Outside the screen, Magneto scoffed at Doctor Strange's decision in the video. To him, it was nothing but naive and weak.
Charles Xavier retorted, "Killing innocent people—is that ever right? Erik, can't you try trusting others? Just like you once trusted… Raven?"
Magneto shot him a flat look. "Raven was one of us. These people aren't."
Wolverine shrugged and chimed in, "That girl in the video seems like a mutant, doesn't she? Her powers are innate, uncontrollable, and she never had a choice."
Magneto gave a cold snort and turned his gaze back to the screen.
Doctor Strange placing his hopes on America to defeat Wanda wasn't just giving up—he had his own reasons and judgment behind the decision.
He encouraged her, "Yes, you can do this. You always could! Every time you opened a portal, it sent us exactly where we needed to go!"
Thinking back on it, he wasn't wrong. When Stephen first crossed the multiverse and ended up in Universe 838, they eventually found Christine and uncovered the secrets of the Darkhold.
The second time, although Wanda forced the situation and tried to exile him, the destination wasn't her choice. In other words, the place Stephen and Christine landed was entirely up to America.
That world, on the verge of collapse, gave them a chance to retrieve the Darkhold from a corrupted version of Stephen. Without it, they couldn't have returned to stop Wanda.
In hindsight, every multiverse America sent them to had been vital to opposing Wanda—even if she hadn't realized it herself.
Stephen's encouragement lit a fire in her. Still, one heavy doubt lingered in her heart. She looked at him, a little pitiful, and asked, "What about the first time?"
That first time, when her powers awakened, she had opened a portal and lost both of her mothers to the void. It had haunted her ever since.
It was probably because she was too young, her powers too unstable—but of course, Stephen wouldn't say that. Instead, he continued to encourage her, "Even that time led you to this moment. And now… I want you to give the Witch hell!" He even winked.
But coming from a zombie version of himself, the wink was more horrifying than playful.
Terrifying or not, Stephen's words worked. America's confidence soared—but just then, Wanda completely shattered her restraints. The demon spirits and Wong's protection spells were broken, and she charged at them furiously. With a wave of her hand, she launched a blast of scarlet magic, hitting zombie Stephen square in the chest.
This time, without demon spirits to shield him, he took the full hit. Already decayed and broken, his corpse-body quickly began to rot even further under the corrosive power of Wanda's chaos magic. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Even his real body, connected via dreamwalking, started to falter under the assault.
At that critical moment, America let out a battle cry. She leapt down from the platform, fist clenched, and struck Wanda with a punch!
Her punch wasn't particularly strong—but as it landed, a star-shaped portal appeared behind Wanda.
This proved that America had truly mastered her powers. The realization gave her even more confidence, and she kept throwing punches at Wanda's face—driving her back, almost knocking her into the scorching lava lake beyond the portal.
But Wanda was still the Scarlet Witch—the woman who crushed both Kamar-Taj and the Illuminati. If she were beaten by a teenager's punches, it would've been ridiculous.
Once she regained her composure, Wanda reversed the momentum. She caught America's fist mid-air. Scarlet magic surged from her palm, gradually overwhelming the girl.
America, knowing her own limits, looked into Wanda's furious face and said, "I can't beat you… but I can give you what you want!" Then, with her free hand, she slammed her fist into the air again—another star-shaped portal opened.
Wanda didn't think much of it and pinned her to the ground, fingers tightening around her throat—until she realized something was off.
The portal led to Universe 838—to her children's home.
She turned her head and saw her two boys on the couch, watching TV. Her current horrifying appearance sent them into a panic.
"Mom! There's a scary witch here!" they cried out in terror.
The Wanda of Universe 838 rushed down the stairs, shielding her children behind her.
Seeing this, the Scarlet Witch lost it. She shoved America aside and launched a blast at the other Wanda. "I'M your mother!"
But the boys didn't accept her as such. They bravely picked up small toys and hurled them at her.
The weak attacks were more like childish defiance than actual harm—but to Wanda, they landed like heavy blows. These were the children she had dreamed about endlessly… yet now, they were terrified of her.
Still overwhelmed by rage, she screamed at them, "STOP IT!"
The boys immediately fled behind the staircase, peeking out at her with tear-filled eyes. "Please… don't hurt us…"
Wanda's eyes filled with tears. Everything she had done—every crime, every desperate act—was for them. She had gone after America's power so she could one day protect them more completely.
But now, here she was—the villain frightening her own children.
Their fear, their pleading eyes, cut through her like a blade. Her magical defenses couldn't shield her from this pain.
She stepped forward, wanting to reach out—to gently wipe away their tears. But she hesitated, afraid to scare them even more. Tearfully, she shook her head and whispered, "I would never hurt you. Never. I'll never hurt anyone again. I'm not a monster, I'm…"
She once told Stephen with conviction that she was a mother, and everything she did was for her children.
But now, with her sons staring at her in fear and hatred, the word "mother" was too heavy to say. It caught in her throat.
And at last, she understood. Everything she'd done had been a lie to herself—a fantasy she built out of grief.
It was time to wake up.
Wanda's face twisted in pain and torment. She finally saw the truth: that in her quest to be a good mother, she had only caused suffering. She wasn't the mother her children needed.
She wasn't a mother at all.
_____
T/N:
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