The world had changed after the Blip. Half the heroes returned, but the cracks in reality had widened, and strange phenomena rippled across the skies. In the ruins of New York's old Sanctum Sanctorum, a spark of ancient magic still smoldered — unnoticed, unguarded. Until today.
Peter Parker swung low, dodging chunks of debris and a swirling portal snapping open above Fifth Avenue. "Uh, Doctor Strange?!" he called into his comm. "We've got a magic situation here!"
No answer. Only static.
From the portal, a shadowy figure emerged — armored in deep crimson, eyes burning gold. It wasn't someone Peter recognized. And that was the problem.
Before he could react, a pulse of force sent him crashing into a ruined taxi.
"Who are you?" Peter groaned, pulling himself up. His suit's AI flickered to life, scanning the newcomer.
"Name: Ember. Threat level: Extreme."
Perfect.
Ember extended a hand, twisting the very air around him. Reality bent and cracked, colors bleeding into each other. Behind him, the streets of New York were warping — buildings melting like wax under the sun.
Peter barely dodged another blast when a golden portal burst open beside him. Out stepped Wanda Maximoff — the Scarlet Witch herself.
"You're not alone, Peter," she said, her eyes already glowing.
Together, they charged.
Magic and webbing, hex bolts and acrobatics — the battle was chaotic and beautiful. Ember was strong, manipulating not just matter, but memory itself, pulling old fears from Peter's mind, twisting reality into nightmares.
"You failed them," Ember hissed — and suddenly, Peter saw Tony, bleeding and broken, reaching out to him.
"No!" Peter snapped out of it, firing a web at Ember's face.
Wanda countered with a powerful blast of Chaos Magic, finally knocking Ember off-balance. The air shimmered and twisted as a ripple of energy pulled Ember back into the closing portal.
"You haven't seen the last of me!" Ember's voice echoed as he disappeared.
The world slowly returned to normal. Wanda helped Peter up.
"You did good, kid," she said, with a small, tired smile.
Peter grinned under his mask. "Guess I'm getting used to weird Tuesdays."
High above them, unseen, something still glowed deep within the ruins of the Sanctum: the last ember of a fallen universe, waiting for a new master.