"You've got no choice but to trust me now," Doctor Strange said, locking eyes with the young girl.
America had nothing to say. If she could fully control her ability to travel between universes, she wouldn't be so worried about being hunted down—she could just escape in time. But that was the problem: she couldn't. Just like last time, if Strange hadn't stepped in, she would've already been caught by those monsters.
After thinking it over carefully, she agreed to take refuge at Kamar-Taj. At the same time, Stephen and Wong discovered a common feature on the monsters that had attacked: runes.
These weren't magical in nature—they were witchcraft. Which meant that the mastermind behind it all was likely a Wizard.
"Huh? Aren't wizards and sorcerers the same thing?" Pietro asked curiously.
Stephen rolled his eyes. "Sometimes the line between a wizard and a sorcerer is blurry, but other times it's very clear. Think of it this way: magicians and sorcerers are like Pepsi and Coke—they're both cola, but they taste different and have different recipes. Get it?"
Pietro and Peter still looked confused. As outsiders to all this, it was clear they didn't quite follow the logic.
Just then, the video paused, and a new question popped up on the screen, drawing their attention.
[Who is the mastermind behind sending the monsters to hunt down America Chavez?]
[A: Stephen Strange
B: Wanda Maximoff
C: Dormammu, Lord of the Dark Dimension
D: Kang the Conqueror]
Stephen raised an eyebrow, surprised to see himself among the choices. Based on what they'd just seen, he was clearly helping the mysterious girl. Sure, he'd made a few missteps, but being labeled the villain?
As for the other three options, he quickly eliminated C and D.
From what he knew, Dormammu always wanted to invade the mortal world, but as Kamar-Taj's enemy and the arch-nemesis of the Sorcerer Supreme, any major activity on his part would immediately trigger alarms. Yet, in the footage, no such warning appeared.
Kang had shown up in earlier TVA-related videos—a major villain likely to launch a multiversal war. But his methods leaned heavily toward technology, and this whole affair reeked of magic. So he didn't quite fit.
That left Stephen staring hard at option B.
Pietro spoke up, sounding upset, "I don't get why Wanda's even on this list. Couldn't they pick someone else just to fill the space?"
"Maybe it's not just filler," Stephen said, shooting him a glance. "At this point in time, Wanda should already be the Scarlet Witch and in possession of the Darkhold. She absolutely has the power to cast incredibly strong—and dark—magic. Honestly, I think B is the most suspicious."
"Bullshit! That's crap!" Pietro's eyes flared with anger. "I knew it—you people never really saw us as your own! Wanda gave up so much, sacrificed everything, and all she gets in return is doubt and suspicion? I won't let her keep getting dragged into messes like this!"
Peter fidgeted awkwardly, stuck between the two as their argument flared up. He didn't know what to say.
Stephen frowned. "Look, I'm just being objective. Pietro, you've seen future videos before. You know things have already changed. Besides, Wanda herself has already moved on—why are you still so hung up on it? Treat the future videos like they belong to another universe. If I said the Wanda from another universe is the real culprit, would that help you feel better?"
Pietro's expression eased slightly, but he still snorted. "I think the answer is A. Stephen, you're more suspicious than you realize! I mean, maybe there's a darker version of you in some alternate universe—someone who's got his eyes on that mysterious girl and orchestrated all this."
Stephen couldn't argue with that. In the multiverse, who could say for sure? There might very well be a dark version of him out there, just like Pietro said.
He shook his head and looked over at Spider-Man. "If you had to choose between A and B, what would you pick?"
Peter scratched his head nervously. "Uh, can I not pick? Mr. Strange, Mr. Maximoff—I'll just go with whatever you guys decide."
Pietro chuckled. "You little sneak… Alright, Stephen, you've made all the decisions up until now. Let me pick this time, yeah?"
Stephen furrowed his brow, then sighed. "Fine, fine. We'll go with A. But if we're wrong, Pietro, you follow my lead from here on out. Deal?"
Pietro thought it over and figured it was worth the gamble—he really believed A was the answer. So he agreed.
While they reached a consensus, Team A—Magneto, Professor X, and Wolverine—were still discussing.
They weren't very familiar with Marvel's characters. They hadn't even heard of Dormammu or Kang, so they narrowed their choices down to A and B.
They knew it wasn't a great strategy, but it was the best they could do. Instinctively, they leaned toward characters they recognized. Magneto leaned toward A—Stephen—because he seemed familiar. Professor X leaned toward B, arguing that Stephen didn't seem like a bad guy.
In the end, Professor X got to make the call. Magneto had already handed over leadership to him, and Wolverine backed his decision.
The countdown began. Both teams hit the buzzer, but Team A got in first.
When the countdown hit zero, the correct answer was revealed.
[Congratulations to Team A for answering correctly. Player Erik Lehnsherr, player Charles Xavier, and player Logan Howlett each gain 4 points.]
[Team B answered incorrectly. Player Stephen Strange, player Pietro Maximoff, and player Peter Parker each lose 1 point.]
Stephen sighed in disappointment. "See? If you'd just listened to me, we'd be up in points."
Pietro's face darkened. Wanda had always been a hero. Especially during the battle with Thanos—they all remembered her nearly ripping the Mad Titan apart, fearless in the face of cosmic power. She had earned everyone's respect.
Her future with Vision had earned her plenty of sympathy, too. But now… was she really turning evil?
_____
T/N:
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