Inside the New York Sanctum.
Felicia, who had turned into a puppet cat, hid in a corner and watched the group of children who had suddenly appeared.
"Pietro, go and tell everyone not to run around and not to touch anything."
"That gentleman saved us, we must not cause him trouble."
...
"You all heard. Sit here and wait for the gentleman to return."
"Jenny, put that down."
...
Watching this group of young but extremely obedient children, Felicia was confused.
Meow?
Where did these children come from?
Why were their bodies full of scars?
Who hurt them?
Just as she was thinking about it, she suddenly felt something tighten around her waist, and then her body was lifted into the air.
"Look! A puppet cat!"
Wanda saw her in the corner and picked her up with a smile on her face.
"Pietro! Come here! Doesn't this look like the cat we had when we were little?"
Wanda excitedly waved at her brother to come over.
"Wanda, you just said not to touch anything," Pietro replied with a roll of his eyes.
But when he came closer and saw the snow-white puppet cat, he too was flooded with memories.
Because Wanda was right.
She looked just like the one they had when they were children.
At that time, they lived happily, the two of them, their parents, and the little cat.
Until the grenade with the Stark Industries logo destroyed everything.
"Meow! Meow!"
Of course, Felicia had no idea about their past.
As a human trapped in the body of a puppet, she did not like being held against her will.
"She doesn't seem to like being held," Wanda noticed, sensing the change in her mood. She gently set her back down on the floor.
"Of course she doesn't like it."
At that moment, Aron's voice came from behind them.
After dealing with Baron Strucker, he immediately returned to the New York Sanctum.
"That's because she's not a cat at all."
"Hm?"
"Not a cat?"
Wanda turned around in surprise.
When she saw Aron approaching, she was briefly stunned.
Without blood or dirt on his face, Wanda could now see him clearly, young, handsome.
She remembered how she had just called him "uncle" and blushed slightly.
"Sorry~"
"?"
Aron was confused. He didn't understand why she was apologizing to him.
"Not a cat, but a human?"
Pietro, with silver hair, asked.
"Bingo."
Aron snapped his fingers.
He pulled a small booklet titled Practical Magic for Beginners from his belt and opened it theatrically.
"Cut off the nose of the cursed, pierce a hole with amethyst…"
"Place a caterpillar in the ear of the cursed and let it burrow inside…"
As he read softly to himself, Felicia, still in the form of a puppet cat, began to tremble. Her big blue eyes filled with tears, looking at Aron as if begging for mercy.
"Now you're scared, huh? Will you still mess with other people's things?"
"Meow meow!"
The cat shook her head fiercely.
Satisfied, Aron pulled out a magical card, drew a pattern to break the curse, and threw it at Felicia.
A flash of white light illuminated the room.
Felicia immediately returned to her human form, still in the pose of a cat, kneeling on all fours, not knowing what to do.
"Meow?"
"I think… I'll go clean up!"
Realizing how she looked, she nearly screamed.
Horrified, she quickly gathered herself and ran out of the room.
"..."
Wanda stared at the scene in shock.
She had just turned eighteen, and already the world she knew was beginning to collapse.
"She… she… she…"
She repeated several times, without finishing the thought.
"It's just a little curse," Aron said, then paused.
He realized that the children in front of him, likely held captive by Hydra for a long time, had no idea about the world outside the walls, not about the Chitauri invasion, nor about the existence of magic.
"Do you have anywhere to go?" he asked.
Wanda shook her head. The other children did the same.
"Most of them are orphans," Pietro whispered. "Hydra picked them up during the war in Sokovia."
"Alright… I can find them a place."
Aron wanted to call Coulson, but stopped himself.
Now that SHIELD had been compromised, he had no trust left.
Sending the children back could mean them getting captured again.
He paused, looked at them.
"Do you want to learn magic?"
The children immediately raised their heads. None of them refused.
Even Wanda felt hope.
She and Pietro had voluntarily joined Hydra's experiments, seeking power. And now… a real opportunity was here.
Wanda hesitated, but gathered her courage.
"Aron… can I go with you?"
Pietro was surprised, but when he saw his sister had already made up her mind, he too stepped forward.
Aron looked at them silently.
Then he noticed something.
"Your power has already awakened?"
"Hmm."
Wanda nodded.
Crimson energy flickered in her palm.