The rooftop gym had been renovated by the MIB for training during their downtime.

They had broken through the entire top-floor unit, connecting it into one large open space, and built more than a dozen boxing rings.

In the early morning or at dusk, the slanting sunlight would shine through the floor-to-ceiling windows, flooding across the rings like a rising tide.

At those times, even the shadows of the sparring pairs in the ring would carry a striking sense of beauty.

Now, Wanda was sitting at the edge of one of the boxing rings, gazing out the window.

The setting sun fell across her face as she sat in a daze, her hair glowing with a wine-red halo.

Suddenly, a shadow floated over and cast itself over her.

Wanda took a few seconds to shift her gaze.

Lyon was standing beside her, one hand resting on the ring ropes. Not only did he block the sunlight, he also bent the poor rope down by more than ten centimeters.

"So this is how you train magic? Just squatting there, zoning out, letting your powers ferment like rice until they mutate?" This rascal was teasing her again.

Wanda felt like she should be a little annoyed inside, but honestly, she couldn't even get angry.

"I.. I just ate dinner—I need to digest a bit before exercising." She even tried to defend herself a little.

"You actually managed to come up with such a legitimate excuse?"

Lyon laughed as he sat down. The sunlight fell across his profile, casting a hazy golden glow.

Wanda looked at him for a few seconds, then turned her head away, covering her flushed nose and refusing to look anymore.

"Tony arranged private lessons for Pietro and me. The courses cover everything from elementary to high school level. I'm doing really well in biology right now," Wanda explained the source of her supposed logic.

"It's only been a short time, and you're already a genius? Oh no, now I'm picturing you in a lab coat, studying magical creature dung like Betty," Lyon said, clutching his forehead.

"Using Chaos Magic helps me accelerate my thinking," Wanda's previously drifting gaze suddenly focused. "Betty… who's that?"

Like all girls, she was good at catching the 'important' part.

Though Natasha and Yelena's behavior had long made it clear to Wanda that Lyon wasn't all that different from Tony Stark—a bit of a playboy.

But over the past two months, she had already gotten used to this fact.

Still, it was clear she couldn't quite accept being compared by Lyon to someone who might be one of his ex-girlfriends.

Fortunately, Lyon explained like any guy would: "Betty is Banner's girlfriend. I'll introduce her to you sometime."

"Dr. Banner's girlfriend?" Wanda was very surprised.

Dr. Banner, who would turn into a giant rage monster whenever he got emotional, actually had a girlfriend?

Lyon shrugged. "Betty's a biologist—she's a perfect match for Dr. Banner. I'm sure she'd get along well with a smart girl like you who's good at biology."

"I don't know… Biologists definitely like biology, but the reason I'm good at it…" Wanda sneaked a glance at Lyon.

Could she say the real reason she studied biology so hard was to find out if there was reproductive isolation between extraordinary humans and regular people?

"…is because I want to understand how my magic is generated in my body," Wanda gave him a dishonest answer.

"If that's the case, you could've just asked me directly," Lyon raised an eyebrow.

"I can give you the answer right now—Chaos Magic doesn't have much to do with your body. It's mainly connected to your soul."

"How do you know that?" Wanda was a little curious.

"Just now, after you gave me your blood, I studied it for a bit."

Lyon added, "Lately, I've been researching the genetic makeup of various lifeforms."

"My soul…" Wanda stretched out her hand in confusion and activated her crimson Chaos Magic.

She stared at the swirling, flowing energy at her fingertips, frowning, unable to understand how this could be related to her soul.

"Don't overthink it. There's no real explanation for this sort of thing."

"In the multiverse, almost every version of Wanda can use Chaos Magic. It's your power by nature—you're born to be the Scarlet Witch," Lyon said.

He pointed at the magic at her fingertips. "Instead of dwelling on it, how about showing me that portal spell you used earlier?"

"You developed that one yourself, right? You really startled me just now."

When it came to a spell she had developed herself, Wanda finally smiled.

In that moment, her demeanor was no longer melancholic but filled with confidence.

"I came up with it after observing the Mystic Portals at Kamar-Taj."

Wanda brought her hands together, her ten fingers rotating. Scarlet magic gathered in front of her, slowly extending into the fabric of space.

"Just like you said before—compared to the others in the dream, I'm better at using magic related to space."

As Wanda finished speaking, the space in front of her was completely torn open, revealing a circular portal.

On the other side of the portal was a world bursting with color.

The space beyond was filled with layers of prism-like, multicolored crystal walls.

Lyon was momentarily stunned. "Did you just tear open the cosmic barrier of our universe?"

Wanda nodded. "To create a space portal, I tear open the cosmic barriers of two different points and temporarily link them together."

Lyon's expression turned a bit strange. This method of hers… why did it sound so brutishly elegant?

"When you were developing this spell, did you ever see someone with an especially large head outside the portal?" Lyon asked.

In the Marvel Universe, there was an ancient race known as the Watchers.

They were born at the dawn of the cosmos, had existed longer than anyone else, possessed the most profound knowledge and the most advanced technology, and were incredibly powerful.

As for just how powerful—they were all big bald heads.

However, due to certain mistakes made by the race in their early years, the Watchers, despite their immense power, had chosen to never interfere with the development of other races.

They scattered throughout the universe—or beyond it—to observe and record everything that transpired in the world.

One of them, named Uatu, routinely observed major events happening on Earth.

He was among the strongest within the Watcher race.

But because he liked observing Earth,

He was always the one who appeared whenever there was a "death recap" scene during major events.

Lyon figured — When Wanda shattered the cosmic barrier with a boom, that Watcher must've been utterly baffled before rushing over in a panic to investigate.

However, Wanda shook her head. "What big bald guy? Do you mean that The Ancient One? Master Wong said she was your previous Sorcerer Supreme. If you want to see her, I can try opening the dimension where Eternity resides."

"Uh… no need for that," Lyon replied awkwardly, sweating a bit.

He looked at Wanda and thought: is this what they mean by 'newborn calves aren't afraid of tigers'? You're just gonna open up Eternity's dimension like that? What are you trying to do—make a wish, or return to Death's embrace?

"There are plenty of ways to meet The Ancient One," Lyon added. "Wong's been collecting magical materials lately. He's planning to do what they do at Hogwarts—create enchanted portraits of past Sorcerer Supremes."

He clarified, "The kind that can communicate with the spirits of the deceased and move on their own."

______

Read ahead of WN at Patreon.com/LiveLifeLove