While the Avengers debated Wanda's condition across the room—voices low, eyes flickering with concern—Rin stood slightly apart, fidgeting with a folded slip of parchment between her fingers. The magical paper, still faintly glowing with residual energy, crackled like static. Her brows were furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line.
She crossed the room to where Tony Stark was tinkering with a holographic projection of Wanda's neural scans—watching the wild arcs of red energy burst and collapse in unpredictable patterns.
"Tony," Rin said quietly, tugging at his sleeve. "We need to talk. Privately."
He raised a brow at her but followed her out of earshot, curiosity piqued. Once they were in a quieter corner, Rin handed him the note without a word.
Tony adjusted his glasses and began to read. His eyes scanned the elegant handwriting, then darted back to her face. A beat passed.
"Reality warping," he repeated flatly, lowering the note. "Of course it is. Why just stop at mind-reading and telekinesis when you can casually reprogram the fabric of existence itself?"
He let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "Great. Just great. I mean, don't get me wrong—it's always fun to find out that one of our houseguests is capable of snapping her fingers and turning Manhattan into a medieval swamp."
Rin didn't smile.
"She wasn't supposed to go that deep," Rin said, voice taut. "She dove into my mind to dig up my worst memories, probably to throw me off balance. But I think she stumbled onto something she wasn't prepared for."
Tony's expression shifted slightly, turning from amused sarcasm to growing unease. "Yeah, yeah, I remember. She poked the 'all of humanity's evil' button. Took a detour through the world's darkest filing cabinet. What's your point?"
Rin leaned in. "My point is—reality warping, combined with Angra Mainyu, the physical embodiment of all human malice, corruption, and hatred, is not a survivable combination."
Tony's smirk faltered. He looked down at the note again.
"Oh," he said. The tone was suddenly flat. His voice quieted. "Yeah. That... doesn't sound so good when you say it like that."
"No," Rin said softly. "It doesn't."
He turned to glance back at Wanda—still unconscious in the med bay, surrounded by worried teammates and glowing red energy that refused to sit still.
"You're telling me that god-level reality warping just came face-to-face with a literal evil god... and now the two are mingling in her subconscious like it's a dinner party."
"That's the optimistic version," Rin muttered. "Worst case? It's already begun to corrupt her."
Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "So what you're saying is: we're one panic attack away from this girl rewriting the laws of physics, morality, and probably gravity."
"And possibly turning the entire planet inside out in the process," Rin added helpfully.
"Fantastic." Tony looked at her again, deadpan. "You know, this is why I stopped going to Vegas. Every time I think I'm gambling with odds I understand, someone shows up and rewrites the game."
Rin offered a faint smirk, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You wanted a project. Now you've got one."
Tony folded the note and tucked it into his pocket. "Yeah, well... let's hope we've got time to figure out the rules before she changes the whole board."
They stood there for a moment in shared silence, both watching the flickering lights dance across Wanda's pale skin. Whatever came next—they would have to face it together.
Or at least, Rin hoped so.
She hesitated, then added under her breath, "Hey... just to be cautious, can you do something for me?"
Tony turned to her with a questioning look. "I'm listening."
..........
Meanwhile, back in the living room, the rest of the Avengers remained deep in discussion. Jarvis worked in the background, attempting to decode the unstable energy patterns surrounding Wanda. Lines of code flickered across projected panels as the AI struggled to keep up with the anomalies.
The team tried to maintain some sense of normalcy. Pietro sat at the edge of the couch, talking about random topics with Steve and Bruce—like how his speed had recently increased and what might be causing it.
"I'm telling you," Pietro said, tapping his temple, "ever since that last pulse wave from Wanda, it's like something in me broke a limiter."
"Or pushed one," Bruce replied, scratching his chin. "If her energy affected your cellular metabolism, it might've unlocked latent potential. Could be a mutation trigger."
"Or a countdown," Steve muttered, just loud enough.
Pietro shot him a look. "Not helpful, Cap."
"Sorry," Steve said, sighing. "I just… we've all seen what happens when unchecked power spreads."
Natasha listened in from the corner, arms crossed, silently assessing everyone's mood. She didn't speak, but her sharp eyes caught every flicker of hesitation, every twitch of doubt.
They were trying to lift the atmosphere.
But it wasn't working.
The memory of Wanda's last berserk episode—the one that led to the disappearance of an entire city—still loomed large. It lingered in the air like smoke from a fire not fully extinguished. Every smile felt forced. Every laugh brittle. The shadow of what might come next made every breath feel heavier than the last.
And in the center of it all, in a room behind reinforced glass and magical containment runes, Wanda Maximoff lay unconscious—still glowing, still pulsing with a power no one truly understood.
And now, perhaps, something even darker stirred within her.
..............
Rin and Tony entered the main room to address the others, ready to share their findings. But before a word could be spoken, Wanda's body began to convulse violently. Red lightning cracked in the air, and an eerie black sludge condensed around her containment chamber, creeping like ink in water.
Whispers filled the air—distorted, overlapping voices in a language that clawed at the edges of sanity. Most couldn't understand them, but Rin's blood ran cold. One phrase echoed clearly in her mind:
Rin's eyes widened. "No..." she breathed.
Wanda's body arched, energy surging—and then, suddenly, silence.
A golden portal opened beneath her.
Wanda vanished.
Before panic could erupt, a calm voice resonated directly into the minds of everyone in the room. It was firm, ancient, layered with immeasurable power.
"This is the Ancient One. She has been taken to the Mirror Dimension. You have thirty minutes before containment fails. I will transport her to a barren world. Prepare yourselves. A portal will open soon."
The Avengers looked around, stunned.
Steve whispered, "Who the hell was that?"
"I know that voice," Rin said, her own voice trembling. "The Ancient One. Master of the Mystic Arts."
Tony's brow furrowed. "Wait, who the hell is the Ancient One?"
"Master of the Mystic Arts," Rin repeated.
Tony blinked. "Yeah, you said that already. Doesn't explain anything. Sounds like a magician with a PR team."
Rin exhaled, tone clipped. "I'll explain later. Right now, we need to move."
Suddenly, Jarvis chimed in. "Miss Tohsaka, the package you requested has arrived."
The others turned to her, confused.
Without a word, Rin walked over to the box and carefully opened it. Inside, nestled in velvet, was a dagger—ornate, etched with ancient runes, its hilt encrusted with red stones. It shimmered with a quiet menace, more artifact than weapon.
She gripped it tightly, turning to the others, who remained stunned.
"You heard the voice," she said, eyes cold and resolute. "Get ready. I'll explain everything once we're through."
The Avengers finally stirred, moving to gear up with practiced efficiency. Still seated on the edge of the sofa, Rin gazed down at the dagger in her hand, her expression unreadable.
Wanda's last words echoed in her skull like a curse:
Ÿ̸́ͅe̴̡̐͊̐̃ͅẗ̸̛͇̤́̄͝,̴͚͇̩̕ ̸͖̤̦́͒̐͝t̷̘͇̊͋͐̚h̸͉̍ö̴̼̪͖̳̔ú̷͇̙͔͜g̶̗͋͑h̵͉̃̈̚͠ ̶̫̽́̃͠s̴̨̞̿̒͆ȩ̴̙̮̚̕ͅř̶̠̼͕̉̄ṽ̸͎̣̊̃̎e̸̩͑͗̐͋s̶̜͕̜̃͋̆ ̵̡̂ẅ̷̤͉i̸̞̖͆̓t̸̳̞̑͝h̷̦̏͂̔͝ ̵͍̟͓͐t̴͚͈̥̥͊͆̉̚h̴͎̤̉i̶̘̐͑̈͐ñ̶͈̥̍̓͝è̸̳͇̰̽͌̅ ̵̭̺̈̕ͅę̸̳̬̖͊́̂ỳ̵̬̘̳̈́ȩ̴̧̤̹͌̌͊̊s̴͓͇͈̗̄͘ ̵̧͚̳̲̄̏̕͘c̵̣̜̓͋l̸̰͓̒ǒ̵̻͎͓̗̔ù̴͙̐d̴̤̜̓e̵̘̲̪͂̌̍d̵̢̩̥̎̀̃͘ ̴̌ͅi̷͓̥̤͐̈́̓n̴̘̖̔͆̐̏ ̸͕͕̼̃͜c̷̗̤̖͓̄͊̄h̶̘̹͊̈́̅͠à̴̠̳̫̊̽o̷̖̯͉͒̎s̶̼͘
̷̬͛͐̆̿͜T̸̯̺͊̓̽͜h̴̡̛̛̪̙̀ò̶̥̫́̔̕ű̴̱̑́̿,̵̩̯̊̕ ̵̹̗̮͒̅b̸̜͎͍̙̕o̴̩̳͋̃̃ȕ̴̫͇̂̑͝n̸͎̭̲͒͠d̴̡̡̘͋̅ ̸͕͙̽̅͆i̶̡̬̿͋͝n̶̠̗͛̉́͐ ̶͖̉̌ṯ̴̠̖̬̀͘h̴̳̞̒͘e̵̛̳͋̅̑ ̸̮̯̋͌̎́c̸̘̏́̕a̷͐̍ͅģ̶̨̞̮͒̆̚e̴̢͍͖̎̎͜ ̷̡̼̹̉̀o̴̦̎̓͠f̴̩̺͈̀̚ ̷̩̥̽̈̋͝m̷͔̲̮̐͠a̷̲̭̮̥̿͒̋ḏ̴͖́̒̑̈́ń̷͎̮̜e̷͓̤͉̰͋̄͛͝s̶̠̝̖̝̀̕s̵̺̜̰͕͊̀͋̾.̸̺̜͛
̴̜̖͓̐̈I̶̬̾͛ ̷͖̖̟͂̏͑ͅà̴̯̙̺̃̎͜m̵̡̎ ̵̗̜̑̆̕h̴̡̳͇̲̿̈́̊̂ȇ̶̻̍́͘ ̵̺̟̆͘w̸̟̓̇͋h̵͇̼͉̎̈́̋o̸̙̯͌͑̔̅ ̸͍̂̀c̴͙̲͒́͠ơ̸̯̻̠͂͋ͅm̶͍͌̾̌̚m̸͉̞̭̃a̷͓̾̆̈ǹ̶̟̇̕͝d̸̢͔̀̉̀ ̴̨̓t̷̫̚h̶̝̰͍̲̊͝͝ȅ̴̢̆́̈s̵̢͖̔͝ẻ̷͇̃̉͜ ̴̥͐͜c̴̝̩̒h̶͓͓̥͍̐̈́̉̋a̶͚̜͓̲͆̀͝ó̸̤̩̯̳̾͂s̶͈̈́̾̀
̷̛̩͐
̵̘̝̯̬̓F̸̛̩͔̔̄͠r̸̻̬̻̟̐̃́͠o̵̧̩̺̎̽m̵̠̬̻̾̔̂ ̸̯̥̭̘̈̎͌͒t̷̯͇̠̅̚h̵͓͆͆̑e̶̟͐ ̶̲͉̏̌S̸̖̑͋̾̕e̴̜̊v̸̰̲͉̗͐̅̓ë̷̱̓͘͠n̵̢̼͒̒̈́ṯ̸̌̀̆̈́h̸̲̭̎̒ ̸̺͉̣̖̀̉̈́̄H̵̨̖͑ͅe̶̡͔͎̬͗̔ă̶̛̠̙̑̒v̴̯͉̠͠e̷̥͉̲̲̒̉͂̕ň̶̻͊̽͜͜͝,̵͇̬͎̫̋̌̂̕ ̸̞̉â̷̟̋͂ṯ̴̰̭̄t̶̘̙̎̇̌̿e̷̢̟̹͆͘n̶̛̳̣̈́͆d̷̺̆̓̊ë̷̤̬́d̶̛͇͔̅̊̐ ̶̧̣͔͒̽t̸̫͖͖̂͋ȏ̸͍̻̌͝ ̷̱͝b̶̡̻͔͌̽̿y̸͇͖̫̋ͅ ̵͙̺̋̉ͅt̴̠̼̰͔̿̍ȟ̴͓̊ŗ̶͆ͅë̷́͜ě̸̗͚̦̻͊͛̉ ̷͔̝͕̟̅̃g̵̨͌́̇r̸̡̖͊̅͌̎ě̴̦̹͛ę̴̥̘̊̚t̸̮̊̈́͘ ̸̣̄̓́ŵ̶̝̯̬̓͝o̵̙͚͉̮̒̂̑r̸͇̈́̕d̴̠͂s̷̰̖̙̀ ̴̜͈̥͈̔o̴̢͉̮͋̅f̶͔̬̥̲̀͐̐ ̴̧̱̹͂̓̚p̴̧̮͎̆͑̿ọ̷̇w̷̹̽̈́ẹ̸̝̐r̷̪̙̍,̵̝̱̄̂̈́͊
̷͔̭̩̺͑̚͠Ç̴͕̯͆͂o̶̳̮̹͘m̶̡͖̞͔̍͐͗̚ę̸̛͓̉̽̓ ̶̞͕̰̓̋̐̀f̵̝̝̏ö̶̺̘̟̗̿̚r̸͗͋ͅt̷̯͓̳̿h̸̍̽̄ͅ ̷̧̈̓̒f̵̨̧̓ŗ̷̉̆͊̕ȯ̸͉̍͆̑m̴̨̡̖̘̋̈͠ ̶̛͇̖t̷̘͆̃h̴͚̓̈́ḛ̵̛͔͙̬̍͑̀ ̵̰̮̀r̴̨̧̝͍̀į̵͎̝̩̽ń̵͓̬̳g̷̼͙̺̀͠͝ ̶̬̭̳͂͆o̶̯͕͚̒͘f̶̩̾̏͂ ̸̛͉̣̀̚͠r̵̢̦̀͗̋̓e̵̻͊s̴̮̘̱̃̇͝͠t̷̹͂̐̉͘ṙ̵̥̃̕a̸̼̾͜ị̵͚͕̥̋̉̒̓n̸̻͛̉͝t̶̹̗̖̓̎̓͝ͅs̵̨͇̞͙̈̇̀,̶͚͔̖̕
̶̡̛̰̝̾͜P̵̭̘͎̈́r̷̲̪̻̹͗͐͊̔o̸̡̞̙̯̿̾̒͗t̸͇̮̗̋͗̎̋ͅę̷͑c̶͇͈̱̺̓͌t̸̢̼̎ǫ̷̨͓̫́́̈̌ŗ̸̯͇̙̌ ̶͖͈̯̜̈́͋͑̋o̴̫͔̎̽f̷̳͈̙̯̑ ̴̠̻͚͌̆t̴͍̣̣̒̂͂ḧ̷̳́̐̚̚e̶̦̾͗ ̷̞̻͎̊̇H̴̛͎͙̅͊͗o̷̪̻͆͛̈́l̷̥̺̫̑͋̐͜ý̶͕͔͗̈́͘͜ ̴̡̧̤͍̐͒́͠B̷̙̹̆a̶̡͉͘l̴̛̰̳̯͓̊a̷̹̘̲̮͋̚ñ̸̳͕̮c̶̛͕͉̟̺̽é̵͓̄͂̽!̸̨̮͛̔ ̶̣̄͐
And Rin knew—this was only the beginning.