"H... ho...w"
The Lizard, Dr. Connors, stared at the massive hole in his chest, his eyes dimming.
"This... how is this possible?"
He stumbled backward a few steps before collapsing heavily onto the ground. Green blood seeped through the cracked pavement.
"You... you can do that too?" Wanda looked at Cassius in disbelief. This only added another thick layer of mystery to the already enigmatic man. At the same time, it gave him an ineffable charm.
She had thought Cassius was only strong in physical power and magic, but she was now seeing that this was just one small part of him. She didn't understand him at all; he was far more mysterious than she had ever imagined.
He was a mountain climber, an entrepreneur, an acquaintance of Tony Stark, and a self-made man. He understood magic, knew about Chaos Magic, and had an ancient energy within him. She had thought that was the limit, but the laser beam he had just fired completely redefined her perception of him. She could feel the power contained within that beam.
"Are you really not a superhero?!" Gwen was in shock. She looked at the calm Cassius with adoration. "What you just did was so cool! How did you do that laser beam?!" She gestured excitedly as she spoke, still stunned by what she had just witnessed.
"Talent." Cassius took his hand out of his pocket and ruffled Gwen's excited head. "Want to learn? I can teach you!"
"Ahem, Cassius, you can leave this to others to handle."
Just then, Wanda inexplicably interrupted their conversation. For some reason, seeing the two of them being so intimate made her feel uncomfortable all over. Especially the familiar head-ruffling; she had thought that was her exclusive thing. But now that Cassius was doing it to someone else, she felt a mix of emotions. However, she knew they weren't doing anything too out of line.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a deafening explosion came from a building in the distance. The ground trembled slightly from the huge blast.
"Oh no!" Gwen's face went pale when she heard the noise. "I forgot about the main problem!"
"What's wrong?" Wanda asked, frowning as she looked at the situation in the distance.
"The Lizard plans to spread a gas filled with a mutating substance all over New York, turning everyone into a mutant!" Gwen said, then she ran and leaped, swinging toward the building. She knew that if the gas cylinder exploded, no one in New York would be spared. This was Dr. Connors's goal: to turn everyone into a reptile monster!
"Let's go! We're going too!" Cassius moved, and he and Wanda quickly flew toward the location.
The first floor of the towering skyscraper was engulfed in flames, and explosions could be heard from time to time. The massive flames spread out in all directions, with thick smoke filling the air. The terrifying heat distorted the air. Black smoke billowed out of the building, staining the surrounding walls black. The sky was covered in thick smoke, and mixed in with the flames and heat waves was a strange green fog.
"Help! Call the fire department!"
"Someone save my children, they're still inside!"
"Don't hold me back! I have to go in and save my wife!"
"Where's the fire hydrant? Someone help!"
The crowd outside the building was screaming and running in a panic. Many of them had been hiding in the building to escape the Lizard's rampage. They never expected an explosion to happen.
Because of the stampede, many people were left inside the building. The people outside were wailing. Some tried to rush inside but were forced back by the scorching flames and suffocating black smoke.
"I have to put out the fire! Otherwise, the flames and the green fog will spread to all of New York!" Gwen stood on top of a building, looking around nervously for a water tank. If she didn't hurry, even if the people inside survived the fire, they would still be infected by the green fog and turn into reptile monsters!
"Wanda?" Cassius noticed that Wanda's expression was dazed, her face a mix of fear and hesitation.
"Cassius, the fire's too big, I can't do it!" Wanda's voice trembled as the scene in front of her overlapped with her memories. She wasn't sure if she could do it, and what if she couldn't...
During the mission in Germany, her mistake caused the building to explode. The explosion had also caused a fire, but she wasn't able to put it out.
"You can do it." Cassius held her shoulders, his expression encouraging. "Chaos Magic can destroy everything, but it can also create everything."
"You're right! I can definitely do it!" Wanda felt his warmth and trust, and her missing confidence returned. She took a deep breath and walked slowly toward the fire. Her determined figure was a stark contrast to the panicked crowd.
"What is she doing?" Gwen asked, confused. If she remembered correctly, Wanda shouldn't be able to put out fires.
"She's going to save them." Cassius hoped this event would help Wanda overcome her inner demons. If she didn't face her fear, she would always be consumed by it. And this was the perfect opportunity!
"Who is that? Why is she walking toward the fire?"
"I remember now, that woman is the Scarlet Witch!"
"Why is she here?! Is she trying to kill the people inside too?!"
"Oh God, a superhero is finally here! Please save my children!"
"But what's the point of her being here? She's just a mass murderer!"
"Shut up, no one's perfect. Right now, she's all we've got!"
"That's right, the Scarlet Witch has saved New York before!"
The murmurs from the crowd made Wanda's determined steps falter. What if I mess up again?
"Don't be afraid. How many famous people in the world don't have haters?"
"Look at Tony Stark; he's had so many rumors about him, and he's still doing fine!" Cassius said, making an inappropriate joke.
He understood Wanda's fragile mind. She was a sensitive and insecure, a pitiful person. Her parents died when she was young, and she and her brother relied on each other, barely surviving in war.
After years of seeking revenge, she finally made it to America, only for her brother to die. No one could accept something like that. And because of this, Chaos Magic would infinitely magnify her vulnerable side.
"Cassius, you're right." Wanda's eyes became more determined. She looked at Cassius with a deep gaze and muttered in a voice only she could hear, "I still have you."
BOOM!
Another explosion occurred in the fiery building. The people trapped inside screamed in despair. Wanda's expression hardened as she took off her hoodie and threw her baseball cap on the ground. At this moment, she mustered her courage and revealed her true face. All eyes were on the Scarlet Witch.
Swoosh!
She held out her hands, her clothes fluttering in the wind. A scarlet light, like a flowing aurora, surrounded her. Wanda floated into the air, enveloped by the scarlet light.