Orville: Lost in the Multiverse

chapter fourteen: the fall of ed mercer

The Void Between Realities twisted and churned around Ed, the nightmarish landscape warping with every breath he took. The suffocating pressure of this place, the crushing weight of Strange Supreme's magic, and the relentless assault of fear and despair had gnawed at his mind for what felt like an eternity. His heart raced as dark shapes shifted in the shadows, their glowing eyes watching him hungrily. Ed fought, desperately trying to hold onto his sanity—but it was slipping, piece by piece.

He had never felt so alone. No familiar faces, no crew, no allies. Lucy was gone, the Avengers were gone. It was just him, trapped in this hellish place with Strange Supreme's dark magic clawing at his mind.

Strange Supreme stood nearby, watching with a sinister satisfaction as Ed struggled. His shadowy figure loomed like a wraith in the fog, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "You've fought well, Mercer. But even the strongest will breaks in time."

Ed fell to one knee, gasping for breath, his hands trembling. He had fought back the terror, the madness, for so long. But now, he was slipping. The darkness pressed in, filling his mind with doubt, with fear, with anger. He could feel it—tendrils of darkness creeping into his soul, wrapping themselves around his thoughts, whispering to him, telling him to let go.

"You don't have to fight it anymore," Strange Supreme whispered, his voice smooth and soothing, like the calm before a storm. "All your struggles... all your resistance. It's pointless. This place will bend you, break you, reshape you into something stronger. You were never meant to fight this war alone, Ed. You don't need to be a hero."

Ed closed his eyes, his mind swimming with pain and confusion. The battle with the Chitauri, the Kaylon, Loki—every enemy he had faced flashed through his mind. The endless struggles, the weight of leadership, the fear of failure. He had always pushed through, always found a way to win. But now, here, there was no victory, no hope. Just darkness.

"I... I can't give up..." Ed whispered, but the words felt hollow, as if they no longer belonged to him.

Strange Supreme took a step closer, his presence filling the air like a storm cloud. "You've been fighting for so long, Captain. And what has it gotten you? Pain. Loss. You are nothing here. Let the darkness take you. Let it free you from your burdens."

The dark magic swirled around Ed, and he felt his thoughts becoming distant, blurry. The temptation was there, pulling him in. To give in, to let go, to stop fighting... it felt easier. The whispers in the Void grew louder, urging him to surrender.

His vision swam, and in his mind, he saw images of the people he had let down, the crew members who had fallen under his command, the lives he couldn't save. He saw Lucy, brave and strong, but burdened by their mission, fighting battles she shouldn't have had to fight. He had always carried the weight of their survival. But what if... what if he didn't have to carry it anymore?

Strange Supreme's voice was a low hiss now, filling Ed's mind completely. "You could be so much more. Join me, Mercer. We could control this world, this universe, the multiverse. No more pain, no more loss. Just power. Power beyond anything you've ever imagined."

Ed's eyes flickered open, but they were no longer filled with determination—they were empty, lost in the swirling darkness. His thoughts felt distant, disconnected. The shadows around him pressed closer, and he no longer had the strength to fight them off.

"I... can't..." Ed whispered, but even as he said the words, they sounded weak, defeated.

Strange Supreme smiled, his face illuminated by the dark magic swirling around them. "Yes, you can. You will."

Suddenly, Strange Supreme raised his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, Loki's scepter appeared in his grasp, the glowing blue stone at its tip pulsing with an ominous light. He stepped forward, holding the scepter out toward Ed.

"This will ease your pain," Strange Supreme said softly, pressing the scepter's tip against Ed's chest.

The moment the scepter touched him, Ed's eyes widened in shock. He gasped as a surge of raw energy coursed through him, and then—darkness. Cold, unrelenting darkness seeped into his mind, extinguishing any light, any hope that remained. His will crumbled, his thoughts dissolving into nothingness as the power of the scepter took hold. The darkness inside him deepened, transforming him, molding him into something new, something darker.

His vision blurred, the world around him warping and twisting into a terrifying void. He felt his body change, his very essence twisting under the influence of the scepter. His heart pounded as the shadows took hold of him completely, filling him with a rage he had never known.

Strange Supreme stepped back, watching with satisfaction as Ed Mercer—hero, captain, and friend—was consumed by the darkness.

When Ed opened his eyes again, they were no longer filled with the spark of humanity or the defiance that had once defined him. His gaze was cold, empty, devoid of the man he had once been. The darkness had won.

A new voice echoed in his mind, no longer his own but something darker, something twisted.

"You serve me now," Strange Supreme said, his voice echoing like thunder.

Ed stood, his posture rigid, his fists clenched. His mind was a storm of anger, of hatred. The man who had fought for his friends, for justice, was gone. All that remained was a shell, a puppet, twisted and controlled by the dark power of Strange Supreme.

"I... serve you," Ed said, his voice low and lifeless, the words feeling foreign in his mouth.

Strange Supreme grinned. "Good. Now, let's bring chaos to the multiverse."

As Ed's new dark form stepped forward, the last remnants of who he once was faded into the abyss. The captain of the Orville was gone, replaced by something far more dangerous—a force of darkness bound to Strange Supreme's will.

The multiverse would never be the same.