of golden light running down it, a charged feeling reaching me. With a bucked movement, it whips me away, throwing my spirit back the way we came, flying off at speed.
I try to guide its path, stopping it from catching on the strings, but our connection is staggered, my heart skipping a beat as I discover the distance between us to be unfathomably vast. With no way to support it, I calm, preparing myself for any outcome, as the spirit comes to a gradual stop, floating amidst the forest of strings. It remains still, making no moves, doing all it can not to interact with them, when a sudden space is cleared around it, the strings retreating.
I frown, a hint of suspense rising, slight anxiety settling in as I'm forced to watch, when my spirit starts to rise, influenced by some external force, its senses pulled into a point of focus above. My frown deepens as a tightly wound string stands alone before me, its frayed end spread out like a hand. It descends towards me slowly, the surrounding strings dragged along by its movement, a surprising impression of respect radiating from them. As it closes in, the frays unfurl and wind, then touch upon me, the strands flowing over and phasing in.
A suspiciously pleasant feeling spreads throughout my spirit, the piercing strands tapping at aspects of my soul I've yet to discover, when the string starts to draw itself in. Its entirety quickly flows inside the shard and disappears, turning my spirit in on itself and causing it to vanish. The rapidly series of events causing me unease, I open my eyes, then widen them in shock as the string appears before me, curved and unwinding, its length passing through the ceiling and shooting off into the sky.
I summon Purpose from my Dantian and go to stand, to defend myself, when I freeze, the flared strands of the string wrapped around me, their movements instantaneous and unseen. I struggle to move as they fuse into my skin, their passage unfeeling, to no avail, my body locked in place. Trying to calm myself, falling into a half-meditative state, I concentrate on recording and understanding what it's doing, when I shiver, the frays wrapping and penetrating my astral body.
With a slight tug, it extracts me from my body, time around me coming to a stop, before reeling back at speed, pulling me through the roof of the home and out of the building, drawing me into the night sky. The world beneath me is still as I move, the clouds and rain frozen in place, parting and warping around my body as it races through them. I flail a hand out, grasping at the string and holding it tight in my grip, stabilising myself, as we fly past the atmosphere, the curve of the Earth visible.
The speed of the string increases once we exit beyond the bounds of the planet, reaching the moon in matter of seconds, before accelerating further, the stars beginning to streak and blur. My astral body feels none of the motion as we rocket into the cosmos, the flowing tunnel of light swimming past us, when the string shifts, its body running along the side of the blinding vortex and passing through, dragging me along behind. We emerge out into the depths of space, coming to a stop, where the string releases me, leaving me floating adrift.
Its length glides behind me, moving out of sight, leaving my slowly rotating soul staring at the twinkling of far off stars and the swirling of galaxies. Taking advantage of the situation, I observe them, appreciating their beauty with a growing comprehension of the true vastness of the universe, when a flash of colour from the corner of my eye breaks my viewing. Turning to it, a touch of surprise runs through me as my sight falls on a green robed back, feeling a strange sense of recognition as the body stands atop a giant turtle, its deep eyes looking at me in confusion.
Trailing my eyes up the back, I find a floating mass of thick, lengthy, golden hair, the visage of the person facing away from me. A dawning pit of realisation settles as I stare at the absolute bitch before me, annoyance showing on my face as I voice, my tone exasperated, "Oh, what the fuck?" The shoulders of the woman shake as she gradually turns to me, familiar, golden eyes and deep, branching cracks of the same colour spread over her face.
Her laughter echoes out, the space around her warping and the distant stars shaking as her sight falls on me, when she opens her mouth, my own, maturer voice sounding in my ears,
"Didn't expect this, didya girl?"