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That’s how it could’ve happened, but what about this?
“So, what’ll it be toots?”
The witch’s face furrowed in confusion.
“Wait, didn’t we just…”
“No,” the mother replied, letting her power bleed into her eyes and the orbs of unrefined power growing bigger in her palms. The witch was broken from her brief reverie when she became aware of the mother’s power being focused.
“Oh, honeybun,” the witch tightened her magical hold. “That was the wrong answer.” And with a flick of her wrists…
Nothing happened.
A dull scarlet glow prevented the dark purple leashes from completing the witch’s plans. Breathing deeply, the mother focused on freeing her children from the witch. The evil witch straining to keep her magic in place. Billy was the first to escape, his blue-white powers helping his mother’s in freeing him and running to her, but Tommy was the first to reach her.
“Fine,” the witch huffed. “You freed your kids, big whoop, not gonna prevent me from destroying you all once we start fighting," she seemed tired. "And you will fight me eventually, Wanda. Now that I’ve had a taste of your power I’ll always be able to find you and your false family.”
“How dare you,” the mother exclaimed. Her powers rising her up from her children’s grasp to match the witch. “Like you would know anything of family, you monster of a woman. Why can't you just leave us alone?”
The witch looked vaguely unimpressed. “Do it then,” she said as she raised her arms. “Take me out.”
“Gladly.”
With as much of her will as she could muster, the mother expelled as much power as she could at the witch. Her beam of red/black/white energy hit the witch, releasing an aftershock of scarlet in its wake. But the witch only cackled in both pain and exhilaration. Her head fell back and her eyes shot heavenward.
“God, haven’t felt this in a while.”
The mother tried thinking of everything that had ever brought her power before. Her parents, Pietro, Stark, Hydra, Vision, Thanos. Pushing with every fiber of her being into the witch. Willing it to be enough.
A glimmer of hope shot through her as she saw the witch glow from the inside. The mother smiled softly.
The witch closed her eyes.
“Here it comes.”
Slowly, purple began to creep out of the witch’s body where the mother’s beam had penetrated her. A sickening feeling of being drained of all that she was filled the mother’s entire being. Purple streaks, consuming her own power and creeping towards her and her children.
“I tried to warn you dear,” the witch said as she raised her head to look at the mother again. An echo of power in her voice. “Now it’s too late.”
As the purple creeped slowly towards her inch by inch, she struggled to break the connection.
She saw Tommy trying his hardest to jump at the witch with as much speed as he could muster. To help his mother.
The purple had reached her fingertips. Her hands shriveling as she watched.
“Let her go!” Billy, his hands and eyes glowing blue. No, if he connected himself to her…
Ours
Instead of trying to escape, the mother now immersed herself in her power. Her grief. Her rage. Her desire for life and safety, releasing whatever fears she had before. Nothing was worth losing everything around her. So she surrendered herself, finally, to the power sleeping within her. The power she was afraid would consume her.
A burst of reddish golden light shot out of the mother’s eyes. The purple beam connecting her to the witch suddenly trembling with the force of the mother. Slowly, the purple began to be pushed back. A red/gold mixture with white speckles pushing itself towards the witch like a current.
“Oh,” the witch said. “Going Dragon Ball Z on me, eh?” Her eyes glowed purple. “Give me all you’ve got sis.”
Good plan. Why was she even using both hands for one beam?
So she moved her other left hand from the right with a flourish and sent another bolt of power into the witch.
“A little more to the left,” the witch said with a wince. Even beneath the flowing robes she wore, the mother could tell the glow from within the witch was back. She hoped she burned her alive like her coven tried to do so long ago. They just didn’t have the power.
Let Me do the rest.
It was a command. And the mother smiled as she let the power take over for her. Even taking the back seat, she felt energized through her entire body. Even her hair felt alive and wild. Then, a pure golden-white beam shooting straight from her chest into the witch’s.
“What?” The witch gasped.
The mother smirked. “You really thought you had more power than a myth?” With an explosion of white light that would blind any normal being that looked upon it, the witch screamed as the children looked away. A faint dusting of purple and black fluttered around the mother and her unharmed children, the mother's eyes wide and unblinking.
The mother chuckled. “Guess I’m more powerful than a black hole.”
A roar from within the witch’s house reverberated through the ground. Standing firm, the mother and her children faced whatever was causing the witch’s house to crack and crumble from below. Then, some monstrous rabbit/human hybrid with patchy fur and bright red skin burst from the house’s front door with a roar.
Before it could even land the mother held up her hand and caught the creature with her power. Quickly cutting off the fearsome roar, she quickly set about surrounding the confused and angry monster with her power.
“Hush now,” the mother started to compress her power around the monster. Closing the struggling beast within.
“Mom, what’re you…”
Red power surrounded her children’s heads as she protected their eyes and ears from what she was about to do.
“Mommy?”
“It’ll be over soon,” she whispered into their minds.
And with a series of wrenching cracks she compressed her power as far as she could before pushing it violently back into the witch’s house with a twist of her wrist and a flick of her fingers.
An explosion of scarlet power burst throughout the witch’s house. The mother smiled and let the power lick and spread through the house like flames. It was a fitting end for any who threatened her children.
“Now, before we have any more interruptions,” the mother paused everything within the hex. Her children on either side.
“Wanda, what…” the “friend” was limping in from stage left. A little singed from the explosion but alive and kicking, moving in fact. Interesting. “What are you doing?”
“I’m making the world safe for my children,” the mother smiled benevolently, bringing her hands down softly onto their heads. They flinched slightly, but that would be ok. They'd learn this was all for them, her power was already itching to inch further and prevent anything from harming them. A quick frown as a thought popped into her mind. “Then the universe. Who knows what other threats are out there that will take away what’s mine.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“But I want to,” the mother said innocently as her eyes quickly turned to a bright golden red as she advanced towards the imposter. “So I will.” Her voice reverberating throughout the hex.
It just wouldn’t do to have someone outside her control. Too many variables to think about. Her traitorous mind shifted her thoughts to her husband... Well, if he hadn’t shown up by now the mother would just deal with him when he did.
The “friend” backed away slowly before running away. She then glowed a bright blue and lifted herself off the ground into the sky and out of her hex of influence. Good, the mother really would’ve preferred not having to kill another in front of her children.
Speaking of. “Don’t worry little ones, you’ll be safe.” The children looked at each other fearfully and she couldn’t blame them. Such innocence bearing witness to such indescribable power.
Letting her will for perfection completely take over her mind and being, she set about expanding the hex. Creating, and reforming. No reason to restrain herself anymore. She’d have to figure out how much she could do at a time but, just like any muscle, she was sure she’d grow stronger and utilize the full potential of creation within her. Once her limits were gone, so would the hex’s. The mother would just have to keep pushing.
If the mother could create her sons and give them life she could for sure create a world safe for them. It was the least she could do in fact. Only natural for a mother to protect her children.
She felt a small pinprick of resistance from some facsimile resembling Vision trying to invade her hex. Only thing recognizable about it was a faint trace of her magic inside of it. She welcomed it in and reabsorbed her rightful power and continued, leaving Project Cataract’s husk behind.
The butcher would find himself drawn and quartered on a lab table. It seemed only fair. However, he would not have the mercy of death that Vision had had at the time.
Vision fled as soon as he saw Wanda consumed in red light. He no longer could feel the woman she once was and his heart ached. She was something else.
Vision flew around the constantly widening borders of the hex, searching desperately for any unaffected. Within his limited time searching the probability was… dwindling. Darcy was an option but he had quickly hidden her away but who knew how long it would be until Wanda could feel Darcy’s consciousness resisting. He longed to free more from Wanda's control but with her still so close he couldn't do much without drawing her attention. He wished he could join Geraldine but he knew what happened when he left the confines of Wanda’s power. His only hope was that Wanda would be too distracted to notice his actions.
Monica Rambeau arrived at the SHIELD orbital base sans any kind of protective gear, only her powers keeping her safe. Ignoring anybody on board, she rushed to send out every available distress signal. Everyone on board quickly took her word for it once they say the red/black/white shimmer slowly encompassing the globe and started their own emergency lockdown. After spending a little time regrouping, she ditched the base and flew off. She had no idea where she was going, other than the last known coordinates of a few allies. Red power licked at her heels as the barrier around the earth extended exponentially further. Monica’s eyes glowed blue as she pushed herself faster. She had to find help.
The Scarlet Witch had awoken.