Agent 20: Astryd Carter (Descendant)

Astray in Solitary

Astryd's resolve began to solidify. She knew what she had to do, even though it tore her apart. With a heavy sigh, she whispered, "For Wanda's safety, for our love, I have to consider leaving as I have a reason now." Her heart ached so much that she didn't feel like leaving but what she saw pushed her to think of leaving.

Astryd's footsteps were heavy and slow as she made her way through the woods back to their cottage near the lake. The weight of what she had seen and the decision she was contemplating bore down on her, making each step feel like an unbearable burden.

Tears streamed down her face, her sobs escaping into the quiet of the forest. She couldn't hold them back any longer. The image of Wanda and Vision's kiss replayed in her mind like a cruel tormentor. It felt like a blade twisting in her heart, a pain that seemed almost physical.

She stopped intermittently, taking shaky breaths as she clutched herself tightly as if trying to hold the broken pieces of her heart together. The thought of leaving Wanda, the woman she loved more than anything in the world, was tearing her apart. It was a choice she never wanted to make, but the fear for Wanda's safety, combined with the misunderstanding and the complications of their powers, left her feeling like she had no other option.

Reaching the front of their cottage, Astryd collapsed onto the ground, the sobs wracking her body. She hugged her knees to her chest, her shoulders shaking with the intensity of her grief. The small cottage, which had been a haven of love and laughter for them, now felt like a prison of her own making. She stayed in their room to just memorize every wall and partition that printed in her mind beautiful memories and most especially Wanda's smile. It aches her very much. "I didn't feel this with my pasts. Is this so painful? Because it sucks." She slurries talking to herself, sitting beside their mattress. She saw something beneath the bed and took it. It was the video that Wanda and she argued before. She furrowed as she played it. Seeing the bad angle and remembers when was it. It was before they rescued the rest of her friends in the floating prison raft.

Astryd's mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions – love, sorrow, fear, and guilt all entangled together. She knew that if she left, it would be for Wanda's safety, but that knowledge didn't ease the pain in her heart.

For now, Astryd found herself perched by the dock at the edge of the serene lake, her arms wrapped tightly around her body, lost in the tumult of her emotions. The night had unfurled its dark tapestry, and the chilly breeze danced over the water's surface, mirroring the tempestuous whirlpool of thoughts and feelings within her.

Suddenly, a faint footstep roused Astryd from her trance, and she hurriedly wiped away the tears that had flowed unbidden for hours, ever since she had left Clint's farm. She sniffled a mixture of raw emotion and the frigid night air causing her nose to turn a shade of crimson.

As if to punctuate her fragile state, Astryd let out an involuntary sneeze. "Sorry," she mumbled, her voice nasal and strained.

Clint, having just settled down beside her, chuckled and stretched his arms out to ward off the cold. "You know, it's pretty chilly out here. Didn't think of bringing a beanie, did you? I've always known you're not one for cold resistance," he teased, giving Astryd a comforting pat on the back.

"I'll be fine, Clint," Astryd replied with a weak smile, sniffling once more as she spoke. Her voice carried the weight of her sorrow, but at least here, with Clint's presence, she felt a glimmer of warmth amidst the encroaching cold. 

Astryd managed a faint smile, but her eyes bore the weight of a pain that words couldn't convey. Here, on the edge of the world, in the company of an old friend, she grappled with her emotions, caught in a whirlwind of despair and uncertainty.