Mutual Help

Early morning, apartment suite in Brooklyn.

Faint morning light filtered through the gauze curtains into the white bedroom, as though draping it in a hazy veil. The girl lay on her side in the soft bed, wrapped in the sheets, her golden hair radiant and her eyelashes long.

Her alarm was set for seven, but she woke before six-thirty. She tossed and turned for fifteen minutes, but sleep had completely deserted her, so she had no choice but to sit up early.

She turned off the alarm and efficiently got out of bed, brushed her teeth, and dressed herself. After changing out of her pajamas, she hesitated for quite a while before the ebony wardrobe, finally picking an outfit she found reasonably satisfactory.

After breakfast, with everything ready, she slung on her backpack and arrived early to wait on the stone steps by the front door.

Gwen Grovene, a sixteen-year-old high school girl who had moved to New York a week ago, was a transfer student at 163 High School—at least, that was what all her records said.

Incidentally, today was her first day of school.

She recognized the car coming to pick her up from eight hundred meters away at the end of the street. After all, even in New York, you did not see such a flashy stretch limousine just anywhere. Sure enough, the car stopped in front of her. The door opened, and a woman in professional attire with silky light-gold curls stepped out and stood before Gwen with impeccable poise.

"Gwen Grovene?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," Gwen grunted in reply.

"Elizabeth Betty, Mr. Passo's secretary," the woman introduced herself. "He sent me to take you to school."

"So... Mr. Passo didn't come?"

"He has other matters to attend to, but I can relay anything you need to tell him." Elizabeth opened the car door. "Get in. We can talk on the way."

Gwen got in. Once the door was shut, the driver started the car, and the limousine moved steadily down the street. A layer of soundproof, damping-filled laminated glass separated the driver's compartment from the rear seats, ensuring the driver could not hear the passengers' conversation.

Gwen set down her backpack and sat somewhat stiffly on the luxurious leather seat, absently fidgeting with her fingers.

"Nervous about school?" Elizabeth tried to make conversation.

"Ah, no." Gwen explained, "I just... um. I've never ridden in a limousine before. Oh, I mean, of course I haven't, because technically I've only been alive for six months, but judging from my memories, Gwen Stacy hadn't either."

Elizabeth nodded with an understanding expression.

Gwen pretended to look at the scenery outside. After a while, she asked as casually as she could, "So... does Mr. Passo have any message for me?"

Elizabeth thought for a moment. "Study hard and improve every day."

"...Anything else?"

"Try to stay out of trouble," she said. "Mr. Passo hopes you'll avoid using your superpowers in daily life whenever possible. Keep a low profile, be an ordinary high school girl, and don't cause trouble."

"But didn't he tell me I should make good use of my gifts and find my purpose?" Gwen raised an eyebrow. "If I'm not supposed to use my superpowers at all, how am I supposed to become valuable?"

Elizabeth patiently explained, "Mr. Passo created a new identity for you and found a way to make you disappear from the CIA's sight. But they definitely haven't given up searching for a Spider-Girl who can swing from rooftops. So for the sake of your cover identity, keep a low profile as much as possible. Understand?"

After a pause, she continued, "As for the latter part, it really shouldn't be my place to explain it. But don't worry, Mr. Passo has his own arrangements for you. Someone else will contact you later. They'll teach you combat techniques and how to conceal yourself. Once Mr. Passo thinks you're ready, he'll naturally assign you a mission."

Gwen pouted. "I know how to fight."

"Mr. Passo's arrangements are for your own good as well. I hope you understand."

"I understand," Gwen said casually. "It's just..."

It's just that he didn't come here himself to tell me all this.

But she quickly swallowed the rest of the sentence.

"What is it?"

"Ah, nothing." Gwen shook her head and grabbed her backpack. At that very moment, the limousine stopped across from the school entrance.

"If you have any problems or need anything, contact me," Elizabeth said. "If it's important, I'll pass it on to Mr. Passo."

Gwen opened the door and slipped out, giving a final wave. "I will. Thanks."

Wanda Maximoff kept her large eyes wide open without blinking, concentrating as hard as she could. Scarlet, translucent energy rippled and flowed between her slender fingers like water that had condensed without dispersing, constantly changing shape.

Michael stood several meters away with his arms folded, observing and sensing the magical fluctuations in her palm while instructing Sherry to use the monitoring equipment to record every kind of energy change at all times.

After taking some time to study the Chaos Magic Wanda wielded, Michael finally gained a preliminary understanding of this power. Chaos Magic was a form of dark magic. Its functions and properties differed greatly from the authentic mystic arts he had learned from the Sorcerer Supreme. But naturally, they also had many things in common.

"All right, that's enough," Michael said.

The scarlet ripples abruptly vanished. Wanda lowered her hands and looked at him questioningly.

"I more or less understand it now." Michael walked over to her. "Your power comes from something called 'Chaos Magic.' Its most famous user was the ancient evil god Chthon. But I've never encountered this form of magic before either. At the moment, I've only learned the bare basics through your demonstration, so we'll need to explore it together in the future."

Wanda let out a soft, instinctive "Ah." Michael paused and asked, "What is it?"

"You're saying this... came from an evil god?" Wanda blankly looked at the crimson glow wavering at her fingertips. "Is that true?"

"This power has become connected to you somehow, though I still don't know why," Michael said calmly. "But power itself has no inherent right or wrong, good or evil. It's like a gun. Whether it hurts people or saves them depends entirely on the person holding it."

Wanda nodded lightly. "Mm, I understand."

"Then, to make it easier for you to understand what I'm about to teach you, I'll first explain the basic method I use when casting magic."

Michael paused, then said unhurriedly, "First, the most basic component of a spell—and its foundation—is an 'incantation.' This is a language passed down since the dawn of civilization. If reality is viewed as an incomparably vast program architecture, then an 'incantation' is the source code used to modify data and manipulate laws within that architecture."

He extended both palms, his right facing upward and his left downward, pulling in opposite directions to draw out a vertical, flame-colored line. Then he rotated his arms counterclockwise, and the line spun with his guidance, carving a circular Magic Circle of intricate patterns through the air.

"I draw energy from other spaces in the multiverse, using it to construct weapons and shields, or temporarily alter the rules of reality to cast even more wondrous magic."

He spread his fingers and lightly pressed them against the transparent Magic Circle. The intricate golden lines immediately broke apart, gradually dissipating like a mirage.

"I'm only telling you this so you understand the principle. But doing so is essentially borrowing the power of other higher beings, and borrowing comes with a price... unless certain special methods are used."

Wanda was puzzled. "Special methods?"

"That needn't be discussed for now. Your casting doesn't require you to draw energy from other spaces or borrow someone else's magic as I just described," Michael said. "Because you already possess the ability to wield Chaos Magic. It is an almost inexhaustible source of magical power, so theoretically, you needn't worry about the price. What I'm going to teach you is simply how to use it more skillfully and efficiently, starting with the basics.

So today's most basic lesson is forging weapons with your magic. Forge blades, and your attacks will become sharper, able to cleave through every obstacle before you. Forge shields, and your defenses will become unbreakable, protecting your own safety. Or you can even condense your magic into a single point, enhancing its penetration and explosive force, like a bullet piercing through any defense and killing with a single strike."

Wanda stared absently at the sparks gradually fading from the air, seemingly still processing it all.

After pondering for a long time, she came back to herself. "So, you mean you can teach me to use that... 'Chaos Magic' of mine? To do what you do?"

Michael shook his head.

"More accurately, we'll help each other," he said. "First, I'll help you understand your own power and master it skillfully. Then I hope that one day in the future, you can help me understand how I can wield Chaos Magic too."

(Thanks to readers Cloud Map Castle and Bu Kai Xin for their 100 Qidian Coin rewards, Blowing Horses for the 1,000 Qidian Coin reward, and One Sword from the West, Ye Kuccheng for the 2,000 Qidian Coin reward.)