In Marvel as a summoning Mage

Resting with family

**Ritsuka's POV**

The morning came, but not with the warmth and light it usually brings. I woke up with a start, sweat clinging to my skin as the lingering echoes of my nightmare haunted my mind. The image of all my friends, vanishing into nothingness, leaving me utterly alone in darkness, was still fresh and raw. "Don't leave me alone, please," I whispered, barely aware of the words slipping past my lips.

As my vision adjusted to the dim light of the room, I noticed I wasn't the only one awake. Across from me, Bucky Barnes sat on the edge of the sofa, his gaze distant and haunted. I didn't need to ask to know he'd been trapped in his own nightmares, likely reliving the faces of those he had been forced to kill.

For a while, we just sat there, neither of us speaking. The silence between us was heavy, filled with the unspoken understanding of shared pain. Eventually, I decided to break the silence. "Bucky," I began, my voice still a bit shaky from the remnants of my nightmare, "I should introduce myself properly. I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru, a mage, and... well, I guess you could call me a friend."

Bucky turned to look at me, his eyes dark with the weight of everything he'd been through. "Ritsuka… I remember everything now. Everything I did… and how Da Vinci and Dantes stopped Tony and Logan from killing me. I owe them my life."

His words were heavy with guilt, but I could see a spark of relief in his eyes. Knowing that his brainwashing was gone must have been a huge weight lifted from him, even if the memories of his past actions were still a burden.

Just then, Karen toddled into the room, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She came over and climbed into my lap, her presence a soothing balm against the darkness of the morning. "This is Karen, my daughter," I said, gently brushing her hair back. "She used her power to remove the brainwashing. She's got a bit of magic in her, like me."

Bucky's gaze softened as he looked at Karen. "She… she did that?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She's stronger than she looks. And you're free now, Bucky. Free from Hydra, free from their control."

Bucky sighed, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of the world was on them. "But am I really free? I remember everything I did. I can see it all so clearly now… and I don't know if it's worth living with."

I looked at him, understanding the pain he was feeling. "You are worth it, Bucky. You're not defined by what Hydra made you do. You're defined by what you do now. I know it's hard, but you've got a chance to make things right."

Bucky shook his head slightly, the doubt still gnawing at him. "You sound a lot like Steve, you know that? He always saw the good in people, even when they couldn't see it in themselves."

A small, sad smile tugged at my lips. "I can't compare myself with him. I'm not really great like him. Steve was a good man, Bucky. And so are you. You just need to remember that."

Before Bucky could respond, Tony walked into the room, his expression one of cautious understanding. He pulled up a chair beside us and sat down. "Morning," he said, his voice carrying a weariness that matched the rest of us.

"Morning," I replied, trying to shake off the last of my nightmare. "We were just… talking."

Tony's gaze shifted to Bucky. "So, you're all back in your head now?"

Bucky nodded slowly. "Yeah. I remember everything… and I know I've got a lot to make up for."

Tony's expression was unreadable for a moment, then he sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Look, Bucky. What you did… it wasn't you. Not really. But that doesn't mean it didn't happen. Dantes and Da Vinci, they saved you. And that's something. But it doesn't erase the past. You've got to do good things now, not because it'll make up for what you did, but because it's the right thing to do."