"Wanda, what are you doing?!"
The Mandarin's voice was laced with panic as he noticed Wanda's energy output weakening. The protective barrier she had been reinforcing was starting to falter. But it wasn't because she was retreating—on the contrary, she was pushing forward, slowly, resolutely, walking straight toward the Silver Surfer.
He knew better than anyone just how terrifying the energy they were up against was.
But Wanda didn't seem to hear him.
Her mind was filled with one unshakable thought: Complete the mission.
It was their first time on a task of this scale. Her first time facing such a formidable cosmic force.
She couldn't fail.
She wouldn't disappoint the commander.
The image of Gene's black armor flashed through her mind—tall, dark, and silent, yet stronger than anyone she had ever known. A symbol of purpose. Of trust.
With that thought anchoring her heart, Wanda clenched her fists and kept walking through the shockwaves radiating from the Silver Surfer. Her long red hair whipped wildly in the violent winds, her crimson aura burning brighter with every step.
"WANDA! Get back!" Rogers shouted, desperation in his voice as he charged forward behind the protection of his shield. He wanted to intercept her, to pull her out of the blast zone.
But it was already too late.
A scarlet glow flickered in Wanda's eyes. Her body surged with chaotic energy—growing stronger, more volatile.
Gene had once studied the source of her power. And in one of the ancient texts he had scanned while linked to Kamar-Taj's vast knowledge base, he had found the answer.
Wanda's power wasn't borrowed from higher-dimensional entities. It didn't originate from any external cosmic source.
It was chaos magic—ancient, raw, and rooted within herself.
A force born with her, not given to her.
Gene had even attempted to merge this form of magic into his own system. The idea remained a work in progress.
Now, that power was erupting from Wanda in waves, clashing head-on with the cosmic shockwaves of the Silver Surfer.
Mandarin and Rogers stared in disbelief.
This young girl—who had always needed support, who they'd always protected—was now the one leading the charge.
She was holding her own against a galactic destroyer.
"You're impressive... to withstand my power like this," Silver Surfer said, his expression warping into a mix of mockery and curiosity as he watched her approach.
Wanda said nothing.
Her eyes locked onto him—cold, steady, unflinching.
The swirling mist of chaos around her began to morph.
The red fog condensed into thousands of dagger-like blades, each one glowing with a crimson sheen, pulsing with pure destruction. They hovered in the air around her like a deadly halo.
She shifted her stance.
With a single gesture, the cloud of spectral daggers launched toward the Silver Surfer.
"Hmph, petty tricks," he scoffed, raising his hand to deflect them—only to freeze mid-motion.
His eyes widened in horror.
His supposedly indestructible body—gifted to him by the World Devourer—had been pierced.
The daggers didn't just cut—they corroded.
Dark magic seeped through each wound, burrowing deep into his core. The energy of chaos invaded his form like a virus, eating away from the inside out.
His perfect shell began to crack. Flakes of silver drifted away into the wind.
"What... how is this possible?!" he roared, trying to flee, but Wanda's grip—her power—held him fast.
He could only scream as her chaos magic continued to tear him apart.
His cosmic armor—once his pride, his shield, his prison—crumbled under her relentless assault. Beneath it, the truth was laid bare.
The mighty Silver Surfer... was just a man.
A broken, worn-down man.
The armor fell away in chunks, revealing a pale, frail figure beneath.
The real him.
Norin Radd.
An astronomer from the distant planet Zenn-La.
Wanda's body was trembling now. Blood trickled down from her nose and the corners of her eyes. Her frame shuddered with every heartbeat.
This power—it was far beyond what she should've been able to control.
But she refused to fall. Not yet.
Not until the mission was complete.
Seeing her about to collapse, Mandarin and Rogers rushed forward to assist.
The Silver Surfer—no, Norin—was nearly spent, his strength shattered. Under their combined efforts, it didn't take long before he finally fell, unable to fight anymore.
The moment Wanda confirmed their target had been subdued, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed.
Mandarin moved swiftly to restrain Norin, while Rogers knelt beside Wanda and activated his scanner.
"Vital signs stable," the Red Queen AI reported. "Severe energy depletion."
Rogers exhaled in relief. She was alive.
That was enough.
Meanwhile, the remains of the Silver Surfer's outer shell began disintegrating rapidly—like a dam bursting, the energy that once held him together was unraveling.
With the armor destroyed, the influence of the World Devourer vanished.
Now, lying on the cold ground beneath the starlit sky, was Norin Radd—the man who once rode through galaxies as the herald of destruction.
He had once been a scientist on Zenn-La, an advanced civilization in the outer galaxies.
One day, he had witnessed the arrival of a cosmic terror—the World Devourer. Realizing what was about to happen, Norin had warned his people.
To save his world, he offered himself as tribute. In exchange for his planet's survival, he agreed to serve the Devourer, to lead him to other planets to consume.
The bargain was accepted.
Norin was transformed. His conscience, his emotions, his very identity were buried beneath layers of atomic energy and armor.
Now, that mask had finally crumbled.
A faint smile formed on his face.
"…It feels good… to finally be myself again."
He turned his gaze upward. The moon hung high above Earth—its glow soft and beautiful.
"So much like the moon back home…"
His voice was wistful, as if tasting a memory.
Then, with a deep breath of peace, he whispered:
"…I'm finally free."
And just like that, the light faded from his eyes.
The terrifying cosmic entity known as the Silver Surfer was no more.
Only Norin Radd remained.
And now, even he was gone.
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T/N:
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