ACT XI, SCENE I
3rd July 2019, Stark Mansion, New York, Midgard
Loki walked out of the bedroom, holding Adis' rain jacket and looking at the weather outside of the Mansion with disapproval. He had hoped to take the stroller out, to let Adis enjoy the sun, but the rain did not seem to be at all ready to relent. It was the middle of the summer in New York, which Loki could say from experience was normally insufferable, but glancing outside one would not know.
The rain was falling harshly, thunder rumbling loudly and lightning bathing the sky in lights every couple of minutes. It reminded Loki of when he was younger and Thor decided to have a temper tantrum over one thing or the other.
It did not use to be a fond memory, because Odin would often demand that they spar - as it usually was the reason behind Thor's foul mood - despite the miserable weather. But nowadays Loki could almost feel nostalgic about it.
It had been a few weeks since the last time he had seen Thor, and he almost missed his brother.
“Vision,” he called, walking into the living room, “Will you make sure that the windows are closed?”
The last thing they’d need was for the rain to flood Amaya’s bedroom again. Her windows were not connected to JARVIS as the other ones in the Mansion were, something they had come to regret a couple of months ago when they had been in Malibu on holiday and JARVIS had informed them that it was pouring in New York and they had left the windows open.
“You are making great progress. I will return shortly, keep going,” said Vision, before disappearing down the floor of the living room.
Loki smiled as Adis frowned, patting the lego in his hand against the floor in confusion. “Bi? Bi?”
“Vision will be right back,” said Loki, smile growing when his son turned around at the sound of his voice, immediately dropping the lego in his hand and crawling towards him excitedly.
“Mo-mo,” he said, looking towards him hopefully, reaching out with one hand. “Mo!”
“How did you manage to get your shirt all wet already?” asked Loki, even as he pulled him up in his arms. “Uh? Mh. You are like your father, managing to get dirty with nothing.”
“Mo,” said Adis, patting his cheek with a wet hand, beaming at him with his usual gummy smile.
Loki listened as Adis babbled, moving back on the living room carpet. He could not have told you what the topic being discussed was, but Adis seemed to have some very strong opinions about it.
He did not put him down, however, once he got on the carpet, and Adis made no move of going back to the floor either.
Truthfully, the boy was already able to unsteadily walk on his own. But he preferred being held or crawling around, and despite Modir and Mother both telling him that he was spoiling him like that, Loki chose to continue to indulge him.
Loki loved Amaya with all of his heart. She was his daughter, his first child, and there was no way he could do anything but love her.
But there was no denying that he had lost a good portion of her toddlerhood, due to the Titan and Odin. He had never had the chance of seeing what she had been like as a babe. It might not have been completely his fault (as the therapist insisted on him knowing), but it was still a truth worth acknowledging.
With Adis, Loki had the chance of actually raising a babe. He finally had the chance to witness the early years of his own child. Perhaps he was spoiling him, but Loki did not see any reason to stop. It did not harm.
Vision returned, looking at Adis with a frown as he noted him being in Loki’s arms and babbling inanely at him instead of 'working' on the ground.
“We had an accord, Adis,” complained the synthezoid, sitting down on the ground. “We said we would finish building this and sharpen our understanding of the world before lunch time. This is against our rules.”
Adis just giggled as if he had perfectly understood Vision’s words and felt delighted in mocking his teachings. Anthony seemed to believe this to be the case, often staging interrogations so that he could prove that ‘Adis was a mini mastermind in the making, just like his moddy’, and that he would soon overthrow them all.
Loki hoped that was the case. While Amaya was certainly clever and talented, she was no mastermind. But she would make an excellent partner for Adis’ future of mischief making and chaos bringing.
“What are you building?” asked Loki, placing Adis back to the ground.
“I am attempting to see if it is possible to recreate Stark Tower utilising these small legos,” said Vision, pulling his pile away from Adis’ reach. The boy made a discontented sound at that, his usually blue eyes seemed to grow darker as he reached for them.
They had found that, at times, Adis’ appearance reflected his feelings. Nowadays he did not shapeshift his actual appearance much, but his eyes and his hair often changed shade and colour. If he was angry or upset, his eyes tended to grow a little darker. When he was happy or amused, both his eyes and hair seemed to shine a little bit more than usual, giving him an almost ethereal appearance.
Thankfully, he did not seem to have mastered the ability of shapeshifting into animals yet, to Anthony and Loki’s relief and Amaya’s dismay. They had once found a pair of small cat ears on his head while he was playing with Treasure (their cat), but thankfully there had been no tail and the ears had disappeared before Amaya could see them and try to encourage her brother to do more elaborate animal shapeshifting.
Vision passed Adis a number of legos for him to enjoy and the boy immediately calmed down, eyes returning their natural shade.
“Are you thinking about doing architecture, after all?”
The synthezoid had been perusing university courses, these past few months. Peter would be going to university soon, and Vision seemed to have decided that he might benefit from going himself.
Vision loved learning, however, and had been struggling to pick a single degree to focus on. It seemed like architecture was his number one pick at the moment, but Loki knew he was still debating engineering, medicine, and chemistry.
“I believe I would be good at it,” said Vision. “JARVIS seems to think so too.”
“I believe you’d be good at anything you tried,” corrected the AI. “Do not choose a subject because of others' opinion of it. You should choose whatever you want to do because you wish to do so. University is about learning, about trying new things or furthering your knowledge of skills you already have. So you should do that.”
“I will,” said Vision. “But still, I appreciate your opinion.” He then glanced at Loki, worried green eyes peering at him. “But what do you think?”
Loki tried not to smile, pulling the lego out of Adis’ mouth. He still did not fully understand his own relationship with Vision, but nowadays he had accepted that Vision saw himself as a son of both himself and Anthony. He called them by their first names and did not indicate that he saw them as that, but it was clear in the way he interacted with them and the form he took whenever he wanted to pass for human. He looked like a perfect mix of Anthony and Loki, and Loki was sure that whoever saw him and Amaya would not at all doubt that Vision was her older brother.
“I believe that whatever you choose, you will excel at,” he said, not hesitating. “You are very clever, Vision. I doubt there is anything that you won’t be able to master if you try.”
Vision smiled, appearing very pleased. “Thank you, Loki.”
“Cub,” said Adis, showing Vision a spit covered piece. “Vi, cub.”
“Indeed, that is a cube,” said Vision, accepting the piece. “Thank you. In exchange, take this. Barter is a very important aspect of human society, you see. This is a rectangular cuboid.”
Adis blinked at him, but still accepted the object he had been offered by him. “Cub.”
“No, it’s a-”
“Mister Loki,” called JARVIS, taking Loki’s attention away from the one sided argument. “You have an urgent message from Agatha Harkness. She asks that you meet her at the New York Sanctum as soon as possible, as it appears something of a multiversal nature has taken place.”
Loki made an annoyed sound. “Ugh. What did Strange do, now? Why is she calling me and not Anthony?”
“Magic is involved, and Doctor Strange is also involved.”
“Of course he is,” said Loki, irritated. “When have we dealt with something that was multiversal in nature that did not have Strange's fingerprints all over it?”
Just the year before, the man had called them for help with something regarding his Cauldron of Cosmos, and Loki, Anthony and the Strange had found themselves in a pocket universe where they had met other versions of themselves.
There had been three other Lokis. Of the three of them, one had been half dead, one had been married to Sigyn Iwaldidottir, and the other had seemingly been Stephen Strange's best friend. And if that hadn't been horrifying enough, two of the other Tony Starks (one of whom had been a woman), had been in committed relationships with their versions of Stephen Strange.
Loki was still sure that Strange had somewhat planned it, no matter how horrified he had pretended to be at the notion. He had a long memory and was not planning on ever forgetting that once upon a time Strange had been deeply infatuated with his Anthony.
“It appears that you are the only one who can help them, Mister Loki,” said JARVIS, and Loki glared at the cameras.
“Appealing to my ego won’t do you any good,” informed Loki, even as he stood up.
Loki refused to do anything remotely heroic. He was not a hero, and he would never be a hero.
However, Strange should never be left alone when it came to magic, whether he was Sorcerer Supreme or not.
And considering Agatha had been the one to message him instead of Strange himself, it was clear that Strange did not want Loki involved.
Normally, Loki would appreciate it.
But he very much enjoyed pissing Strange off, and he could not lie. He was curious about what exactly the man had messed up now.
“Are you staying home?” he asked, glancing over at Vision.
“I was hoping to ask Wong for advice on the tiramisu, actually,” admitted Vision. “Unless you need me to look after Adis?”
“No, it is all right,” said Loki, picking up the boy from the ground. “Harold has yet to leave, correct? I will give Adis to him, and he will go pick up Amaya from her friend's party. Do tell Anthony where we are going, JARVIS. Just in case.”
“Will do, Mr Loki.”
+++
It took them almost thirty minutes to get to the Sanctum.
Adis, clearly realising that his moddy was planning on leaving him with Harold, quickly grew cranky and fussy. Normally he enjoyed hanging out with the man, as he spoiled him far more than Loki ever did, but he was also a moddy’s boy and, according to Anthony, much clingier than Amaya had ever been.
Did it make Loki a terrible parent, the fact that he enjoyed it?
He hoped it did not.
But eventually they managed to bribe the boy with apple slices, and teleported to the Sanctum door before he could realise.
Loki wanted to praise Vision for the way he had finally mastered teleportation but his mood changed as soon as they appeared in front of the Sanctum.
Something wasn’t right.
He couldn’t be sure of what, just yet, but the energy he had become familiar with, the dimensional around them... something about it did not seem right.
Something was off.
He felt the tug of Anthony through their connection and steadied himself. He sent a wave of reassurance towards his husband, and then stood straighter.
“You feel anything wrong, Vision?”
The synthezoid frowned. “No. Why? Is something the matter?”
“I am not sure,” admitted Loki, eyes wary even as he took a step forward.
The past year had been quiet. With Thanos gone and news of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ hand in defeating him, there hadn’t been much trouble. A couple of minor skirmishes that had not caused much damage, and that multidimensional trip that had ended painlessly for all involved.
There had been no threat on the horizon.
Loki did not wish to jinx himself with bad thoughts, but as Vision knocked on the door of the Sanctum, he couldn’t shake the feeling that their happy streak was about to come to an end.
Wong opened the door for them seconds later, and looked not too surprised to see them. “Agatha sent you?” he guessed.
“Yes,” said Loki, forcing himself to walk inside. “Vision just wanted a recipe.”
“The tiramisu,” added the synthezoid.
“That might take a while,” admitted Wong, leading Loki towards the main sitting room of the Sanctum. “We have a bit of a situation. Did Agatha fill you in?”
“Simply said something about Strange playing with things he does not understand, as usual,” said Loki, and then he paused as soon as they got to the door.
He stared inside a little incredulously. He glanced at Wong. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“What is he doing here?” demanded Strange, standing up as soon as he spotted Loki, hands in fighting position.
“I don’t know, but he’s not a threat,” said the other Strange in the room.
Because there were two Stephen Stranges in the room.
Loki glared at him. “I’m not a threat?”
“He’s a threat, but he’s not going to kill anyone,” corrected the Strange of this universe, rolling his eyes. “Are you?”
“Depends,” said Loki, smiling less than pleasantly at the newcomer Strange.
The newcomer was standing beside another young girl, who had long dark hair and a confused expression on her face. She also was looking at Loki as if she wasn’t quite sure what to make of him.
“You are good here, right?” she asked, as if to make sure.
“Here?” said Loki, one eyebrow raised. “And good?”
“They are dimensional travellers,” explained the Strange of this universe, who Loki would, under duress, be calling Stephen for the time being. “They accidentally found themselves in this universe.”
The other Strange seemed to find the idea of Stephen willingly sharing information with him so easily offensive, which Loki wasn’t sure he commended him for or found amusing.
“In many universes, you are your version of good,” explained the girl. “In others, you are much more terrible. I ended up in one Universe in which you were ruler of Earth. It was not a good Universe.”
“Really?” asked Loki, affecting a frown. “Are you sure? I believe I would make a good world dictator.”
“He’s joking,” rushed to say Stephen, when Strange looked even more worried at that.
“Am I?”
“He is,” said Vision, finally walking in the room.
Strange’s eyes widened. “Vision,” he said, looking at the synthezoid in amazement. “You’re alive.”
Vision blinked, a little confused. “Why wouldn’t I be?” Only then did he notice their Stephen, and his confusion became more palpable. “What... is happening?”
“Multiversal travel,” said both Stephens at the same time.
“This is America Chavez,” explained Stephen. “She was on the run from demons that were trying to steal her magic and her soul. She ended up in the universe of that Stephen Strange, during her many escapes. This Stephen Strange decided to enlist the help of their version of Wanda Maximoff to protect the girl.”
“And let me guess,” said Loki, unamused. “Wanda Maximoff was the one behind the attacks.”
Stephen nodded, a little begrudgingly. “Yes. I am still not sure of what went wrong in their universe, but Wanda is incredibly powerful. She is the Scarlet Witch, yes, like in those end of the world legends. Apparently, she conjured children from magic in Strange's universe, and then she lost them. Now, she is trying to use the Darkhold and America’s powers to find a universe where her children are alive and move there, regardless to the consequences to that universe or to the multiverse at large.”
Loki blinked, incredulous. “That is not healthy.”
And coming from Loki, that was a statement.
“It’s not,” agreed Strange, still looking wary of him. “But the Darkhold... it’s powerful. She is very far gone. She gave us the choice to give up America and she would not hurt anyone else. We refused.” He swallowed. “She attacked Kamar Taj, killed countless of our sorcerers. She would have won, but then America accidentally used her powers and sent us to this universe instead.”
“You fear she will come after you?”
“We know she will,” corrected America, looking a little nervous. “She has been coming after me for months. I thought she was a demon, but she’s much worse. This is just a hiccup for her. She will do anything to find me. Unless, I manage to find a way to stop her.”
Loki considered them, head tilted slightly. “You are looking for the lost Book of the Vishanti,” he guessed.
Strange appeared surprised, as did Stephen. “The Book of the Vishanti? I thought that was lost,” he said, surprised.
“Norns above, how are you Sorcerer Supreme?” he demanded, scowling. He glanced at Wong, who was standing at the door. “How did you lose to him?”
Wong shrugged. "There was a vote, and he did save us from Dormammu."
"Not reason enough," said Loki, sighing and ignoring Stephen's offended expression. “It is not lost. It is hidden. Its power... in the wrong hands, it could be as dangerous as the Darkhold itself. It is the antithesis to the Book of the Damned, and it is said to be guarded in the Realm between the universes.”
“You seem to know a lot about it,” said Strange, sounding suspicious.
“I make it a habit to know as much as possible about everything,” primly answered Loki. “If you knew anything about my other self, you would know this.”
“I did not have much time to chat with him, while I was keeping him trapped and falling through that portal,” acidly said Strange.
“What is it with Stephen Stranges and their terrible habit of catching unaware Lokis and trapping them?” demanded Loki, a little annoyed. “And what is it about all the other Lokis that makes them fall for such parlour tricks from Sorcerers?”
“You were captured by Mordo via such parlour tricks,” reminded him Stephen, one eyebrow raised.
Loki’s eyes narrowed, green covering the palm of his hand. “I was pregnant and tired, you imbecile. Had I been at the top of my game, that man would have died far before my husband got his hands on him.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
Loki just suddenly thought about something, and then looked at Strange in suspicion. “Speaking of,”
“Please don’t-” tried Stephen, which Loki ignored.
“Are you and my husband together, in your Universe?”
Strange just looked confused, while Stephen groaned. “Your... husband?”
“Anthony Stark,” said Loki, arms crossed around his chest as he studied Strange carefully. “What are your feelings for him?”
Strange looked like he wanted to showcase some shock over that statement, but then reigned himself in. He cleared his throat, looking stiff all of a sudden. “Respect,” he said, glancing away from Loki. “He’s dead.”
Loki tried to keep his emotions at bay, even as he instinctively reached to grasp that connection between himself and Anthony.
“He gave his life to stop Thanos,” continued Strange, still not looking at him. “The universe owes him an unpayable death.”
Loki’s phone buzzed in his pocket right as there was a knock at the door. “That doesn’t sound ideal,” said Loki, pulling out his phone. “But so long as you don’t have any unspoken feelings for him, I can deal with this.”
“He was married to Pepper,” said Strange.
It was not really an answer, but Loki did not point this out, instead reining in a smile at the message he had just received.
Anthony: you okay? You feel anxious.
Anthony: JARVIS told me you’re at the Sanctum, I’m on my way.
Loki: You don’t need to come here.
Anthony: Wow, just say you don’t love me and go.
Loki rolled his eyes, putting his phone back in his pocket and ignoring the curious look on Strange’s face. He doubted he could dissuade Anthony and, frankly, he did not really wish to.
Despite having met America and this other Strange, the feeling that something was not right was still clinging to his skin. That gut belief that something was about to go terribly wrong.
He really wished he was wrong, that he was being too paranoid, but rarely had that ever been the case.
“So what do you need from us?” asked Vision, looking at America curiously. “Help finding this Book of Vishanti?”
“Yes,” said Strange. “And help stopping Wanda. Your Wanda-”
“Signed the Accords,” said Stephen. “You guys have those, right?”
“Yes,” said Strange, bewildered. “She signed the Sokovia Accords? Maximoff?”
“No need to sound so surprised,” said Wanda, walking into the room with Wong in tow. America and Strange immediately stiffened, looking ready to attack, but Wanda put up her hands. “Not every version of me is completely out of control. Some of us are reasonable.”
“Where is Agatha?” asked Loki, frowning at Wanda.
While he did not feel very strongly about her, there was still a general dislike of the girl on Loki’s part. He’d admit that she had changed, she was redeeming herself every day and that she no longer hated Anthony for existing, but still Loki could not let go of his general dislike for her.
He could be, at times, a little petty.
“She sent me here,” explained Wanda, shrugging. “She said something about the magic of the Darkhold? I did not really understand.”
Loki had suspected that the Darkhold was in Agatha Harkness’ possession. He hadn’t much cared about it, considering Harkness’ disinterest in anything to do with world domination or general murder, but if the other Wanda had been tempted, she no longer thought it was very safe with the witch.
Stephen had not known of this, considering his expression at the statement.
“Is this safe?” asked Strange, watching Wanda carefully. “Wong mentioned dream-walking, earlier.”
“Dream-walking?” asked Vision, confused.
“Many theorize that dreams are glimpses into the lives of other versions of yourself,” explained Loki. “A dream-walking sorcerer projects their own consciousness from their universe into another. They possess the body of an alternate self, and play puppeteer with their doppelganger, to pursue their enemies from afar. The possession is not a permanent link between realities, but in the fleeting time they dream-walk, they can do irreparable damage to the universe they invade.”
“How do you know all this?” asked Strange, a little surprised.
Loki sniffed. “As I’ve said, I make it a habit to know everything about everything. My Mother is the High Witch of Asgard.”
“Would I know if your Wanda was dream-walking?” questioned Wanda, looking a little worried. “Should I go back to Agatha’s?”
“Not if she has the Darkhold,” said Stephen, shaking his head. “The other Wanda has the Darkhold, and I don’t think it’s safe for her to have possible access to two books of the Damned. You should stay here, maybe we can somehow protect your mind?”
“We should put America in the mirror dimension then,” proposed Wanda. “That way, even if the other Wanda dream-walks through me, she won’t be able to get to her.”
No one answered, every eye suddenly fixed on her.
Wanda looked back at them, confused. Then, she smiled ruefully. “You did not tell Agatha her name was America, did you?”
“No,” said Stephen, shifting into battle position. “I did not.”
“This still does not have to devolve into a fight,” said Wanda, as everyone moved away from her, forming a wall between her and America. Her hands were relaxed, but Loki had no doubt that she was not going to hesitate if an attack came at her. “You can just give me the girl. All I want is her. I have no quarrel with this universe, or with any of you. All I want is my children. Why are you trying to keep them from me? Be reasonable.”
“You can’t talk about being reasonable when you are asking that we give you a child to murder so that you can be reunited with children who do not belong to you,” said Strange.
Loki could have told him it was the wrong thing to say even before Wanda’s expression turned into one of pure rage, eyes flashing red and lips curling into a snarl.
“I am glad to see your tact remains the same across all universes,” said Loki, glaring slightly at the Sorcerer.
“Really not the time, Loki!” said Stephen, and then Maximoff attacked.
Loki was not scared of Wanda Maximoff. He had never liked her, finding her too whiny, and he did not necessarily trust her to keep him safe in battle, but he was not afraid of her.
However, even he had to admit that he wasn’t quite ready for the viciousness and raw power of Maximoff’s first attack.
Mages were being born with innate magic. Sorcerers manipulated the magic around them. Witches were given powers from artefacts, and their power was usually forever linked to its source of power.
Maximoff was a witch, but seen the way even Loki lost his footing when the red viscous mist crashed against him, you would not have guessed so.
Whoever the Scarlet Witch was, even confined within the shackles of their own Wanda, she was much more powerful than Loki had first anticipated.
Wong launched himself at Maximoff before she could attack a second time, throwing whips at her legs. The woman rendered them null with a flick of her fingers, dancing out of their reach, and evading the trick shot of Strange’s attack, but she was caught unaware by Loki’s kick at her ribs.
She was pushed back did not fall, glaring as she threw a powerful beam of energy at him. Loki ducked, watching the hole the beam created in the wall with some vague apprehension.
“Stephen Strange, I really do not like you,” he said, as Stephen conjured the spears of Garzanti and launched them at her.
“How is this my fault?!” he demanded, rushing at her at the same time as the other Strange, while she was busy evading the spears.
“You called me! I was enjoying my time at home with my son and Vision, and now you have gotten me involved in-” he moved out of the way as Wanda pushed both Stephen Stranges back, and threw a dagger straight at her. “Involved in hero business!”
Wanda hissed at the red cut on her cheek, red eyes glaring at Loki.
Loki just smiled at her, helping up Stephen without glancing at him.
“I didn’t even call you,” groaned the man, still accepting his hand. “Agatha did.”
“What did you do to Agatha?” demanded Wong, as he and Vision tried to corner her with rapid spells and energy attacks.
“I did nothing to her,” snarled Wanda, punching the ground they were standing on. Loki, both Stranges and Vision immediately took flight, but Wong and America fell as the ground became liquid under their feet. “The same, however, cannot be said about what I'll do to you.”
She made for America, but Loki came between them, throwing three daggers at her in rapid succession while Vision used his powers to free Wong and the the girl. Wanda stopped the blades before they could hit her, and then Loki had to quickly portal out of the way as she sent them back to him.
“Mirror dimension?” asked Stephen, as Loki used him Jotun powers to ice down the floor and make it solid once more.
“Too dangerous,” said Strange. “She can manipulate mirrors.”
She can manipulate reality, wanted to correct Loki, but he did not see how telling them this would help anyone.
“Give me the girl!” demanded Wanda, and this time Loki did not even realise she was attacking before America and Strange crashed against the wall of the building, the man crumpling to the ground immediately.
“Stephen!” called America, struggling to get to him.
“Vision, you remember last Friday?” asked Loki, moving at one side of the room while Stephen and Wong tried to engage Wanda in close range fighting.
“Indeed,” said the synthezoid, moving to the other side of the room. “At once?”
“At once,” agreed Loki.
They waited for Wanda to push back Strange and Wong before they both launched a jet of ice and electricity at her at the same time, hitting her straight on and pushing her on the ground with a scream.
“Don’t let up,” warned Loki, keeping a steady flow. “Stephen, can you try bind-”
Loki did not notice the moment the ice turned red with chaos magic, but he did notice when he and Vision suddenly crashed beside Strange and America, feeling as if he had just been frozen himself.
“I hate her,” he groaned. “How dare she use my own powers against me?”
Wanda pulled herself up from the ground, hateful stare focused on Loki.
“I will kill you,” she promised.
“Many have tried, all failed,” said Loki, glaring right back. “Ste-”
He did not manage to finish the sentence before Wanda’s magic was pushing against them all, like a waterfall Loki had no way of stopping. It was like he was being squashed against the wall by an invisible force, and he couldn’t move, not even to react to the definitely worried feelings Anthony was projecting through their dream link.
That was not good.
She was far more powerful than Loki had previously thought. Not impossible to defeat, everyone had a weakness. But she was powerful, and Loki had yet to find this weakness of hers.
“Enough games,” said Wanda, raising to her feet again, hands burning red.
She looked injured, with several cuts and slashes on her face and body but she did not even seem to feel her injuries.
America suddenly screamed, suddenly trashing beside Loki, eyes wide with panic. She was the only one that Loki could see was not as trapped as he was, which was really not ideal.
Wanda continued to smile as she approached them. “Finally,” she said, eyes fixed on the terrified girl. “You have nowhere to-”
“No!” shouted America, and the next thing she knew, Loki was falling.
The last thing she saw was Wanda’s eyes full of rage, and then the world was shrouded in blue.