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Chapter 98 – Escape from the Castle
🕑 Added 2025-11-05 16:27:00 +0000 UTCBut Lucas was completely confused by what he’d just heard.
According to Wanda’s story, her origin matched the earliest version of her backstory—the one where she was Magneto’s biological daughter.
There were actually two versions of Wanda’s origin.
In the original version, both Wanda and Pietro were Magneto’s children. After Magneto used his powers to annihilate the men who killed his daughter Anya, his wife, Magda, fled in terror. She escaped to Wundagore Mountain, where she gave birth to twins—Wanda and Pietro.
Magda left them in the care of a genetically altered cow-woman named Bova and disappeared without a trace.
That very night, the dark god Chthon attempted to descend upon Earth, clashing with the High Evolutionary and the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj. A fragment of Chthon’s chaotic power seeped into the newborn twins—though no one realized it at the time.
Eventually, Bova entrusted the twins to a pair of Romani travelers, who raised them as their own. Years later, when Wanda and Pietro witnessed their foster father stealing, they ran away from home.
That was the first origin.
The second version told a different story—Wanda was born into a family of Romani mystics and was later abducted by the High Evolutionary for experimentation, which awakened her powers. In that version, she had no connection to Magneto whatsoever.
So if Wanda’s account matched the first one… what did that mean for this world’s timeline?
“You said you’re alone? No brothers or sisters?” Lucas asked, frowning. According to every version he knew, Pietro—her twin brother—should’ve been there.
“No,” Wanda said softly. “My foster parents only had me.”
That threw Lucas off completely. No Pietro? That didn’t fit any version. Where had he gone?
“Why do you ask?” Wanda tilted her head. “You make it sound like I should have a brother. Do I? Have we met before?”
Lucas froze for a second, then shook his head quickly. “No, no, I was just guessing. Forget it. By the way, I’m Lucas Norman—just call me Lucas. And you?”
“I’m Wanda. Wanda Maximoff.”
Lucas nodded. “Wanda Maximoff, huh? Perfect. So, how about we get out of here? Together.”
Under the faint silver glow reflected by the snow, he finally saw her clearly. This Wanda was younger than the one he remembered from the movies—softer, more fragile. Maybe it was because of the constant fear and isolation she’d endured in this castle.
“You think we can escape?” she asked hesitantly. “There are so many soldiers… and tanks outside.”
“You’ve never tried before?”
“I have,” she admitted quietly. “I always wanted to. But my powers… they don’t listen to me. I can’t use them on command. They just… happen.”
Lucas nodded in understanding. So her powers were still unstable, triggered only by danger. She was basically like early-stage Skye—powerful but untrained.
“No problem,” he said with a grin. “We’ll get out first. I’ll teach you magic later.”
Wanda hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly. “Okay. I’ll go with you.”
Lucas blinked in mild surprise. “You’re not worried I might be a bad guy? What if I just sold you off after we escaped?”
“I know you’re not,” Wanda said simply. “I can feel it.”
Her eyes glowed faintly red again. Chaos energy rippled around her like flickering flame, and the scarlet aura began to drift toward Lucas—gentle, harmless.
He realized then that the energy was responding to her emotions. It sensed that he meant no harm and was showing her that instinctively.
She wasn’t controlling it at all—it was protecting her on its own. That also explained why Hydra hadn’t dared to experiment on her further. The moment anyone showed hostile intent, the chaotic energy would lash out automatically, just like it had when Lucas first touched her.
“Alright then,” Lucas said quietly. “Let’s get you out of here.”
He led her carefully down the staircase. The rooftop route was no longer an option—Wanda wouldn’t be able to climb it.
When they reached the first floor, they spotted several guards nearby. Fortunately, it was late, and the soldiers were huddled together, smoking to stay awake. They didn’t notice the two figures moving in the shadows.
Lucas gestured for Wanda to stay put, then crept forward silently.
A small, razor-thin wind blade shimmered in his hand. When the timing was right, he flicked his wrist—
Shhhk!
The faint sound of slicing air cut through the silence. In a blink, the blade swept across the soldiers’ throats. They collapsed without a sound, blood spilling across the floor.
After confirming it was clear, Lucas motioned for Wanda to follow. She clutched tightly at the hem of his jacket, afraid of losing him in the dark.
Together, they slipped past the cameras and out of the prison wing. Everything was going smoothly—until one tiny mistake ruined everything.
As they reached a corner, two patrolling soldiers appeared from the opposite side.
Lucas quickly pulled Wanda into a shadowed nook, conjured another wind blade, and aimed carefully.
He struck.
But just as the invisible blade sliced through the air, one of the soldiers stumbled over something and fell forward. The attack only hit the other one—clean through the throat.
The fallen guard froze for half a heartbeat before slamming his hand down on the alarm trigger.
WEEEOOOO—WEEEOOOO—!
The blaring sirens shattered the silence of the night.
“Damn it!” Lucas cursed, grabbing Wanda’s hand and sprinting toward the front gates.
But when they burst into the courtyard, their path was already blocked. Dozens of armed soldiers surrounded them, rifles raised. Tanks loomed behind the troops, and the massive iron gates were sealed shut.
From the crowd, a familiar voice spoke with mock disappointment.
“Mr. Norman, I’m rather surprised,” Baron Strucker said as he stepped forward, his single monocle gleaming coldly under the searchlights. “Sneaking around my castle without permission, attempting to steal my property… I see you’ve made your choice. What a pity. But don’t worry—I’ll make sure your body serves science well.”
Lucas smirked. “Ah, don’t take it personally, Baron. People have been calling me rebellious since I was a kid. I’ve never been good at taking orders. The more someone tells me not to do something, the more I want to do it.”
He shrugged casually, utterly unbothered by the wall of guns and steel around them.
Strucker sighed. “So be it, Mr. Norman. In the name of research, life or death makes no difference to me. Blame your curiosity—”
He raised his hand.
“—and that troublesome rebellious streak of yours.”
“Fire!”
The order fell, and instantly the night erupted in thunder.
Bullets rained down like a metallic storm, engulfing Lucas and Wanda in a sea of muzzle flashes and gunfire.
