Chapter 161 - 157
In the manor's cozy living room, Wanda lounged on the sofa, dressed casually in a T-shirt and shorts, her slender legs resting lazily against the cushions. She flipped through a dark, ancient tome with a bored expression.
Outside, the sound of childish laughter echoed from the garden, a stark contrast to the eerie presence of the book in her hands.
From the staircase, Natasha descended into the living room, wearing a sweatshirt, shorts, and sandals. She carried two steaming cups of coffee, placing one on the table in front of Wanda and keeping the other for herself as she took a seat on the sofa.
Her sharp gaze fell on the ominous book Wanda was reading. "What are you reading?" Natasha asked, her tone tinged with curiosity and suspicion. "There's something... unsettling about it. I feel like it's radiating strange energy, disturbing my senses."
In truth, Natasha's instincts were screaming. Her well-honed perception—something akin to heightened observation and intuition—detected a foul, malicious power emanating from the tome. It wasn't just unsettling; it was downright evil.
She hesitated before speaking further. Wanda's supposed to be learning white magic from Kamar-Taj, training to be the next Sorcerer Supreme. So why is she reading something that reeks of dark magic? Is this... rebellion?
"This?" Wanda lazily held up the book, a mischievous grin on her lips. "It's the Darkhold—Leon and I found it last night."
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "The Darkhold?"
"Yup," Wanda replied nonchalantly. "It's a book of ancient black magic, written by some primordial dark god. It's powerful, sure, but it's also a troublemaker. Loves to corrupt its readers. So, Natasha, don't even think about opening it."
Wanda's tone was playful, but her warning carried weight. She knew Natasha well enough to anticipate her curiosity.
The reason Wanda could handle the Darkhold without succumbing to its influence was twofold: her unparalleled mental fortitude and the Chaos Magic that coursed through her. Chaos Magic existed on a higher tier than the dark magic within the book. A lesser power simply couldn't override or corrupt a greater one.