Marvel : I'm in Westview Town

My God, what is that..."

In the white spiritual realm, Stephen Strange stood frozen, his sharp features contorted in shock.

It was as if he had witnessed something beyond comprehension.

In the distance, as his perspective zoomed in, a swirling mass of dark energy coiled upon itself, the turbulent black mist radiating a menacing aura.

The sheer malevolence emanating from within howled with demonic whispers, sending chills through the air.

"So, he really is a sorcerer..."

Stephen muttered to himself.

Whoosh!!!

Suddenly, the cloud of darkness surged upward, expanding like a living entity, and the entire spiritual realm trembled violently.

"Was I discovered?"

Stephen immediately sensed that his presence had been noticed.

He shut his eyes, inhaling deeply, willing himself to return to his physical body. Though only seconds might have passed in the real world, getting caught in this realm could be disastrous.

However, as his eyes fluttered open, he was met with the same blinding whiteness. His heart clenched in realization.

The greatest risk of astral projection was encountering a mind powerful enough to ensnare one's soul indefinitely. If that happened, the body left behind in the real world would become nothing more than a lifeless husk.

Stephen steadied himself, clenched his fists, and tried once more to break free.

Yet, when his eyes opened again, the suffocating white world remained unchanged. No sound from the outside world reached him.

A ripple of unease crept into his chest. He had only intended to probe for information—

But he had underestimated his opponent.

"Damn it!"

At that moment, the entire spiritual plane convulsed.

Stephen snapped his gaze upward.

The black mist in the distance had begun shifting, coalescing into a massive form. Within seconds, it had transformed into the shape of a dragon—its serpentine body twisting through the air, ancient and terrifying.

The beast's scales glistened like obsidian, and its piercing eyes glowed like dying embers. With a roar that sent shockwaves through the space, it dived toward him, its abyssal maw stretching wide to consume him whole.

"Shit!"

Stephen knew this was all an illusion—

But the suffocating pressure of the dragon's presence was real.

Terror seeped into his bones, raw and primal.

A heartbeat later, darkness swallowed him whole.

A cold, suffocating void enveloped his being, an endless abyss into which he plunged. There was no ground, no walls, no end—just a relentless fall into oblivion.

For the first time, Stephen Strange knew fear in its purest form. Even knowing that this was an illusion did nothing to quell the dread gripping his soul.

Meanwhile, in the real world.

"Stephen?"

Wanda Maximoff furrowed her brows as she watched the two men standing motionless, their fingers barely touching.

Something was wrong.

Her gaze sharpened on Stephen's vacant, glassy eyes and Finn's equally stiff expression.

Her expression darkened, and scarlet energy crackled at her fingertips. Without hesitation, she thrust her palm against Stephen's chest, her voice cool and edged with warning.

"Stephen. Wake up."

Whoosh!

A surge of crimson energy coursed through his body.

Stephen's lifeless eyes snapped open.

His first instinct was to yank his hand away from Finn, staggering backward in visible shock.

Bracing his hands on his knees, he inhaled sharply, sweat trickling down his temple. His chest heaved, and his mind reeled from the lingering nightmare.

"Cough, cough..."

At the same time, Finn gasped as he came to, his pale face somehow looking even more drained.

"Finn, are you alright?"

Wanda reached for him, her fingers brushing against his icy skin. "Your hands are freezing."

Finn coughed weakly, his gaze unfocused. "Witch... what just happened? I think I was dreaming... or something."

"It was Stephen."

Wanda's voice turned sharp as her crimson eyes flickered toward the sorcerer, who was still catching his breath.

In the blink of an eye—

Whoosh!

Scarlet energy flared as Wanda's figure blurred. Within a heartbeat, she was in front of Stephen, her fingers tightening around his throat.

She lifted him off the ground with one hand.

"Agh—! Wanda, wait—!"

Stephen's eyes widened as he met Wanda's cold, merciless gaze.

A very bad feeling crept up his spine.

Scarlet Witch—especially when provoked—was not someone he wanted to fight.

"Stephen. We're friends. I want to believe you're still my friend."

Wanda's voice was low, but dangerous. Her glowing eyes burned with fury. "But why don't you respect Finn?"

Scarlet light tightened around his throat.

"I know you wanted to test his power. But you had no right to hurt him."

Stephen's mind raced.

Yes, he had intended to probe Finn's background—but somehow, he had been the one to suffer instead.

His hands shook slightly as the phantom sensation of the black mist still lingered on his skin.

"Wanda—listen. I swear, I didn't do anything. I just took a look..."

Finn, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

"Wanda, it's alright. Stephen didn't mean to hurt me. Let him go."

His voice was soft but firm.

He appreciated Wanda's fierce protectiveness, but he preferred the gentle, kind-hearted version of her.

With a reluctant sigh—

Boom!

Wanda released Stephen, letting him drop unceremoniously onto the ground.

"Never again."

She warned.

Stephen rubbed his sore neck, an odd mixture of frustration and gratitude filling him. He hadn't expected Wanda to react so strongly in Finn's defense.

Then, the memory of the black mist flashed in his mind. That overwhelming, nightmarish presence...

His expression turned serious as he turned toward Finn.

"Actually... I need to ask you something."

Finn tilted his head slightly.

Stephen's voice was measured. "When I entered your spiritual world, I saw something... A mass of black mist. It radiated dark magic. Do you practice sorcery?"

Finn hesitated—just for a fraction of a second.

"I don't know. Maybe it's just backlash from studying the Darkhold."

The words rolled off his tongue effortlessly.

By saying this, he subtly shifted the suspicion away from himself.

"Wait a minute—"

Stephen's eyes narrowed. "You studied the Darkhold?"

Wanda interjected, arms crossed. "We found it in the hands of a dark witch."

Stephen's frown deepened. "You two—listen to me. The Darkhold grants power, yes. But I've read ancient texts... those who study it risk becoming sacrifices to the Elder God Chthon."

Wanda's eyes widened. "What?!"

"It's just a legend," Stephen admitted. "But no one can say for sure that it won't happen."

The vision of Finn's overwhelming power in the church, the black mist—it all pointed to one thing.

"The Darkhold... is dangerous."

A new voice cut in.

Wong stepped forward, his expression grave.

"But Wanda, with Chaos Magic in your veins, you may be the only one who can wield it safely."

"But Finn, you should stop practicing."

The Sorcerer Supreme said seriously.

Hearing what the two said, Wanda nodded. After all, Kamar-Taj was the most powerful and righteous magical organization on Earth. They wouldn't deceive them about something so crucial.

Moreover, deep down, she already knew the truth. Ever since she touched the Darkhold last night, she had felt the unmistakable presence of dark magic seeping into her.

"Finn, can you tell me how long you have been practicing spells from the Darkhold?"

Doctor Strange looked puzzled before stating the purpose of his question. "If you've been exposed for too long, it's best to perform an exorcism to sever Chthon's influence before he takes hold of you."

"That would be the safest course of action," Wong agreed, nodding.

Judging from what they had seen in the other dimension, they were convinced Finn had been practicing the Darkhold for a long time. Prolonged exposure to the book would erode one's mind, making sacrifices inevitable.

However, Finn's answer completely stunned them.

"I only started learning last night."

"Wait a minute—" Strange blinked in disbelief. "You started learning the Darkhold last night? Which spells did you master?"

He was shocked, even questioning if he had misheard.

Learning from the Darkhold overnight, then pulling off a nuclear-level destruction of an alternate dimension the next day? That was absurd.

As Kamar-Taj's most talented sorcerer in a century, Strange refused to believe it. "Finn, this is serious. Don't joke."

"I'm not joking. I literally found the Darkhold yesterday."

Finn had no reason to lie. There was no point in hiding his abilities now.

"He's telling the truth," Wanda confirmed, hugging Finn proudly. "I was there when he found it. He read it once and understood it instantly. Finn has extraordinary abilities!"

"This is impossible…"

Doctor Strange felt his worldview shatter. The Ancient One had once called him a genius, someone with talent surpassing most of Kamar-Taj's history.

And yet, here stood someone even more monstrous.

Unwilling to accept it, he asked again, "How much did you learn?"

"About half," Finn replied casually. "When I fought Carat just now, I used every spell I learned—everything came from the Darkhold."

His words were like a sledgehammer, crushing Strange's self-esteem. Even if the first half of the Darkhold was considered the "easy" part, mastering it in a single night was still a feat beyond comprehension.

Strange recalled how he had spent three days just learning the Sling Ring teleportation spell.

"Stephen, just accept it," Wong said, laughing at his friend's frustration. "There are many prodigies in this world."

Then, turning to Finn, he asked, "Are you interested in coming to Kamar-Taj to study magic?"

"No thanks," Finn rejected outright. "Wanda told me that once you go to Kamar-Taj, you have to follow strict rules, isolate yourself, and lose all distractions. I prefer my freedom."

He had no interest in spending his days surrounded by old men, training in freezing winds every morning, waking up early, and having zero interaction with women.

Sleeping in a shared dormitory in a closed-off monastery? No thanks.

"I'd rather stay with Finn," Wanda interjected, tightening her hold on him and making her stance clear to Wong.

"Everyone has their own path," Strange said with a slight sigh, though he couldn't help but feel regretful.

It was a loss. If Finn had trained in Kamar-Taj, he would've become an invaluable force for sorcerers across dimensions.

But just like the Ancient One, Strange understood that some things were beyond his control. One man alone could not hold back the darkness forever.

Suddenly—

"Cough… cough…"

A ragged sound echoed from a few feet away.

The apostle Carat, still barely alive, struggled to lift himself off the ground, holding onto his torn body as he stood up shakily.

But as soon as he raised his head, he was met with several pairs of cold, unforgiving eyes. The most terrifying gaze belonged to a crimson figure, whose mere presence made his blood freeze.

It felt like the Devil itself had emerged from Hell.

"Let's… let's talk about this…"

Carat collapsed back onto the ground, begging for mercy.

"Wanda, let Strange deal with him," Finn said, gently taking her hand. "I like the warm and soft Wanda, not a cold-blooded one."

"Mm."

With his words, Wanda nodded and reluctantly withdrew her killing intent, though she still shot Carat one last chilling glare.

Kamar-Taj had strict punishments for dark sorcerers.

"You two, we'll meet again," Strange said as golden light surrounded his fingers. He conjured a binding spell around Carat and then looked around at the unconscious dreamwalkers scattered across the battlefield. "The rest of them are yours to handle."

"Stephen, we still need to head west to find the Sorcerer," Wong reminded.

"Almost forgot about them."

With that, Strange opened a portal and stepped through, taking Carat with him.

Not long after they left, agents from S.W.O.R.D. swarmed the area. Director Hayward himself had come to assess the situation.

The incident was too significant. Too many people had gone missing, and the nature of the attack was far beyond conventional understanding. Higher-ups demanded immediate attention, forcing Hayward to act personally.

Finn and Wanda gave them a brief explanation before departing, dropping Josie off at her home along the way.

—

Once they returned home—

"Finally, some peace…" Finn groaned, collapsing onto the soft couch, taking a deep breath, exhaustion visible on his face.

He was genuinely tired. The master of the house needed his rest.

"Finn, are you sure you're okay?" Wanda asked, concern laced in her voice as she sat beside him.

"I'm fine, just need some sleep." He smiled reassuringly. "Don't overthink it, Witch. I'll take a shower first, then we can sleep together to recharge."

He stretched, stood up, kissed Wanda's smooth forehead, and grabbed his clothes before heading to the bathroom.

In the living room, Wanda remained seated, staring blankly at the floor.

"It's my fault…"

She thought about how Finn had put on a carefree act earlier, only to suppress his exhaustion.

She clenched her fists.

Damn that apostle Carat…

Recalling how the sorcerer had nearly hurt Finn, she felt rage bubble inside her. Scarlet energy flickered around her fingers before fully engulfing her body.

Then, in a flash of red light, she disappeared from the house.

A red streak soared across the sky, heading west.

—

Just as the red light faded beyond the horizon—

The bathroom door creaked open.

"Sigh… That witch never listens."

Finn stepped out, gazing at the now-empty living room. He shook his head helplessly.

He knew Wanda would go after Carat.

She never tolerated anyone hurting those she loved.

Even Strange had almost gotten a taste of her wrath today.

"Foolish little witch… I won't let you stain your hands with more blood."

With a wave of his hand, shadows wrapped around his body, forming a dark, ancient-style coat.

The bathroom lights flickered, then dimmed into darkness.

And with it, Finn's figure vanished into the night.

-------

1st Bonus Chapter - 500 Power Stones

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