Chapter Summaries

Kimura sold an ancient family mask to Jensen Hunter, who delivered it to Kino Doichi for two million New Dollars. Their meeting was interrupted by the pale man in a black robe, who confronted Jensen over violating Kamar-Taj Mage Association laws.

• Kimura reluctantly sold a mask to Jensen Hunter for three hundred thousand New Dollars, warning that Kamar-Taj would investigate if his family's masks circulated.
• Jensen took the mask through a hidden teleportation passage and met Kino Doichi on a Japanese island to complete the sale.
• Kino Doichi paid Jensen two million New Dollars and claimed she wanted the mask for her collection, while Jensen questioned her intentions.
• Kino Doichi's power stirred the stormy sea and darkened the sky, but she said the disturbance had nothing to do with her.
• A lightning bolt brought a pale man in a black robe to the beach, where he greeted Jensen and questioned him about selling forbidden objects.

He Shenyan destroyed the cursed masks and ordered Jason Hunter to spread word of a memorial for Wanda in Iceland, intending to use the gathering to investigate her disappearance. He left Strange with the plan and argued that chaos and madness could be rules of their own.

• He Shenyan took the cursed mask from Kino Doichi, burned it, and killed the Japanese buyers with lightning.
• He Shenyan learned that Jason Hunter had bought the mask from Kimura and asked Hunter to tell Kimura to stop selling the family heirlooms.
• He Shenyan told Hunter to announce a memorial for Wanda in three days in Iceland and to invite everyone who had ever met her.
• Hunter called Kimura, explained that the buyers were dead, and passed along He Shenyan's warning about the masks.
• At the Sanctum Sanctorum, He Shenyan told Strange that the memorial would gather everyone who had known Wanda to aid his investigation.
• He Shenyan solved Kara's eight-layer Rubik's Cube and told Strange that chaos and madness could also be rules.

Jason Hunter contacted people who had known Scarlet Witch to invite them to her memorial in Iceland, including Carter Leontones. After accepting the invitation, Carter sat alone in her clinic and insisted that an unseen presence could not scare her.

• Jason Hunter called Fire Ox and persuaded her to attend Scarlet Witch’s memorial in Iceland on The Unspeakable Black’s behalf.
• Jason Hunter contacted Carter Leontones, reminded him that he had helped Scarlet Witch, and reassured him that his work treating the poor made him worthy of attending.
• Carter Leontones accepted the invitation but worried that Mr. He might consider him unworthy of the memorial.
• In his Welsh clinic, Carter stared at an empty chair and repeatedly told an unseen presence that he was not afraid.

He Shenyan met Chthon in his dimension while a memorial service for Wanda was held at Sacrificial Long Beach. Chthon bargained for permission to use the Darkhold against would-be killers and revealed that Wanda was alive in another parallel universe.

• He Shenyan and Strange prepared a memorial service for Wanda at Sacrificial Long Beach, though Strange questioned the need because Wanda was not dead.
• He Shenyan left his body and confronted Chthon, accusing him of sending the Darkhold back to Earth.
• Chthon offered to tell He Shenyan something interesting and bargained until He Shenyan agreed to let him harm people who tried to use the Darkhold to kill others for twenty years.
• Chthon revealed that Wanda was alive and being troubled by ghosts from the past in another parallel universe.
• He Shenyan wondered whether Chthon was telling the truth.

He Shenyan learned from Chthon that alternate versions of Chthon existed across parallel universes and that Wanda’s Chaos magic came from Chthon’s power in most of them. He returned to Sacrificial Long Beach as Strange read Wanda’s eulogy, and the memorial service began.

• Chthon showed He Shenyan a vision of his ancient world and described how his people had changed, died, or hidden away.
• Chthon explained that parallel universes existed and that He Shenyan was unique among the worlds he had observed.
• Chthon told He Shenyan that Wanda learned Chaos magic through his influence in most universes, where she often became the Scarlet Witch.
• Chthon described worlds destroyed and reborn, prompting He Shenyan to understand the connection to the Ghosts from the Past.
• He Shenyan left Chthon’s dimension and returned to Sacrificial Long Beach, where Strange read Wanda’s eulogy and the memorial service began.

At Wanda’s memorial service, He Shenyan revealed that dimensions were drawing closer and sent everyone away except Carter Leontones, whose soul was trapped in a decaying world. He Shenyan faced an approaching shadow as Strange was left in the Sanctum with instructions to seek the Darkhold and contact Chthon.

• He Shenyan told the mourners that the connections between dimensions were growing closer, warning of destruction.
• He Shenyan sent everyone at the memorial service through Portals except Carter Leontones, whom he found lost in a ruined world through a psychic link.
• He Shenyan faced a colossal black shadow as the world around him appeared to be ending.
• Strange discovered that the Spirit of the Sanctum had barred him from reaching Sacrificial Long Beach on He Shenyan’s orders.
• Strange learned that He Shenyan had instructed him to find the Darkhold in South America and contact Chthon, then opened a Portal and left.

He Shenyan fought through a world twisted by Chthon’s power to find the missing Plague Doctor, Carter Leontones. He destroyed the false world and rescued Carter, then asked when the visions had begun.

• He Shenyan cut apart the Giant Shadow and burned away the sludge while recognizing the Sound of Darkness as a spell drawn from Chthon’s power.
• He Shenyan pretended the Sound of Darkness had weakened him and used weak spells to lure the hidden attacker into revealing himself.
• The attacker rose from the sludge holding Carter Leontones, bound He Shenyan with tentacles, and tried to claim his identity.
• He Shenyan destroyed the tentacles and the Chthon-made world, restoring Sacrificial Long Beach beneath the night sky.
• He Shenyan woke Carter with a healing spell, watched him vomit, and asked when his troubling visions had begun.

He Shenyan sent Carter Leontones home and offered him a teaching position at Kamar-Taj, then investigated the alternate Carter and his Darkhold. After discovering the book’s spells and confronting Chthon about it, He Shenyan began searching the alternate Carter’s memories.

• He Shenyan cleansed Carter Leontones of Chthon’s power and offered him a job teaching magic at Kamar-Taj.
• He Shenyan sent Carter home through a Portal and examined the man who looked exactly like him.
• He Shenyan found that the alternate Carter’s Darkhold contained mostly hypnosis and manipulation spells, then threw it into Chthon’s dimension.
• Chthon rejected the Darkhold and threw it back, complaining about its vulgar contents.
• He Shenyan questioned the alternate Carter and used lightning to search through his memories, causing him to scream and pass out.

He Shenyan searched Carter Leontones's memories for Wanda and found the moment Carter was corrupted by Chthon. The memory revealed that Wanda forced Carter to take the Darkhold, turning him into a madman who slaughtered the world.

• He Shenyan examined Carter Leontones's memories and saw that Carter had killed his father after a childhood outburst awakened his magic.
• He Shenyan found Carter's memory of working as a plague mage in London at age thirty-seven.
• Wanda arrived at Carter's laboratory and attacked him, saying that Chthon needed him.
• Wanda forced Carter to kneel before the Darkhold, which branded him with Chthon's power.
• The Darkhold transformed Carter's will, replacing the plague-selling black mage with a madman who slaughtered the world.

He Shenyan recalled that Carter used Chthon’s power to slaughter a world, but Chthon did not claim the resulting power. Strange retrieved the Darkhold from the South American jungle and began preparing to contact Chthon, while the living book tried to bargain with him.

• He Shenyan remembered that Carter had turned an entire world into Walking Corpses and sacrificed them to Chthon, who then refused to take their power.
• Strange traveled to South America and forced a hostile Nature Spirit to give him the Darkhold’s location.
• Strange found the Darkhold in the jungle, handled it with protective measures, and transported it to the Sanctum.
• Strange activated the Sanctum’s defenses and prepared a ritual to communicate with Chthon through the Darkhold.
• The Darkhold spoke to Strange, and they agreed that it would stay quiet if he did not throw it into a pigsty.

Strange learned that another Chthon had joined forces with Wanda to destroy all living people, but he arrived at Sacrificial Long Beach too late to find He Shenyan. Meanwhile, He Shenyan confronted the female Chthon and began devouring her power.

• Strange contacted Chthon, who revealed that a parallel-universe Chthon and Wanda planned to kill everyone to achieve peace.
• Chthon warned Strange that another Chthon might be watching He Shenyan through the Darkhold beside him.
• Strange opened a Portal to Sacrificial Long Beach, but the place was empty.
• He Shenyan spoke with the female Chthon, who mistook him for the Sorcerer Supreme and threatened him.
• He Shenyan restrained her tentacles, devoured her power, and warned that he was ready to eat her.

He Shenyan devoured Chthon’s power in the Dark Dimension, reduced her to a mortal, and questioned her about Wanda and his friend. He then returned to Strange at Sacrificial Long Beach, clarified that Wanda could still be saved, and left Strange annoyed by his teasing.

• He Shenyan ate away Chthon’s power until she became a fragile mortal, then created air and a park-like setting in the Dark Dimension.
• He Shenyan thanked Chthon for the meal and asked whether his friend was working for her or with her.
• Strange prepared protective spells at Sacrificial Long Beach while He Shenyan appeared, pale and glowing with power.
• He Shenyan told Strange that Wanda had gone mad but could still be saved, and explained that the Chthon he ate was female.
• Strange opened a Portal back to the Sanctum Sanctorum after He Shenyan teased him about Chthon.

He Shenyan told Strange that Wanda’s power had drawn the attention of a Chthon from another universe, so he planned to find and bring her back. He left Strange with a warning about the dangers ahead and a promise that he would not abandon his responsibilities.

• Strange demanded an explanation as He Shenyan prepared to open a dimensional portal, while the Spirit of the Sanctum rapidly set up arrays.
• He Shenyan explained that he had forced Chthon to swear her statements were true and learned that Wanda’s power had attracted a Chthon from another universe.
• He Shenyan said he intended to find Wanda and bring her back, but withheld some details because he believed Strange could not bear them.
• He Shenyan and Strange modified an ancient sea beast’s tentacle, replacing its nerves with magical transmission pathways to increase its magical conductivity.
• Strange asked He Shenyan to return alive, and He Shenyan said he would not abandon his duties as a mage of Kamar-Taj before floating away with the tentacle.

He Shenyan traveled from the Sanctum to an unknown parallel world, where he arrived in New York and interrupted two brothers attempting to rob a hardware store. He left the would-be robbers fleeing and screaming.

• He Shenyan prepared to enter a parallel world with help from the Spirit of the Sanctum, while Strange urged him to return safely.
• He Shenyan leaped through the spatial rift after promising he would try to come back alive.
• Malcolm and his brother argued about their robbery plan as they approached Malick Brothers Hardware Store.
• While Malcolm guarded the store, he and his brother heard a strange sound and saw a burst of light in the darkness.
• He Shenyan appeared before the robbers, told them to go home and find jobs, and scared them into running away.

He Shenyan demonstrated his power to a member of the Magic Society and promised he would not threaten the world, as he searched for Wanda. He met Peter Parker, encouraged him to remain true to what was right, and noticed traces of Wanda’s magic on him.

• A Magic Society member confronted He Shenyan and asked him to come identify himself, but He Shenyan refused and displayed overwhelming magical power as proof that he posed no threat.
• He Shenyan returned with the man to the streets of New York and said he would leave once he found the person he was seeking.
• He Shenyan read a newspaper report about Spider-Man and JJJ’s criticism of the masked hero.
• Peter Parker approached He Shenyan to ask what he thought of Spider-Man, and He Shenyan urged Peter to consider how a hero should act despite public opinion.
• He Shenyan told Peter that JJJ deserved punishment for his comments, then left after advising Peter to keep to the right path.
• He Shenyan privately noticed traces of Wanda’s magic on Peter.

Peter Parker struggled to balance school with being Spider-Man, then faced the powerful Magician during a bank robbery. He Shenyan appeared, killed Magician, and challenged Peter to follow him if he wanted to find the right answer about taking a life.

• Peter woke after sleeping through physics class and worried about whether he should continue being Spider-Man.
• Peter left school after receiving a police alert and raced to a bank robbery on Fifth Avenue.
• Peter confronted Magician, who attacked him with a giant fist of rubble and deflected his webbing.
• He Shenyan appeared behind Magician, revealed his power, and crushed Magician's skull.
• He Shenyan told Peter that Magician had killed seventeen bank customers and several police officers, then rose into the air and invited Peter to follow him.

He Shenyan confronted Peter Parker about killing Magician and used Peter’s distress to trace Wanda’s power brand. He found Wanda in a fractured realm, where she refused to be saved and He Shenyan trapped her while demanding to speak with the Wanda he knew.

• Peter caught up with He Shenyan on a New York rooftop and challenged him for killing Magician.
• He Shenyan argued that Magician would escape meaningful punishment and pressed Peter to consider whether letting him live would make him complicit in future deaths.
• Peter broke down under the argument, and a scarlet tattoo appeared on the back of his neck.
• He Shenyan touched the tattoo and entered a broken realm, where he sat down to dine with Wanda.
• Wanda refused He Shenyan’s offer to save her, and he deduced that another Wanda’s mind was controlling her body and seeking power to create a new world.
• He Shenyan trapped Wanda in a glass cage and asked her to let the Wanda he knew speak.

He Shenyan dismissed Wanda's attempt to persuade him and returned to Peter's home, where he explained the curse and the merging parallel worlds. As Peter and He Shenyan prepared to part, someone on the other side of a door asked whether he was Peter Parker.

• Wanda stopped attacking He Shenyan and tried to convince him by appealing to his former friendship with another Wanda.
• He Shenyan accused Wanda of stealing his friend's identity and memories, destroying worlds, and trying to resurrect her family, then told her that her husband and children would remain dead.
• Peter returned home, read Frankie’s warning and his teachers’ request for a meeting with his aunt, and worried about explaining his problems to May.
• He Shenyan arrived in Peter’s room by following the remaining trace of Wanda’s power and explained that her curse could change Peter’s personality and help cause the world’s destruction as parallel worlds merged.
• He Shenyan said Wanda had been tied up and that the worlds would separate in a few days, then prepared to leave Peter’s home.
• A voice from beyond the door asked, “Are you Peter Parker?”

He Shenyan questioned Mary Jane Watson after she arrived to recruit Peter Parker for a multiversal crisis. Mary Jane revealed that the Spider Totem was about to die, and that Spider-Men needed to return the power it had given them to save it.

• He Shenyan recognized Peter Parker, disguised himself as Peter’s guardian, and demanded that Mary Jane explain why she had crossed dimensions.
• Mary Jane described how Spider-Men had built a device to monitor their kind and detect the supposedly vanished Inheritors, whose hidden cloning devices they had destroyed.
• Mary Jane explained that Spider-Men believed Totems anchored worlds, and that losing one could destroy its world.
• Mary Jane revealed that the device had announced, “She’s about to die,” and Peter identified “she” as the Totem.
• Peter and Mary Jane said that saving the Totem required Spider-Men to return the power it had bestowed on them, while He Shenyan rolled his eyes.

He Shenyan joined the Multiverse Spider-Man Self-Help Center, modified its dimensional Portal for safety, and encountered Gwen while searching for the Spider Totem. Peter’s reminder of their past meeting led him to realize why the Totem had become dangerously weak.

• Peter 27 and Russian Peter welcomed Mary Jane and Peter Twenty-Eight back from a mission and introduced him to their Spider-Man group.
• He Shenyan inspected the Portal and made safety modifications, then left to look for a way to contact the Spider Totem.
• He Shenyan flew through the dimension and refused to release Wanda from his ring, telling her he would separate them later.
• He Shenyan met Gwen, who greeted him warmly, before Peter recognized him from their earlier encounter.
• Peter recalled meeting He Shenyan during a lightning-filled incident involving villagers and Amira, prompting He Shenyan to connect the memory to the Spider Totem’s weakness.