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Ch: 226 [Cindy Moon]

  [Peter's first person POV]

  Silver was ready to go bae after dealing with her ex. Wanda, who was most excited to help her get revenge was surprised to see that it was all over. She went to Kamar-Taj to seal the alternate Darkhold, which took lohan expected.

  "I'd have given you money or tech, but I doubt you need any of that," Silver said, standing near her jet that I fixed up for her. "But if you ever need my help, just call me, and I'll be there."

  "But first you o fight yanization and remove those traitors. Are you sure you don't need help?" I asked, unsure of her pn.

  "I will be fine. With Fner gone, bringing them down would be a piece of cake," Silver shrugged.

  "Okay, if you are sure," I said.

  "Be careful," Wanda came forward and hugged her.

  "Thank you for helping me," Silver smiled at Wanda. "You too Peter... Emma, Chat, thank you all."

  "e visit us sometimes," Chat added.

  We watched as Silver boarded the pne and flew away. With that do's time to find dy Moon. Morlun is dead, so I doubt I o worry about him anymore. And even if he es back, the level I am at right now, he won't be able to do anything to me.

  I just hope that this version of dy Moon is the good one, not the evil one.

  ...

  That noon, Wanda decided to take a break a the spa since she spent too much magic while sealing the book. As for me, I decided to go to Kamar-Taj to che how everyone was doing. I also wao che the time chambers to make sure everything was in order.

  When I arrived in Kamar-Taj, I found Dr. Stephen Strating on a benear the gate, wearing casual clothing instead of his usual robes. He was reading the neer with his legs crossed, appearing more rexed than I'd ever seen him before.

  "Dr. Strange?"

  He gnced up and saw me approag, then folded the neer and tucked it under his arm.

  "Hey, Peter, it's been a while."

  "Yeah. How are things going on here?"

  "Things are looking good. With the help of your time chambers, our training accelerated by years," he said, rubbing his . "Within ahree or four months, we should be able to deploy the ultimate barrier around the po prevent Knull and the others from attag Earth."

  "That's a good thing," I said, gd that things were progressing as pnned. "So, what's with the casual wear?"

  "Oh, I'm on vacation, and I need some fresh air," he shrugged. "I don't know, but I think I've been w too hard."

  "Hmm, I rete," I nodded in uanding. "But shouldn't you be spending time somewhere else other than Kamar-Taj?"

  "I was actually enjoying a nap at my beach house, but then Wanda came with the Darkhold. Sigh!" He sighed in exhaustion. "It took a lot to just seal it bad I was too exhausted to go back again."

  "So, what now?" I asked curiously.

  "Now I'm going to eat some burgers and enjoy myself," he said with a smile and stood up, stretg his legs a bit. Then he opened a portal and stepped through.

  I looked around and found Wong nearby, standing oeps of the temple.

  "Hey Wong, how's everything?" I asked, approag him.

  "Fine," he answered dryly.

  "Too much work? He dumped all the work on you again, didn't he?" I asked.

  "Sigh! Yeah. I barely had time to eat. But things are going well, thanks to your time chamber."

  "How are the new recruits doing?"

  "Well, they are improving fast, and we also have some iing ones who seem to have special abilities."

  "That's great," I hen decided to ask about something that had been b me for a while. "What about the girl I saved back then, the demon?" I asked.

  "She went back to her home. It took a while to mend her mind, but we mao fix her memories," Wong replied.

  "That's good, I was worried for a sed there," I sighed in relief.

  [Boom!] Something exploded iraining hall.

  "On no, not again," Wong ran toward the training hall. "Gotta go, Pete. Oh! If you are looking for Master, she's away on a mission. See you ter!"

  I ughed as I watched Wong runoff. Why doesn't he use the portal to go? I don't get him.

  "Use the portal," I yelled back.

  "What?" He turned around.

  "Portal, use it to go faster!" I reminded him.

  He looked at me with an 'ah' look and created a portal to gh.

  Shaking my head, I walked toward the temple a inside. I took a look at the time chamber and made sure it was alright. Well, it erfectly stable without any problems.

  With that done... Maybe I should find dy Moon now.

  ....

  [3rd person POV]

  dy Moon sat in the dimly lit fines of the bst shelter, her back pressed against the cold, steel wall. The air smelled stale despite the intricate filtration systems Ezekiel Sims had installed. She absentmindedly traced patterns on the t floor with her fiip, her mind caught in the same monotonous loop it had been trapped in for years.

  Every day was the same. Wake up, stretch, eat the bnd, vacuum-sealed meals stored in the bunker, and train to keep her body sharp. The training, at least, provided a momentary escape from the endless silence, but even that had bee a chore. She khe yout of the shelter by heart, from the low-hanging lights that flickered occasionally to the reinforced pahat made her feel more like a prisohan a savior.

  Her fingers brushed over the keypad embedded in the wall, the ohing in the room that could ge her life. She khe code, of course. Ezekiel had taught it to her, trustio uand the stakes.

  The door was her freedom, but it was also the world's death sentence. Morlun's shadow loomed over her thoughts, a stant reminder of why she stayed locked away. She had agreed to this, after all. She had volunteered to sacrifice her life, her dreams, and her future so that tless others could live.

  Her gaze lingered on the keypad for a long moment.

  "You leave," she whispered to herself, her voice barely above a murmur. "You could leave."

  The words felt hollow. Even if she could leave, where would she go? What kind of life could she have? dy knew she wasn't just proteg herself; she was a living barrier, the st line of defense against Morlun.

  But still, doubt crept in. What if Morlun had fotten about her? What if she had bee irrelevant to his pns? She shook her head, trying to banish the thought. Ezekiel wouldn't lie to her. If she left, Morlun would e, and the sequences would be catastrophic.

  She picked up the well-worn journal Ezekiel had left her. Its pages were filled with her notes, sketches, and ramblings, a small attempt to hold onto her sanity. Today, like many days, she turo a bnk page and started to write.

  Day 1,642... She scratched the day and tried to remember how long has it been, but couldn't remember. In the end, she decided to give up.

  'Still alive. Still here. Still waiting for a man who may never e. Am I brave? Or just a coward, too afraid to face what's outside?'

  dy stared at the page for what felt like ay, the pen in her hand trembling. She wao write, to pour out her thoughts, but her mind was as empty as the page. No words came, only the stant hum of the bunker's ventition system filling the silence.

  Her frustration boiled over. With a sharp exhale, she tore and crumpled the paper into a tight ball and flung it toward the er of the room. It joined a growing pile of discarded thoughts and abatempts to make sense of her life.

  "Augh," she groans, pushiangled hair aside with her hands. "What's the point?

  dy leans ba her chair, her eyes straying to the old TV sitting on a rickety stand across the room. The s is scratched and flickering wildly, but it's one of the few links she has to the world outside. She reaches forward and smoothes her fingers over the worn buttons until she finally finds the power button.

  There was a crackle and static sound from the TV until an image finally came on. It was a rerun of some sit the work thought people would want to see, but to dy's ears, it grated with its ed ughter. She slumped bato the worn sofa, her body sinking into the cushions that had lost all their support long ago.

  The ugh track went off as the character on-s tripped over a mispced chair, cheers from the unseen audience. dy didn't ugh. She didn't eveo pay attention. What was the point of it all; after all, the show was just best, a temporary distra from her crushing monotony of existence.

  She focused on the crumpled paper pile in the er of the room a a wave of guilt wash through her. She had tried to keep herself hard, in vigince, but this isotion was eating into the fabric of her. The bunker, once her sanctuary, now became her prison.

  She whispered to herself, "I just 't do that anymore.".

  But what choice did she have? Staying was not a choice. She khe risks. She had been instructed ad infinitum on the risks. Still, the what-ifs remained locked in her head, a nagging itch she couldn't scratch.

  The sit ended, and the TV switched to static again. dy stared at the s, her thoughts swirling. Maybe she should try writing again. Maybe she should train. Maybe she should—

  ...

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  ----

  AN: Before you ask. No, she is not in the harem. The harem is already too big and we are almost at the finale. So, no point in adding mirls. I'll be expl MC's retionship with Rogue and Wanda a bit, that's it. Some might be disappointed. Well, there are too many girls lol, I 't add them all in 1 fibsp;

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