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How did you let it go so far? The question repeated itself over and over in your mind like a taunting echo; after every step, with each inhale and then again with each exhale.
How did you let her go so far? You cursed the guilt weighing down on your shoulders, feeling as though it were slowing you down.
Why did you let her face Wanda alone in the first place?
Wanda. The woman who stole your wife's attention away. Who caused nothing but chaos and was currently on the verge of overpowering Agatha. Even if you were grounded, unable to do anything other than watch the battle unfold overhead, you were determined to keep up. It wasn't exactly hard since flashes of purple and red repeatedly lit up the sky, the latter becoming concerningly frequent.
Despite the significant amount of trust you had in Agatha, you'd ignored her request to stay at home. You simply couldn't sit alone and wait for her, not while she was risking her life. She was quite literally all you had, your only loved one. You'd do anything for her.
Agatha's love had a certain intensity to it. The likes of which you'd never felt before meeting her, and which you doubted you'd ever feel without her. Every second spent with someone else you were silently longing to be with her again, which was no bad thing.
Until now.
Her attacks were weakening, Wanda's assault only exacerbating in response. You held your breath as one final surge of crimson rushed forward, engulfing her body in a sea of blood red. A few seconds of excruciating peace passed. Then another few. A couple more and there was still no sign of purple in amongst the red. She was drowning in the vibrant tide. Suffocating in silence.
For so long you'd been the tether holding Agatha down to Earth, and for one short, simple minute you'd dared to let go. But you'd underestimated just how much she could do with the little time provided, now leaving you to watch her life force drain away beyond reach. The aching regret was no longer unwarranted. You truly had failed her.
Lingering hope kept you standing until the red cloud dispersed, revealing Agatha's lifeless body still suspended by Wanda's magic. As she was gently lowered to the ground your legs gave way beneath you. It wasn't real. It couldn't be. This was another one of Wanda's chaos illusions. She couldn't have lost...
If tears fell then you were too numb to notice them. All you could do was watch through trembling eyes, take in a shaky breath every so often. This was all wrong. The sight of her body hitting the ground must've been fabricated, it couldn't be real. With a final dose of strength, you compelled yourself to stand on unstable legs, staggering towards the collapsed heap that you refused to believe was Agatha.
Buried amongst layers of clothing was her face, which held none of the previous stress you'd last seen her burdened with. She looked completely at peace, and you hated it. Her unresponsiveness was too familiar for you to really comprehend that she was gone. It reminded you of mornings spent together, when you'd turn around in bed to see her lying next to you. The way the sunlight seeping in through the blinds would illuminate her relaxed expression, compared now to the harsh light highlighting her every scratch and scar from the battle. You missed the feeling of her warm skin pressed up against yours, especially compared to how she felt now. Despite the burning red that'd consumed her body only moments ago, her skin was noticeably cold to the touch. Tracing a hand down the side of her face, your eyes closed to mirror hers. You wanted to experience the same darkness, though you were already feeling the abject nothingness that accompanied death.
Due to Agatha's insistence on constantly being together you tended to share most experiences, and deep down you knew this would be no different. Death was simply the next adventure for you to share.