Getting the kids and his friend cleaned up was simple.
(The sight of Wong disheveled and covered in demonic guts was glorious and he would treasure it for as long as he lived.)
Getting an explanation for...everything really was decidedly less straightforward
"Oh, that's just not right."
Looking down at his own dead corpse, Stephen wasn't ashamed to admit that Eli's statement was very, very difficult to dispute.
"Well, kid." He sighed tiredly "When you said you had proof, I was expecting a practical demonstration or a... extra universal souvenir, but I suppose this works too."
America didn't appear to have heard him. Her eyes were fixed on the corpse with a dark intensity, and by the time it occurred to him that this very much wasn't a sight for young eyes she'd already turned around. He pretended not to notice her shoulders shaking and Eli stepping in closer to her, the murmur of soft, gentle words just barely audible.
Behind him, he felt Wong casting an array of complex diagnostic spells but he already knew that it would be a wasted effort.
His senses were sharp, and the resonancebetween his own body and that of his doppelganger remained clear even in death. It was unquestionably a genuine article, and by God did it open up a can of worms.
His eyes drifted back to the children, standing a distance away and huddle shoulder to shoulder.
America Chavez. Multiversal Traveler through a well of innate potential he couldn't make heads or tails off no matter how he tried to look at it. Homeless, incapable of returning to her own reality and pursued by someone (or something) that could command forces capable of overpowering even his own prodigious strength.
And it was prodigious. He was well aware of the pitfalls of ego (His life and those of so many others would have been verydifferent if he hadn't fallen to it quite so many times) but the fact of the matter was that he was an exceptional sorcerer of near unparalleled ed power and skill.
... Alright, maybe he was a little egoistic, but the point still stood.
From America's tales, his counterpart had been much the same.
But despite that, he'd been overpowered and driven so far into desperation that he'd been prepared to kill a child solely to prevent her power from being stolen.
The betrayal and cautiousness that he'd been met with once that little tidbid was revealed was an agony of its own making. It seemed that avoiding calamity by becoming a monster was a staple that extended past the limits of his universe and into others as well.
His life for the stone.
It was the only way.
He snorted bitterly.
So the multiverse was a bitch to more than just him. He'd give it points for consistency if nothing else. America's pursuer was just another item on the to-do list as far as he was concerned.
His gaze drifted to his second headache.
Elias Cauley.
Eighteen year old, prodigious and possibly self-taught practioner of the mystical-arts, and from what he could tell, the kid was gifted with of a font of raw power that was nearly unheard of even among the greatest of sorcerers... and that was just about all he knew of him.
The boy had been cagey at answering questions, and outright asking for personal information had been a bust.
"I don't know you." The boy had leaned back in his chair and shrugged his shoulders, an expression that was sheepish but decidedly firm flickering across his features. "I mean, I respect you and what you do for the world, but you're still a stranger and I don't feel comfortable discussing or revealing details of my personal life to you."
Which admittedly was fair, but he'd be lying if he said that the boy wasn't currently under a microscope. Obscenely powerful unknowns didn't get to pass under the radar if the sanctums had anything to say about it, because historically that had proven to be a recipe for disaster.
That, and the fact that the circumstances behind him just conveniently showing up were more than a little suspicious. Still, he'd stepped in and helped out.
For now, though, Stephen was content to watch and wait.
"Right then." Both of the teenagers perked up and turned their attention on him, and he sighed.
This was going to be such a headache.
"We'd better get going."
...
America awoke a day and half later, having spent most off the time asleep, and the sensation of finally being well-rested was almost enough to leave her in tears. She didn't get a chance to laze around in the bed she'd been given, which was something she'd honestly been dreaming about doing for a long while now, but waking up and feeling rested and recovered after everything felt as close to true bliss as she'd ever gotten. That's why she wasn't even tempted to complain when a knock sounded at her door, and not fifteen minutes later she found herself walking down the halls of the New York Sanctum with some... interesting company,
"This place is a fortress." The brightness of Eli's grin could have been measured in watts, and she found that his excitement was entirely effusive as he power-walked down the hallways and forced her to keep up with him. "I mean, my senses aren't the best or anything, but I can feel the magic in the walls. Awesome, isn't it?"
"I think I can too." She admitted quietly, surprised at her own admission. Sleep or no sleep after everything that happened over the last few days and the year before that, she didn't expect to be up for any kind of half-normal conversation. Not-Strange's (and she should really stop calling him that) barely disguised interrogation had been draining and the impact of running across infinite realities for nearly a year tended to degrade one's social skills considerably.
Admittedly still wasn't entirely sure who Eli Cauley was, but he'd firmly earned his place in her good books when he saved her form becoming seafood, or whatever else that the octopus from hell had wanted to do to her. She tried not to think about it too much, because that thought ended up reminding her of the disgusting mess that Not-Strange had splattered it into. Some of it had nearly gotten into her mouth, and it took real willpower not to gag at just the memory of that near-miss, because... ugh, gross.
Enough said.
Eli seemed delighted with her answer. "You feel it too?"
"Sort of."
It was true, too. The oddest thrumming in her bones, the feel of potential woven into the beautiful patterns of wood and stone that made up the sanctum's walls. Then Eli started talking again, distracting her from the sensation entirely as he broke out into a stream of words she barely kept up with.
Not that she minded.
America had realised pretty early on that once Eli got going, he just didn't stop. He talked and talked and talked about anything and everything, from the Sanctum, the sorcerer's and the local variant of New York city to things completely out of the left field like the existence of some spandex-wearing spider guy (Yeah, she wasn't clear on all the details there.) who fought local crime and apparently made terrible puns.
It was all rapid-fire factoids and unrestricted opinions about everything under the sun, and she's surprised to realise that it's not frustrating at all, even though it probably should be. There was just something about that kind of unrestricted, bubbling joy that contrasted against most of everything she'd experienced in recent memory and wound up being as endearing as endearing could get.
It didn't long to decided that she liked Eli, which was a problem. As a general rule, America didn't get close to people. Oh, she could be perfectly polite and reasonable, but she made it a habit never to make friends. It was a solitary (lonely) lifestyle, but jumping from world to world with little to no control meant that her chances of ever returning to the same universe twice were one in infinity. Why make friends only to abandon them forever? It was rational, and the smart choice all around.
But it didn't stop her from feeling the aching, familiar loneliness. It didn't stop the hurt.
No, friends were out of the question. But...
It was useful to make allies, she reasoned. Given that she was likely staying under their protection for the foreseeable future, it was a good idea to to make a positive impression.
Just this once.
"Impressive."
They whirled to find the Sorcerer Supreme and Strange (and hadn't that been surprising, to discover that he didn't bear the title in this universe as well) approaching them at a steady pace.
"To be able to sense wards with no training speaks of very good metaphysical senses. With the proper training, you would both make fine Sorcerers." Wong doesn't smile, but he does give them a sort of half-nod, a slight gesture that had her smiling faintly. She didn't really know who the man was and had never met any of his alternate selves, but he seemed to be a decent sort.
"Technically, I am a sorcerer." Eli grinned. "I use magic and everything!"
"You are not a sorcerer." Wong deadpanned, and the tone was so flat she had to bite her lip to keep from snorting. "You are untrained and your power use is inefficient. Terrible"
"But that's a matter for another day." Strange cut in as Eli made to protest, expression indignant. "For now, though, we have a game plan of sorts. We know that someone's hunting you, America, and until we know who we won't allow you out of site. Wong's prepared a space for you among the initiates, and you'll have the full protection of the sanctums and their masters for as long as it takes to figure this mess out."
Oh.
That hadn't happened with the... previousStrange. He'd spent most of the time rambling about finding something to save her life, but the'd never shared much in the way of details and it had jjust been the two of them. There had been no other sorcerers besides him.
Here, there were entire sanctums worth of them, and if they were all going to shield... no more running, no more being chased by living nightmares on top of accursed powers that just wouldn't cooperate
It sounded almost to good to be true, but... for the immediate future... she was safe.
Holy shit.
A burst of gratitude she didn't expect momentarily overcame her, driven by a relief so heady it nearly dropped her to her knees.
"Woah." Eli's voice sounded sort of faint.
"What is it?"
"Nothing, Mr. Wong. I'm just an empath."
"What?"
"Yeah, my powers let me feel other people's emotions, and right now she feeling... wow."
To be honest, she wasn't sure what was going on there, having ignored the byplay entirely in favour of meeting Strange's eyes.
"Thank you."
She was certain those were the most profound and most thankful words she'd ever said in her life, and Strange's smile was soft and kind in a way the man very rarely allowed himself to be seen.
"Don't worry about it, kid. Get some rest, get some food, and find something to pass the time with until I get back."
She blinked.
"Get back?"
"Whoever hunts you has little to no respect for the laws of magic or the lives of innocents." Wong's expression was implacable, but his tone was laced with distaste and intimidating power. "It is our duty to stand against them, and to do that we need to find this perpetrator. Stephen will be visiting a former colleague to gain aid."
Eli suddenly perked up, startling her slightly. "Who?"
"She's...an old friend who's had a rough time of it recently." Strange winced and looked away for a moment. "But she's very powerful where it counts and has skills that can aid us greatly. If anyone can figure out who's after you, it's Wanda Maximoff. Which only leaves you, Eli."
The boy stilled besides her "Me?"
"You are powerful, but untrained." Stephen pins him with a look of intensity. "Interesting, but not involved. Thank you for your help, but now the situation is well in hand. There's no need for you to remain here if you don't wish to."
There was a long pause, and America felt a burst of apprehension.
Would he leave? And would that even be in any way wrong? He didn't have any actual obligation to say, she reasoned with something not unlike despair, and however much she was starting to like him she didn't have any ground to ask him to stay even if she had the nerve to.
Did she even want him to stay?
(She already knew the answer)
"..Huh." He shrugged. "Can you portal me to my address in New York?"
Oh. Well.
She ignored the flash of bitter disappointment, already stamping down on the sensation. It was hardly fair of her to expect a stranger-.
Then Eli caught the look on her face and paled, waving his arms around as he rapidly back-pedalled. "No no no! I didn't mean it like that. I just need to pack an overnight bag and grab some stuff. There's no way I'm leaving you alone.."
She froze.
"Come on, you thought I'd just walk out? Give me a little credit here."
There was something warm about his smile, more restrained than his usual cheer but no less genuine, and it occurred to her that she should probably talk to him instead of just staring like a fish.
"You-" She shook her head slowly, eyes still a little wide. "You don't have to-"
"Nope. I don't walk out on friends."
What?
She got the strangest urge to laugh, then. "Friends? You've barely known me a day."
His smile remained undaunted by the protest.
"What can I say? I work fast, and besides." His expression turned solemn. "There are some experiences you just can't share with other people and notbecome attached to them. Being splattered by exploding demon octopus guts is one of those things."
...
He blinked at the sudden sudden silence, expression turning slightly haunted.
"Okay, back up a sec. What the hell did I just say?"
"Don't think about it." Wong nodded sagely, having finally rejoined the conversation. "It's better that way."
...
"Pfft."
"Heh."
She didn't know who started first, but there was a lot of movement and a lot of feeling and by the time her vision cleared up again, she was bent at the waist, laughing and crying and just losing it altogether.
It wasn't just her, either. Dimly, she could hear Eli sliding to the floor and cackling like a maniac, Strange barely holding himself straight and even the seemingly stoic Wong ending up laughing along with them.
(They stayed like for a while, laughing and laughing, If there were a few quiet sobs mixed in, well, no one chose to point them out.)
When they finally got themselves back together again, Eli favoured her with a more familiar grin. Wild and full of thrill.
"Face it America. You and I? After that? We're friends for all damn time."
"We still barely know each other." She argued, but she was smiling now, exhilarated and doing nothing to hide it, and she could tell that it delighted it him.
"We'll get to that eventually." He shrugged, unbothered and unhindered. "Trust me, this is the start of something epic!"
And though she still barely knew who he was, she realised that she didn't doubt him at all.
...
"So... can I go get my toothbrush now?"
Stephen snorted again.
...
A little while later:
Eli excitedly barged into the apartment, shoving the door so hard it smacked into the wall, the noise horribly starling and accompanied by the rain of broken plaster drifting down from the cracked ceiling.
"Peter!"
His roommate, having not expected such a ridiculous entrance, yelped (screamed) and jumped straight up, clinging upside down from the ceiling in a defensive posture.
Not unlike a spider.
"Eli, what the hell?!"
"No time to explain buddy! Pack a bag and let's go!"
"Where?!"
"The Multiverse, probably!" Eli ginned and his friend felt the faintest stirrings of fear. "Peter, my friend, we're going on another adventure!"
"...Eli, no."
"Eli yes!
...
On an unassuming farm, a woman stood and waited
A sorcerer she vaguely recognized approached, every step reeking of intent and purpose, but she payed the irritating distraction little interest, her attention instead drawn to the pages of her treasurewhen she felt something startlingly familiar clinging to the sorcerer in question.
The familiar, tantalising arcane imprint of the one she'd been hunting for near a year now.
He'd been near the girl, she realized with glee.
He knew where she was.
Good. Very good.
Her prize would soon be hers, and this cruel miserable reality she dwelt in would finally be cast into oblivion.
No matter the cost. No matter the sacrifice. It would all would be set to right, and she would have everything that was taken from her back and then some.
Wanda Maximoff, The Scarlet Witch, smiled and rose.
"Soon." She whispered, the image of two little boys forever imprinted in her very thoughts.
"Soon." The shadows whispered in turn