The Porsche rolled down the secluded dirt path and came to a stop near the back gate of the compound.
Holden scanned the tree line and spotted a woman in a baseball cap and oversized hoodie cautiously stepping out from behind an oak tree.
She had left her signature red coat behind today.
Beneath the brim of her hat, her eyes were swimming with melancholy and exhaustion.
Holden could tell just by looking at her that she wasn’t afraid of him—she was terrified of the protesters.
Just like the rabid lunatics he had run into moments ago, the mob outside wanted nothing more than to tear her apart alive.
After making sure the protesters in the distance were still completely distracted beating each other to a pulp, Wanda jogged over and quickly slipped into the passenger seat.
Phew~ Once the door clicked shut, the heavy tension on Wanda’s face melted away, and she let out a long, shaky breath.
She would much rather deal with Holden than those protesters.
Every time she saw their twisted, hateful faces, a chaotic mix of guilt and sorrow churned in her chest.
“It’s okay.
They didn’t see you,” Holden said gently, unable to help but comfort her when he saw how rattled she was.
“You’re not exactly a saint, but…
thank you.” Because right in the middle of this nightmare, Holden was still choosing to stand by her side.
Even though his mouth could be absolutely infuriating, he genuinely cared about her.
From the very beginning, he had unhesitatingly chosen her.
He had even been ready to step out of his car and physically fight a mob just to defend her.
That realization brought a small, undeniable flutter of warmth to her chest.
Outside of the Avengers, Holden was the only person in the world who seemed to care about her.
Even when she was blackout drunk and making a fool of herself, his first instinct had been to help her.
And now, even with the entire world cursing her name, his stance hadn’t wavered for a single second.
“Oh?” Holden’s lips curled into a wicked smirk.
“I’m not a saint?” “Stop acting.” Wanda pursed her lips and shot him an annoyed glare.
“The only reason you came looking for me is because you want to do that again.” Men only ever had one thing on their minds.
What other possible reason could he have for calling her out here?
“My little witch, your mind is way too dirty.
Who do you think I am?” Holden reached over and playfully ruffled her head.
“You know what they say—what you see in others is just a reflection of what’s in your own head!
I’m actually here on serious business!” “Serious business?” Wanda batted his hand away, tilting her head with intense suspicion.
“I called you out here to teach you how to master your Chaos Magic!” Holden didn’t beat around the bush, directly stating his true purpose.
“Chaos Magic?” Confusion clouded Wanda’s blue eyes.
It was her very first time hearing the term.
“That’s the name of your power.” Holden suddenly realized that Wanda currently had absolutely no idea what the terrifying energy inside her actually was.
“Chaos Magic?
My powers?” Wanda stared at him blankly.
“You…
you can teach me how to control it?” She had been desperately trying to master her abilities for ages, but nothing she tried ever seemed to work.
“I’m not completely sure yet!” Holden flashed a wicked grin, his eyes raking over Wanda’s heavily layered outfit.
“Though it looked like you had something else in mind just now.” Wanda’s cheeks flushed pink.
Wasn’t he basically calling her a pervert?
She stole a cautious glance at his face.
Truthfully, she didn’t hate the guy; things had just moved way too fast between them.
“Alright, alright.” Holden gently pulled her a bit closer and ruffled her hair.
“I’ll stop teasing.
Let’s head to my place first.” With that, he shifted gears and drove back toward his estate.
He had initially thought about telling Tony that he could help Wanda stabilize her powers, but it wasn’t the right time yet.
He still wasn’t entirely sure if his method would work, so he was simply treating this as a trial run.
Inside the understatedly luxurious master bedroom of the estate, Wanda sat on the edge of the pristine white mattress, her head bowed as she fidgeted nervously.
Ever since she got into his car, explicit flashbacks of last night had been relentlessly assaulting her mind.
The clearer the memories became, the harder it was to banish the vivid details.
Being back in his bedroom was making her heart race so wildly she could practically hear it echoing in the quiet space.
Holden pulled up a chair and sat directly across from her.
He was close enough that Wanda could catch the faint, masculine scent of his cologne.
“Wanda, before we begin, I need to ask you a question,” Holden said, sitting up straight and locking eyes with her striking blue ones, his expression turning serious.
“Go ahead…” Wanda murmured.
She was still a bundle of nerves, and seeing this normally shameless guy acting so serious was honestly throwing her off.
“What exactly do you think your powers are?” Holden paused before adding, “A mutation?
A type of energy?
What exactly did it do to you?” Wanda fell silent, thinking it over.
“I…
I think it’s just some kind of energy.
Back in the labs, HYDRA injected an unknown power into my body.
I can summon it, and it constantly regenerates.
It’s even subconsciously altering my physical body over time.
But…
it’s so hard to control.
It constantly feeds off my emotions.” If she could just freely manipulate the power inside her, she wouldn’t feel so incredibly helpless all the time.
“Chaos Magic does indeed influence the mind, but it is far more than just raw energy.
It is one of the most ancient forms of magic in existence,” Holden explained gently.
Wanda’s inability to control it wasn’t for a lack of trying; Chaos Magic was inherently chaotic and virtually impossible to fully tame.
The only way to master it was to continuously strengthen one’s own mental fortitude and control, actively suppressing the risk of a catastrophic outburst.
If she didn’t, she would eventually hit a breaking point.
A single moment of emotional collapse could allow the Chaos Magic to completely erode her mind, twisting her into a dark reflection of herself.
Holden remembered exactly how her story played out in the original timeline—the Scarlet Witch was entirely consumed by the Darkhold and Chaos Magic, ultimately turning her into a terrifying villain.
“Are you saying the thing inside me is…
magic?” Wanda furrowed her brow, her tone laced with disbelief.
To her, it had always just been a scientific anomaly.
The concept of actual ‘magic’ sounded way too much like a fairy tale.
Instead of arguing, Holden simply nodded with absolute certainty and reached out, gently wrapping his hands around hers.
The sudden contact made Wanda’s heart skip a beat, her body instantly tensing up.
“W-What are you doing?!” Her face flared crimson, a slight tremble running through her frame.
Her body still hadn’t fully recovered from yesterday’s ‘lesson’.
“Don’t be nervous.
Just relax and follow my lead,” Holden said, his gaze warm and reassuring.
That gentle look inexplicably calmed her racing heart, making her instinctively trust him.
Holden took a deep breath, a fiery light igniting in the depths of his eyes.
Vmmmm!
A surge of crimson, fiery energy radiated from his palms.
The moment the Phoenix Force flared to life, the Chaos Magic lying dormant inside Wanda was instantly awakened.
Without her even consciously directing it, scarlet mist seeped from her fingertips.
The Chaos Magic and the Phoenix Force began to entwine and merge, spiraling around each other like ascending vines.
An incredibly profound, mystical sensation washed over Wanda’s heart.
“This…” Wanda’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief as she stared at the man in front of her.
As their energies blended perfectly, an overwhelming sense of intimacy swelled within her chest.
It was a bizarre, indescribable emotion—far deeper than friendship, different from family.
It was an absolute, unwavering trust.
She stared into Holden’s handsome face, taking in his sharp jawline and deep-set eyes.
He was undeniably striking, and right now, looking at him made her heart flutter wildly.
Her gaze turned soft, almost hazy, as if she were melting into a puddle right there on the bed.
“Wanda, your eyes are looking a little dangerous right now,” Holden teased, snapping her out of her daze.
“N-No they aren’t!” Wanda squeaked, her voice pitching up in panic.
But the heavy blush on her face and her flimsy denial completely betrayed her.
“Alright, silly.
Focus on our hands,” Holden chuckled, lightly tapping the bridge of her nose.
Because the Phoenix Force and Chaos Magic inherently recognized one another, and thanks to his mastery over magic, Holden was able to effortlessly draw out the chaotic energy inside her just by holding her hands.
As the two magical forces merged, a scarlet tide rapidly expanded outward, washing over the entire room like a rippling aurora.
Bzzzt!
The modern, luxurious bedroom began to transform right before their eyes.
It was as if time itself was rapidly rewinding.
The sleek furniture morphed into vintage, retro pieces.
The glowing scarlet light accelerated the shift, completely transforming the room into something straight out of a mid-century sitcom.
“This isn’t an illusion…
this is reality,” Wanda breathed, her voice trembling slightly.
Even though it defied all logic, her senses screamed that everything around her was absolutely real.
It was flawless.
Every single object had been physically altered at a molecular level, as if they had always existed this way.
And what shocked her the most was the realization that she was the one doing this.
This entire scene was being forged by the power currently flowing out of her!
It took Wanda a long time to find her voice again.
“Holden…
how did you do this?” she asked, her chest heaving with rapid breaths.
Holden’s lips curled into a confident smile.
“This is Chaos Magic.”