Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

Legend claimed that when Y’Shaarj, the most powerful of the Old Gods of Azeroth, was slain by the Titans, his remains became the seven Sha.

What nobody knew was that there were actually eight.

The forgotten eighth Sha was known as the Sha of Peach Blossoms.

Or, more accurately, the Sha of Romantic Disaster.

It was the strongest of them all.

Its ultimate technique was known as the Domain of Infinite Heartbreak.

Anyone targeted by this ancient evil was doomed to perish beneath an endless barrage of romantic catastrophes. Even Emperor Shaohao, the final emperor of the Pandaren, had supposedly fled for his life when confronted by the Sha of Peach Blossoms.

And now?

Captain America was trapped inside its domain.

Invisible blades of romantic doom were pointed at him from every conceivable direction.

Then came the sound of something hitting the floor.

Peggy Carter, who had been tenderly embracing Steve only moments ago, had suddenly gone cold.

She shoved him away like a piece of unwanted luggage.

Fortunately, she’d thrown him toward the inside of the room.

Steve hit the floor hard and simply stayed there.

He stared at the ceiling with the hollow expression of a man who had finally accepted his fate.

Over the past few days, he’d watched quite a few Hollywood movies in an attempt to better understand the modern world.

One of them had left a particularly strong impression.

Final Destination.

Now he understood it on a deeply personal level.

There was no such thing as dying too early.

There was only dying when the universe finally decided your number was up.

He should have died sixty years ago when his plane went down.

His unusual physiology had merely allowed him to survive beneath the ice, trapped somewhere between life and death for decades.

Now fate had finally remembered him.

The universe had simply started arranging coincidences until one of them killed him.

"Hahahaha..."

Peggy didn’t get angry.

She laughed.

It was not a comforting laugh.

Her eyes locked onto Sharon Carter.

Love was not something she intended to surrender simply because she had family.

And Sharon wasn’t even her daughter.

She was her niece.

"You want to oppose Steve and me being together?"

"Yes, Aunt Peggy."

Sharon met her gaze without hesitation.

"I don’t think Captain America is right for you."

Even Evenson didn’t know what to make of the situation anymore.

He glanced at Steve, who was lying on the floor waiting peacefully for death.

Then he looked at Sharon, who stood in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips.

Something wasn’t adding up.

Surely she isn’t actually here to drive her uncle-in-law to suicide and then live happily ever after with Aunt Peggy.

Evenson decided to intervene before things escalated.

He quietly grabbed Steve and dragged him farther away from the immediate blast radius.

Then he stepped forward.

"Love is strange. Sometimes it creates situations that make absolutely no sense."

He looked at Sharon.

"So, Agent Carter, if you think Captain America and your aunt aren’t right for each other, you should probably explain why."

Every eye in the room turned toward Sharon.

Even Steve, still lying on the floor, discreetly shifted his gaze toward her.

He couldn’t believe this.

Last night had been dark.

He hadn’t even gotten a proper look at her face.

How had she supposedly developed such intense feelings overnight?

Was she really capable of falling in love by eye contact alone?

Sharon took a breath.

"My parents died when I was young. Aunt Peggy raised me."

Her voice softened.

"Later, because of her influence, I chose to become a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent myself."

She spoke warmly about Peggy, clearly admiring the woman who had raised her.

Peggy, meanwhile, wasn’t nearly as touched.

If I’d known you were going to try stealing my man one day, I should’ve married you off the moment you turned eighteen.

"I love and respect my aunt very much," Sharon continued. "Ever since I was old enough to understand what was going on, Aunt Peggy had been living alone. She used to talk about Captain America all the time."

Peggy’s expression slowly changed.

She was beginning to realize where this was going.

"That was when I decided that a man like Captain America must be a good man."

Peggy’s face twisted.

She had done this to herself.

If she’d known where those childhood stories would eventually lead, she would have kept her mouth shut.

"At the time, I thought only a man like that would be worthy of my aunt."

Sharon’s expression suddenly hardened.

"But last night, I discovered the truth."

She turned toward Steve.

There was no affection in her eyes.

Only disgust.

"He’s a complete scumbag."

Steve’s eyes widened.

"Last night, I deliberately tried to tempt him a little. I barely did anything. I just used a little eye contact."

Her voice sharpened.

"And he couldn’t control himself."

Steve looked like he’d been struck by lightning.

Sharon continued.

"So tell me, how can a man with absolutely no loyalty, a wandering eye, and such poor self-control possibly deserve my aunt?"

Silence.

Evenson stared.

Then it hit him.

Oh.

This is an entirely different kind of plot twist.

Sharon hadn’t come here to steal Peggy’s man.

She’d come here to perform quality control.

She was helping her aunt evaluate the boyfriend.

Steve’s reaction was immediate.

The dead-man-on-the-floor routine vanished.

His eyes lit up.

He shot upright so quickly it looked like someone had pulled him upward by a string.

Keep going.

Please, keep insulting me.

As long as you don’t say you love me, you can call me anything you want.

The harsher the better.

Steve was practically glowing with happiness.

Not everyone shared his enthusiasm.

At the very back of the room, Dottie covered her face with one hand.

Regret radiated from every inch of her expression.

Fortunately, everyone else was focused on Sharon and nobody noticed.

Peggy finally relaxed.

The hostility drained from her posture, replaced by an uncomfortable mixture of embarrassment and affection.

I knew I hadn’t raised her for nothing.

Sharon wasn’t trying to steal her man.

She was trying to protect her.

"Well..."

Peggy cleared her throat.

"Some things in life are simply complicated. Steve already explained what happened last night. It was a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?"

Sharon narrowed her eyes.

"Aunt Peggy, I don’t think that’s what this was."

Then her tone softened.

"I know you’ve waited for him for many years. I know how difficult that must have been."

She hesitated.

"But you don’t have to settle for someone who doesn’t treat you properly."

Sharon gestured toward Peggy.

"You’ve been restored to your youth. You look younger than I do now. Surely you aren’t worried about finding someone suitable."

Steve’s expression became one of profound offense.

If you’ve got a list of these so-called suitable men, sweetheart, give me their names.

I’ll challenge every single one of them myself.

"I said it was a misunderstanding."

Peggy’s face flushed.

Having her niece lecture her about finding a suitable partner was embarrassing enough.

Having Steve standing right beside her made it worse.

She took a breath.

"Steve and I aren’t ordinary people. Sometimes we’ll do things the other person doesn’t immediately understand."

She glanced at him.

"But we’ve talked it through."

Her expression softened.

"And I still think he’s the best man for me."

"Is that so..."

Sharon’s eyes sharpened.

"As your niece, I suppose there’s only so much I can say about this."

She turned toward Steve.

"But listen carefully, you scumbag."

Steve straightened.

"If you ever do anything to hurt Aunt Peggy, I’ll make you regret it."

Steve nodded immediately.

On this particular point, he had absolutely no doubt.

"I promise I won’t."

His expression became completely sincere.

"I’ll treasure Peggy more than anything."

Sharon gave him one final warning look.

Then, at last, the blades of the Sha of Romantic Disaster seemed to retreat.

For the moment, Captain America had survived.