The Shadow Wielder
“Peter, wake up,” some was saying, shaking him urgently. The hero groaned and attempted to roll away from whoever was disturbing his sleep, but it seemed that they would not be perturbed. “Peter,” they said, this time reproachful. Slowly he blinked his eyes open and sat up, rubbing at his eyes dazedly.
“Wha?” he asked with a yawn. He looked up to see Wanda standing over him.
“Something's happening, we aren't sure what yet, but Dr. Strange said to get everyone alert,” she explained. Peter looked around to see that something was indeed happening. The light around them was swirling around itself in a way that looked almost like excitement, and small ripples were shooting across the water.
“Dr. Strange, what’s happening?” he asked, scrambling to his feet. He could feel his spider-sense going off, but it had been ever since the dusting and so it wasn’t much to go by.
“We aren’t sure,” the sorcerer replied. “Mantis, are you getting anything?”
“Everything seems to be normal,” she replied, the tips of her antennae glowing slightly as she reached out with her power to try and find any clue as to what was going on.
“Oliver,” Wanda was saying, slightly shaking the hero who immediately snapped to attention. “Come on we need to get up, something's going on.” Dr. Strange was about to say something else when Mantis interrupted him.
“There’s much excitement. They are anticipating something very important,” she said. They all looked around nervously.
“Who’s ‘they’?” Stephen asked carefully. Mantis looked up at him with wide eyes.
“I am not sure. I believe that it is best if we trust them,” she stated.
“Why the Hell would we do that?” Quill exclaimed. Sam nodded in agreement.
“I… do not know. I believe that we should trust them though. They know what is happening, and it is all going according to their plan.”
“And why do we want to be a part of their plan?” Sam challenged.
“Because they want us to defeat Thanos,” Mantis replied simply. They all stared at Mantis and then at the shifting light around them. Its anticipation seemed to be building, and no one could decide whether that was good or bad.
“Wanda, can you feel anything?” Stephen asked. Wanda closed her eyes and reached out towards the light around them. She was immediately hit with a rush of power pushing back at her, and it took all of her strength to stand your ground against the onslaught. She began trying to weave her way through it, pulling it apart with her own magic to try and see what else there was.
“Damn,” Riri said as red engulfed Wanda and began to shoot out in the orange light. It glittered a soft red unlike it’s previous, harsh, scarlet. They watched as Wanda’s power stretched and contracted amongst the orangey glow which seemed to be trying to push it back. It lashed out one final time at the orange light before falling back and disappearing back into Wanda.
“It doesn’t want us leaving,” she said as she opened her eyes. “It let me see though, I could see the compound for a moment, but I couldn’t hold it. I- it was too strong,” she said.
“Were you seeing it in real time?” T’Challa asked. Wanda nodded. “They were all there, what has left of them anyway. I-” she cut herself off, looking up at Stephen with a strange expression on her face. “I didn't see Tony,” she whispered. Stephen felt his throat go dry.
“He’s not back yet?” he asked. Wanda shook her head. Stephen felt the world lurch, and he nodded to himself, forcing himself to keep standing.
“W-wait, Mr. Stark is still in space?” Peter asked nervously. Stephen looked back at him and noticed once again how young he looked. Stephen could only nod once before striding away from the main group, rapidly blinking in an attempt to keep the burning behind his eyes at bay.
Peter watch Stephen walk away and turned back towards the others. T’Challa looked worried while Wanda looked completely lost.
“Did you see anything else?” Shuri asked. She hadn’t liked Wanda when the witch had been staying in Wakanda, but she seemed different now. Peter and Riri seemed to like her now, so Shuri was willing to give her a chance to prove herself.
“Okoye was there, and so were a good number of the Defenders, though a Jessica and Luke were missing. Steve was alive as well. So were Kamala, Harley, and Kate. I- I didn’t ee Carol though.”
“That doesn’t make any sense, wouldn't’ Carol be here if she had been dusted too?” Riri asked.
“Maybe she had to help people on other planets, I mean Earth wasn’t the only one affected,” Shuri pointed out.
“Let’s hope so,” Wanda replied. “Thor and Loki are still kicking, and I think I saw the talking raccoon. Rhodey currently seems to be leading everyone, and Wong and Clea are handling the sorcerers.” The others nodded.
“I guess all we can do is hope that it turns out okay,” Bucky said.
Stephen sat huddled against a large boulder, magic wrapping around him. He steadied his breathing and began to reach out with his magic. He focused on one small spot in the soul realm and began to force his way through. “Show me, Tony,” he thought as he tore through the orange light. He steadied his mind and found himself in what looked to be a space ship. He could hear voices coming from what looked to be an engine room and quickly hurried towards them.
“This isn’t going to hold, Tony,” a woman’s voice said. “And even if it does, we’ll be out of oxygen in a couple of days.”
“As you said, we have to try,” came the gruff reply. And even if we go down, Frost doesn’t need air. He’ll survive,” Tony said. S
Stephen rounded a corner and found himself watching as Tony and the blue woman that had fought Thano with them on Titan worked. He was pretty sure he was called Nebula. With his magic, he could sense Frost as well, though he was unable to see the hostless spirit. Tony looked worn down as he worked on the engine, and Stephen reached out to grab his shoulder only for his hand to go straight through it.
“We’ve gotta fix this, this can’t just be the end!” Tony growled, slamming his tools down. “We can’t just leave them all- Stephen and Peter-” he said, all words failing. Nebula watched with a troubled expression.
“Who were they?” she asked. Tony looked up.
“Who?” he asked flatly.
“Stephen and Peter,” Nebula replied. “I’ve heard you mention Riri and Rhodey a lot too. When you’re having nightmares or think that no one can hear you, there the names you say the most,” she said. Tony took a deep breath and sighed.
“They were… they were my family. Peter and Riri were trainees of sorts. Rhodey was my best friend. Stephen was- he was-” but he couldn’t finish the sentence. Nebula watched as Tony banged his head against the wall. She could offer no comfort, and he didn’t want any.
“They’re all going to come back. Even if we aren’t around to see it, the others will bring them back,” she said quietly. Orange was beginning to cloud Stephen’s vision. He struggled to maintain his location, but the soul realm was too strong.
“Strange!” Riri’s voice called as he opened his eyes with a snap. “What are you doing?” she asked. Stephen sighed.
“I was looking through the soul realm like Wanda did. Tony is still is space along with Nebula and Frost,” he said. The others began to make there way over upon hearing what he’d seen.
“Is Mr. Stark okay?” Peter asked. Stephen shook his head.
“It isn’t looking good, Peter,” he said. “They’re stuck in space, and the oxygen is going to be out in a few days. Unless they can pull off the impossible… Their chances for survival are slim,” he finished, his throat constricting as he said it. Wanda covered her mouth, and Peter and Riri’s eyes filled with tears. Oliver and T’Challa shared a careful look and Bucky star determinedly at the ground. Even the Guardians felt a stab of sadness, and they didn't particularly like Stark. Sam sighed and stepped forward.
“I don't’ know about you, but I think we need to figure something out, whether they make it or not. Strange, do you have anything for us?” he asked. Shuri nodded in agreement.
“The Falcon is right. They will not die in vain, it is our duty to avenge them, right?” she said. The others nodded in agreement and Stephen straightened.
“Before the battle on Titan, I looked into over 14 million futures. There is only one that I saw that we won. From everything that is going on in here, we’re on the right course. If Tony dies though… he is necessary to our success. If he goes down, then it’s over. For all of us,” he said. They let that sink in and looked around at the pulsing orange light.
“What about this? Wanda asked, gesturing around them. “Was the universe doing this in any of your visions?” Stephen shook his head.
“No, I never saw this. I believe that something that happened might have created another possible victory. It won't matter if Tony dies, though. He is still necessary to any plan we make,” he replied. Wanda nodded.
“Alright,” Oliver said. “So what is this one victory?”
~
Natasha watched the footage in front of her, unwilling to accept what she was seeing but unable to deny it. It had been Rhodey who had alerted her to the rise of Ronin. It hadn’t taken them long to figure out who it was. Given how much was going on across the globe, no one was really concerned with a vigilante killing mobsters, but it mattered to Natasha. It mattered because it wasn’t who Clint was. He was bad jokes and arrows, not swords and tattoos.
“Nat, what do you wanna do about this?” Rhodey asked. He had mostly taken over as the leader in the absence of Carol, Tony, and T’Challa, but she could tell that he was giving her free reign over the Ronin situation.
“I’m not sure,” she said. There was a moment of silence. “Have you tried contacting Scott and Hope?” she asked. The two shrinkers had not been with the other heroes in Wakanda as they had been dealing with their own problems. No had heard from them since.
“I’ve tried multiple times, but they're not answering,” Rhodey said with a sigh. Scott’s family hasn’t heard anything either, so I think that it’s safe to say that he’s not coming back. Natasha shook her head. “Has Carol checked in at all?” Rhodey asked.
“Not a word. I’m guessing she’s still looking, but I wouldn’t hold out to much hope,” he said.
“Hey, don't’ say that. We both know Tony’s one resilient bastard. If Thanos couldn't’ kill him, I doubt that space will be his doom,” she said, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. Rhodey sighed It seemed people had been doing a lot of that lately.
“How are the sorcerers?” Rhodey questioned. “Last I checked, they were searching for any sign of what happened to the people that got dusted.”
“They are, but they don’t have much hope for success. They just want to cover every possibility. The loss of Stephen hit them hard though, and Clea misses Wanda. Apparently, Scarlet Witch had quite a few friends at the sanctum,” Natasha said.
“Natasha, Rhodes,” Steve said as he entered the room. “I did what you asked, and it seems that not many governments have released any sort of census. Most governments are in disarray, but from the places that have tried for a head count, it’s come about the same. Half the populations are just gone.”
“Just like he said they’d be,” Natasha whispered.
“Keep an eye on the counts,” Rhodey said. “I’ve been in contact with our other bases around the world, and it seems that the trauma of the snap has introduced us to a few more enhanced people. I guess the mental shock brought forth powers they didn’t know they had. The council has agreed to temporarily suspend the accords signing until we get a proper headcount.”
“Any staying here?” Natasha asked.
“No, it’s mostly farther away from New York. A few in Asia and Europe, so there are other, closer, bases,” Rhodey explained. “Are the Defenders running a patrol right now?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Natasha responded.
“Great, I think I might join them,” he said. “I need to get out of here for a bit.” The two watched him walk quickly out of the room.
“He still doesn’t like me,” Steve said.
“Would you?” Natasha shot back. Steve shook his head in annoyance. She was right, but he didn’t have to agree. “We’re gonna need to figure out this whole ‘Clint’ thing,” she said quietly. “I honestly don’t know what to do. Laura and the kids are gone along with half the universe. What motivation could I possibly offer him?” Steve was quiet for a moment before responding.
“We need to give him time. Then, once we have a plan, we approach him. If we can’t bring his family back, then the least we can do is avenge them,” Steve said. Natasha gave no response.
~
Frost sat perched on the back of one of the chairs in the cockpit. He had sensed it when Dr. Strange’s soul had made contact with the ship, but he knew better than to tell the others. Getting there hopes up would accomplish nothing. His knowledge of the universe was not all that vast, but he knew more about its inner workings than Tony and Nebula. He knew that letting them in on the existence of the soul realm would not help matters. Things were already in motion. He best not mettle.
He looked up when he heard someone else enter the room. He watched as Tony looked around and then sat in the chair beside him. The man looked worn out, and Frost could tell he’d already accepted the end.
“Hey Frost,” he said. “I have a feeling that you're in here given that its at least ten degrees colder here than anywhere else,” the mechanic explained. Frost iced over the back of the chair he was on and wrote the word ‘yes’ in the ice. Tony sighed.
“I just wanted to thank you. For saving me in Siberia, that is,” he said. “God, that was ages ago now, wasn’t it? I remember when that was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. Now it’s just…” he gestured hopelessly around the cabin.
“You’re gonna be alone in here for a while,” Tony said eventually. “I want you to know that you don’t have to preserve our bodies or anything. Just dump them out into space, I can assure you that we won’t mind. Can you just… I left a few messages for some people in my helmet. Do you think you can bring that back for me?” Tony asked. Frost watched the man curiously before writing another ‘yes’ on the seat. Tony nodded and took a shuddering breath.
“You’re a great guy, Frost. I know that you’ll make a great Avenger too. I hope that- I hope that you find whatever it is you're looking for. What you couldn’t find on your home world.” Frost looked down in confusion. He had never been good at ‘emotions’ and didn’t understand many of them. What he did understand was what it was like to feel unsatisfied. Empty. Perhaps that's what Tony was referring to?
“Well, I’ve gotta go teach Nebula some more games. You can come if you want. Or chill here. I guess I wouldn’t really know either way,” Tony said as he got up. Frost waited a moment before following him out. If he really only had one day left with the man, then he wasn’t going to waste it.
~
Wanda sat perched on a small rock formation, Oliver sitting beside her with Peter on his left. There was very little in the lane of entertainment in the soul realm, and so they had resorted to throwing rocks at the orange light and seeing who could get the biggest reaction out of the pulsing energy. So far it had been Riri, but only because she’d blasted it with her repulsors at the same time.
“Hey Oliver, has why don’t you tell Peter about Jax?” Wanda suggested, so far beyond done with watching rocks hit the light.
“Sure,” he said with a shrug. “Jax’s story begins around the same time as Silven’s, but she was on Ciine, a small island kingdom right in between Ferwan and Mirval. She was a peasant woman nothing more but another mouth to feed in the eyes of her family. Many people claimed that she was some sort of demon, and they may have been right. It was as though a part of her soul as just not there. She was distant and rarely spoke. If someone were to anger her she would lash out viciously.”
“She sounds like Riri in the morning,” Peter said.
“I heard that!” Riri called over from where she was sitting a little ways off.
“Anyway, her family didn’t want her. So when Supreme Morgalith of Ferwan offered to buy her from them with enough money to feed them for three years, they had no qualms with parting with her. An important thing to know about Morgalith was his obsession with magical experimentation. He had been born with powers that Enexion had never seen before, and was desperate to create more anomalies such as himself.”
“And he thought that he could do this with Jax?” Peter asked. Wanda nodded. Frost had told her this story early on as he felt it was quite similar to Wanda’s own.
“Yes. All his other attempts had failed, but he saw something within Jax, or should I say, missing from within her. The village people had been right about one thing; Jax had no soul. So when Morgalith attempted to force magic into her, it worked. It worked a bit too well if you ask me, and I do believe that when all was said and done, Morgalith was afraid of what he had created.”
“Why?” Peter asked, enraptured by the tale.
“Beings without souls are inherently drawn towards darkness,” Dr. Strange interrupted, floating over. “IF my guess is correct, the powers ended up far more violent than this ‘Morgalith’ wanted them to be,” he said. Oliver nodded.
“He had been attempting to create a mage that could manipulate reality. Instead, he created something far more powerful. Jax can manipulate darkness. Shadows are drawn to her, and she can use them for anything she pleases. On Enexion she is known as the ‘Shadow Wielder’. They are horrible powers, and they can’t be controlled. Morgalith had to exercise a great amount of his own power to bind them to her and her mind so that they wouldn’t get out. Should the darkness os desire, it could devour all of the universes and then keep going.”
“Well that’s horrifying,” Peter said. Dr. Strange nodded, his brow furrowed. He had often felt distant pulses of dark energy but had never been able to locate the source within their galaxy. Could this ‘Jax’ be the cause?
“Stephen,” Wanda said, pulling him from his thoughts. She was tugging on his sleeve and staring straight ahead. “I think that whatever the soul realm was so excited about is happening.” He looked not where she was starting to see some sort of shadow moving amongst the orange energy. The others were beginning to notice too. T’Challa put his helmet back on while Riri snapped down her faceplate. Sam’s falcon wings expanded, and Bucky powered up his blaster.
As the shadow got closer, they saw it was the form of a young woman. Her skin was deathly pale and there was a jagged scar over her lips. She looks malnourished, and Stephen could make out the shape of the bones in her face from how underweight she was. She was dressed in all black armor that seemed to shift and move around her, and she held a scythe that looked about the same. Stephen could feel a dark power radiating from her form, and from the way Wanda's eyes widened, he could tell that she could feel it too.
Shadows throated at her feet, and reached out to the orange energy, seeming to test its strength against them. Her head tilted like a bird's as she looked around her, her black eyes jumped from each of their faces before landing on Oliver. She strode over to him quickly, looking at Stephen and Wanda in confusion when they blocked her path. The shadows shot out from around her feet and curled around them to keep them in place as she passed.
“Orûk,” she said. Her voice was hoarse from disuse, and she spoke barely above a whisper.
“I’m sorry, but he isn’t here,” Oliver responded, eyes wide. “You’re Jax, aren’t you,” he said. “Jax Simone. The Shadow Wielder.” She looked at Oliver with the same blank expression before summoning the shadows that were holding Wanda and Stephen back with a flick of her hand.
“You carry the magical imprint of Orûk of the Winter on your soul. You must be a friend,” she said finally. “Where is Orûk?”