THE APPRENTICE II

52

Spending most of her time in Pentadilune or Wakanda, Hazel hasn't really had the time to stay in the Sanctum. She'd teach some classes and do some missions, but it definitely was far from the old times where most of her free time was spent in the monastery or in New York. She made Heskit promise her not to tell Stephen or Wong about her newfound power; she didn't want to talk it up too much. What if they expect her to be this master-goddess? What if she isn't as good as they might expect? What if she doesn't make enough spells or doesn't find enough information, like how she got her powers and what its limits are? It was safer to tell them when she had it more under control. Adding to that, she's been trying to develop some sort of piece with Shuri.

Today, however, was a breakthrough. Finally, after weeks of hard work, the relics she's made have come through. Using Shuri's nanotechnology and motion detection, she's managed to combine her own, personal magic and the properties of the stone to create a danger-detecting relic.

"Wong?" She poked her head in the Sanctum, but nobody answered. She poked her head in Kamar-Taj, where a few students were meditating. "Wong!"

She yelled, and the students grumbled at the disturbance. She inhaled through teeth and stepped into the monastery, then entered the library. She struggled to find a piece of hair so she could track him down and frowned.

"Damn, Wong! Why do you have to be so bald?" She muttered to herself, then spotted an apple in the trash. Her eyes lit up in delight. "Yes!"

She made the apple levitate and did a few hand movements, then spotted his location. Her face twisted when she read: Sing Sing Karaoke Bar. Completely taken by fascination, she decided to go for it. The karaoke bar was a little dark, primarily lit up by blue and red light from the machines. The soundproof rooms muffled some of the noise, but they could still be heard from a few feet away. She checked each window to see where Wong was, until she spotted him.

The song Hotel California was playing from a distance. He seemed to be spending time with two more people, but his voice dominated theirs. She froze for a second, eyes wide— this was officially the greatest moment of her life. Cautiously, she brought out her phone and hit record from the window, then created a portal to the inside of the room from behind them.

"Welcome to the Hotel California!" They sang at the top of their lungs while Hazel, a smile permanently stuck to her face, recorded with a clasped over face. "Such a lovely place, such a lovely face-"

"-ah!" A woman screamed and jumped on her feet. A man let out a scream and threw a punch towards her. She immediately caught his fist and dropped her phone. Wong turned the light on and she finally let out the howling laugh that she's been holding in.

"Hazel!" Wong stomped his foot angrily, and the two calmed down at the sight of her.

"No, no! Please, go on! You were doing so well!" She teased and picked up her phone, then placed it on her pocket (and casted a spell, so he couldn't take it). "I am so showing Stephen this. Blackmail!,"

"What are you doing here, young lady?" He grumbled and sank down on one of the sofas. One of them paused the song and she recovered from her laughter. She took a red box out of her pocket and cleared her throat.

"I've got something for you." She disclosed and pulled out a golden ring. She got down on one knee and faked a sentimental expression. "Wong, love of my life, would you do me the honor of— I'm kidding. Gimme your hand,"

"I don't trust you." He squinted his eyes, but she grabbed his hand anyways. She placed the ring on her finger and it instantly multiplied into 5, each of them on one finger. Fascination immediately overcame the three and he brought his hand closer. "What is it?,"