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Everyone knew that Wanda's Scarlet Chaos Magic was the source of all magic. It came from the first spark of cosmic awareness and pure chance.
If Hawk's Phoenix Fire was the first flame at the start of life, then Wanda's chaos flame was the strange spark that appeared when the most unlikely lifeform was born.
Chaos Magic was unmatched at doing the impossible. Hawk couldn't change reality without the Reality Stone, but Wanda could.
And changing reality was only the beginning...
She could rewrite cause and effect, create matter out of nothing, bend space and time, and even make clones or pocket dimensions.
A flame born from the impossible could naturally do the impossible. Chaos Magic was, by definition, what shouldn't be possible.
For example, one version of Wanda in another universe said just one sentence: "No more mutants." Instantly, every mutant in existence turned back into a regular human. There were no mutants left.
Or take her Earth-616 version. With just the words "What mouth?" she made the powerful Black Bolt destroy himself.
Scarlet Chaos Magic was all about making the impossible real.
Most importantly, Wanda was born with this power. The Mind Stone just helped her bring her natural control over the magic from her subconscious to her conscious mind.
She had used her magic as a child without knowing it. When a Stark Industries mortar shell landed in front of her and Pietro, her magic acted for the first time. The missile didn't fail because it was a dud. It failed because her magic prevented it from exploding.
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Back to the present.
Red wisps of magic flowed from Wanda's fingers into Hawk's mind, easing his deep exhaustion. He was so tired that even the Mind Stone couldn't fix it right away after all his failed attempts to transcend. But as if a pot of boiling water had been taken off the heat, his mind finally calmed down.
Wanda continued soothing his chaotic thoughts. She looked down at Hawk, whose eyes were half-closed. "Can't Agatha's Dreamwalking cross the multiverse?"
Hawk opened his eyes slightly. Their gazes met.
"It's useless to me."
"Right. You don't have magic," Wanda realized.
Hawk's mouth twitched. "That's part of it."
He was a Saint... All his strength came from his body and spirit. Magic didn't matter to him. With one punch, even the strongest sorcerer would fall.
A few months earlier, he had found Agatha in Texas, knocked her out with one punch, and dragged her back to New York.
But back then, he was desperate.
When Agatha gave him the Darkhold, Hawk realized he couldn't even open it. Without magic, he couldn't use the book or cast spells like Dreamwalking to cross dimensions.
But that wasn't even the main issue. Even if he could cast it, Dreamwalking wouldn't help him.
The reason was simple.
"Dreamwalking projects your consciousness into a multiversal variant of yourself," Hawk explained. "You can only travel to a universe where a version of you already exists."
Universe-828 didn't have a Hawk Phoenix. Therefore, Dreamwalking was a dead end.
Hawk felt the storm in his mind completely subside. He thought of something else. "Agatha hasn't tried anything stupid, has she?"
After Hawk saw that Agatha was no help, he handed her over to Sharon at S.H.I.E.L.D. Still, he remembered that Agatha had helped Wanda accept her role as the Scarlet Witch. Lately, Wanda had been going to New York to study magic with Agatha's guidance, and her control over Chaos Magic was growing fast.
Wanda laughed. "With you around, she wouldn't dare."
It wasn't an exaggeration. It was a fact.
Hawk had shown his ruthless side many times. He didn't need proof—just a hint of suspicion was enough for him to act. So when Wanda said Agatha was behaving, she meant it. Agatha might be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s prisoner and have lost her freedom, but at least she was still alive.
Wanda suddenly remembered something else.
"What about combining the Space Stone and the Time Stone? That should let you cross the multiverse. Last time I was at S.H.I.E.L.D., Stephen mentioned the Kamar-Taj library had records of people using them to jump dimensions."
"It works. Just not for me," Hawk said, shaking his head slightly. "Gargaratus might be gone from this universe, and the temporal trap might look completely disabled, but I'm not taking that risk."
He had been apart from Gwen for months. He wasn't going to get careless now and let her suffering be for nothing.
"Until I ignite my Divine Spark, I refuse to touch the timeline."
"But your Divine Spark..." Wanda trailed off, pulling her hands back now that his mind was calm.
Hawk felt his mind clear. He rubbed his temples.
"I hit a dead— Wait."
Hawk froze. Now that his mind was clear, a sudden idea struck him. His eyes widened as he started thinking quickly again.
He had assumed that awakening the Eighth Sense within the prime Marvel Universe was impossible because the universe refused to tolerate a second Zeus.
But that wasn't entirely true.
He was exposed, yes, but only to this specific prime universe. The other dimensions weren't actively watching him.
So... theoretically, if he jumped to a different universe, he could safely awaken the Eighth Sense there.
Theoretically...
The only problem was finding a way to avoid the prime universe's notice and cross into another one without being detected.
Hawk furrowed his brow. He felt like he was forgetting a crucial piece of the puzzle. Just as he tried to pin the thought down...
Wanda watched the spark of excitement return to his eyes and smiled. "I know you'll bring Gwen, William, and Bella back."
She meant it. Wanda didn't want to interfere with his marriage. As Gwen used to joke, Wanda was like the ex-wife sharing custody. She was only there because Gwen had asked her to watch over him.
Wanda agreed with Gwen. Men could take care of themselves until they got married. After that, they seemed to forget how to manage on their own.
So recently, Wanda split her time. She stayed in Westview during the week, then brought Jean to the Palm Street house on weekends to clean up and restock the groceries. She made a promise to Gwen, and she kept it.
Hawk shelved his multiversal theories for a moment. He looked at Wanda and smiled. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it." Wanda smiled back. She turned to Jean, who was leaning against the kitchen island, quietly listening to them with wide eyes. "Alright. You can go drag your dad outside to build that snowman now."
Jean perked up. She cheered, hopped off the barstool, and looked eagerly at Hawk.
Hawk stood up and took her hand. They walked to the front door. He helped her slip on her winter gloves, then pushed the door open, stepping out into a world buried in white.
Jean squealed and bolted into the snow. Hawk followed close behind.
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An hour and a half later, the snowfall stopped. Two snowmen—one big, one small—stood proudly on the front lawn. By the time Hawk and Jean came back inside, the house looked brand new.
The house wasn't that messy to start with. Hawk usually sat under the tree, trying to act like Buddha. But after Wanda cleaned, the place felt much neater. It was almost like magic.
Wanda walked down the stairs, holding Hawk's phone. "Peter just called."
Hawk blinked. He took the phone, about to ask why he didn't hear it ring, until he saw the silent switch was flipped.
He handed Jean over to Wanda, who led her off to grab some pastries. Hawk immediately dialed Peter back.
The line picked up almost instantly.
"It's Peter."
"Peter."
"HAWK." On the other end, Peter hurried out of a noisy laboratory. "I FIGURED IT OUT. I KNOW HOW TO CROSS THE MULTIVERSE."
Hawk chuckled. "Peter, crossing the multiverse isn't the hard part... Finding a method that actually works for me is—"
"The Quantum Realm!"
"..."
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