It was just like those clichéd stories: if love was the greatest source of power in the world, then hatred was surely the second greatest. The deeper the hatred, the more powerful it became. In fact, until a character was finally killed off by the plot, that hatred was an overwhelmingly dominant force in the story.
Now Wanda was experiencing that heart-wrenching power for herself.
Ulysses Klaue's memories were like a scrapbook that had been thumbed through until it fell apart. The fragments that made up his memories had been torn to pieces, and his consciousness had been shattered by the brutal invasion of his mind.
In medical terms, he was in a vegetative state.
This was the first time Wanda had used her powers so cruelly and without restraint, forcing Ulysses Klaue to relive the despair she had once experienced thousands upon thousands of times in a short span.
It was hard to tell whether it was the emotional upheaval or Wanda repeatedly connecting with her powers through Ulysses Klaue, but she realized she was several times stronger than before.
The Scarlet Energy she could control had once been able to lift less than a ton at most, but now that limit had multiplied several times over.
Her telepathy had improved as well. Its range had grown from a thirty-meter radius to a hundred meters, and it felt sharper. Invading someone's thoughts had become much easier, too.
But the improvement in her powers brought Wanda little joy. Now that she knew the truth, she was more irritable than ever.
Her parents' deaths had been part of a conspiracy.
Hydra needed a large number of live test subjects to create superpowered individuals, but earlier trials had shown that most subjects couldn't endure the process because they lacked the necessary willpower.