Half a month later, Wanda went on her first mission with the team—to track down and arrest a terrorist group.
Alongside her were Captain America, Hawkeye, Natasha, Falcon, and other Avengers.
By afternoon, the mission was nearly complete.
In order to save Captain America, Wanda used her Chaos Magic—but lost control. The unstable bomb she tried to handle was flung into the air, and the explosion tore through an entire nearby floor.
Inside, people screamed and cried—some injured, some dead.
A crushing wave of remorse hit Wanda instantly. Guilt flooded her chest, pushing her deeper into despair.
She had been devastated when she lost a single family member, but now, because of one mistake, even more people had died.
Captain America shot her a quick look, then rushed into the building to rescue survivors.
Wanda stared down at her hands.
A single thought echoed in her mind: I can't use my powers ever again.
"I…"
Natasha saw her state and moved to comfort her—
"Natasha! Hurry! Save them!"
Captain America's urgent shout pulled Natasha away, forcing her to bypass Wanda and join the rescue effort.
...
Afterwards, Wanda returned to the Avengers Compound in a daze.
The next day. The day after. Even a week later—there was still no change.
She barely spoke, her daily words not exceeding ten, and only when answering direct questions.
...
Many more days passed, and the online backlash against superheroes grew even louder.
Still, a few voices tried to be reasonable.
"We're not saying we don't need superheroes!"
"But they must be under human supervision!"
"Otherwise, even our property and safety could be at risk from them!"
The constant online hostility began to weigh heavily on Wanda, and signs of depression started to show. She bought a hooded jacket, and from then on, whenever she went on a mission, she kept the hood up.
But this couldn't go on.
One day, Tony Stark stood with his arms crossed, watching Wanda for a long time in silence.
Natasha came to his side, also looking at her.
"She needs a change. If this keeps up, her mind and spirit are going to collapse."
Hawkeye walked over and nodded.
"Yeah. At this rate, she might just find some remote place to live alone—or even walk away from the Avengers altogether."
They were all agents. They knew exactly what that kind of mental state could lead to.
Tony stayed where he was, arms still folded. He rubbed his chin, thinking—then suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"Right."
He turned back to his car, took out a business card, then walked over to Wanda, placing it on the table in front of her and sliding it toward her.
"Alright, Miss Wanda Maximoff. I'll cover the cost. Go see the person on that card—call it a little getaway.
A lot of people have recommended him to me before. I didn't think I needed it, but you do.
They say he's the best psychologist in the world. I think you should give him a try."
Wanda lifted her head and looked at the card.
[Lorien Su]
[Address: XX Floor, Northern Tower, Manhattan, New York]
It wasn't an ordinary card. Made from a thin slice of fragrant wood, it was smooth yet sturdy, with Lorien Su's name and office address engraved on it.
There was no description of his services. No phone number.
Why? The reason was simple—Lorien Su's reputation was so great that if he listed a number, it would never stop ringing. He only gave his contact to those who came to him in person, and even then, he decided on the spot whether to share it—rich clients, or beautiful ones, usually got it; others, not so much.
Wanda stared at the address.
Suddenly, it felt like her Chaos Magic was whispering to her:
[Go. Go.]
She took the card, nodding.
"I'll go. In the next few days."
"Hoo…"
Hearing that, Tony simply turned and left. But before he could drive off, Natasha and Hawkeye caught up to him at his car window.
"What kind of card did you give her?" Natasha asked.
Tony had just put on his sunglasses; he slid them down slightly.
"Didn't I say? It's for a top-tier psychologist.
I know him. Met him once. A guy about as handsome as me—though not quite a friend.
His reputation is flawless. So flawless it almost makes him look like a scam artist.
But I had Friday dig into the numbers. Turns out, he's the real deal. Ninety-nine percent success rate in psychological counseling—the other one percent are people he refused to take on."
As a "master" in high society, Lorien Su's name was well known to Tony, and they had met before.
But Lorien never seemed interested in getting close to Tony. Just another man—not as important as his nine-to-five.
And Tony? He thought Lorien was too handsome, even more so than himself. If they went out together, wouldn't Lorien end up stealing all the women's attention?
So neither of them made the effort to be friends.
But Natasha wasn't exactly concerned about that.
"What?" She glanced at Hawkeye.
Hawkeye frowned.
"You're sending a superhero with massive magical power… to get counseling from a regular person?"