Arcane (MCU/Anodite SI)

[FakeSonOfGod]

(Why did it suddenly hurt that much more?)

"Yeah, it probably is. And, to be honest? I have no idea why I'm even saying this, not really." Peter raised his head and Strange almost recoiled, the assurance in those eyes making him feel things he did not want to feel. "I just wanted you to know that... you did a monstrous thing... but your motivation was the most human thing imaginable, and the fact that your still here, regretting it even now?"

He shook his head.

"You're not a monster, doctor. Maybe you're not a hero, but you're not a monster. And I think that where it counts? You're still every bit as human as the rest of us. I just think you should know that."

Then he turned and began to walk away.

A strange instinct seized him then, and he was spitting out the words almost unwillingly.

"The human I was put in motion and personally saw to the absolute destruction of his entire universe. Untold quintillions dead in an instant. Do you honestly believe that me still being him, or anything like him, is in any way a good thing?"

Peter Parker, Spider-man, turned back to him with a thoughtful expression across his features.

"I believe that the human in you is why you're helping us save our world. A world you have nothing to do with, no stake in whatsoever. You gave us a fighting chance, and something tells me that wouldn't hesitate to help others if it came down to it, even at cost to yourself. Wether it's guilt or grief or something else that's motivating you is irrelevant. The facts are that you made a terrible, terrible mistake that you can't undo, but even now you're going above and beyond to do the right thing in spite of the past."

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Peter being the munchkin we know and love, Eli is panicking but tbh I would too.

Strange is an ass but an alright ass who is a touch hypocritical, but we love/hate him for it.

America is trying, Wong is Wong and hence wonging(Yes, I am proud of stating it like that)

 

[CmirDarthanna]

So, Uh. What's Eli supposed to do?

 

[MuchCod1414]

As always, his counterpart seemed more amused than anything, stepping out of seemingly nowhere and looking him down on him.

"As you wish."

As always, his counterpart seemed more amused than anything, stepping out of seemingly nowhere and looking him down at him with demeaning grace.

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You made two of the sentence, the second a more correct, I think...

 

[Firewillreign]

"You can stop looking at me like that, Cauley, I don't bite."

I winced.

Strange Supreme sighed

"Perhaps that wasn't the best way to phrase it."

"No."

"Regardless, the point still stands. I have no intention of hurting you."

Which was somewhat comforting to hear, I guess.

...

...No, still keeping my distance.

America and Peter stood a distance off, both chatting quietly, while Wong and Stephen had their own conversation further back.

Leaving me standing alone with the guy who I was fairly sure could blink us all out of existence.

He raised an eyebrow at me, a half-smirk pulling at his lips, and then I remembered he could read minds as well.

Damn.

"It's a little hard not to be nervous." I shook my head slowly. "Even ignoring who you are, no offence, you've seen inside my mind. You know...that..."

I paused awkwardly.

"That I'm a fictional character where you come from?"

"...Yeah."

"Don't be ridiculous."

I blinked.

"What?"

"The Multiverse is infinite, you foolish child." He actually laughed at my dumbfounded expression, a short but deep sound. "Anything and everything is possible. A world where our situations are reversed. A world where neither of us exists and a world where we both do at the same time. The knowledge you possess isn't nearly as big a deal as you seem to think it is. Hell, my drinking buddy perceives more realities than you can imagine at the exact same time. Compared to that, you're world really isn't that impressive."

...

Huh.

Strangely reassuring to hear.

"Mind you, I wouldn't go broadcasting it by any means, but you have nothing to worry about from me in that regard. You have bigger problems to deal with. Speaking off-"

He raised his voice, loud enough that it seemed to bounce in the empty void.

"Time to move, people! You have a world to save and I have my peace and quiet to regain."

Expressions shuttered, forms tensed, and the four of them walked up to us in the same way I imagined a doomed man would walk up to his executioner.

Which was a tad dramatic, honestly. Considering that I was going to be duking it out with the Elder Jackass, they had nothing to complain about!

"How is this going to work exactly?"

America's question was sharp, and in response Supreme raises his hands, dark smoke and burst of orange emanating from them at regular intervals.

"I'll use my own energies to activate your ability." He nodded and cut her off as she went to speak. "And yes, I'm aware of your control issues, but I can bypass them. I felt your arrival into my dimension, and I felt the dimensional resonance of your target universe. I can replicate it easily enough."

He straightened ever so slightly.

"You have everything you should need. A plan of action, resources, and all the power necessary-" He glanced at me. "To get the job done. Good luck, and may we never meet again."

Supreme nodded at Stephen, who nodded back with a sense of finality.

I tensed.

"Uh, Doc? Maybe you should hold on-"

He stretched out his arms, arcs of black lancing out and into America's chest!

"I'm fine!" America raised a hand and Peter paused, mid-leap. "Fine. I'm fi... woah."

She blinked, eyes shining blue.

"America?"

"I feel." She shook her head. "I think.... I can..."

There was no warning.

One second, we all stood in tense anticipation.

The next, reality shattered as the star-shaped tear in the fabric of space-time appeared.

Stephen and Wong disappeared instantly, drawn in by inescapable force. A second later Peter was gone, yell cutting off as he vanished into it's confines.

I would have been next, but I was already lifting myself off the ground, backing away even as I realized that was likely counter productive. Only America was truly unaffected, wreathed in blue light and standing still effortlessly.

"You best be going."

I looked down at Supreme Strange, eyes wide.

"Good luck, Cauley. You'll need it. And one last thing."

His eyes narrowed, and he spoke.

"!ͥ̀̔ͮ̍!ͥ̀̔ͮ̍"͔̱͍͇̘͙͐̿͡!ͥ̀̔ͮ̍"͔̱͍͇̘͙͐̿͡"͔̱͍͇̘͙͐̿͡"​

My eyes widened, even as my head erupted into splitting agony.

"What did you?!-"

"I doubt you'll remember this anytime soon, but when you do? You'll probably thank me for it."

Then the portal buckled, erupted, and we were gone.

...​

Kamar-Taj was a ruin.

Wong swallowed heavily as he observed the charred and burnt husk of his monastery, the destruction so complete that there was more ash and dust than solid rubble.

He was forced to close his eyes as they drifted lower and caught site of the remains of his sorcerers, impossible to mistake even in death.

Vishanti forgive him for his failure.

When next he opened them, there was no weakness in them.

It was time to end this.

He turned to the group , Stephen nodding immediately even as the children stood to attention.

"Children. You know the plan."

Risking the children in such a way hurt more than he could hope to put into words, but needs must.

America nodded.

"We go to Wundagore. Eli does...whatever he's going to have to do, while you guys work on getting the asshole back in his box, and me and Peter watch your backs."

Wong nodded.

"When we begin casting, we will be unable to shape magic for defensive purposes. Thus it falls to you to protect us from whatever abominable forces Chthon sends our way, while Eli.-"

"-Tries not to get himself slaughtered." Despite the grim words, the boy smiled weakly. Then he winced. "Anyone else have a headache?"

Peter frowned. "No?"

"It's probably nothing. Weird though."

Stephen clicked his fingers.

"Focus, please. The sooner we get there, the sooner we begin. Cauley, watch out for the signal. The moment we call for you-"

"Drag Chthon over to your binding site. You activate your ritual, and the piece of him inside of Wanda Maximoff gets sucked right out." The boy nodded. "I get it. Let's hit the damn road!"

Wong straightened.

They all knew the risks. They all knew the stakes. They were all as ready as they could would ever be.

(Once more, for the world.)

"Then it's time to begin-"

"Wait!"

Peter Parker shot him an apologetic but firm look.

"If we're going to do this...Then there's one thing I need to get."

Stephen and America exchanged confused looks, while Eli started grinning madly.

...​

"Where exactly are we, Peter?"

While Wong and Stephen had opted to wait outside the America followed behind the two boys as they ran, taking the steps two at a time.

"I used to live here." Peter called down, something heavy in his tone. "Me and my aunt, I mean. Eli told you about... The Mysterio fiasco?"

"Yes."

She didn't have to disguise the rage in her tone.

"After...The world forgot." He almost stuttered on the words, but soldiered on regardless. "Life got that much harder. It wasn't just the memories people had of me that disappeared, right? My records, my papers, passwords and access to anything and everything? All of that just vanished. Including access to one of the few things my mentor left me."

They burst out of the staircase on the fourth floor and immediately took a left, heading towards one apartment in particular.

"I couldn't bare to just leave it as it was, so I spent months reprogramming it." He stopped in front of one apartment, breathing heavy, head low. "Only afterwards, I realized that I couldn't use it without drawing all kinds of attention. So I buried it here."

He reached for the door handle and frowned.

"Damn it. I forgot the key."

"Allow me."

"What are- Eli, don't you dare-!"

Eli grinned, glowing faintly purple, and kicked the door in with a thunderous crash!

"What?" He shrugged at the glare he got. "We're in the middle of the apocalypse!"

Peter glared a second longer before turning around and marching in. The apartment was empty, stripped bare and free of any human touch, and the fact seemed to stagger Peter. Eli's expression went from satisfaction to quiet sympathy.

"Pete."

"I'm fine."

He strode over to the kitchen, the door creaking as he pushed his way into the bare room, America and Eli both at his heels.

Yet aside from a stove and a traditional cupboard layout, there was nothing out of the ordinary that she could spot.

Or at least there wasn't, up until Peter walked over to a bare wall, cocked back a fist and drove his arm straight through the wall.

She gaped.

Eli sniffed. "Hypocrite."

"Guess it is the fastest way to get some things done." Peter smiled as he rummaged through the walls, the expression growing more pronounced as he felt something familiar. "Got it."

He pulled back, the damage to the wall spreading as he pulled an object the size of a small suitcase clean through it.

What the hell?

It was sleek, smooth metal, with a pane of see-through glass at it's middle. Yet the moment Peter pressed a hand to it's top, it lit up, a cloud of... metal becoming visible as it shifted and moved within it's confines.

"What is that?"

Her tone betrayed her fascination, but aside from a slight smile Peter gave no answer.

His hands fiddled with the latch, flipping open the top of the container with easy, practiced movements.

Then he slid his entire arm straight into the cloud of shifting metal.

A moment, then-

Gold, red and blue surged, travelling up his arm and across his body!

She started to move, but Eli grabbed her shoulder.

"Just watch."

It was over in an instant.

The surging mass stilled, revealing sleek power armor of the absolute highest quality. Almost deceptively light, movements fluid and natural, he turned to them, posture ready.

Eli looked him up and down.

"I'll admit, that is way awesome. So you ready to go, drama queen?"

The suit shifted, face-plate retracting to reveal Peter's face, sporting a grin every bit as wild as Eli's.

"You're bet I am"

The mask snapped shut, and Spider-man straightened.

"Now let's do this!"

...​

Thousands of miles away, black eyes snapped open.

"Fine then. The hard way."

...​

As always, leave your comments and ideas and if you don't like it, please be courteous.

Next chapter, the final battle begins!

If you feel like it, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi: Firewillreign

 

[FakeSonOfGod]

Nice, looking forward to how the plan unfolds.

Good chapter man, and good to hear Strange isnt toooo much of an arse.

 

[ThedudeManBro]

"Fine then. The hard way."

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Bold words for someone in the wrong side of the third act in Superhero movies

 

[CmirDarthanna]

Bold words for someone in the wrong side in the third act of Superhero movies

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And close enough to be in a QQ writers crosshairs. Kek.