"How is he doing?", I asked as I leaned against a wall, Tina exiting the room with a sigh before she shook her head.
"He's stable for now, but there are still some signs of anxiety on his mind. We'll have to wait until he wakes to see just how damaged his psyche is."
"So, I'm guessing that those guys were from the Ten Rings organization?"
"Yes, and that means Xu Wenwu and his soldiers are going to come here."
"Why would they?"
"Because traces of my energy were left back when I reforged the seal for the Black Calamity. Wenwu is a being that has been alive for centuries so he has honed his senses to detect any supernatural forms of energy residue left in an area."
"Well, shit. That means that he's already snipping around and that means I'll have to stay put. Think I could go out and see if Wenwu and I can't just talk this out with each other?"
"Xu Wenwu is a stubborn man of sheer will, grit and determination. If he has decided that you are an enemy to the Ten Rings, then there is nothing that will change his mind," She answered and I let out a soft sigh, shaking my head as I could feel the vibrations of his breathing staying even.
"I'm going out."
"Where?"
"Where else?", I spoke before I vanished, racing out of the building and out into the city only to frown as the world around me cracked and fractured.
Slowing down as I watched Hong Kong splitting and twisting upon itself to form a geometric mess of the city, I turned back to see the Ancient One standing patiently with an eyebrow raised.
"Shouldn't you be in Kamar-Taj right now?"
"Normally, I would be, but something told me to come visit today and I'm thankful I did. Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Oh, you know. Just going to talk to a semi-immortal warlord and then ask if he can't let me live in peace."
"And what makes you think that he's going to let you survive?"
"Quite honestly? I have nothing, but it beats having to wait around until he decides to finally send a death squad to try and kill me. Also, this way, I don't involve the Hong Kong Sanctum in the shit that I started."
"And yet, if you proceed with this, it also means that Xu Wenwu will stop at nothing until you and everyone you love are buried six feet under the dirt."
"Then, I'll just have to do so first," I answered, to which her expression soured ever so slightly while a flicker of disapproval crossed her eyes.
"You would risk your life and Wanda's sanity for the off-chance that this man will not kill you where you stand?"
"Yes, because that is how sure I am that I will not lose," I answered, the Ancient One saying nothing as she continued to look at me before the world around us crack and shattered.
"Very well, but I will accompany you to make sure that we do not have a war on our hands," She spoke as she placed a hand on my shoulder before I smirked and knelt on one knee.
"Get on my back. It'll be faster."
"...As you wish," She muttered as she hopped onto my back and I was surprised at the sweet caramel scent coming from her as well as the two bountiful mounds being pushed against my back.
'Damn, she really is stacked.'
"I do wish that you stop thinking less about my chest and more on what you're going to say Wenwu when you meet them."
"I have a beautiful woman on my back. You expect me to be able to focus?", I asked as I stood up, adjusting my grip on her thighs while she wrapped her arms around my neck with an amused chuckle.
"Well, let us see how far you can go if you do survive tonight."
"...Wait, is that an invite or something?", I asked, blinking as she simply smirked and raised an eyebrow in response.
"I've been alive for centuries as the Sorcerer Supreme and the last lover I had was before that time. What do you think?"
"...Then, let's get this over and done with," I spoke with a grin before sparks rippled across my body, the Ancient One letting out a soft hum as my speed aura surrounded her form.
"So, this is what your speed feels like? I admit that it is quite unusual."
"I know. Now, hang on. I've got a warlord to talk to and a cougar to bang."
"Let us just get this meeting over with."
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"Huh, it would have taken me a bit longer to find them if I didn't have your help," I spoke with a smirk as I stood in front of the Ten Rings Headquarters, the Ancient One nodding at my words while we watched two figures descending the steps in front of us.
It was an Asian man looking to be in his late 30s, dressed in a white button-up shirt with its long sleeves rolled up, black pants and boots along with ten rusted rings wrapped around his forearms.
Walking beside him was a figure dressed in a black ninja outfit with golden brown accents, a hood and a mask that left only the upper part of his face open, revealing it to be covered in a traditional white face paint.
"That the one?"
"The one with the rings, yes. The other one is most likely his latest Death Dealer."
"Which are?"
"His top executive that he chooses in each generation to train the next one. I assume that his son was to be the next given how many he sent after the boy to catch him, but at the same time, this one looks far too young for him to worry about the next. Therefore, why would he send so many to capture his son, then?"
"Because it is my son. Aria, it leaves a foul taste in my mouth to see you still alive."
"I can say the same, Wenwu. I assume that this is the latest Death Dealer to your collection."
"He is. I assume this is the latest addition in the many students you have?"
"Not at all. He is simply a sparring partner."
"Hmm, did you expect that lie to work on me? I know that you still have some affection for him as a student and considering you're talking with me instead of hiding away in that Kamar-Taj of yours, my assumption would be correct, yes?"
"It would be, yes. I see you have finally decided to grow wiser over the years instead of staying as foolish as you were."
"What is your purpose for being here, Aria?", he asked with a frown, to which I smirked as the Ancient One simply gestured at me.
"Pietro here says that he fought against some of your men to save a young man called Xu Shang Chi. I assume that is your son?"
"So, you are the speedster that they fought against? Hmm, you look weaker than I was expecting."
"Many say that about me, yes," I said as I lazily spun the kunai around my finger, smirking as I saw Wenwu narrow his eyes while the Death Dealer tapped a hand against the pouch at his side.
"Quick, indeed. Very well, did you come to surrender yourself?"
"No, I came to ask if we could not come to a mutual agreement. I know it was not my place to keep you from regaining your son, yes, but the boy was in danger and I decided to save him even if it was from your own men.
Therefore, I ask that instead of you and the Masters of the Mystic Arts holding grudges against each other until the end of time, we instead settle this like civilised people."
"What did you have in mind?"
"...Honestly, I only thought up to this point as I was sure that you would deny it, but I'm glad that I'm wrong," I muttered with a sheepish smile, to which Wenwu raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze to the Ancient One Aria.
"This one is stupider than the usual apprentices you have."
"Don't remind me. Very well, how about a spar? Your Death Dealer against Pietro?"
"No, I'll die," I answered in response, Wenwu nodding in agreement at my words while the Ancient One smirked.
"No, you won't. If your Death Dealer wins, we'll return your son and Pietro will do one mission for you. However, if he wins, your son becomes a member of Kamar-Taj and you have to teach Pietro the basics of chi."
'...Well, that is quite clever, but the problem is that I don't know shit about fighting in general.'
"You sure about this?"
"Remember our spars?", She asked, to which I blinked and nodded before she smiled and patted my shoulder.
"Exactly. Do what you and I have been training you for and make sure to only use your speed at the right moment."
"He won't see me coming if I go all-out, though."
"His reflexes have been honed to dodge bullets fired at him. Believe me when I say that he will see you coming."
"Is that how you're able to dodge me?", I asked, narrowing my eyes as she simply smirked before taking a step to the side with Wenwu following after her.
Looking back at the Death Dealer who had taken out his second kunai, I looked at the one in my hands before spinning it into a front grip.
'This is for Shang Chi, to make sure that he can still have somewhat of a good teenage life without having to constantly fear for his father and his men. This is for me, to hone myself further until my mind, body and soul are fully in sync without needing to be locked together.'
"Begin when r-," The ground cracked below me as I lunged in with a bit of my speed added, stabbing the kunai forward and narrowing my eyes when the Death Dealer caught my wrist.
Grabbing onto his wrist to catch his kunai, I spun mine into a reverse grip whilst stabbing down, but the Death Dealer moved his leg back to avoid the blow.
Throwing his kunai into the air, I grunted as the fighter hopped up before leaning to the side when he kicked the kunai with the back of his heel.
I was surprised as it shot through the air as fast as a bullet, barely missing me as I let go of his wrist before delivering a swift punch to his back. Forcing him to let go of my wrist as the force sent him flipping over, I rushed at him when he landed and swung my kunai at his neck.
However, I miscalculated as the fighter spun in the air with the blow and landed on my shoulders, quickly raising my arms to cover my head when he delivered a flurry of punches.
With a grunt, I grabbed onto his legs and leapt up, flipping over and slamming him face first into the ground. Landing on his back with a grunt, I held a vibrating hand to the back of his neck, narrowing my eyes at the kunai held to my inner thigh.
"Hmm, your stance looked to be full of openings, but then you showed a level of skill that I did not expect," The Death Dealer spoke as he snapped his shoulders out of place before surprising me by slipping out from under me.
Hearing him snap it back into place, I turned to see a kunai thrown at my head, but with a smirk, I phased right through it and stopped in front of him with my vibrating hand held against his throat.
Blood dripped slowly from the shallow cut on his neck as he narrowed his eyes, the smile on my face irritating him most likely before I looked to Wenwu and the pleased Aria.
"Is that my victory?"
"...Yes. Come tomorrow for your first of seven lessons," He answered and I lowered my hand, the Death Dealer simply letting out a hum before he turned and followed after his leader.
"Well done. I did not expect you to win, but I must say that I am pleasantly surprised."
"So, you placed me on a bet while being unsure that I would win. Well, isn't that lovely?", I muttered with a sigh, the woman smiling as she hopped onto my back.
"Don't be so negative. Come, I have something I wish for you to see," She spoke as she made circles with her right hand and my eyes narrowed at the portal in front of us. I raced through right as it was too small, finding us back in her office in Kamar-Taj as the woman climbed down.
"Uh, what did you wish to show me?"
"This," She answered and my eyes widened as the necklace around her neck open to reveal the Time Stone shimmering with an emerald-green glow.
I can see now why Wanda was able to destroy the Mind Stone, because the vibrations she gave off was the same as the cosmic energy from the stone in front of me, but I didn't get to admire it longer as Aria clapped her hands together.
Green magic sigils formed around her hands as she parted them and unleashed a green cosmic wave across the room, my eyes immediately focusing on the sight in front of me.
"Wenwu, I will ask this once and only once. Let Shang Chi live his life in peace and dismiss your organization. If you do that, I'll let you live," I, or should I say a temporal version of me, spoke from beside me, making me turn around to see the multitude of Ten Rings operatives surrounding us as well as Wenwu and the Death Dealer staring at me with stoic looks.
"Kill him," They didn't last long as my clone's body blurred and I carved through them all, but it was as I went after Wenwu that the Death Dealer intervened.
I could see now what Aria meant by his reflexes seeing as the Death Dealer was barely able to keep up with my top speed, but when Wenwu joined in the fray, I watched as my clone phased through them and made them explode.
It was not without consequence though as I stared at the kunai stabbed deeply into his chest, making me grimace as my temporal clone fell over right as a temporal version of the Ancient One appeared and the vision dispersed.
"I die?"
"No. No, you survive, but Shang Chi never harboured any hatred for his father. He feared the man, yes, but he still loved him and when you killed him, that set him on a path to master the Ten Rings and become the next Mandarin.
On top of that, the backlash from Wenwu's death created a power vacuum in the Ten Rings, resulting in a world-wide war between the nations and the Ten Rings as well as Wakanda being forced out into the open after the Ten Rings try to kill their leader.
That sets off a trade war this time where everyone fights Wakanda for the vibranium. They don't win, of course, but in doing so, the gods above deem us the same as before and we are erased from existence to start over once again."
"...How does it go from me killing Wenwu to Earth being erased from existence?"
"One small change in front of you can cause one disastrous change in the far future. Changing time always has its consequences no matter if it's good or evil."
"Great. So, what? I can't just kill anyone now?"
"No, you just can't kill Wenwu as he's an integral part of Shang Chi's growth as a fighter. He needs to either defeat or kill the man for the timeline to continue on its path instead of being destabilised down the line."
'Wait, she could see Shang-Chi's future? But I thought the Time Stone could only allow one to see up to their death and doesn't the Shang Chi movie happen a lot further in? Does that mean...?', I thought with a frown as I looked at the woman, who looked back with her own stoic expression.
If she had seen up to that point and further beyond given her explanation, that means she survives Kaecilius' attack...or it never happens?
'Does that mean I save her or I set him on the right path? One of the two choices would be good to know right about n-Wait, does that mean I need to die for Wanda's character development?! That's some bullshit!'
"What if there's...a point in one's life that is detrimental to one's life while being very beneficial to someone else's?"
"Put it in better words."
"Let's say a cosmic entity has decided to tell you when you're going to die and you know when it is, but at the same time, your death is a core part of someone becoming a better person. What would happen if you chose to live or to die?"
"The former would mean that person either stays the same or you help them become a better person. The latter means that your death would serve as a catalyst to reshape that person's path."
"So, either I live and try my best to fix that person's character myself or I die and they become a better person quicker?"
"Yes, it's about choosing to live with purpose. If your purpose is tied to another's growth, then your survival will not negate theirs, but simply change their story is written.
Everyone believes that they can write their own story, but agency is the illusion mortals cling to when faced with something inevitable. However, you are reckless enough to bend the impossible to become possible so who knows? Maybe you'll be the first to, as the young people say, 'Give fate the middle finger'."
"For a chance to rewrite the cosmic script about my death? Oh definitely," I spoke with a grin, to which she giggled while standing closer with an amused smile.
"Now, I do remember making you an offer should you win, yes?", She whispered, pulling part of her top off to reveal her pale skin and the bountiful cleavage wrapped up in bandages.
'Holy shit, I'm about to have one fucked-up fantasy tonight.'
A/N: And we end it off here~! Tell me, smut or not? Should I do one or nah?
Anyway, we're still getting the Ten Rings, but we're doing it in a more unconventional way that won't disrupt the timeline.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until next week...
Ba-Bye~!