Eight o'clock am. It was the time displayed on the small digital dial of the alarm clock when it began to ring, but was soon silenced by a hand that slipped out from under the blanket, fingering it limply and finally managing to silence it. Sitting up in his bed, the young man rubbed his eyes, cracked his neck a little and took a few seconds to come out of his still present torpor. The time indicated on the alarm clock made him sigh in annoyance. He was still going to bed too late last night. Trying to motivate himself regardless, he got up from the bed, clad only in his boxers and walked to the small bathroom in his apartment and looked at himself in the mirror first.

His name was Mathias Valentine. 29 years old. 6 feet 2 inches. Thin face, long brown hair, mustache and small beard and blue-green eyes. Checking his teeth which he brushed quickly, he took a shower, combed his hair and went back to his room to get dressed. Black t-shirt, black denim pants, leather belt, black socks. While getting dressed, he had turned on his sound system in his room, energetic metal music from the Japanese band Babymetal echoing through the room. Finding a little smile thanks to the music, Mathias finishes getting dressed while shaking his head a little to the rhythm of the melody. All around him, on the walls of his modest room, proudly stood the posters of several metal bands, but also of various films, video games or TV series that he loved.

But very quickly, muffled and repeated blows from the other side of the bedroom wall were heard, as well as an angry voice.

_"Hey, stop this fucking noise or I'll call the police!"

_"Tsss... Killjoy." Mathias commented, turning off the music anyway, not wanting to have problems again so early in the morning with his moron neighbor.

Determined not to let this asshole spoil his pleasure, Mathias whistled the tune of the song while preparing and eating his breakfast, and took the opportunity to check his emails. Then, once that was done, he put on his leather jacket, tied his hair in a ponytail behind his neck and left his apartment, which he locked, checking the time on his mobile phone.

_"Hmm, I have plenty of time." he said, serene.

Suddenly, the door of the apartment located to the right of his opened and a man of about fifty years old, slightly paunchy and with a sinister air came to see him.

_"Five times you've broken my ears with your crap music. I'm warning you, the next time will be one too many!"

_"I'm glad to see you too, Mr. Rigan. Nice morning, huh?" replied Mathias with an ironic smile. "Ah, by the way, we say hello when we are well educated."

Rigan's face turned red as he fumed.

_"Whoever laughs last will laugh well, Valentine. I don't have lessons to receive from a guy without a job, and whose parents didn't even want him at birth."

This more than hurtful remark made Mathias clench his fists who chose to remain calm and refrain from breaking his teeth. Finishing closing his door, Mathias chose to ignore him and walked away in the corridor towards the elevator, under the gaze of Rigan, who proud of himself, returned home.

_"Big shit bag..." breathed Mathias between his lips as he entered the elevator and brooded a little more in his thoughts.

His thoughtful attention then fell to something he wore around his neck at all times. A small pendant made of a silver chain and adorned with a kind of saber-shaped bone tooth. The only object, the only memory that remained of his parents, having never known them because having been found abandoned on the threshold of an orphanage when he was a baby, barely two weeks old. Who were they? Why had they done that? He had been asking these questions for many years without ever finding an ounce of an answer, and had since given up trying to find, having managed, with difficulty but surely, to trace his path, as banal as it was, alas.

The elevator took him downstairs and as he headed down the hall he noticed this white moving van parked just outside the entrance to the building. Someone was obviously unloading cardboard boxes, but he could only see his legs and hands behind the bass drum. The person seemed to be struggling to hold it, almost failing to tip over with it, but Mathias intervened quickly and helped him put it on the ground, without breaking it.

_" Phew, disaster avoided." Mathias joked.

_"Thank you for your help." answered the person in front of her.

Looking up, Mathias could see what she looked like. She was a very beautiful young woman, with wavy reddish-brown hair falling over her shoulders, thin pink lips and green eyes. She was dressed in a red leather jacket, a black tank top underneath, denim pants and brown boots. Wow, she's beautiful, was one of Mathias' first thoughts when he saw her, but he refrained from saying it out loud. Then, realizing a little embarrassed that he had been staring at her without saying a word for long seconds, he reacted and held out his hand towards her.

_"Oh sorry. Pleased, my name is Mathias. Mathias Valentine." he said friendly.

_"Nice to meet you, Mathias. You may call me Wanda. Wanda Maximoff." answered the young woman, who at first a little shy but smiling, shook her hand politely. "I have just arrived from very far and I am moving here, to apartment 33."

Apartment 33? It was the one opposite Mathias's. Now that he remembered, the 33 was indeed for sale. So she was his new neighbor across the street? Inwardly, Mathias felt lucky to have such a pretty neighbor, but he didn't show it, so as not to appear rude.

_"Well, nice to meet you too, Wanda." Mathias added. "Welcome to Paris and I hope you enjoy it here... I wish I could stay and help you but I'm expected somewhere. We can talk next time, if that suits you of course."

Wanda watched the young man speak and chuckled a little nonchalantly, amused to see him stammer and be a little clumsy in the way he spoke, giving him a shy but endearing edge.

_"I would be delighted." was the answer she gave.

_"On the other hand, a little advice: avoid old Rigan. He doesn't like many people, even less newcomers. He's a real idiot." Mathias advised.

_"Okay. Fine. Thanks for the advice." Wanda answered, a little perplexed.

Mathias smiled then greeted her before having to leave quickly to reach the bus stop which was not far at the corner of the street. Wanda watched him go, still smiling and touched by his gesture of help.

A few minutes later, Wanda had finished gathering the cardboard boxes containing her few belongings and deposited them in the hall of her new apartment, which although small in size, would suit her very well. Contemplating in silence what would become her future living room, Wanda seemed satisfied and then decided to add a few little trinkets to the walls already. But as she took out a small mirror to hang it, she froze. Her own reflection morphed, dark and shadowy, her eyes gleaming a chaotic red and spearing Wanda with palpable hatred. Hands clutching the edges of the mirror, Wanda was shaking, unable to take her eyes off the phenomenon.

_"Leave me alone..." the young woman breathed in distress, struggling inside against the powerful mental assaults that the witch sent to her in order to make her give in.

Slowly, the shadowy, hooked hand of the witch's reflection emerged from the glass of the mirror, as if emerging from under the surface of the water, and gradually approached Wanda's throat to grasp it. A voice, like a distorted and inhuman echo, began to resonate in Wanda's mind, in an atrocious and monstrous language, an unspeakable chaos of unknown words.

_"You no longer have any hold over me... I will never again be a slave to your power." Wanda growled as she continued to mentally struggle.

The tips of the witch's black knuckles were only inches away from Wanda's skin, but Wanda managed to react and threw the mirror which shattered into pieces against a wall, causing the demonic apparition to disappear as well as the ghostly attacking voice. Falling to her knees, out of breath from such mental exertion and shaky breathing, Wanda remained silent, her gaze fixed on the shards of glass strewn on the floor. She ran her hands over her face, feeling the tears welling up and her throat constricting but refused to let the pains of her past resurface again, preferring to bury them deep inside her and trying to forget them forever.

***********

In downtown Paris, towards the end of the morning and despite the partly sunny day, Mathias had just come out of an important appointment he had today with the boss of a major publishing house of novels to which he had presented his first book and which he wished to have published by them. Unfortunately, that had come to nothing and the young man was now standing in front of the building's entrance, looking closed and disappointed with the result. Another failure, he thought. One more to add to his long list of projects he had never been able to achieve.

Disgusted by this day which was definitely getting worse and worse, Mathias took the bus and headed for another district of the capital. A little later, he finally arrived at his destination, at a place he knew very well because he had been there often: the famous Notre Dame cathedral.

Mass had just ended, men and women of all ages coming out the front door with smiling faces and talking among themselves. As he entered, Mathias once again felt that oppressive yet peaceful atmosphere typical of the interior of a cathedral and that made him feel a little better. Admiring the superb ornate columns, the splendid and shiny stained glass windows letting the light of day filter through, the young man walked with a nonchalant step in the middle of the rows of perfectly aligned benches.

_"Mathias Valentine."

The male voice that called out to Mathias made him smile. At the back of the cathedral, in front of the altar, stood a man in his fifties in priest's uniform, with short, slightly graying hair and wearing round glasses. Holding in his hands a small Bible which he used to officiate the masses, the man of faith expressed a wide smile towards the young man and the two came to meet in an almost fraternal embrace.

_"Hello, Father Nicolas. It's good to see you." Mathias said.

_"Shared pleasure, my child." replied the priest as he invited Mathias to sit with him on one of the pews. "But tell me...something is wrong. You seem...upset."

_"Oh that..." breathed Mathias, still a little under the influence of failure. "It's just...I've failed to make a case for myself again. I've been doing everything I can, but nothing is working. I've come to believe that I'm born to fail at everything. I admit that it's starting to seriously weigh on my morale."

Father Nicolas listened to Mathias explain what he was going through at the moment and was sympathetic towards him, putting his hand on his shoulder to support him.

_"You have to keep faith in yourself, Mathias." said the priest with conviction. "We are all on this earth for a purpose, and you only have to discover yours. For my part, I know you can do it. The child I found eventually grew into a good man, and I know he will end up accomplishing great things."

Mathias smiled a little at the encouragement of Father Nicolas, who indeed was the man who found him on the threshold of the Catholic orphanage in front of which he was abandoned when he was a baby. Nicolas was almost like a partner figure for Mathias over the years, but he never tried to convince the young man to absolutely embark on the Christian faith, preferring to encourage Mathias to follow his own path rather than choose it for him, and for this, Mathias had always been grateful to him. Nicolas also had to protect Mathias against other members of the church, who were convinced that if the boy had been abandoned at birth it was because he presented heretical, even demonic natures. Absolutely stupid accusations without any proof, but fortunately Nicolas had been able to use his influence to allow Mathias to be able to grow up in peace.

_"Ah, if you'll excuse me Mathias, but I think someone is going to need my help." Father Nicolas said then as he looked over his shoulder.

Mathias, intrigued, glanced in the same direction. He then recognized the young woman, his new neighbor, Wanda. She had just entered the cathedral, silent and looking a bit confused, staring blankly at the vastness of the building's interior. Understanding the obligations of the priest, Mathias decided to leave and would come back to see him another time to discuss. He then headed for the exit but first crossed paths with Wanda who seemed rather surprised to see him there.

_"Mathias? Really, the world is small." she said with a shy smile. "I didn't know you were a believer."

_"Oh no, it's just that the priest is a very good friend of mine, besides he is almost like a father." Mathias answered. "And you? Are you a believer? If the question is not indiscreet of course."

_"Well... to be honest... I don't really know." Wanda tried to say, a little embarrassed by the question and as if trying to find her words.

Mathias felt silly and saw that she was having trouble answering, and he didn't insist on this point. Her behavior puzzled him. This morning when meeting her in the hall, she seemed radiant and so smiling, but now she seemed almost withdrawn, lost, but also uneasy at times, as if she felt being followed.

_"Uh... by the way... Do you still agree we see each other later and get to know each other better?" Mathias asked to change the subject and try to cheer up the atmosphere a bit.

_"I... listen, that's very kind of you, Mathias, but I'm pretty busy right now. Maybe another time. Goodbye." Wanda answered with this same unease behavior, but which was not directed against the young man.

It was as if she was afraid to speak and be heard, when there was absolutely no one except her, Mathias and the priest in the cathedral. A little disconcerted, Mathias watched her go towards Father Nicolas who greeted her and wished her welcome. Not wanting to interfere in the young woman's private life, Mathias resumed his journey and left the cathedral to return home.

It was in the greatest silence that Wanda entered the relatively dark and restricted space of the confessional. She was here for a specific purpose: to be able to confide, to empty the weight of her own past which continued to weigh on her and thus, to lighten her conscience. Although being not a Catholic, Wanda however hoped that it would work, because she had no other solutions.

In the other compartment of the confessional, both separated by a small grating, Father Nicolas sits down and invites Wanda to do the same on her side. Very hesitant at first, rubbing her hands nervously, Wanda decided to break her confinement and finally spoke, in a timid and guilty voice.

_"I... I come to you in all humility, and I ask you to forgive me, father, for I have sinned."

_"I am listening to you, my child. God is also listening to you. Do not be afraid and say what weighs on you." replied Nicolas calmly.

Her throat constricted because she dreaded this moment, Wanda held back the tears from flowing from her eyes, flashes of many horrible images from her past resurfacing in her tormented mind that she was nevertheless trying to heal by all means.

_"I...I always tried to do what was right, the best I could..." she said, her voice sad. "But unfortunately not everything went as planned...I loved a man, from the bottom of my heart, but...I was forced to kill him."

As she spoke, images of her killing Vision in Wakanda as Thanos had arrived surfaced as if to torture her.

_"Continue." asked Father Nicolas.

_"I didn't want to, but I had to do it, there was so much at stake, and he himself wanted me to do it." Wanda continued with pain. "But it was for naught and I lost him forever...We had kids, a dream life, but it all turned out to be an illusion...I made to suffer so many people and I betrayed all my friends ... Today, I have nothing left, except my guilt and my remorse."

The beginnings of tears were beginning to spring from the corners of his eyes, the weight of the confession being far too heavy to bear. On the other side, Father Nicolas had listened to everything down to the smallest syllable and remained silent at first, as if lost in thought and analyzing what this young woman had just said.

_"God can forgive everything, Miss Maximoff." Nicolas said neutrally. "That is why he is almighty and only he can judge good and bad. I sense the sincerity in your words, and believe me, he knows it too. However, you must find the strength to forgive yourself."

Wanda, tears streaming softly down her cheeks, then raised her head to suddenly see the shadow of the red witch, with glowing red eyes, loom up next to the priest with an inhuman howl and break his neck with his bare hands with violent extreme. Wanda gasped in a mute cry and jumped up in fear, and blinking, saw that the shadow had disappeared and that Father Nicolas, still alive and well, seemed very surprised by the young woman's reaction.

_"Miss Maximoff? Are you all right?" he asked.

_"I... excuse me, I have to go. Thanks again for listening to me." Wanda then replied in a panic that she was struggling to hide.

_"But wait..."

Too late, hardly had he had time to leave the confessional that father Nicolas could only watch, perplexed, as Wanda ran off and left the cathedral, fear in her stomach and her face showing a great fear.

**********

Meanwhile...

_"She's almost at her end. It won't be very long."

_"Do you think? She is much stronger than we could have expected."

_"Don't worry. Very soon, our lord will have it, as he always planned."

_"And the young male human? He could become an obstacle to the master's project."

_"In this case we will have to remedy it, when the time comes. I tell you, brothers and sisters, nothing will come to disturb the advent and the return of our order. Hail to our almighty lord, the one who embodies the great everything and nothing at the same time, he who even dead remains alive."