The beam from Loki's scepter struck where I had stood a split second earlier, melting pavement and sending up a cloud of steam.
I hit the ground hard, rolled behind a parked car, and tried not to panic.
> "Okay," I whispered, adrenaline spiking. "This is fine. He only has a god-tier weapon that controls minds and shoots lasers. It's fine."
Overhead, Iron Man and Loki exchanged blows, blue and gold colliding mid-air like thunder gods in a fireworks factory.
A familiar voice crackled in my ear—Tony, over comms.
> "New guy. Tell me you've got a plan and not just sass and skinny jeans."
> "I do now," I said, heart pounding as my HUD flickered:
[Illusion Magic – Active]
Energy Cost: Moderate
Skill: Decoy Projection, Visual Cloak, Voice Mimicry
I crouched lower, extended my hand, and willed an illusion into existence.
A perfect duplicate of me—down to the sweat, ripped shirt, and panicked look—darted from cover and bolted across the street.
Loki's eyes snapped to it.
He followed.
> "Come out, little anomaly," he cooed. "Let me see what you're made of."
That bought me a few precious seconds. I focused again, drawing the shadows around me, activating Visual Cloak. My body shimmered and disappeared from sight.
> "Okay," I whispered. "This is insanely cool."
---
Up above, Natasha parachuted down from the Quinjet like a red-haired reaper. She landed on a rooftop near Loki, twin batons charged and crackling.
> "Stark, herd him toward me," she said through gritted teeth.
> "Already on it."
Loki's attention flicked between Iron Man, the illusion, and Natasha. Confused. Unsettled.
That's when I struck.
Still cloaked, I crept behind him—close enough to smell the Asgardian leather.
> "Boo," I whispered.
I dropped the cloak and activated Voice Mimicry—not of myself, but Thor's.
> "Brother. Stop this madness."
Loki spun.
In his eyes, Thor stood behind him, eyes full of disappointment.
For a heartbeat, he hesitated.
And that's when Natasha struck—batons slamming into his back with an electrical snap, staggering him forward.
Tony wasted no time—he blasted Loki point-blank in the chest, sending him flying into a marble fountain.
---
[Quest Update: Forked Path – Outcome: Timeline Altered Slightly]
[Bonus Objective Completed: Prevent Civilian Casualties – +100 XP]
[Skill Proficiency Increased – Illusion Magic Lv. 2]
---
The crowd began to flee, sirens wailing in the distance.
I walked toward Loki's twitching body as Natasha cuffed him with some kind of glowing shackles.
He looked up at me—not with fury, but fascination.
> "You're not one of them," he whispered. "You're something... in-between."
> "I'm what happens when the script gets rewritten," I said.
He smirked, even through the pain.
> "I hope I live long enough to see what you become."
---
Back on the Quinjet
The air was heavy. Quiet. Loki sat bound and gagged across the aisle. Tony was patching up his suit. Natasha sat polishing her weapons. And me?
I sat across from Wanda Maximoff.
She had been eyeing me since I boarded.
> "You're not normal," she said softly.
> "Never claimed I was."
> "Your mind… it's hard to read. Like it's glitching. Scrambled. But the fear is real."
She leaned in closer.
> "You've seen something coming, haven't you?"
I met her eyes.
> "Thanos."
Her face paled.
---
[New Quest Unlocked: Quiet Before the Storm]
Prepare allies for threats outside their comprehension.
> Reward: Foresight Skill Fragment
Optional: Gain trust from Wanda, Peter, and Steve.
---
I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes. My body ached. My magic reserves were low. But for the first time, I felt something else:
Momentum.
I wasn't just surviving anymore.
I was starting to play the game.
And I was far from done.
---