Another Wanda with a Queenly Air

Howard Estate

Today was the day little Morgan went to Kamar-Taj to learn magic. Qin Yi sent the little girl over early in the morning.

Inside the underground laboratory.

Tony and Qin Yi stared blankly at Mark 5 in front of them.

Over the past few years, Tony had put his work aside for a while because of Morgan's birth. Now that the little girl was attending school while learning magic at Kamar-Taj.

Tony had also found time to continue researching the Mark series.

Qin Yi was deep in thought.

Recently, the rate at which Uncle Howard and Aunt Maria's life force had been draining was somewhat abnormal.

After observing them for several days, Qin Yi had found nothing unusual.

There were no traces of magic, nor had anyone placed a curse on them.

When he and Tony had come down just now, he had even seen the elderly couple listlessly sunbathing in the yard.

Still worried.

When Qin Yi had taken Morgan to Kamar-Taj that morning, he had asked the Ancient One to come take a look as well, but she had found nothing unusual either.

Even Master Yao, that centuries-old encyclopedia, could not see anything wrong. Could Uncle and Aunt really have simply reached that age?

But Carter, who had been about the same age as Uncle, had lived until 2012 and waited for Captain America to awaken from the ice.

That made no sense. Qin Yi felt that the life force he had given them should have kept Uncle and Aunt going for many years. It should not have drained away so quickly.

Tony glanced at the absentminded Qin Yi.

He was also mentally comparing the enhancement effects various elements could have on an armor reactor.

Using palladium in the core reactor was starting to fall behind the pace of armor upgrades. What they urgently needed now was a more powerful core reactor.

But over this period, he had tested practically every element on Earth.

Tony was now considering asking Qin Yi to take him to other planets to look around, to see whether they could discover elements unavailable on Earth that might suit a more powerful reactor.

Qin Yi had no idea why Tony was spacing out. Not long ago, Uncle Howard would still come to the laboratory and occasionally offer suggestions. Recently, with his health declining, he had rarely come down to the underground lab.

The two spent the entire morning pondering in the basement, but made no major progress.

Until a phone rang. Qin Yi took out his phone and answered it, and Morgan's excited voice came from the other end.

"Uncle, come quickly! Aunt Ancient One and Sister Wanda are fighting!"

Qin Yi did not react at first. Looking at his phone, he grumbled, "What kind of messed-up hierarchy is that?"

Frowning, Qin Yi spoke to Tony beside him.

"Tony, keep an eye on Uncle and Aunt. I'm heading out."

Tony nodded and watched Qin Yi vanish from the laboratory in a spatial vortex.

Kamar-Taj.

The moment Qin Yi emerged from the spatial vortex, the nearby sorcerers hurriedly called out.

"Sorcerer Supreme!"

Qin Yi waved them off and looked up into the air.

Seventeen-year-old Wanda had developed quite well...

He was getting off track.

Wanda, surrounded by scarlet energy, had let down the hair she usually wore tied up, allowing it to spill over her shoulders. She stood in the skies above Kamar-Taj, confronting the stern-faced Ancient One.

Only.

Qin Yi felt that the expression on Wanda's face was not quite right.

The Wanda of this universe had also lost her parents.

After Qin Yi brought her back to Kamar-Taj, she and Pietro had remained here and been well cared for.

Without ever experiencing the Hydra laboratory.

Over these past years.

Little Wanda had always been a very gentle girl.

Sometimes, she would even blush shyly when she saw Qin Yi.

But the Wanda in the air right now.

How should he put it? She radiated an air of royalty.

Qin Yi glanced over Kamar-Taj.

The marks blasted into the plaza by magic and the shattered buildings.

Clearly, Wanda and the Ancient One had already fought for some time before this.

Morgan, held in Jean Grey's arms, saw her uncle suddenly appear.

She waved excitedly.

But when she noticed that Uncle kept staring at Sister Wanda, she pouted unhappily.

Qin Yi's thoughts were a mess. According to the fragments of memory.

Wanda had become the Scarlet Witch after Avengers: Endgame.

She had obtained the Darkhold, infamous for corrupting the mind, from Agatha. After cultivating the Chaos Magic contained within the Darkhold, Wanda had become the Scarlet Witch.

Little Wanda before him had no opportunity to come into contact with the Darkhold at this point in time.

The very year Qin Yi found Wanda and Pietro, he had altered Agatha's memories. For the past few years, she had diligently worked as a treasure hunter.

Unable to figure out the reason, Qin Yi waved a hand, and a stream of pure energy restrained Wanda in midair.

The clothes on his body slowly transformed into the robes of the Sorcerer Supreme as he gradually flew toward the Ancient One.

Before Qin Yi could ask anything, the Ancient One spoke first.

"There is an energy within Wanda that is similar to her own. It suddenly appeared this morning. If this continues for too long, she will lose her consciousness and become a puppet of that energy."

Hearing this, Qin Yi flew toward the restrained Wanda.

He placed both hands on Wanda's struggling face. While holding her head steady, Qin Yi looked into her eyes.

Qin Yi's surging spiritual power entered Wanda's mental space.

Within the vast white mental space.

As Qin Yi arrived, scarlet trees sprang up from the ground one after another. Moments later, they bloomed with scarlet flowers.

Watching the mental space suddenly fill with falling blossoms, Qin Yi's expression became strange. A peach blossom paradise???

To avoid damaging Wanda's mental space, Qin Yi's spiritual power slowly probed outward.

A moment later.

He discovered little Wanda trembling beneath a ruined house.

Qin Yi looked at the familiar ruins. They were exactly the same as the place where he had found Wanda and Pietro six years ago.

Had the wounds in her heart still not healed after all these years?

With a sigh, Qin Yi flew toward the ruins.

With a wave of his hand, he scattered the rubble. The terrified Wanda beneath it looked up, saw Qin Yi, and burst into tears as she rushed into his arms. Qin Yi stroked Wanda, who was trembling in fear, with one hand.

After gently patting her head, Wanda finally calmed down, but she clung to Qin Yi and refused to let go.

"You seem rather different from the other Sorcerer Supremes."

A voice suddenly sounded behind them.

Qin Yi took little Wanda's hand and turned around.

A Wanda identical to little Wanda... uh, a more mature Wanda??

She wore scarlet clothes, a scarlet ornament upon her head, and scarlet magic surged between her hands.

The Scarlet Witch???

Qin Yi's heart was full of question marks.

Did I stumble into a Wanda nest???

Facing Qin Yi's confused expression.

The Scarlet Witch glanced at the Sorcerer Supreme's robes he wore and spoke matter-of-factly.

"I have no intention of becoming your enemy. I merely wish to use Kamar-Taj's magic to learn certain things."

Qin Yi looked at the mature witch before him, radiating an air of royalty, and muttered inwardly.

Though you are also Wanda, unfortunately, you are not my Wanda.

Without saying anything else, Qin Yi waved his hand, and a stream of energy restrained the Scarlet Witch before him.

After comforting little Wanda, who had begun trembling all over the moment the Scarlet Witch appeared and was still clutching his hand.

Qin Yi walked over to the restrained Scarlet Witch.

Through her eyes, after passing through countless universal nodes, he saw the Scarlet Witch's true body sitting atop a high platform in a temple on Wundagore Mountain.

As though she sensed Qin Yi's gaze, the woman on the platform opened her eyes and met his stare.

Universe-616, Kamar-Taj.

Qin Yi casually destroyed the Scarlet Witch's projection within Wanda's mental space.

After looking around to ensure that little Wanda's mental space held no hidden dangers, he took Wanda out of the vast white mental space.

The Ancient One and the other sorcerers watched the two in midair with grave vigilance.

Only when Qin Yi picked up little Wanda, who had returned to normal and no longer had scarlet magic flowing around her, did he slowly descend before the Ancient One.

Qin Yi nodded to the Ancient One. He had originally intended to head to Wundagore Mountain in that universe immediately.

But little Wanda, now back to normal beside him, desperately gripped Qin Yi's hand and refused to let go.

Smiling, Qin Yi rubbed little Wanda's head and led her toward Kamar-Taj's garden.

Behind the crowd, Pietro had been hiding behind his master, Mordo.

Seeing the scene before him, he finally understood why he had always felt an inexplicable hostility in his heart ever since meeting the Sorcerer Supreme... no, ever since meeting Qin Yi six years ago.

He wanted to rush over, but Master Mordo held his hand tightly.

Pietro looked up at his master with a bewildered expression. He did not understand why his master was holding him back.

But after thinking about it, he gave up. He could not beat him right now, but he definitely could someday. He would write it down in his little notebook first.

Mordo looked at his well-behaved disciple, who had stopped acting impulsively because of his intervention, and sighed inwardly.

"Teachable indeed, my good disciple. You have no idea how petty the Sorcerer Supreme is. Kaecilius offended him once before.

The Sorcerer Supreme sealed Kaecilius's body and cast countless teleportation portals, making Kaecilius fall naturally. He fell for three whole days.

Every time Kaecilius was nearly battered to death, the Sorcerer Supreme instantly healed him back to full vigor with a white spell, then threw him back into the portals to fall naturally again.

Otherwise, why do you think that when the sorcerers of the Three Sanctums challenged Qin Yi before he became Sorcerer Supreme, not a single sorcerer at Kamar-Taj stepped forward?"