Earthquakes, floods, and a massive total solar eclipse hung in the blood-red sky.
Upon an evil stone altar carved with ancient symbols, a brown-haired woman wearing a mask of feathers, gemstones, and golden serpents lay naked against the rough stone. The clamor of shouting and torchlight could not illuminate the darkness beneath the altar steps, while reddish-brown Fallen Leaves poured down like a rainstorm. An emerald giant serpent with wings and a crown coiled around the woman's body like a vine, baring its fangs and gaping jaws as it hissed threateningly at its surroundings. A ring of golden light rimmed its black eyes, just like the total eclipse overhead. The great serpent did not stop the obsidian dagger adorned with gold and emeralds from piercing skin and muscle. Blood flowed freely across the altar. The serpent looked at him sorrowfully, then raised its head and let out an anguished hiss that could only be heard in the Sea of Souls.
Wanda Maximoff quickly supported Salomon by the arm, using all her strength to keep him from collapsing. Beneath his thin clothing, she could feel the dull popping of Salomon's veins and muscles under the rush of adrenaline. She had no idea what he had seen to cause such a drastic shift in his emotions. "I didn't see anything like that." His face was somewhat pale. He patted Wanda's shoulder, signaling that he could stand on his own. "If my plan succeeds, something like that shouldn't happen!"
Lady of Calamity withdrew her finger, wiped away the sweat on Salomon's forehead, then put it into her mouth and tasted it.
"You're very healthy. You don't need to worry about that." No one knew where her train of thought had gone. She seemed to have returned to her deranged state. As Lady of