---
Stephen noticed Finn's intense gaze and instinctively shifted to block his view of the cage.
"Finn, I just got back, and I'm starving. How about we grab a al together?" Stephen suggested.
"Stephen, it's barely past five. It's still early."
"It's getting late enough. My treat."
Finn smirked. "Well, if you're offering..."
"Ahem, but let's not go overboard," Stephen muttered, already regretting his offer.
The others didn't object, especially Spider-Man—Garfield—who had been starving for a while and was eager to fill his stomach.
"Do you guys have any extra clothes? Mine aren't exactly in great shape."
Garfield looked down at his suit, tattered and covered in scuff marks, dust clinging to every inch. He looked completely worn out.
"I got this," Stephen said, raising a hand to cast a spell.
Before he could, however, another hand moved first. A golden glow flashed, and Garfield's torn suit instantly transford into a sleek leather jacket.
"Thanks, Finn." Garfield's eyes widened in surprise and admiration.
Stephen lowered his hand and frowned. "Finn, since when did you start casting spells? That was an advanced technique. You make it look effortless."
"Just this morning. I saw so interesting spells in your library, so I figured I'd learn them."
Finn said it so casually, as if he were talking about sothing trivial.
Peter Parker's eyes widened. "Wait, Finn learned that just by looking? Stephen, do you have any other spells lying around? Because I wanna learn, too!"
Stephen sighed. "That depends on your ability, Peter. You should probably focus on perfecting your webbing first."
"I already got webbing down! C'mon, teach so magic!" Peter's excitent was palpable, his hands already twitching in anticipation.
Wanda, standing nearby, slipped an arm around Finn, tilting her head slightly. "Finn has an uncanny talent for magic. He just glances at a spell, and suddenly, he knows it. That's sothing no one else can replicate."
Her voice was filled with admiration, and the deep affection in her eyes was unmistakable.
"I wouldn't go that far," Stephen muttered, though deep down, he had to admit Finn's learning ability was remarkable. That was one of the reasons he had allowed Finn access to the Sanctum.
"Tch, Finn is the most impressive man I've ever t," Wanda declared.
Finn turned to her with a smirk. "Oh? In what way, exactly?"
His face leaned in slightly, their bodies almost touching.
"I... I an... in every way!" Wanda stamred, her face turning crimson. Her earlobes burned as she tried to push him away, but Finn's strong hands tightened around her waist.
"Finn, there are people around," Wanda whispered, her gaze sharp. "If you don't behave, I might just bite."
Finn chuckled, eting her fiery gaze. He playfully tapped her nose before finally letting her go. "Alright, alright. Let's go eat."
---
Open-Air Restaurant - Balcony
The late afternoon sun filtered through the umbrella shades, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves. The place was simple—minimalist decor, a few wooden tables, cups and napkins neatly placed. Nothing extravagant.
"This is where you're taking us? Kinda underwhelming, don't you think?" Finn glanced around, unimpressed.
Stephen shrugged. "Kamar-Taj has limited funding. You'll have to deal with it."
"Seriously? The Sanctum is in the middle of New York, and you're telling you guys don't have money?"
"It's not like that," Stephen replied, looking slightly amused. "The Sanctum isn't a business. It's been passed down for generations. No profit, no revenue—just knowledge and protection."
Finn scoffed. "Maybe you guys should apply for so governnt funding."
The thought amused him, considering he rembered a ti when Stephen and Wong had to scrape together enough cash to buy sandwiches.
After a short wait, the food arrived. Though it wasn't anything luxurious, the portions were generous, and the aroma alone was enough to make their stomachs growl.
Stephen smirked at everyone's eager expressions. He and Wong had eaten here often—because it was cheap.
Wanda leaned closer to Finn. "Rember to bring so food back for Gwen."
Finn nodded. "Right. We should order extra."
Stephen patted his wallet and hesitated. "Uh... maybe not too much extra."
Finn arched an eyebrow. "You really might need that governnt grant."
---
The Fake Scarlet Witch
Halfway through their al, Finn's expression darkened. "By the way, while you were gone, the counterfeit Wanda showed up."
Stephen's posture stiffened. "What did she want?"
"Not sure," Finn said, voice low. "But she was powerful. Wanda fought her before."
Wanda nodded grimly. "She's mastered the Darkhold's magic. Her strength is... unnatural."
Stephen exhaled, deep in thought. "That's worse than I expected."
"You have no idea," Finn muttered. "In her own universe, she wiped out Kamar-Taj. Massacred them."
Stephen's expression darkened. "And the Sanctum's library?"
"Almost destroyed." Finn's voice was grave. "If she was looking for sothing, she didn't find it."
A heavy silence settled over the table.
Stephen rubbed his temples. "Looks like we're dealing with a serious threat."
Finn nodded. "Yeah. And sothing tells we haven't seen the worst of it yet."
---
If Stephen knew, I really don't know what kind of reaction he would have.
"However, Finn, you said earlier that the counterfeit Wanda was targeting Kamar-Taj, but I never encountered her."
Stephen set down his utensils and looked at Finn. "We're fully prepared."
"I'm also a little confused about what she's planning," Finn admitted, his brows furrowing. What was the witch after?
Kamar-Taj held imnse arcane power. Could she be after sothing hidden within? Yet, aside from her brief encounter with him that morning, there had been no major activity all day.
Just then—
Peter, who had been eating quietly, felt the compass in his pocket vibrate. The needle on its face trembled erratically.
He imdiately took it out and placed it on the table. "Guys, stop eating. Look at this!"
Spider-Man's voice was both excited and tense.
The group halted, turning their attention toward the device.
"It's a good al, but it seems we can't finish it in peace," Stephen sighed, a trace of frustration in his voice.
Why couldn't these things ever happen at a more convenient ti?
At that mont, the needle on the compass abruptly stopped shaking and pointed in a fixed direction.
Spider-Man stood up, eyes locked on the indicated path. "Right down that street."
Finn followed his gaze.
BOOM!!
A vortex of swirling black energy tore through the space ahead, sending debris flying. Torn newspapers whipped through the wind as the pavent cracked, collapsing into a massive crater.
From the rupture, a figure burst forth in a desperate sprint, moving so fast they were nearly a blur.
And chasing right behind—
A monstrous entity with a single massive eye, its grotesque form writhing with countless tentacles. Its skin shimred in a sickly blend of blue and crimson, pulsating with unnatural energy.
A Beholder.
A demon of imnse power, its very presence radiating a sense of suffocating dread. The vortex behind it slowly began to close.
The Beholder did not hesitate. It lashed out wildly with its massive tentacles, tearing through buildings and vehicles like paper. Cars crumpled and were hurled across the street, smashing into fleeing pedestrians.
Screams of terror filled the air.
"Help!"
"Sobody do sothing!"
"Run! Stop wasting ti!"
The open-air restaurant fell into chaos. Civilians scattered in all directions, abandoning their belongings as they desperately fled.
Only Finn's group remained, unmoving amidst the chaos.
The ground rumbled with a deep, guttural roar, an impending sense of doom washing over the city.
"What is that?" Wanda rose from her seat, her hands glowing faintly as she prepared to intervene.
"Wait."
Finn caught Wanda's wrist, his eyes narrowing as he studied the scene. "That thing... it's a Beholder from the Nightmare Dinsion."
He recognized it imdiately—this was the sa creature that had appeared in the multiversal conflict involving Arica Chavez.
A deep unease settled in his gut. Sothing was wrong. He had never felt such a foreboding sensation before.
"Is your world always this chaotic?" Garfield's Spider-Man gawked at the destruction.
"These things mostly co from other universes," Peter replied casually, still watching the scene unfold. "But yeah, we just finished dealing with so alien invaders recently."
"Wait, what?!" Garfield's Spider-Man whipped his head around. "You fought aliens?"
"Yep. And I handled them pretty well."
Garfield's Spider-Man looked genuinely stunned. He had never even seen an alien, let alone fought one.
"Alright, let take care of this. You all stay put."
Stephen calmly wiped his mouth with a napkin, then rose from his seat. Stepping onto the restaurant's edge, he flicked his wrist.
A golden glow shimred across his body. In an instant, his casual attire transford into the Sorcerer Supre's robes, the Cloak of Levitation billowing behind him.
Without another word, he soared into the air, heading straight for the creature.
"Stephen's always been that arrogant," Wanda muttered, shaking her head. "Let him handle it."
Despite his arrogance, there was no denying his strength.
"We might as well relax for a mont," Finn said, leaning back.
He was curious—just how powerful was Stephen at this stage?
His eyes drifted back to the Beholder.
Sothing didn't add up. In his mory, the Beholder had appeared alongside Arica Chavez. But she was nowhere in sight.
"That's strange... she should've arrived with it."
Finn's gaze darted across the chaotic scene, scanning for the person who had erged first. But the destruction had obscured everything. He couldn't find them.
anwhile—
Stephen was already engaged in battle.
The air trembled as powerful magical forces clashed. Buildings that had remained untouched began to crumble under the force of their struggle.
"Chiiiii!!!"
The Beholder let out an ear-splitting screech, lifting a city bus as though it weighed nothing. It prepared to hurl it into the fleeing crowds.
"Look over here!"
Stephen seized the mont, weaving a spell with a flick of his hand. The bus instantly disassembled mid-air, its parts floating harmlessly to the ground, sparing the civilians.
Suddenly—
The Beholder lashed out with a massive tentacle, catching Stephen off guard. The blow sent him hurtling backward, crashing through a shop window in an explosion of shattered glass.
"Ugh..." Stephen groaned, pushing himself up from the wreckage. He shook off the debris, rubbing his temple. "Damn thing has too many arms."
Summoning his strength, he raised his hands, conjuring crimson chains of eldritch energy. The chains shot forward, wrapping around the Beholder, binding it in place.
"Raaaah!!!" The Beholder shrieked, its massive form thrashing violently, shaking the entire street.
Stephen didn't hesitate. Grabbing a fallen street pole, he channeled his magic into it and drove it straight into the Beholder's massive eye.
"WHOOOOSH!"
A deafening howl of agony echoed through the city.
The creature's rampage only intensified. The ground cracked beneath its weight, fissures spreading like spiderwebs.
Thankfully, the civilians had already been evacuated.
"Well, looks like we've got another creature for the Sanctum's lower halls," Stephen muttered, brushing off his sleeves as he approached the now-immobilized Beholder.
But just as he was about to secure it—
WHAM!
Two of the Beholder's tentacles burst free and slamd into him with crushing force.
Stephen was sent flying, crashing into the pavent with a heavy impact.
"Chiiiii!!!"
Wounded but still raging, the Beholder turned its attention toward a nearby bus. Lifting it effortlessly, it prepared to use it as a weapon.
And in that mont, the figure who had been hiding behind the bus was revealed.
A dark-skinned girl.
She wore a jacket adorned with a star symbol, her curly dark-brown hair framing her determined expression. Her deep brown eyes shone with both fear and resolve.
"It really is her..."
Finn, still watching from the restaurant, imdiately recognized her.
Arica Chavez.
There was no mistake.
She had appeared ahead of schedule.
Wait—
Could the fake Wanda have anticipated this?!
-
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