The Witches' Underworld, where the Queen of Nevers observes events transpiring in Lotkill. She notes that the great debate rages – freedom versus control. The medium, is violence. And the Scarlet Witch a.k.a. Wanda Maximoff has outwitted death and come home – to humble the Griever at the End of All Things....
In Lotkill, the Griever is flanked by her monstrous lampreys and scowls at the Scarlet Witch, noting that she fought her way back to life – but for what? 'These people? Your family? The very concept is a delusion – a lie you mayflies hope will save you... but in time, every family dies at my feet' the Griever declares. The Scarlet Witch glows and replies 'You say you're the end of everything, Griever. But not everything. Not me. I'm a nexus. My path's not set. That scares you...and you should be afraid!' the Scarlet Witch exclaims as she moves towards the Griever, energy at the ready, while the Griever raises a blade and energy darts around her fingers. Nearby, Wanda's brother Pietro a.k.a. Quicksilver punches his way through the lamprey monsters, while Polaris uses her control over metal to hurl shards of metal at the creatures, and Wanda's shop assistant, Darcy Lewis, attacks one of the monsters with a piece of steel.
'Some destroyer. You couldn't finish the job' Wanda remarks as she grabs the Griever by her throat, causing the Griever to burn. The Griever just grins and then grabs Wanda's cloak 'And you truly are one of my sister's creations' the Griever responds, slamming Wanda into the ground, she asks 'You think I fear her, Nexi? Free or not, you are a hornet at best – sting and be swatted. You're simply weak. You chained Chthon because you couldn't destroy him – but I can'. The Griever adds that even universal concepts, even death itself, will meet her end. The Griever places a foot on Wanda to keep her down and tells her that she must be pruned before she grows wild. 'You will not be the ultimate nexus. You cannot menace creation... the end is come'.
'Not yet, Griever... not even close!' Polaris remarks as she appear and hurls a police car towards the Griever. Under Polaris' hand, any debris is a forged bullet, fired at escape velocity. 'Pleased, scavenged sister... you are beneath my notice' the Griever mutters as she uses her power to seemingly dissolve the police car before it hits her. 'Honestly, woman...even I think that's pompous' Quicksilver mutters as he speeds towards the villain. Each of his breakneck footfalls building a unique electrostatic charge, which he manipulates like lightning and flings towards the Griever – who blocks the attack with her blade. 'Static lightning falls to heat death, fool. You remain as stupid as your sisters' the Griever mutters. 'And you remain achingly slow' Quicksilver notes, as suddenly, a portal opens beneath Wanda and the Griever. 'Distraction is Pietro's true gift, Griever. Gotcha!' Wanda exclaims as she and the Griever vanish.
The Scarlet Witch and the Griever re-appear on the moon. Wanda wears a space-mask across her face to ensure she can breathe, and her costume appears to have some space-armor-like additions to it also. 'You think I'm weak for chaining Chthon? For clawing up from the Underworld? I found powerful wisdom among the dead. My hexes, my magic...everything you fear is born of the same place. Me' Wanda declares as she creates some sort of hex-insect which she releases into the Griever's mouth. The Griever drops to her knees, while Wanda announces 'I am Freedom, Griever. With possibility as my patron. And I'm stronger than ever'.
Wanda reaches out back to Lotkill with her mind, where she contacts Pietro, Polaris, Darcy and the Hexfinder – who is not happy that Wanda has invaded her head. Darcy tells Wanda to 'Tune the dial' as she can barely read her, to which Wanda explains that it is a spell not a radio, as she is contacting them from the moon.
The Queen of Nevers watches, delighted. 'Good, Wanda. Good. For all she's seen, my sister has really never understood...no one does it alone'.
'Enough!' the Griever screams as she slams a fist onto the moon's surface, although Wanda leaps up before she is knocked over by the shockwave. 'A thought, Wanda – are you that mad? No one is that fast. I'll run my skin off!' Quicksilver asks, to which Wanda asks 'Are you saying you can't do it?' Quicksilver scowls: 'Can't?' he retorts. 'I'd never give you the satisfaction. I'll hit my mark, sister...you best hit yours' Quicksilver declares. Wanda tells her brother not to worry about her, and to just get moving. She creates a surge of energy in front of the Griever, which knocks the Griever backwards, towards another portal that appears behind her. 'Nice of Quickie to split when when my big gun's toast – but there's always the death stick' Darcy mumbles, waving her metal pole around. 'Wanda's so generous to send him running and leave us the endlings' Polaris remarks as she continues to battle the lampreys. 'Quit sniping, magnetist – I have an idea!' Hexfinder claims, as, at the same time on the moon, Wanda gives the Griever another shove backwards, into the portal. 'Keep it up, and you'll break my moon, Griever...let's bring you down to Earth!'
A moment later, the Griever slams into a street in Innsmouth, Massachusetts. But when Wanda drops down to continue the fight, the Griever responds by slamming a surge of energy into her. 'By all means. Here, there...I'll eliminate this planet all the same. I am what will be' the Griever boasts. She tells Wanda to fight for what could be all she wants, but something will always triumph over nothing. Wanda regains composure and tells the Griever 'We'll see' before informing her that Innsmouth is deserted, it is just the two of them – and possibility. 'And that's not nothing. It's the space between what is and what will be. Possibility is what if. It's everything' Wanda utters. 'A child's answer – if it's everything, then it's all mine!' the Griever scowls as she lashes out at Wanda, cutting her way through a hex that Wanda was preparing. 'My hex! No! They can't -' Wanda begins. 'Break?' the Griever asks as she prepares to shove her blade at Wanda.
Wanda quickly opens a portal in front of her, sending the blade through the portal, as the Griever announces that the Edge of Reality severs all, even her sister's hyper-dimensional wards – even the membrane of reality itself! 'And certainly your meek and subtle portals' the Griever grins, as she raises her blade once more and cuts through a portal, to Wanda's shock. But, Wanda responds by slamming the palms of her hands on either side of the blade. 'Your sword may cut deep, Griever...but all blades some with the same disadvantage' she remarks. Wanda holds the blade in place, while the Griever tells her that her muscles come with the same disadvantage, too – her grip will weaken, falter in time. 'But why wait...?' the Griever asks as she shoves her blade through the edge of reality.
Wanda is shocked: 'The – the edge! You destroyed it, but you'll be -' she begins, as the Griever grins, 'Trapped here, yes. Sadly, there'll be no escaping this reality now' the Griever adds. 'And no escape for this reality!' the Griever adds as she shoves her elbow into Wanda's back. Wanda drops to the ground and the Griever stands over her: 'Not from me! I believe you've inspired me, Wanda! I strand myself here not for the grand design, no – not to serve the quiet math! I am improvising...out of pure, beautiful spite'. But the Griever looks horrified as Wanda suddenly leaps forward, in her astral form, she passes through the Griever's body and suggests she sticks to what she knows.
Back in Lotkill, Hexfinder tells Polaris that the demons are now riddled with nickel, and that she should strike now.
At the same time in Innsmouth, the Griever looks down at her body, which appears to be mutating. 'What have you done?' she shrieks at the Scarlet Witch. 'Something cruel. That's what happens when you threaten my world. Grottu's regret isn't complicated. It's Deviant magic – a pustulant spell' Wanda reveals.
And in Lotkill, 'You heard Hexfinder, Lorna – start the squeeze!' Darcy calls out to Polaris, who hovers above the lampreys and responds 'With pleasure and style' as she latches onto the nickel within all of their bodies – and squeezes the creatures to death.
Wanda snaps her fingers and grins as she tells the Griever to be careful, as the boils can tend to explode – which they do when Wanda snaps her fingers. The Griever continues to look down at her mutated body in shock.
Elsewhere, in Antarctica, 'The gall of it!' Quicksilver complains as he speeds across the icy terrain, most of his costume torn to shreds. 'To challenge my speed at such a dire moment? Not fast enough – me?' Quicksilver complains, boasting that he has never had that problem – never. 'I was first out of the womb!' he exclaims, while admitting that despite the joy of this bustering exfoliation, he may feels just a skosh of fatigue. He notes that Wanda asks much – they both do – that is their way. Needs must, and so must Maximoffs. His feet are bruised as he continues to speed across the wasteland, and tells himself that if survives this, they will be sure to laugh at the absurd ease with which he saved the day. 'But if I were to, say, violently explode and shatter local physics...I expect a truly legendary eulogy. It must be better than Hawkeye's!' Quicksilver exclaims.
Returning to Innsmouth, the Griever clutches herself as she looks up at Wanda: 'You mortal-minded simpleton...I exist beyond even the bounds of this cosmos. No wound can truly kill me – this fight was in vain – before even the idea of you was born!' theb Griever shrieks as she casts a blue ball of energy forward, which engulfs part of the town. However, Wanda is protected by a force-field, and she tells the Griever 'Maybe, Griever. But I don't need you to die. And when I said it was just you and me – I lied'. Wanda begins to conjure anoher hex, which does not impress the Griever. 'Honestly? Another hex? What could it possibly -?' she begins, when suddenly, 'Oh' she utters as Quicksilver appears and blows her a kiss. 'Hello there' Quicksilver grins as he speeds forward with all of the pent-up force that he has accumulated by running – and kicks the Griever so hard that her soul is removed from her body, shunted into the portal behind her.
The Griever begins to collapse to her knees, gasping, as Quicksilver tells her to speak up, as she is making a scene. 'Can't. You shouldn't be...can't happen...it's...not possible' the Griever gasps, pointing at Wanda. 'Not probable – thank the hex' Wanda corrects the Griever. 'I can't kill you. But I don't need to. Not when my brother just hit you so hard it scattered your essence across time, and I can fracture the pieces left behind' Wanda explains. 'Is... is this terror?' the Griever utters, before Wanda begins to tear her apart, molecule by molecule in terriifying display. The Griever screams, while Wanda tells her that she is sure she will pull herself back together...i n a few million years, while Quicksilver looks on, smiling.
'This round goes to me, sister Griever. Well played, Wanda. Well played' the Queen of Nevers smiles, pleased.
Wanda is weary, and stumbles, but Quicksilver grabs her and assures his sister that he has her and that he will stamp out any pieces of the Griever that resurface. 'She's gone. Cast throughout a myriad of dimensions' Wanda utters.
In Lotkill, 'Ugh! I got holehead on my new kicks, Doc! You wanna magnet this stuff off?' Darcy complains to Polaris, who remarks that Wanda is the miracle worker, but offers to buy Darcy some new Beast-O 7's. In the park nearby, the civilians are unharmed. 'It's so quiet back in town' one of them remarks, while another remarks that she thinks it is safe.
'Splendid. You know...a brother could go his whole life without seeing his sister murdered by cosmic death' Quicksilver tells Wanda, admitting to her that he was worried, and asks her that she cancels all future plans to perish. 'Deal, Pietro... deal. But even if I do... you'd come get me, wouldn't you?' Wanda smiles as she holds her brother's hand.
Hours later, Wanda finds Hexfinder, who asks her if she has come to thank her for her body. 'Should I, Hexfinder? You're trying to kill me as we speak' Wanda responds. 'You'll forgive a bit of radon gas. Alchemy has its perks...and I do hate you' Hexfinder replies, to which Wanda addresses Hexfinder by her true name, Nicola, and asks her why she remade the Last Door, and why she paved a path back to life for her. 'The Griever threatened the entire planet, Maximoff. I'm not a child. This world is better off without you. But to be better off, it needs to be here' Hexfinder declares, before raising her staff towards Wanda, and informing her that she told Darcy that nothing between them would change. 'She said you'd owe me one... but the only repayment I'll accept is your head on a platter!' Hexfinder exclaims.
'Then you'll have to accept an alternative tender' Wanda supposes. Wanda then tells Nicola that she is sorry that witchcraft betrayed her kind, but that grudge is now centuries old. 'You protected thousands today. Here...now...don't make us enemies' Wanda suggests. Hexfinder pauses, before telling Wanda that she will give her a head start – but that after that – there is no promises. She then disappears in a flash.
Later, in Lotkill, Wanda, Pietro and Polaris sit on the rooftop of the Emporium, eating from three pans which are suspended in front of them courtesy of Polaris' control over metal. 'And what do locals calls this capsaicin-laden presentation?' Pietro asks. 'Chicken riggies, Pietro. Local favorite. For a fast guy, you sure don't get around' Polaris smile. Wanda suggests that Pietro not aruge with Lorna, noting that she wears her doctorate like armor – very strong stuff. Wanda then tells her siblings that they have spent too long not doing this. 'Look at what we can accomplish' she remarks. 'An ancient force – banished. A town in ruins – rebuilt. Not without cost... but we've rejected what would've been' Wanda smiles.
'A magnetically talented sister does help. You're quite good, Lorna...a true achievement with someone as lackluster as Magneto for a blood relation' Quicksilver smiles as he leans into Polaris. Polaris narrows her eyes and tells Pietro that she is sorry for what Magneto said to and what he wrote. 'Magneto's my father...but he doesn't speak for me. And he's wrong – you deserved resurrection, deserve life' Polaris utters. She puts her headpiece on and starts to fly away, turning to her siblings, she tells them that they don't threaten each other – they strengthen each other – and strengthen her, too. 'It's never simple, is it? But it's always true. Always. So don't be a stranger...and don't wait for the world to be burning to call' Polaris adds as she flies aw ay.
'Well, I thought she'd never zip off. Third sibling? More like third wheel' Pietro smiles. 'Pietro!' Wanda exclaims, shoving her elbow against his arm. 'Yes, yes. It is good seeing Lorna again. Forgive me some levity – this was a close one' Pietro remarks, to which Wanda tells him that it was worth it, as their future – the future – is free. 'I'm a nexus. You're my twin. Together, we have no limits. And I just hope we – just hope I can live up to that' Wanda adds. Pietro smiles as Wanda tells him that since beating Chthon, since atoning with mutantkind, she has needed so badly to be okay, only she has refused help, listened only to herself – all to prove that she was in control, that she was fine. Wanda looks up to the sky as she remarks that Agatha Harkness asked her to share the true Darkhold's burden, and wonders if she had listened, whether Lotkill may not have been targeted. 'I don't always know best. No one does' Wanda admits.
'I do. The Griever was always coming. Because you will always be you. Powerful, unpredictable, loyal and unyielding...' Quicksilver tells Wanda as he puts an arm around her. He tells Wanda that none of this means she won't make more mistakes, and even he is due his first mistake. 'Perfection is a fool's expectation. Anyone who loves you...expects only you. A warrior, a friend. A sister...with a heart that thrives in pure chaos' Quicksilver declares. Suddenly, Wanda looks shocked. 'My heart...wait, Pietro – my heart!' Wanda exclaims, concerned.
Wanda dives into her soul, but something isn't right. Something is missing...she searches until she finds the prison within her where Chthon was caged – but he is gone, escaped. 'Chthon is free!' Wanda gasps.
