Chapter 6: Chapter Six:
Eleven sat cross-legged in a dimly lit chamber of the Sanctum Sanctorum, her breath shallow as sweat clung to her forehead. Wanda knelt in front of her, their hands nearly touching, a faint crimson glow radiating from Wanda's fingertips. The air between them shimmered with raw energy, a delicate thread of connection binding their minds.
"Again," Wanda instructed, her voice firm but steady.
"I can't," Eleven whispered. Her eyes burned with exhaustion, and her body felt like it was weighed down by invisible chains. "It's too much."
"You think it's too much because you're letting it control you," Wanda countered. "But it's not. The power is yours, not his. You need to take it back."
Eleven clenched her fists, her breathing uneven. Wanda's words made sense, but every time she reached into that well of energy, she felt the presence of Kang—cold, calculating, and unrelenting. He wasn't just watching her. He was waiting for her to make a mistake.
"Eleven," Wanda said softly, her tone shifting. "Look at me."
Eleven hesitated, then met Wanda's gaze. There was no judgment there, no frustration. Only understanding.
"You've been fighting this your whole life," Wanda said. "But this isn't about fighting anymore. It's about choosing. Choose to be stronger than him. Choose to be more than what he wants you to be."
Eleven swallowed hard, her chest tightening. She closed her eyes, letting the air around her grow still. The energy within her began to stir, tentative at first, like a ripple on the surface of a lake. She reached for it, not with fear, but with purpose.
The room seemed to hold its breath as Eleven's power flared to life. Blue energy crackled around her, wild and untamed, but this time she didn't pull away. She let it flow through her, let it expand, until the thread of crimson energy connecting her to Wanda began to glow brighter.
"Good," Wanda said, her voice steady. "Now hold it. Feel the balance."
Eleven's breathing slowed as the energy settled into a rhythm, no longer thrashing against her but moving with her. For the first time, it didn't feel like a burden. It felt like hers.
But then the air shifted.
The faint hum of magic that filled the Sanctum grew louder, deeper, until it was a low, resonant pulse. Eleven's eyes snapped open, her focus faltering as the walls of the chamber began to ripple like water. Wanda's crimson energy flickered, her expression tightening.
"Strange," Wanda called, rising to her feet. "Something's wrong."
The sorcerer appeared in the doorway almost instantly, his cloak billowing behind him. His sharp gaze swept the room, taking in the shimmering walls and the faint vibrations coursing through the floor.
"He's making his move," Strange said, his tone grim. "The multiverse is destabilizing."
Eleven stumbled to her feet, her heart racing. "Kang?"
Strange nodded, his hands already weaving sigils in the air. "He's targeting you. If he collapses your connection to the Upside Down, he'll be able to rip through the dimensional barriers."
Eleven's fists clenched. "Then stop him."
"It's not that simple," Strange said, his sigils flaring brighter. "He's not attacking directly—he's using the fractures in your reality. The more you push back, the more he can exploit them."
Wanda stepped closer to Eleven, her crimson aura blazing to life. "We won't let him take you."
The chamber lurched violently, the walls splitting open to reveal swirling voids of darkness. Eleven staggered, her power flaring instinctively as the ground beneath her feet cracked and splintered.
From the voids emerged Kang's constructs—twisted, shadowy figures that flickered and pulsed like static. Their forms were less human this time, their limbs elongated and jagged, their eyes glowing with the same eerie blue light that haunted Eleven's nightmares.
"Get her out of here!" Strange shouted, his hands a blur as he unleashed a torrent of golden energy. The constructs recoiled but didn't retreat, their shapes shifting and reforming as they advanced.
"No," Eleven said, her voice firm. She stepped forward, her eyes darkening as she drew on her power. "I'm not running."
Wanda's gaze flicked to her, a mix of concern and pride flashing in her eyes. "Then we fight."
The room erupted into chaos.
Strange's spells crackled through the air, golden arcs of energy slicing through the constructs with surgical precision. Wanda's crimson power lashed out in waves, slamming into the advancing figures and sending them crashing into the walls. But the constructs kept coming, their numbers growing with each passing second.
Eleven focused on the largest of the creatures, her power surging as she raised both hands. The blue energy around her flared brighter, and with a guttural scream, she unleashed a blast of telekinetic force. The creature disintegrated on impact, its fragments scattering across the chamber like ash.
But even as it fell, another took its place.
"They're endless," Wanda muttered, her crimson aura flickering as the strain of the battle began to show.
"No," Eleven said, her voice trembling but resolute. "They're not."
She closed her eyes, shutting out the chaos around her. The noise, the fear, the doubt—they all faded into the background as she reached deeper into the energy within her. It wasn't just hers anymore. She could feel the threads connecting her to the Upside Down, to the fractures Kang had created.
And she pulled.
The chamber shook violently as the threads began to unravel, the constructs faltering mid-attack. Eleven's eyes snapped open, blazing with blue light as she turned her focus on the voids. She could see them now—gateways, like the ones she had opened before, but twisted and wrong. They pulsed with Kang's influence, anchoring his constructs to this reality.
With a sharp cry, Eleven thrust her hands forward, her power colliding with the voids. The gateways buckled, their edges collapsing inward as the constructs let out distorted, static-filled screams.
"Close them!" Strange shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"I'm trying!" Eleven yelled, the strain evident in her voice. Her power wavered, the weight of it threatening to crush her. But she didn't let go. She couldn't.
Wanda moved beside her, her hands glowing with crimson light. "You're not alone," she said, her voice steady. "We'll do it together."
Eleven nodded, tears streaming down her face as the energy surged one last time. With a final push, the voids collapsed completely, their edges folding in on themselves until they vanished into nothingness. The constructs disintegrated instantly, their forms dissolving into the air.
Silence fell over the chamber.
Eleven collapsed to her knees, her body trembling with exhaustion. Wanda knelt beside her, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder.
"You did it," Wanda said softly.
Eleven shook her head, her breath ragged. "He's still out there."
"Yes," Strange said, his voice heavy. "And he won't stop until he gets what he wants."
Eleven looked up at him, her eyes filled with determination. "Then we make sure he doesn't."
Scene Break: Kang's Fortress
Kang watched the collapse of the voids through a shimmering screen, his expression unreadable. The dark-haired figure beside him shifted uneasily.
"She's stronger than we anticipated," the figure said. "She's learning."
"Good," Kang replied, his tone calm. "Let her grow. Let her think she's winning. The stronger she becomes, the more she'll tear the barriers apart."
The figure frowned. "And if she resists?"
Kang smiled faintly, his eyes glinting with cold amusement. "She won't. Not forever."