AS ELEANOR FOLLOWED Wanda through the dark forest, questions upon questions brewed inside her mind, distracting her a little. Like, which one of her parents had the mystical bloodline? Did her parents know that Morgan Le Fay, who's supposed to be a myth, was an ancestor of theirs? More importantly, was her mother or father a witch or sorcerer all along? Did they practice the mystic arts?

Looking back, she remembered her parents were just regular humans who had a mutant child, her. There wasn't a hint -- not even one that they dabbled in the mystic arts. Her mother, Helen, was a humanitarian doctor and her father, Matthew, was a businessman. Did they hide the truth about their ancestry all along?

She sighed, feeling defeated. These questions of hers could only be answered by her parents, but they weren't around anymore. Just a few years back, her mother passed away, joining her father in the afterlife.

Raising her eyes once again to the sky, she gazed at the shining moon. There was no way of telling what time it was now exactly, but she felt that more than three hours had already passed. She and Wanda had been travelling non-stop to search for the exit of the realm in-between. Eleanor began to wonder if there was really one around since Purgatory seemed to be nothing else other than an endless expanse of trees, soil, and darkness.

The brunette's eyes then fluttered over to the white, glowing figures the sky. There were thousands of them and every after two minutes, another figure would appear in the pitch black firmament, meaning they have left the physical world.

Eleanor let out a breath of apprehension. Death was inevitable. Of that, she was certain. Every story ends, every life dies, and there's no stopping it. Even an immortal will meet his demise one day.

Part of the journey is the end.

So, what's the point in living if death is inevitable then?

For Eleanor, the point in living is to just enjoy it. Enjoy the journey because every person on Earth, human or mutant, is on borrowed time. So, make a difference, or stay happy for as long as possible since life is short and no one knows what will happen next.

Eleanor thought about Raven. She deserved to live or be given a second chance like her. Raven left so many people including her son, Kurt. Sadness washed over her at the thought of him losing his mother. Her friend had just recently gained courage to tell that he was her son and now, she was gone. Internally, Eleanor was grieving over Raven's untimely demise even though her mind was heavily occupied with several things.

Her thoughts then went over to her other friend, Valerie, as she thought about her ancestry once again. They both had powerful ancestors, but the only difference was that Athena, the Greek goddess of Wisdom's soul already resides in Valerie. She scratched her head, now focusing on the back of Wanda's head.

"I think I'm going to have a chat with Valerie about having powerful ancestors once I return." voiced out Eleanor, shrugging.

"Ah, Valerie..." Wanda chuckled. "She is currently facing a problem herself, you know."

"What? Why?"

"Ares and Poseidon discerned Athena's soul in Valerie and right now, they are after her blood." Wanda elaborated, turning to face her just as Eleanor stepped up beside her. "Those three gods are each other's greatest adversary. So, yeah, Ares and Poseidon are set on killing Valerie."

"Oh, my god."

Wanda hummed. "Yup, each of you are facing some problems of your own. Another result of changing a course of events."

"A very small change in initial conditions will create a significantly different outcome." Eleanor quoted, remembering her conversation with Valerie when they were in the Xavier library. "Butterfly effect..."

"I believe in the butterfly effect." Valerie stated as she shelved one of the books. "Change one thing. Change everything. I believe us changing the events back in 1973 will have a tremendous effect in our future." She said. Eleanor tossed her hair back once she had straightened her dress. "A small change at one place in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere. You agree?"

Eleanor looked up at the ceiling. "Yeah, I do believe in that. Every single one of our actions in life has a reaction or a consequence. But, won't the universe acknowledge that our intentions to fix the past were good? I mean, we did that to save mutantkind."

Valerie paused, leaning against the shelf as she crossed her arms. "El, it will still have consequences. I'm not being pessimistic, okay? But, well, lately," She cleared her throat. "I've been having this feeling that we will really pay the price of our actions later. After all..."

"... the bill always comes due." Eleanor recited Valerie's statement from memory, pinching her nose after. She was getting highly stressed with everything that was going on.

"She wasn't supposed to discover she's Athena's descendant. The goddess' soul residing in her should have been dormant, yet again, En Sabah Nur recognized the goddess' soul inside of her and hoped she'd help him."

"Wait, help him? Why? I mean, how did En Sabah Nur even recognize Athena in the first place?"

Wanda let out a breath as she continued hiking in the woodland. "Athena once visited Earth out of curiosity. She landed first in Egypt and met the world's first mutant, En Sabah Nur." She narrated. "Fascinated with his mutations, she gifted him with the ability to absorb knowledge and forcefield generation. The same mutation Valerie has. He hoped that by releasing Athena, she'd help him, but he was wrong."

"Damn." Actually, Eleanor was still having trouble that Valerie had Athena as her ancestor just like she was having difficulty believing that Morgan Le Fay or Morgana was hers as well. She shook her head. Mythological gods exist, magic and legends exist, cosmic forces exist... It was all too much information.

"What's happening with Jean? What's that Phoenix force doing to her?" She then asked. "I have always seen that force in my dreams, felt its intensity... its rage."

"It's corrupting her," replied Wanda with no hesitation. "just like what it always does. Every person that became the host for the cosmic force succumbed to its destructive impulses and went insane from the power they embodied."

"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Eleanor stated, remembering a quote she once read.

Nodding, Wanda continued. "She's not your Jean. That force is influencing her actions and taking over her. Actually, in the past timeline, Logan was forced to kill Jean to stop her. She begged him to end her life before she completely destroyed Earth." She recounted before tilting her head towards Eleanor. "But this time, it's you who can stop her."

"Does it also need to end with her dying?"

"It depends."

"Anastasia," Eleanor breathed out, remembering her. "my daughter, has a fragment of the Phoenix within her, but I-I felt that it was calmer than Jean's."

At this, Wanda's eyebrows furrowed. "Calmer?"

"Yes, calmer." emphasized the brunette. "It was more controlled. Very different from what I felt in Jean's."

"That's a first." remarked the Scarlet Witch. "But, perhaps because it is only a fragment of the Phoenix, Ellie."

Eleanor's head perked up at the mention of her nickname. "Ellie," She repeated, pointing her finger at her. "You called me Ellie." Tilting her head to the side, she suddenly realized something. "I existed in your timeline, didn't I?"

She then watched Wanda shut her eyes as if regretful. "Yes, yes, you did."

"Did?" She repeated. "What? Did I die in your universe or something?"

"Yes."

"Oh," uttered Eleanor, swallowing. "So, uh, is it only in your universe that I met my demise?"

"No, according to my friend, you die in several realities..." Wanda apprised, growing stern. "Most of them heroically, others stupidly, and the rest... because you were evil. The multiverse is indeed infinite and every time, you would choose a different path in life."

Eleanor blinked, slightly taken aback. There were versions of her that were evil? She wondered what kind of horrible acts her evil persona did.

As if Wanda sensed this, she clasped her hands together again and questioned, "Why are you called Eclipse here?"

Eleanor licked her lips. "Well, when I was young, I telekinetically raised this large metal sphere to the sky because I was angry. It was a sculpture in the garden of my school." She shrugged. "And then, that's when I knew I could move objects with my mind."

Wanda chuckled. "Nice story. In my timeline, our Eleanor had a different reason why she chose it. You wanna know?"

Eleanor nodded.

"It has always been said that an eclipse is considered a sort of metaphysical bonus round, or in other words, any spellwork a witch or sorcerer does during that period is amplified and has a bit of extra power behind it." She smiled. "Our Ellie was losing a fight against this cosmic being and just when he was about to kill her, an eclipse occurred, increasing her magic to its highest level. She was able to wield all of her mystical energies and she rattled our planet down to its core." She turned to face her, grinning. "She obliterated him."

Wanda then averted her gaze back ahead. "Since then, she became the most powerful witch of our time. She even surpassed our Sorcerer Supreme."

"How did she die?"

The other witch swallowed, looking down. "She... gave up her life to save me. We--we were given a choice. It was either me or her who dies. She sacrificed herself by driving a sword through her stomach." She said, sorrow filling her tone. "She was my stepmother... and she's very much like you."

At this, Eleanor reached out, grabbing her hand. Her motherly instincts were kicking in and she felt the urge to embrace he young witch. "I may not be her exactly, but know that I am here for you, Wanda."

"Thank you." She smiled. "So, yeah. This is why I'm helping you get back to your world."

"And for that, I thank you." Eleanor rubbed her back with a simper before looking ahead and once again, met the infinite line of trees and darkness. She was really beginning to doubt there was an exit to the realm they were in. "So, uh, how was Erik in your timeline? How did they meet?"

"A bit different. In my universe, he met our Ellie after he escaped his Pentagon prison." She then chortled as if she was brought into a brief evocation of memories. "She was having a very bad day at work and he ran into her. Frustrated, she hit him square in the face and ranted about his stupidity." She laughed, brushing her hair back. "The prison guards soon caught up and because she was still furious with him and everyone, she took them all down by herself. Our Eleanor was an expert combatant already by the way."

"Erik even said that it was in that moment he knew that she was going to be someone very important in his life. They got married by the end of that year." She retold, her tone suggesting that she knew the story by heart. "He loved her very much just like how your version of Erik here loves you."

Eleanor gave a small smile at that. Ever since they finally got back together, Erik never ceased to show in his actions how much he loved her. Sometimes, before they go to sleep, he would apologize for everything that he had done to her. Even when she had already forgiven him, he still made up for it.

"They sound amazing."

Wanda nodded, her palms emitting a soft scarlet glow. "They are."

The brunette tilted her head once she noticed this. "I have another question: you said earlier that you can't perform magic in your astral form, so is it the same with me as well?"

"My magic is limited here in these realms, but I don't know with you. Why don't you try?"

At this, Eleanor nodded, closing her eyes. She reached down into the crux of her magic, letting out a soft breath as she felt it pulse in her veins as if patiently waiting. It was humming, aching to be set free. Two swirling lights of red and white soon filled her vision and this time, Eleanor chose the white one.

"Feel it. Let it flow through you like sparkling water in a brook." Wanda instructed. "Gather it all up together and form it into -- " She then paused. "Woah..."

Opening her eyes, Eleanor glanced at Wanda who was observing her in awe. The woman looked down her hands and her lips hung open in astonishment. Her palms were glowing white, illuminating the forest they were in. Instinctively, she moved her hands in a circular motion as if weaving in and about each other.

The white light soon spiralled around her and transformed into a barrier, enveloping her in it. Eleanor instantly felt warm and secure in her little bubble like nothing could ever harm her as long as she was inside. Peace rushed through her and she smiled. The magic she conjured felt arcane and ancient.

A moment later, the light slowly shaped itself into a white orb. "Wow..." the brunette awed, glancing then at Wanda who had a wide smile on her face.

"Order magic."

Just after she said this, the white light in her palms changed into deep red. Wisps of red mist circled around her just as her eyes glowed red. Eleanor gasped lightly, suddenly feeling raging chaos building inside her chest. It all soon died down after, reverting back to their resting state.

"You really are attuned to the both of them." Wanda praised. "Amazing."

Eleanor furrowed her eyebrows as the magic in her rendered itself inert. "I feel like it has its own mind."

"Sometimes, they do." Her companion confirmed. "It has always been said that chaos magic has the tendency to change one's personality. It can influence a person's thinking." informed she. "Did you notice any changes in your attitude lately? I mean, you've always had some anger management issues, but yeah..."

"Well, Charles did once tell me that I sounded like Erik when we last talked, but I was a bit angry with him at that time since he let the team go into that space mission."

"I see." uttered Wanda before patting Eleanor's shoulder. "A bit of advice, don't let your magic control you. You control it."

The brunette nodded, determined to keep her counsel in mind.

"And we're here."

Eleanor glanced back in front of them and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. A red brick wall stood near them. Her eyes wandered at its rugged clay surface, its rosy colour bright yet earthen. It was as if it had been there for a millennia and will continue to stand for another. Tilting her head to the side, she checked for any exit gate, but found none. "This is it? I was expecting some kind of magical door or something."

"All dimensions have this brick wall as their exit point. It prevents the resident creatures of each realm to leave." briefed Wanda. "You'll just have to pass through it."

"Alright, I see."

At this, her astral form began to flicker. "Oh, no." She uttered, suddenly. "I'm afraid this is where I leave you now, Eleanor. I'm being called back to my own reality and I cannot enter this realm and the next."

"Oh, shit."

"But, I think I'll be able to accompany you in the dimension of madness."

Eleanor curled her fists, panicking a little. She didn't know where she was and travelling alone in this different dimensions scared her a bit. She didn't know what to expect on the other side. Additional to that, Morgana was after her. "Alright, alright, uh, so I'll be expecting this wall on the edge of the dream and nightmare dimension, right?

"Yes." answered Wanda, her voice fading. "There's a road in these realms. Just follow it until you reach the wall again."

Apprehensively, Eleanor touched the wall and a soft gasp escaped her lips as her hand went through. "Okay, this is insane. Here's to me hoping I'll live to tell the fucking tale."

"Hey, Eleanor," her companion's flickering astral form called her again. "I'm highly advising you not to believe everything that you see. Not everything is real. These dimensions will try so hard to drive you mad, but you'll know when it's a trick or not."

"What do you mean by -- "

The brunette wasn't able to finish her sentence since the stone wall in front of her sucked her in, bringing her to the other side. Eleanor instantly dropped to the ground -- no, a cloud. Why am I standing on a cloud? She thought to herself. Panting, she glanced around her, her eyes widening in shock as she saw mythical creatures that she was very certain existed only in fairy tales.

A white horse with a long and elegant horn protruding from its head galloped in front of her and she stood up from her position, placing a hand on her chest. Was that a fucking unicorn? They're real? She internally screamed.

Then, a distinctive, musical roar filled her ears and she almost fainted at the sight of a dragon in the sky. It issued a ring of blue fire down on where she was standing, but nothing happened after that. In her peripheral vision, Eleanor caught a glimpse of a half-man and half-horse, a centaur and little humans with wings dancing around, fairies.

If this wasn't heaven, she wasn't sure what it was.

Blinking, she tried to make sense of everything that was happening and it occurred to her that this was the dream dimension. It was possible that it would shape a person's imaginations and desires. Their greatest fantasies will take form and it was sensible that she would see this creatures since she believed once in fairy tales.

"This is fucking crazy." chuckled Eleanor as she took a step forward, searching for the road Wanda told her to follow. She soon caught sight of a colorful path to her right and immediately stepped into it, walking forward. As she continued to traverse through the realm alone, she felt peace, security, and safety radiate around.

A laugh bursted out of her as she imagined what her husband's reaction would be if he saw all this. She could clearly see him just staring at everything, awestruck. Eleanor wondered if Erik's imagination and deepest desires would transpire in this realm. She smiled lightly at that. She wished she could see memories of them like in a film. That would surely boost her desire to return to the physical world.

It was then that a light blue bubble floated down to her and Eleanor impulsively backed away, apprehensive with its approach. It swirled around and went near her face. Swiftly, she swatted it away and the bubble transformed into another portal-like aperture, displaying a past memory of hers with Erik. It was as if she was watching from a television with them as the main characters. Eleanor wanted to not look at it for she remembered Wanda's warning. However, she didn't see anything evil with it so she took a moment to watch it.

Eleanor saw herself gracefully rise above the water with a gasp, turning around as she felt someone watching her. Smirking, she left the pool, sauntering over to the man standing near her area. Erik was wearing a tight, white shirt paired with some black pants and brown-tinted sunglasses. He removed them as soon as she reached him.

Eleanor grinned to herself. She remembered this memory very well. It was their third meeting just right after he and his group left to their new safehouse.

"Yes, Erik? What can I do for you?" She grabbed the towel hanging from her lawn chair, drying her hair. He didn't respond and instead, his eyes roamed over her, causing her to smirk even further. Eleanor watched her very confident self raise her eyebrow. "My eyes are up here, metal boy. I know I'm already pretty, but you don't have to be so obvious about it."

She then spun around and strolled over to her garden table. "You keep on staring. Is it your first time seeing a woman like this?"

"No."

"Thought so too." She cockily responded. "Why are you here?"

"I came back to visit you."

The memory before her grew hazy as it changed to another scene. She heard a train move ahead with a long whistle and rhythmic sound. Eleanor placed a hand over her mouth as she vividly recalled this memory. It was the very first time he said he loved her.

"I'll see you again in a week." Erik said as he carried his duffel bag at his side. Eleanor patted the collars of his black coat and proceeded to fix his necktie. She was sure from the action they were doing, they looked like a couple that were about to leave for work.

"Until when are you going to do this?"

"I just need to find a friend of mine and then supervise everything else as I transfer the authority to her."

"Her? What's her name?"

"Valerie."

She nodded, slightly pouting. "Okay."

"I'll retire immediately after that. I promise." He said, sliding his hands around her waist. "I love you."

A slight blush crept up to her cheeks and she smiled before realizing something. "You lost."

Erik's expression then turned that of confusion.

Eleanor tilted her head to the side, smirking. "We had a bet, remember?"

He also tilted his head, mimicking her movement just as he remembered. "Oh."

"You owe me a favor, metal boy."

"I'll do anything for you."

Smiling, she ran her index finger across his cheek, her eyes looking straight into his. "Told you, you'd say it first." She leaned in close for a moment, letting her breath touch his lips. "After all, I've been often told I'm captivating."

"That you are."

And with that, he leaned forward and kissed her in that train station. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and she felt the rapid beating of her heart. The warmth of his body engulfed and suddenly, it was as if no one was around them, it was him and her. Them against the world.

That's when she knew she loved him.

Once again, the scene shifted into another and this time, it showed her a fight they had during their third meeting.

"You only met me for two weeks and you think you already know everything about me?" She scoffed, slamming her cabinet door shut. "I'm not a mutant."

"Then, how were you able to divert that tree branch away from Raven?"

Eleanor didn't answer.

"Why do you keep denying it?"

"Why do you keep insisting it?"

Both of them stared each other down, fuming. Eleanor wouldn't accept that she was a mutant. She hated herself for having such a mutation because she had to hide constantly. She doesn't understand why this jerk had to push that she was a mutant. "What will you gain if I admit that I'm a mutant? Will you become a millionaire if I do? No, right? Now, excuse me, I'm hungry."

He blocked her way.

She raised her gaze to him, glaring at his steel gray eyes. "Move, Erik, or I'll make you move."

He stayed planted in his place, irritating her. She pushed him away, stomping his feet too as she had done so. Glaring at him one more time, she left him.

"I kill people." Eleanor heard Erik's statement as the the bubble showed another past recollection.

"Yeah, I heard you the first time."

"You're not repulsed by that?"

The brunette looked down at her hands, lightly biting her bottom lip. "Honestly, kind of." admitted she. "But, I understand your reason for doing it. I just hope you'll let go of your rage and thirst for vengeance. You deserve to live a life far from it. You deserve more."

The aperture continued to show her hundreds of memories with Erik and everytime she would see them, she could feel herself yearning more to come back and not give up. Not only for him, not only for herself, but also for their children.

"Do you believe in the Red Thread of Fate?"

Eleanor's head perked up at this certain memory, her eyes widening as she watched it.

"What's that?" Erik asked her, casually twirling his glass of wine.

The brunette smiled. "It's an East Asian belief originating from Chinese mythology." She recounted what she read that day. "According to it, the gods tie an invisible red thread to the pinky fingers of two people who are bound to find each other in life."

Erik continued to listen as she excitedly told him about it. "It's similar to the western concept of soulmates." Her eyes sparkled with delight as her left hand slowly reached out to his right hand. She raised it between them as she remained her gaze at him. "So, these two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break. No matter how many people they will be with in their life, who they become, and what circumstances they face, they will come together and live a lifetime."

"That's a nice belief."

She then grinned, shrugging. "Call me a hopeless romantic if you will, but I believe we are like that."

"Like what?"

"Soulmates."

He raised his eyebrow. It was evident he didn't believe in the concept, but this didn't deter her. "Really?"

Eleanor hummed. "We may try to be with other people, Erik, but I believe we will always return to each other." At this, she slid her finger across his palm, directing her eyes at it. She interlocked their pinky fingers together. "Fate will find a way to bring us back together even if it has to rewrite everything for that to happen."

Tightening her pinky finger around his, she added, "Fate pulled us together, and destiny may pull us apart, but hope will bring us together again no matter what."

The memory then dispersed and the bubble popped, but Eleanor's words that day still rang inside her mind. Hope. It's hope that will bring them together again. Tears came into her eyes as she was filled with enough courage, determination and hope to reach the end of these realms. Nodding, she sniffed and began her journey once again.

However, the dream realm seemed to have a different plan for her.

"Mom?"

Eleanor paused in her tracks, faintly recognizing the voice that spoke. Furrowing her eyebrows, she spun around, her eyes narrowing at the two figures behind her. A young man and woman dressed in white smiled at her, waving their hands. She tilted her head to the side, slightly confused.

It was when she had read their minds that her hand flew to her lips in shock.

Because currently, standing not far away from her was her supposed first daughter, Erica, and her son with Charles from the past timeline, Nathaniel Xavier.

That was not a good sign.