Chapter Forty-Nine: A Soul Illuminated by Reality

"Eh—I don't want it, it's so ugly..." Wanda's delicate face was full of disdain as she looked at the hideous headband, her slender arms propped up before her developing little chest, making it absolutely clear—no way!

Seeing this, Zhong Shenxiu’s lips curled in a subtle smile.

Without another word, he seized the moment, swiftly and forcefully placing the headband onto Wanda’s head, pressing down her deep red hair in a horizontal line.

His speed was so quick that Wanda, blinking her pale gray eyes, didn’t immediately comprehend what had happened.

A weakling with a combat power of three—how could she possibly fight me... Zhong Shenxiu thought to himself. As Wanda began to protest, he pointed again to the container in his hand, reminding her, "Try to sense the energy here. It should work."

"Okay." Wanda nudged her little head, realizing silent resistance was useless. She resigned herself, closed her eyes, and concentrated on sensing the energy before her.

Suddenly—

Her eyes flew open, joy brimming within them.

"Lü Su, Lü Su, I can sense the energy again!" Overjoyed, Wanda summoned the specks of chaotic magic from the container, transforming them into a small red glowing orb that hovered by her side like a tiny sprite.

Seeing this, Zhong Shenxiu finally nodded in satisfaction.

This prison cell and the hideous headband—the genius behind their creation, whether it was Hyde or someone else, was truly remarkable.

The cell extracted chaotic magic, and the headband could perfectly control the magic taken from the cell.

The intimate linkage between the two was extraordinary.

Could the creator of this setup have been a previous wielder of chaotic magic? Otherwise, how could they understand it so thoroughly?

Zhong Shenxiu pondered but found no trace of such a person in his memory. In his recollection, from previous Marvel films and comics, it seemed only Scarlet Witch Wanda was ever able to wield chaotic magic.

He wasn’t entirely sure; after all, memories could blur over time.

Maybe he had simply forgotten about this person... Zhong Shenxiu mused.

He didn’t dwell on it. Since Wanda could continue to manipulate chaotic magic—albeit with the help of the headband—he could proceed with his plan.

He interrupted Wanda, who was happily playing with her newfound energy, and asked, "Do you know what this energy is?"

"Energy is energy," Wanda replied offhandedly.

Zhong Shenxiu wasn’t surprised by her answer. He continued, "Actually, this energy is a manifestation of 'the mind made real.'"

Hearing this convoluted explanation, Wanda paused, curiosity in her eyes, her face a series of question marks.

"It's a bit roundabout, but it means when you use this energy, you can turn whatever you imagine into reality."

Wanda: ???

"Well..." Zhong Shenxiu simplified his words further, "If you want to do something, you use this energy and you can do it."

Wanda: ???

He exhaled deeply, momentarily at a loss for words.

She’s got me stumped... Is what I’m saying really so hard to understand?

"Ahem, let’s try this: use this energy to create a 'me,'" Zhong Shenxiu decided to change his approach. Maybe Wanda was more hands-on than theoretical.

"Create... a Lü Su?" Wanda finally spoke, gazing at Zhong Shenxiu in confusion.

He nodded, "Yes, create me—not the real me, just someone who looks like me, like a doll with my appearance."

A doll?

At the mention of that word, Wanda’s eyes lit up. She tapped her chin lightly and said, "I understand."

With a graceful wave of her hand, the little ball of chaotic magic floating beside her drifted to the ground. Upon touching the floor, it seemed to take root like a fallen leaf, starting to grow larger, taller, and wider...

Gradually, gradually.

A vague human shape began to form.

But suddenly, with a pop, the red magic burst apart like a balloon, scattering in all directions!

Seeing this, Wanda’s face showed disappointment. She felt she’d failed, and even that small bit of energy vanished.

Her nose grew sour, and she bowed her head, feeling aggrieved.

Suddenly.

She felt someone gently stroking her hair, and looked up to find Lü Su—the fair, handsome figure radiating a fatherly aura.

Zhong Shenxiu smiled reassuringly, "Wanda, you’re amazing. This time you failed only because there wasn’t enough energy. Once I get you more, you’ll surely succeed."

In fact, Zhong Shenxiu wasn’t lying. Wanda’s failure was indeed due to a lack of chaotic magic.

She truly lived up to her reputation in the original story as the Scarlet Witch, capable of reshaping worlds and destroying heavens.

Such talent was remarkable.

Chaotic magic, as Zhong Shenxiu saw it, was the energy of a mind made manifest.

Its power lay in bringing the wielder’s inner world into reality, transforming it—just as chaotic magic had enveloped Ingram Street.

That was Wanda’s inner world, using chaotic magic to reshape reality.

Zhong Shenxiu understood the principle but couldn’t do it himself... It was a matter of specialization: the same thing in different hands produces different results.

He used chaotic magic more as a simple weapon. If asked to reshape reality, he’d be at a loss.

But Wanda seemed innately gifted in this area.

With just a few words from Zhong Shenxiu, she could use chaotic magic to alter the world.

It was both expected and surprising.

Next, Zhong Shenxiu really needed to make a trip to Russia. For that, he required a substitute at home, and Wanda’s chaotic magic was his first choice.

He wondered how far Wanda could go... His initial goal was simply to have a stand-in at home to fool S.H.I.E.L.D.

Now it seemed that achieving this wouldn’t be difficult.

"No worries. I’ll store up more chaotic magic for you, and you can try again later," Zhong Shenxiu reassured her.

"Okay!" Wanda replied with a smile.

......

Two days later.

When Zhong Shenxiu returned to the secret base under cover of night, he saw standing beside Wanda a double—the substitute looked exactly like him, handsome features and all.

Except the expression was a bit vacant.

The double was wholly composed of chaotic magic; controlling its every action consumed a considerable amount of energy.

Seeing this, Zhong Shenxiu could hardly believe it.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized his previous theory was flawed.

In the movies and comics, chaotic magic didn’t change the world by truly altering it, but by rewriting everyone’s memories and perceptions on Earth.

That was how the world was changed—by transforming minds, reality followed.

The recent incident on Ingram Street was a prime example.

But now, Wanda had done something else: she had conjured a "Zhong Shenxiu" out of thin air. It had no memories, no soul—just an empty shell.

But this—

Was a real change in the world.

Not a false change through altered perceptions, but an actual transformation.

This was no longer chaotic magic, but rather—

The Reality Stone.