The King: T'Challa.

Chapter 26: The Snap.

I pushed myself to stand, despite the growing pain in my side. T'Challa was still unconscious, in the same place he had landed after the blast, however I knew he was okay. I stood and tried to regain my balance as I leaned on the nearest tree for support. I looked around me, everything unfolding before me. Everyone was down. Wanda and Vision were opposite me, clearly distraught about Vision's faith. It was heart wrenching to see how after everything we've been through it all came down to us falling at the hand of a single Titan. I saw Captain America slide under one blow and come up swinging his deployed arm-shields, punching Thanos in the gut and chin. Cap grabbed the gauntlet, keeping Thanos' fingers unclenched. I could see Thanos look briefly impressed at Cap's efforts as he screams before slamming a fist into his head and rendering him insensible.
Now, all that was left standing was Wanda and myself, Vision weakening by the second due to an earlier blow to the side. Wanda had made progress with destroying the Mind Stone, just like how the act alone was destroying her. Thanos was making an unopposed beeline towards them and I was their last line of defence.
Wanda looked over her shoulder to see the Titan coming towards them and shot out her free hand to release a stream of scarlet energy and pushing him back, but he starts to make slow headway.
While Wanda was distracting him, and while he still thought everyone was out for the count, it was the perfect opportunity to act. So I did. Using whatever power I had left inside of me I shot electric blue beams towards him, stunning him temporarily. This gave Wanda the chance to recover and finish destroying the Stone. I heard Vision telling her 'it was alright' and the sound of cracking filled the air, before the crystal fragments completely shatter, a pulse of pure yellow energy exploded from him, shuddering the trees for many meters around his epicentre. As I watched the heartbreak in front of me I lost concentration, giving Thanos the perfect opportunity to use the Power Stone and put an end to my resistance. And that's exactly what he did. I cursed to myself as my back came into contact with the nearest tree, a small crack echoing through my body.
The next thing I know Thanos raised the gauntlet once again, an emerald filigree surrounded his wrist, making the gesture of clockwise motion. In response, a bead of yellow light started gathering in on itself as time is reversed and growing in size, solidifying into an intact and conscious Vision. I stared with wide eyes at the sorcery I just witnessed. Every ounce of Wanda's best efforts; pointless.

"NO!"

She lunged for Thanos, but he swatted her away like a fly; effortlessly. Thanos picked up Vision by the throat, lifting him to eye-level, and digs his fingers into Vision's forehead, digging out the Mind Stone. He pulls it lose and Vision's body goes limp and colourless. Thanos brought his gauntleted hand up and slowly moves the Mind Stone over the last empty setting, and drops it in. I felt the colour drain from my face as it had drained from Vision's body. That was it. That was our last chance of saving half the universe; gone. We failed. And the price to pay was much worse than we could have imagined.

As Thanos studied the completed gauntlet, a massive bolt of lightning struck him, digging him into the ground and grinding him back for meters. Thor had arrived, his eyes glowing with power, swooping down from the sky like a bird of prey. The God of Thunder paused his attack, revered his position, raised Stormbreaker above his head and hurled it - Thanos fired the whole might of the gauntlet against it, but it only created a rainbow-like bow shock, not slowing the axe as it slammed into Thanos' chest.
Thor landed in front of Thanos, who was on one knee; hatefully.

"I told you. You'd die for that."

Something had happened between the two prior to this encounter and it was evident from the tension between them. He took Thanos' head and forced Stormbreaker deeper into his chest. Staring angrily into his eyes as Thanos cried out in pain.

"You should have.......you.....-"

Suddenly much stronger he continued:

"You should have gone for the head."

He raised his gauntlet and snaps his fingers.
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"NO!"

I'm pretty sure I was as white as a ghost at this stage. He had done it, Thanos had won; and we were to blame.

"What'd you do?! WHAT'D YOU DO?!"

Thanos nearly seemed to not notice Thor before he used the Space Stone and teleported away, leaving Stormbreaker on Wakandan ground.
Steve was up again and looking only half beaten, he helped me up from where I sat by the tree, the sudden movement cause a dart of pain to shoot up my side. I grunted discreetly and clasped my hand around the wound.

"Where'd he go? Thor.......Where'd he go?"

Suddenly we spotted Bucky coming towards us, something was off.

"Steve? - "

And what happened next made my heart stop - he turned to dust; literally. My mind turned to T'Challa. I quickly looked behind me to the place I last saw him to find he was no longer there. My heartbeat sped up as I detached myself from Steve's side and ran off trying to find the Black Panther. I ran and ran and ran but I still had no luck in finding him. Being too caught up in my own frenzy I didn't see the roots sticking up out of the soil and caught my foot in it, causing me to fall. I rolled over onto my back, the pain of my ever bleeding wound stopping me from getting up; I had given up. But I had heard voices nearby; Okoye and T'Challa.
Finding a newly found strength I pushed myself off the ground and immediately went searching for the two. I turned the corner and found Okoye, lying on the ground among the many fallen leaves; but there was no Black Panther. No King. No T'Challa. The look on Okoye's face gave me an awful feeling, so I asked the question I wasn't sure I wanted the answer to; maybe because I already knew.

"Where is he?"

Okoye looked at me, small pools of salty water forming on the waterline of her eyes; still saying nothing.

"Okoye.........where's T'Challa?"

That was my answer; her silence. He had turned to dust just like Bucky had done only minutes before. My body went numb as I absorbed everything that had happened within the last half and hour.
The remaining team members: Captain America, Thor, War Machine, Black Widow, Bruce Banner, Rocket, Okoye and myself were left mourning near Vision's dead body. Cap turned over Vision's bleached corpse as the Black Widow runs up to the other survivors. Rhodey's voice rang through the air:

"What is this? What the hell is happening?"

Cap looked to Rhodey, and then the rest of us:

"Oh, God."

As I sat there beside Okoye, hand on side, I stared blankly into the distance, not knowing how to feel at that moment. Half of our friends - family - were gone; turned to dust. Thanos had just wiped out half the universe.

Thanos had done it; he had won.
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