Over the following week, Sean devoted himself entirely to studying the power of the Mind Stone...
To him, HYDRA's secret base was utterly defenseless. It was nothing more than an empty shell. Whether it was the facility's true master, Baron Strucker, or its administrator, Dr. Stocker, all were immersed in illusions.
By the time the Mind Stone's effects wore off, they would only feel an inexplicable hollowness in their hearts, and blankness in their minds, as if something had been taken from them. They would remember nothing else.
This medical center in Sokovia had now become Sean's personal kingdom. Every staff member firmly believed in his fabricated identity; Dr. Cypher, holder of dual degrees in neurobiology and psychology.
As for Pietro and Wanda who had been drawn into the experiments, they remained blissfully unaware, believing this to be some clinical trial for medical drugs.
They happily enjoyed the lavish meals and generous stipends...
....
In a bright sterile examination room, Sean sat in a chair, impeccably dressed in a suit...
Across from him was a burly bald man, a test subject HYDRA had recruited from a psychiatric hospital. This man suffered from dual disorders of cognition and emotion.
His thinking was slower and more impoverished than that of an average person, and his reactions to emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness were far more sluggish.
The reason Sean chose psychiatric patients as test subjects was simple... to fully master the Mind Stone's power, he needed to understand the minds and emotions of all living beings. The consciousness of a mentally ill person was entirely different from that of a normal individual, a conclusion he had reached after a week of psychotherapy.
The logical thinking of a normal person was like an intricate network of overpasses. Though it might appear chaotic at first glance, it was actually highly structured. Different thoughts processed through different cognitive pathways gave rise to distinct emotions.
Seeing a friend or family member weep would evoke sadness, encountering joyous news would bring laughter. This was how normal people functioned.
But the mentally ill were different. Their thoughts were fragmented and disordered, like a maze with no entrance or exit. Once trapped inside, escape was nearly impossible.
Their experience of emotions could range from dull and indifferent to abnormally sensitive. Their minds overflowed with meaningless abstract symbols, their consciousness resembled an illiterate person randomly striking a typewriter... sentences lacked coherence, ideas were incomplete, and the result was a chaotic and incomprehensible jumble no ordinary person could decipher.
This was precisely why Sean found them so fascinating.
Mentally ill individuals often couldn't distinguish fantasy from reality, appearing as madmen to others. But in his eyes, their minds were purer. Their emotions were simple, and their consciousness complex.
They were perfect subjects for studying the Mind Stone...
A faint yellow glow shimmered as imperceptible waves of energy invaded the bald man's mind. Sean's consciousness seemed to transform into a gentle sun, illuminating the other's fractured psyche.
Scattered and disjointed images gradually merged into a coherent whole.
A lonely boy sat on a grassy field. Due to his emotional disorder, he could neither laugh nor cry. His father saw him as a freak. At school, he had no friends, and was mocked by others as a 'wooden doll'.
After drinking, his father would beat his mother, and the abused woman would then vent all her resentment on him.
Everyone viewed him as an unfeeling idiot. Until one day, his sluggish mind finally birthed an emotion... rage.
So he picked up an axe from the yard and swung it at his parents as they argued inside. The bright violent splashes of blood, his father's roars, his mother's wails... none of it fazed him. Without hesitation, he brought the axe down again and again.
He was an idiot...
Sean's eyes gleamed as he observed these twisted bloody childhood memories. The Mind Stone reflected a deep crimson glow, the color of extreme fury.
"Red." He marked it down in his report.
Every being's emotions had their own hues, like a vast spectrum interweaving to form the ocean of sentience that comprised all living things.
This reminded Sean of another world where a unique group wielded willpower as their strength. Those individuals knew how to forge their spirits, harness their emotions, and transform them into power, effectively condensing fantasy into reality.
"Forget the past. Imagine yourself floating in a warm ocean, your body rising and falling with the waves. Blue skies, white clouds, seagulls, beaches. Everything is peaceful. Forget mistakes. Forget anger." Sean's gaze shifted subtly.
The yellow light projected by the Mind Stone surged like tides, guiding the bald man's thoughts. Within the cascading illusions, new memories were woven...
...
A HYDRA researcher led the bald man out, utterly astonished by what he had just witnessed...
This psychiatric patient had always been sullen, occasionally erupting into violent fits. Yet before Dr. Cyphers, he had been as docile as a child.
Standing nearby, Wanda watched with fascination. This miraculous transformation was nothing short of divine. It's as if Sean radiated a strange soothing power that brought peace to those around him.
"How did you do that?" She blinked, curiosity brimming in her eyes.
"The power of the mind." Sean shrugged, his expression deliberately mysterious, "How has Pietro been lately?"
"He's doing great. He is full of energy, like he can't possibly run out. He jogs around the field downstairs every day... says he loves the feeling of running." Wanda had noticed obvious changes in her brother.
She, too, felt different. Every night, she fell into bizarre dreams, and would wake up with an oddly heightened sensitivity.
Unbeknownst to her, this was the Mind Stone's corrupting influence...
As for Pietro, Sean hadn't directly altered him to awaken his latent abilities. Instead, he had gradually enhanced the young man's physical strength, dynamic vision, and overall condition. He was preparing him for his eventual transformation into Quicksilver.
"Pietro thinks he can become the fastest man in the world," Wanda said, covering her mouth as she laughed.
"He's far from it. Unless he can outrun light and reverse time, that is." A faint smile tugged at Sean's lips.
The title of fastest man in the world didn't belong to Pietro. It belonged to a speedster from another reality entirely.
"The day has gone by so quickly. Would you like to have dinner together later?" The young man extended the invitation sincerely, his expression warm.
Wanda was a natural psychic. Her perception was extraordinarily sharp, making her especially suited for the Mind Stone's transformative process.
Sean intended to mold this girl into a more perfect Scarlet Witch. He was deeply curious: 'What wondrous abilities would the Mind Stone grant her?'
Mind control? Probability manipulation? Or perhaps chaos magic akin to sorcery?
"Sure." Wanda nodded, accepting readily.
At this moment, her mind radiated bright swirls of pink and purple, vibrant hues of emotion...