The city had not been this quiet since the Chitauri invasion.
After the massacre in the subway, the Hunters had gone to ground. Their corpses still dripped blood in the tunnels, but no new wave came that night. Mira sat on the roof of an abandoned church, her cats gathered around her like sentinels. The moonlight made their eyes glow brighter, as if they carried pieces of the night inside them.
Deadpool sat cross-legged nearby, eating cold chimichangas from a plastic bag. He hummed tunelessly between bites.
"So," he said with his mouth full, "we're like a super-team now, right? You, me, the nightmare kitties. Call ourselves Fear Force X or The Catastrophics. I'm workshopping names."
Mira didn't answer. She was staring at the blood on her hands, the memory of hearts ripping free, of screams that still echoed even after their owners were dead. A thrill of power ran through her veins—and a whisper of something darker, a voice she tried not to hear.
Then came another voice.
"You're loud," it said, carried on the wind.
The cats bristled. Mira rose to her feet, fire flickering around her fingers. Deadpool pulled out his katanas.
But the figure that stepped from the shadows was not a Hunter.
Scarlet cloak. Red crown. Eyes glowing faintly scarlet.
"Wanda Maximoff," Mira breathed.
The Scarlet Witch tilted her head, studying Mira and the cats with an intensity that made Deadpool mutter, "Well, there goes my blood pressure."
"I felt the surge," Wanda said, her accent thick. "Your power burned through the wards of this entire city. You've touched Mephisto's fire." Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"
Mira straightened, unflinching. "Because the world wanted me weak. I chose to be stronger."
For a moment, silence hung heavy. Wanda's gaze shifted to the bodies of the cats, to their shifting shadows. She did not look away. Instead, she smiled faintly—bitterly.
"I know what it is to make a deal for power. To be cursed by something inside you." Her hand twitched, scarlet energy swirling faintly at her fingertips. "If Mephisto is moving pieces on this board again… you will not face him alone."
Deadpool raised his hand. "Question. Does this mean we're like… an official squad now? Do I get trading cards? Matching jackets?"
Neither woman answered.
Instead, Mira's lips curved into something like a grin. "Then you're with me."
The cats growled low, not in warning but in acknowledgment.
And just like that, the Devil's Menagerie had a new witch among them.
---
They didn't have long to savor the moment.
The air grew cold, rippling with sparks of golden light. The rooftop trembled as a circle of fire carved itself into existence. Through it stepped a man in flowing blue, the Eye of Agamotto gleaming on his chest. His voice carried the weight of authority and inevitability.
"Enough," Doctor Strange declared.
The cats hissed, shadows flaring. Wanda stepped forward instinctively, her aura rising in defense. Deadpool just waved. "Sup, wizard daddy. Cool entrance. Needs more fog machine though."
Strange ignored him. His eyes locked on Mira.
"You reek of Hell's bargain," he said flatly. "You've already torn holes in the Veil with your Fear magic. If this continues, you won't just damn yourself—you'll damn the world."
Mira's smile was sharp. "Funny. Hunters have been trying to kill me since I got here, and not once did your precious Sanctum step in to stop them. But the second I fight back—you come running."
Strange's jaw tightened. "Because I am not here to protect the Hunters. I am here to protect reality." He raised a hand, golden mandalas flaring into shields. "Stand down, Mira. Surrender the power Mephisto gave you."
The cats growled. Wanda stepped closer to Mira, scarlet light coiling around her hands. "She doesn't stand alone."
Strange's eyes flicked to Wanda. "Maximoff—don't do this. You know where this road leads."
"I do," Wanda said, voice steady. "That's why I won't let her walk it alone."
The rooftop erupted in tension. Strange raised his shields. Wanda's red chaos crackled. Mira's cats swelled into their nightmare forms, eyes glowing like embers. Even Deadpool, humming the "Jaws" theme under his breath, twirled his katanas.
The Sorcerer Supreme faced the Devil's Menagerie—and for the first time since becoming Earth's protector, he was unsure whether he was confronting a threat… or watching the birth of something far worse.