The Ancient One stood at the edge of the ruined battlefield, brows furrowed. As a master of spatial magic, she could easily sense disturbances in dimensional fabric.
But here? There was none…
That monster hadn't teleported away. It hadn't phased into another realm. No portal, no ripple in the veil of reality.
It had simply… vanished.
Which should have been impossible.
She scanned the scorched ground again. Smoke still rose from melted asphalt. Nearby buildings bore signs of intense heat damage. And yet, in the distance, a chubby husky was trotting away unharmed.
That was the only living creature within a five-hundred-meter radius.
The Ancient One's eyes narrowed.
The Abomination's corpse lay blackened and partially liquefied. The heat from the battle had been enough to incinerate humans. Entire vehicles had been reduced to slag.
So how had a perfectly ordinary husky not only survived, but remained completely unscathed?
Not even a singed whisker.
Her heart skipped. "No…"
It was so obvious. Too obvious. Why hadn't she seen it?
She spun around and looked in the direction the dog had gone, immediately giving chase.
But it was too late.
The husky had already vanished into the stampeding crowd of panicked civilians. The Ancient One hesitated, her robes fluttering in the smoke-laden wind.
There were too many people. Too much chaos. No way to track it without drawing attention.
Still, the thought nagged at her.
Could the gigantic three-headed hellhound have become that husky?
No. The appearances were too different. There was no physical continuity. And transformation of that scale, she would have sensed it.
Wouldn't she?
Her frown deepened. Something was out of alignment. But for now, she chose to withdraw, her silhouette vanishing into the golden shimmer of a portal, none the wiser to her presence in this place.
…
Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of Brooklyn, Luke stumbled back into his small grocery store, heart still pounding.
He slammed the door shut behind him and locked it.
Just as he took a deep breath, a familiar voice called out from upstairs.
"Brother? You home?"
A moment later, a girl descended the creaky wooden steps. She had long, slightly curled brown hair and wore a simple red dress that somehow made her look even younger than she was.
Luke's eyes widened slightly. He immediately pulled off his x-ray glasses and stuffed them into his pocket.
The girl, his "sister", was Wanda.
Yes, that Wanda. The Scarlet Witch, wielder of chaos magic. Although… not quite yet.
Right now, she was just a sixteen-year-old girl. Ordinary, sweet, even a bit shy. And totally unaware of the vast power slumbering within her.
They weren't related by blood, but had grown up together at the orphanage. She had always clung to him, and he had always protected her as much as he could with his weak body. When he inherited the grocery store, he brought her along without a second thought.
It felt natural. After all, she was the only family he had.
Still, even Luke had to remind himself: she's underage. And that's why the glasses need to come off in her presence. Definitely not because of anything weird.
"Luke? You look flushed," Wanda said, peering at him with concern. "You're sweating. Did something happen?"
Luke quickly forced a grin. "Ah… no, nothing serious. Just a mad dog outside. Gave me a scare, that's all."
Wanda tilted her head. "Mad dog?"
Then her expression shifted.
"Wait… where's Doggo?"
Luke froze in place.
Every evening, he took their fat, lazy husky for a walk. It was routine. And Wanda adored that dog more than anyone.
She glanced around the room. "Did he run off? Is he okay?"
Luke opened his mouth, then closed it again.
What could he say? Sorry, your beloved husky may or may not have turned into a demon from hell and eaten another monster alive?
He was still scrambling for a believable excuse when a familiar sound came from the front door.
Thump. Pant~
The dog was back.
Chubby as always. Tongue lolling. Tail wagging.
Luke instinctively stepped back, heart lurching in his chest.
That was the same dog. The same body. The same everything.
And yet… he couldn't shake the image of its monstrous transformation; three flaming heads, hellfire breath, corrosive saliva.
Now, it was just Doggo again.
Or was it?
Luke eyed it cautiously. What if it transformed again, right in the middle of the grocery store?
All the shelves, the glass counter, the backroom freezer…
Suddenly, the idea of getting insurance seemed very smart.
But Wanda hadn't noticed his alarm. The moment she saw Doggo, her eyes lit up.
"Doggo!" she squealed.
She ran over, dropped to her knees, and wrapped her arms around the husky's thick neck, burying her face in his fur.
The dog licked her cheek happily, tail thumping against the floor.
Luke watched the scene, his heart in his throat.
She was hugging a three-headed hellhound like it was a teddy bear.
And the dog?
It was acting like nothing had happened.
Like it hadn't just killed and devoured a monster in the middle of Manhattan.
Luke slowly exhaled.
Whatever was going on… he needed answers.
But more than anything, he needed to make sure Wanda stayed safe.
And that started with keeping her in the dark, for now.
…