I love and thank you all who have stuck with me and my story this long. I feel close to Lyra now, I've gotten to know her well through these chapters and felt her character grow, and I'm glad you all have been along for it. Lately, Lyra has been my safe place, I dove into her when I had to face the situation in the world, and I hope that she can be of some refuge for you during these difficult times we're all facing. And finally, thankfully, I have all of you, who have stayed with me to be my refuge. 

Thank you.  

The power stone tore through my mind. 

It ravaged my skin and tore through the solid thoughts that floated through my brain. It left holes in its wake, and the raw power  filled the emptiness it left. Euphoria tilted my head back and pulled flames from my skin. 

The world around me was burning. 

I could feel my fire being fueled by this power, purple started to pool into the blue, and the power stone was no longer held clenched into my fist and held within myself, but rising my flames. The heat was scorching, not even my immunity to my own flame stopped peppered burns from appearing on my skin, blistering my fingers where the flames wrapped themselves. Winds whipped my hair all around, where the ends were charred and were singing away. 

It took me a moment to realize what exactly that was doing to my surroundings. I  blinked, purple and black spots clouding my vision. All around me, people were screaming. They ran from me as if I held their lives in my hands, it took me too long to realize that I did. I whipped my head all around, taking in the destruction that unfurled all around me. Children of all colors ran from my flames, screaming for mothers and fathers who also succumbed to ash. 

Houses and buildings were ravaged with flame, large, blue tendrils of fire licking up the side of brick and stone, it didn't matter the substance. It wasted away.

Was I really doing this?

Get the stone. Burn anyone that stands in my way. 

The instruction rattled my bones, it arrived strongly with every doubtful thought that popped into my head, kept me walking forward with the power stone clutched in my fist to the extent of pain. My fingernails dug into my skin as the power roared through my veins. 

I had to find him. The man with purple skin, he needed the stone. I needed to give him the stone. 

I turned around, looking for this man who kept appearing in my head, instead, a different man appeared to me. 

He was not who I was looking for, long blonde hair instead of a bald head, and golden skin instead of purple. I disregarded him, he was not my purpose. I clenched my fists that I didn't recognize and moved my feet, walked away in search of my purpose when the whine of something moving quickly toward my head snagged my attention. 

I whirled around, just in time to stop the hammer that flew at my head. 

The man I'd so easily disregarded had his arm extended, his hand stuck in a throwing position as his hammer floated inches from my nose, a light skim of my flames stopping it from colliding with my bones. 

Burn anyone who stands in my way

The hammer flew back toward the blonde man, who grunted when he caught it, staring at me with wide eyes. I squinted at him, before taking a step toward him.  He threw his hammer again, but it slammed into a wall of flame I summoned, before the fire disappeared as he caught his weapon again. He threw it again, apparently not learning from his past actions. 

I kept walking

my fire lunged at him, and he swung his hammer in circles, dispersing the blue flames in a circle around him, pressing toward me slowly while grunting with the effort. The corner of my lip twitched, even while the odds were stacked against him, he persevered. 

Sadly for him, he stood in my way. 

I extended my hand and the fire disappeared, the man fell forward onto his hands, gasping in surprise. I was just about to burn him, when another voice yelled out. '

"Bird!" 

I froze, my hand still raised. 

That was one of my words, one of the ones I had to forget. I turned, 

there he was. My purpose. He had his hand outstretched. I extended my fist that held the stone in it, and as I made to give it to him, the man who had previously stood in my way lunged at me, and I turned swiftly and sent him flying with a swift blast of fire. 

I huffed, watching him disappear into the distance, something unsettled me about the image. I didn't doubt he would survive that. He seemed strong. But a feeling washed over me that I couldn't name, one that tied my stomach into knots. 

"Little bird, the stone." 

I turned back toward the purple titan, who towered over my by several feet and still had his hand extended toward me. I raised my fist, had it been trembling this entire time? and dropped the stone into his palm. 

The stone leaving my hand was like ripping a piece of my consciousness. I gasped and fell onto my backside, the stone had fused itself with my head, my chest, and the whisper of the flames under my skin throbbed as if they two were in pain. 

Something ripped from my head, I wasn't sure what, but the power stone had taken something with it. 

I looked up, and when I saw him, my heart dropped. A new emotion ripped through me, it made my eyes widen and heart drop, and my throat close. 

The man stood there, inspecting the stone within his fingers with a euphoric smile on his face. He looked at me. "Well done, my pet." 

I'm not sure what came over me then, it was not the programming that had drove me here, it was something of my own doing. 

I screamed. 

And I ran. 

"Damn it!" I heard his voice roar behind me as I flew through the streets, my fire still raged everywhere, and with my growing unsettling feeling it grew hotter. 

Fear. That's what I was feeling. 

My fire leaped and wrapped around me in a protective bubble, I could hear footsteps behind me. Why was I running? Why was I afraid? Instead of stopping, I sped up, determined to put distance between me and the purple man. My feet ran over ash, the cloak around my shoulders flew off with the sudden speed, it got caught in my flames and burned, and I kept running. 

I turned a corner around an ashen building, breathing heavily and knots in my stomach. My legs and chest burned with the exertion. 

The man would look for me, I was not safe here. Why was I here? Why was I afraid? What was I dreading? 

What couldn't I remember? 

I turned my thoughts skyward, begging someone to help me. 

Save me, please, help me, 

Who was I begging? What did I want to be saved from? I doubled over and placed my hands on my knees, breathing heavily. 

Thanos, 

I gasped with the memory. He was going to kill me. No, worse, he was going to-to-

"What are you doing here?" A new person's voice this time, my eyes widened and I stood up straight, a new man. A red cloak slung around his shoulders. 

I gasped, stumbling backwards. This must be one of Thanos' men, he was going to take me back to that madman, to that hell. "Please, stay away from me," My raspy voice begged, even I didn't miss the hopeless, pathetic whine in my voice. I tripped back over my own footing, falling on my butt against the rough, charred blanket, the man pressed his fingers to his lips, looking around frantically.

I scooted away from him. "Stay away from me! Stay away fr-" 

 "Wait- Lyr- stop screaming!" He said in a hushed voice. 

I threw my arm out, flames curling around my fingers, but he acted faster than me. 

He extended both of his hands, circular rings of gold appeared around his fists and a golden mist swirled in my vision. 

My head fell backward as my mind was suddenly lost to unconsciousness  

-

That morning, when Doctor Stephen Strange had been living his normal routine of spells and meditation in the Sanctum Sanctorum, the last place he expected to end up was the planet Xandar. 

Stephen was meditating in his normal clothes, apart from the Cloak of Levitation that hung around his shoulders and kept him in the air, when his friend and comrade, Wong, had busted in without knocking. The cloak startled from Strange's shoulders and sent him into the ground. Strange glared at Wong. "This better be good, Wong."

Wong's eyes were wide, and he just said, "I have to show you something,"

Strange leaped to his feet, before following him out the door. In the main room, Wong had summoned a projection where he kept track of supernatural beings and threats to earth, and Strange was surprised to see a planet different from their own, ablaze in fire. 

Among the flames was a girl, her features barely made out. 

"I don't get it." Strange sighed, he didn't see how this was their problem, their duty was to Earth. 

Wong pointed at the girl. "Look closely,"

Strange did that, narrowing his eyes and leaning into the projection. Then his eyes widened. 

"Lyra Clovin." They said at the same time. Then Wong finished the thought for him. "Daughter of Clove, bride of Thor. Died over two years ago on Svartfelheim."

"Is this from two years ago then?" Strange asked, creasing his brows and watching the blue flames dance on the projection. Wong shook his head. "That's the thing, this happening right now. A different plane called Xandar, but the same time zone."

Strange pressed his thumb into his bottom lip. 

"She's alive," He said, as if in shock. Of course, he never knew her, never met her, but every person on Earth knew who she was. She was Mercy on television, a hero to the world, an Avenger to New York. 

And to him, he was another extraterrestrial he kept his tabs on.

"What do we do?" Wong asked Strange expectantly, wringing his hands while staring at the projection. Strange looked at him, debating himself, then looked back at the projection in front of them. Lyra was still there,  he didn't know her well, but even so he could barely recognize her at the moment. Her cheeks well sunken, her eyes hallow. She looked deathly pale and skinny, her once chocolate and silken hair now singed and fell in uneven locks. 

He wouldn't have even been able to tell who she was if it wasn't for Wong's hints.

He sighed, looked back at Wong, and said:

"I guess I'm going to Xandar,"