After having managed to escape Fury and his henchmen, Wanda and Mathias found themselves teleported with the two strangers through the mystical portal, in the ruins of what seemed to be a very old abbey dating from the Middle Ages, lost in the middle of a forest. Outside the chapel, a silent night reigned. However, Wanda didn't care much about where she was or the two foreign wizards who had helped them, being more than concerned about the state of Mathias who she continued to support and hold close to her. The young man had lost a lot of blood and lost consciousness. Her breathing was getting slower and weaker, which only increased Wanda's panic.

_"I have to remove the bullet and heal his wound." she moaned and prepared to use her magic.

But the firm hand of one of the strangers on her wrist stopped her in her action.

_"Wait, you are too upset and your emotions could affect the effects of your spell. You risk making his case worse than anything else."

But Wanda refused to listen and pushed the stranger's hand away. The latter wanted to insist but his comrade held him by the shoulder, making him understand with a look that he should not insist. Wanda looked at them both steadfastly, dry tears on her cheeks.

_"I don't know who you are or why you helped us, but for now, all that matters is saving Mathias." Wanda said. "He didn't hesitate for a moment to come back and risk his life for me, I can't abandon him. So I'll only tell you once: don't try to stop me."

These last words from the young woman clearly sounded like a threat. And to make them understand that she wasn't joking, she gave them a bad look and covered one of her hands with magical energy. The two masked wizards therefore decided not to offend her more than that and let her do so, retreating towards the entrance of the abbey and despite the reluctance of one of them who grumbled under his mask.

_"His majesty is not going to like this. We had orders." he said to his comrade in a low voice.

_"I know, but remember what he said: he wants them both alive. We have no choice but to let her do it and hope that she succeeds. I will inform the king that there is a slight change in the progress of the mission." replied the other just as discreetly and entering a sort of trance to contact his mysterious master.

At the foot of the altar of the old abbey, Wanda had delicately placed Mathias' head on her knees. First of all, she had to clear her mind, purge it of all the worry she felt for his life. She had to stay focused on mastering her spell and nothing else, not letting strong emotions disturb her which could cause harmful effects. She had to save Mathias, it was a matter of life and death, but she knew it wouldn't be without pain for him.

_"Forgive me." she said sadly.

Activating her spell, her hand covered in scarlet magical energy, Wanda let the magic penetrate the wound on Mathias's back and suddenly, the young man was brought out of his unconsciousness by an intense and vile pain that made him scream. Hearing him like this made Wanda's heart sink but she had to continue to hope to save him.

_"Hold on, Mathias! Come and help me holding him!" she said while talking to one of the wizards who agreed and came to hold Mathias firmly to prevent him from struggling too much because of the pain.

Once the magic was in Mathias's body, Wanda concentrated even more, focusing all her mind on locating the bullet in the flesh, which fortunately had narrowly missed the spine. Once done, Wanda focused her spell on erasing the bullet from reality and closing the wound, as if it had never been there. But the process was long and sensitive, because she must not make the slightest mistake, and Mathias suffered every second, feeling as if a white-hot blade was being thrust into his flesh.

But while he felt this unspeakable pain, Wanda's magic also began to invade his mind, then awakened something in him, which seemed to have been asleep for a very long time... Images, like rapid and blurry flashes, began to arise in his tormented mind... He could barely make out two people with hidden faces, a man and a woman, leaning towards him, in a cradle in which he was... He also thought he saw the inside of some sort of an unknown ancient room, like the living room of a Gothic Victorian mansion, and on the wall, there was a coat of arms representing a Gothic A and H merged into a single symbol... Then he saw again the woman with the blurred face, carrying him in her arms as a newborn, in the pouring rain while she seemed scared, trying to run away from something through the woods in the middle of the night... Further behind her, in the black and foggy night, between the trees stood several disturbing shapes, like deformed humanoid shadows with glowing eyes...

While the young man was immersed in these unexpected memories, Wanda continued her attempt at healing, managing to disintegrate the bullet, then working now to close and heal the wound with her magic. Mathias had stopped screaming in pain but was groaning, barely conscious and sweating profusely. The masked wizard who was helping Wanda hold Mathias checked on him.

_"His heart rate is racing, you have to act quickly!" he said.

_"Stop talking! I will succeed. Give me a little more time!" Wanda replied, remaining focused as much as possible.

While he remained monitoring and observing the surroundings around the chapel, the second wizard was suddenly seized with a feeling of great worry, feeling something very obscure and unhealthy emanating in the air which made him swallow under his mask as he looked towards the trees of the forest and what he saw only confirmed his fears, an ominous mist beginning to appear and slowly snake across the ground all around the ancient abbey, as for the surround.

_"Oh shit... not them, not now..." breathed the masked wizard, who without waiting rushed towards his comrade. "Ivan, they're here!"

Wanda then looked at them with a raised eyebrow, but clearly saw the fear in their eyes at the mention of these "they". Without further ado, the two masked sorcerers used their mastery of the mystical arts to invoke a protective barrier all around the chapel, forming a sort of dome of mystical circles. Wanda, while holding Mathias and continuing to stabilize him with her magic, suddenly felt the air become much colder and with abnormal speed, being able to see the condensation of the cold coming out of her mouth with each breath. Then, like the two masked wizards, her nature as a witch made her feel something... Things were approaching, monstrous things and imbued with infernal dark forces. That's when they saw them...

Emerging from between the trees of the forest in the middle of the cloak of mist, moving like undead, horrible creatures appeared. They had the appearance of humanoids with pale and dirty skin, rickety bodies, clawed hands and also their bodies were covered with strange marks, like tattoos resembling distorted and roaring demons. The eyes of these creatures glowed in the night, an unhealthy purple color. Their disjointed walk, their cadaverous bodies, their emaciated and soulless faces made them look like real living dead. They sometimes spasmed, letting their bones crack loudly. Some of them emitted guttural growls, opening disgusting mouths with dirty, carnivorous teeth.

Now healed from his injury and stabilized by Wanda, Mathias opened his eyes, still weakened and disoriented by the pain and the visions he had just experienced, and it was supported by Wanda that he in turn noticed that he was found in this strange chapel, but above all, the presence of these two masked wizards and these monstrous emaciated creatures outside who emerged from the darkness of the misty woods and gradually surrounded the chapel.

_"What... what's happening?" moaned Mathias with fear.

_"I don't know." Wanda answered frankly, she also not being at all feeling safe. "I feel emptiness in these creatures... There are no signs of life emanating from them, just this magic... A magic that is far too old that I cannot identify... "

Then, once there, the undead humanoid creatures threw themselves with all their weight on the barrier of mystical circles created by the two wizards who drew on their strength and concentration to hold the shield in place and prevent these horrors from entering. The creatures began to push against the mystical barrier as if trying to break through, and although they could not, they continued, crowding together and forming an increasingly compact mass. The tattoos on the creatures' skin began to glow with the same macabre purple energy that glowed in their eyes. Immediately, purple energy filaments, like tentacles, spread more and more around the mystical barrier as if to devour it. The two masked wizards staggered but held on, remaining focused and maintaining their barrier.

_"We won't be able to last long!" one of them said, his hands already trembling.

Wanda supported Mathias to help him sit with his back against the old altar, making sure he was okay then rushed towards the two wizards to try to lend them a hand. She wanted to ask them questions, to know who they were, why they had helped them, and what was these monsters, but now was not the time for interrogation. Outside, the dozens of emaciated creatures seemed to support each other by touching and sharing the dark magical energy that animated them, strengthening each other and already, the mystical barrier began to crack like glass at several points.

_"If the barrier disappears, we are all dead!" one of the wizards shouted, trembling, feeling his strength diminishing.

Wanda decided to support them with her own magic, concentrating and placing her hands on their shoulders to transfer some of her strength to them. Immediately after summoning her magic, the undead creatures seemed to react, becoming increasingly agitated and their gazes focused exclusively on Wanda. Although still weakened, Mathias managed to get back on his feet and approached to get a better look, understanding absolutely nothing of what was happening. But suddenly, everyone opened their eyes in horror at the sight of another creature emerging from the forest. Larger than the others, almost three meters high, it also had a humanoid and cadaverous body, long clawed fingers and walked like a dislocated puppet, but its head was an abominable mass of undulating and viscous tentacles, devoid of eyes and with in the center a huge circular jaw filled with fangs.

_"Oh my god..." Mathias gasped, terrified.

_"What is this horror?" whispered Wanda, also horrified and having never seen such a creature before.

_"We're all dead..." then said one of the masked wizards, as if he saw the reaper itself before his eyes.

The tentacle creature stopped about twenty meters from the chapel, then seemed to take a deep breath and the inside of its mouth began to glow. Immediately, Wanda and the two wizards felt a powerful concentration of dark magic. Guessing what was going to happen, Wanda turned towards Mathias and threw herself at him, creating an energy barrier around them to protect them. The two masked wizards did not have the same speed and immediately the tentacle creature spat out an imposing destructive ray from its jaws, which effortlessly pulverized a dozen creatures, but also exploded the mystical barrier and half of the chapel which flew into splinters. The shockwave produced sent everyone to the ground.

Despite the protective shield which had spared them serious injuries, Wanda and Mathias had been thrown to the back of the chapel, near the altar. While both groaned in pain, regaining their senses and looking around them in the smoke and dust, they saw the two masked wizards, not far from them but in a bad state, the latters having taken the ray head-on. Their outfits were shredded, their skin badly burned and they could barely move. The mystical barrier having been swept aside as if it were nothing, the undead creatures entered the chapel with slow steps.

_"Now, time for the feast." the creatures then chanted in unison, as if all speaking in one and the same disembodied voice, guttural and inhuman, without any emotion and with a frightening calm.

Wanda and Mathias then witnessed, with shock and horror, a real scene from a horror film. Like real zombies, the emaciated creatures pounced on the two wounded masked wizards and covered them, the latter not even being able to defend themselves. Without any hesitation, the monsters sank their fangs into the flesh of their prey and began to devour them alive in a concert of tearing flesh, splatters of blood and screams of pain. Mathias and Wanda covered their mouths at such horror and the cries of suffering and agony from the two wizards made their blood run cold. But despite the shock, Wanda felt something else that terrified her even more.

_"They... don't just devour their flesh, they... devour their magic!" she whispered.

_"Delicious..." then grunted once again in unison the creatures in their macabre feast, their jaws and hands dripping with still fresh blood.

Then, with perfect and frightening synchronization, the creatures turned their attention to Wanda and Mathias, the couple finding themselves paralyzed, but the young woman, driven by a desire to protect Mathias, stood befoe him and invoked her scarlet magic, ready to fight.

_"Stay behind me, Mathias!" Wanda said through gritted teeth, unsure if she could emerge victorious against such monsters.

_"More... even more..." the creatures grunted as they moved slowly towards them.

Mathias stayed behind Wanda, but saw that she was trembling, not from the cold, but from fear.

_"Wanda..." he said.

_"We... we can't defeat these things..." Wanda replied, her trembling voice and her round, frightened gaze staring at the creatures, as if she felt a horrifying but very familiar magic emanating from them.

Further back, the two partially devoured corpses of the two mystic wizards suddenly began to spasm violently, their skin turning pale, their joints cracking and dislocating with dull noises, then the same purple energy escaped from their eyes and mouths as they returned from the dead with inhuman growls and rose again among their new kind. Wanda and Mathias were speechless at this vision.

_"Join us... Let's become one." the creatures shouted together, the two transformed wizards now speaking with them.

Wanda tried to act, launching projections of scarlet magic towards the monsters, but the latter, invigorated by the recent feast of magic, effortlessly swept aside Wanda's spells with their own. The creatures then pointed their fingers at Wanda.

_"You... It's time for you to join your real family." they said.

Confused and made sick by the emanations of this abject magic in the air, Wanda felt helpless and then snuggled up against Mathias, whom she hugged with force.

_"I'm sorry, Mathias..."

_"You don't have to be..." he replied. "I was very happy to meet you."

As if accepting their fate and praying that it would be quick, the two remained hugged together and closed their eyes, waiting for the monsters to seize them and devour them in turn.

But suddenly, when all hope seemed to have disappeared, the roof of the chapel burst as a result of a powerful magical spell, attracting attention. Two people, two women, emerged like avenging angels from the smoke and debris, arriving on their feet on the ground before Wanda and Mathias as if to defend them and blocking the horde of creatures.

The first was an older woman in her 20s, of Asian-American ethnicity, with brown eyes and semi-long black hair cut in bangs on one side of her head. She had a gothic look, a nose piercing, a choker with spikes, a purple t-shirt topped with a long black leather coat, black mittens, denim pants, a belt adorned with a metal chain and black boots. In her hand she held a large scepter made of silvery metal, the top of which was in the shape of a circle in the middle of which was concentrated a powerful purplish magic.

The second woman was the same age, of white ethnicity, with a stern face, blue eyes and long, blonde hair. She was dressed in black and gold armor, similar to that of a knight, and even held a claymore in her hands. She wore on her head a silver metallic tiara in the shape of small wings, giving her the appearance of a valkyrie.

_"What is this again?!" Mathias then gasped, to which Wanda couldn't respond, having never seen these people before.

The undead creatures showed no surprise and instead charged towards the two women blocking their path.

_"Nico?" asked the young woman with the sword.

_"I'm taking care of it." replied the goth woman named Nico.

Focusing a powerful spell, she slammed the tip of her scepter against the stone ground, triggering the explosion of a powerful energy barrier that violently pushed the first creatures back.

_"I'm holding them back! Magik, take them away!" Nico then warned, powering her spell with his magic and keeping the magic shield stable.

The woman with the sword, named Magik, nodded and then delivered a powerful blow with her sword, cutting the air like paper and creating the opening of a dimensional portal. She then held out her hand towards Wanda and Mathias.

_"Come with us if you want to live." she said firmly, a Russian accent evident in her voice.

Although very unsettled by everything that was happening and dozens of questions on their minds, Mathias and Wanda knew this was their best chance to escape these monstrosities and agreed, hoping not to fall into another trap. Holding hands and accompanied by Magik, hesitant at first, they finally jumped together into the portal.

_"Nico! Come on!" Magik warned, gesturing to her friend.

The goth witch, once certain, canceled her spell and ran as quickly as possible, immediately pursued by the horde of degenerate creatures. Nico jumped up, grabbing Magik's hand who pulled her with her into the dimensional portal, which immediately closed without the creatures being able to enter.

_"Running is no use. Soon, we will all become one..." the creatures calmly growled in unison. "And you Wanda...you will be mine again."