Chapter 13: The Confluence of Souls, This is Chaos Magic!

The Cayenne slowly drove down the small road and stopped at the back gate of the compound. Cassius looked around and saw a woman with a baseball cap and a hoodie carefully walking out from behind a tree.

Wanda wasn't wearing her iconic red trench coat today. Her eyes, visible through the gaps in her hair, were filled with melancholy and pain. From her expression, Cassius could tell she wasn't afraid of him, but of the protesters.

Just like the people from before, those crazed people wanted to tear Wanda apart. After confirming that the protesters in the distance were still fighting each other, Wanda jogged to the passenger seat of the car.

Phew...

Once in the car, Wanda's tense expression relaxed, and she let out a long sigh of relief. She would rather face Cassius than those protesters. Every time she saw their distorted faces, her heart was filled with a mix of emotions.

"It's okay, they didn't see you," Cassius said, comforting her as he looked at her.

"Even though you're not a good person, I still want to thank you." She felt a warmth in her heart because Cassius had chosen to stand by her. Even though he said annoying things, he had always cared for her.

From the very beginning, he had always been on her side. He had even been willing to get out of the car to defend her, which made her feel a little warm inside. Cassius was the only person besides the Avengers who cared about her. He was the first person who wanted to help her when she was drunk. And even now, with all the insults being thrown at her, he hadn't wavered.

"Oh?" Cassius's mouth curled into a mischievous smile. "Am I not a good person?"

"Don't pretend! You're only here for one thing!" Wanda glared at Cassius, her lips pursed. Men only ever thought about that one thing. What else could he want from her?

"My little witch, you're a little too dirty-minded. Who thinks like you?" Cassius reached out and ruffled Wanda's hair. "I'm here for something serious."

"What's so serious?" Wanda turned her head and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"I called you out here to teach you how to master Chaos Magic!" Cassius didn't hide his intentions, stating his purpose directly.

"Chaos Magic?" Wanda was confused. This was the first time she had heard that term.

"That's what your powers are!" Cassius realized she didn't know the name of her own power.

"Chaos Magic? My powers?" Wanda asked, stunned. "You can teach me to control them?" She had been trying to control her powers all this time, but she couldn't.

"I'm not sure yet," Cassius said with a mischievous grin, scanning her fully-clothed body. "But it seems you were thinking about something else just now!"

Wanda's cheeks flushed red. He was basically calling her dirty-minded, wasn't he? She cautiously glanced at Cassius's expression. She didn't completely dislike him; it was just that things were moving a little too fast.

"Alright!" Cassius pulled Wanda a little closer and ruffled her hair. "I won't tease you anymore. Let's go to my place first!"

He then started the car and turned towards his mansion. He had initially wanted to tell Tony that he could help Wanda stabilize her powers, but it wasn't the right time. He wasn't sure if he would succeed, so he decided to try first.

.....

At the mansion, in a room with a low-key, luxurious decor, Wanda sat on a white bed, her head down and looking uncomfortable.

Ever since she got in the car, she couldn't stop thinking about what happened last night. The more she remembered, the harder it was to forget. She could even recall every single detail, and being in Cassius's room now made her heart beat faster. In the quiet room, she could even hear her own heartbeat.

Cassius grabbed a chair and sat opposite Wanda. She could smell his cologne with every little movement he made.

"Wanda, before we begin, I want to ask you a question!" Cassius sat up straight, his expression serious as he looked directly into Wanda's blue eyes.

"Okay..." Wanda, who was a little nervous, was not used to Cassius's serious demeanor.

"What do you think your powers are?" Cassius paused. "Are they a mutation? A type of energy? Or have they changed you in some way?"

Wanda thought for a moment. "I... I think they're a type of energy. In the lab, Hydra injected some kind of energy into me. This energy can be moved around at will, it regenerates, and it has subtly changed my body! But it's very hard to control and affects my emotions!"

If she could truly control her powers, she wouldn't feel so helpless.

"Chaos Magic does affect the mind, but it's not just a simple energy. It's an ancient form of magic," Cassius said, trying to explain it as simply as possible.

Wanda couldn't control Chaos Magic because it was a power that couldn't be fully controlled. To control it, she had to constantly practice to suppress the risk of it going out of control. If she didn't, she would eventually reach a breaking point.

When her emotions spiraled, she would be corrupted by Chaos Magic and turn evil. He remembered this was what happened to the Scarlet Witch later on; she was corrupted by Chaos Magic and became a villain.

"You're saying my power is magic?!" Wanda asked, frowning in disbelief. She had always thought of it as a form of energy, unrelated to magic. And the idea of magic sounded too fantastical.

Cassius didn't say anything. Instead, he gave a firm nod and reached out to hold Wanda's hands. His sudden action made Wanda's heart race, and her body stiffened.

"What... what are you doing?!" Her face was flushed, her heart was pounding, and her body was trembling slightly. The events of yesterday hadn't fully healed yet.

"Don't be nervous. Relax and follow me!" Cassius said, looking at her with a gentle gaze. His gentle gaze made Wanda believe him. Cassius took a deep breath, and a fiery light appeared in his eyes.

Buzz!

The next moment, a fiery energy surged from his hands. When the energy appeared, Wanda's Chaos Magic was also awakened. Without her trying to control it, it surged from her palms. The Chaos Magic and the Phoenix Force intertwined and merged, like a vine wrapping around a tree. A mysterious and profound feeling washed over Wanda.

"This..." Wanda's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Cassius. As her energy intertwined with his, she felt an incredibly strong sense of familiarity.

For some reason, she also felt an emotion that was difficult to describe. It was different from the feelings she had for her family or friends; it was a feeling of absolute trust in Cassius.

Even her wary gaze softened completely. She looked at Cassius's handsome face. Even though he had an Asian face, his deep-set eyes and high nose bridge made his features very sharp, and it made her heart flutter. Just looking at him, her eyes became a little dazed. She felt like she was melting, and her focus began to fade.

"Wanda, there's something wrong with your eyes!" Cassius's voice snapped her out of it.

"There isn't!" Wanda said, her voice rising sharply. But her panicked expression and shaky voice betrayed her.

"Alright, you silly girl! Look here!" Cassius gently flicked Wanda's nose, making her look at their intertwined hands.

Since the Phoenix Force and Chaos Magic were familiar with each other and Cassius had a great understanding of magic, he was able to manipulate Wanda's Chaos Magic simply by holding her hands.

As the two magical energies intertwined, they spread out like a scarlet tide, covering the entire room. The scarlet light, like a rippling aurora, engulfed the whole room.

Buzz...

The room began to change at a visible speed, as if time was going backward. The furniture and decorations became more and more retro. As the light flashed, the changes accelerated, and it felt as if they had been transported hundreds of years into the past.

"This isn't an illusion, it's real..." Wanda said, denying what was happening, her voice trembling slightly. But even she could clearly feel that everything happening around them was incredibly real. It was more real than she could have ever imagined, with no flaws to be found. Every object, as it changed, felt like it was meant to be that way.

What shocked her even more was that all of this was being created by her own Chaos Magic! Wanda took a long time to come back to her senses, then asked breathlessly, "Cassius, how did you do this?"

Cassius smirked. "This is Chaos Magic!"