Punished gods [ENG]

#18 The Offer

"Sylvie?" It came from the darkness, without her reaction. "Sylvie?" The voice spoke again, and Sylvie slowly began to open her eyes.

"What's going on again?" She asked sleepily, and when she saw a bright white light above her, she got up quickly from the floor and looked around in confusion. She was in a bright white room from which her eyes ached, "Where the hell am I?" She asked herself when she noticed Strange standing on the other side of the room. She had a desire to attack him immediately, but she froze in place, "damn, I hate this!"

Strange raised his hand and looked stern as always, "you're in a dream realm and there's nothing you can do to me here, so you really don't have to try and we'll save our time..."

"What? I'm in your dream?"

"Yes."

"That sounds pretty perverse."

Strange sighed, "It's a safe place for us to talk."

"We have nothing to talk about!" She was upset, trying to get out of her froze pose, "I didn't have the answers to my questions either!"

Strange walked closer to her, "I don't want to hurt you, so please calm down."

"Do you know that telling someone to calm down won't absolutely calm him down?"

"Obviously, but I don't want to deal with you badly, you can't do anything to me here anyway... I control this dream, you can be frozen in place and involuntarily listen what I need to tell you or it will be voluntary."

Sylvie didn't like it at all, but she began to wonder what was going on here, "fine!"

Strange lowered his hand and Sylvie could move again, frowning and trying to punch Strange in his face, but it was as if she were trying to hit a ghost. Strange frowned, "you have it confirmed, can we get to the point?"

"I wouldn't be able to sleep well if I didn't at least try!"

Strange waved and a chair appeared in the room, "you can sit down."

"Thanks, I'll standing," she folded her arms.

"As you wish," he said, sitting down alone in the chair that appeared behind him.

"So what's all this supposed to mean again?" Sylvie began to walk around the room, and Strange watched her.

"I know what you think of all this..."

"You have no idea! I don't even know what to make of such a thing! You're keeping me locked up here like a rat, you sent Loki who knows where, we're like two marionettes in the hands of your beloved witch, and now you want to talk!?"

"There aren't many ways I can get to you unnoticed and discuss it with you in person, so excuse my methods."

"Your boss would be angry, wouldn't she?" She asked in such a mocking tone.

Strange looked at Sylvie, "I know what it all looks like, but I'm just trying to help her... no with what she's doing. I'm trying to figure out how to get her back..."

"Back from where?"

"Out of the Darkness."

"Is a metaphor?"

"No... Wanda fell for the black magic that completely engulfed her. She can't get out of it anymore without help."

"That's really great, and what do I have to do with it?"

"I know it may sound a little weird, but I think you could help me."

Sylvie laughed, "I don't want to help you and I definitely don't want to help her! As soon as I can, I'll help her by giving her back everything she did to us!" She looked hateful as she remembered everything again.

"We don't have much time left, so I'll take it fast." He also got up from his chair and it disappeared. "I don't agree with what Wanda is doing, I knew her when she was completely different person, but the darkness blinded her... she goes blindly to her goal, just like you did before... Just like Loki did. But you both managed to overcome it, you were able to find the bright side in yourself."

Sylvie raised her hand and stopped him, "I really don't want to listen this! Do you admire how we managed to change? That's lovely! And you didn't mind assisting her? How disgustingly her divided us! The trap was really dirty work, it was so pathetic! You may not have been the main one in this game, but you certainly didn't seem to disagree!"

"I know you don't believe me..."

"I definitely don't believe you!"

"But... it could have been worse, if she knew I wasn't her ally in what she was planning, it would end badly for all of us. If you help me, I can help you, we can get what we want."

"I had what I wanted! You took it from me!" Strange knew it was true. "Tell me where Loki is and if he's okay."

"It's complicated..."

"Well, I feel like I'll probably wake up from your dream soon."

"Wait," he raised his hand again, as if to freeze her again, but finally withdrew it, "please."

"So?"

"Loki is alive and he's relatively fine."

"How relatively!?" She wanted to punch him again.

Strange sighed, waved again, and a picture appeared on the wall, with the dark place where Scarlet Witch had sent Loki through the portal. Sylvie had a look at the events after his fall, especially his angry moment in the bar... when she saw how destroyed he was, tears began to flow down her cheeks. And much more when she saw him run into the burning building, the seconds before he ran out again were truly endless. She was relieved to see him, he was dirty from the ashes, coughing, but he was in safety and with a dagger in his hand. When she realized why he was actually running there, it hurt even more. Her knees broke and she ended up on the floor, her hand on her chest, and she felt her heart beat incredibly fast.

"I didn't show it to you to hurt you."

"Oh, really?" Sylvie looked at him and spoke in a trembling voice, "aren't you enjoying it the same like her enjoy every moment of this suffering?"

"No, I don't."

"No? And should I trust you? If what you're saying is true, help him get back!"

"I can't, he has to figure out for himself how to get out of there."

"Seriously? So find out for yourself how to save your dark marionetter!"

"It's dangerous to get out of there, it's not that easy."

"Then send me in that place to him..."

"It is not possible..."

Sylvie stood up, and even though her face was still wet with tears, she looked at Strange with a hateful expression, "I see you want everything, but you have nothing on offer for me, in which case we really have nothing to talk about!"

"Sylvie, wait," but before he could stop her, Sylvie was gone and woke up in her cell, with the same expression she had in her dream.