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CAPTAIN MARVEL'S ENTRANCE was just perfect.

Releasing the protection spell she summoned, Cassandra savagely cracked an alien's skull open in the blink of an eye. Wasting no time any further, her eyes hunted for the object of her concern and found it secured in the arms of Peter Parker, who was gradually getting pinned in by the brutal predators. A figure in white light suddenly moved like a whip when the witch was about to intervene, knocking three beasts sprawling with a kick and sinking a fist in the midsection of another alien, doubling them over, and sending them retching on the ground, all in a fraction of a second. It was Moon-Young, and she had a striking smile etched on her lips. As Cassandra got closer to the pair, she couldn't help but display a smile when she heard their small conversation.

"Hi, I'm Peter Parker."

"Aha, the Spider-boy! Yes! I've heard about you from my friends in the underworld!" exclaimed Moon-Young, just as Peter ducked to avoid a surprise attack. He was so startled by his lack of defense that he didn't have time to defend himself further, but thankfully, the girl with him swung her whips, and the moonlit strands wrapped around the alien's torso and leg.

"T-The underworld? As in - "

"Hell? Yeah! The Inferno. Land of the Dead. Hell. The Underworld." Sparks of lightning magic flashed along the cords as she did so. "I'm Moon-Young by the way, but just call me Megara. I just chose it as my English name."

Walking up beside them then was Carol Danvers, sporting a new haircut and a smug smile. "Hi, Peter, Megara, you two got something for me?"

Cassandra then watched Moon-Young gently take the gauntlet from Peter's arms, reassuring him with a comforting smile before passing it to Carol. "Here," she pursed her lips before turning to the new legion of alien beasts that have gathered to block their path. The woman felt pride bloom in her chest at the sight of Moon-Young being able to handle herself and the abilities bestowed upon her. She had never felt prouder of her and Jae-Hyuk. "Think you can make it?"

"Cassandra!"

The woman furrowed her eyebrows, recognizing the voice very well. She frantically spun around her heel, searching desperately for the source of the voice. Where are you? At last, their eyes met and Cassandra was filled with overwhelming joy as she paused from her tracks. "Mom! I'm right here!" she croaked, emotional that she had seen her beloved mother again.

Their arms hastily wrapped around each other as if something may snatch the moment away from them. "Thank god, you're okay! I've been searching for you since earlier in this chaos."

The daughter sniffed, feeling all the weariness from the war slowly ebbing away. "I have missed you so much, mom."

"I missed you too, dear."

"Sorceress Supreme!" Cassandra's attention was caught by the voice of Master Yeung, the Master of the Hong Kong Sanctum. "Is there anything you require assistance with?"

"Yes, we need to create a diversion for her to get through. Can you do that?"

Master Lewis from the London Sanctum smirked. "Sorceress Supreme, whatever you ask of us, it shall be done."

"It will always be an honor for us to fight beside you."

A small smile found its way on her lips as she gratefully stared at the two masters in front of her. Actually, a short while after she left Kamar-Taj, Master Lewis and Master Yeung found her trying find passage to the Tanakuatua island, she thought that they would convince her to come back or criticize her decision just like how some of the elder Masters did, yet they only gave her a map and a robe to wear. They gave their best wishes on her journey and said that she would eventually find herself back to her home when ready. She would never forget their kindness that day.

"Thank you, Master Lewis, Master Yeung. Your efforts and sacrifices today will not be in vain."

Olivia tilted her head, her eyes skimming from Cassandra's head to toe. "You're the Sorceress Supreme now?"

"Yeah,"

"Well, your robes were starting to get old and unfashionable anyway."

The air was suddenly rent by the sound of a sudden crack of eroded soil coming from the nearby body of water, accelerating the witch's heartbeat as Stephen was almost knocked off of his stance because of the second burst. He was barely holding himself against the vortex of water that was dangerously building itself up higher. As if the others had sensed her rising panic, Olivia patted her shoulder. "Go, back him up. We got this from here."

The brunette nodded, quickly leaping into the air to reach Stephen's location and gauge the situation. Her cloak fluttered behind her as she lowered herself to the ground, assisting her fiancé in stopping the second and third ruptures of water from flooding the whole battlefield. Across from them, several of the Masters of the Mystic Arts along with Carol's ensemble of women heroes valiantly fought the group of extraterrestrial beasts, just enough to clear a path for Carol to pass through.

She watched as the blonde started flying towards the van with the Gauntlet, flying past enemies and going through enemy blockades that were in her way with ease. Catching a glimpse of Thanos making a move to block Carol, Cassandra murmured an enchantment and several strings made out of metal sprung from the ground and held the Titan's wrists. He was then also met with the full force of Pepper, Shuri, and Van Dyne's blast which greatly disoriented him. She had noticed that unlike before where her magic had a limit or else she would die of too much exhaustion from usage of magic, she now seemed to have boundless energy. It was as if there was a bottomless pit of arcane power inside her.

With a roar, he broke free from his captivity and flung his double sword at the van, destroying it and the quantum realm tunnel, knocking Carol Danvers to the ground.

The explosion was so strong that Cassandra and Stephen had to reinforce their spells to steady the waters. The Gauntlet clattered to the ground, alone and vulnerable. She watched as Thanos was about to snatch the object up, but Tony tackled him and was rendered unconscious after being struck. Carol Danvers rose to prevent Thanos from snapping his fingers when he put on the gauntlet, gamma radiation from the stones eating away at him.

Thanos pulled the Power Stone out of the Gauntlet and used it in his free hand to hit Carol Danvers away. Captain America and Thor showed up with his Stormbreaker and the Mjolnir in an effort to hold Thanos' arms still as the god of thunder prepared to deliver the killing blow, but Thanos outmuscled them and rendered them both unconscious.

In a final act of desperation to stop the Mad Titan, Moon-Young, together with her horde of undead aliens, charged forward, delivering multiple assaults from different sides. She was able to hold him off just enough for Steve to snatch the Gauntlet away from Thanos' reach. In retaliation, the purple skinned madman obliterated Moon-Young's undead army and snatched her neck, raising her high in the air.

Witnessing this with her very own eyes, Cassandra felt panic rise to her throat, choking her. "No!"

The young woman struggled to break free from his hold on her, but he was too strong. A dazzling white light emitted from Moon-Young's fist, and using what strength she has, tried to strike the enemy across the face, but swiftly dodged it. He grabbed ahold of her hand then proceeded to slowly crush her hand, causing the teenager to scream in pain.

At the same time, the Sorceress Supreme merged her two vortexes of water into one. Her eyes illuminated a deep purple light as she conjured a flurry of spells that patched the soil up. Stephen backed her up by returning the water vortex to where it should be. "Cassie, go. I can manage this alone."

Nodding, she spun around her heel, quickly making her way through the chaos, but not before hearing the words that came out of his mouth. "Just... don't die, please." whispered her fiancé, almost desperate and pleading. There was something in his voice that rattled the woman. He knew something she didn't. Had he already foresaw what would happen today? Was her death already written?

Picking up a discarded blade from the ground in her sprint, Cassandra climbed the enemy's back and jabbed the point in his throat. Spurts of blood covered the woman's hand as Thanos screamed in absolute agony and staggered backward. He dropped Moon-Young to the ground who grasped the soil, crawling and gasping for air. The Sorceress Supreme glared daggers at the titanic being as he turned around to see her.

No one hurts her child and gets away with it.

He clawed for her head, but she dodged his attack several times. The gravity of the situation could be felt in the air. It was so heavy that Cassandra could feel it weigh in her bones. If they fail to stop Thanos again, the consequences would be more dire than before. All of humanity - no, all life forms would cease to exist if he succeeds. Cassandra cannot let that happen. She knew they couldn't. Their fate lies in their hands now. Earth's fate depends on them.

Seeing an opening upfront, she somersaulted high in the air and landed before the very eyes of their sworn enemy. She attempted to thrust the blade further into his throat to end his life, yet Thanos swatted her arm away so hard she lost her balance for a moment. Due to this, he was able to once again seize the golden gauntlet. Cassandra, mumbling under her breath, weaved her hands together and two orbs made of pure dark energy captured the madman's wrist, preventing him from moving his fingers to snap.

Beads of sweat slid across the witch's face. It hungrily reached for her drenched hair, running through her locks at a feverish pace.
It was sticky, wet, and she could distinctly feel a few drops of sweat run down her back, departing from her head. Thanos was too strong to hold back, even with her powerful magic. She could feel her teeth grit and her muscles almost being torn, but she couldn't give up. She'd rather die than give up.

Her eyes swept across the field and landed on Tony and Stephen. The latter holding his trembling index finger up to remind him - them that there was only one way for all of this to end.

Thanos has to die.

And in order to do that, someone must use the full power of the stones.

"You know what," Cassandra exhaled, shutting her eyes for a moment to come to terms with the inevitable. Her heart was pounding like crazy, that a minute longer she felt it might just jump at her throat. Perhaps, this is her destiny. Today is the day her fate ends. Her next words spilled out of her mouth like toxic honey, "Let's just die together, Thanos."

"Just... don't die, please."

Stephen's desperate words then repeatedly rang in her ears. The raw pain in his words. He already saw how this would end for her.

It felt like a curse; a burden to bear. She always knew that she would die one day, but it wasn't easy to accept it. She thought she already did, but everytime, she saw her family, and her friends, Cassandra felt burdened.

She wants to live longer.

Agamotto, I want to live.

Thanos must've sensed her hesitation and her weakened magic, he pulled out the glowing amethyst stone out of the gauntlet and used it in his free hand to hit her away. A cough lined with blood came out of her mouth as her body landed on the ground with a loud thud. Cassandra's quaking fingers slowly came across a slightly large swelling on her crown, inducing a new wave of shivers down her weak spine. Her whole body retracted as she fearfully touched the bleeding bump; the pain was too much.

"Ah..." she grunted, holding her head. Her vision blurred for a moment and a buzzing sound overwhelmed her senses. A few seconds may have passed since then though it felt like eternity to Cassandra, she got on all fours, trying to muster the last threads of her strength to carry on and fight to no avail. She was too drained, too dehydrated, and too injured. Her eyes felt heavy that anytime she felt she might blackout.

Just then, Thanos put the Power Stone back into the gauntlet, yelling from the power of the gamma radiation coursing through him. She watched him almost triumph over them for the second time until Stark made one last attack on Thanos, pulling on the Gauntlet before the latter punched him away.

And the Mad Titan was again the victor.

Smug, he lifted his golden gauntlet to show them his win. "I am - inevitable."

Thanos snapped his fingers, but Cassandra only heard a metallic clink. Eyes widening like saucers, she realized the Infinity Stones are missing and Tony now had the stones on his own assembled gauntlet. The gamma radiation coursing through him, to Thanos' shock.

She shook her head, her gaze silently begging for him not to do it. Tony, no... she wanted to say. Morgan, what about her?

His next words were overshadowed by her screams of pleading and then, a blinding flash of white engulfed their surroundings. Cassandra bent her head to shield herself from the blast, her nails digging into the earth below her. When the dust started to clear, her sight fell first at the multitudes of aliens that were one by one disintegrating just like how she witnessed it happen in front of her five years ago. The Sorceress Supreme switched her gaze to Thanos, who in horror, sat down on top of a boulder.

And his eyes looked disappointed.

Was he mourning?

Thanos believed he was the hero in this story. To bring stability to the universe by wiping out half of all life at every level as he believed its massive population would inevitably use up the universe's entire supply of resources and perish. He believed this was his mission, he was sure and convinced that it was justified. The destruction of his home proved his hypothesis correct, and so did the prosperity of Gamora's home planet after Thanos' genocide. So, he pursued it, sacrificed for it, and accomplished it years ago.

Was he a tragic hero?

No, he was just a delusional, genocidal maniac with a Messiah complex.

So, how dare you grieve, Thanos?

She wanted to yell this question to him when their stares across the quiet battlefield met and Thanos was erased from existence.

And then, they won.

They won.

But, at what cost?

The realization came faster to her than she could comprehend.

Tony.

The power of the gauntlet's raw energy has left his entire right side fatally injured. He stumbled for a bit before his body collapsed beside a pile of debris. Cassandra pushed herself up and caught his body just as he settled himself down.

"Tony..." softly mentioned Cassandra, her tears of sorrow soaked her lilac robes as she clung to it to try to stop the flow. Her friend, the person who pulled her out of her ebbing and flowing waves of grief and acted like an older brother to her, was dying. It was like losing her father again. It was like losing Stephen and almost everyone else again.

"M-Morgan..."

"Yes, I got her. Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on your kid. Just, just... keep your strength,"

Rhodey soon flew in and went up to them to see their friend fade away. He bowed his head, knowing the damage was done.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter Parker's voice filled her ears as a quick dash of footsteps followed. "Hey- Mr. Stark? Can you hear me? It's Peter." He mumbled and choked on his sobbed, kneeling. "Hey. We won, Mr. Stark- We won, Mr. Stark. We won. You did it, sir. You did it."

Yet, Tony was unresponsive.

"I'm sorry, Tony - "

Peter was then gently led aside to grieve. A shadow loomed above Cassandra and she looked up to see her friend's wife in shock and mourning. Cassandra moved away and let them have their last conversation.

"Hey,"

"Hey, Pep..."

Cassandra flinched, as memories of the past on Titan flashed before her very eyes. She remembered how Stephen faded away in front of her. How she felt his body disintegrate. The chill that ran down her spine once she realized she was left behind. The overwhelming grief and pain that consumed her. They were returning. She had not realized that she was shaking and sweating from where she was standing.

It was her fault. If she wasn't so weak earlier, perhaps, Tony didn't have to seize the stones and erase Thanos and his army's existence himself. Tony will be going home to his daughter today and Morgan will be welcoming him with a genuine smile and an excited hug. Cassandra could've - no, should've saved him... if she wasn't just so weak.

It was until she felt the warm presence of Moon-Young and Jae-Hyuk beside her that her body calmed down. The twins held her hands, soothing her. They didn't have to say anything to let her know that they can feel what she's going through at the moment. A strange, comforting feeling enveloped her like a hug from behind. It was as if there was a ray of light beaming above her, stretched out with golden arms to hug her from behind.

We're here.

No, this wasn't her fault. This was beyond her control. She can't save everyone. She shouldn't blame herself.

Pepper placed her hand on Tony's Arc Reactor and Tony rested his hand on hers. "F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" queried the wife, kneeling in front of him.

"Life functions critical." proclaimed artificial intelligence even when the question about Tony's state was not asked.

"Tony," urged Pepper. "Look at me." She made sure Tony got a long look at her. "We're gonna be okay. You can rest now."

With that acknowledgement, Tony finally rested and his arc reactor flickered off for good. Cassandra padded over to Pepper, kneeling and placing her hands on the wife's shoulder. She knew how it felt. To lose someone they love in front of them. Pepper could no longer contain her grief and let out a gut-wrenching sob, her tears due to her sorrow falling like rain as she collapsed to the floor. She kept the woman close to her, soothing her however she could.

All the heroes gathered around them, bending their knees and bowing their heads in honor of Tony's honorable sacrifice.

Today, Cassandra lost another friend.

guys, we only have the final chapter left and we go to our next books in store of the butterfly effect universe- omg????