Solomon in Marvel

Neither the Great Shadow Chthon's power nor Wanda Maximoff's innate abilities were safe. Combined, these forces elevated her potential to near the absolute peak of human magical aptitude.

Almost.

That almost was because Solomon's own mental fortitude surpassed hers—and, more importantly, he had absolute control over his power.

Even if she cast a spell Solomon had never seen before, the magus could still find a way to counter it using his experience.

Even without his Stigmata augmentations, his sheer skill was enough to defeat an untrained spellcaster like Wanda.

Although "brute force" did exist in magic duels, it only mattered when the power gap was astronomical.

A spell cast by a seasoned sorcerer was vastly different from one cast by an amateur. A trained spellcaster could refine and optimize their magic over years of experience, making their version of the same spell far more effective.

In most cases, magic duels weren't about who had more energy—they were about who had better technique.

The speed and clarity of incantations. The precision of hand gestures. The timing of spell execution.

An inexperienced yet well-trained Academy mage could sometimes outperform a rogue spellcaster with far greater raw power.

Experienced spellcasters could predict their opponent's magic based on gesture and intonation, allowing them to counter, interrupt, or even steal control of a spell before it was completed.

For example—

If the Ancient One sealed a refrigerator with an arcane lock, even if Solomon touched the handle, he couldn't open it.

Not unless he brute-forced his way past the Ancient One's magic.

Solomon had used Dispel Magic on Kamar-Taj's mini-fridge hundreds of times.

Only a handful of those attempts had succeeded.

At Kamar-Taj, spell duels were daily training exercises—designed to hone a magus's technique. Compared to the raw brutality of hand-to-hand combat, magic battles were far less flashy.

To outsiders, two spellcasters standing motionless for minutes before finally casting a spell might seem boring.

To insiders, every moment was an invisible battle.

Spellcasting vs. Counterspell. Spellcasting vs. Reversal. Spellcasting vs. Theft of Control.

These unseen clashes were what truly made magic duels captivating.

Solomon was the best among his peers.

He excelled at disrupting enemy spellcasting with cantrips.

And he wasn't above using dirty tricks.

Like tickling an opponent's nose with a feather mid-incantation, forcing them to choose between sneezing or risking magical backlash.

As far as he knew, no spell specifically required a sneeze as a material component.

The Ancient One's countermeasure?

A punch to the face.

That trick never worked again—at least not in Kamar-Taj.

———

So, when Wanda Maximoff attempted to read Lorna and Solomon's minds again—

Instead of accessing their thoughts, her own psyche was exposed.

A wave of dizziness hit her.

She blinked—

—only to find herself plunged into a pitch-black ocean, its freezing waters crushing her lungs.

Above her, a single unblinking eye hovered, watching, analyzing, devouring every fragment of exposed information.

Panic seized her.

The moment she snapped out of it, she realized—

The gap in her mind had already given Solomon access to her surface-level thoughts.

Of course, he hadn't gone any deeper.

Not because he couldn't—

But because he wasn't interested.

If he had wanted to, Wanda wouldn't have been able to resist at all.

———

"Y-Your power is just like mine!"

Wanda's eyes widened.

"You have superpowers, too!"

"No."

Solomon shook his head.

"Completely different."

He didn't explain further.

Instead, he collected the now-empty, grease-stained wrappers and stood up, pulling Lorna with him.

"We'll meet again, Miss Maximoff."

The nonsense-spouting lunatic from earlier had suddenly become a polite gentleman, making Wanda wonder if this man had multiple personalities.

"We have important matters to attend to," he told Lorna. "Let's not waste time."

"You're looking for the stone, aren't you?"

Wanda suddenly asked.

"Oh?"

Solomon turned back to her, intrigued.

His analysis of her magic wasn't complete yet, but her reaction was enough to serve as a key data point.

If she truly wielded Psionic Magic, then her primary magical attribute would be intelligence—which meant she wasn't an idiot.

The momentary chaos from Solomon's surprise appearance had settled, and Wanda was now processing everything she had seen and heard.

And she had noticed something.

"Let's make a trade."

She took a deep breath.

"I'll tell you where it is."

Wanda squared her shoulders, trying to mask her fear.

But the truth was—

She was far more terrified of Solomon than she had ever been of Hydra.

That drowning sensation had shaken her to the core.

But she also knew—

Hydra would bleed her and Pietro dry.

They were just test subjects—nothing more.

If she wanted to survive—if Pietro was going to survive—

She needed leverage.

Even if the man before her was the devil, she would not regret this choice.

"You seem to know a lot about me," she said cautiously.

"Then you should already know what I want."

Her gaze flicked to Lorna.

"You have abilities like mine," Wanda admitted. "I know how strong you are, so I won't lie to you."

She hesitated—

Then forced herself to speak.

"Teach me to control my power, and I'll tell you where it is."

"You want to be my apprentice?"

Solomon tilted his head.

"You want to learn magic?"

"This is magic?"

"What else would it be?" Solomon smirked.

"You mean to tell me—you don't even know what your own power is?"

His tone was almost mocking.

"I know everything about you, Wanda.

"I know where you were born.

I know what you think.

I know what you are.

I know every single thing—"

"That sounds way too creepy, Solomon!"

Lorna yanked on his ear, cutting off his speech.

"Idiot, it's called rhetorical emphasis!"

Solomon rolled his eyes.

He pried off the koala-like Lorna and extended his hand toward Wanda.

On his fingers were three distinct gemstone rings—

Even under the dim prison lighting, they gleamed brilliantly.

Wanda instinctively narrowed her eyes.

"You will never be my apprentice," Solomon said bluntly.

"But—

"To make sure you don't cause an incident with your power, I will teach you how to control it."

He gave her a formal nod.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself.

"I am the Heir to the Sorcerer Supreme.

The Unofficial Contractor of Vishanti.

The Enforcer of the Asgardian Pact.

The Rightful King of Midgard.

The Legitimate Heir to Great Britain.

The Future High King of the Celts.

The Bearer of the Sacred Sword and Holy Spear.

The Last Seat of the Round Table.

The Earl of Londinium.

The Master of Immortal City and the Pillars of the Dark Gods.

The Adopted Son of the Goddess of Wisdom.

The Living Saint.

The Messiah.

The Unofficial High Priest and King of the Jews.

"Possibly the original architect of the Temple of Jerusalem.

"And—

"A devout fan of Chicago Italian Beef Wraps.

"Solomon Damonet."

Wanda Maximoff's jaw dropped.

"You… what?"

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