Mending Morality

Chapter 5

"Their uncle......is your brother?" Peter asked.

"He was." Wanda asked. "But he died years ago when we first met the Avengers."

Peter could tell that there was more that occurred with her children based off the facial expression she displayed. "Sorry about your brother. Is there more that occurred with them?" he asked.

Wanda sighed deeply as she responded. "Yes. Ever since I took down the hex, I had been studying some book called the Darkhold. A book of great evil. It corrupts everything that it touches. Which is why......" she started to say, before showing him her black fingertips.

"So that's why your fingers are black." Peter deduced.

"Yes." Wanda said. "And it gets worse. Peter......I became a monster. Even though I was under the control of the Darkhold, I still did horrible actions. I sent demons after a girl just to get her power, I threatened, tortured.....even killed just to get to my kids. Even going to other universes I did those same things."

"Wait, time out. Go back to the girl with powers thing." Peter said. Wanda gave him a look for a moment that questioned his reasoning.

'He heard of the fact that I tortured, killed and threatened, and he's more concerned about America Chavez?' she thought to herself. But she then responded.

"There's this girl named America Chavez. She has the ability to travel the multiverse at will. I tried to send multiple demons after her to bring her to me so I could take that power, despite the fact that if her power was taken, she would die." Wanda said. She looked down and shook her head. "And the worst part Peter..........was that I could not see it at all. I could not see it until I actually got what I wanted. Chavez portaled me to a dimension where my kids exist, and what was I met with? Fear and hatred from my own two boys. They were terrified of what I had become. They saw the monstrosity. And the moment I saw that look of fear in their eyes was the moment that everything that I had done had hit me like a ton of bricks. I had finally realized what I had done. What I had become. So because of that I destroyed the Darkhold in every universe. And then.....somehow.......I instinctively teleported here. I know there was a reason for doing so, but....I don't know it yet. But that's my story. I've lost everyone that I have ever cared for and loved."

She wiped away her tears as she finished her backstory and sniffed. She was anticipating Peter to throw her out of here in fear for what she had just disclosed. That's all people around her do nowadays is cower in fear from her. But to her surprise, Peter put on a look of sympathy and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. I understand what it is like to lose everything. But my only question is.....why did you get more involved in the Darkhold to begin with?" Peter asked.

"Because I heard them when I was studying it. I heard them crying to me for help. But it was just another manipulation tactic from the dark book." Wanda said, still sniffing. "But now I came to another big realization."

"What's that?" Peter asked.

"In order to resist the Darkhold's temptations, even though it was destroyed, I feel that I need to resist the use of my power. Then I can't hurt anybody and the corruption won't turn me into a monster again." Wanda explained.

"Wanda, I get what you are feeling. But you need to understand something. Something I had to recently learn." Peter said.

"What?" Wanda asked.

"You have a great power Wanda, and you can do great things with your power, as you have already shown. But with great power, comes great responsibility." Peter said.

Wanda blinked a couple of times in silence, so Peter continued. "When you can do the things that we can do. But don't. And then the bad things happen, they happen because of you."