Chapter 172: Emotional Control Training
"I'm not trying to frighten you."
Lynn stepped forward until he stood directly before Wanda.
"I'm examining you."
He gently raised his right hand.
Two fingers rested lightly against her temple.
Wanda instinctively tried to retreat.
She couldn't.
Not because Lynn restrained her—
But because she unconsciously froze.
The All-Seeing Eye activated.
Its perception penetrated beneath her skin, through the skull, and into the living activity of her brain.
Neural pathways unfolded before him like an enormous three-dimensional network.
The diagnosis completed almost instantly.
Her psychological condition was far worse than her physical condition.
Chronic hyperactivity throughout the amygdala.
Persistent elevation of stress hormones.
The prefrontal cortex showed long-term suppression associated with severe post-traumatic stress.
Memory consolidation within the hippocampus had become distorted after years of repeated trauma.
The neural pathways responsible for emotional regulation had never recovered from continuous exposure to war, grief, imprisonment, experimentation, and fear.
This wasn't merely anxiety.
It was severe psychological trauma.
More importantly—
Chaos Magic was responding directly to those emotional fluctuations.
Unlike ordinary sorcery, Wanda's power did not require carefully constructed spells.
Her subconscious became the spell.
Fear.
Grief.
Rage.
Loss.
Every unstable emotion distorted reality itself.
The more unstable her mind became...
The more violently Chaos Magic manifested.
The more often Chaos Magic erupted...
The greater her psychological burden became.
A perfect vicious cycle.
Eventually...
If left untreated...
The barrier between Wanda's subconscious and reality would continue collapsing.
At that point, reality itself would become vulnerable to every uncontrolled emotional impulse.
Lynn withdrew his hand.
"Your condition is far more serious than your brother's."
Wanda quietly looked at him.
"Pietro's injuries are physical."
"Yours are psychological."
Behind her, Pietro frowned.
"Who are you calling psycholog—"
"Quiet."
Both Lynn and Wanda interrupted him simultaneously.
Pietro blinked.
"...Fine."
Silence returned.
Lynn pointed toward his own forehead.
"The source of your instability isn't your magic."
"It's here."
"Your emotions determine how Chaos Magic behaves."
"If your mind remains unstable..."
"Your power will never obey you."
Wanda lowered her head.
"Can it be treated?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"It won't be quick."
Lynn answered matter-of-factly.
"Beginning today..."
"You'll stay here."
Wanda looked surprised.
"The two of you may use the rooms behind the clinic."
"You'll work here."
"The wages will gradually repay your medical debt."
Lynn looked between the twins.
"I'm not forcing either of you."
"The decision is yours."
Pietro looked toward Wanda.
Without speaking.
He would follow whatever she chose.
Wanda only hesitated for several seconds.
Then nodded.
"...Okay."
...
Wanda's first night inside Miracle Clinic nearly destroyed the building.
Four o'clock in the morning.
She dreamed of Sokovia.
The underground HYDRA facility.
Steel restraints.
Needles.
Mind Stone experiments.
Then—
Strucker's cold voice echoed through the loudspeakers.
"Protocol Eleven."
"Terminate both subjects."
She awoke screaming.
Scarlet energy exploded throughout the room.
Chaos Magic spread instinctively.
The furniture warped.
The wooden bedside table became glass.
The concrete wall softened into sponge-like material.
The air itself shimmered with unstable probability.
Wanda curled into the corner of the bed.
Hugging her knees.
Unable to breathe properly.
The scarlet light intensified.
Then—
The bedroom door opened.
Lynn walked inside wearing ordinary pajamas.
He glanced at the distorted wall.
Then toward Wanda.
"Nightmare?"
She couldn't answer.
Her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Lynn walked directly into the spreading scarlet energy.
Reality distortion washed across him.
Nothing happened.
The Immortal Divine Body naturally resisted the unstable magical effects.
He reached forward.
His hand gently wrapped around Wanda's wrist.
The change happened immediately.
The scarlet glow weakened.
Not because Lynn forcibly suppressed it.
Because Wanda herself calmed down.
Someone had entered the middle of her out-of-control power.
Without fear.
Without hesitation.
Without treating her like a monster.
Ever since the Mind Stone awakened her abilities—
Everyone had feared her.
Scientists.
Soldiers.
HYDRA personnel.
Even Wanda feared herself.
Only Pietro had remained beside her.
Now—
There was one more person.
The crimson light gradually disappeared.
Reality stabilized.
The room stopped changing.
Lynn looked toward the wall.
Half of it had become sponge.
"The repair bill," he said calmly.
"Will be deducted from your salary."
Wanda's lips trembled.
She couldn't decide whether to laugh...
Or cry.
...
The next morning.
Exactly seven o'clock.
Lynn arrived outside the lounge carrying a narrow black collar.
The device resembled a thin metallic necklace.
Its outer shell was made from a lightweight vibranium-alloy composite.
Inside, a layer of adaptive bio-gel allowed it to fit comfortably against the skin.
At its center rested a tiny blue sensor.
"What is it?"
Wanda accepted it cautiously.
"A biometric monitor."
"Put it on."
She hesitated.
Then complied.
The collar automatically adjusted to fit her neck.
The bio-gel warmed almost instantly to body temperature.
It barely felt noticeable.
"It continuously monitors your physiological state."
Lynn explained.
"Heart rate."
"Blood pressure."
"Stress hormone changes."
"Neural activity."
"When your emotional state approaches the threshold most likely to trigger uncontrolled Chaos Magic..."
"It will activate."
"What does it do?"
"A very mild electrical pulse."
"Just enough to interrupt escalating emotional feedback."
"It won't injure you."
"It simply reminds you."
"Stop."
Wanda touched the collar.
"What if that's not enough?"
"Then I'll intervene."
She looked directly into his eyes.
He remained completely calm.
"As of today," Lynn continued,
"you'll assist with patients during clinic hours."
"The remainder of each day will be dedicated to emotional regulation."
He handed her several pages.
Wanda carefully read them.
Emotion Control Training Program
Breathing exercises.
Meditation.
Gradual exposure.
Stress response recording.
Emotional self-analysis.
Controlled magical release.
The entire program looked less like superhero training...
And more like clinical psychological rehabilitation.
She finished reading.
Then looked up.
"No questions."
...
The first formal training session began two days later.
Four o'clock in the afternoon.
Basement training room.
Wanda sat in a reinforced chair bolted directly into the concrete floor.
Heavy restraint straps had been installed.
Lynn deliberately left them unused.
"If you remain here..."
"You remain because you choose to."
Not because anyone forced you.
Today's objective is simple."
Lynn stood several meters away.
"I'll deliberately stimulate emotionally traumatic memories."
"Your task..."
"Is to maintain control."
"And prevent Chaos Magic from manifesting."
Wanda nodded.
"How?"
Lynn remained silent.
The All-Seeing Eye had already mapped every major psychological trigger hidden within her memory.
There was no need for guesswork.
He simply selected the strongest.
"Tell me."
"How did your parents die?"
Wanda froze.
Her breathing immediately became irregular.
"..."
"Answer."
She lowered her head.
"...A missile."
"A Stark Industries missile."
"It struck our apartment."
Lynn continued calmly.
"Where were you?"
"Under the bed."
"With Pietro."
"What did you see?"
Wanda swallowed.
The collar indicator changed.
Blue.
Yellow.
Her pulse accelerated.
"I..."
"I saw my mother's hand."
"Only..."
"Her hand."
"It was lying on the floor."
"My father..."
"..."
"I couldn't even..."
She couldn't finish.
Scarlet light appeared around her fingertips.
The collar emitted a gentle pulse.
Her body shivered.
The glow weakened slightly.
"Continue."
Lynn's tone never changed.
"Then..."
"A second missile landed."
"It stopped."
"Just..."
"In front of us."
"It never exploded."
"How long?"
"Two days."
"We stayed there."
"We couldn't move."
"We stared at it."
"It had Stark Industries written on it."
"I looked at those words..."
"For two whole days."
The scarlet glow spread across both of her hands.
The collar's indicator shifted from yellow...
Toward red.
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