Mathias was still in shock from everything he had just witnessed, now standing alone in the middle of the devastated apartment and while the other inhabitants of the building, in panic and fear, evacuated the building. under the direction of the rescue forces who had just arrived. The chaos generated had attracted the attention of people around, who came to see what was happening without understanding and kept at a distance by the police.

An unknown man who had turned into a monster covered in flames. And Wanda, who had demonstrated extraordinary abilities... Magic, that was clearly it, but Mathias had trouble conceiving it. He who however had always been a dreamer with a fertile imagination, he nevertheless knew that magic and monsters did not exist in this world. The only magic and fantasy creatures that existed were in books, movies, or video games, at least, he believed it until now. All this had surprised him, frightened him, but also, he wanted to understand how it was possible. Who was this flame monster and what did he want with Wanda? And how did she have her powers? Questions with no answers. However, despite the confusion and shock of this discovery, Mathias had been able to see in Wanda's eyes a real concern, not only towards the hostility of the monster with the burning skull, but also, for him. After all, she hadn't hesitated to use her magic to save him from the collapse of the burning roof. Besides, why had she done it? He wondered, but one thing was certain. If Wanda had acted like that, she couldn't be bad. Moreover, Mathias felt deep within him a real concern for the young woman, although he barely knew her and had just discovered that she was no ordinary human being. But she had been so friendly and kind to him, he couldn't bring himself to let her down and now he owed her. Ignoring the danger he might run, Mathias made his decision and left the building, surrounded on all sides by the crowd of civilians and the police troops doing their best to maintain control of the situation. . As he walked and made his way through the crowd, Mathias overheard a conversation between an agitated group of people and a policeman who was questioning them.

_"But since we tell you it was a monster, with a skull on fire instead of the head!" one of the civilians shouted, still in fear. "He went in pursuit of a woman who was flying through the air with a kind of red mist. They were both heading towards the Saint-Gilles district!"

The Saint-Gilles district? Mathias knew where it was and without wasting a moment, he started running as fast as he could down the street, praying to make it in time before things got worse. Also, the trail of flames and the damage the monster had left behind would make it easier to find them.

***********

Hidden in a small deserted alley wedged between two buildings in the Saint-Gilles district, Wanda leaned against the wall, panting and taking a few seconds to catch her breath. She didn't know how long she had been on the run, and she didn't care. The Ghost Rider's roars were no longer heard, but Wanda knew that was far from enough to escape her. He would track her relentlessly, to the ends of this world. She could fight him with her magic, but she wouldn't. A confrontation of his chaos magic with the demonic strength of the Rider would cause immeasurable damage and the lives of thousands of innocent people would be lost. She couldn't afford it, she already had enough blood on her hands.

But as she caught her breath and prepared to set off again away from the city, a long metal chain covered in fiery veinlets erupted like a whip from outside the alley. Wanda didn't have time to react and let out a cry of pain when the chain wrapped around her body like a snake and violently pulled her out of her hiding place. No sooner had she been pulled into the main street than the Ghost Rider, speeding on a flaming motorbike, arrived, grabbing the young witch by the throat and beginning to strangle her while continuing to roll.

_"You cannot escape your own sins, witch! Whether you go to this world or another, I will always find you!" roared the Rider.

Driven by her instinct for survival, Wanda wrapped her hands in crimson energy and began repeatedly punching the Rider in the face in an attempt to make him let go, but nothing helped, he remained unmoved. Suddenly, his gaze filled with faster and faster swirling flames managed to freeze Wanda, unable to resist staring at him.

_"Your soul is stained with the blood of the innocent. Feel their pain." growled the Rider judgmentally.

Like whirlwinds, the flames in Rider's eyes swirled faster and faster. Wanda immediately felt this magical and demonic power assail her entire being as if to devour her entirely and it made her scream in infernal pain. In his chaotic mind, many flashes from the past erupted, each inflicting greater and greater pain. Vision... Westview... Kamar-Taj... everyone she had hurt came back to haunt her, to make her suffer excruciatingly...

Continuing to suffer the Ghost Rider's penance stare, Wanda gritted her teeth, trying in vain to fight the pain and not surrender her soul to the demon. But the fight seemed lost in advance, Wanda could not bear the overwhelming demonic power that overwhelmed her little by little and using her own sins to destroy her. Managing to concentrate her forces in a colossal effort, Wanda managed to concentrate a sphere of scarlet magic in one of her hands, which she released and caused an explosion powerful enough to pulverize the Rider's motorcycle, but also to separate the two of them. With the penance stare broken, both Ghost Rider and Wanda were thrown backwards several yards, with Rider crashing through a shop wall and Wanda rolling roughly on the tarmac for about ten yards. With pain in one shoulder, Wanda stood up, panting and still feeling the residue of the Rider's power effects on her. The demon crawled out and rose from the rubble of the wall under which it had been buried, showing no injury or signs of weakening. Expecting this, Wanda resumed a defensive posture, trying to ignore the pain still present although tenuous.

_"I know the harm I've caused..." Wanda said without trying to justify herself. "And I never stopped wanting to redeem my faults. But you, Rider, you only cause suffering. That's not the way to grant redemption!"

_"The words of a sinner are worth nothing!" growled the demon at these words.

The Ghost Rider roared, accentuating its flames from its skull and with a quick and supernatural leap reached Wanda who created a protective field in front of her which was struck head-on by the flaming fist of the demon. The impact triggered a violent shock wave that shook the ground over a radius of several meters. Wanda responded with a telekinetic blast that threw the Rider backwards into a car. But unaffected by the shock, the demon grabbed the damaged carcass of the car, lifting it effortlessly and throwing it towards Wanda who flew away quickly to avoid the projectile which crashed to the ground.

Roaring with fury, the Ghost Rider spat out several fireballs, which Wanda dodged with airy, nimble movements or by blocking them with waves of magical energies. In the street and at the windows of nearby buildings, people were fleeing, terrified by what was happening and shocked to see such beings. Annoyed by the attacks of the demon, Wanda acts and with her magic lifts a first parked and empty car to then propel it on the Rider who then was crushed. Wanda did not stopped and one by one, used her telekinesis to throw dozens of cars, forming a veritable mass grave of vehicles in order to crush and bury the Rider as much as possible.

But suddenly, a very powerful and violent explosion of flames occurred, throwing the pile of cars in all directions and forcing Wanda to step back and protect herself from the infernal heat released. She glanced up and was shocked to see, in the middle of the burning crater, the Rider, unharmed. Wanda wanted to act again but without a word the Rider leaped towards her with superhuman speed and clapped his hands to unleash an explosive wave of flames that forced Wanda to protect herself from being reduced to ashes. But despite the protective field, the force of the impact threw her backwards through an apartment window.

**********

Mathias had never seen so much damage in his life as he ran and roamed the streets of the city, following the trail of damage the fire monster had left in his path, leaving people in shock and unable to talk or think. Mathias understood how they felt, but he was also focused on Wanda, wanting to find her at all costs.

As he approached a crossroads, Mathias gasped in amazement at the sight of a truck, in flames, thrown and crashed violently on the road not far from him. Further on, sounds of violent confrontation as well as monstrous roars were heard. People were screaming and fleeing the area as fast as they could as police cars arrived, their sirens wailing through the night and rain, and heading towards the sounds of the fight. Mathias took the opposite direction of the other people and also ran towards the place of the fight.

When he finally arrived, this totally surreal and terrifying sight appeared before his eyes. In the street, completely devastated and in the middle of the flames, Wanda and this demonic monster were in full confrontation. Her fists surrounded by this red and misty magic, Wanda protected herself or struck blows towards the monster, who with her flaming fists did the same. The exchanges of blows or the parries were very fast, much more than ordinary human reflexes.

A vision worthy of the greatest apocalyptic battles. The police had arrived, having surrounded the area but having to keep their distance because of the monstrous heat generated by the flames which blocked the way. Mathias wanted to come closer but the police spotted him and grabbed him by the arms to force him away.

_"No, wait, let go of me!" yelled the young man.

_"Are you crazy or what? Don't stay here and go to safety!" ordered one of the policemen.

_"Wanda!" Mathias then yelled while struggling and being taken away by the police.

In the midst of the chaos and the fire, Wanda, thanks to her superhuman senses, could then hear a familiar voice calling her name and cast a confused look.

_"Mathias?!" she gasped.

But that second of distraction was enough for the Rider to leap forward, grab the witch by the throat with both hands and crush her back violently against a building wall. The Rider then landed a knee in the stomach of Wanda, taking her breath away. Made even more ferocious by the fight, the Rider relentlessly struck down Wanda who could not defend herself and suffered all the punches. Surrounded by her magic, she nevertheless managed to survive the assaults although this did not protect her from pain.

Seeing Wanda being beaten, Mathias felt his heart leap and worry grow and he redoubled his efforts to get out of the hands of the police who were holding him.

_"WANDA!" he yelled again.

Hearing the young man's voice again, Wanda reached into herself to pull herself together and escaped the Rider's blows, even going so far as to focus her chaotic magic in her hands to grab the burning skull from both sides and invoking a mentally assault.

_"I felt your wrath, now feel mine!" Wanda shouted fiercely.

Unsettled, the Ghost Rider began to roar powerfully and thrash about, taking the full brunt of the mental onslaught of the chaotic magic Wanda had sent into his mind. The misty scarlet energy seemed to animate with a will of its own, enveloping and attacking the Rider from all sides, the latter roaring and furious, struggling with its flames to defend itself and fend off this encroaching magic. Wanda, very weakened by this fight and the mental efforts made, took advantage of the distraction to try to get away from the Rider, but she found herself confronted by the local police force who had taken their firearms and raised them towards her and the Rider. Ride.

_"Get on your knees, hands behind your head, now!" violently ordered one of the armed policemen from cover behind a car.

_"No...wait..." Wanda wanted to say.

_"Shut up, you filthy monster, and get on your knees! Last warning!" replied the same agent curtly.

Monster... That word was like a stab in Wanda's mind. These people from this reality had never seen beings like her or the Rider, so their reaction was predictable. But on the other hand, this calling monster brought her back to those past sins. Yes, she was, and nothing could change what had been done. She didn't want to hurt innocent people anymore, ever again. As if renouncing the idea of wanting to resist the police, Wanda very slowly got down on her knees and put her hands behind her head, still under the threat of the police who were beginning, very cautiously, to approach.

Further back, Mathias, still restrained by agents who prevented him from going further, struggled a little more, then his gaze met Wanda's despite the distance that separated them. In her eyes, he could see one thing: a deep sense of guilt and a very light no of the head, as if to make her understand that he shouldn't insist, nor try to help her. Mathias was destabilized by this attitude and did not resist, letting the cops take him behind the security cordon which had been established by the vehicles and preventing the civilians from coming.

But a monstrous and powerful roar exploded and a torrent of flames rose up into the sky, causing everyone to be amazed and fearful. The Ghost Rider, standing and slowly raising his head, had managed to undo the illusory scarlet mist where Wanda had trapped him, hoping to trap him long enough to flee away. Cracking his knuckles under his black gloves, the demon resumed his firm and inexorable march towards his prey, Wanda.

_"Fire at will!" then ordered one of the policemen.

Without losing a moment, all the agents present opened fire without warning, in a deafening concert of shots. The projectiles hit the target, but without any effect on the Rider who continued to advance ignoring them. With a wave of his hand, the Rider summoned a power and columns of flame exploded from the ground and lifted several police vehicles into the air. Civilians, screaming in fear, fled in all directions. The two agents holding Mathias left him to help their colleagues, and the young man found himself speechless in the midst of this chaos, his heart pounding and his hand trembling. But his gaze quickly returned to Wanda, who was still on her knees, trying somehow to get away. The Ghost Rider then summoned another power and with a single flick caused the majority of the police to overheat, who screamed in pain as their weapons began to melt in their hands from the sudden, intense heat.

Faced with the invincibility and power of the monster with the fiery skull, many of the police officers, overwhelmed with fear, chose to back down or even flee. Seeing him closing in on her, Wanda fired off several bursts of scarlet energy, but the Rider effortlessly brushed them away with his hands as he continued forward. Wanda then attempted to summon a new illusory prison, but with a lightning-fast leap, the fire demon broke the rest of the distance between them and grabbed her violently by the throat, so much so that Wanda gasped and was lifted off the ground. Holding his prey, the Rider brought his face closer to hers.

_"Go ahead...let's get this over with..." Wanda whispered with a tear in one eye and a face of resignation.

The Ghost Rider cocked his head slightly to the side as he listened, then let out a deep, inhuman growl.

_"May your soul experience the pain of your sins." he growled in response, as his eyes swirled with the flames of his penance stare.

But suddenly his power was interrupted by a thrown brick that hit his temple, not hurting him but enough to get his attention. Mathias had taken advantage of the confusion to approach, and it was standing, fists clenched and defiant gaze that he stood about ten meters away.

_"Leave her alone, filthy monster!" said the young man, in a trembling voice but nonetheless determined.

_"Mathias, no! Don't stay here, go away!" Wanda asked him, more than worried and still held by the throat.

But Mathias refused and held his position, even picking up an old broken lead pipe on the ground from the wreckage of the fight.

_"I don't know what you want with Wanda, but I told you to leave her, you hear me?!"

On these words, Mathias, in a mad and vain movement, advanced and dealt violent blows of pipe in the back of the Ghost Rider in the illusory hope to make him let go. The blows had no effect, the Rider remaining perfectly stoic. It was like banging into a reinforced concrete wall with your bare hands in the hope of breaking it. Wanda watched in confusion. Why was this young man doing this? Was he mad? Why was he risking his life for her? He barely knew her and she didn't deserve to be saved. She didn't understand at all. Mathias did not give up, continuing to strike tirelessly. But the Rider was quickly annoyed by this insignificant mortal who bothered him in his task and with a quick gesture grabbed Mathias by the throat. Gasping for air, the young man let go of the pipe and fell to his knees as the demon's powerful grip slowly but surely began to choke him and squeeze his throat tighter and tighter. A little more, and he would totally crush his trachea.

_"Mathias!" Wanda gasped.

Seeing the young man on his knees brought her back to that moment where Vision, on his knees, died by her hand in Wakanda, to prevent Thanos from grabbing his stone, which had ultimately failed. She had been unable to save him... Was she still going to see someone die before her eyes without being able to do anything about it? Wanda's heart, then eaten away by melancholy and guilt, then filled with new strength... No, she would never experience that again!

The young woman's hands, then her forearms and gradually her entire body became covered with an increasingly blinding and powerful scarlet energy, which Wanda released in a powerful explosion of magic that swept the area for several dozen. of meters. The Ghost Rider was thrown into the air but was suddenly immobilized and held aloft by a veil of scarlet energy. Mathias, also thrown by the powerful shock wave, was also caught by this magic, but unlike the demon, he was gently brought back and put back on the ground. Coming back to his senses, the young man then saw Wanda... She was standing in the middle of the devastated street, enveloped in this scarlet energy, her hair floating, her irises red and looking towards the Ghost Rider with contempt.

_"Don't think I'm so easily defeated, demon." she said in a threatening voice. "Get out of my sight, and never come back."

Mathias was confused. It was Wanda's face and voice, but it sounded like... someone else, someone much less friendly and darker. The Ghost Rider thrashed fiercely against the magical grip that held him aloft, roaring. Then, with a dazzling wave of her hand, Wanda used her magic to throw the demon even further into the air, as far as possible, until it disappeared into the sky and clouds, where its roar died out, fading away little by little until it is no longer heard at all.

Having gotten rid of the fire demon, Wanda's magical energy faded, her eyes returning to normal and the young woman acting like she was coming out of a daydream, looking confused for a few moments and holding her head but like guessing what had just happened, which did not make her smile, on the contrary.

_"Wanda...?"

Mathias' voice brought her back to the present moment. He was there, having gotten up, still lost from what had just happened but not looking at her as if she were a monster, but more concerned about her condition.

_"Wanda, are you... okay?" he asked.

But when he wanted to approach and extend his hand, Wanda took a step back and raised her own hands towards him, not to threaten him, but on the contrary, to warn him not to approach.

_"No, Mathias, stay away from me..." she replied sadly. "I wish you never saw this, but as you can see ... I'm not..."

She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence as it was painful to know. Mathias easily guessed what she was about to say and felt sorry for it, but also wanted to come see her.

_"Look, I'm not sure what's going on, and I have to say I'm downright confused by what just happened." said the young man. "It's true, I have no idea who you are, but you just saved me, and I could never forget that."

_"It is not so simple." Wanda retorted, visibly tormented. "You don't know who I am or what I've done. Believe me, I'm saying this for your own good: don't come near me...I...I don't want to hurt you."

Mathias heard well but saw clearly that he had in front of him a woman who needed help and support and not a destructive monster. His good heart pushed him to want to insist, but suddenly, coming from behind, a dart, fired by a sniper, hit Wanda in the neck, causing her a sharp pain, then in a few seconds, made her stagger and fall into a deep sleep.

_"Wanda!" gasped Mathias, shocked and wanted to intervene, but suddenly two men came up behind him and forced him to lie on the ground, hands behind his back.

_"Let go of me, damn it!" yelled the young man.

_"Shut up and don't move!" one of the guys ordered sharply as the other began to put handcuffs on him.

Suddenly, other similar people came running and began to surround Wanda's sleeping body. They were all dressed not like policemen but more like some kind of military, with black outfits equipped with helmets, bulletproof vests, weapons of war and all having their faces hidden under some kind of ultra-sophisticated gas masks. Mathias could also see the emblem on their shoulders: a black eagle forming a kind of shield.

All these strange soldiers pointed their weapons at Wanda while one of them got down to taking her hands to tie them with some kind of very elaborate handcuffs. A stretcher was brought in and Wanda was immediately installed and strapped securely to it, totally immobilized.

_"Black Mamba leader reporting. Target intercepted, ready for extraction." then indicated the one who seemed to be the leader of the squad, his face hided by a black gas mask. "Begin perimeter evacuation and start the injection of Class 4 amnestics to all witnesses."

_"Yes sir." replied other men who left to carry out the orders given.

Mathias, now handcuffed, was forcibly picked up by the two soldiers and immediately brought to their squad leader.

_"And him, sir, what do we do? The cameras of our drones indicate that he has been in contact with the target."

_"We're taking him too." ordered the squad leader bluntly.

Mathias did not understand what was happening and then saw Wanda, sound asleep and tied on a stretcher, being taken away by these men in a large black and armored van.

_"Wait a minute, who are you?...And what are you doing with Wanda?!...I..."

But as he began to struggle and protest, Mathias was silenced by the squad leader who took out a syringe and with a very dazzling gesture injected the contents into the young man's neck without him being able to react. Mathias then began to feel strange, his whole body going numb, his legs no longer able to support his weight, his vision becoming more and more blurred, and it was in an irrepressible desire to sleep that he sank into darkness, his last sight being of the black van doors closing and Wanda disappearing from sight.

Meanwhile, little was known to all, that in a dark alley off the main street, a hooded, masked figure who had witnessed the entire scene quietly walked away while dialing a number and calling someone.

_"Sir, I have bad news. SHIELD has managed to get their hands on the target before we could."

_"In that case... You know what you have to do." replied the quiet, dark voice on the other end of the line.

***********

Far away from here, in the frozen and deserted expanses of Antarctica, a crater had formed after a fiery form fell from the sky like a comet and crashed.

Emerging from the icy waters in the middle of the broken pack ice, the Ghost Rider, having resumed his human form, soaking, smoking, crawled on the ice and coughed up a quantity of water. But very quickly, he seemed to recover perfectly and his fists clenched in deep anger.

_"It's only postponed, witch. No one can escape my judgment. Death will be your only redemption." he growled in a dark and fierce voice, still imbued with that of the demon.