Whilst Steven Rogers was fixated on finding his best friend, he had overlooked the signs to find his sister.
Amara had spent decades confined to darkness, lost in time. Now she must find her footing in the light and hope not to be left blinded.
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Wanda wasn't sure if she could describe this as darkness.
She was surrounded by nothing, just a pit of black that seemed to suck everything out of her. Each step felt heavier than the last. It goaded her to stop digging, to leave and accept light once more.
This had to be worse than darkness. This was fear embodied into a physical form. This was death waiting to welcome her home.
Had she done something wrong? Had she somehow broken Amaras mind?
As if to break her from a trance, humming slowly filtered into the air. It sounded distant and pained, a lullaby attempting to soothe the darkness away. Wanda crept forward, calling out Amaras name in hope to get a response.
In the past, when she had entered a mind, the person had been easy to locate. Normally they would be sat in a place of comfort, their home or an expanse of field. Warmth would fill her and ease the transition.
Here was broken. Fragmented into pieces that were shrouded in nothing but darkness. Soft laughter drifted by her as she stepped forward. A child playing in the street. She couldn't see it but she sensed the memory as she crept by. Surely Amara was near. Nestled away in a safe haven from the dark.
A large metal door loomed over her. The shadows had slipped away from it, inviting her in. A large lock trapped whoever was behind it, taunting Wanda to try and break it open. She pushed and pulled, shoved and kicked, but it was no use. The lock had rusted the door shut, corroding until it felt impossible to open.
"Come on, Mar, I know you're there somewhere." Wanda hummed to herself as she began to draw her energy. It was always a risk toying with her magic when in another's mind. Fragility and magic did not blend well, and Wanda had once gone so far into a man's mind he was left broken and inhuman.
She let the red seep into the cracks in the door, winding through the lock with precision and care. There was a faint click and the door began to creak ajar. It cried with each movement, whining against what appeared to be concrete floor.
The red energy washed away into the room, glowing faintly as it trickled toward the wall. Wanda could hear chanting as she stepped into what appeared to be a basement. The words started off a muffled whisper but with each step they became louder. The room was covered in damp, water dripping from a leak above. A makeshift wall of bars was constructed in the middle, caging in whatever was behind.
The room stank of mould and sweat. The only light pooling from a sliver underneath the now closed door. Wanda squinted in the darkness, trying to figure out where Amaras mind had taken her.
The chanting words became clearer with each breath but Wanda could not make out any connection between them. She thought maybe it was nonsense strung together in a panic, however the low voice felt too domineering and powerful to be coincidental.
A whimper shuddered from behind the bars. It mumbled the same words back into the air as if to confirm them. Wanda stepped closer, hands gripping two bars as she craned through the small gap.
"Amara is that you?" No response.
The girl with greasy brown hair remained huddled in the corner. She had her head nestled in between her legs, arm wound tightly together. She was nothing but skin and bone. Dried blood crusted along her body, matched with the dirt patch worked onto her skin.
Wanda felt sick. This was not Amara. Surely. This girl was lifeless, quivering from her as if Wanda would cause her harm.
The words within the darkness began to shout. They chanted and chanted until wanda had to cover her ears. She clasped her hands against her head, stumbling back. But it was no use. The same words felt branded into her brain until they were scarred in memory.
