After the morning incident, Luke buried himself in work.
Most of it revolved around Wanda. He couldn't afford to leave her alone—not even for a moment. Chaos magic wasn't just dangerous; it was unstable on a fundamental level.
In the Marvel multiverse, it sat near the top of the list of things that could spiral out of control fast. Without proper guidance, Wanda wasn't just a danger to herself—she could become a danger to everyone around her without ever meaning to.
As for Esdeath sneaking into his bed that morning… Luke didn't have much of a defense.
He wouldn't lie to himself and say he hadn't enjoyed it. The problem wasn't the closeness—it was everything that came with her. Esdeath wasn't the type to share.
Possession, to her, wasn't a metaphor; it was a rule. That was why friction with Selene, Alice, and Jill was inevitable. The others could coexist. They understood boundaries, compromises, balance. Esdeath didn't.
And force wasn't an option.
Luke knew that better than anyone. The last time he'd tried to push back too hard, the result had nearly rewritten the local ecosystem. Ice, fire, lightning—entire stretches of the world reduced to collateral.
If he treated her like an enemy, she'd respond like one, and that would turn her into a walking catastrophe. An uncontrollable variable he really didn't want added to Earth's growing list of problems.
So patience it was.
As long as she didn't cross certain lines, he'd tolerate her presence. Keep her from deciding that conquest—personal or planetary—was a good way to pass the time.
It wasn't ideal.
But until he figured out a better solution, managing Esdeath carefully was far safer than trying to overpower her.
Then something occurred to him.
Luke paused and opened the Companion Module. It could display the current power and condition of anyone bound to him. He hadn't planned to use it on her—but curiosity, and a growing sense of danger, won out.
Before he even opened the full panel, one number caught his eye.
Favorability: 99
Luke froze.
"…Fuck me," he muttered. "She's completely obsessed."
That explained everything.
With a tired sigh, he added Esdeath properly to the module. The interface flickered for a moment, then displayed her data.
[Companion Status – Registered]
Name: Esdeath
Race: Arch Human
Title: Avatar of Domination
---
Physical Parameters
Defense: Nuclear-level
Physical Power: Overwhelming
Speed: Hypersonic+ (combat-level, reaction-based)
Durability: Extreme (capable of enduring city–level destruction without injury)
Raw Strength Feat: Capable of leveling large structures through physical force alone
---
Energy Level
Continental-class (⚠ steadily increasing)
Energy output shows abnormal growth rate even without active combat
---
Talents
Reality Domination (Unawakened)
• Latent ability to impose will over environment and battlefield laws
• Currently manifests indirectly through overwhelming pressure and fear
---
Skills
Advanced Ice Manipulation
Extreme Cold Control
• Temperature control far below conventional limits
Absolute Zero
• Can reduce targeted areas to near-zero molecular motion
• Effectively freezes energy flow, movement, and reactions
Ice Construct Creation
• Weapons, restraints, terrain alteration
Battlefield Suppression
• Passive pressure that weakens enemies' morale and movement
Cold Domain Expansion (Passive)
• Surroundings gradually shift toward sub-zero conditions during combat
***
'Wow… her stats are almost on my level,' Luke thought, genuinely unsettled.
His gaze lingered on one line in particular.
Avatar of Domination.
Something about that title tugged at his memory. Then it clicked.
The system user he had killed back in the Resident Evil world—also called the Avatar of Evolution.
Luke exhaled slowly.
'So she's like me .An Avatar. Chosen by something… or shaped by something beyond normal rules.'
That explained a lot.
Her abnormal growth.
Her ridiculous power curve.
Even how she had crossed worlds on her own.
His eyes flicked back to the talent list, landing once more on Reality Domination.
That one bothered him.
He didn't know what it truly meant yet—whether it could bend laws, overwrite cause and effect, or impose will directly onto reality itself—but one thing was clear.
Making Esdeath an enemy would be a catastrophic mistake.
Before he could dwell on it—
A presence entered the garden, light footsteps on stone.
Luke turned to see Wanda approaching, her expression cautious but attentive.
"You came at the right time," Luke said, waving her over. "Sit."
He pointed to the mat laid out on the grass.
Wanda hesitated for half a second, then sat down, folding her legs neatly beneath her.
Luke stood in front of her, tone shifting—less casual, more focused.
"Before you even think about controlling your power," he said, "you need to understand what is inside you."
Wanda looked up. "What do you mean?"
Luke didn't sugarcoat it.
"The power you awakened isn't just magic," he said. "It's something older. Rarer. And far more dangerous."
He met her eyes.
"It's called Chaos Power."
Wanda frowned slightly. "Chaos…?"
The word alone made her uneasy.
"That doesn't sound good," she admitted.
Luke nodded. "It isn't. But that doesn't mean you are."
And that distinction—small as it seemed—mattered more than Wanda realized.