The twisted pentagram talisman, once blessed, proved highly effective. With the copper pendant around her neck, the filthy, corrupting forces were repelled from Wanda's skin, and the severe symptoms of magical allergy lessened at once. The continuous protection enchantments made her chest itch beneath the charm, her face flushed red. As long as she didn't remove the Old Sigil, she could now move freely without staying constantly near Solomon. At the same time, she had etched a simple Kamar-Taj emblem and Solomon's personal crest on the northern side of the copper plate. From an occult perspective, this sigil combination precisely pointed toward Solomon, Magus of Kamar-Taj—similar to how he had once asked Wanda to use a spirit board. She would never forget that dream. Harnessing the power of dreams was, after all, essential for any witch.
Seeing Wanda's condition improving, Solomon finally began revealing fragments of the mission to her. In line with the practices of spellcasters, he glossed over many terrifying truths known only to a handful of magi. This wasn't about hoarding knowledge, but protecting the uninitiated. Ignorance was the only safeguard for the mind—knowledge brought madness. For Solomon, Wanda's mental stability was paramount.
The weather in Maine seemed perpetually grim. Beyond the hotel window, thunder flickered faintly in the piles of leaden clouds—an approaching storm. As night deepened, the air grew heavy and stifling. Sweat formed on Wanda's brow. Even after removing her red leather coat, she continued sweating, and only the lowest air-conditioning setting offered a modicum of relief. On the corner of the silent television screen, storm warnings flashed repeatedly. A tempest was coming.
Solomon remained vague, describing their potential enemies in broad strokes. If his guess was right, they wouldn't be facing just vampires.
"The Orb of Agamotto detected traces of blood magic—overlapping with much darker forces. Our task isn't just to destroy vampires, but also the creature they summoned." Despite the oppressive weather, the magus's tone was calm. "As for what type of creature… I can only extrapolate from the painting I purchased. The seller's story mentioned a magical book. Kamar-Taj owns a copy, though it's not the original. If we're lucky, we might recover the original Secrets of the Worm this time."
According to Solomon, the creature described in those pages could spew acidic mucus over a distance of several kilometers, and its hundreds of feet-long body could easily destroy a naval warship. Worse still, it tunneled underground relentlessly. Solomon pulled up data from the U.S. Geological Survey, acquired via Immortal City.
"These are deep-focus quakes—minimal surface destruction so far. Aside from resetting the depth record and maybe rattling a few dishes, they haven't drawn attention," he explained. "But as the focus rises, the damage will increase. If this disaster continues unchecked, it could trigger catastrophic quakes."
The survey station had already sent warnings to the state government, but the steadily rising epicenter hadn't sparked any alarm. Only Governor Paul LePage had delivered a brief TV speech to calm the public and protect the economy. With elections looming, no one wanted to touch this issue. Brunswick wasn't far from the most recent epicenter. Just as Solomon explained the intelligence to Wanda, the hotel front desk called to report the uptick in tremors—and offered free brunch to retain nervous out-of-town guests. A clever gesture, as the tremors had done little more than shatter a few wine glasses. By contrast, recent murders and disappearances were far more alarming.
"Is that book really so important?"
"Yes."
"How much time do we have?"
"Two weeks. The seismic focus is moving. The Orb of Agamotto confirms the blood magic trail is shifting irregularly. It's not tied to any leyline nodes, so we can't intercept the vampires. By the time we arrive, all we find are mangled corpses." Solomon raised an eyebrow and showed her a few gruesome police photos. "Try not to throw up, Wanda—I know it's grotesque. From the bite marks and how intact the bodies are, these vampires don't have pure bloodlines. Either they can't suppress their feeding urges, or they've sacrificed too many blood thralls and are forced to hunt. And don't even think about relying on local authorities. Paul LePage's wife still works part-time in a restaurant—we'll have to fix this ourselves!"
"So what's the plan?" Wanda kept calm. After all, she'd been through Ultron. But this felt… shaky. "I don't think binding or banishment spells are going to work on a hundred-meter-long burrowing monster. And… if the epicenter moves to the ocean, it might breach like a whale. Are we really going to fight something bigger than a whale from a boat?"
Solomon stood.
He leaned by the window, gazing toward the Androscoggin River. On this stormy evening, the gray river churned with foam, charging furiously over low cliffs. In the park by the riverbank stood a single tree, surrounded by a few cars spattered with white bird droppings. Once the rains came, the river would swell, washing the earth's filth into the sea. But Solomon didn't intend to follow the water downstream—he would go upstream. One of their objectives lay along the tributary, but first, he needed to meet with folklorists and historians to understand a few key details before heading to the source of everything—the events recounted by the seller.
"The helicarriers are airborne. It makes no difference whether the monster surfaces on land or sea," he said in a low voice, like thunder vibrating through bone. "We just need to find the vampires, seize Secrets of the Worm, and uncover their real objective. Everything else can be handled by macro-cannon fire from the helicarrier. We'll stay in sync with the strike teams. Once Agent Hand finishes off the cultists, we'll have support."
"So what's our next step?"
"For now, we're FBI agents investigating a string of serial killings. Here's your badge—don't lose it. These IDs will help us fool local law enforcement and examine the bodies. I'd rather not waste magic on predicting corpse locations." Solomon handed her the documents. "The bodies will carry clues. Our first stop is here, Brunswick. Once we find the remains, we can use them to predict the vampires' next move. But before that, we visit a place—my intel says the first appearance of Secrets of the Worm was in Jerusalem's Lot, upriver along the Royal River. We'll head there first. This is bigger than it seems. We have a meeting tomorrow morning. Let's hope those academics can clarify a few things. Get some rest, Wanda. If you want ice cream or chocolate, call Wilbur's of Maine Chocolate Confections or The Gelato Fiasco—they deliver."
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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