The morning light filtered through the curtains and spilled into the room. Wanda, dressed in a loose nightgown, paced anxiously by the window. Miss Witch went left to right and right to left in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, a curtain of her red hair cascading over her shoulders. When the sunlight hit her, she looked like a mermaid swimming in the sea.
"I'm kind of confused right now, do you understand? As soon as I focus my attention on the Chaotic Power, I get the viewpoint of another person. I've never had this feeling before, my brain feels like it's been split in half."
"Wanda, Wanda!" Jarvis, clad only in sleep pants, sat on the edge of the bed and called out to her. Seeing that his calls did nothing to stop his girlfriend from pacing restlessly like a carpet mower, he reached out and gently tugged at her arm.
"Oh, darling."
Wanda placed her hand in Jarvis's, pushing her long hair behind her with her other hand. "I'm incredibly worried. Not only because this viewpoint confuses me, but crucially, I swear I heard that terrifying whisper. It was just like the one we experienced in that dreadful cosmos!"
Wanda covered her eyes with her slender fingers. "It looks like one of my followers and his friend deliberately summoned those terrifying beings and somehow involved Helen. If anything happens to her, Asgard will certainly hold Professor Charles responsible."
"Stop, Wanda, this isn't your fault. You just happened to be there when things unfolded and you volunteered to investigate."
"But I could have stopped things from getting worse!" Jarvis led Wanda to sit beside him. Despite this, her nervous and anxious demeanor didn't change. "I should have paid more attention to Xeseon's situation, that way I could have noticed when he lent the Chaotic Power to someone else."
"But lately... I've just been too busy." Wanda shook her head, glancing sideways at Jarvis through her parted hair.
Indeed, she had been busy lately. After sharing a crisis, deepening their understanding, and becoming familiar with each other's lifestyle, the confirmed young pair inevitably became increasingly emotional in a brief time. The world of those in the throes of love contained only each other.
Wanda was always someone who cherished a stable life and believed the purpose of life was to establish a perfect, happy family. Once she found love, she would rather abandon everything else to uphold it. In recent times, she and Jarvis hadn't parted. She hadn't the energy to manage other affairs. Her days were spent solely in the company of her loved one.
Jarvis covered Wanda's hand with his, then took one of her hands to his knee. He turned to face Miss Witch and said, "You're blaming yourself because your negligence has put others at risk, be it Helen or Charles. But you don't actually care. Your anxiety doesn't stem from guilt."
Wanda appeared shocked, and then anger flushed her beautiful features. About to retort vehemently, Jarvis spoke in a calm tone, "What truly causes your anxiety is the disruption of your life's rhythm. If something happens to Helen, you'd have to spend time explaining to Asgard and if Asgardians cause troubles for Professor Charles, you would need to find a way to protect him and argue your case."
"Deep down, you don't want to deal with these matters. You think these social engagements are unnecessary and a waste of time. If not for the potential alienation caused by the disasters you cause, you'd feel that apologizing to anyone you've hurt is a waste of time."
Wanda froze before becoming panicked. She abruptly stood by the bed, turned her back to Jarvis, bracing her arms, tensed in a defensive posture. "No, Jarvis! You can't...you can't talk about me this way, could it be...could it be..."
"Could it be that an objective, rational analysis of yourself is something you can't accept?"
"But you're not my therapist!"
"Indeed, I'm not. However, this won't prevent you from visiting our good doctor. Sooner or later, you will, you know."
"But nobody is telling me to see a therapist, and Pietro and I don't need it. We're healthy!"
"That's only in comparison to those with more serious untreated illnesses. As they get better day by day, your differences will be highlighted. Do you think our doctor would let that slide?"
Wanda stood silently, her aura and posture betraying her panic. She tightened her lips and said, "I'm not mentally ill! I'm not Erik or Lorna. I can control myself!"
"Nobody is saying that you can't, my dear. It's just that certain expressions of a lack of empathy might stem from hereditary lineage."
"I didn't inherit anything from him!!" Wanda practically shrieked. "I'm not like them. I'm normal. I can fit into society!"
"I'm sorry, Wanda. If the way I phrased it made you think I was diagnosing you with a mental illness, it was my mistake."
Wanda spun around abruptly, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked at Jarvis. "You can't coldly scrutinize me like they do and judge that I must be crazy because of my background. I thought you wouldn't do that!"
"I wasn't doing that." Jarvis remained calm throughout, a demeanor that had a strong persuasive power. Taking several deep breaths, Wanda leaned on the bedpost and asked, "Then what exactly are you trying to say? Is the reason for my anxiety that important?"
"If you know that you're not anxious because you're hurting others, then there's no need to worry, because your life's rhythm won't be disrupted. We have better ways to solve problems than simply waiting for disaster to strike and repairing the damage in frustration."
Wanda stared blankly into Jarvis's eyes. His words made her realize his diagnosis wasn't meant to criticize her.
"Don't you think I'm heartless, cold, almost like a monster?"
"I'm a robot," Jarvis spun slightly around, placed both hands on his knees, and looked up at Wanda who was standing, saying in a very indifferent manner, "If we are comparing degrees of ruthlessness, I'm probably several billion times that of yours."
"So…" Wanda drew in a deep breath, unconsciously gripping the hem of her nightgown as she held her hands down. She licked her lips, uncertain about whether to voice her thoughts. However, under the calm yet forceful gaze of Jarvis, she capitulated and spoke.
"Alright, I know that both my brother and I are the same, that accursed bloodline of Erik didn't leave a bit of good in us. We both have parts of us that are very similar to him, the most crucial being...we are actually quite selfish."
"I don't really care what this world becomes, nor do I care about the fate of those friends I normally treat with kindness. If they die because of me, I might feel guilty...
"...or perhaps I wouldn't. I never mourned for anyone."
"My mind is filled to the brim with thoughts of the future. I hardly have any space left to care about others. Do you think this is heartless of me?"
"As I've mentioned, Miss, you can't debate the severity of your ruthlessness with a robot." Jarvis once again pressed his hand on top of Wanda's and said, "To me, even the most ruthless human brain seems like a honey jar filled with complex connections."
Wanda suddenly laughed. She withdrew her hand from under Jarvis's, then placed it back again. She said, "Then your creator, Tony Stark, must be like a honey swimming pool."
"A modest estimation, Miss, he's more like the honey pacific."
Half an hour later, Stark stood in front of the French windows in his office, his hands akimbo, and sighed at Wanda and Jarvis standing hand-in-hand before him.
"So let me get this straight, someone has landed us in hot water, you guys failed to rectify the situation in time, endangering Helen, and now you hope I can handle all the social troubled stirred up by the repercussions?'
Stark's mouth opened and closed, finally saying, "Ignoring the question of whether your course of action was appropriate after running into trouble, why would you think I can handle two, possibly three, furious women? Oh, that includes Frigga, too."
"The damage is not done yet." Jarvis took a step forward and said, "Wanda is capable of establishing a link with a contractor of Chaotic Power and gets a\ view of her situation. So far, Helen Stark is healthy. It's just that the condition of her companion and the atmosphere of the universe they are in are making Wanda uncomfortable."
"Another universe…" Stark mulled over the term before saying, "Alright, if I have to choose one of the three angry women to stand on our side, I'd definitely choose Loki. After all, she might just be an angry person, not an angry woman."
"I think he knows." Wanda began," I saw the situation there in the eyes of the contractor. He was watching closely from not far away."
"Then he's definitely dealing with Frigga right now, because Helen is supposed to be in Asgard with her grandmother this weekend."
Before Stark could finish speaking, a portal abruptly opened in another corner of the office. A staff-brandishing Loki rushed out of the portal and said, "Quickly, go to Nick's place! Helen has gone to another universe, we must get her back before she causes trouble."
About fifteen minutes later, in the office of Nick from S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick,Natasha, and Coulson were all gathered, sitting on the wide couch. Loki was sitting on the single couch across from them. He looked somewhat distant, probably communicating with Thor through divine power.
There was a huge projection screen on one side of the room. Stark, Jarvis and Wanda were fiddling with a device at the office desk.
Jarvis carefully placed a patch on Wanda's forehead, reassuring a nervous Wanda, "We're just sharing your brain's visual perception, don't worry. Although projecting images using The power of Scarlet is also possible, it might be tiring for you."
"Thank you, but that's not what I'm nervous about." Wanda took a deep breath and said, "The conditions of that universe are a bit strange, or you can say too strange. You guys will know soon."
At this moment, the door was knocked. Professor X and Magneto came in together with Polaris Lorna and Quicksilver Pietro trailing them.
As soon as Professor X wheeled himself in, he looked at Wanda with concern, saying, "Are you alright? I heard you've linked with someone in another universe. Erik and I are both worried about you."
Wanda seemed a bit ill at ease. She gripped her clothes and said, "I might have caused some trouble…"
"While we are indeed worried about Helen, it doesn't mean we aren't concerned about your condition. Are you okay, Wanda?"
On the surface, Wanda nodded, but she couldn't help thinking in despair, why are all the people she knows so emotionally intelligent?
At this point, Miss Witch sneaked a glance at Erik, then felt a little bit at ease. Good thing, she wasn't the one at the bottom.