Chapter 111: A Shattered World and the Sorcerer Who Must Mend It
Ryan, having depleted all his cosmic energy, was caught by Earth's gravity and began falling back toward the planet.
Just when everyone thought Ryan would impact with devastating force, his body actually began shrinking gradually. After entering the atmosphere, he'd almost returned to his original size.
Wanda on Celestial Island saw this and immediately flew toward the falling Ryan using levitation magic.
The moment she got close, she cast protective enchantments around him.
Anyone could die—but not Ryan. Wanda still needed Ryan to help her find Vision in another universe.
The atmospheric friction generated flames that burned Ryan's clothes to ash. After slowing his descent, Wanda controlled his fall back to Celestial Island.
Anthony immediately found a blanket to cover the unconscious, naked Ryan.
After an unknown amount of time, Ryan slowly regained consciousness, his eyes unfocused and his gaze vacant.
Wanda immediately leaned over and tapped Ryan's cheek firmly. "Ryan, wake up!"
"Wanda..."
"Ryan, tell me how to find your universe." Wanda didn't care about Ryan's condition—she only cared about finding Vision.
Ryan opened his mouth, seeming to regain some awareness. After a moment, he said with difficulty, "Take me... away..."
The singularity hadn't killed Arishem the Judge. The Celestial had simply been transported to an unknown region of space by the energy detonation Ryan had triggered.
If Ryan didn't leave now, he'd be dead when Arishem returned seeking vengeance.
Anthony, who'd been standing nearby silently, suddenly picked up Ryan and said firmly, "Boss, I'm coming with you."
With that, he strode toward the portal opened by Scarlet Witch.
Cassie instinctively followed, but was pulled back by her father Scott. He whispered urgently, "You can't go."
"Dad, but Ryan needs—"
Cassie didn't finish her sentence before Wanda suddenly raised her hand and released chaos magic, yanking Cassie away from Scott's grasp and pulling her through the portal.
"CASSIE!"
The portal, torn open by chaos magic, instantly collapsed. Scott, who'd been chasing after them, was left clutching empty air.
"NOOO!"
At Kamar-Taj, Doctor Strange kept running his hands through his hair in frustration, pulling out strands at random. At this rate, he'd be bald within a day.
Wong was equally worried. After a long sigh, he turned and asked, "What do we do now?"
Strange shook his head grimly. "Unless we find the Book of Vishanti, I can't repair Earth's protective barrier."
The three Sanctums had been built by the first Sorcerer Supreme. Their purpose wasn't merely architectural—they served as anchor points for Earth's mystical shield.
With this barrier intact, Earth was protected from interference by alternate dimensions and the multiverse.
But yesterday, Ryan had unexpectedly engaged in some kind of cosmic energy battle with a Celestial in outer space. The energy aftermath hadn't reached Earth precisely because the protective barrier had absorbed the impact.
Overwhelmed by the shockwave, the barrier was now riddled with holes, leaving Earth without its mystical protection.
Without the barrier, Earth would be like an unlocked door—open to anyone who cared to enter.
If discovered by dimensional demons or sorcerers from other universes, it could bring catastrophic consequences to this reality.
"Where are you going to find the Book of Vishanti?"
The Book of Vishanti was a grimoire created by the Vishanti—the trinity of Agamotto, Oshtur, and Hoggoth. It contained records of all white magic in existence.
Earth's protective barrier had been derived from spells within the Book of Vishanti, but the book's current location remained unknown.
After a long silence, Strange said, "There must be clues to the Book of Vishanti somewhere in the multiverse. I'll also search for Wanda and Ryan."
"Then I wish you the best of luck."
Wong had inherited Strange's title of Sorcerer Supreme during the five years of the Blip, though it was largely ceremonial.
He still deferred to Strange on matters of advanced sorcery.
He naturally had no objection to Strange's plan to travel the multiverse in search of the Book of Vishanti.
"I'll set up a temporary mystical array before I leave. If I'm not back before it collapses... then Earth is on its own."
Strange wasn't the only one troubled by recent events.
The newly established World Government was in even greater turmoil. Originally, with Celestial Island's backing, the World Government had been able to smoothly navigate the difficult transition of power. But Ryan's disappearance had reduced the World Government to a mere formality.
Former President Ross had been appointed Secretary-General of the World Government. With federal support and the fact that Celestial Island's influence hadn't completely vanished, the World Government could still maintain order.
One month after Ryan's disappearance, the first rebellion emerged.
Wakanda—conquered by Celestial Island—rose in revolt. The tribes reorganized to reclaim the vibranium mines, only to be ruthlessly crushed by Celestial Island's super soldiers and federal military forces.
On Celestial Island, Payne remained in command, continuing to develop the settlement according to Ryan's vision.
Ryan had survived. Everyone awaited his return.
Ant-Man and his family remained on Celestial Island, desperately hoping for Cassie's return while continuing their research into quantum tunnel technology.
If Cassie truly couldn't return through conventional means, they could potentially use the Quantum Realm to traverse spacetime and find her.
Maya Hansen remained on Celestial Island. She was the only person currently granted access to the laboratories—but only to the main lab itself.
She couldn't access the cryogenic vaults storing experimental materials and genetic samples. Constructed entirely of Adamantium, they featured triple-lock security and a built-in failsafe protocol.
If anyone attempted unauthorized access, internal sensors would immediately incinerate everything inside.
Bruce Banner and G'iah the Super-Skrull also remained on the island.
Given the current state of global affairs, maintaining stability on Celestial Island was paramount. Banner's presence helped ensure that stability.
G'iah carefully considered the Skrulls' need for a safe haven. Celestial Island's protection was valuable.
More importantly—what if Ryan returned after she left? Would he retaliate against her people?
Ryan's experiments on her had etched deep fear into G'iah's psyche.
Until she was certain of Ryan's death, G'iah dared not harbor any rebellious thoughts.
The global situation had stabilized: the entire world centered around the World Government's zombie cleanup and post-war reconstruction efforts.
Celestial Island maintained its privileged position. While New Asgard remained independent, it couldn't challenge Celestial Island's authority.
Everything appeared to have calmed down with Ryan's departure—but only Strange knew that Earth teetered on the edge of an abyss, ready to plunge into darkness at any moment.
Another two weeks passed in a flash.
Thoroughly prepared, Strange returned to the New York Sanctum, preparing to enter the multiverse through its mystical convergence point.
"Wong, please maintain the temporary barrier while I'm gone."
Wong nodded solemnly. "You have my word."
Strange began casting the spell. Opening a dimensional rift wasn't simple—it would be far easier if someone in another universe could coordinate, opening portals simultaneously from both sides.
Lacking Scarlet Witch's raw power and the Darkhold's forbidden knowledge, he could only rely on the Sanctum's mystical energy to tear through dimensions gradually.
Suddenly, a sharp wind whipped through the Sanctum, forcing both men to shield their eyes.
Then a purple rift materialized before Strange.
A figure could be seen moving on the other side, though details were impossible to discern.
Strange nodded to Wong and, taking a breath, stepped through.
Just as the dimensional rift was about to close, Strange emerged again.
Wong stared in confusion. "Already? Where's your Cloak of Levitation?"
"What did you say?" Strange glanced around, then looked at Wong. A second later, a third eye suddenly opened on Strange's forehead.
Wong stumbled backward in shock—
—and then the dimensional rift sealed shut.
Anthony materialized on an unfamiliar street, carrying Ryan in his arms. Moments later, Wanda appeared beside him, accompanied by Cassie.
"Boss, how are you feeling?" Anthony asked, helping Ryan sit against a brick wall.
Ryan was limp and barely conscious, unable even to speak.
Wanda crouched down, raised her hand, and cast crimson diagnostic magic across Ryan's body. After examining him, she found nothing obviously wrong.
"How is he?" Cassie asked nervously.
Wanda shook her head. "I don't sense anything critical. But we should get him to a hospital for proper examination."
They quickly assessed their surroundings. Using advertisements, newspapers, and street signs, they determined they were in New York City. The nearest hospital was only two kilometers away.
Ryan was rushed to the emergency room, examined and prescribed medication. But after considerable effort, medical staff realized the needle wouldn't penetrate Ryan's skin.
A frustrated doctor finally prescribed oral anti-inflammatory medication and nutritional supplements, concluding his examination with obvious bewilderment.
After settling Ryan into a private room, Wanda said to Anthony and Cassie, "You two stay here and watch over him. I'm going out."
She needed to learn about this universe's current state—and more importantly, to determine if Vision was still alive here.
A melancholy Cassie also stood, glanced at Ryan lying glassy-eyed in the hospital bed, and said, "I'll go down and get us some food."
Cassie was worried about Ryan, and equally worried about her family back home. But the situation was what it was. Since they were already here, they could only focus on the present.
Finally, only the catatonic Ryan and the brooding Anthony remained in the hospital room.
After leaving the hospital, Wanda spent hours asking questions on the streets, then visited a public library to search online databases and newspaper archives. She couldn't find any information about the Avengers.
"Is there no Avengers in this universe?"
No Iron Man. No Stark Industries. No Tony Stark whatsoever.
Would Vision even exist if Tony Stark had never created Ultron?
Wanda had believed she'd see Vision again after traveling through the multiverse. Now it seemed she'd been naively optimistic.
Walking out of the library, Wanda suddenly realized something was wrong with her surroundings.
Space overlapped, fractured, and rotated—she was trapped in the Mirror Dimension!
Wanda said in surprise, "Strange?"
A team of sorcerers appeared within the Mirror Dimension.
End of Chapter 111
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