Solomon in Marvel

In the bizarre and fantastical world of magic, immortality wasn't all that rare. 

Solomon, who stood at the pinnacle of the magical realm, could easily name several individuals who had lived for over a thousand years. 

A 10th-century Syrian prophet? That was hardly an extraordinary figure. 

Even Balthazar, who had been tricked by Merlin, had survived from the days of Camelot to the present—and was currently enjoying a romance that was over a thousand years overdue. 

Even in Solomon's own research projects within the Immortal City, he was experimenting with human immortality—and not the kind dependent on magic. 

So what piqued his interest wasn't this so-called immortal prophet, but rather his connection to fate. 

Solomon had a gut feeling that this was tied to him in some way. 

But now wasn't the time to dwell on it. 

There was still too much work to be done. 

---

"Merry Christmas, Wanda Maximoff." 

As a regular high-end consumer, Solomon's mailbox was stuffed with holiday cards from various luxury brands. 

He peeled a Christmas tree sticker off the gift list and stuck it onto Wanda's clothes, hoping to bring a little holiday spirit to the isolated Hydra test subject. 

He also brought her several issues of Seventeen magazine. 

The bright, glamorous girls on the covers would catch Wanda's eye, but the content itself wasn't particularly engaging. 

Both Maximoff twins received Christmas gifts from Solomon. 

And in return, Wanda presented her latest progress as a gift. 

She had improved considerably in mind control, excelling at despair, fear, and enchantment spells. 

But when it came to energy manipulation, she was still clumsy and inexperienced. 

At the very least, she could now throw a magic orb—which was good enough for now. 

Solomon didn't blame her. 

After all, Wanda had only recently begun learning spellcasting techniques from mutants. 

Expecting her to be proficient already was wishful thinking. 

Solomon constantly reminded Wanda not to rush. 

"Patience is a spellcaster's greatest virtue. Impulsiveness only leads to falling into the enemy's trap." 

Of course, he never told her who the enemy actually was. 

Wanda had her own interpretation, which was very different from Solomon's. 

He could never reveal the truth about Chthon to Wanda. 

Even a single sentence written by Chthon could drive an ordinary person insane, forging a direct link between their mind and the Darkhold Fortress, leading to an entire planet's corruption, offering it as a feast for the Great Shadow. 

Wanda's connection to Chthon was too strong. 

Everything Solomon did was to prevent her soul and body from falling into Chthon's grasp, which would shatter Gaea's seal, releasing the Primordial Horror. 

The wizards led by Merlin had sacrificed nearly their entire order to reinforce the seal—they had used their very souls to bind the colossal entity. 

Solomon would never let their sacrifices go to waste. 

---

"I had a dream." 

Wanda spoke about her latest nightmares. 

This was a requirement from Solomon— 

Wanda had to report on her mental state. 

Dreams were crucial. 

Many corruptions began in the subconscious, and dreams provided a window into the deeper mind. 

She described the writhing blue shadows in the darkness, the suffocating touch of slimy tentacles, and the crushing sensation of sinking into an abyssal ocean. 

Solomon could see the fear in her eyes. 

"It's nothing major." 

Solomon's tone was casual, as if Wanda's horrifying dreams were just another common occurrence among spellcasters. 

As if they weren't worth worrying about. 

"How about we talk?" 

"I won't make you do too much training today." 

---

Psychological instability leads to corruption. 

This was a fundamental truth in the magical world. 

Don't be fooled by those self-proclaimed "Dark Magic Masters" in No Door Bar— 

They dabble in voodoo, they're hooked on hallucinogens, their eyes constantly shine from drug abuse, and they dissect monsters with expert skill. 

But even they weren't as dangerous as Wanda Maximoff. 

If Wanda ever lost control, those pathetic bar wizards wouldn't even be worthy of comparison. 

Aside from the now-extinct Dormammu cultists, no one's magic was darker or more terrifying than Wanda's. 

"I have nothing to talk about." 

Wanda shrugged. 

"Unless you want to hear about how I used to fry French fries in a fast-food joint, or how Pietro and I barely managed to keep ourselves fed?" 

"Alright then. Let's change the topic." 

"Today, we'll be learning how to detect vampires among a crowd—" 

"—And how to decapitate them." 

Solomon flipped open a book. 

"These creatures come in all sorts of variations. Not every monster was made by Disney—some don't even bleed when you cut off their heads." 

"The magical world is generally filthy and chaotic. Only Kamar-Taj keeps itself clean." 

"This is an illustrated guide from Kamar-Taj—a children's version." 

"A good entry-level textbook." 

Wanda frowned. 

"There are children in the magical world?" 

She couldn't imagine a child enduring the kind of training she had gone through. 

Until Solomon pointed at himself. 

"Children from magical families only receive basic education until adulthood." 

"Magic talent isn't truly apparent until the brain fully develops—underage spellcasters can only serve as apprentices." 

"I was an exception." 

"I started learning magic at ten years old." 

"Before that, I spent five years training in martial arts and intensive theoretical studies—so by the time I began magic, my progress was rapid, and both my combat and spellcasting abilities were fully secured." 

"For your survival, I'm prioritizing your spellcasting abilities—but theory is just as important." 

"If you ever get out of here, maybe you could even go to college." 

"I don't want to go to college. I want revenge!" 

"And after revenge, you'll still have to go to college." 

Solomon adjusted a pair of rimless glasses that he had no idea where he even got from. 

"Your magic doesn't require precise calculations, but your fast-food cashier math skills won't help you in magic either." 

"Mathematics is a language—a language that describes the world." 

"It gives you new perspectives and enhances your magic." 

"Rationality is the correct way to perceive reality. Mathematics prevents people from falling into ignorance." 

"So math and advanced mathematics are mandatory courses." 

"After we finish learning about the Thirteen Clans of Vampires, you're going to start working on quadratic equations." 

---

"What does this have to do with numerology?" 

Wanda pulled out a deck of tarot cards from under her pillow. 

The deck was a gift from Solomon, meant to be a learning tool. 

Alongside the Ouija board she had stolen from Hydra researchers, it became one of her primary study materials. 

Tarot was used for divination, while the Ouija board was for contacting the past. 

"If you can't find a job in the future, you could always become a psychic medium." 

"I'm not even joking." 

"Even in America, police sometimes hire psychics to solve cases." 

"We can't say they're entirely superstitious, but they've definitely been hiring a bunch of frauds." 

"If you master these skills, you could be a highly educated psychic—and make a fortune!" 

"But first, you need an education." 

"Here, take this test. It's a middle school math exam." 

"And don't even think about cheating off your brother—Pietro is studying harder than you."

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