Chương 68: Crossroads
Agatha Harkness PoV:
Location: New Salem, Colorado, United States
The crisp autumn air of New Salem swirled with the scent of woodsmoke and cinnamon. Jagged purple mountains clawed at the horizon, their peaks wreathed in mist that shimmered with an unnatural, pearlescent sheen.
A crooked path, paved with cobblestones that was made to look like it was worn smooth by centuries of boots and broomsticks even though it was not, led into the heart of the town. Half-timbered houses adorned with twisting vines and wrought iron balconies overflowing with marigolds and nightshade, huddled together for warmth.
Signs in curling script advertised mystical wares: [Madame Zandra's Potions and Powders] , [Familiars: Find Your Furever Friend Here!]. Wisps of emerald smoke rose from chimneys, carrying the faint strains of chanting and the rhythmic drumming of a mortar and pestle.
A sleek black cat, its eyes glowing with an inner fire, sauntered across the path, pausing to flick its tail disdainfully at a gaggle of apprentice witches fluttering by in mismatched robes. The air crackled with a vibrant energy, a potent mix of magic and autumn's approaching chill.
This was New Salem, a town where the veil between the mundane and the mystical was as thin as a spider's web, and where every twist of the cobbled path promised an unexpected enchantment.
Well, the underlying 'spider theme', if it could be called that, was a surprise given that they now reluctantly venerated a certain Spider Goddess due to Agatha's actions. Not that she herself knew that the goddess D was the Spider Goddess.
It's just that the concept of webs and weaving of threads had great significance in the fields of witchcraft and mysticism. Concepts such as destiny were also often interrelated with threads.
Furthermore, the knowledge regarding Agatha's as well as her parallel selves respective destinies and as well as what the great goddess spoke to her about fate, indicated some level of power that she held over this authority.
It only made sense to have this domain she had created to incorporate such theme. Since she had extensive future knowledge of multiple timelines, Agatha had opted to introduce the best elements of each of them. She was not adhering to the pre-existing styles created by her counterparts or afraid of making extensive changes.
The Great One had encouraged her to make as many changes as possible and cause ripples in fate and she did so gladly.
Agatha had made full use of the knowledge given by the Great One to construct her own version of New Salem and create a safe haven for witches, warlocks and mystical creatures.
Even if the knowledge was not very detailed and only contained a generalised gist of events like a historical record, they proved immensely helpful in planning what to do next. She had essentially gained the benefit of foresight even if limited and subject to change.
Granted it was still in its infancy as it had only been a handful of years since she had conversed with the Great One on that fateful night. Regardless, lots of witches had flocked to New Salem seeking asylum.
Of course, she had also reflected on all the mistakes caused by her and her parallel selves. Whether letting Nicholas Scratch, her so-called 'son' rebel against her or foolishly handling matters regarding the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximov, they were all mistakes that had to be avoided.
But what stayed constant was that regardless of the timeline, the Great One periodically lent a helping hand to her. Agatha would make sure to repay 'Her'. But why risk coming in contact with an Elder God that had plotted Agatha into facing misfortune when little Wanda was more than suitable to do so.
It was her destiny as the Scarlet Witch at the end of the day. All Agatha had to do was to get the little Miss Maximov as her student just as her alternate self had done in other timelines. By becoming a pillar of support for Wanda in troubled times, she could guide Wanda to the truth.
Agatha would be saving Wanda from all the misfortune she was destined to face while making her believe in the Great One would protect Wanda from becoming the Elder God's container, as well.
Wanda would be a blank sheet of paper unrelated to the world of warcraft before contacting Agatha. She would also be rather young when Agatha got the little witch under her wing making it easy to indoctrinate her. Ultimately, she would gain a convenient tool to be used in future endeavours.
After reflecting on how Agatha's alternate self handled the young Scarlet Witch, she almost had an urge to facepalm at her stupidity. Greed for greater power had blinded her and perhaps the Darkhold had corrupted her. She would be a fool to play out these events again.
Naturally, knowledge contained in the Darkhold could not be forsaken. It was far too priceless to do so. Regardless, Agatha didn't have to be the one who deciphered it and risk being corrupted.
'She' had blessed Agatha with immunity against mind control. Theoretically, Agatha would remain safe and sound even if she got the cursed book under her grasp.
The [Goddess of Witchcraft], that witches traditionally venerated was merely a thief who had stolen the authority of the Great One in her weakened state and was trying to poison the minds of witches across the multiverse.
The knowledge provided by 'Her' had opened Agatha's eyes to the truth. The Great One's had blessing had saved Agatha's soul.
Naturally, Agatha tried to open the eyes of her fellow witches and wizards to the truth but with negligible effects. Due to her insistence and out of gratitude for the safe haven that Agatha had provided them with, they chose to believe in 'Her' perfunctorily.
Centuries of belief in the [Goddess of Witchcraft] could not be toppled overnight. It had to be a gradual process.
While Agatha was furious about this response, there was nothing much she could do unless 'She' blessed the residents of New Salem and freed them from the thief's grasp as well.
She had been trying her best to gather knowledge on witchcraft as well as other interesting titbits of information to conduct trades with 'Her'. The only connection she had with her was the entity hiding in her shadow ever since that night.
Agatha had not contacted the Great One since that day as she was busy gathering knowledge and consolidating New Salem. It was about time to conduct a trade with 'Her' if 'She' liked what Agatha had to offer.
[…]
Agatha's attention was drawn by vision that suddenly started flickering in front of her. It appeared one moment before disappearing the next. 'Could this be some sort of curse?', Agatha thought.
[…S…T…S]
'…' Agatha stared blankly at the 'curse' flickering in her vision. 'Perhaps not…', she pondered as no immediate negative effects were inflicted upon her.
'[…Prototype System-3D2Y successfully bound…]', her thoughts were dispersed as the vision materialised in front of her and Agatha heard a voice she had not listened to in years. The voice of the Great One.
There was no mistaking it. This vision had to be witchcraft conjured by the Great One. Perhaps 'She' had noticed that Agatha was going to make an attempt to communicate with 'Her'.
'[Standby…Initiating Beta Test…]'. 'Beta test…?', confusion was evident on Agatha's face at listening to the strange terms. 'Perhaps this is some sort of taboo sorcery that only the Great One is privy to?'. All she could do was make meaningless conjectures. Ultimately, if she was destined to know the meaning behind these terms then she will in the future.
All that mattered was that the Great One had once again graced them with her presence. Once all the residents of New Salem had been freed, this day would be celebrated as the auspicious day of salvation. Agatha would make sure of that.
***
Pandora's Actor PoV:
Location: Guest Chambers, Royal Palace of Valaskjalf, Asgard
"You may leave and take a short rest. I will be thinking upon the actions we must take henceforth in silence for a while. Please inform Caius I will join him for a chat during the feast," Pandora commanded the apprentice sorcerers who had followed him to the guest chamber provided to him by the Asgardian royal family.
"As you wish, Master Gandalf," the sorcerers soon departed from the chamber leaving no one else but Pandora and a few 'servants'. The 'servants' were some of the doppelgangers that had infiltrated Asgard on Lady White's orders earlier.
While they had initially infiltrated as einherjar, they had to skilfully keep changing identities if their previous ones faced danger or scrutiny.
For instance, if all the einherjar in a platoon passed away in a raid but a random soldier that the doppelganger had disguised as survived, their identity might be the subject of focus and investigation. Finding a new identity by any means necessary was an important part of the art of infiltration.
But it could not be avoided that some doppelgangers were still slain in the process and the infiltration so far had not been smooth. They were still nowhere near being in a position to obtain crucial information of importance to Nazarick.
Moving on, the guest chamber was a stunning blend of opulence and divine craftsmanship, fitting for the esteemed guests of the Asgardian royal family. The walls, adorned with intricate gold filigree and ancient runes that softly glowed with an ethereal light, told stories of Asgard's grandeur and history.
It had high, vaulted ceilings painted with celestial scenes of gods and mythical creatures. Massive windows draped with luxurious, deep blue velvet curtains overlooked the majestic, starlit skies of Asgard.
The furnishings were equally grand, with a large, ornately carved bed covered in plush, silken sheets and pillows that seemed to invite rest and comfort.
A grand fireplace, made of gleaming white marble, dominated one wall, its gentle warmth contrasting with the cool, polished floors that reflected the room's soft ambient glow. In one corner, an elegantly crafted writing desk stood, accompanied by a comfortable chair, hinting at the thoughtful design meant to accommodate both relaxation and contemplation.
Given the position and reputation that Pandora had earned as 'Gandalf', it was only fitting that the chamber assigned to him exhibited a higher level of grandeur compared to those allocated to the average servant or apprentice mage who handled menial tasks and errands.
The ultimate purpose of these chambers, whether intentionally or not, was to subtly showcase Asgard's wealth, power, and prestigious history, instilling a sense of awe in any guest who occupied them. However, Pandora was far from an average guest.
The master sorcerer Gandalf was merely his disguise. Perhaps if he were real, the chambers of Asgard might have had their intended effect on him. But Pandora's Actor was an Area Guardian of Nazarick.
Furthermore, he guarded the treasury and the vast collections of the Supreme Beings. Flaunting opulence in front of him was a futile effort. He was no stranger to such petty schemes and tricks were of no surprise to him either as he had shared conversations with two demons.
'Anyway, all this wealth will belong to Lady White one day, as it should', Pandora thought. The multiverse was as good as being the Supreme One's property, especially with all of the residents of Nazarick actively trying to make this notion a reality.
But the threat looming in front of them had to be curbed somehow.
The reason behind his visit to Asgard was the previous meeting that had taken place in Kamar-Taj. While he had some guesses behind why the Asgardians had shown up in Kamar-Taj, his speculations had been proven wrong. Quite disastrously so.
Odin and his gang had come to discuss the 'Yggdrasill Anomaly.' An incident whose cause Pandora was acutely aware of. How could he not when Nazarick was the perpetrator, even if unintentionally.
Pandora's contact with Nazarick was rather limited as the infiltration was a matter of high risk. The last contact he had made was to provide knowledge on the mystic arts he had 'borrowed' as Lady White had instructed.
It was these brief moments of contact when Pandora's Actor got the latest know-how on the happenings in Nazarick. He had a vague idea of Lady White's plans at that point of time. He couldn't understand the greater details due to the brief time he had to contact Nazarick.
After that, he had been dragged to Asgard making it nigh impossible to contact Nazarick again. Pandora was unable to update Lady White that she had become the prime suspect of Asgard's investigation.
They had not yet figured out who Lady White was specifically, but they had gathered sufficient clues to lead their investigation along. If nothing stopped them, it was only a matter of time before these mongrels dared to threaten the Supreme One.
The only reason they had not pinpointed Nazarick yet was likely due to Lady White shielding them from foreign influence.
'I have to find an opportunity to inform Lady White. But how…?' Pandora thought. Desperation seemed to get the better of him on occasion these days. How could he not feel desperate when the one final goddess they revered might soon face calamity.
Some of the plans Lady White had made might have already fallen apart as evidenced by the prophecy that Odin had received from the fates. They had easily made conjectures that the 'White Weaver' and the 'Evil Goddess' were the same entity.
If she carried out her current plan as it is, Nazarick would be facing a huge setback.
Although Odin did not inform them of the specifics of the prophecy, based on what little he informed the master sorcerers that had gathered in the meeting, Pandora's Actor would not be surprised if all their plans so far had been ruined.
For all he knew, Asgard had already discovered the doppelgangers infiltration and maybe even Pandora's own disguise might have fallen apart. While all this was speculation, the current turn of events were enough to cause him anxiety.
He didn't even spare thought for his plans regarding Caius and the Sorcerer Supreme as Asgard was a much greater threat currently.
'Perhaps I can use the current situation to my advantage. I am in the Royal Palace of Asgard and an honoured guest. If I play my cards right, I might be able achieve all the goals
I have in mind. Certainly there is a great risk but it might just pay off. If I haven't blown my cover, that is…' At the end of the day, Pandora had a duty to guard the Supreme Beings at the cost of his own safety.
That was the primary reason for why he had been created. Guarding the treasury was just an incidental choice made by his creator.
'I will have to make changes to the plan without asking for your permission, meine Göttin. I will gladly accept any punishment you might give if my actions interfere with what you might have thought!'
Unfortunately, he could not salute and bow down in forgiveness in case someone was watching. He had to be satisfied with doing so in his mind. Regardless, Pandora's Actor felt it was necessary to give full play to his acting skills and plan a grand performance.
***
From this point onwards, everything likely won't be smooth sailing anymore as problems will come and bite Shiraori in the ass. Asgard, Thanos and Death, the Spider-verse and possibly a lot more? The interlude chapters also coming soon in approximately 2 chaps. Hope you enjoyed reading!~
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