Chapter Text
After a mission that involved the remnants of what had been her hometown in Sovokia, Wanda decided to take a much needed break in a small town in Maine. The mission had been a success, the mercenaries were no match for the team but for it to happen in her hometown and on the anniversary of her family’s death, it was just too much for her. The timing had felt cruel, as if the universe itself was mocking her loss.
Seeking some comfort, Wanda chose the quaint town for its serene atmosphere, a stark contrast to what she felt within her. Sitting in a park, she tried to enjoy the lush greenery and the gentle breeze from the coastal waters. She hoped the stillness of the surroundings would allow her to have some peace from her memories. But as she sat lost in her thoughts, Wanda’s mind wandered back to her family, to her parents and her brother Pietro. She could almost hear their voices, feel their presence beside her. But the more she remembered, the more the pain grew, reopening wounds she had tried so hard to heal.
“Are you alright, dear?” came a gentle voice, pulling Wanda from her thoughts.
She looked up to see an elderly woman standing before her, her eyes filled with a kindness that immediately put Wanda at ease. The woman was small, her frame slightly hunched with age, but her smile was warm and inviting.
Wanda nodded, forcing a smile of her own. “I’m fine, thank you,” she replied, though the tightness in her chest told a different story.
The old woman’s smile softened, as if she could see through the facade. “My name is Agatha. I’ve lived in this town for quite some time,” she began. “And in that time, I’ve seen many people come and go, all of them carrying their own burdens. But loss…loss is something that never truly leaves you, does it?”
Wanda’s eyes widened slightly at the woman’s perceptiveness. “No, it doesn’t,” she agreed quietly.
The woman sat down beside Wanda with an empathetic smile on her face. “I lost my family a long time ago,” she continued, her gaze fixed on the pond in front of them. “My mother, my sisters… they were my world. And when they were taken from me, I thought I’d never feel whole again. I wandered through life, feeling like a shadow of the person I used to be.”
Wanda listened, her heart aching for this stranger who seemed to understand her pain so well. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
The old woman turned to her, her smile returning, though it had a hint of sadness to it. “Thank you, dear. But I’ve made my peace with it. Time has a way of softening the edges of grief, though it never truly goes away. You learn to live with it, to carry it with you without letting it consume you.”
Wanda nodded, absorbing the woman’s words. She had heard similar sentiments before, but hearing them from someone who had lived through such a loss made them feel more real.
“There’s an old fable that the townspeople like to tell their children,” the woman said after a moment, her tone lightening as if to change the subject. “It’s about a magic well in the forest, just off the road. They say that if you toss a coin into it and make a wish, that wish will come true.”
Wanda raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. “A magic well?”
The woman chuckled. “Oh, it’s just a story, of course. Something to entertain the little ones. But who knows? Sometimes it’s nice to believe in a bit of magic, even if just for a moment.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, worn coin, offering it to Wanda. “Here, take this. Consider it a token of good luck.”
Wanda hesitated for a moment before accepting the coin, but accepted it with kindness. “Thank you.”
The old woman stood up, brushing off her skirt. “Well, I should be going. It was lovely to meet you, dear. I wish you all the best.”
Wanda watched as the woman walked away, disappearing down the path that led out of the park. She looked down at the coin in her hand, the edges smooth from years of use. The woman’s words echoed in her mind, and she found herself wondering about the well. It was just a story, she reminded herself. But as she thought of her family, the fresh wave of grief that washed over her made her long for anything that might bring them back to her, even if just for a moment.
Driven by an impulse she couldn’t quite explain, Wanda rose from the bench and began walking toward the forest the old woman had mentioned. The path was narrow, overgrown with wildflowers and tall grasses, and the trees overhead created a canopy that dappled the ground with sunlight. The deeper she went, the more the sounds of the town faded away, leaving only the rustle of leaves and the distant call of birds.
Eventually, she came to a clearing where the well stood, just as the woman had described. It was old, its stone walls covered in moss, and a wooden roof shaded the opening. Wanda approached it slowly, feeling a strange sense of anticipation building within her.
She peered into the well, its depths hidden in shadow. The coin felt heavy in her hand as she turned it over, her mind swirling with memories of her family. “I miss you,” she whispered. “I wish…I wish you were still here with me.”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke, and she blinked them away, forcing herself to stay composed. She held the coin over the well, hesitating for a moment. “Even if my wish doesn’t come true,” she whispered softly, “maybe someone else’s will.”
With that, she released the coin, watching as it tumbled into the darkness. A moment later, she heard the faint splash as it hit the water below. For a moment, nothing happened. Wanda stood there, her heart heavy with the weight of her emotions. But then, without warning, a surge of energy burst from the well, a cloud of scarlet light that shot into the sky. Wanda gasped, stumbling back as the energy swirled around her, enveloping her in its warmth.
A cloud of scarlet smoke surrounded her, its power resonating with her own. Wanda’s breath caught in her throat as she felt the energy coursing through her, a familiar yet overwhelming sensation. It was as if the well had awakened something within her, something that had been lying dormant. Before she could fully grasp what was happening, the scarlet smoke enveloped her completely. The world around her blurred, and in an instant, she was swept away, carried by the torrent of energy.
The sky soon became scarlet as the energy from the well spread throughout the clouds, moving across the entire town like a raging storm as if the very essence of Wanda’s power had been unleashed upon the world.
Doctor Strange felt the surge of powerful magic reverberate through the fabric of reality, an energy so intense it sent a shiver down his spine. Without hesitation, he conjured a portal to the source, the small town now shrouded in a growing wave of scarlet magic. He quickly called for the team and opened a portal for them. As they stepped through the portal, Strange’s expression grew grim.
“Wanda’s powers are spiraling out of control,” Strange warned. “If we don’t act fast, the entire town could be obliterated.”
The team sprang into action as they tried to reach Wanda and help her regain control. But the situation was far worse than they anticipated. The cloud of scarlet energy—chaos magic, as Strange quickly explained—had already begun to engulf the town, its tendrils reaching out like grasping hands, warping reality itself.
“We need to fall back!” Strange shouted, realizing the magnitude of the threat. He quickly opened another portal, this time to a location far enough away to ensure their safety. “Everyone through, now!”
Steve, Tony, Loki, Natasha, and Clint managed to dive into the portal just before the chaos magic surged forward. But Peter, Bucky, Scott, and Sam were less fortunate. Before they could reach the portal, the scarlet cloud swallowed them whole, cutting them off from the others.
Panic surged through Tony and Steve as they landed on the other side. Steve grabbed Strange by the collar, his voice edged with desperation. “What the hell happened, Strange? What happened to them?”
Strange’s face was pale, his usual composure shaken. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “The magic is too powerful, too chaotic. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to save them.”
Tony, his mind racing with fear, immediately contacted Fury.
“Stark, what’s going on?” Fury asked.
Tony took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “We’ve got a serious problem. Wanda’s powers just went haywire. An entire town is locked in a barrier of chaos magic.”
Fury’s tone darkened. “Where are you?”
Tony glanced over to a sign, outside of the town’s borders. “Storybrooke.”
As they spoke, the scarlet magic began to solidify, forming a barrier around the town. The energy crackled and shimmered, sealing the town off from the outside world, and leaving Tony, Steve, and the others staring helplessly at the impenetrable wall of chaos magic that now trapped their loved ones inside.