Chapter 2794 - Marvel 42

Back at their highly secure and not-at-all horribly placed safehouse, Doctor Strange continued the duo's theoretical training, teaching them about the most prominent kind of magic.

"Arcanum Exo is what defines the gap between an apprentice and a master of the Mystic Arts. Once one is able to tap into the dimensional forces, that is when a mage's true power can be unleashed. Few can actually reach such a stage in life, which is why we use relics, which serve as both crutches and better mediums to hold cosmic powers. Things like the Staff of the Living Tribunal or the Vaulting Boots of Valtorr —"

"Or your Cloak of Levitation," Peter interjected.

"Don't interrupt me," Doctor Strange said sharply. "Such relics are made by channeling the power of higher beings that reside in other dimensional planes. These beings are considered mystic principalities or simply principalities. As mentioned, the Staff of the Living Tribunal holds the power of the Living Tribunal, a cosmic entity too far up in the scale of this universe. Others like Valtorr, Cyttorak, Dormammu, and more all serve as the principalities for specific sub-schools of magic. For example, when one draws power from Dormammu, their spells are especially attuned toward Dark Magic. Those contracted to the Elder God Chthon are especially attuned toward Chaos Magic. Principalities exist for all forms of magic, and they are what allow Sorcerers to cast the strongest of spells."

"You've only mentioned relics…" Laura said. "What about spells? How do we even communicate with such entities?"

"I'm getting to that," he said. "You've used your spiritual energy directly and manipulated your surrounding natural energy with the medium of your spiritual energy. But to invoke higher beings, we use chants. These chants invoke a connection between us and these higher beings, which can then be fulfilled or rejected by the principality — but usually, they don't do that."

"But why?" Laura frowned. "You are telling me that Arcanum Exo magic is essentially established borrowed power. But why do the principalities even agree? How do they benefit from it?"

"We don't know," Doctor Strange confessed. "But some of them do ask for your souls or some form of compensation to form contracts that allow the users to create a deeper connection with them. Dormammu is one such principality. He requires you to surrender your soul to him in exchange for a greater affinity toward Dark Magic. It also allows the contractee to shorten or outright skip the chants required for spells that invoke his power. Now, it can take you a lifetime to learn about all of the existing principalities and their related spells. That is only something that can be done with the resources that Kamar Taj's library provides you. For now, any questions."

"What about the Cloak of Levitation? It doesn't seem like it has the name of a principality attached to it," Peter said.

"Some relics are a different case. They don't pull their energy from a principality. Not when the being that made it is a cosmic entity themselves."

"So, you really are a big shot," Laura said with a hint of admiration.

"At this point, I'm not so sure," he said. "Forget about all that. For the time being, let me show you what we can do with the support of principalities in our magic."

Doctor Strange first created a normal shield in front of him, made of his spiritual energy.

"This is my spiritual energy, the Ego," he said before spreading the spiritual energy further, bringing the winds around him to support the shield as the ground rose from in front of him and melded into his spiritual shield. "This is me augmenting my barrier with natural energy, Eco," he said. "And now…" he paused as everything turned to normal.

"May the Shields of Seraphim protect." The chant utilized a minuscule amount of energy from Doctor Strange as a complex weaving of lines slowly formed in front of his palm, moving in a circular shape, with the formation of countless complex runes within it, a golden shield with immense power formed. Compared to this shield, the previous two looked weaker than paper.

"I have called upon the power of the Seraphim here," Doctor Strange said. "They are closely connected to Oshtur, an Elder God believed to have been a prime source of the Mystic Arts on Earth. That means we, as Sorcerers of Earth, are considered to have a historical connection with her, allowing us to access this power with much greater ease."

With his words, Doctor Strange created tens of the same complex shields around the room, enveloping the occupants amidst the golden glow.

"We don't need to chant for these beings to support us because their support is aligned in our favor. But for other beings, like Balthakk…" He extended his hands out and chanted, "By the Bolts of Balthakk!"

Bolts of blue lightning escaped his fingers and impacted the shields he'd created. Half of them crumbled, and half stood strong.

"The remaining shields are still intact because I channeled more spiritual energy into them, thereby summoning more of the Seraphim's power," Doctor Strange explained.

"Is that how all magic works?" Laura asked.

"To an extent, yes. Arcanum Exo is a very broad term. As long as you are utilizing an otherworldly source of energy to cast magic, it is Arcanum Exo. To an extent, Necromancy could also be clubbed under it. The Death energy I told you about isn't exactly produced by killing people. It is the energy released by Death, an abstract entity, as it leads the souls of the deceased into the afterlife."

"Are these principalities' powers also magical in nature?" Laura asked. "Or is it something else?"

"Some of them, yes," he said. "Beings like Aggomoto, Oshtur, and Earthen Elder Gods have their source in magic through runes that guide the flow of their immense energy. They have transcended existence, allowing their Ego to become all-powerful. There are others, like Dormammu, who rely on their sovereignty over their dimensions to draw their power and let people borrow it. And there are some, like Death, Abstract Entities, who can empower creatures that tap into their specific abstract."

"There has to be something to gain from all this…" Laura asked. "I can understand the Earthen Elder Gods' reasons for helping us cast magic. But why the others? Even the Abstract Entities, as you call them, make sense, considering they operate on a defined set of rules according to the abstract concept they represent. But evil entities like the ones you mentioned… they have no reason to allow people to tap into their power without some kind of benefit."

"While I agree with your thoughts and believe that these entities should have something to gain by positively responding to the invocation of their power by lesser beings," Doctor Strange nodded. "Ultimately, these are cosmic entities far greater than ourselves. We can't hope to comprehend what they think and the reasons for their actions. But we do know that for a dark-aligned entity to provide you with their power as a principality, you must form a contract with them, promising them your soul in exchange."

"That's why the practice of Dark Magic is not as popular…" Peter shared his thoughts. "Because the user needs to literally sell their soul to Dormammu."

"Precisely. But those that do… they are a force to be reckoned with. Dormammu is a regular invader of our dimension, and Kamar-Taj is the only thing keeping him from devouring Earth. His heralds, whenever they arise, are a troublesome bunch. They target the sanctums with relentless determination."

"Sounds like a whacky generational feud," Laura pointed out. "Does Dormammu even exist anymore? My friend told me recently that the ruler of the Chaos Dimension does not exist anymore. I think he was called Cthon…"

"Chthon is an Elder God," Doctor Strange said. "He does not rely on any dimensional sovereignty to wield and provide Chaos Magic to others. He himself is the source of all Chaos Magic in the universe, and he is the reason that our entire civilization is dependent on using those Chaos chips as both energy and currency."

"Huh…" Laura said. "I know completely different things… Probably because of some multiversal bullshit. By the way, those chips. Do the empty ones have any value? Why do the banks collect the chips that are emptied of Chaos energy?"

"We don't know," Doctor Strange shook his head. "But the current theory is that those chips collect unnoticeable, minuscule amounts of spiritual energy from the people around them. When they are sent for recycling, that spiritual energy is most likely used for something we don't know."

"But you don't know that they collect Spiritual energy?" Laura asked.

"No," Doctor Strange shook his head. "I have tried, and while I can sense some intricate weavings of magic within those chips, I cannot sense it actually taking any spiritual energy or storing it."

Laura didn't respond, looking like she was deep in thought.

Suddenly, Doctor Strange's expression contorted into one of horror and terror.

"Dear god…" The man's eyes glowed with spiritual energy and got unfocused as if he were looking beyond reality. "What could cause such… untold destruction?"

"What's wrong?" Peter asked hurriedly, looking worried.

"You okay?" Laura was confused as she looked at the man's glowing eyes that looked out of focus, with his pupils dilated to the maximum.

Doctor Strange didn't respond, but his body shook as his hands involuntarily rose, releasing an obscene amount of spiritual energy from his palms. Solid runes manifested in front of him as he poured energy into them, calling upon greater forces. Moments later, he grunted in pain as blood poured out of his nose, yet he didn't relent.

"We should get out of here…" Peter said. "Agatha can instantly detect such a massive energy fluctuation with the resources available to her. It doesn't matter how we are in a magically suppressive zone, this fluctuation can be sensed from halfway across the world."

"We will," Laura nodded. "I'll make preparations. The moment he finishes… whatever he's doing, we'll take him away."

"They'll instantly track us if we use portals," Peter said.

"Do you have a better option?" Laura asked, mentally calling Alex, but to no avail. "I don't know what he's doing, but by the time he's done, he's going to be incapacitated. I don't have the confidence to face Agatha for too long."

"But you can stall her?" Peter asked as his eyes grew hopeful.

"Yeah… Probably. It's not like I've ever seen her battle. With all her death and necromancy stuff going on, for all I know, she can instakill me as long as she hits me with a beam."

"If anyone arrives, stall them," Peter said. "I'll make preparations to take us away. He taught me a spell in case I needed to escape without letting others detect me."

"Fine," Laura said. "Just hurry up."

As they'd expected, within seconds of Peter using his spiritual energy to create a circular rune on the floor of their house, five sorcerers, dressed in Kamar Taj robes, arrived to apprehend them.

"Traitors!" One of the bald monks exclaimed. "Surrender now, or face our wrath. The Sorcerer Supreme will arrive soon. If you value your lives, come with us."

As the man spoke, the four beside him were already casting spells, sending out red chains made of runes of Chaos energy. Two chains went for Doctor Strange, while one went for Laura, and the last for Peter.

"Don't just ignore me like that. It hurts my feelings," Laura smiled menacingly as her clothes extended over all of her exposed skin, dressing her in her sleek Apex outfit that, for now, left her head visible. Since Alex was busy, she didn't have the complete enhancement that was afforded to her when he was supporting her, but that was fine. Even without it, her strength and speed were enough to kill these mages before they could even react. Fortunately, she had access to almost all of the abilities they used together, which gave her the confidence to face Agatha if she came.

Her dual claws extended from her knuckles before she let out a loud battle cry and charged into the five mages. Before the sound of her cry could reach them, Laura was upon the five mages, slicing through their magical chains as if they were butter before pirouetting and slashing three of the mages with her claws. They fell to the ground lifelessly before even realizing what hit them, as the other two mages promptly reacted to summon a shield to defend against Laura's secondary strike.

As Laura's claws collided with their crimson shields, the sonic boom generated from her movement finally caught up and threw the entire place into disarray, shattering the windows and destroying most of the furniture. The only reason the building survived was that it was made of brick and mortar instead of wood. With the rudimentary Spider-Sense she got from Alex, Laura could sense Peter's disbelieving expression and smiled smugly. Spider-Man also had a superhuman physique, but Laura's was already touching upon the threshold of a real Cosmic physique that could destroy entire planets.

"You have to understand that the unknown factor is the most dangerous of the bunch." Laura smiled menacingly as her claws crackled with lightning, zapping the two survivors into dropping their shields. Still, they were trained combatants; they used the moment of the shield's dispelling to make it explode and push Laura away. As she landed on the ground, they were ready with their shields in one hand as they prepared to cast another spell and mumbled their chants under their breath. One of them released crimson bands from his hands while the other released some kind of crimson mist from his hands that focused on Laura.

"Don't try to cut through those bands," Peter advised. "They have bound the Hulk."

"No problem," Laura smiled, amplifying her speed with lightning to Mach 2 before she appeared behind the two mages and sabbed their throats with her claws, instantly killing them.

Another sonic boom was generated from her movements as the air got wildly displaced. This time, the walls started chipping away the plaster, revealing the bricks and cement below.

"Told you, no problem," Laura smiled as the two mages dropped dead, their blood evaporating from her claws as she retracted them.

"You… fight like a beast," Peter observed. "It's raw… Yet there is no hesitation in your movements as if you've trained them to perfection."

"My trainer practically grinds me down until I can't move a muscle," Laura said. "Now, continue. I don't know when Agatha will show —" As of on cue, both Laura's and Peter's sixth senses flared, making Peter jump away from his spot as Laura did the same.

Two beams of solid grey energy passed through both of their previous positions, spreading an aura of decay and death all around them as they impacted the floor before dissipating as if it never existed.

"My, you're fast ones, aren't you?" A woman's malevolent voice made goosebumps rise along both Peter's and Laura's necks.

"Peter," Laura gave her companion a look before turning to the source of the voice.

[Alex… I could really use your help right about now.]

Laura's pleas didn't result in any response other than an instinctive communication from their bond that told her that Alex was currently occupied with something huge, but that he would step in if things got truly dire.

Just the suppressed feeling of assurance she could feel from their bond calmed Laura as she faced a foe who really could instantly kill her with a beam of energy.

"Hello," Laura smiled. "You must be the new Sorcerer Supreme."

"You're not of this world," she said with a scrutinizing gaze. "I wonder what would happen if you were to run into your counterpart in this world."

"Nothing," Laura chuckled. "I am protected against such a scenario. Interacting with my variants doesn't affect either me or them."

"Is that so?" Agatha smiled. "How about this, then… My feud is against those two. If you leave, you might get to live."

"Scared?" Laura asked.

"Cautious. You have someone behind you, after all. I don't want too much trouble."

"You're already embroiled in the trouble, lady." Laura shook her head, disappearing from her spot and appearing behind Agatha, with the only traces of her movements being the lightning that she discharged into the air around her, which showed a clear path of her movement. "Well, your owner, actually."

"I see…" Agatha didn't react even as Laura's claws collided with her, impacting a barrier instead that created sparks. It seemed that she'd sent the five mages to probe the unknown variable and set up countermeasures. With the impact, Laura felt her sixth sense flare and jumped back as the point of contact exploded in the same gray energy as the beam from before. "What a pity. We could've been allies."

Agatha created seals with her hands, and a crimson magic circle appeared underneath Laura. Suddenly, ropes similar to the bands summoned by the previous sorcerer appeared from the circle, attempting to bind Laura. With no other option, she took to the air as the bands followed her, using lightning to supplement her movements.

"Tsk…" She noticed that the circle was moving under her even as the ropes approached her to bind her.

"You were already marked when you struck me, child," Agatha said apathetically. "Your life belongs to me. As for you…" She glanced at Peter, who was completely focused on finishing the magic circle, chanting something under her breath.

"Don't underestimate me," Laura growled at the woman as crimson streaks took form in her sleek black suit. Suddenly, her mere presence suppressed the relentless bands as their speed slowed, allowing her to shoot a bolt of lightning to interrupt Agatha.

"Chaos…" The witch narrowed her eyes, unfazed by the lightning as it impacted her protection spell and dissipated, but it served its purpose of drawing Agatha's attention away from Peter. "Trouble indeed… Unfortunately, this means I'm already embroiled in the thick of it."

Taking advantage of Agatha's momentary lapse, Laura used lightning to propel herself down. She summoned her spiritual energy, which was now tainted with Chaos energy, and released it in a burst as she reached the ground, destroying Agatha's magic circle that kept following her.

Agatha, however, was relentless and summoned a gray mist in her surroundings that spread a dark and dreary feeling in Laura's heart, making her feel hopeless and depressed.

"Goodbye, I hope the retaliation is not swift," Agatha condensed the mist as it approached Laura, who was currently going through an existential crisis.

"Yes!" Peter exclaimed as the magic circle he was working on glowed brightly.

"Goddamnit…" Agatha sped the mist up to at least get rid of Laura's figure, but she recovered from her daze sooner than Agatha had anticipated and used her lightning to speed away from the approaching death. That was all the time the spell needed to teleport Doctor Strange, Peter, and Laura away from their spot.

-x-X-x-

In a nondescript apartment in New York, a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes was sitting with her legs crossed on a yoga mat that was spread out on the floor. Her hands were held together while her eyelids constantly trembled as she struggled to maintain her deep concentration. In front of her was a pentagram with multiple intricate runes littering its surface, parts of which were intermittently glowing. Every cycle, the glow got brighter and more complete as more parts of the circle released the glow.

Finally, the entire circle glowed, suddenly intensifying its light as it illuminated the apartment as if multiple floodlights were turned on.

"Ugh…" Peter's groan was the first to be heard as the light died down. He got down on his knees and coughed before his eyes suddenly widened, and he shot to the kitchen sink, emptying the contents of his stomach over the apartment owner's dirty dishes.

Laura didn't have it much better and also went down on her knees as if suffering from horrible vertigo. As for Doctor Strange, the man had already passed out around the time Agatha had appeared after exhausting his spiritual energy completely.

"What the hell happened?" Their hostess, the blonde woman, opened her eyes with a pale face and exhausted eyes, looking like bringing them here had drained a lot out of her. "I had to abandon my post just to stabilize the channel through Limbo and receive you all. They're going to be investigating me now. This is going to put our plans so far behind, do you know that?"

She didn't seem to be addressing anyone in particular and was simply rambling.

"We got fucked over by this guy," Laura answered while gesturing to the unconscious Doctor Strange, recovering fairly quickly from her vertigo. "He suddenly released all his energy, destroying the barrier that kept us hidden. Agatha quickly pinpointed our location…"

"Who are you?" The woman asked.

"Isn't it simple courtesy to tell your name first before asking someone else?"

"Not when that someone else is in my house," she responded. "Now give."

"I'm Laura," she said, shaking her head with an amused smile. "Hi, Illyana."

"Logan's clone-daughter?" The woman made a face. "I've never met her, but aren't you supposed to be like… twelve? You're… much bigger." Her gaze inadvertently went to Laura's chest, seeing the stacked bosom that was only emphasized by the sleek black bodysuit she was wearing.

"Yeah," Laura smiled. "I'm not exactly your Laura." Her bodysuit receded into her skin, leaving her with a black crop top that exposed her midriff and a pair of blue jeans.

"What do you…" A look of realization dawned on Illyana's face. "One of the other Earths. How'd you get here?" She asked.

"With some help," Laura said. "I'm the reason Strange called you and your friends for a meeting tomorrow."

"You told him something… something that made him keep your presence a secret. He was only willing to tell us face-to-face… What did you say to him?"

"That Agatha isn't your big bad," Laura said. "There's someone behind her. A version of Wanda. The woman not only holds command of Chaos energy, unlike anyone else, but also possesses multiple Infinity Stones and owns five planets, if I recall correctly."

"…" Illyana went still for a few seconds, speechless. "Geh," she simply grunted and looked away, crossing her arms.

"I'm not lying, if that's what you think."

"I don't think you are," she said. "I just… I don't know. Do you have the Venom Symbiote?" She changed the topic. "I saw the way your clothes changed."

"He's Apex," Laura said with a hint of affection in her eyes. "And he's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"You'll grow out of it," Peter had finally recovered from his vertigo and interjected. "Trust me. I had Venom for a month. It literally ruined my life and made me go crazy. If Doctor Strange hadn't intervened and purged its influences from me, I would've killed people. People I care about."

"That's the problem with your weak mentality," Laura scoffed. "Apex is awesome."

"Is that the friend you were talking about?" Peter asked. "The one who's actually casting magic for you?"

"…" Laura paused.

'Fuck I wasn't telling them about Apex and the whole thing… I really hope Alex doesn't get mad at me. Illyana just asked and I let it slip… goddamn multiversal buillshit.'

After cursing herself mentally, Laura answered. "Yeah. And he's the one who's acting against the version of Wanda who has your planet under her control."

"But he —"

"Peter," Illyana interrupted and stopped Peter from speaking against Apex any further. "You said you ran into Agatha. Did you battle her?"

"I did," Laura nodded. "She's a bitch to fight against. What's with all the death energy she has going around her? If I hadn't activated my suit's Chaos mode, she would've killed me."

"That's the reason Necromancy is a forbidden magic. Not only because of how it is fueled by death, but because a competent wielder can be one of the most dangerous mages in the world. The worst part is that she also possesses Chaos Magic."

"How do you even beat that woman? She had this barrier around her that I couldn't penetrate, no matter what I tried," Laura said.

"You have to dispel it first," Illyana said. "If Strange wasn't completely out of commission, you might have received some much-needed help and actually caused some damage to her."

"Not only that, she did something that caused a spell to follow me around, it kept moving around me and released ropes that Peter told me were unbreakable… What's with that? I didn't know you could make such a spell."

"You said she made a spell follow you?" Illyana suddenly looked solemn. "Damn it…"

The blonde quickly grabbed Laura's shoulder and used her spiritual energy to examine her.

"What the hell…" Illyana's eyes widened at what she sensed. "We need to have a talk after we get out of here," she said, giving Laura a look.

"Is there a problem?" Peter asked.

"Laura's marked by Death energy," she said. "Harkness can track us. We're probably surrounded and under —" She couldn't finish her words as the door to her apartment was destroyed.

"Nice deductions, my dear Magik," Agatha smiled malevolently. "Let's see where you run to now…"

"Tell me you can still access Limbo, Yana…" Laura looked solemn. "I'm not sure if I can stall her for long."

"The blockade is too strong. I'll need a minute to break through."

Laura sighed as a resolute expression appeared on her face. "Fine then, I guess we'll go for round two," her claws burst out of her hands and feet. "Say goodbye to your apartment, Yana…"

[Where the hell are you, Alex? I'm dying here.]

The only thing keeping Laura from losing hope was the faint, amused feeling she got from Alex at her words. She understood that he could still hear and observe her situation, but was just occupied elsewhere for the time being.

Laura's suit appeared on her once again, glowing with streaks of red as lightning coursed through the surface of her suit, enhancing her speed as she struck Agatha with a Chaos energy-infused slash. The ensuing sonic boom gave the same treatment to Illyana's apartment as what their previous safehouse had received.

The collision with Agatha's barrier, this time, resulted in a fluctuation along the surface of her body as the barrier distorted, making her stumble and interrupting the spell she was preparing. Agatha wasn't one to go down, however. She quickly took control of the environment and made spikes that would prevent Laura from using her full speed. She was betting on the fact that her endurance wasn't going to work on the same scale as her speed and strength.

Agatha completely lost the bet. Laura steamrolled through the spikes as if they didn't even exist and struck her once again, this time not creating any distance and instead continuing to strike her barrier before she could come up with any solutions.

"Enough!" Agatha seemed to have gotten her bearings under Laura's attacks and burst out with a gray energy that terrified Laura. She quickly backpedaled and reached Illyana, throwing bolts of lightning at Agatha on the way to keep her from focusing on the mist.

"Yana, I need you to either get us out of here or dispel that barrier. I can't do anything to her otherwise."

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"We don't have the time for this?" Laura looked at her in disbelief as Agatha's death energy got closer to them.

"Of course we do," Illyana smiled. "See?"

Laura suddenly found herself in another dimension. Unfortunately, before she could enjoy the view here, she felt the ground under her vibrate as if an earthquake of magnitude nine on the Richter Scale was assaulting the ground under them.

"Woah…" Illyana's eyes widened as she almost lost her balance.

-x-X-x-

"I guess I know what got Strange so amped up…" Illyana released her spiritual energy, which, while not comparable to Doctor Strange, was still a massive amount. An illusory rune formed in front of her before she slammed her palm on the ground.

The violent shaking suddenly stabilized with a ripple effect stemming from Illyana. She continued pouring her energy into the rune that she infused into the dimension.

"What happened?" Laura asked.

"Some kind of dimensional shockwave…" Illyana said. "I don't know how to explain it exactly, but Limbo was destabilized due to some outside factor. I hadn't realized because I was focused on getting you two to me. That's why the vertigo you felt was so much worse than it should have been."

"That's why Strange was so horrified," Laura said with an expression of understanding. "This probably isn't a localized event."

"Maybe," Illyana responded. "My connection is limited to Limbo. Strange is contracted to far more dimensions, so he probably sensed their cry for help."

"I see…" Laura nodded. "So what now?"

"Now? Now we get rid of the Death mark on you," she said. "Thankfully, we have more than enough time here."

"Why?"

"Time doesn't flow the same in Limbo," Illyana said. "Since I brought you all in, when we get out, not even a second will have passed."

"Really?" Laura asked curiously. "How does that work?"

"This is the case with many dimensions. If I lost the anchor to my Earth, I would have to go around traveling through time to find the correct timeline."

"How do you plan to help?" Laura asked. "With the Death mark."

"Just give me a minute to set up the spell," Illyana started creating a magic circle with multiple complex runes. "It's a little convoluted since I have to first locate the mark, pull the trace of Death energy out, and discard it correctly without letting it corrupt me. See these runes? These are all for detection."

"Well, I appreciate it. Since Apex seems to be busy with something and isn't responding, your help means a lot. Thanks, Yana."

"What's with that?" Illyana frowned. "You keep calling me that. I don't see you addressing Peter and Strange with cringeworthy endearing nicknames…"

"You think it's endearing?" Laura showed a fawning smile.

"…" Illyana didn't respond and continued looking at Laura dryly.

"It's because Yana and Kitty are… were good friends of mine," Laura said. "I haven't met them in half a decade. Forgive me for getting a little overly familiar with a carbon copy of my friend."

"I get that…" Illyana said. "More than you realize. I don't mind being friends with you, but you have to take things slow. We can't instantly turn into best friends, right? Ten minutes ago, you were a twelve-year-old kid in my eyes. Suddenly, that kid is in front of me, with a chest bigger than mine. Of course, I'm going to freak out a little."

"Tone down the envy, Yana," Laura said with a laugh. "If you want a bigger chest, I'll let you in on a secret. But only when I think you're ready."

"I'm not getting a boob job."

"Um… Ladies," Peter's voice made both Laura and Illyana pause. "What do we do about him?"

"Let me get rid of the mark on her first. Then I'll take you back to meet with Kitty. She'll know what to do." Illyana didn't seem embarrassed by Peter hearing their conversation. However, Laura stepped further away from Peter and Doctor Strange, with Illyana following her.

"You don't need one," Laura continued their previous talk as her outfit changed from the bodysuit back to the crop top and jeans. "Trust me, I know a trick."

Illyana squinted her eyes at Laura, fully expressing her skepticism. Moments later, she completed her spell and slammed her hand forward. Laura didn't even flinch; however, her gaze got a little dry as she noticed Illyana's aim. She could've moved but decided not to, letting the woman get her satisfaction.

Illyana's hand slammed into Laura's chest as she cast the spell, locating and removing the mark Agatha had left on her.

"You gonna let go anytime soon?" Laura asked dryly as Illyana squeezed her chest.

"They're real…" She pulled her hand away, looking at it in a daze.

"At least I know you're just as much of a pervert in this reality," Laura said. "You and Apex will get along splendidly."

"That so?" Illyana said as she frowned again. "Speaking of… I don't know about your symbiote, but these are parasitic life forms. They may be considered symbiotic because they give you a decent strength boost, but in exchange, you lose something vital. Your emotions. Peter had a run-in with the same kind of thing some time back. It wasn't pretty."

"Apex isn't like that," Laura said.

"All right," Illyana shrugged. "I just thought I'd mention it. If you trust your friend, I won't pry into it."

[Alex, you there?] Laura spoke telepathically while gazing into the distance. [I miss you…]

[Just give me like five minutes…]

Laura's expression changed at Alex's response.

"What happened?" Illyana noticed the change in her expression. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's great," Laura said. "Apex is back."

"What do you mean?" Illyana frowned. "You were using the symbiote's abilities, were you not?"

"It's a complicated situation," Laura said. "Explaining it to you is more trouble than it's worth. Why don't you heal him up before we leave?" Laura gestured at Peter, who was trying to use his spiritual energy to wake Doctor Strange up.

"He just needs some time to recover his energy after exhausting it all," Illyana said. "I'll take you all to Kitty's apartment in Hong Kong once he wakes up."

"So just waiting, cool…" Laura said. "What do you do for fun around here? You must've spent quite a bit of time in Limbo."

"I usually just use it to train my skills," she responded. "Time does not pass here, but I do get bored after a while. So I usually just wing things. Kitty occasionally comes along to keep me company."

"That sounds fun," Laura said. "My friend… Yana, she loved killing the demons here. Her favorite pastime, she called it. It helped her…" Laura seemed to be considering the words.

"Cleanse her soul," Illyana said. "I get it. I do the same sometimes to calm my mind. It's like meditation… in its own twisted way."

"Ahh, almost as if you two are copies of each other," Laura smiled. "Say… In your reality, are you and Kitty… you know?"

"Oh no," Illyana suddenly shook her head. "Definitely no. No… Well…"

"Go on," Laura urged her on. "My friends were in a full-blown relationship, so if you're conscious, you can say that there is precedent. Multiversal possibilities precedent, but precedent nonetheless."

"Fine… We did have this thing once… We were training here, and things got a little… heated," Illyana blushed, pushing her stray blonde hair behind her ear. "One thing led to another, and we ended up making out… quite passionately. It didn't lead to anything more, and we ended up swearing never to talk about it again, though."

"Oh?" Laura's eyes glinted with interest. "Want me to play wingman? It doesn't seem like you have the closure you want."

"I don't…" Illyana said. "But that said, I also need a guy. If only for the purpose of physical satisfaction… But I know Kitty wouldn't be willing to open things up like that. Then again, we haven't really talked about it… like ever. This is all just stuff in my head. Why am I even talking about this crap when we have a world overlord's sword hanging above our heads?" Illyana shook her head.

"You know…" The glint in Laura's eyes got brighter, the intensity in her gaze slightly creeping Illyana out. "I might just have a solution for you guys."

"What?"

"I'll tell you later. I need to talk to someone first. Not only that, I need to talk to Kitty as well. I need to see her stance on all of this."

-x-X-x-

Eventually, Doctor Strange woke up, only to be assaulted by questions from all three of his companions that only entered his ears as grumbled gibberish as he took a few moments to get his bearings together.

"One question at a time, please," the ex-Sorcerer Supreme stumbled to his feet with some support from Peter.

"What happened?" Illyana asked. "I get that you wanted to protect your contracted dimensions, but why go so far as to put yourself in danger and jeopardize the mission? Not only that, Agatha tracked us down and blew my cover. I can't go back to the New York Sanctum anymore."

"You don't get it…" Doctor Strange said with hints of weakness in his tone. "If the dimensions are lost, I won't have any standing to battle Agatha. I can analyze and destabilize her spells, but I need raw power to achieve victory… Without my contracted dimensions, I would be useless in the upcoming conflict."

"What exactly happened?" Peter asked. "What caused this kind of dimensional instability?"

"I don't know," he shook his head. "All I know is that there was a shockwave that almost destroyed every single dimension in this plane."

"Did you succeed?" Laura asked. "In protecting the dimensions from being destroyed, that is."

"I did," Doctor Strange nodded. "I had some help, however. Other versions of me. Ones who share some of the dimensions with me."

"That's strange…" Illyana said. "I didn't get any help from my copies when I came into Limbo."

"Not all dimensions are as all-encompassing as the Dark Dimension, the Vishanti, and more. Some, like your Limbo, can be considered localized dimensions. With the overlapping created due to the Convergence of Earths, the smaller dimensions exist in isolated layers. Your variants, at least ones with access to Limbo, possess separate dimensions that they interact with."

"These rules seem so broken," Laura said. "And not in a good way. It's the same as how your planet's rules all seem like they were haphazardly jumbled together."

"It does?" Illyana asked.

"Yeah. You would've found out tomorrow morning when everybody met."

"Let us go back," Doctor Strange said. "Transport us to Katherine, Magik."

"First, you should run some diagnostics on all of us," Laura said. "I had Agatha track me to Yana's because of some Death mark. She already removed it, but I just want to make sure that there aren't any backups that we may have missed."

"No harm in being cautious," Doctor Strange nodded and cast a spell that scanned all four of them from head to toe, including himself.

[Oh, Alex, did you know that Chaos Magic originates from a demon called Chthon? Not that dimension or whatever you were telling me about.]

[I know, I was listening. And that's not true… at least not for our current universe. The Chaos Dimension is the source of all Chaos energy in this reality. At least, it was. Until it was destroyed.]

[Destroyed?]

[That shockwave these guys were talking about is because of the destruction of the Chaos Dimension.]

[What about her? That… your Wanda. Is she all right?]

[How adorable… I'm glad Felicia could talk some sense into your head in between all those threesomes we had.]

[Don't patronize me…]

[She's fine. More than that, actually. I'll say, at this point, this entire mission is pretty much moot. I can kill that Angelic Wanda without any trouble now if I wanted to.]

[That big of a difference?]

[You don't know the half of it. But that's all for later. Do you want to go back to your Earth? I'm planning to establish the Widows as a long-term force there. We could directly attack Stark's Bastion and take over. Do you want to play quarterback in the assault?]

[…Do you mind if I refuse? Just for a while.]

[Having fun here?]

[Illyana and Kitty seem like fun girls. I want to hang out with them for a few days. I promise that I'll go back after that.]

[No need. You can take as long as you want here. I just told you about it because I now have the confidence to take on most, if not all, of the threats to your Earth. I'll sooner or later integrate it into Gaia. However, since you want to play around for a bit, I can delay the integration. The Widows can meanwhile establish themselves more thoroughly there.]

[You really don't need to…]

[I don't mind, Laura. I want you to look the people at the Bastion in the eye while we rip everything they've built away from them and take it all for ourselves.]

[At the cost of sounding like a vengeful psychopath… Yeah, that really makes me want to go there right now and rip them a new one.]

[You can enjoy another break here with some new people. Once we try to deal with your planet's bullshit, then things are going to get stressful and dramatic very quickly.]

[You're going to take me to meet with the X-Men as well, aren't you?]

Alex didn't respond, but his silence was enough of an answer for Laura.

"Nothing." Doctor Strange was finally finished with his diagnostic spells. "We can go home now."

Laura suddenly had a thought as the ex-Sorcerer Supreme signaled to Illyana. These people were all getting ready for what amounted to war.

[What do you plan to do with this planet then? Since you already can take out the Angelic Wanda… Do things on this planet just suddenly go back to normal?]

[No. I actually plan to wring her dry of all she's worth now. She's going to slowly hand-deliver all of her accumulation to me on a silver platter. From an enemy, she is now a potential tool. And you know how much value I like to get from my tools.]

[You sound creepy, Alex.]

[You get my point. She isn't a danger to us anymore, but I'm going to let things continue the exact way they have been going. I have a body in Kamar-Taj that's going to keep track of everything and get you inside information. Let Strange and this Mystic League do their own thing, and support them as much as you want. Once they take back Kamar-Taj, we can leave. Okay?]

[Sounds like a plan.]

After living on a planet with Alex as its literal overlord, Laura had learned to instinctively dissociate certain pieces of information that would otherwise weigh down on her conscience. While she was talking about helping these people, Alex had an instant solution to all of their problems, which he wasn't implementing. Normally, living with this information would weigh her down and cause her stress. That is why she had learned to dissociate this kind of information and focus on the task at hand instead.

"I've already contacted Kitty," Illyana said in response to Doctor Strange's words. She waved her arms, and solid disks of light appeared under everyone before rising higher, quickly teleporting them away from Illyana's Limbo.

…

In a nondescript apartment in Hong Kong, almost identical to Illyana's in New York, a brunette with hazel eyes was chopping vegetables in the kitchen. Looking at the amount, it was clear that the food was going to be for more than a single person, going by the quantities of her chopped veggies. Not only that, a large pot was placed on the stove, filled with a boiling broth, to which she added her vegetables just as she finished chopping.

As she continued making dinner that would easily feed half a dozen people, a flash appeared from the living room, making her raise her brows.

"Illyana?" She called out.

"Hi Kitty," the blonde woman responded and walked into the dining area. "I brought guests."

"I know. Take a seat. I'll be with you all in a bit."

"Need any help?" The blonde posed it as a question, but was quick to figure out a way to help by stirring the broth.

"Help yourself…" Katherine said dryly.

"Who wants cocktails?" Laura suddenly interjected herself between the two, holding bottles of gin in one hand and vodka in the other.

"You are…" Katherine trailed off while Illyana looked at Laura with wide eyes.

"Where did you even get those? Kitty doesn't keep alcohol."

"I know. Because she's such a light drinker. Two shots and she's out for the night, am I right?"

"Really, who is this?" Katherine asked.

"We are not getting drunk tonight," Illyana said. "We just barely escaped with our lives."

"This is the perfect time to let loose and dance, girl. We are doing cocktails." Laura said adamantly.

"Damnit!" Katherine stabbed her fork into her wooden chopping board with a thud. "Who is this, Illyana?"

Both Laura and Illyana paused in their banter at Katherine's frustrated shout.

"Kitty, this is Laura. She's the reason Strange called us for a meeting tomorrow morning. And she's the reason he and Peter are still alive."

"I see," Katherine nodded. "Hello, Laura. I'm Katherine Pryde."

"So…drinks?" Laura looked excitedly between Katherine and Illyana.

Illyana sighed with a defeated expression. "I'm up for it… Kitty?"

The brunette shrugged. "I don't mind. I'm down to see drunk Illyana again," she said as a teasing smirk appeared on her face. "You're just so fun."

"Hm?" Laura squinted in confusion. "I get it! You're the light drinker in this reality. That's why you're so much against us drinking."

"Ding ding ding. Correct… Reality?"

"My name is Laura Kinney. Logan's cloned daughter." Laura said with an expectant expression.

"Oh… OHH… You're from another Earth." Katherine finally caught up.

-x-X-x-

As the evening progressed, everyone somewhat loosened up. Having dealt with the life-threatening danger of the current Sorceress Supreme, everyone's nerves were frayed, especially Peter and Illyana, since neither had the confidence in surviving against Agatha. The only reason they were still alive was because Laura was strong enough to hold Agatha off until they escaped.

After a few drinks, everyone slowly adjourned, with Doctor Strange tapping out first to sleep on the couch in the living room. While he didn't deal with Agatha, he was the one who was most exhausted since he had to protect multiple dimensions from the aftermath of the Chaos Dimension's destruction. Next were Illyana and Peter, who separated as Peter went to sleep on the living room floor while Illyana took Katherine's bed. That left only Laura and Katherine.

"How are you still not tired?" Katherine asked. "I was under the impression that you did most of the heavy lifting today. Going two rounds against Agatha is bound to exhaust anyone."

"Nah," Laura shook her head, taking a sip from her glass. "I was never in any mortal danger. Even if everyone else died, I wouldn't."

"You're confident… Even with my ability to instantly phase away, I'm not confident against her. It's as if she always has some kind of a countermeasure against our powers."

"Because I'm not alone," Laura said.

"What?"

Laura raised her arm and showed Katherine how a glove formed from her outfit.

"This is Apex," Laura said. "He is with me at all times, and the only reason I could handle Agatha for as long as I did."

"A symbiote…" Katherine looked dazed.

"Reminiscing about something?"

"A few years back, Peter had a run-in with this Venom guy. He was on an off-planet task… it doesn't matter. What matters is that the symbiote warped his mind. It… turned him from the kind and caring man you just saw…" She turned her head to look at Peter sleeping on the floor, "…into an amalgamation of raw, negative emotions. He did a lot of bad things at that time. He hurt a lot of people he cared about. The symbiote empowered him and made him greater, but it also took the thing that made him Spider-Man — his compassion."

"Apex is not like that," Laura said.

"Isn't he?" Katherine asked. "Illyana told me the way you fought your assailants. You were ruthless, without an ounce of hesitation; you cut through those sorcerers as if their lives were inconsequential."

"So what?" Laura said, getting slightly agitated. "I'm not a compassionate person. That has nothing to do with Apex. Hell, if not for him, I'd still be rotting in that hole where I was treated worse than an animal…"

"I'm not your enemy, Laura," Katherine said. "I just thought that giving you some insight into the events that took place in the past would be helpful. So that you can make an informed decision."

"Yana said the same stuff…" Laura said. "You guys really got traumatized by that Venom guy, huh? Is it still alive?"

[Don't be mad, Alex. You know she means well.] Laura was starting to catch on when she ended up speaking words that came from Alex's thoughts.

[I'm not. I just want you to get the status of their symbiote. While devouring it would be akin to a snack with my current strength, it would be a very tasty snack.]

[Ugh…] Laura gagged mentally.

"Yeah, it's alive. And not for lack of trying to kill it. It's nigh indestructible. The only stuff that can suppress it is sound and heat, and even those cap out after a point. We can't kill it."

"Don't worry. You'll soon realize that your stigma is because you got dealt a bad hand. Apex is far superior to what you are imagining."

"If you say so…" Katherine didn't seem convinced but wasn't willing to argue further.

"By the way," Laura said. "I hope you don't mind me prying, but Yana told me about some stuff. Specifically, between you two."

"She did?" Katherine raised her brow. "What did she tell you?"

"That she totally still has the hots for you."

"Yeah?" Katherine smiled, suppressing a scoff. "Then why'd she refuse the first time I asked?"

"I knew she was holding back on me…" Laura said with a scoff of her own.

"She's not into women, Laura. She probably told you that she's bi or whatever, but that's not the case. If I were a dude, she'd be all over me like there was no tomorrow. The thing that's stopping her is her sexual orientation. She's straight, through and through. She just doesn't want to admit it."

"I told her that I have a solution… I'll tell you the same thing. Though I'm not sure if you will like that solution. Still, would you be willing to give it a try?"

[Fuck! That's what you had in mind?]

[Naturally. What did you think I was going to do? Hand them a silicone dildo and say, 'Problem solved'? Of course not.]

[To think just a couple of months ago, you were busting my ass about having other women besides you…]

[I've made my peace with it. This way, not only do they get their happy ending, but you get two very strong combatants to work for you.]

[And here I was, trying to figure out a way to get my hands on Magik's psionic defenses that permanently block any mental probes from affecting her.]

[Just thank me the way I like later.]

[A romantic date followed by raw dogging your ass coming right up.]

Laura mentally rolled her eyes at Alex while maintaining a serious expression as she waited for a response.

"This kind of thing doesn't magically get solved, Laura," Katherine said. "These are feelings. You can't suddenly change them."

"I don't plan to," Laura said. "I'm going to assume that it's not as simple as using toys either. That leaves the option of an intermediary who can satisfy both of you."

"I'm not opening up the relationship, Laura. Illyana thinks she's subtle when she tries to mention her perverted ideas, but she isn't. I am not willing to bring some random guy in just to serve the role of a dildo. Because it's not about that. I don't expect you to understand my feelings regarding the matter, but I do hope that you'll respect them."

"…" Laura paused in thought before sighing. "Humor me." Laura didn't say anything more and raised her arm.

Katherine showed a confused expression and was about to ask before her eyes widened. A slimy material rose up from Laura's arms, with thin tendrils that extended toward her, expressing desire. The brunette stepped back cautiously, giving Laura a skeptical look.

"Trust me," Laura said. "Apex can and will change your life. He can solve all your problems. You will understand, just… give him a chance."

"Get that… that thing away from me, Laura," Kitty said weakly. "I don't want to hurt Illyana."

"You won't. Apex doesn't affect the psyche the same way as Venom. Trust me. You will understand what I mean." Laura stepped closer to Katherine.

"No…" The woman further stepped back until her retreat was blocked by a wall.

"If you really feel like you don't like how it feels, I'll take his piece back without any questions. You won't regret it." Laura came close enough that their breaths mixed. "If you really don't want it, you can phase into the bedroom. I won't go after you."

"I don't…" Katherine looked lost and confused.

"I want you to take Yana out tomorrow, okay? I'll keep an eye on you guys from afar and make things go smoothly. End the night with some drinks, and make sure you end it by taking her into your bed. Your lives will change for the better the moment you accept Apex."

"…" Katherine closed her eyes tightly as the black material moved closer to her body, anticipating the feeling of its touch on her skin. "Huh?" The feeling never came.

"He won't come to you unless you accept him, Kitty," Laura said. "Call out to him. Treat him as a living being and not as a tool, and he will give you everything you could ever want."

[Tone down on the enticing, honey. You sound weird.]

Despite Alex's words of discouragement to Laura, the current situation had left Katherine completely vulnerable. Not only was she just tipsy enough to open up her heart to Laura, but their conversation had left her feeling a mess of emotions in her head. Under Laura's pressure, it didn't take her long to come to a decision.

"Fine," she nodded, looking at the mass of black extending from Laura's hand. "I'll give you a chance, Apex… Please don't mess with my head… If you can help me with Kitty… I'll work with you. And I'll be grateful to Laura."

"That's my girl," Laura praised Katherine as her hand shot forward, clasping around the brunette's neck. "You won't regret your choice. I promise. And I'll be with you every step of the way."

Katherine's eyes widened as she felt a slimy material move along her skin, slipping under her clothes. She felt it moving lower, covering her breasts, not realizing that her clothes were also being eaten in the process. Her eyes were glued to Laura's face, taking in the gentle expression of the woman who seemed like she was looking out for her. Her heart was currently in her throat, pounding, letting her feel every beat clearly. As the material passed her stomach, she felt it slither down to her crotch and shivered.

"Laura…" She called out.

"Shh, it's fine. He's just familiarizing himself with your body. Let him do his thing."

Katherine's breaths had grown ragged and audible as she felt the material slithering down her thighs and to her feet, eventually covering her entire body down from her neck. Laura pulled her hand away from her throat and stepped back to admire Katherine's look.

"You look hot as hell," Laura praised, looking at the woman's body like a piece of meat.

"What?" Katherine was under the impression that she was still wearing her clothes. When she looked down, she realized how wrong she was. Her clothes were gone, revealing Apex's sleek black material that covered her entire body while highlighting her features.

"Now we can have matching outfits," Laura said as her clothes turned into the same sleek black as Katherine's.

The new host was still getting used to the unfamiliar feelings, but seeing Laura, her eyes couldn't help but hone in on the woman's chest. "Big…"

"Illyana said the same thing," Laura said gleefully. While her chest wasn't anything unrealistically massive like Mary Jane's milkers or even realistically massive like Felicia's, she was more stacked than most women due to Alex's influence as her body grew more defined over time.

"My clothes?" Katherine was still looking at her hands and body.

"Ask Apex to change. He can copy any outfit you want."

"Really?" Katherine raised a brow, "I have this dress in my mind, can you change me into it, Apex?" Her words didn't even finish completely before she found herself in a red gown that hugged her figure perfectly.

"Insane…" Katherine didn't think too much about Apex pulling the image from her head. "Do I always need to talk to him?"

"Unfortunately, yes, since you have one of Apex's offshoots, you can only verbally communicate with him. He can only communicate with you telepathically without coherent thoughts. You'll understand as you explore more of him."

"Insane…" She sounded like a broken record.

-x-X-x-

"I still think it would've been better for you to have formed a secondary bond with them like the one you have with Felicia," Laura spoke as she jumped from one rooftop to the next, enjoying the night breeze hitting her face as she moved swiftly.

"Do you think so? I thought that would interfere with their relationship. Their situation is pretty much the same as that of your variant, who's part of the Widows. Laura and Kamala have a thriving relationship with each other without much intervention from me. They're doing their own thing, being badass widows, while also satisfying each other emotionally and physically. My presence only makes it so that they keep going." Alex was moving with her, albeit under a camouflage that only Laura could see through.

"Your presence, Alex, is the only thing keeping those two together."

"Early on, maybe. But now? They aren't dependent on me for their emotional needs. If I talked to them regularly, they would form a crutch to rely on me. I can only emotionally invest myself with so many women, you know…"

"I still think a secondary bond would be worthwhile. If I look at it from your pragmatic viewpoint, Laura and Kamala don't have enough value for you to form a secondary bond with. Agreed. But both Yana and Kitty have enough powers and capabilities that they should be able to benefit you if you form a secondary bond with them. If you give them enough power, they could manage this planet for you. That's your plan behind secondary bonds, right? Felicia will manage her Earth. That alien woman, Ayesha, is going to manage her planets, Yelena will manage the Widows, and more. These two can manage this planet for you."

"Why do you want me to be involved with them so badly?" Alex asked. "You're selling their value to me. Why?"

"…" Laura paused. "I think they're fun and want to keep in touch with them. If you demote them to a tertiary bond, then they are going to be irrelevant, and I won't have any reason to meet them once I leave this planet."

"You can meet whoever you want, Laura."

"Yeah, but a gap would exist, right? Eventually, that divide would leave them behind, in irrelevance."

"Fine…" Alex agreed. "It's not like I wasn't already considering it. Magic and Kitty are both valuable enough for me to give them more priority. I'll show up tomorrow when I join Magik. Letting them both enjoy the night of their lives."

"Thanks, you're the best."

"I'll see if I can convince them to let you join in as well. We can have a nice steamy foursome at that point."

"Sure… But don't ruin their relationship…"

"What kind of monster do you take me for?" Alex asked her. "While I'm possessive, I have no plans of putting myself between their relationship. I'm just going to make Kitty more open to Illyana's idea of opening up their relationship and add myself into the mix while also keeping them together."

"She did say she wasn't interested in adding a third party into the mix. Brace yourself," she said.

Alex grabbed Laura's arm and jumped up, propelling himself forward with lightning and pulling Laura along with him.

The duo landed on top of the tallest building in the city, the ICC.

"Woah…" Laura balanced herself and blinked at the view she saw, filled with liveliness and lights littering the streets under her.

"Come on, let's take a seat." Alex pulled Laura to the edge, and they sat down with their legs dangling over the edge of the building. "Let us continue where we left off."

"Yeah…" Laura recovered quickly, not completely lost in such views because she was used to seeing them while in Gaia. "Where was I? Yana… She's interested in adding a third party into the mix while Kitty is the one against it."

"That means I've already won half the game," Alex said. "With one of them already agreeable to it, as long as I play my cards right, we can get it done, no problem."

"Good," Laura nodded. "I've already passed the torch to you, now, don't fuck this up."

"Although," Alex said, "I'm a little surprised that you chose this Earth's Magik and Kitty instead of your Earth's versions."

"That's because they're dead to me," Laura said flatly. "All of them are, Alex. The multiverse gives me a new start and other options. My current feelings toward all of them are sheer indifference. That's more so after meeting that version of Logan on the Hydra-dominated Earth. That guy loves his daughter — the one you've kidnapped and sent to fight in a war. That's why I'm so friendly with Kitty and Yana here. Because I know they're different yet also the same."

"They might have some valid reasoning, you know."

"Maybe. But I don't care about any of that. All I care about is that they abandoned me. End of story. Their reasons, explanations, and whatever sob story they come up with, they can keep to themselves. I don't care anymore."

"You almost sound like you received multiple months' worth of therapy to get your emotions on track," Alex said.

Laura turned to look at him with a sly smile. "Let's go back. She's probably asleep by now."

"Let's give her a few more minutes. She's currently masturbating violently on her bed, right beside Magik. This is going to be the only time she gets to do that, after all. Once I take control, there's going to be little autonomy either of them will possess over their bodies. I'll be making sure any masturbation they do is in each other's presence."

"Just don't fuck things up," Laura said, shaking her head. "I thought you'd grown out of this orgasm control kink by now."

"Nah, at this point, I know it's an unhealthy fetish of mine, wanting to control what pleasure my hosts receive. It's not going away anytime soon. Of course, I've come to terms with it and act with some moderation now compared to how bad I was before when I'd just met you."

"So, a kink," Laura said.

"No. Not exactly, at least. A kink is much less… consuming," Alex said. "I'll take Felicia's example. She feels good with pet play. It satisfies her and brings her a sense of calm because of the unconditional love it affords her. She gets to let loose every once in a while and feels that no matter what she does, she will be loved and cared for…like a pet. That's a kink. A fetish is what I do, keeping her from ever pleasuring or even directly touching her own skin. She has grown to accommodate my fetish and even enjoys the feelings associated with the submission that comes with it. It consumes her life and takes things to the extreme. That is what a fetish is."

"Control freak…" Laura shook her head.

"That's just the way I am. Maybe I'll change in a couple of centuries… Who knows?"

"Well, lucky for you, you keep maintaining that moderation with me. And I like the level of control you maintain over me."

"You must be burning up inside," Alex said, pulling Laura closer as his hand slipped closer to her chest. "We haven't done anything since this morning. Going from two sessions of multiple rounds every day to nothing for the whole day must've left you starved."

"I can manage…" Laura said. "I'm more interested in that date that you promised me."

"I see." Alex nodded, regretfully pulling his hand back to rest it on her shoulder. "Tomorrow it is then. While those two have their date, we'll have our own date."

"Good boy," Laura smiled, pleased with herself as she patted his head.

Alex dryly shook his head before standing up, "Let's go back, she's already out like a light."

"Say…" Laura said as she grabbed Alex's hand and pulled herself up to her feet. "Do you think Kitty can get rid of you by phasing herself? Like, she could try to focus on you and phase herself out of you to get rid of you?"

"Nope," Alex said. "For one, this Kitty's powers are magical in nature, having nothing to do with the X-gene and instead relying on her bloodline. That means I can easily interfere and manipulate her magic to make sure I always stay attached to her, even if she tries to get rid of me by phasing herself. Two, even if she had the real X-gene, she wouldn't be able to phase me away because I am effectively equivalent to her skin. She can't phase herself through her own skin, right? It's the same principle."

"I'm pretty sure that if she really wanted to, she would be able to phase out of her skin. And die moments later."

"I don't plan to make her that desperate. In the worst-case scenario, I can use a failsafe and disable her X-gene entirely, turning her into a normal human."

"You can do that?" Laura looked shocked.

"I am the Apex biological creature, woman. As long as something stems from a person's biology, I can control it. Why do you think I never bothered to copy your X-gene's ability? My ‹Biological Manipulation› covers that and much more. I simply needed to understand how it healed you, and boom! I can now heal anyone I want with even greater efficiency than your X-gene."

"And to think you've been terrified of Charles for so long when you could've just whizzed into him and disabled his mind powers permanently," Laura mumbled.

"Well, it's not that simple," Alex told her. "While I can disable the gene, I don't know if I can reactivate it. I'm going to look for a valid test subject at some point, but I would like to not use that ability unless I plan to simply kill the person whose gene I've disabled. Not only that, but the process is also complicated. I need to have deep contact with the person to do that. If I wanted to do that to someone without forming at least a tertiary bond with them, I would have to shove myself in through their mouth and then take a couple of minutes to apply the genetic modification to their entire body. In that time, someone like Xavier could not only enter my mind, but he could completely wipe me of my memories if I didn't have the right defenses."

"Dangerous…" Laura said. "But you have a failsafe now, right?"

"Yeah. At this point, it's just a matter of time before I get the blueprints for Magik's psionic immunity. Then, I'll do my own rendition of 'No more telepaths.' It's going to be the best…"

"Man, you do you. Just make sure you don't lose yourself in all these conquests."

"Of course," Alex said. "The more time I spend, the more I'm terrified of some cosmic entity just warping everything I care about away from me. That's my drive. If I don't have anything to care about, then my drive doesn't really exist, right?"

"Hm," Laura nodded faintly before entering Katherine's apartment through the window as Alex merged into her body.

(A/N: So, there was no mention of this ability to disable the X-gene when Alex was dealing with Emma Frost in the Shang-Chi arc, which, according to the timeline, comes after these events. He didn't mention it because there was no need to. And he didn't want to depower Emma Frost just before the battle against Shang Chi.)

-x-X-x-

The following morning came with the arrival of one Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, or Magneto, in Hong Kong. Specifically, the man had come to Katherine's one-bedroom apartment and politely knocked on the door.

Inside the apartment, two men were still sleeping in the living room, not even responding to the knock. As for the other three occupants, they were in the only bedroom, sharing the large queen-size bed that Katherine had somehow fit into the apartment. Laura was initially sleeping on the side, but by the time morning came, she found herself between the two angst-filled women who couldn't get their relationship in order. Going by the positioning, Illyana was the one who had moved from the corner and pushed both Laura and Katherine before taking the other side, effectively placing a barrier between herself and Katherine.

Laura's sleep was broken because of the suppressed sound of Magneto's knock, and she instinctively thought about getting up, but was instead held down by some weight on her sides. Opening her eyes, Laura let out a sigh as she looked at Illyana and Katherine hugging her arms like pillows. All she needed was to twist her wrists a little, and she could give both women a shocking and very invasive wake-up call.

"Was this you?" Laura asked lazily, slowly freeing herself from their grips.

[As amusing as that would be, no. This was all these two. Illyana even got up in the middle of the night to move away from Kitty and sleep on your other side. I didn't try to read her thoughts, but I can only assume she needed someone to hug, and hugging Kitty would lead to an awkward situation in the morning.]

[For a pervert, she's surprisingly thoughtful… then again, this wasn't exactly a good decision…]

With her telepathic response, Laura finally freed herself from the grasp of both women and slipped forward, getting under the blanket and vacating her spot. She emerged from the foot of the bed before standing up.

"Hah…" Laura let out the breath she had been holding after making sure that both women were still asleep.

[You know, you could've gotten out without such a hassle. I could make sure that they don't wake up from the disturbance.]

[You should've told me earlier.] Laura said as she made her way out of the room and quickly opened the door to the apartment.

In front of her stood a white-haired man who seemed to be only in his forties, yet still had a head full of white hair.

"You must be Erik," Laura noticed how the man's face contorted into one full of confusion when he saw an unfamiliar face. "I'm Laura. The one unrelated to Logan."

"I can see that…" Erik said, narrowing his eyes. "The one who belongs to this Earth is still twelve, after all. Although the feral gaze you both have is remarkably similar."

"It's almost as if she and I are identical copies of each other," Laura smiled.

"It seems as such. Are you planning to hold the others hostage?" The man asked her.

"What?" Laura looked confused. "We just had some drinks last night. My healing factor keeps me from getting drunk."

"That's good," Erik nodded. "I couldn't help but notice that your bones are remarkably similar to Logan's…"

"Yeah," Laura smiled a smile that matched her feral eyes. "Wanna test whether I can stab you through the head before you take control of my bones with your powers?"

The atmosphere grew tense, only to be interrupted by a sigh.

"Erik," Doctor Strange stumbled into view. "Don't antagonize her. She saved our lives. And I don't doubt that she has tricks up her sleeve against your powers."

"You did?" Erik asked Laura, his calm eyes betraying a hint of surprise.

"Humph," Laura crossed her arms and turned away, walking back into the apartment.

"Come in, old friend," Doctor Strange said. "We have a lot to talk about."

[We could've taken him, right?]

[Totally… Unless he decided to pull all of this planet's metal in on itself and encase you in it. Then, all you could do would be to run before he completely encased you within a cocoon of unbreakable compressed metal.]

[That's broken as fuck, you know that?]

[He isn't an Omega-class mutant for nothing. Even in this reality where most mutants have an upper limit due to their powers being reliant on their bloodline, I'm sure he's monstrous if he decides to go all out.]

[Could you take him?]

[With Wanda's Chaos magic? I can kill him before he realizes it. If I'm by myself? The challenge would be to reach him. The moment I make contact with him, I can simply devour him without any issues because he can't physically repel me. That's the case for most entities, really. As long as I can come into contact with someone, it would be very easy for me to devour them. Unless they use an energy-based barrier like the one Agatha used when fighting against you. That would make things a little challenging.]

Laura and Alex conversed telepathically as Doctor Strange led Erik into the apartment.

"I'll wake Kitty and Yana." Laura lazily walked into the bedroom as Doctor Strange shook Peter awake.

"Yana?" Erik looked at Doctor Strange.

"Apparently, the three of them are now what the kids now call besties," he responded dryly. "Don't ask. I don't know either."

"Kids these days…" Erik shook his head.

…

"Wakey, wakey, girls," Laura spoke excitedly and jumped onto the bed, making sure to land between both Illyana and Katherine. "It's morning, and we have guests." She grabbed them by the shoulders and violently shook them. "Well, a guest."

Suddenly, the three of them, alongside the bed, disappeared from the room and appeared in Limbo.

"Lemme sleep!" Illyana turned around and curled up once again.

"This is fascinating…" Katherine naturally woke up, enjoying the benefits of one of Apex's basest abilities — biological and, to an extent, mental rejuvenation. "I'm pretty sure that I only slept for around four to five hours in total, but I'm more refreshed than I've ever been when waking up."

"Naturally," Laura said. "The benefits are just starting. As time passes, you will realize how amazing Apex is."

"I don't feel like my emotions are being manipulated…" Katherine continued. "There has to be some catch, right? Since Apex is a symbiotic lifeform, it… he(?) must need something from me."

"The biggest boon of Apex, compared to the other Symbiotes, is that he doesn't need anything explicit. He's like a plant. Taking in something we don't even need and giving back a much greater benefit."

[That's a new analogy.] Alex spoke in Laura's head.

[It's accurate, isn't it? Plants take carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. You take… whatever you take and give natural biological enhancements.]

[I take minuscule amounts of Bioenergy from whoever I'm bonded to. It's very minuscule, like a hundred-thousandth of a single unit each day, with no actual harm to the person. If I want a significant amount, I can devour the person from the inside out, eventually killing them because their natural production can't keep up. For context, even if I devour the Hulk, I would get only around five to ten units of Bioenergy — of course, there is the factor of his anger, which could increase his stored Bioenergy exponentially. Or, I could use convoluted means to enhance bioenergy production and extract it physically through something like breastmilk.]

[I so did not need that information.] Laura was weirded out.

"But I don't know what he takes…" Katherine looked anxious. "I'm worried that what he's taking is much more significant."

"He isn't," Laura said. "I don't quite understand it yet, but as he's explained to me, all carbon-based life in the universe possesses this thing called Bioenergy. You can think of it as a person's life force. It's like condensing the biological essence of life into a purified form of energy. That's what Apex takes. But —"

"What?!" Laura's casual words sent Kitty into a panic. "I can't have that happen to me. I want to live…"

She immediately tried to phase Apex away from her, only to fail, panicking even more.

"Don't panic…" Laura winced as she saw the woman increase the frequency of her phasing as she generated a high-pitched sound to isolate Apex from her body. Laura heard the initial ringing sound, but soon, the frequency went beyond her audible range.

"How can I not?" Kitty's form turned illusory and distorted as she phased into multiple frequencies to produce that sound.

"That won't work, Kitty…" Laura sighed, smacking her forehead. "Apex is immune to that weakness. And all weaknesses, really. Now that he's got his claws into you, the only way to have him let go is if I ask him nicely."

"Huh?!" The brunette woman had an expression of disbelief on her face as her illusory form stabilized.

"That's an interesting trick, though… I don't think I've ever seen my reality's Kitty shift so rapidly to generate sound," Laura said. "Now, will you let me finish?"

"Fine… whatever." Katherine looked at her arm as the cuff of the hoodie. It didn't seem to have been disturbed in the slightest.

"Bioenergy is limited, yes. But not in the way you think. Think of your body as a mass of Bioenergy. You grow, you learn, you age, and more, right?" Laura asked, pointedly looking at Katherine. "Right?"

"Right…"

"This implies that a certain amount of Bioenergy gets produced by your body as well. That's what Apex targets. In exchange, he can not only improve the regular production of your Bioenergy but also help expand the main pool that is your life force, prolonging your life. But you'll have to convince him to do that for you. He's a bit of a stickler about that. My point is— what he takes, he gives back multifold."

[I get that correct?] Laura asked mentally.

[Perfectly. As much as is relevant to her, at least. Looking at how desperate she was to get rid of me the moment she thought she might be sacrificing her lifespan, she's going to love the promise of immortality.]

"You're telling me that I can live longer?" Katherine asked, suddenly looking completely normal as if she hadn't just had an episode that could have amounted to a full-blown panic attack had Laura not been there to calm her down. "And that offer will be extended to Illyana as well?"

"Yes," Laura nodded. "But as I said. You'll have to convince Apex. Get familiar with him, and he will communicate with you."

-x-X-x-

Illyana was still fast asleep, unaffected by the ruckus caused by Laura and Katherine's argument.

"How can I trust you?" Katherine asked Laura, looking at her cautiously. "You didn't give me the full story before enticing me with it."

"Him," Laura corrected. "Trust me, you don't want to antagonize Apex. As for your question, I didn't tell you because it isn't a factor. He is taking some random energy you didn't even know about until thirty seconds ago and improving your ability to store and produce it. I already told you he could strengthen you, Kitty. That's all Apex is doing."

"If I ask you to take him back — let me finish," she raised her finger to stop Laura. "If I ask you to take him back. Will you?"

"Sure," Laura shrugged and extended her arm in Katherine's direction. "Apex? Do you mind coming back for a bit so that she realizes that I'm not trying to trap her or something?"

As if heeding her command, Katherine's clothes dissolved into black goop that left her body and extended toward Laura, leaving her naked within seconds.

"Done," Laura said. Neither woman seemed to care about the resultant lack of Katherine's clothes.

Katherine immediately phased herself out of reality.

"I'm just trying to help you, dude," Laura said, shaking her head. "If I really wanted to force you, I would've held Yana hostage by now."

"I feel weak and tired…" Katherine spoke.

"Of course, you feel weak and tired. You slept less than five hours last night and used that move just now, which was bound to exhaust you. The reason you didn't feel all that was because of Apex's enhancements, which you now don't have."

"…" Katherine didn't say anything and continued looking at Laura with a somewhat blank expression mixed with caution. "I'm sorry…"

Laura waited for the woman to continue as she phased herself back into reality and stepped closer to her.

"I shouldn't have been so jumpy about it." Katherine looked worn out and tired as she took a deep breath. "I've just… had a bad experience that has generalized the situation somewhat. I apologize." She repeated her apology to Laura and extended her arm forward. "Friends?"

Laura looked down at the woman's extended hand before looking back up at her with a flat expression on her face, not letting her discern anything about her thoughts.

"And how do I know you won't have another panic attack?" Laura asked.

"You don't have to take the suit back anymore, even if I ask you. You said Apex doesn't like it when people don't treat him correctly, right? I promise I'll keep that in mind," Katherine said. "So, friends? Please?"

After a few seconds of stressful silence, Laura broke into a smile and grabbed Katherine's arm before pulling her close. "Besties," she whispered in her ear, rightly hugging the woman as Apex's form extended out of Laura's body and wrapped itself around Katherine, forming the hoodie and shorts that she'd slept in.

"Thank you…" Katherine returned the hug. "Now, what do we do about that inert sloth? We're stuck here until she wakes up."

"We could sit and talk," Laura said.

"Boring. We did plenty of that last night."

"This place is supposed to be filled with cannon fodder demons, right?"

"Now you're talking my language." Katherine got an excited look in her eyes. "Show me how you went up two rounds against that monster Harkness without using any complicated spells."

…

It was only four hours later that Illyana woke up with a refreshed expression as if she were just about to step into a large garden and frolic among the flowers, letting her blonde locks dance in the wind. Unfortunately, the view she was greeted with was that of the demon-infested apocalyptic wasteland of a dimension— Limbo.

While three hours had passed in Limbo, not even a second had passed in reality, making it seem like the bed, along with the three women, reappeared within moments of its disappearance.

"Come out, girls. It's time to talk business."

As the three of them were leaving the room to start talking about serious business, Laura's mind drifted because of a thought she had after returning from Limbo.

[Hey, Alex. If time in the main dimension is paused when I'm in Limbo, then doesn't that cause issues for you? It's not like you're just with me. Your main consciousness is separate or something, right?]

[That initial delay I needed when you first entered Limbo was because of that. I had to use the Time Stone to help me sync with that frequency as well. The Klyntar Soul Dimension is similar, but neither time nor space exists there. As long as I can attune myself to the frequency of another dimension, I can sync myself with its time. In some cases, like this one, I might need the support of the Time Stone to help me kickstart the process.]

[Speaking of the Klyntar Soul Dimension… didn't it get affected by that massive shockwave? It sounds like a flimsy-ass dimension, considering it has neither Time nor Space. Did you protect it?]

[Protect it? Hell no. Hell will freeze over before they need me to protect this dimension. Why do you think I'm still hiding like a terrified rat while inside this dimension? There are true monsters here, Laura. Ones beyond any of our comprehension. Without ample reserves of Cosmic Energy, I am not risking encountering anyone here. Even if I get strong enough to devour Knull's ass.]

[I feel like you're being overly cautious.]

[I feel like I should be doing even more to hide. You know how monstrous I am. Just imagine how monstrous I would be if I had millions of years to prepare and strengthen myself. Even without a complete consciousness, I would be strong enough to rival actual cosmic entities.]

[I call them as I see them. And all you sound like at the moment is a pussy.]

[Sure. You can call me a pussy, but I am not risking it. I don't know what I might find there. And that is what terrifies me.]

[You say that like you know everything.]

[…I know enough.]

Alex didn't respond to Laura, and she picked up on his silence, understanding that he was done talking. She then brought her attention back to reality and sat between Illyana and Katherine on the large couch while Peter brought two chairs from the dining table for Doctor Strange and Erik, and he ended up sitting on the floor.

"So," Doctor Strange started. "Laura, if you would be so kind as to get everyone up to speed about the situation behind our planet and how everything revolves around this… variant of Wanda Maximoff."

Laura noticed that Erik's facial muscles tightened at the mention of Wanda Maximoff, allowing her to deduce the relationship between him and this world's original Wanda.

"First off, allow me to give my condolences for your daughter," Laura said. "Before we move to my side of the story, do you mind telling me how exactly she died? He told me about it but didn't give me the details."

Erik gave Doctor Strange a look, seeming like he was questioning why such information was given to an outsider. "It wasn't anything special," Erik said. "I am sure that you don't need the complete details. While Stephen was being stripped of his authority as the Sorcerer Supreme, there was an attack by unsolicited witches on the X-Men. Their base of operations, that little school for the gifted that Charles loved so much, was destroyed. The witches were prepared with countermeasures against all of them. They could directly disable the magic inherent in our bloodline. That led to Wanda's and everyone else's death. The only survivors are the ones who were out on missions or had gone rogue like Wolverine."

"Tragic." Laura noticed how the entire room's atmosphere turned dark and lifeless. "They should've had other abilities, right? Both Kitty and Yana look like they have trained in the Mystic Arts for a long time."

"The best they could achieve was mutual destruction," Erik said, shaking his head. "The witches didn't leave any survivors."

"I see. Well, I'll tell you that the thing that suppressed mutants was probably given to those witches by Wanda. Not your Wanda, but the one who enacted all these changes on this planet."

"Changes?" Erik asked.

"I'll tell you a summarized version of what I told these guys," Laura said. "A big, strong variant of Wanda is going around conquering planets in this cluster. You are one of her underling planets, hence the red tint of your skies. Similarly, Chaos energy was never prevalent here; reality was modified with the Reality Stone in conjunction with her powers to make it happen. Why? I don't know. She is the reason random witches had such a tool at their disposal, and she is the reason Strange lost his position as Sorcerer Supreme to Agatha Harkness. Any questions?"

"A few, actually," Erik said as his eyes sharpened. Immediately, he started asking Laura for details about her information, as if interrogating her.

She, like the unruly woman that she was, made sure that the experience was as frustrating as possible, making Erik's face twitch multiple times.

Still, by the end of it, he sighed in defeat and spoke reluctantly, "She's telling the truth… As much as I would like to consider otherwise."

Laura smiled with amusement and winked at Illyana and Kitty.