Marvel x Genshin: Mavuika, The Sun Goddess Rules Asgard — Chapter 183

Chapter 183: Have Your Powers Ever Lost Control?

“I’ve been learning for a long time,” Thor said, a nostalgic look in his eyes. “Ever since I was very young. My mother taught me.”

He paused, a fond smile touching his lips. “But not just anyone can learn it. It requires a certain talent, and a great deal of patience.”

Wanda’s fingers curled slightly at her sides. Her mind instantly flashed back to her days in the HYDRA base—a sterile, cold world with no teachers, no books, only the chilling hum of instruments and the bark of constant orders.

They told her to release her power, so she did. They told her to stop, so she stopped. No one ever taught her how to control it, how to use it, or how to even begin to understand the chaotic energy that churned within her. She was never a student. She was a weapon, plain and simple.

“You people…” Pietro’s voice sliced through her thoughts, his curiosity overriding his caution. “Does Asgard have many others like you?”

Thor grinned, his chest puffing out. “Many. But not all of them are as skilled in battle as I am.”

Loki, who had been observing the exchange with an air of detached amusement, glanced at his brother. “And where, pray tell, is your humility?”

“I’m merely stating facts,” Thor declared righteously.

Loki let out a soft, weary sigh and chose not to retort.

Watching the brothers bicker, Pietro felt the corners of his own mouth lift involuntarily. It reminded him of himself and Wanda—they argued just like that, though it usually ended with him getting an earful from his sister.

“Then why,” Pietro pressed on, “did you come to Earth?”

The living room fell silent for a beat.

Thor’s broad smile became somewhat strained. He scratched his head, glancing at Loki for support, but his brother only stared back at him, his expression a mask of indifference.

“Uh…” Thor chose his words with uncharacteristic care. “We’re here to… travel.”

Pietro’s brow furrowed. “Travel?”

“Yes,” Thor nodded, gaining a bit of confidence. “Travel. To see the sights of Earth, taste the food of Earth, and, while we’re at it—visit our eldest sister.” He jutted his chin toward Mavuika.

Mavuika was sitting on the sofa, holding a plump strawberry and nibbling on it in small, delicate bites. Hearing her name, she looked up at Thor, the corners of her mouth lifting in a subtle, knowing smile.

Wanda’s gaze shifted between the three of them. She could sense a deep, unspoken understanding that bound the siblings together, a bond forged over countless years. It wasn’t the kind of connection that needed words; it was something more fundamental, a network of loyalties as intertwined and ancient as the roots of a great tree.

“You…” Wanda turned her attention to Mavuika. “How long have you lived here?”

Mavuika considered the question for a moment. “A few hundred years, on and off.”

Wanda’s hand trembled. A few hundred years?

“A few hundred years…” Pietro repeated the words in a murmur, his mind reeling. “Then… doesn’t that mean you’ve witnessed a lot of history?”

Mavuika smiled gently. “I’ve seen some things, yes. But for most of that time, I’m just an ordinary person, living an ordinary life.”

Pietro didn’t quite understand. If he possessed such power, such a lifespan, he could never be content with an “ordinary life.” He didn’t say it out loud, but his silence was filled with questions as he looked into her amber eyes.

There was something in their depths he couldn’t read. It wasn’t arrogance or indifference, nor was it the condescending gaze of a superior being looking down on a lesser one. It was something deeper, calmer, as vast and deep as the ocean itself.

“Your powers,” Wanda asked suddenly, her voice cutting through the quiet. “Have they ever gone out of control?”

The living room went quiet again, the lighthearted mood evaporating.

Thor’s expression turned serious. He set down the fruit he was holding, leaned back against the sofa, and stared up at the ceiling.

“They have,” he admitted, his voice low. “Many times.”

Wanda watched him, waiting.

Thor continued, “When I first received Mjolnir, I couldn’t control it at all. I could never gauge my own strength. I was always breaking things, hurting people. Father said it was because my heart wasn’t calm enough.” He paused, his gaze distant. “Eventually, I learned. Not how to control the hammer, but how to control myself.”

Loki sat beside him, listening quietly without a word.

“What about you?” Wanda shifted her gaze to the god of mischief.

Loki was silent for a second before a faint, dismissive smile graced his lips. “My magic has never lost control.”

Wanda frowned. “Never?”

“Of course not,” he replied smoothly. “Thor can’t control his power because he’s a brute. If your own power can run rampant, it simply means you have failed to master it in the slightest.”

Wanda was stunned into silence by his cold, absolute certainty.

A short while later, Mavuika rose and walked into the kitchen. Soon, the rhythmic sound of a knife on a cutting board and the sizzle of a spatula against a hot wok drifted into the living room.

Thor picked up the remote again and began flipping through channels. Loki continued to read his book as if nothing had happened.

Wanda and Pietro sat on the sofa, quietly observing it all.

Pietro leaned toward Wanda’s ear, his voice a low whisper. “Do you think they’re trustworthy?”

Wanda thought for a moment. “I don’t know. But for now, at least, they haven’t caused us any harm.”

Pietro nodded slowly. “That’s true. If they wanted to hurt us, they would have done it already.”

Wanda fell silent. Pietro was right. Given the staggering power the three of them possessed, they wouldn’t need to resort to such elaborate pretenses. At the moment the Helicarrier crashed, they could have easily handed the twins over to S.H.I.E.L.D., or simply killed them.

But they didn’t.

When Mavuika had said, “Come home with me,” Wanda had looked into her eyes. She saw no hostility, no calculation, only a calm, certain warmth.

Wanda didn’t know if it was real. But she thought, just this once, perhaps she could try to believe.

Dinner was ready.

The dishes were simple but generous, a mix of Chinese and Western styles, all steaming on the dining table. The rich aroma filled the entire room.

Thor was the first to take a seat, but unlike his old self, he didn’t immediately reach out and grab the food. He picked up his knife and fork, then waited patiently for everyone else to be seated before he began to eat.

Wanda sat opposite him, with Pietro beside her. He speared a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.

His eyes widened slightly. It wasn’t that he’d never eaten delicious food before, but this meal was a world away from what he was used to in the HYDRA base. It was hot, fresh, and every dish burst with its own unique flavor, a stark contrast to the uniform, tasteless nutritional rations he had subsisted on for so long.

“It’s good,” he said, his voice a bit muffled.

Mavuika smiled warmly. “If you like it, then eat more.”

Thor, already halfway through a bowl of rice, looked up at Pietro. “Do you like spicy food? That Mapo Tofu is very spicy, but I love it.”

Pietro looked at the bright red, glistening plate of tofu. He hesitated for a moment before picking up a small piece and putting it in his mouth.

His face turned red instantly.

It wasn’t from shyness, but from the overwhelming spice. A numbing, fiery, stimulating burn exploded from the tip of his tongue and spread through his entire mouth. His eyes began to water.

Wanda quickly handed him a glass of water. “Drink this.”

Pietro grabbed the glass, gulped down half of it in one go, and then gasped for air, staring at the Mapo Tofu with a complex expression. “That stuff… is too spicy.”

Thor grinned. “It’s only good if it’s spicy! You’ll get used to it after a few more tries.”

Pietro shook his head vehemently. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.”

Loki, meanwhile, elegantly picked up a piece of the fiery tofu with his chopsticks. He chewed it slowly, his expression completely unchanged. “The flames of the Eye of Skadi are far spicier than this.”

Thor shot him a glare. “The Eye of Skadi is a magical fire, Loki! It’s not something you eat!”

Loki merely shrugged. “Close enough.”