Marketplace near Avengers Headquarters, March 2016
Victor Faust POV
It was a surprisingly busy day at the market. His arms buckled under the pressure of bags filled to the brim with fresh ingredients. Whistling under his breath, he started to go back home. Suddenly, a known sensation shivered on his neck. Cursing under his breath, he started to look around the market while slowly moving away from the crowd. Fighting in such a big crowd was the least he wanted to do. He left the market and entered a back alley.
"Good morning, Mr. Faust." Victor jumped and turned around. He saw a bald woman dressed up in bright yellow robes with a heavy-looking necklace in the shape of an eye.
"Oh yeah, that's the source I've picked up on." Victor thought and slowly placed the bags on the ground.
"Good morning." Victor quickly looked around the alley, making sure they were alone.
"Please, there is no need to be so defensive, Mr. Faust. I come here in peace."
"Sure, you are. I must warn you, my friends are dangerously close." Blue sparks started to dance around his twitching fingertips.
"That's part of the reason I am here, but please allow me to introduce myself. People call me the ancient one. I'm the current Sorcerer Supreme."
"You are the old hag?!" Victor gasped, and his eyes turned blue for a second. The woman raised an eyebrow and waved her hand lazily. In a second, Victor felt like he had just entered a cold pool. The entire world turned upside down, making him feel nauseous.
"This is the mirror dimension. The real world is not affected by it; therefore, we can talk freely here... Old hag?"
"Well, that's what your father always called you. I'm sorry, it just slipped." Victor looked around the dimension with open wonder. "Fascinating."
"Yes, the echo of your father's actions reached my ears. In a way, you fulfilled my duties dealing with him." The woman spoke with a calm and collected tone. She slowly circled Victor with her hands behind her back. "But this isn't why I came to see you."
"Then why? Don't get me wrong, I feel honored by your visit, but I have starving mouths to feed."
"During your confrontation with your father, you naturally used magic most could only dream of."
"What magic? And how do you know it?" The Ancient One briefly touched her necklace.
"I have my ways, Victor, and to answer the former question, it was order magic. This and your placement in the Avengers create a situation I never thought possible for our entire reality. You will put order into the chaos of this world, Victor. You must have noticed how your magic was acting on its own. Taking control of your father's spells and disturbing the souls he devoured?"
"It was hard not to notice."
"Order magic is mostly known for taking control of other magics and our present reality. Putting them in order, shall we say."
"What exactly do you want with me?"
"I'm delighted you asked. I need to make sure you properly develop these powers. You must nurture them."
"Why?"
"I can't say."
"You can't or you won't?" Victor growled.
"Both." She smirked. "As much as I would like to just sit and explain everything in detail, it would cause a catastrophe."
"How do you know all of this? What can you tell the future?" The woman simply smiled and waved her hands. The eye on her neck opened, revealing a glowing green crystal.
"Oh my God." Victor covered his mouth with his hand.
"Indeed, I wish to teach you how to use that properly. I swear upon my soul that you will need my guidance in the events to come."
"Was that an infinity stone?" It felt like Vision's. "Do you just show it to everyone?"
"Do you think you would be able to take it away from me?" The Ancient One tilted her head, and the entire world started to shake and shift. Victor dropped to his knees, trying to fight off vertigo. "You will move to Kamar-Taj for a few months, thereafter, we won't see each other ever again."
"I'm an Avenger; I can't just leave the team for months." He groggily stood up.
"They will be fine without you. You are but a single piece in the grand puzzle. Besides, everyone needs to train." She offered him her hand. "If you don't trust me, look into my mind. See for yourself."
Victor looked at her hand and her pale, smooth face. This is crazy, but at the same time, she speaks correctly. After the fight with Edmund, his magic started to act on its own. This whole order of magic would explain how he suddenly can do stuff he shouldn't be able to. That and everything he heard good things about the Sorcerer Supreme.
Victor prepared his mind barriers and took her hand. He immediately felt nausea. His ears started to squeak with high-pitched sounds. Immediately, he felt her mind and the answers he was looking for. Naturally, he only saw what she wanted him to. Victor felt so small and insignificant compared to her.
"Well, it's not like I can even fight her. Father looked like an infant compared to her." He fought and broke the connection.
"I feel small." The Ancient one laughed gently.
"That's good, Victor, we are all small in the grand scheme of the universe. It's important to remember that."
"Fine... I will go with you, but not before I talk to the team."
"And Wanda?" She asked with a smirk while waving her hands. They left the mirror dimensions and came back to the street like nothing had happened.
"Is there something you don't know?"
"Most certainly, Victor, but I know all I need to. Now I shall return tomorrow and grab you. Until then." She nodded at him, made a circular motion with her hand, and disappeared into an orange portal. Victor grabbed the bags and started to go back home.
"How the hell am I supposed to explain this?"
Wanda Maximoff's POV
Something was wrong with Victor. She felt that the second he returned from the market and started to prepare a meal for everyone. He was just so unusually quiet and distant. Wanda felt like some cold, hard hand was squeezing her chest. When everyone was taking their seats at the table, Wanda went and helped Victor put the plates on.
"Vic, what's wrong?" She asked quietly.
"I need to talk to everyone." Wanda wanted to look into his mind to understand, but she couldn't invade his privacy like that. She sighed and joined others at the table. Not bothering to pick up a fork, she just taped her nails on the table.
"You spoil us, Victor." Natasha said, sending a curious glance at Wanda.
"Yeah, man, if you ever stopped avenging, you could become a chef." Sam laughed while wolfing down his meal.
"Something on your mind, Victor?" Asked Steve, slowly sipping beer.
"Today I was approached by a woman at the market." Victor spoke, playing with his food. The grip on Wanda's chest got even harder. "Not like that." He spoke in her mind and briefly squeezed her hand under the table.
"What about her?" Steve asked, putting down his beer.
"It turns out that she is the Sorcerer Supreme." After receiving confused looks from the table, he added. "She is like a solo Avenger in the magical circles."
"What did she want?" Wanda asked, pulling her hair under her ear.
"She knows about the whole thing with her father. She also knows about all the new things my magic has started to do, and she supposedly needs to train me. For the sake of our reality."
"Well, that's not ominous at all." Murmured Sam.
"Can she be trusted?" Asked Natasha while moving her eyes between Victor and Wanda.
"I believe so. If she wanted to, she could have squashed me in a second and the place where she wants to train me, Kamar-Taj, is real. Father mentioned it."
"And for how long are you supposed to train there?" Asked Steve while crossing his arms.
"She said a few months." Sam whistled, and Steve massaged his forehead.
"I won't lie, with you leaving the team for that long, it won't be good... But if it helps you and gets you stronger, I suppose you should go." Rogers spoke and picked up his beer again. "When?"
"Tomorrow." Wanda couldn't take this anymore. She stood up and went to her room. "Shit." She felt him rushing after her.
"Is this all real Victor? Out of the blue, you are supposed to disappear for months?" Wanda said this from behind her shoulder, still moving.
"I didn't plan this, Wanda." She entered her room, and right before she could close the door, Victor blinked inside in a puff of smoke.
"Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously. Talk to me, Wanda. What's really happening?" Wanda opened her mouth and then closed it. She took a deep breath and moved her hand through her hair.
"I'm worried you will leave me." She cringed when she heard her thoughts out loud. Victor took her hands in his own and kissed her cheek.
"I would never leave you, Wanda. It's the same thing as missions, and it's not like we won't be able to keep in touch."
"Everyone leaves me, Victor. First, my parents, then Pietro, I don't want to lose you too. I can't lose you." Wanda was having issues with breathing. Cold sweat was dripping from her neck. Was the room spinning? She let herself be led to bed, and as Victor stood them both and gently guided her eyes to him,
"Wanda, take a deep breath. Just like we practiced. You are in control, my dear." She nodded, still shaking. "Just follow my lead. Take a breath in." Victor squeezed her hand gently. "And a long breath out."
Eventually, she managed to regain her composure. Wanda hugged Victor with all her strength.
"Thank you, Vic. I'm so sorry for how I acted. I heard you leaving, and suddenly, I turned back to a scared little girl." She sighed. "I'm a lousy student. I did all these control exercises, and I still lost it."
"Wanda, it's all right. You've been through a lot, but please remember that you have me." After a few more deep breaths, she kissed him.
"I'm still getting used to this, but I am so glad to have you. My friend." She kissed his lips harder. "My love." Wanda pushed him further onto the bed and sat on top of him. "You will come back to me, promise me." She whispered.
"I promise Wanda, I wouldn't trade this for anything... Your lips are far too good for that." She playfully kissed his ear and placed her head on his strong, warm chest. "Do you want to watch sitcoms until we pass out?"
"You are a saint." Wanda giggled and kissed his cheek.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading.
By the end of the next chapter, the events of the Civil War will start.
Take care :)