The next day,
Warm sunlight slipped through the curtains, settling across Wanda's face. She stirred, lashes fluttering as she slowly woke. For a moment, she stayed still, confused by the soft sheets and clean scent of the room around her.
This wasn't home.
This wasn't the ruined apartment in Sokovia.
She sat up quickly, heartbeat rising as last night's memories hit her—
the power erupting out of her, the soldiers, the red energy freezing everything,
and the man who appeared out of nowhere… and her brother—
Pietro.
Her expression tightened.
Where was he?
She swung her legs off the bed and stood up, still a little unsteady. She looked around the neatly arranged bedroom one more time, nerves tightening with each second.
She had to find Pietro.
Without wasting another moment, Wanda rushed to the door, pulled it open, and stepped into the hallway—determined to find answers and her brother before panic fully set in.
As Wanda stepped into the hallway, she froze.
Pietro was in the middle of doing push-ups on the living-room floor — fast, competitive, and very obviously losing.
Surrounding him were three women watching with varying degrees of amusement, and beside them stood the same man from last night… casually flexing his fingers like he'd just won something important.
"You little brat," Luke said, full of smug satisfaction. "Did you really think you could beat me in arm-wrestling?"
Pietro huffed, still pushing himself up. "You cheated! You didn't mention you had… I don't know… inhuman strength!"
"No," Luke corrected, pointing at him. "You're dumb enough not to ask. I'm smart enough to hide it."
The women snickered. Pietro groaned. Luke looked unbearably pleased with himself.
Wanda stared, not sure whether to panic or be confused.
These people weren't threatening her brother.
They weren't interrogating him.
They weren't even hostile.
The whole atmosphere felt more like… teasing siblings than captors.
"Brother…?" Wanda said softly.
Pietro's head snapped up.
"Wanda!"
He immediately jumped to his feet — abandoning the push-ups entirely — and hurried over, relief washing across his face.
"You're awake! Finally," he said, checking her over as if she might disappear. "Are you okay? Nothing hurts? No weird glowing this time?"
Wanda nodded slowly, still taking in the scene.
Whatever she expected… it wasn't this.
Luke glanced at her, completely unfazed.
"Morning. You caused a little mess yesterday, so I brought you somewhere safe."
"Where am I?" Wanda asked, her voice small, unsure.
Luke raised a hand casually, gesturing around the apartment.
"New York. My home. And trust me… you have a lot to catch up on."
Wanda looked at the bright, modern room — polished floors, massive windows showing the skyline, furniture way too expensive for anything she'd ever seen.
All of them settled into the living room.
Selene, Alice, and Jill sat together on one side of the large sectional sofa.
Pietro and Wanda sat opposite them, Wanda still clutching the blanket she'd brought from the bedroom.
Luke remained standing in the center of the room like a teacher about to start a lesson.
"I'll only explain this once," Luke said, clapping his hands lightly. "So listen carefully, or you're going to be confused later."
The room lights dimmed automatically.
A soft hum filled the space as blue projections blossomed around Luke — floating Earths, branching universes, stars, cosmic pathways extending outward like a web. The entire living room transformed into a holographic cosmos.
Pietro's jaw dropped.
Wanda stared, mesmerized.
Selene leaned back, unbothered — she'd seen Luke pull off wilder things.
Alice and Jill sat straighter, curious.
Luke gestured at the projections.
"First thing you two need to understand: there are forces far, far beyond normal human comprehension. Powers that don't just break rules — they rewrite them."
The projections shifted.
Earths warped into impossible shapes. Reality twisted like liquid. Stars blinked out and reappeared in different positions.
"These powers exist across worlds, across dimensions, across the multiverse," Luke continued. "Some of them are harmless. Some are useful. And…"
He tapped the air, and the projection zoomed in on a swirling red sphere made of unstable symbols.
"…some are so dangerous that entire civilizations hunt them, study them, or fear them."
The red sphere pulsed violently.
"Chaos Magic," Luke said, looking directly at Wanda. "An ancient force. Pure, unfiltered creation and destruction. Reality doesn't bend around it — it obeys it."
"Chaos Magic isn't like fire, lightning, telekinesis, or anything mankind calls 'powers.' It is older than planets. Older than time. And usually? It either destroys the wielder… or turns them into something dangerous without them even noticing."
The projection of the red sphere cracked apart, sending ripples through the entire holographic cosmos. Entire planets in the display shattered like fragile ornaments, dissolving into red dust.
Luke pointed straight at Wanda.
"And this magic now lives in you."
Wanda blinked, stunned.
"M–me?"
"Yes," Luke said. "Last night triggered the awakening. You remember how everything froze around you? Time, bullets, fire… all of reality stopped."
Wanda whispered, "Then… I'm dangerous?"
Luke frowned. "When did I say you are dangerous?"
Wanda hesitated. "…Didn't you just—?"
"No," Luke cut in. "I said the power in you is dangerous. Not you."
Pietro lifted a hand. "Actually, I'm pretty sure—"
"Shut up, Pietro," Luke said without looking at him.
Pietro shut up.
Luke sighed and continued. "Chaos Magic can make a user lose their mind, sure. It can overwhelm you. Twist your emotions. Break your sense of reality. If you let it."
Wanda swallowed hard.
"But," Luke added, "if you control it, you can do anything. And I mean anything. Rewrite matter, bend probability, reshape reality… power most beings in the universe only dream about."
Wanda didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified.
Luke spread his hands. "And that's why you two are staying with us from now on. I'll help you control it."
Wanda just sat there, confused, overwhelmed, unsure what emotion to pick out of the thousand swirling inside her.
Luke clapped once. "Alright. That's the lecture."
He turned to the women.
"Ladies, take Wanda out for clothes and anything else she needs. The essentials. The non-essentials. Whatever. Use this."
He tossed a black card to Selene.
No logo. No bank name. Just unlimited credit — courtesy of Red Queen and White Queen, who were always hacking something out of boredom.
Selene caught it, smiling lightly.
Alice nodded.
Jill stretched, already getting up.
Wanda pointed at herself weakly. "…Shopping?"
Selene gently took her hand. "Yes. Trust me, you need it."
As they led her toward the door, Wanda paused, glancing back at Luke.
Luke turned to Pietro.
"Alright, speedster," he said, cracking his neck. "Come on. We're going to get a new house."
"A… house?" Pietro echoed.
"A big one," Luke said. "Family's getting bigger."
Family?
Is he… including us in that?
She didn't understand any of this yet — not the magic, not the danger, not why this stranger cared enough to take them in.
But she followed the three women out of the room anyway, still dazed.
Pietro blinked, still mentally catching up.
"…Wait. Family?"
Luke smirked. "Don't overthink it."
And with that, he headed for the balcony.
*****
A/N: If you'd like to read chapters ahead of the Webnovel release schedule, you can join my Patreon!
The Patreon version is already updated up to Chapter 173.
👉 patreon.com/Universal_Peace