SAVING GRACE ✵ 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄

𝟭𝟵. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗕𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗨𝗦

He snarled, "I can kill you in an instant…"

"Then, why don't you?"

Death was something Cassandra never feared before Stephen came into her life. She always knew someday it would come to her, one way or another. It was already instilled in her ever since and she taught herself to not be afraid of it. But, when Stephen came… it all changed.

"You have great tolerance for pain, Guardian." retaliated the alien as Cassandra bit her tongue. She swore she tasted blood in her mouth from all the biting to keep herself quiet. "After all, you have been conditioned for this. But, tell me, were you ever taught to bear witness to his suffering?"

The woman's heart quickened its pace and her breathing started to shallow. "Get your filthy alien hands off of him!"

"Oh, fret not, I refuse to touch his disgusting being." sneered Maw. "But, I will let these do it."

And with that, he proceeded to inflict pain on the Sorcerer Supreme by puncturing him with the other set of glass pricks, making him writhe in pain.

"No, no!" screamed Cassandra, fighting against the telekinetic force that kept her bound. Her wrists burned from the magic that tried to escape from her palms. "Stephen!"

It was like the night when Dormammu manipulated her into murdering Stephen repeatedly again. It was hell for her. She couldn't do anything to save him. At that moment, she felt helpless, useless. What kind of Guardian was she if she couldn't even protect the Sorcerer Supreme? Black spots appearing like bruises marred Stephen's skin, lighting his flesh underneath. 

Cassandra winced, shutting her eyes close as Stephen's blood curdling screams pierced her ears. She had a duty, a responsibility to fulfill. Stephen ordered her to protect the Stone more than him and that's what she was going to follow. She had to endure seeing him getting tortured. Will this be their life forever? Always seeing each other either suffer or almost die?

"Painful aren’t they?" taunted Maw, callously. "They were originally designed for microsurgery. And any one of them…"

A loud clamor interrupted him and he turned around, immediately scowling when he saw Tony standing meters away from him, his repulsors raised and ready to fire.

"… could end your friends' life in an instant."

"I gotta tell you, he’s not really my friend. But, his girlfriend is my wedding planner." quipped the genius billionaire. "So, saving their lives is more of a professional courtesy."

Ebony Maw moved towards him, dangerously. Lifting several metal scraps and bricks, he uttered, "You’ve saved nothing. Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine."

But, Tony only shrugged. "Yeah, but the kid’s seen more movies."

And with that, Iron Man fired a rocket from his shoulder which pierced the side of the ship and began to suck everything out. Since Cassandra and Stephen were near the breach, they were vacuumed along by the strong winds. The sentient Cloak of Levitation was able to wrap itself around Stephen's arm and pull him, but Cassandra continued to glide across the ship. Her emerald cloak then got stuck at one of the sharp metals and it ceased her movements. The woman attempted to draw herself to the metal for a tighter grasp, but she felt a hand on her leg.

Glancing down, she saw it was Maw, almost desperately clawing at her thigh. Cassandra tried to remove him from her by kicking his face repeatedly. She screamed as she flung an orb of dark magic at him. This sudden movement of her then caused her Invisibility Cloak to be ripped in half and she, together with Maw, almost got sucked out of the ship, but a web strand caught her right wrist.