Chapter 12
Wanda stared at the thread of golden light, pupils contracting slightly.
"You can control it?"
"No." Yang Jian closed his palm; the energy dissipated.
"Mine is a different kind of power. But the chaos magic inside you is one of the universe's most primal forces. It can rewrite reality, twist cause and effect, even create or destroy universes."
He wasn't lying—chaos magic truly held that potential. It all depended on how she wielded it.
Wanda's breath caught. "That's impossible."
"Try it." Yang Jian stepped back and pointed to a seashell on the sand.
"Focus. Imagine it floating."
Wanda frowned but complied. She locked her gaze on the shell; sweat began to bead on her forehead.
One minute passed. The shell didn't move.
"I can't do it." She shook her head in frustration.
"Because you're still fighting it." Yang Jian's voice softened.
"Hydra filled you with fear, made you think this power is a curse. But power isn't good or evil—it depends on the one who controls it."
His eyes suddenly flared red. Heat vision activated at minimal power—careful not to harm her.
"Ah!" Wanda instinctively raised her hands to block.
BOOM!!!
A scarlet energy shield exploded from her palms, colliding with the golden beams. A shockwave blasted outward, carving a shallow crater in the sand and sending seawater rushing in!
Wanda stumbled back, staring at her hands in shock. "This… I did this?"
"See?" Yang Jian withdrew the energy and smiled.
"Your instincts are more honest than your mind."
Wanda's chest heaved. The aftershocks of chaos magic still boiled in her veins.
The sensation was both alien and familiar—like a long-dormant beast finally opening its eyes.
"What now?" She looked up; confusion in her eyes slowly gave way to determination.
Yang Jian grinned.
"First, learn to stop treating it like an enemy."
Three Hours Later
The beach was a mess.
Dozens of craters—some shallow, some deep—dotted the sand. Seawater swirled in tiny whirlpools inside them.
Residual chaos magic waves still lingered in the air.
Wanda was drenched in sweat, but her eyes shone brighter than they had that morning.
A small, unstable red orb hovered above her palm—pulsing, expanding, contracting like a beating heart.
"Still can't hold it steady." She gritted her teeth; the orb trembled violently.
"Don't force it." Yang Jian stood nearby, calm and steady.
"Chaos magic isn't a tool—it's part of you. Accept it the way you accept breathing."
Wanda closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and relaxed her shoulders.
A subtle change occurred.
The wild orb gradually stabilized, turning into soft crimson streams that gently wrapped around her arm.
She opened her eyes in delight and looked at Yang Jian. "I did it!"
Yang Jian nodded, genuinely impressed. "Not bad. You've crossed the threshold."
He vanished for a split second—then reappeared with the villa's mini-fridge between them, door already open.
"Take a break. We continue this afternoon."
Wanda grabbed a chilled bottle of water and downed half in one go.
Sea breeze cooled her flushed cheeks.
"Be honest," she suddenly asked. "Why are you helping me?"
Yang Jian cracked open a beer, shrugging casually. "You've asked that three times now. I told you last night, didn't I?"
"That's all?"
"What else would it be?" He glanced at her.
"Unless you want me to lock you up?"
Wanda was quiet for a moment, then gave a small laugh. "No. This is better."
She looked toward the horizon. Crimson energy unconsciously danced at her fingertips.
For the first time in her life, she felt the possibility of a future.
Yang Jian had already reclined on a beach chair he'd brought out, quietly watching her back.
It had been a long time since he'd properly relaxed. Maybe today was a good day for it.
Sunset
By the end of training, Wanda could reliably form basic shields and impact blasts with her energy.
Precision was still lacking, but her progress speed surprised even Yang Jian.
"Impressive talent," he said—rare praise.
Wanda wiped sweat from her forehead, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Tomorrow again?"
"Sure."
They returned to the villa as the sky burned gold and crimson.
Wanda stood on the terrace, gazing at the stunning sunset, and whispered softly, "Thank you."
Yang Jian didn't reply—just placed a hand on her shoulder for a moment.
"Go shower. You're covered in sand."
Late Night – Villa Rooftop
Yang Jian lay on the sloped roof, hands behind his head, staring at the stars.
He pulled up the system mall again. The Infinity Gauntlet Necklace still sat at 100,000 points.
"Still a long way off."
As he pondered, super hearing picked up movement inside the villa.
Wanda's breathing had changed.
She was having a nightmare.
Yang Jian hesitated for a second, then decided against intervening.
Some paths she had to walk alone.
Late Night – SiberiaHydra Secret Base
In a dimly lit conference room, a holographic projection flickered with Baron Strucker's final moments.
The blurry footage showed a black-armored man snapping Strucker's neck like a twig. Then the base's signal cut out forever.
Around the long table, the remaining Hydra higher-ups sat in heavy silence, rage simmering beneath the surface.
"Strucker is dead." The man at the head spoke slowly, voice low.
"The entire facility was obliterated. No survivors. No data remnants."
"Who did it?" A woman in a silver mask asked coldly.
"Limited intel." The leader pulled up a grainy satellite clip.
A black shadow streaked across Eastern Europe at hypersonic speed, straight toward Strucker's base.
This was captured only because the figure had slowed down. If not…
"Speed far beyond current technology. Destruction level matches or exceeds Hulk."
"Enhanced? Or one of Stark's new toys?"
"No." The leader shook his head.
"Residual energy analysis shows the power system doesn't match any known Earth-based abilities."
The room fell silent again.
"Find him. Hydra's blood debt must be repaid." The silver-masked woman said icily.
"Already searching." The leader opened an encrypted file—Wanda Maximoff's profile.
"Subject 19 is missing. And the same day, a black-clad 'superman' appeared in New York who one-punched Hulk."
He tapped the table; images cycled.
They only had these because Yang Jian hadn't bothered hiding.
Otherwise, his bio-field could have disabled every electronic device.
"Whoever he is, he took our asset."
"Then we take it back—with interest."
New YorkS.H.I.E.L.D. Safe House
Natasha Romanoff inserted a data chip into the terminal.
A hologram unfolded: thermal satellite imagery of Eastern Europe. A once-hidden base now scorched earth.
"Site temperature exceeded 10,000 degrees. All metal structures melted—like swept by high-energy beams." She frowned.
"But no residual energy signature."
Fury stood in shadow, eye fixed on the image. "An unknown base gets wiped out and we had no idea. That's not right."
"What's even less right is this." Natasha switched feeds.
A blurry figure—a red-haired woman—flashed past just before the explosion.
"We matched her identity: Wanda Maximoff, Sokovian."
Fury's eye narrowed. "So who is she?"
"Records say ordinary civilian. Last night, she was taken."
Natasha zoomed in on the edge of the frame.
A near-invisible black shadow hovered high in the distance.
"Energy signature matches the black-clad superhuman from New York."
Fury was silent for a long time. Then he turned to a locked cabinet, entered the code, and pulled out a dusty file.
"Tomorrow, go see what this 'superman' wants."
Natasha's breath hitched slightly. "Without clearance assessment? I think—"
"Not think." Fury closed the file, voice hard.
"Confirm."
WakandaRoyal Laboratory
Shuri stared at the vibranium detector's anomalous readings, brow furrowed.
"Brother, you need to see this."
T'Challa stepped closer. His eyes locked on the brief energy pulse that had appeared over Europe.
It lasted less than 0.1 seconds, but its intensity rivaled a small nuclear blast.
"Coordinates?"
"Sokovia." Shuri pulled up satellite imagery.
"But surface scans show nothing."
T'Challa thought for a moment. "Keep monitoring. Report any changes."
"What do we do?" Shuri asked.
"If this is the prelude to an extraterrestrial incursion…" T'Challa donned the Black Panther helmet; vibranium suit flowed over him like liquid.
"Wakanda cannot stand idle."
New YorkSeaside Villa
Wanda jolted awake from the nightmare. Uncontrolled scarlet chaos magic erupted, reducing the nightstand to dust!
"Haah… haah…" She gasped, trying to calm her racing heart.
In the dream she had seen:
Endless crimson tides.
A golden gauntlet embedded with six colored gems.
And a purple giant seated on a floating throne, casting an indifferent glance her way.
Beside him, chained—the green giant.
Outside the window, moonlight remained calm.
She didn't know what it meant.
But instinct told her:
Something was watching her.
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