The Forsaken Truth (Marvel's Avengers)

Into The Woods

The next morning came with the typical awakening by sunlight streaming through the window. I sat up in bed, stretching and yawning, as I made my way to the bathroom. As I carried on with my daily morning routine, I thought about my plans for the day. 

1. Wait for Willow and preferably not faint when he appears.

2. Squeeze out whatever information I could from the irritating guide.

3. Decide whether or not I should follow him to a haunted forest.

4. Hopefully, not die.

"Oh good you're up, we need to leave as soon as possible."

To my credit, I only jumped a little, letting out a squeak as I turned to face the source of most of my heart attacks recently. Willow stared at me while swaying left to right, leaving little wisps of light as he moved.

I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. "It's barely 6:00 am. Why do we need to go there so early?"

"Precisely. As its early, we wouldn't have to worry about other humans getting in the way or risking exposure."

"But I already enlisted for the official tour, which doesn't begin till 9!"

"We are not here for sight-seeing." He stated.

"I know that but..." I trailed off trying to think of an excuse with my sleep-addled mind, before I gave up, sighing in defeat. "Fine. But you promised me answers first."

He seemed to nod in agreement. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, for starters, I want to know about the Will-o'-wisps. You said I had incomplete information, so tell me what the actual truth is."

Willow paused as if contemplating his words, before he began. "The Will-o'-wisps are much like you humans. They do not have a fixed purpose and spend their entirety of existence based on how they choose to live. Most, of course, make the choice to become evil, luring lost travelers into traps for their own selfish entertainment. While others are exactly opposite, guiding and helping the human kind."

"So you're one of the good ones?"

To my dismay, he shook his head. "I'm a different kind of being, neither good nor bad by standards."

"Neutral, then?"

"No." Seeing my puzzled frown, he elaborated. "I was created with a singular purpose, to guide the hosts chosen by the stone to the spirits, and once that is fulfilled, I will cease to exist."

"You'll die?" 

When he didn't answer, I spoke again. "But that doesn't make sense. If accomplishing your task means that you die, won't you try and delay it by all means possible?"

"No, that doesn't work. In the case that the host is not stabilized and they pass away, I shall fade too. And won't be brought back until the next person is chosen." Willow explained.

"Wait, does that mean this has happened before?" I questioned in shock.

"Yes, thrice."

My mouth parted in surprise, as I gawked at him. "What happened to them?"

He stayed silent, levitating in the air as I waited for him to speak. When he finally replied, it wasn't the response I was looking for. "We must leave, we are getting late."

"Bu-"

"Call me when you're ready." He interjected and before I could protest any further, he vanished, making me let out a loud groan of annoyance.