Chapter 97

From behind, the low growls of the advancing wolves echoed ominously, adding another layer to the palpable tension.

With a predatory intent, Lydia Howlett had risen her hand, the veins in her arm visible as they pulsed with the energies of the cosmic forces she intended to unleash on Shaw. Her eyes mirrored the intensity of her powers; a swirling storm of determination, power, and fierce protection for her brothers. But before she could strike, a smirk unfurled on Shaw's face. His fingers danced on a device strapped to his forearm, pressing down on a solitary button with a chilling finality.

The cavern was filled with an unnerving silence, and then the atmosphere was cut through with an ear-splitting scream. It reverberated off the cavern walls, echoing endlessly into the vast tunnel. A chilling wail of pain, it was a sound that bespoke of untold torment, of raw pain and suffering. It belonged to the green man strapped onto a device, his features contorting in an agonizing grimace.

Then, like a pebble cast into a tranquil pond, a wave rippled outwards from the captive. It was a tangible force, a pressure wave that held an alien sensation within its wake. There was no sound, no visual cue, but it was a wave that stung them to their very core. It was a disconcerting sensation, a feeling of being stripped, akin to having a warm coat ripped off in the midst of a biting winter chill.

As the wave of suppression hit them, it was as if a blizzard had blasted through the cavern, chilling to the bone. It was a cold unlike any other, a void that seeped into their very beings and began to gnaw at their power from the inside.

Lydia was the first to feel it. The energy she had been channeling so effortlessly seconds before suddenly felt like a torrent, a raging river out of her control. The pleasant hum of the Infinity Stones within her became a deafening cacophony. Her hand, previously aglow with a beautiful yet fearsome cosmic energy, started to char, the energy eating at her flesh like a voracious beast. Her scream echoed through the vast cavern, a raw, primal sound that resonated with the pain she was feeling.

Lydia retracted her arm hastily, clenching her teeth as she fought against the searing pain. She felt like she was burning from the inside out. The energy she had been controlling, the energy she had made her own, now turned against her, threatening to consume her.

James and Victor, feeling the impact of the wave, turned to see their sister in pain. Their expressions changed rapidly from confusion to horror, the protective instincts that had been etched into their DNA kicking in. But they, too, were hit by the power dampening wave, their healing abilities compromised. Victor's nails retracted and he staggered back, feeling more human than he had in years. James tried to rush to Lydia, but his legs felt like jelly beneath him.

The air hung heavy with silence after Lydia's scream had faded away. The only sound that filled the cavern was the raspy panting of the trio, their breaths visible in the now icy-cold air. Lydia, her hand a burnt ruin, was breathing heavily, her eyes wide and filled with a mixture of fear and fury.

Shaw's smirk widened into a cruel grin at their shocked expressions. He had them where he wanted them - powerless, at his mercy. He clapped his hands together, breaking the eerie silence that had fallen upon the cavern. "Now, isn't this a more... fitting reunion?" He chuckled, delighting in their pain.

In Lydia's mind, however, the gears were turning rapidly. She may be without her powers, but she wasn't helpless. She had fought many battles, faced many foes, and she wasn't going to let Shaw win this one. She mentally prepared herself for the tough fight ahead, her gaze hardened and determined. For Shaw had just made a grave mistake: he had cornered a wounded animal. And there was nothing more dangerous than that.

Shaw's lips peeled back in a cruel sneer as he hit another button on his device. With a blood-curdling howl, the wolves sprang into action. They lunged towards James and Victor, teeth bared, eyes filled with a savage hunger. The echo of their howls seemed to vibrate the very air around them, setting the atmosphere ajar with anticipation.

Even without their mutant abilities, James and Victor were far from defenseless. Their bodies, honed by the advanced super soldier serum, moved with a grace and fluidity that belied their size. Their suits, durable and sleek, served as their armor, a line of defense against the snapping jaws and slashing claws of the wolves.

James's movements were precise and swift, his trained eyes picking apart the wolves' patterns. Each punch he threw, each kick he landed, was calculated to incapacitate and immobilize. He fought with a silent ferocity, his focus unwavering, his commitment undiminished. Despite the wave of fear that had threatened to sweep him away, he found an inner resilience, a determined grit that anchored him in the face of overwhelming odds.

Victor, on the other hand, was a force of pure, unbridled power. He used his brute strength to toss the wolves aside like rag dolls. His strikes were devastatingly effective, the raw power behind each blow enough to knock the wind out of the wolves. He moved with a primal savagery, his every action a testament to his unyielding resolve.

However, the wounds they inflicted were not enough. The wolves they had taken down, the ones whose necks they had twisted, their bodies mutilated, simply got back on their feet. Their healing abilities allowed them to shrug off injuries that would have been fatal to any normal creature.

Victor and James watched as the wolves they had felled came back, their resilience stirring a newfound respect for these adversaries. Their faces were set in grim determination, their eyes reflecting the understanding that this would not be a battle easily won. Yet, there was no hint of surrender in their stance, no sign of them backing down.

Victor's heart pounded against his ribs, the adrenaline fueling his every move. His every breath was labored, yet he refused to yield. James, too, shared the sentiment. His muscles screamed in protest, but he paid them no mind. Their eyes met across the battle, an unspoken promise exchanged. They would fight until the very end, refusing to let Shaw win.

The sound of Shinobi Shaw's laughter echoed off the cavernous walls, filling the air with a macabre melody of joy derived from their suffering. His eyes gleamed with malicious amusement as he watched the scene unfold before him.

Lydia, still writhing from the pain of power suppression, took a shaky breath as she turned her attention to her surroundings. She was focused on the relentless attack of the wolves, her brothers' desperate struggle, and her own rapidly charring hand. But then Shaw's voice sliced through her focus.

"Do you remember this place, Lydia?" Shaw asked, a smirk curling his lips. His voice was akin to a serpent's hiss, oily and sibilant. His eyes danced with glee as he watched the confusion register on her face.

With the pain subsiding slightly, Lydia looked around, her eyes slowly taking in the area. The architecture, the energy, the faint but unmistakable echo of history. Then it hit her like a punch to the gut. Her breath hitched as recognition washed over her. This place... this was the tomb of En Sabah Nur.

Shaw laughed again, a triumphant sound that bounced off the walls of the cavern. His eyes were bright with satisfaction, his grin practically stretching from ear to ear as he relished in Lydia's realization. He seemed to thrive on her shock, her disbelief.

Lydia's mind was a whirlwind of confusion, memories and feelings she didn't quite understand rushing back to her. Was this all a cruel joke of Shaw's or something more? This place held significance for her, a strange sense of familiarity that only deepened the more she looked around. It felt like she had been here before, like she was connected to this place in a way she couldn't quite understand.

The recognition sent a shiver down her spine, a cold sense of dread seeping into her bones. But she couldn't afford to let her guard down. Her brothers were still fighting, and Shaw was still standing there, smug and self-satisfied.

With renewed determination, Lydia pushed the pain and confusion aside. She had a mission, a purpose. She wouldn't let Shaw's mind games distract her. She would stand her ground and fight, just as she always had.

A ripple of delight spread across Shaw's weathered features, his gaze drinking in the spectacle of Lydia's struggle. Each staggered breath, each wince, each futile effort to pull herself together, amplified his satisfaction. His laughter echoed in the chamber, a wicked symphony underlined by the groans of struggle from James and Victor and the growls of their lupine adversaries.

"I traced your footprints, dear Lydia," Shaw announced, his voice filled with a sinister mirth. "Such a long, arduous journey it has been. From one end of this forsaken planet to the other." He paused, savoring the moment, his gaze unblinking as he watched her. "En Sabah Nur... The mighty Apocalypse. The first of our kind whose powers you siphoned. The foundation upon which your might was built."

Lydia didn't respond. She didn't need to. Shaw's certainty in his findings was evident in his tone, in the gloating smile that stretched across his aged face. The truth, twisted and mangled as it was, lay bare for all to see. Yet it was a truth Lydia had forgotten, buried beneath the layers of time and the traumas of battles fought.

With a chuckle, Shaw started to descend from his perch, each step echoing ominously in the cavernous space. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, almost like a predator savoring its impending kill.

Lydia watched him approach, her mind racing. She felt like a puppet with her strings cut. The usually agile and sure-footed woman, now struggling to lift her own weight. She could see her brothers, locked in their own fight, just on the periphery of her vision. Their grunts and cries intermingling with the howls of their attackers.

The chilling echo of Shaw's laughter and his words resonated within her, triggering a cascade of thoughts and memories. How had she come to this? How had she forgotten? And more importantly, what did Shaw plan to do with this newfound knowledge?

Despite the searing pain and the power suppression, she focused her energy, her determination flaring within her. She had come too far to let Shaw's revelations and manipulations bring her down. With each heartbeat, she reinforced her resolve. She was a fighter. And she would fight, till her last breath.

Shaw's voice echoed against the aged stone walls, each chuckle of his eliciting a low growl from Lydia.

"Ah, these girls," he mused, sweeping his hand towards the quintet bound by the ominous-looking machinery. Their vacant stares and slumped bodies conveyed the gruesome toll of the process they'd been subjected to. "Each a telepath of mediocre power... but combined... they can block any psychic attempts. Even yours."

Lydia's mind spun with the revelation. The puzzle pieces suddenly fit together, explaining her previous inability to find Shaw. His cunning had extended to amassing a group of telepaths to create a barrier against her mental probes.

"Leech... Oh, Leech. Such an unassuming name for such a powerful mutation," Shaw continued, his gaze shifting towards the green-skinned man, a cruel glint in his eyes. "A simple tweak with some experimental drugs, and he can suppress powers within a generous radius. Including yours."

As if to underscore the point, Lydia grunted in pain, pushing herself to her feet with the aid of her sword. Her usually effortless movements were sluggish, a stark contrast to the elegance and precision she was known for. Her mind teemed with strategies, her brain working at a lightning-fast pace to find a way out of the situation.

Attempting to tap into the mystical arts, she started crafting a rune, her hands moving in a complex pattern. But as quickly as the glowing sigil began to take shape, it dissipated. Lydia stared in disbelief at her disrupted effort, the faint remnants of the rune disappearing into the air like smoke.

Her attention was drawn towards Shaw, now holding an ornate hourglass filled with swirling sand. The artifact was ominous, exuding an oppressive aura that seemed to ripple through the cavernous room.

The significance of the hourglass filled her mind with trepidation. Was it a weapon? A tool for power amplification? She didn't know. But as Shaw's laughter echoed once more, she was certain of one thing. Whatever Shaw held in his hands, it was a catalyst to her current predicament.

Shaw's laughter echoed once more, a twisted symphony that bounced off the cold stone walls. His eyes gleamed maliciously as he spoke, the words falling from his lips like venom.

"Had to kill a sorcerer to get this. It cost my dearly but…" he began, a wicked grin twisting his features. His gaze remained locked onto Lydia as he casually twirled the hourglass, his thumb stroking the intricate carvings on its surface. "One of the Sanctum's best, from what I've been told. Murdo, Mordo... something like that. The name escapes me now."

Recognition sparked in Lydia's mind as she processed the implications of Shaw's words. Mordo was a formidable master of the mystic arts and a staunch defender of Earth's reality. The price Shaw had paid to obtain the Sands of Nisanti hinted at the magnitude of the threat they faced. Lydia found her breath hitching in her chest at the realization. She'd heard of the Sands before, the spell they could invoke was notorious for shutting down magic within its vicinity. It was a precaution against magical adversaries, but in Shaw's hands, it became an insidious weapon.

"Can't have you ruining my plans with magic now," Shaw continued, his tone mockingly light. "That's cheating, isn't it?"

His gaze flitted to where Victor and James were locked in combat with the wolves, their bodies taut with strain and determination. Despite their muted powers and the relentless onslaught, they held their own, their survival instincts and tactical training coming to the fore.

Turning back to Lydia, Shaw's expression morphed into a cruel smile. "Tell me, Lydia, which of your brothers is your favorite?" he asked, his voice oozing with feigned curiosity.

The question hit Lydia like a punch to the gut. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breath hitching as a wave of emotions washed over her. Anger. Fear. Determination. They swirled within her, fueling her resolve. She wouldn't allow Shaw to manipulate her. To play with her emotions.

No response left her lips, only a defiant glint lighting up her eyes. She would never play into his hands. She would never give him the satisfaction. Her loyalty and love for both her brothers were equal and unwavering, and she refused to allow Shaw's vile games to tarnish that bond.

She was a warrior, a queen, and she would not be defeated so easily. She just needed to bide her time, to find a chink in Shaw's armor, and when the time came, she would strike. For her brothers. For her kingdom. For herself.