WAR OF HEARTS ➵ scarletfrost

─ PROLOUGE

- PROLOUGE -
❝ BORN OF STEEL ❞

Wanda Maximoff had lived a long life. She was thrusted into the world, arms still clutching at her family with a sparkle of innocence in her eyes, expected to navigate through its cruelty at ten years old. It didn't get any easier with age, no, age was just a sentence to more suffering. Age was just a cruel reminder of how much more she had left.

Despite her difficulties, it was something she didn't notice while it was happening, the normal parts of life. The small beautiful things that she loved as a child, that she loved even now. The brush of wind against her face, reddening her nose in the winter. The trying to bite back smiles when she was supposed to be serious, the feeling of cuddling up under the covers with music humming softly in the background.

Wanda Maximoff had not lived in five years. Five years; she had not felt any of those small luxuries in five years. Idly, she wondered if it was better that way, in isolation where the weight of her emotions couldn't reach her, couldn't wrap her in their suffocating depths until she were too far down to recover. She hated those thoughts, hated that she could even entertain them, because no, she had not felt pain in those five years. But she hadn't felt anything in those five years, hadn't felt hugs, love. So no, those five years were not better than living.

But those five years were over now, and once again, just like when she was a girl at the age of ten, she had been shoved back into society, a leaf fallen off a tree. This time though, she was not a naïve little girl, she couldn't be, life was too unfair to allow for that. In place of that little girl stood a woman, a woman made for a life of steel and metal, a woman who had shed the protective blanket on her far too early. 

And now? Now the universe required that woman. Required the strength she was born to inherit, the strength that she hadn't wanted, but needed. She didn't have the time to dwell over her emotions, or to appreciate being alive once again. It had been laced into her blood to act quick on her feet, to adapt and accept in remarkable times what the world demanded of her. 

Tucking her hair firmly behind her ears, she inhaled, her lungs filling with air once again, as she clenched her hands into fists. With the motion, she created scarlet sparks spitting from her knuckles, illuminating her hands in red until that was all she could see. Red, red, red. The red that she had hated, the red that she thought no one would ever love. The red that would be loved by the one she least expected of it. 

She wouldn't let it overcome her, she wouldn't let any emotion overcome her, not when she was needed. Her head snapped around at the sound of whooshing, her mind pulsing into hyper-vigilance as she felt as if all her nerves were set ablaze. 

Fortifying herself, she watched as a portal was formed in front of her, and a man with a cloak flying out behind him quirked an eyebrow at her, extending his hand wordlessly. He needed not to say anything, Wanda knew what was happening, she knew it all too well. With a curt nod, she stiffened, her eyes shining with a determined glint. She didn't hesitate, her hand slipping into his as another portal was formed. 

She didn't know if he had intended for her to, but she unconsciously channelled her own power into the spell, lacing the gold portals with tints of scarlet as her mind flashed with the thoughts in his, the thoughts of people, of fighters. Of Avengers. It hit her with a bang, this was the final war, the final chance. And by God they would take it.

Determination flashed in her eyes, every other emotion stealing a moment for itself, before Wanda banished it, forcing strength into her blood.

She was ready, she didn't have a choice. She had to be, it was not an option. Jutting out her chin, she stared at him expectantly, her eyes flitting to the portal he had formed in front of them. 

And the last thing Wanda saw before charging out for possibly the most important battle of her life,

Was red.

Red.

AUTHORS NOTE:

i was going to post this book later, but here it is lmaoo. slow updates, because mind games will def be the priority, but i have some pre-written chapters which ill post weekly.

anyways, as always, enjoy <3