Broken Things Can Be Mended

Chapter 8

One week later...

Stephen suppressed his sigh, as he entered the library of New York Sanctum. This week proved to be the worst one in his life. Beginning with the grand reveal of footage where the honorable Captain nearly killed his soul mate, Stephen just came back from clearing another interdimensional threat and healing the rift that required his immediate attention. There was something that happened in the universe, something which nearly opened the rift, and it was worrying the young Sorcerer Supreme.

Patting the cloak, which took it as a sign to detach itself from its master, he moved near the desk which was kept in between the shelves of the library. The past week was exhausting, but there wasn't a single moment where Stephen didn't try to unravel the mystery of Time Stone and Toni Stark. As time went by, he couldn't help but feel restless for the ulterior motives of the care shown by the Infinity and the Fates.

It was tiring to just take a wild guess, so that was how the Sorcerer finally came to a decision of what he was about to do. He was perfectly aware of possibility of being disturbed right now was zero, since Wong was at Kamar-taj, debriefing their latest mission. Stephen knew the consequences of using Time Stone now, his body was exhausted, but he knew that he won't get another chance. He needed to understand what was going on, what new play was coming into affect.

So, with determination set in his face, Stephen closed his eyes, feeling the weight of cloak settling on his shoulders, before he moved his hands in the pattern that was engraved in his mind. He felt the flow of energy, the tingling sense in his blood, before his third eyes opened. And with that, were freed the thousands, if not millions of possibilities, that swarmed his visions.

He didn't know how long he was lost, how much time had passed, but when he opened his eyes, he was exhausted. Without even his will, a broken scream was torn from his throat as his magic escaped his hold, destroying the whole library. The threads of golden eldritch magic, which glowed with the power of suns, destroyed each and everything which was present in the library. That was the moment when he couldn't help but be thankful for the protections surrounding the books, because nothing in the room survived the wrath.

The wood was destroyed, the furniture reduced to pieces and twigs. The glass was shattered, broken in million pieces. But Stephen couldn't care less. His heart was screaming, pain surrounding him as he witnessed his soul bond breaking millions of times. His eyes opened, glowing gold without even his knowledge, as he stared at the Time Stone floating just in front of him with such mistrust which made the air stir colder.

Off course he was right, off course the stones had their own plans, off course it had to include his soul mate.

"Why?" He couldn't help but question, even after knowing that he wasn't going to answer.

"Haven't I already lost enough?" The whispered words echoed around the room. The Cloak looked at his master with worry. It floated to the time stone and then again to Stephen, trying to comfort the man as he brushed his corner over his cheek.

Stephen ducked his head, allowing the few tears his eyes held to fall. He never cried, not because he didn't want to, but because he just didn't have anyone to cry for. He didn't cry when his abusive father died, when his sister died (he was too busy feeling guilty), when he left his home, when he lost his hands. He was devastated when he lost his hands, but even then, no tear slipped his eye. The closest he remembered to cry, was when he lost Ancient One.

But now, now Stephen felt tears leaking on its own accords. Watching his closest friends die again and again was painful. But what surpassed that pain was to see his bonded dying again and again, trying to protect the universe, and many times even trying to protect him. He still remembered each of those scenes when he saw light leaving her eyes, as she sacrificed herself for universe, again and again. Being murdered by Thanos, killed by his minions, dying to protect time stone, him, Peter Parker, heck even the guardians she was going to know for only few moments.