Wanda let out a long, sleepy yawn, wrapped herself in a blanket, and sat up on the rock-hard prison cot.
She jumped down barefoot, an icy chill shooting up from the floor to her spine, like an ice pick piercing her brain. That jolted her fully awake.
Slowly, she walked to the reinforced glass observation window of her cell, waiting for the day's patrol guards to appear.
Though her teacher had been absent for a while, Wanda Maximoff remained diligent in her assignments.
Today was one of HYDRA's "medical exam" days—Wanda needed to mentally manipulate a few guards ahead of time to figure out the tests in advance.
Not all tests were safe.
Especially not here.
HYDRA, with its long history of human experimentation, had no shortage of extreme and brutal procedures.
And since the HYDRA scientists had no real understanding of her and Pietro's true abilities, they often proposed reckless, dangerous experiments.
The only reason they weren't completely cruel was that she and Pietro were their only two successful test subjects.
Even so, Wanda wasn't taking any chances—using Solomon's lessons, she ensured that none of the tests became too dangerous.
And, as a small bonus, she also used her powers to secure a proper breakfast for herself and her brother.
---
She could already taste the rich, savory flavor of Iberian black pig sausage—a delicacy she had only learned about while watching a cooking show with Solomon.
Her teacher always seemed to bring them foods that only appeared on television.
Her favorite show was a classic cooking program called Ezell's Barbecue Bible—even though the footage was grainy and old, she still loved watching it.
Whenever the host, a cheerful Black chef named Ezell Harriott, laughed, Wanda couldn't help but laugh along.
---
Solomon had diligently taught her the use of herbs, explaining which ones had magical properties and which ones could be used in cooking.
So far, she had mastered the dual culinary and magical applications of sage and rosemary.
Solomon assured her that, one day, she would become a true witch—one who could, like those in fairy tales, brew potions to stay eternally youthful.
Wanda swore she would never use bat wings or lizard claws in her potions.
---
"Lazy pig, wake up!"
She knocked her knuckles against the wall.
Her voice traveled through the thick concrete, drilling straight into Pietro's ears, startling him awake.
With a grumble, he jumped down from his bunk, mumbling half-hearted complaints.
As usual, the siblings bickered playfully—as if they weren't in a prison, but in a home.
For a brief, fleeting moment, Wanda felt as if she weren't in a cold HYDRA fortress, but rather in a warm, spacious living room.
Her rebellious younger brother would be blasting rock music at full volume, while she—the responsible older sister—was in the kitchen, busily preparing breakfast while yelling at him to turn it down.
The two would argue, and Wanda would threaten to hit Pietro with a spatula.
---
Like a cozy sitcom.
Like the old family comedies they used to watch on their father's unsold VHS tapes.
---
The grainy television memories from her childhood had, over the years, become clearer in her mind.
She could almost smell the fresh-baked bread, the caramelized onions, and the sizzling bacon in the pan.
The warmth of home-cooked food wrapped around her like a soft, weightless blanket, lifting her up, making her feel as if she were floating.
---
Except… the smell was real.
Wanda's nostrils flared.
Her eyes widened.
She turned abruptly—
Only to see her teacher stepping out of a glowing golden portal, balancing two stacked, covered frying pans in his hands.
---
She rushed forward, eagerly taking the top pan from him.
She flipped open the lid—
Inside, one half of the pan held crispy, golden-brown bacon, the other grilled sausages with perfect charred edges.
It was exactly the meal she had just been imagining.
---
"Caramelized onions in butter. Rustic rye bread. Bacon and sausages."
Dressed in his deep red Sanctified Robes, Solomon smiled softly.
"Does this breakfast suit your taste?"
---
"I smelled it the moment you arrived. But I'll need coffee too," Wanda grinned, her eyes shimmering with emotion.
It was as if, with her teacher's presence, the cold, lifeless castle had suddenly become warm.
The warmth crept through the darkness, carried by the aroma of food.
Silent.
But tangible.
"Magic should be able to handle that, right?"
---
"As you wish, milady."
Solomon set the pans down, unfolding a tablecloth and placing silverware neatly in place.
"Get Pietro up. Breakfast is ready."
---
As they ate, Solomon explained his long absence.
When he mentioned that he was also a university student, the last traces of awkwardness between them melted away.
Though he omitted certain details, the conversation remained lighthearted.
Pietro, ever the troublemaker, even dared to joke at Solomon's expense.
---
Finally, Solomon sighed.
"I don't have much time. I just wanted to check in on you two."
He glanced over at the HYDRA guard standing by the cell door.
Though Solomon didn't know the man's name, he could clearly see the deep crimson glow in his eyes—
Proof that Wanda had been diligently practicing her mind control lessons.
---
"You've done well."
He nodded approvingly.
"I won't be able to visit often, so I've prepared plenty of books for you."
---
"All of those?"
Pietro cast a horrified glance at the towering pile of books in the corner, as if it were a blazing sun that would scorch his retinas.
When Solomon confirmed it, Pietro's face fell into visible despair.
Meanwhile, Wanda smiled in satisfaction, nodding in approval.
As the older sibling, she felt it was her duty to ensure her brother studied properly.
---
Solomon really hadn't had time to check on them.
After reaching an unspoken agreement with Nick Fury, he had been orchestrating HYDRA's internal war.
The special operations units that surrendered to him had been deployed via Quinjet to hunt down Nazi-HYDRA remnants.
At the same time, Stephanie had been devouring Nazi-HYDRA's wealth and assets, before Congress could fully identify them.
---
Some HYDRA leaders, including Baron Strucker, were desperately seeking a new backer.
Many pled their loyalty to Gideon Malick, leader of the old guard HYDRA faction.
---
But not all of them made the cut.
---
Some were left as bait, meant to distract world governments.
For now, Solomon had no desire to step into the spotlight.
Even with Excalibur in hand, not everything could be solved with brute force.
Right now was the time for preparation.
Not war.
---
"Wanda, I need your help with an experiment."
Solomon pointed to a Ouija board beside him.
"Try using this to contact me."
"I might respond. I might not."
---
It seemed insignificant.
But Solomon refused to involve the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj in this.
Even the Ancient One opposed it.
Because this was an experiment on the nature of his own soul—
And only Wanda Maximoff had the talent to uncover the truth.
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