Chapter 147 - Wanda and Pietre

Sokovia, a small country grappling with regime changes and economic collapse, was a land of unrest. The divide between the government and civilians was wide, and protests were rampant.

The Maksimov family lived a modest yet happy life in Sokovia. Despite not having an extravagant house or expensive toys, the siblings Pietro and Wanda found warmth and joy in their simple existence. However, their lives were about to be shattered.

On the day Pietro turned ten, the family sat down for dinner, unaware that it would be their last. The slow process of regime change had led warlords to grow impatient, and they launched an armed conflict that very night.

War engulfed Sokovia, and a shell crashed through their roof, creating a massive hole that swallowed their parents. As the house began to collapse, Pietro and Wanda huddled together, desperate and waiting for death. They had no one to turn to, and their parents never emerged from the debris.

Terrified, they remained still for two days, avoiding movement to prevent triggering any remaining bombs. Dehydrated and starving, they awaited their fate while a ruthless Stark Industries drone, a reminder of the world's harshness, hovered nearby.

Eventually, the siblings were rescued and sent to an orphanage. Their parents were gone, their pleas for their return unanswered. On that day, they discovered their mutant abilities: Wanda could alter probabilities with her chaos magic, while Pietro possessed super-speed.

As they grew, their anger towards Tony Stark intensified, fueling a quest for revenge. Their journey to escape Sokovia was fraught with danger.

In a dense forest, a sudden roar shattered the quiet, sending birds fleeing. Pietro, a silver-haired young man, breathed heavily, his frustration palpable.

"Did that damn robot come from Tony Stark?" Pietro fumed.

"No, Tony Stark never cared how many people he killed," Wanda, his younger sister with dark red hair, replied. She was actually born thirty seconds before him, making her the elder sibling.

"Let's get out of here quickly. These robots will find us soon," Pietro urged, as Wanda struggled with a magic ball.

Three dark red magic spheres wobbled around Wanda.

"Pietro, it's useless. We've been running all day, and it's like being hunted by a cat," Wanda said, her gestures fluid as she tried to control the magic balls.

Yesterday, they had encountered a robot that could transform and blend in like a chameleon. Its ability to spit out water jets was beyond their expectations. Thankfully, the robot hadn't shown its full destructive power yet, giving them a chance to escape.

"What are you doing? You're not mastering the magic ball," Pietro complained.

Wanda's ability to manipulate reality through magic balls was still developing. The effects were short-lived and limited to her line of sight, requiring intense concentration and frequent changes in gestures. Sometimes, her attempts resulted in uncontrollable explosions.

"I'm using chaos magic to enhance my reality-altering abilities," Wanda explained. "I also reached out to the Hero Academy for emergency help."

"This isn't the United States; they can't come here," Pietro said, exasperated.

"Does your chaos magic really work?" Pietro asked, his skepticism evident. Wanda's recent claims of having chaos magic, a power she couldn't fully understand, puzzled him.

Wanda had mentioned a god of black magic from her dreams, but she knew Pietro wouldn't believe her. The dreams felt too real, and Wanda had been hesitant to practice chaos magic due to its ominous origins.

Despite her doubts, Wanda knew she had to use her chaotic potential to overcome their current crisis. As she continued, the magic balls disappeared, and a misty red light enveloped them.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Missiles exploded around them, shattering the trees that had concealed them. The debris and flames were blocked by a thin red barrier that Wanda had managed to conjure.

"Why didn't you fuse the magic earlier?" Pietro shouted, frustrated and scared.

The barrier Wanda had created was weak and small.

"Stop complaining and look around," Wanda said, noticing the incoming threat.

Pietro's face darkened as he saw the source of their trouble—a massive silver-white robot and a squad of heavily armed soldiers emerging from the forest.

"Who are you?" Pietro demanded.

The Sokovian military was weak, and these soldiers were not part of the national defense forces.

From the crowd emerged Baron Straker, adjusting his single-sided glasses and smiling. "The two little ghosts have been quite elusive, but it seems they're in our grasp now."

He turned to his men. "Once the data is collected, make sure they're still alive. We'll use these mutants for the transformation experiments."