The Scarlet Apprentice 2: The Multiverse Between Us

Illusions

Daisys hand remained loosely around y/n's wrist as they walked through the halls of the dark building to ensure that the two wouldn't split up. Whatever room they passed, they both glanced into it with curiosity as well as the urge to find their lost teammates.

After being disappointed by the few empty rooms they passed, y/n's eyes lit up when she finally saw someone standing in one of the rooms. So, with a little excited gasp, she grabbed daisys arm and held her back.

"Bucky?" She squinted into the room, "it's Bucky."

"Mack." Daisy noticed as she looked down the hall.

"What?" Y/n turned her head to look at daisy.

"Mack's down there." She explained, "wait here, I'll get him."

"Stick with him when you get there." Y/n ordered before turning into the room back to look at the man in the middle of it. "Bucky? Hey, hey." She smiled as she made her way over to what she knew was the real Bucky. "Are you alright?"

"I've been trying to find you guys, this place is a nightmare." He told her, "are you alright? You're limping, you need to sit down."

"No, Bucky, I'm fine, I promise. It's Agatha, she's controlling all of this." Y/n explained, "she's here Bucky- she's got to be."

"How do you know that? How do you know that it's not just another illusion?" He asked.

"I can feel her around me."

"Where is she, y/n?"

"I don't- I don't know, Bucky." She dropped her shoulders as she sighed.

"I'm right here, y/n." The witches voice called.

Y/n immediately turned - then saw the witch slowly emerging from the darkness. However, before she could say anything back, she noticed the slightest glitch coming from the side of the figure, so her plans changed.

Bucky - also noticing the glitch - instantly held his hand out in a panic. "It's not real."

"No, I know." She caught her breath quietly while she looked. "I know- but she can't be far, right?"

"It's a trap, y/n, don't let yourself fall for it."

"I won't, I'll just-..." she thought as she began bringing out the lights from her veins.

Then, before y/n could move herself out of her spot to attack Agatha, she was forcefully thrown out of it by the soldier who pushed his way through the doors. Bucky instantly backed up the moment he saw the old version of himself, while y/n dug her charged hand into the ground to stop herself from hitting the wall.

Even when she finally stopped moving, she kept her hand dug into the ground while her blue energy swarmed at her fingertips.

"Alright." She panted once she'd stopped moving. While lightly blowing the loose strands of hair out of her face, y/n scowled up at the enemy. "That's enough."

While still kneeling on the ground at the furthest spot away from the two Bucky's, she forced a blast out of her hand; a blast so powerful that it knocked the winter soldier through the wall until he slid across the floor at the other side of the building.

The anger and frustration remained on her face as she forced herself to a stand and paced over to Bucky. She had very little patience left, and Bucky could tell that from the way she walked and the look in her eye.

"Y/n, are you okay?" He asked her with worry.

"Buck, I need you to stand back." She warned him without any further explanation, "and don't try to argue with me, I'm not risking you getting hurt."

Before she could assign him the safest place to stand at, she felt her powers summoning in her hands as if they were aching to leave her body. They were the built up remains waiting to bring wanda back to her, and they were practically pulling y/n to the centre of the room.

The moment Bucky saw what was taking over her, he backed up until he hit the wall, then he ducked behind whatever kind of protection he could do he wouldn't be in the way of danger. Y/n - who was still being driven by her energy - stopped in the centre of the room and grounded her feet once again for assurance.

After tightening and preparing almost every muscle in her body, she stretched her hands out to her side and raised herself to hover above the floor. The blue glow carried her into the air and held her in place while she looked up at the ceiling, and forced out everything she could.

The blue magic flew from her faster than she could see, but she could feel the relief as it slipped out of her veins. It slithered into the cracks into the ceilings, the cracks in the walls, and the small, accidental cracks in the reality.

Her energy snuck it's way into any passage it found, lighting up the halls as it soared through them. The remaining agents on the team who were scattered around the building saw the blue light, no matter how far away they were, and they used it as a beacon to know where their team members were.

A wind gushed around y/n where she hovered, but it didn't knock her out of her position in the air. Her muscles tensed more as her veins released whatever they could in that moment - and soon, she began to feel the air around her breaking.

As the cracks in reality formed around her, she finally began to feel the strain her efforts were causing. She slowly allowed herself to stand back on the ground as she relaxed her arms and stopped draining herself off her power.

With a deep sigh, she dropped her arms and stumbled backwards, where she was held up nicely by Bucky who left his spot and headed behind her when he saw her coming back to the ground.

While gently grabbing his arm, she looked at him in disbelief, "Bucky, I told you to stay back there. Do you know how dangerous it was for you to be this close?"

"I'm alive, aren't I?" He smirked to her.

She dropped her expression to a blank stare. "That's not the point."

"Do you feel any different?" Bucky asked.

She thought for a moment, "I think I do?"

Not only did she feel the dismantling of the many walls around them, but she also felt as though she'd knocked something greater from its position of power. What she didn't know was that Agatha had been there the whole time, pulling at the strings of whoever she decided to drag out of the multiverse. But, when y/n had finally let her true potential shine, it forced Agatha out of control, and shut down the gateway from their two worlds.

Of course, Agatha fled to the darkness the moment she didn't have as much power, but she didn't have time to check the traces she left behind.