Tony took the Darkseid invasion seriously—so seriously that he was about to call in Cap and Thor.
But Bruce Banner stopped him. He shrugged with a strange look on his face. "It might not be as serious as we think. Bruce—our Bruce—detected a new evil faction in their world. They treat Darkseid as Earth's true ruler, worship him like a god, and are even trying to establish contact. They want to be his… well, collaborators when he invades Earth."
"Uh-huh?" Tony raised a brow, his serious expression slipping. "Let me get this straight—there's a group of people who know Darkseid will bring destruction, and they still worship him and volunteer to betray humanity?"
"Weird, right?" Bruce gave a half-smile, half-sigh. "That's the gist of it. Bruce thinks this faction might've been propped up by Darkseid or some other alien force, so he's investigating."
He paused briefly before adding, "Bruce also posted in the team chat. Said things are quiet on his end and he can come help if we need him. Oh, and he reminded us to be careful—"
"Be careful of who? Why'd you stop talking?" Tony narrowed his eyes as Bruce suddenly froze mid-sentence.
Bruce looked awkward. He was facing both Tony and the meeting room door, which had just opened.
Wanda walked in, her long hair flowing behind her.
She'd clearly overheard that last part. Her expression was tense, though she tried to keep calm. She gave Bruce a faint smile. "Bruce warned you to be careful of me, didn't he?"
"Wanda!"
Tony turned to her in surprise. "You're here for Pietro, aren't you?"
"Mm-hmm. I'm not letting that tragedy happen again." Wanda's smile faded. She looked at them and asked, "Can you find out where they are?"
"You mean you can?" Tony asked back, arching a brow.
To his surprise, Wanda nodded. "Yes, I can. But I'll need your help—and a book."
Tony exchanged a look with Bruce. Both of their faces turned serious. Even Peter and May, who had been quietly sitting to the side, straightened up at the shift in atmosphere.
"If I'm guessing right," Tony said as he stood, staring at Wanda, "the book you want is The Darkhold. You plan to learn dream-walking magic and locate the universe they're in, don't you?"
Wanda nodded.
Tony rejected her instantly. "No way. The Darkhold is too dangerous! Wanda, you can't go down that road. There are other ways."
Wanda didn't flinch. She met his gaze head-on. "The longer we delay, the more danger they're in! I've already lost Pietro. I made a promise that I'd never let something like that happen again."
Bruce tried to reason with her. "Don't do this, Wanda. Pietro's way more capable than you give him credit for. He can take care of himself. I mean, with his speed—"
Wanda raised a hand, cutting him off. "You've all seen how Pietro died. So please—don't give me empty words. Tony, you're trying to rescue that kid too, aren't you? Trust me—I can find them."
Tony turned to see May's worried eyes. He licked his lips but still shook his head. "No. Wanda, you cannot touch the Darkhold. That thing should've been destroyed."
Bruce frowned as well. "Wanda, we all saw what happens if you go down that path. You don't want to become her—that terrifying version of yourself."
Wanda's descent into darkness had only recently been exposed during the last round of the quiz game. It was still fresh in everyone's minds. They weren't goldfish with seven-second memories. No way they were letting her near the Darkhold.
Even if Strange, Pietro, and Peter were truly in danger, Wanda's corruption would be an even worse outcome. If she went dark, it could doom countless innocents across the multiverse.
The tension in the room thickened.
Then May took a deep breath, placed both hands over her heart, and said firmly, "I don't agree with this either. We can't risk the world—or the entire multiverse—just to save Peter."
She, more than anyone, loved and cared for Peter Parker. Though just an aunt by blood, she saw him as her own son.
It took immense courage for her to say what she did.
Tony, Bruce, and Peter all turned their eyes to her.
Wanda shook her head and sighed. "I know what you're all afraid of. I'm afraid too. But I've found a way around it. There's an item in the Points Store that can completely neutralize the Darkhold's side effects. I just don't have enough points—I need your help to buy it."
Tony still frowned. "Can you trust that?"
Peter had already begun browsing the Points Store. He raised his hand. "I found it! 'Side-Effect-Free Dream-Walking Spell'—but it costs 3,000 points! That's insane!"
"Multiverse-level items are always expensive," Tony said, not surprised at all.
He'd been around the quiz game longer than anyone. He knew its systems inside and out. Browsing the store had become a habit for him, always on the lookout for rare and useful goods.
But the Points Store was notoriously chaotic. It had so many items that sometimes you'd see a powerful item once and never again.
Tony suspected it was part of the game's marketing strategy. With limited item slots and a huge inventory pool, anything good might vanish after a refresh, never to be seen for a long time.
That was how they got you to spend quickly—buy now or risk losing it forever.
Tony had burned through most of his points already. He shopped impulsively but had gained a lot of experience and insight.
He'd broken items into three rough categories:
1. Those that affected only the user—like serum injections.
2. Those that impacted the world or universe—like the Infinity Stones.
3. And finally, the rarest: those with consequences across the multiverse—like dream-walking magic.
Generally, the first category was cheaper. The second was more expensive. The third was the most costly.
Of course, there were exceptions. For example, the Infinity Stones were pricier than dream-walking spells. So Tony's "rules" were more like rough guidelines.
Still, it explained the price tag on Wanda's item. And it explained why Tony wasn't dismissing her request outright—just yet.
___
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