A golden portal slowly opened in the living room of the Long Island villa, and Xiao Han stepped through.
Wanda was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, holding a book in her hands. Crimson energy flickered at her fingertips, flowing gently as she turned the pages.
Hearing the noise, she looked up, her red hair gleaming in the sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Mr. Xiao, you're back?" She closed the book, her voice much clearer than when they first met.
"Just call me Xiao."
Xiao Han nodded, taking off his coat and hanging it on the coat rack by the door. "The hearing was pointless, just a formality."
Wanda's gaze fell on him, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Finally, she asked softly, "Xiao, do you know Tony Stark?"
"Hmm."
Xiao Han walked to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. "I became a shareholder of Stark Industries recently, so we're partners now."
Wanda's fingers unconsciously tightened on the book page, her knuckles turning white.
Xiao Han glanced at her, not rushing her, just leaning against the island counter, waiting quietly.
After a few seconds of silence, Wanda finally spoke, her voice barely audible: "Does... does he know about me? Turing said you understand my past, you know what I mean."
"He does." Xiao Han put down the water glass. "He's seen your files."
Wanda looked up sharply, a flash of crimson in her eyes: "Then did he say anything? About Sokovia? About those missiles?"
Xiao Han met her gaze directly: "He said that batch of weapons was smuggled to Hydra by Obadiah Stane, and he didn't know anything about it."
"Unaware?" Wanda sneered, the Chaos Magic in her palm erupting uncontrollably, scorching a black mark onto the book.
"Stark Industries' weapons, bearing his name, killed my parents, and now he says he's unaware?"
Xiao Han didn't argue. He simply raised his hand and tapped, creating a golden energy barrier that contained the runaway magic around the sofa, preventing it from spreading through the living room.
"I'm just telling you the truth."
His voice was calm. "Whether you choose to believe it is up to you."
Wanda's chest heaved, the red light in her eyes gradually fading.
She looked down at the charred pages, suddenly feeling exhausted.
"If… if it really was Hydra…" Her voice trembled slightly.
"Who should I direct my hatred towards then?"
Xiao Han walked over to her, knelt down, and looked her in the eye. "Hatred doesn't need a target, Wanda. It only consumes you."
He reached out his hand, and a phantom of the Mind Stone appeared in his palm. "I can teach you to control Chaos Magic, make you powerful enough to destroy all of Hydra, even rewrite reality. Then, you can do whatever you want."
"But before that, you need to understand one thing..."
His golden pupils stared directly at her. "Power isn't the answer, it's a tool. Whether you use it for revenge or protection is up to you."
Wanda stared at him blankly, the anger in her eyes gradually replaced by confusion.
"I...I don't know."
She said softly, "All these years, the only thing that's kept me alive is the thought of revenge. If I don't have that, what else can I do?"
Xiao Han put away the Mind Stone and stood up. "You can be a hero, just like you saw in the news today."
He gestured towards the television, which was replaying footage of a hearing. The crowd held up signs that read "Support Superman," and cheers echoed from the speakers.
Wanda was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "You saved me, was it because you saw my potential, or just because... you heard my call for help?"
Xiao Han's lips curved into a slight smile. "Both."
He turned towards the floor-to-ceiling window, the sunlight outlining his tall figure. "Training starts tomorrow. Rest today."
Wanda watched his back, then suddenly called out, "Wait!"
Xiao Han turned around.
"If... if I want to personally seek revenge on Hydra," her eyes flickered with determination.
"Will you help me?"
Xiao Han smiled. "I will teach you how to control your power. How you use it is your choice."
With that, he pushed open the glass door and walked towards the beach, his black silhouette receding in the sunlight.
Wanda lowered her head to look at her hands. Crimson energy obediently wound around her fingertips, no longer as wild as before.
She gently clutched the necklace around her chest. The Mind Stone emitted a steady pulse, as if responding to her determination.
"Hydra..." She murmured the name, the red light in her eyes no longer chaotic, but condensed into a sharp edge.
Outside the window, the waves crashed against the beach, rising and falling, like the emotions churning within her, eventually settling into calm.
Wanda suddenly stood up from the sofa and quickly chased after Xiao Han outside the French doors.
"Wait!"
She stood barefoot on the sand, the fine grains sifting between her toes. "I can start training today."
Xiao Han stopped and turned to face her. "Why?"
Wanda took a deep breath, her fingers unconsciously tracing the pendant around her neck. "I... I don't want to be haunted by nightmares anymore. Every time I close my eyes, those experiment scenes…"
Her voice trembled slightly. "I want to learn to control it, not be controlled by it."
Xiao Han watched her for a moment, then nodded. "Come with me."
The light in the underground training room automatically adjusted to a soft amber glow.
Xiao Han sat cross-legged on the meditation mat in the center, gesturing for Wanda to sit opposite him.
"The breathing technique of Kamar-Taj."
He placed his hands on his knees, palms up. "First, learn to breathe."
Wanda imitated his posture, but found that even sitting cross-legged caused her muscles to tense up.
Xiao Han gently touched her shoulder, and a warm current instantly melted away the stiffness.
"Inhale for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, exhale for eight seconds."
Xiao Han's voice had a peculiar rhythm. "Feel the energy flowing through your meridians."
Wanda closed her eyes and followed the instructions.
At first, she could only hear her own rapid heartbeat, but gradually, a strange humming sound began to ring in her ears.
Scarlet energy flowed around her, no longer wild, but like a gentle stream.
"This is..." she opened her eyes in surprise.
"Your magic is responding to you." Xiao Han's fingertips lit up with golden runes, tracing complex patterns in the air.
"Chaos Magic is different from ordinary spells. It originates from a very powerful energy, essentially a reality-warping force."
Wanda tried to touch the runes, and the scarlet energy immediately resonated with them, weaving exquisite light patterns in the air.
"So my ability isn't a mutant gene?"
"Yes and no." Xiao Han waved his hand, dispersing the runes.
"Your mutant gene is like a door, allowing Chaos Magic to choose you. But what's truly powerful is your innate mental strength."
Xiao Han taught her how to construct a shield with her mind, how to condense Chaos Energy into physical weapons, and even how to briefly foresee the future using magic.
The lessons began.
Wanda screamed in fright seven times in a row, each time a sudden energy blast came her way.
After the eighth failure, she angrily slammed a ball of energy into the ground, only to hear a soft chuckle amidst the exploding red light.
"What are you laughing at?"
"I've seen a lot of mages," Xiao Han couldn't help but laugh.
"You're the first one to use Chaos Magic to smash the floor."
As dusk fell, Wanda finally managed to construct a complete shield that lasted for five seconds.
She turned around, excited, only to find Xiao Han drawing complex golden trails in the void. The light bands formed by those runes were like a living galaxy.
Although she could already make her Scarlet energy change shape at will, Xiao Han seemed even stronger. She had a long way to go.
"I've never felt so relaxed," Wanda said, looking at the energy butterflies dancing in her palm, a smile involuntarily playing on her lips.
Xiao Han stood up. "Rest. Overexertion can be counterproductive."
Wanda followed suit, then suddenly said, "I can cook. I can't just keep eating and living here for free."
Seeing Xiao Han raise an eyebrow, she quickly added, "When I was at home, I often helped my mother."
"OK," Xiao Han nodded.
In the kitchen…
Wanda was flustered as she struggled with the steak in the pan.
Grease splattered, and she instinctively used Chaos Magic to form a barrier, which ended up turning the entire stovetop pink.
"Uh..."
She looked at the charred steak awkwardly, "Maybe I'm out of practice..."
Xiao Han chuckled, taking over the spatula: "The heat is the key."
With a flick of his wrist, he perfectly flipped the steak. "Chaos Magic isn't suited for cooking steak, but it can be used to sense the state of the ingredients."
Wanda leaned in to observe, her nose almost touching his arm: "How can you even cook?"
"Actually, I'm from Huaxia." Xiao Han sprinkled some spices, and the aroma instantly exploded.
"In Huaxia, it's a real shame if you can't cook."
Dinner was unexpectedly delicious.
Wanda's eyes lit up as she took her first bite of the tender steak: "This is a million times better than the synthetic protein from Hydra!"
Xiao Han swirled his wine glass: "I'll teach you more complex protective spells tomorrow."
Wanda suddenly put down her knife and fork, her voice soft but firm: "Thank you... not just for the training. But for giving me a choice."
Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting their shadows on the wall.
The gentle sound of waves in the distance seemed to echo this belated expression of gratitude.
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