Strength and Darkness

“Oh, you have no idea. Like, if you have a big ass sword, big ass biceps, and — quite frankly — a big ass, gay bitches will love you. You’ll be at a million followers within the week.”

It was tempting. Illyana would have been a fool not to consider an Instagram account, but doubts were sneaking around in the back of her mind. 

“Are demon fighting sorceresses a thing on social media?” 

In the beginning, it was nothing more than a vision. Illyana imagined herself lying on the floor of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Slowly, she closed her eyes as tight as she could and then she felt it. Ever so subtly, her projection was gaining elevation. It was standing right over her, looking around, taking in the view.

Illyana felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. She inhaled and then exhaled, but her heart didn’t slow down. The sixteen year old blonde opened her eyes, righted herself, and looked up at Dr. Strange.

Helheim was a strange place, but it wasn’t any different from many of the other worlds to which Illyana teleported herself. For a place where a person’s soul could spend the afterlife, she found it oddly serene and humane.

She was wandering down a path with her sword high over her shoulder when she spotted someone not far away. “I’m looking for Hel,” she said. After a few moments, she felt the need to specify since the name could be applied to two different things. “The goddess.”  

In some other life with a few attitude adjustments, Illyana could see herself standing on the stage and performing magic tricks. The Moscow Circus of her youth would have taken her without any questions being asked. A sixteen year old girl who could make things out of nothing would definitely have been a crowd pleaser.

As she flashed one of Zatanna’s security guys a backstage pass and made her way to the green room, Illyana processed everything she had just seen. Zatanna was good, but was she good enough? If she wasn’t, would she be able to find someone else?