Marvel: Incursio

Liam focused his new energy on the last few sections of the wall, completing the circle around the mountain. He had succesfully isolated the landslide, preventing it from going further towards any of the nearby cities.

He worried he had been too late to save some towns and villages, as a portion of the landslide had managed to spill past the barriers before the walls were fully raised. But when he looked into the distance, he realized he was not alone in this.

Relieved, he turned to the simpler task. In areas where no cities or towns lay, he began lowering the walls gradually. This allowed the landslide to flow out slowly and stabilize much faster.

'There's no way I'm keeping up my domain for hours,' Liam thought, fully concentrating on making sure he didn't mess this up.

A few minutes ago, at another massive city on the complete opposite side of the mountain, several yellow-colored portals appeared.

Out of the portals walked familiar figures wearing the traditional robes of high-ranking mages. They spread out across the city, making hand signals and raising their arms. Large yellow shields manifested at their palms, covering entire sides of the city.

One person stood at the front of the city, preparing to take the full force of the landslide.

The landslide heading toward this city was far smaller since it was much farther from the mountain than others. But even so, the people in this city wouldn't survive if left alone. And since the landslide was caused by a creature from a different dimension, such a massive loss of life could greatly disturb the natural order.

The Ancient One raised her hand towards the oncoming landslide, the Time Stone glowing as green, magical constructs formed and shot forward. They struck the landslide, slowing it to a snail's pace.

With a calm motion, she created a massive yellow shield. The landslide struck it, splitting and flowing harmlessly to the sides, where other Masters of the Mystic Arts held firm with their own shields.

The Ancient One looked up at the sky above the volcano. Shortly after, she sensed the use of dimensional energy far ahead as golden beams shot a hundred feet into the air near them. A smile briefly crossed her face before her expression turned serious again.

The other masters also looked at the phenomenon, sensing the unfamiliar energy forming above the volcano and spreading. They had never encountered anything like this before, but since the Ancient One did not order them, they trusted that the situation was under control.

Then, massive walls rose a couple hundred feet away from them.

'Fascinating,' the Ancient One mused. 'In all my centuries of existence and the countless futures I've seen through the Time Stone, his magic is unlike anything I've seen before.'

'And it is strong,' she acknowledged. 'It's a pity I can no longer see his future after today's events.'

Her gaze softened. 'The role I was meant to play is nearing its end.'

The landslide around the city thinned out quickly, as the walls blocked more than three-quarters of its original length.

The mages and the Ancient One regrouped, seeing that the landslide in their area had completely dispersed. The land surrounding the city had now been raised several feet higher than before.

In the distance, they could see the walls carefully dispersing the landslide to ensure it wouldn't bury any nearby towns or cities.

Meanwhile, as Liam stabilized the landslide, he turned around, wanting to thank the previous users of Incursio. But they were nowhere to be found.

'This wasn't planned at all,' Liam thought. 'I need to visit Incursio's dimension again after this.'

Nearly half an hour passed before the last walls sank into the ground. The landslide was stabilized for now; all that remained was for rescue workers to save the civilians on the island.

'Even though it's fine for now, if another earthquake hits, all the debris could start moving again,' Liam thought as he flew away from the mountain's peak.

As he reached the bottom of the mountain, he unsummoned Incursio.

Taking a few steps forward, Liam collapsed onto one knee. His entire body ached immensely from the evolution and the constant draining of his energy.

Liam closed his eyes, coughing violently and spitting blood into his right hand. As he opened his eyes again, he finally noticed something was off about his arm.

Horrified, he stared at the white scales covering his right arm, reaching up to the point where the stone giant had torn it off. His fingers had transformed into bone-like structures, ending on extremely sharp claws.

"What the fuck is this?" Liam cursed.

Suddenly, intense chest pains struck him, as if his heart were exploding. The pain spread throughout his entire body, like an army of ants eating away on his flesh all at the same time.

Liam fell to both knees, clutching his chest as he coughed up more blood.

After a few agonizing minutes, the extreme pain slowly began to fade, leaving behind a dull, barely manageable ache from the exhaustion.

'What is this all about?' Liam thought, still feeling stabs of pain every few seconds.

The sound of sizzling magic and approaching footsteps made him turn. A yellow portal opened behind him, and through it stepped the Ancient One, Mordo, Wong, and two other mages he didn't recognize.

Mordo's gaze fell on Liam. He wanting to greet him but froze upon noticing Liam's changed appearance and unfamiliar energy. His expression hardened as he raised his weapon instinctively, the two mages beside him following after him did the same.

The Ancient One raised a hand to stop them. "There's no need for this."

"Why not?" Mordo's voice was clear. "His energy signature and appearance are completely different. How do we know he's the same Liam? How do we know he isn't an enemy now? Is he even the same Liam we once knew?"" His weapon lowered slightly, but his body remained tense. "We can't take that risk. It isn't safe."

"Not all that is unfamiliar is dangerous," the Ancient One replied calmly. "You witnessed his intentions yourself. His appearance and power may have changed, but his heart has not."

Mordo's jaw tightened. All his life he had followed by rules and order, beliefs that left no room for exceptions. He could not easily set those principles aside, even for a trusted ally.

"You expect us to trust someone who looks like that?" Mordo gestured at Liam. "Rules exist for a reason. They must be followed. What if you're wrong?"

"Then it will be my mistake to bear, not yours," the Ancient One said gently. "Go. There are other matters that need your attention."

Mordo hesitated before bowing slightly. "As you wish." He stepped through the portal with the others, though their wary glances lingered on Liam as they disappeared.

When they were gone, Wong turned to the Ancient One. "Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, revealing a soft smile.

Liam looked up at her, his voice hoarse. "What's happening to me?"

"Power comes at a cost, young Liam," she said. "And it seems you've found what that cost is."