The Power Comes From Within

Gradually, she saw more.

Not just her own memories, but something deeper.

Inside the Mind Stone, countless consciousnesses seemed to be whispering—the echoes of every life it had ever touched.

Wanda's consciousness moved through them, touching them, then drifting apart.

She saw herself in another universe—mad, despairing, and ultimately reduced to ashes...

She saw Xiao Han, and the regret he faced when he could not save others.

She saw the powerful enemies Xiao Han had faced.

She also saw a golden sun, a boundless starry sky, and black armor gleaming brilliantly in the light.

"Ah!"

Wanda suddenly opened her eyes, drenched in cold sweat.

The Mind Stone's glow slowly receded, returning to calm.

Xiao Han watched her quietly. "What did you see?"

Wanda's chest heaved violently before she finally calmed down.

"Too much... too much," she said softly.

"Me in another universe... she died, didn't she?"

Xiao Han did not deny it. "That universe has already ended."

Wanda fell silent for a moment, then raised her head. The confusion in her eyes was gone, replaced by a determined light.

"I don't want to become like that," she said.

"I want to control this power, not be controlled by it."

The corner of Xiao Han's mouth lifted slightly. "Good. This is only the beginning."

He held out his hand, and the Mind Stone slowly descended into Wanda's palm.

"From today onward, it will help you sort through your Chaos Magic, but remember..."

His gaze was deep and sharp. "The Stone is only a medium. True power will always come from within you."

Wanda clenched the Stone, feeling its steady pulse, and nodded solemnly.

The lights in the training room softened, as though responding to the energy flowing between them.

Xiao Han rose to his feet. His black short-sleeved shirt outlined his perfectly sculpted physique. Wanda's breathing quickened at the sight, but she quickly suppressed it.

"Now, try this." He raised a hand and drew a golden rune in the air, its intricate lines weaving together into a three-dimensional magic circle.

"The most basic application of Chaos Magic: Reality Warping."

Wanda stared at the rune and tilted her head. "That doesn't look... basic."

Xiao Han chuckled. "For you, it is basic."

With a flick of his finger, the magic circle split into dozens of smaller runes that encircled Wanda.

"Touch them with your energy, but don't force them under your control. Let them respond to you naturally."

Wanda took a deep breath. Scarlet energy flowed from her fingertips, probing toward the golden runes like a living creature.

The instant they made contact, the entire training room warped for a moment, and the walls rippled like liquid.

"I... I did it?" Wanda looked at her hands in surprise.

"No. You were only imitating it." Xiao Han shook his head.

"True Reality Warping does not need runes for guidance. Close your eyes and imagine what you want to change."

Wanda closed her eyes again, her brow furrowing slightly.

A few seconds later, the air before her suddenly rippled, and a red teacup slowly took shape. Traditional Sokovian patterns were printed along its surface.

"Very good."

Xiao Han picked up the teacup and gave it a light squeeze. It instantly dissolved into countless motes of light.

"But remember, creating something from nothing consumes a great deal of energy. Before you can fully control it, it's best to start by changing objects that already exist."

He snapped his fingers, and a metal target rose from the center of the training room. "Try turning it into something else."

Wanda focused, and scarlet energy surged toward the target.

The metal surface began to writhe, gradually transforming into an enormous steel rose, its petal edges sharp as blades.

"Not bad." Xiao Han gave her an encouraging smile.

"Now make it fly."

Wanda moved her fingers slightly, and the steel rose slowly rose into the air. But two meters above the ground, it suddenly went out of control and spun toward the wall. Xiao Han raised a hand, and a golden barrier blocked it.

"Your control still isn't good enough." He walked to Wanda's side and gently rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Feel the flow of energy. It should be as natural as breathing."

Wanda's shoulders trembled slightly, sweat sliding down her cheeks. "It's too hard. It always wants to break free..."

"Because you're afraid." Xiao Han's voice suddenly softened.

"Chaos Magic amplifies emotions, especially negative ones. The more afraid you are of losing control, the more violent it becomes."

Wanda looked up at him in confusion. "How do you know I'm afraid?"

Xiao Han pointed at the Mind Stone necklace on her chest. "It tells me. Every time you use your abilities, memories from your childhood surface—pain, anger, helplessness. All of it affects you."

Wanda bit her lower lip, and scarlet energy began to stir restlessly around her without her realizing it.

"Look at me."

Xiao Han looked directly into her eyes. "Those experiences made you who you are, but they should not define you. Pain can become strength, but it must never become shackles."

The training room fell into brief silence.

Outside the window, waves gently lapped against the shore, their steady rhythm seeming to soothe her.

"Try again."

Xiao Han finally said, waving a hand to reset the metal target. "This time, don't think about controlling the magic. Guide it instead."

Wanda took a deep breath and slowly raised both hands.

This time, the scarlet energy was no longer violent. It gently wrapped around the target like a thin mist.

Ripples spread across the metal surface, gradually transforming it into a lifelike red bird. It flapped into the air, circled the training room once, then landed steadily on Wanda's outstretched finger.

"I succeeded?" Wanda stared at the little bird on her fingertip in disbelief.

The corner of Xiao Han's mouth lifted. "Better than you imagined. Now, make it sing."

Wanda wrinkled her nose. "Isn't that asking a bit much?"

The red bird suddenly tilted its head and let out a string of clear chirps, perfectly recreating the folk song Wanda's mother had often hummed when Wanda was little.

Wanda's eyes instantly filled with tears. The red bird dissolved into scarlet motes of light, but the smile on her face lingered for a long time.

"Remember this feeling." Xiao Han's voice carried a rare gentleness.

"Magic comes from emotion, but it needs reason to wield it. Keep practicing. We'll continue tomorrow."

He turned and walked toward the door.

"Xiao Han." Wanda suddenly called after him.

"Thank you... not just for the training."

Xiao Han did not turn back, only waving a hand. "Keep it up. Tomorrow will be harder."

As the training room door softly closed, Wanda lowered her head to look at the Mind Stone on her chest, her fingertips lightly brushing its surface.

The Stone glowed faintly, as if responding to her touch.

"Turing?" she called softly.

"At your service, Miss Maximoff." The AI butler's voice immediately sounded.

"Can you help me find some Sokovian folk songs? The kind... my mother used to sing."

"Of course. Thirty-seven traditional folk songs have been found. Would you like them played now?"

Wanda nodded and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window. The setting sun spilled over the sea, dyeing the entire world a warm orange-red.

A gentle melody flowed through the room—a tune she had thought she had long forgotten.

Surrounded by the notes, Wanda felt for the first time that the pain buried deep in her heart no longer seemed quite so heavy.

Meanwhile, Xiao Han lay on a sun lounger on the villa's top-floor terrace, gazing out at the gradually darkening horizon.

The Mind Stone he had brought back from the Zombie Universe floated in his hand, but his thoughts drifted somewhere far more distant.