When Malrick and the twins returned from the Inner World, it was just in time to meet the others.
But compared to when they had entered, their appearances had drastically changed.
Malrick now wore a new combat suit—sleek, battle-ready, and sharp. His eyes were calm but cold, like a soldier who had walked through war and returned stronger. There was a presence about him, one that couldn't be ignored.
Pietro and Wanda, on the other hand, looked like they'd barely survived a natural disaster.
Pietro's left cheek was swollen, both eyes bruised and discolored. His silver hair was a chaotic mess, tangled and dusty, like he'd run through a thunderstorm backwards. His clothes were ripped in several places, revealing bruises and healing gashes across his arms and torso.
Wanda didn't fare much better. Though her injuries were lighter, she had scrapes across her face and arms, and her once long, elegant hair had been cut—now choppy and uneven. It gave her a strangely rebellious, punk-rock look, completely mismatched with her usual demeanor.
If you didn't know better, you might think the two of them had just crash-landed on a deserted island and spent two months fighting off wildlife and starvation.
With the two battered siblings beside him, Malrick appeared inside the library.
Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and the others were already there, gathered around Kaecilius, who remained suspended upside down, trapped in one of Malrick's spells.
Before Malrick could say a word, Pietro suddenly let out a choked cry—"Awoo!"—and burst into tears.
It was unexpected.
The confident, cocky young man was now a sobbing wreck. Snot, tears, and all.
To be honest, it was a little hard to watch.
Tony blinked, visibly confused. Pietro's crying was dramatic, almost like a prisoner finally being released from solitary confinement.
He raised his hands to the ceiling—no, to the heavens—tears streaming freely.
"I'm so miserable!" Pietro shouted like a soul just freed from years of emotional torment.
Tony blinked again. For a brief moment, he was reminded of a scene from The Shawshank Redemption, the moment Andy Dufresne escapes the prison and stands in the rain, arms outstretched.
The similarity was uncanny.
Wanda, who had been silent, bit her lip. She looked at Malrick with an expression that could only be described as emotional betrayal. Like a cat that had been pet too hard and wasn't sure whether to scratch or run.
The mood in the room instantly shifted.
Tony turned slowly to Malrick. "Okay… What did you do to them, Malrick? Because this—this is a lot. I mean, we can't go full Geneva Convention violation here."
Tony's tone was half-serious, half-joking, but mostly trying to understand what just happened.
Malrick raised his hands in surrender. "Nothing inhumane."
But Pietro let out another "Awoo!" and crumbled again.
When someone is that emotionally wrecked, scolding them isn't the answer. Understanding is.
Tony's sympathetic tone must have hit a nerve because Pietro lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Tony's leg, bawling into his pants like a child hugging their favorite uncle.
"He's a demon! Malrick is a demon!" Pietro cried.
Tony looked down at the sobbing man, then glanced back at Malrick.
Malrick's only response was a calm shrug.
Tony sighed. "Alright, Pietro. Walk me through it. What happened?"
Pietro sniffled. "After he helped us awaken our powers… he said my physical conditioning was pathetic. That I was the type of guy who'd get shot even if I had super speed!"
Tony raised an eyebrow. "That… actually sounds like something he'd say."
"He gave us some kind of upgraded serum—SS1 or whatever—and I thought, hey, cool! But then he started the training!"
Tony tilted his head. "What kind of training?"
Pietro looked up with wide, devastated eyes. "He tied me to a dog. A huge dog. Then he strapped meat to its head and made it run. I had to dig the ground with my hands, keep up with it—or I didn't get dinner!"
Banner and Strange exchanged a look. What kind of bizarre training was this?
They turned to Malrick for an explanation.
"It was to improve his fine control at high velocity," Malrick said calmly. "If he can maintain coordination while under stress, he can harness speed more efficiently."
Everyone considered this.
"…Honestly," Tony muttered, "that makes sense."
"There's more!" Pietro wailed. "He tied me under a tree, covered me in honey, then threw a hive at me. Giant bees, like, a foot long, came out and started stinging me!"
Tony flinched. "That… feels excessive."
"Training his evasion reflexes," Malrick said. "If he can dodge aggressive creatures in real time, he can dodge bullets and more."
Again, they all paused.
"…Still kind of tracks," Bruce admitted.
"And then!" Pietro shouted. "He tied me to a rock, dropped me into an active volcano—after it erupted! I had to run from lava!"
He didn't even wait for a reaction.
"He also threw me into the ocean! With sharks! Giant sharks! I had to outrun sharks!"
Tony raised both eyebrows this time. "Now that… seems extreme."
Malrick, perfectly calm: "Extreme training. Builds extreme endurance."
Tony turned to the others.
They all nodded slowly.
"…It does make sense," Strange muttered.
Pietro froze. "You're all agreeing with this? Seriously?"
Malrick walked over and lifted him off Tony's leg with one hand.
"You're only focusing on the suffering," he said plainly. "Not the results. Think back—when you first awakened, your powers weren't stable. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't. Now? You're faster, stronger, more focused."
He tapped Pietro on the chest.
"You've learned how to use speed tactically. You know what velocity to use for what situation. You've trained in volcanic heat, crushing pressure, high altitudes, underwater—you can survive almost anywhere now."
He turned, glancing toward Wanda. "And look at your sister. She went through the same thing. Yet she's not crying."
Pietro blinked, confused. "Wait… Wanda, you went through all of that too?"
Until now, he hadn't known what kind of training Wanda had faced.
Malrick had kept their regimens separate.
Wanda didn't speak.
She just gave Pietro a tired, knowing look.
It said everything.
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