When Star Shatters - Natasha - Wanda

Elllo ish a me again, the wannabe Italian! I'm Zairus, you can call me Blake, Nate or Cheese Lord. I keep having urges to write fanfic that I never finish, I hope I'll finish this one but only time will tell.

The story will be posted on here and another place, whichever one you guys recommend tbh.

Anyway let's get on with the story.

Basics

Narration - "You smell like cheese" "Talking"

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Darkness. A vast, endless void, swallowing everything in its path. Then—light.

Livia didn't remember falling. She didn't remember anything. But the burning heat against her skin and the deafening roar of the atmosphere tearing around her told her one thing: she was crashing.

Her body twisted, gravity pulling her down like an unseen hand. The world below was unfamiliar—blue oceans, vast green landscapes, scattered city lights blinking in the dark. It should have meant something to her. But it didn't. Her mind was a void, a shattered mirror missing half its pieces.

Then—impact.

A blinding flash. Ice crackled from her fingertips upon collision, the surrounding ground freezing in jagged, chaotic patterns. Smoke and dust filled the air, coating her lungs with the taste of ash.

She gasped, rolling onto her back. The sky above her stretched endless and uncaring, but something within her whispered that she had once belonged somewhere far beyond it.

Pain shot through her skull—flashes of something buried deep in her mind. A battle, shadows twisting, stars collapsing. And a voice, cold and commanding:

"Destroy it."

Livia's breath hitched. Destroy what? Who was she?

The echoes faded, leaving only the weight of uncertainty. She clenched her fists, feeling an unnatural chill in her bones.

One thing was clear—she couldn't stay here.

With a shaky breath, she pushed herself to her feet, her body still aching from the fall. Somewhere in the distance, the first signs of life stirred—footsteps, voices, the approaching presence of people who would want answers.

Answers she didn't have.

So she ran.

_______________________

The Outcast in the Hidden City

Found Among the Snow

Livia awoke to the scent of burning incense and the distant sound of a gong. Pain laced through her body, dull but persistent—a reminder that she had fallen from the sky.

She lay on a straw mat in a dimly lit room, walls adorned with golden dragon carvings. The air was cold, but it didn't bother her.

A man stood over her, his face marked by wisdom. "You are awake."

Livia's throat was dry. "Where am I?"

"The sacred city of K'un-Lun" he said. "You fell from the heavens, yet you still draw breath. That is… unusual."

Livia tried to sit up but winced. "Yeah? Guess I'm full of surprises."

The monk, Lei Gong, studied her with curiosity. "You are not ordinary. Your energy is… unsettled. Who are you?"

Livia clenched her fists. That was the question, wasn't it?

"I don't know."

Lei Gong stares at her for a moment. "You may stay here until you recovered."

Days passed. The monks of K'un-Lun allowed her to stay, offering her food and a place to rest. In return, they asked only for patience and discipline.

Patience, however, was not Livia's strength.

She trained in their fighting styles, her body instinctively adapting to combat, as if it had always known how to fight. Her fists struck faster than expected. Her movements were sharp, practiced—but where had she learned them?

Then came the real problem: her powers.

During a sparring match, she lost control. A sudden burst of ice spread across the training ground, freezing the air between her and her opponent. The monks stepped back, wariness in their eyes.

Livia's breathing was unsteady. "I—didn't mean to…"

Lei Gong nodded. "Your power is not the problem. Your lack of control is."

His words stung.

That night, Livia stood outside, staring at the vast mountains surrounding the city. A feeling clawed at her chest—a longing for something she couldn't name.

Weeks turned into months. She grew stronger, but the monks teachings frustrated her.

"Peace" they would tell her. "Discipline. Stillness."

But Livia didn't want stillness. She wanted answers.

One evening, as the city bathed in lantern light, Lei Gong approached her.

"You do not belong here." he said, not unkindly.

Livia smirked. "Yeah? Took you this long to figure that out?"

"You seek the past." he continued. "But be careful—some things are buried for a reason."

Livia met his gaze. She was tired of being afraid of her own mind.

That night, she left K'un-Lun behind.

She didn't look back.

______________________

The first time Livia killed a man, she felt nothing.

She didn't remember the moment before the impact-just the way the ground cracked beneath her as she landed in the alleyway, blocking the escape of the man clutching a knife. His breath came in frantic gasps, pupils blown wide with adrenaline. His victim-a teenage girl-was already gone, running down the street, blood staining the collar of her ripped hoodie.

Livia didn't know what compelled her to interfere. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was boredom. Maybe it was because she had nothing better to do in this miserable city that reeked of desperation and gasoline.

The man lunged at her, knife flashing.

She didn't move.

The blade never touched her. The instant his hand got close, frost crawled up his wrist, spreading in jagged patterns, climbing over his skin like vines. He screamed as the ice froze his arm solid.

Livia exhaled, watching the steam of her breath curl in the cold air. She clenched her fingers into a fist. The ice tightened, cracking the bones beneath.

The man never screamed again.

She left his frozen corpse there, back pressed against the alley wall, mouth open in a silent plea for mercy. She didn't regret it.

She also didn't feel anything at all.

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Ice Demon. The first time she heard the name, she almost laughed.

"You expect me to believe there's some kind of...ghost running around freezing people alive?" the low-life in front of her spat, shifting nervously in his seat.

Livia leaned against the grimy wall of the abandoned bar, arms crossed, staring down at the man tied to the chair. His buddies were dead-left as shattered ice sculptures outside -but she kept him alive for information.

"You say that like I don't exist." she mused, voice laced with sarcasm. She crouched in front of him, tilting her head. "Do I look like a ghost to you?"

The thug swallowed hard, eyes flicking toward her pale blue hair, the glow of frost trailing up her fingertips.

"...I don't know what the hell you are!" he admitted.

Livia grinned. "Well I guess Ice Demon fits."

With a flick of her wrist, the ice encasing his legs shattered, and he collapsed to the floor. She let him run-let him spread the fear, let the stories grow.

If the criminals in this city wanted to whisper about an "Ice Demon." who was she to stop them?

_____________

Nick Fury had seen a lot of things in his life. Aliens, Supersoldiers.

But this girl?

This girl was different.

He watched the grainy security footage on the screen. A woman, no older than her mid-twenties, moving like a ghost through the streets. The criminals she encountered? Either frozen solid or left battered and half-conscious in the snow. She was powerful, reckless, and completely off the grid. No identity, no past, no connections.

Maria Hill stood beside him, arms crossed. "You think she's a threat?"

Fury hummed. "I think she's a problem if she's not on our side."

Hill glanced at the latest report.

"She doesn't seem interested in anything beyond taking out criminals. Not a hero, not a villain."

"Not yet." Fury corrected. He turned away from the screen. "Let's find out what she really wants."

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The moment she stepped into the warehouse, she knew it was a trap.

Livia had been following a lead on a weapons trade-only to find the entire place empty. No goons, no weapons, just silence. The kind that made her teeth itch.

A slow clap echoed through the space.

"You're fast." a voice drawled.

Livia turned, muscles tensing as she spotted the figure emerging from the shadows. A man in a leather trench coat, one eye covered by a patch.

Nick Fury.

"You're a hard woman to find." he continued. "But we both know you wanted to be found."

Livia smirked. "And here I thought I was just being careless."

Fury's expression didn't change. "I've been watching you, Livia Arcane. You're powerful. Smart. But you're reckless." He took a step closer. "You could do more than just hunt criminals. You could help people."

Livia raised an eyebrow. "And let me guess you have a job offer?"

"You work for yourself. That's fine. But the world is getting more dangerous, and if you're going to keep playing the hero, you might as well get paid for it."

Livia considered it. She was getting tired of sleeping in abandoned buildings.

"I want a paycheck." she said finally. "And a place to stay."

Fury smirked. "Welcome to SHIELD."

______________

Livia had been on plenty of missions before.

Breaking up criminal operations? Easy. Tracking down rogue agents? Even easier. But doing it with SHIELD breathing down her neck? That was the part she didn't like.

Maria Hill was the worst of it.

"You know, it's kind of creepy how much you spy on me." Livia remarked, stepping into the safehouse after her latest assignment. Snow melted off her boots, leaving a trail of water across the concrete floor. "I mean, do you even sleep, or do you just stare at security feeds all night?"

Hill didn't even look up from her tablet. "If you didn't keep going off-script, I wouldn't have to watch you so closely."

Livia smirked, pulling off her gloves. "Where's the fun in following orders?"

Hill sighed, rubbing her temples. "You're supposed to be working with us, not as a one-woman wrecking crew."

Livia plopped down on the worn-out couch. "Well, since I'm the one actually catching these guys, I'd say my methods are working."

Hill shot her a look. "SHIELD doesn't pay you to go rogue, Arcane. You need to prove you can work on a team. If you want to keep this arrangement, you follow orders. Understood?"

Livia rolled her eyes but didn't argue. At least, not out loud.

_____________

Her first real mission under SHIELD's watch took her to a warehouse in Brooklyn, where a former HYDRA scientist had gone into hiding. It was supposed to be a simple extraction—get in, secure the target, get out.

But simple never seemed to stick around when Livia was involved.

The moment she stepped into the building, she knew something was off. The air was too still. The shadows are too long. Her breath curled in the cold air, but she could hear something beneath the silence—soft clicking noises. Like metal shifting.

Drones.

"Arcane." Hill's voice crackled through her earpiece. "watch your six."

Livia turned just in time to see the first drone lunge at her.

She reacted instantly, a wave of ice slamming into the machine mid-air, freezing it solid before it shattered against the floor. More emerged from the darkness, red lights glowing like eyes.

Livia exhaled sharply, flexing her fingers. "Yeah, so, you might want to update your intel. The place isn't exactly abandoned."

Hill's voice was frustratingly calm. "I told you to wait for backup."

Livia dodged another drone, slamming her fist into it and watching as frost spread across the metal. "And I told you I work faster alone."

"Right." Hill muttered. "Of course you did."

Livia smirked. Despite her annoyance, she could tell Hill was getting used to her tactics—if you could call them that.

She fought her way through the drones, ice trailing behind her like a storm. By the time backup did arrive, the mission was already over.

"See?" Livia said, casually stepping over the frozen remains of a drone. "Handled it."

Hill sighed as she walked in. "One of these days, you're going to learn the value of teamwork."

Livia grinned. "Doubt it."

Over the next few months, Livia handled mission after mission—always under SHIELD's watch, always under Maria Hill's scrutiny.

They clashed constantly. Hill followed protocol. Livia made her own rules. But despite their differences, they started to fall into a rhythm.

Hill learned to anticipate when Livia would go off-course. Livia learned when Hill was actually right about something (not that she'd ever admit it).

After a particularly messy mission, Hill handed her a folder.

Livia raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

Hill crossed her arms. "Your next assignment. And before you ask, Yes, you're working with someone this time."

Livia groaned. " Ugh, I hate team-ups. Feels like I'm being babysat, Twice!"

Hill smirked. "Then you're really going to love who's in charge."

Livia opened the file. The name on the page made her freeze.

Agent Natasha Romanoff.

Livia stared. Then slowly grinned. "Well. This just got interesting."

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And that's the end of the prologue, lemme know if you guys like it or not

Should I write about their first meeting together? Write about Livia missions with SHIELD before the Avengers or go straight to it?