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Now, on to the chapter!

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“That energy seems quite delicious, it would be a shame to waste,” Etrigan’s voice echoed from within his shadows, the demon’s first words in years. “It would let me remain awake, much like Merlyn’s magical infusions that you’ve never bothered to replace.”

 

Dan raised an eyebrow and shrugged. He waved to the ever growing orb of cosmic power, harvested from the back of his newest prisoner. Etrigan had mentioned his need for food before, but he’d been lacking in anything beyond his own magic power.

 

“You’re welcome to half of everything produced, but no more than that,” the sphere of silver divided down the middle, with the newly harvested energy going equally to both. “I have my own plans for this Celestial energy.”

 

“Fair is fair! I won’t complain!” Etrigan faded into existence, hands held over the orb as if it was a comforting fire. “Half is more than I need to sustain!”

 

Bands of light filtered out from the demon’s share, twisted ribbons that vanished into the darkness of Etrigan’s skin. His form grew more substantial, filled out and sharper around the edges.

 

A sigh slipped from between his razored teeth, an exhalation that carried a great deal of satisfaction. The hollow stars that formed Etrigan’s eyes flared, their moonlit glow bright against the light of Dan’s sun.

 

“This is a better meal than I’ve had in years,”  Etrigan smiled, eyes shut as he soaked in Apocalypse’s cosmic power. “You’ve turned that mutant into a sheep under your shears!”

 

“I just modified the Ancient One’s mirror dimension spell,” Dan shrugged, eyes narrowed as he scanned the demon’s body. Etrigan had no true physical form, just an extremely dense spiritual energy that manifested as his devilish body. “It’s connected to a layer of the phantom zone, one that strips him of his energy and holds an ever expanding labyrinth.”

 

If he could capture other powerful beings, he could harvest them with the same method. Dan shook his head and stepped from within the zone. With the lines of connection between him and his forces, travel between this universe and the phantom star was comically easy.

 

The landscape below was ravaged, a once prosperous city reduced to ashes. The population of Earth had taken a heavy blow, one Dan planned to correct. A step carried him into snow capped mountains, where the buildings of Karma-Taj stood framed against the frosted winds.

 

“I asked you to take care of things while I was gone,” Dan frowned as the Ancient One faded into existence, hands tucked into her oversized sleeves. “You seemed to have dropped the ball on your promise.”

 

“I kept alive those who needed to live, and I would have intervened if any of your closest allies faced death,” the evening sun glinted from the Ancient One’s bald head, a glare that somehow dazzled his eyes. “En Sabah Nur had grown beyond my power, I was forced to choose a narrow path.”

 

“Well now the way is clear,” Dan gestured to the amulet on her neck, barely able to hold himself back from taking the stone he could sense within. “Lend me the time stone and I’ll bring these people back.”

 

“Only the Sorcerer Supreme may take hold of this stone,” the Ancient One’s eyes hardened as she shook her head. A slight ripple of light traced its way over her skin, a flare that revealed countless runes. “You may have gained great power, but you will never gain this stone through force.”

 

Dan sighed and shut his eyes. The Ancient One had likely already used the stone to ensure her success. If he acted against her, he would probably end up trapped in a time loop. Why she hadn’t done the same to Apocalypse was beyond him.

 

“Then how about this?” Dan extended a phantom connection towards the Ancient One, one that carried a contract similar to those used by Karma-Taj. “YOU use the stone to bring these people back and I’ll bear the burden of the energy cost.”

 

A smile tugged at the edges of Dan’s lips as a flicker of greed flashed through the Ancient One’s eyes. She spent most of her life hoarding the energy she stole from other dimensions. What he offered was access to an unrestricted contract, one he would throttle only if she drew too greedily upon the zone.

 

“If you do, then I’ll be willing to offer Karma-Taj access to similar contracts,” Dan waved to the doors to the Ancient One’s home, which had begun to edge open against the wind. “If not, then the two of us will have a falling out…”

 

He might not be beyond the reach of the time stone, but she couldn’t maintain its complicated spellwork forever. The Ancient One might hold out long enough to prevent him from returning the people of Earth to life, but eventually she would be forced to rest.

 

“Another threat,” the Ancient One smiled, a turn of her lips that left her eyes cold. “Holding your own realm has made you quite demanding, I wonder…”

 

“Master! Superman! What are you two doing?” A young Wanda Maximoff poked her head around the doors of Karma-Taj, face turned in a disappointed frown. “The world is still burning… this isn’t the time for fighting each other!”

 

The Ancient One blinked, her false smile replaced with an honest grin as Wanda raised her hands and pointed between them. Fire lit the gifted teen’s eyes, the righteous fury of youth that both Dan and the Sorcerer Supreme had left far behind.

 

“We sat around and did almost nothing, while people like my brother put their lives on the line to keep the people safe,” Wanda shook her head and turned a pleading gaze to the Ancient One. “Please, Master, help Superman… you both want the same thing in the end, a peaceful, safe Earth for everyone to enjoy!”

 

“You are right, little witch,” the Ancient One reached out and pinched Wanda’s petite nose, the tension gone from her body. “He and I want the same things, and without him I wouldn’t have such a talented student as you under my care.”

 

“Then do the right thing and revive the people of Earth!” Wanda turned her gaze to Dan, still filled with a certainty that vanished with age. “And you should stop trying to bully my Master, she really did save a lot of lives… we worked hard to teleport as many people away from the conflict as we could, and she prevented En Sabah Nur from summoning a pyramid underneath your Fortress!”

 

“My apologies, young Wanda,” Dan gave the girl a smile of his own, his tension banished by her accusatory words. “I’m just angry with myself about the lives lost, but I shouldn’t take it out on my friends.”

 

Wanda nodded and turned to her Master. The Ancient One let a chuckle escape her lips, before she accepted the contract Dan had offered with her mind. Hand raised to her chest, she unbound the time stone from within her amulet and revealed its emerald glow.

 

“Even with such a generous amount of energy, I will only be able to bring the people back,” the Ancient One’s face smoothed into peaceful lines, hands busy as she constructed her spell. “The cities will need to be rebuilt naturally and someone will have to explain things to the ones we bring back.”

 

“I can handle the explanation and Stark can oversee the reconstruction,” Dan let his focus encompass the Earth, prepared to speak into the minds of those the Ancient One would drag back through time. “Just give me a moment, it looks like Kara isn’t quite finished…”