American comics: Starting with Luke the Maker

"Are you sure?" Strange expressed his doubt about what the other version of himself said. He believed that this universe's version of himself still didn't realize the gravity of the situation. Or rather, he was projecting his impression of Wanda in this universe onto the Scarlet Witch.

This book is first published on the entire network by 𝕥𝕨𝕜𝕒𝕟.𝕔𝕠𝕞

From what this universe's version of himself said, Wanda here was emotionally stable, even gentle. This meant that she either had a strong mental fortitude or hadn't experienced any major events that would drastically change her emotions.

A powerful woman who had nothing and yearned for a family—this obsession was enough to twist her emotions to the point of sacrificing everything for it. According to the other side, they wanted the Scarlet Witch to accept inquiries and treatment from those psychologists? She would twist the minds of those psychologists!

"I'm very sure," Stephen said to Strange. "It's safe here. Looking at you, travel-worn and disheveled, it's obvious you haven't had a good rest in a long time. My suggestion is to find a room to rest first and recharge your energy. Things will always work out, won't they?"

"I haven't had a good night's sleep in a long time. You know, whenever I fall asleep, I enter a dream. Every dream is either about me running around in various dimensions with her, or about me dying. Yeah, a pretty miserable and inglorious death," Strange said, concealing his mental fatigue.

"I know, I know. I went through that phase too. Back then, the tasks at hand suddenly increased dramatically, to an extent I didn't expect. At the time, I wished I could cut myself into hundreds or thousands to block the source of those tasks. But I wasn't sure if doing so would have a significant impact on my future.

I was very anxious, my body was busy, my mind was exhausted, and the pressure was so great that I was restless and couldn't sleep at night. I felt like I was developing a mental illness, but luckily, I was quite skilled in that area and could still manage. I made it through. Back then, whenever I managed to fall asleep, I would dream about the messy things in the multiverse, many of which were related to another version of myself," Stephen said, getting up and walking to the table in the center of the hall. He took a few cups from it and then continuously conjured some liquids radiating psionic energy from the void, brewing and mixing them on the spot using magic.

"Want some? It might give your mind temporary peace and relax your tense spirit. I relied on it to maintain my soul strength back then," Stephen said, waving his hand and using magic to deliver a cup of azure liquid to Strange.

"What about me?" America felt that it was a good thing, but Stephen seemed to have forgotten about her, ignoring her as if she were air. This made her pout involuntarily and take the initiative to speak up.

"You can't drink this stuff yet. It's a bit strong," Stephen said, glancing at her truthfully. "It will make your condition better, but if you can't control your powers, the more effective it is, the more out of control your powers will be after the effect wears off. Moreover, according to its creator, it's an 'alcoholic beverage,' not suitable for minors."

"I'm an adult!" America shouted.

"I don't think so. The age of your soul is completely unhidden in my eyes," Stephen said, casually exposing her lie.

"Burp! What is this? Why haven't I ever had this drink at Kamar-Taj? Is this unique to your universe too?" Strange, who had drained the liquid in his cup, felt instantly refreshed and calmed down. His spirit lifted, and the mental fatigue of many days was rapidly dissipating. He had never felt such enjoyment of this rare mental tranquility. A sleepy feeling washed over him, and his body signaled that it needed sleep. Strangely, he understood why this was happening and knew that this sleep would bring considerable benefits after waking up. He just wanted to hold on and ask what Stephen had given him to drink.

"You could say that. After all, this is a treasure that sells well in the multiverse. It's specially used to nourish the mind and body. Looking at you, it's working? Then find a room to rest first. You know the layout here and where the rooms are. I'm going to have a little drink and enjoy this rare leisure time," Stephen said, raising his cup to Strange, then returned to the fireplace and began reading the thick book. But as he turned the page, he seemed to remember something, suddenly raised his head, and looked at Strange, who was amenable and pulling America to find rooms to rest in, adding, "You'd better not choose your master bedroom! Because that's my room too! Remember to choose a guest room, thank you!"

The night passed quickly.

Opening his eyes on the bed, Strange felt as if his mind had been washed and purified, his spirit was refreshed, and the sense of being locked on and monitored that had been present all the time had faded a lot. Although it was still there, compared to the increasingly obvious, growing, and approaching signs, it had suddenly become blurred and imperceptible.

Strange even felt that his mental state had never been better. Upon careful observation, he found that his body and control over energy had both increased significantly.

Getting out of bed and going down the stairs to the familiar dining table, he found it already filled with his favorite daily meals. And this universe's version of himself and America were already sitting at the table.

"Looks like you slept well," Wong said, stuffing a piece of bread into his mouth, pulling out a chair at the table, and speaking to Strange as he ate.

"Better than ever. I didn't even have the nightmares that have been plaguing me for so long," Strange said, pulling out a chair and sitting down, picking out what he liked to eat while saying contentedly.

"I slept well too," America said, raising her hand.

"What are you planning for us today? You're not really going to let us live here, are you? You know, I have to go back sooner or later. My universe still has a bunch of troubles to deal with. I can't escape," Strange said, eating breakfast while looking at the other version of himself at the head of the table.

"I've already contacted Wanda. She's willing to see you and help you talk to that Scarlet Witch," Stephen said, wiping his mouth with a napkin and casually tossing it aside, speaking softly.

"What about me?" America raised her hand.

"Of course, you can go too. After all, you're the point of obsession for that Scarlet Witch. Wanda might need you to contribute a little bit of power at that time," Stephen said, glancing over and replying.

"Can I not go?" Thinking about seeing that Wanda, the girl suddenly felt a little weak. Although she knew that the Wanda here wasn't the Scarlet Witch, counterparts from different universes were more or less similar, especially the Scarlet Witch, who was particularly good at borrowing the bodies of her counterparts from other universes.

"I know your worries, but there's no need to worry. Believe me, there's no safer place than this planet. Of course, I'm not referring to criminal behavior, but rather cross-dimensional invasions and the like. If that Scarlet Witch wants to come over, I'd have to open a back door for her," Stephen said, shrugging helplessly.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go," Strange said, wolfing down his breakfast quickly yet elegantly, wiping the corners of his mouth clean with a napkin, and standing up. He had a strong feeling that if he could successfully resolve this trouble and problem, this would be the time. He had already noticed the difference between this planet and the one he was familiar with, the one he lived on. This planet itself was surrounded by some kind of powerful and abundant energy. This energy was like a dense, invisible network, wrapping and protecting the planet. It served both as a protective and warning function, and as an energy output function. And the magical power used by the other version of himself, he didn't take the method of borrowing.

It seemed that the first time he and America appeared here and met Wong wasn't a coincidence, but an inevitability! After experiencing the blows of multiple worlds, Strange now had some real confidence.

A rotating portal lit up on a tree-lined path, and the four of them walked out of the portal. Looking at the lush trees around and feeling the quiet and natural environment, Strange asked curiously, "Does she live here?"

"Yes, she lives here," Stephen confirmed Strange's words, closing the portal. He led the way forward along the path.

"Why don't we just teleport directly to the front door? Didn't you already get her permission?" Strange jogged two steps to walk shoulder to shoulder with Stephen in front, asking.

"You think I didn't think about that? If you could, I'd be happy for you to open a portal here and teleport us all over. It would save time and effort," Stephen said, rolling his eyes at him, watching Strange try to open a portal but only create a few sparks in the air, and couldn't help but laugh, "Don't waste your energy. It's forbidden for mages to open portals here casually. You haven't obtained permission, you'll only alarm the security here and anger the owner of this community."

"Community?" Strange gave up the idea of opening a portal, but was even more curious about Stephen's words. Their moving speed wasn't slow, they had already turned two corners and walked two hundred meters along the tree-lined path.

"Yeah, Stark Architecture bought this land and built a community here. It's not for sale to the public, but every Avenger has their own villa here. This is a community specially for the Avengers to live in. He can't accept mages being able to open portals to his place at any time. So when he's home, he usually turns on spatial interference equipment to stabilize the space and prevent the opening of portals. It's not impossible to force your way in, after all, in my opinion, this measure only serves as an alarm. But why bother provoking him? What if he gets anxious and puts on that suit and fights me? Although in my eyes, his anti-Strange armor is pretty lame," Stephen said, finally reaching the end of the path, an independent villa. A man and a woman were already waiting there in front of the villa.

Seeing the face that left a deep impression on her, the face that gave her nightmares, America, who was following behind Strange and the other two, instantly felt her body become sluggish. She had a strong urge to turn around and run. But looking at the woman who had a different temperament from the Scarlet Witch in her memory, she anxiously restrained her fear.

"God, no wonder you're so normal in this universe, is it because Pietro is still alive?" Strange had never seen a living Pietro, but that didn't stop him from knowing who the man standing with Wanda in front of him was.

"Ah, I know, I know. In many worlds, my end isn't very pleasant. Sometimes I can't figure it out, how could I, a speedster, be crushed to death, and so many other bizarre ways to die?" Pietro understood the unspoken meaning in Strange's words very well. He joked about himself in a very mature way. Maybe he used to be impatient and impulsive, unable to control his emotions, but now? He was a mature old man who had started a family and a career.

"It's nice to meet you, I mean, the normal you, not the you who's chasing me," Strange nodded to Pietro and turned to smile at Wanda.

"I'm sorry, the other versions of me in other universes may not have good fates. They are always accompanied by loss, and loss again. I'm lucky, I have power and haven't lost my loved ones, but that's not a reason for me to turn a blind eye to their misery. I can empathize with them, so I can understand the despair and destruction in their hearts. So I'm committed to helping them solve their problems and bring them peace and normalcy," Wanda's voice was gentle and soft.

"That's exactly what I wanted," Strange said, relieved. "What do we do next?"

"Let her come, I'll talk to her," Wanda said.

"Are you sure? It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I don't quite trust her. She's already a bit extremely insane, willing to pay any price for those two children she fantasized about, she might not talk to you nicely," Strange reminded.

"I understand, usually we have to have a big fight first, and then we can have a good chat. I'm familiar with this process, and I'm familiar with the follow-up process too! I'm a professional soul surgeon," Wanda replied without any surprise.

"I have no problem," Strange didn't notice anything unusual and finally felt relieved. "What do we need to do? Actively lure her over? In fact, I think she could descend into this world at any time, as long as we give her an anchor point."

Wanda and Pietro took a few steps back, making room for Strange and America. Strange and America looked at each other.

Having fought wits and courage with the Scarlet Witch for so long, they knew very well how to maintain their own secrecy and delay the Scarlet Witch's lock-on as much as possible. Similarly, they also knew very well that as long as they let go of those means of evasion, the Scarlet Witch would immediately be able to lock onto them and cross over.

Just like now.

Scarlet clouds rippled in the sky. (End of this chapter)