"Director, we've got a lead on Lucas!"
Coulson strode quickly toward Nick Fury, tablet in hand.
Fury glanced up at him, saying nothing.
Coulson immediately opened the video file on the tablet and played it.
The footage, captured via satellite, was grainy—but the devastation it showed left no doubt who was responsible.
A massive meteor plummeted from the sky, crashing straight into a mountain and obliterating the entire peak in a blinding explosion.
"Are you sure?" Fury asked, his single eye narrowing.
Coulson nodded. "Almost certain. The satellite data indicates the meteor didn't fall from outer space—it appeared out of nowhere in midair."
Fury grunted. "Has the video's authenticity been verified?"
"Tony Stark provided it himself," Coulson said. "The footage came from a Stark Industries satellite."
The moment Fury heard that, he knew it couldn't be fake. Tony might be arrogant, but he wasn't sloppy.
After learning that Lucas had gone missing, Tony had immediately activated all Stark Industries satellites, scanning the globe nonstop for any signs of him.
But Tony was clever—he didn't look for Lucas directly. Instead, he had J.A.R.V.I.S. compile every unusual or large-scale event happening worldwide, then cross-reference them against Lucas's previous over-the-top displays of power. After multiple rounds of filtering, J.A.R.V.I.S. finally found the meteor strike video.
Tony recognized it at a glance—the same type of meteor Lucas could summon, one he'd always wanted to study.
He sent two copies of the video out—one to Skye, and another to Coulson.
After both Skye and Gwen confirmed that it had to be Lucas, Tony began suiting up.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., prep the Mark armor. We're going to Bavaria."
"Right away, sir."
Robotic arms rose from the floor, fastening sleek armor plates onto his body.
"Suit-up complete. All systems stable. Energy levels at one hundred percent. Have a safe flight, sir."
"Thanks, J.A.R.V.I.S. Set destination."
A glowing marker appeared on his HUD map. The next second, Iron Man blasted into the sky.
---
Meanwhile, the Parker household had also received news of Lucas's possible location. But the worry hadn't eased—especially not for Helen.
The commotion surrounding the search hadn't escaped her notice, particularly the sudden decision to pull Gwen and Skye out of school.
In the end, George had to tell her the truth.
Helen listened quietly, surprisingly calm. She smiled faintly. "He'll be fine. A mother just knows."
Among everyone, she was the calmest. Gwen and Skye, on the other hand, checked the Chocobo Space every few hours, hoping to see Lucas return.
Each time they looked, Onion—their loyal Chocobo—was still dozing peacefully in its pen. That alone was reassuring; if Onion hadn't been summoned, it meant Lucas wasn't in immediate danger.
Normally, Onion fought alongside Lucas in every major battle. This was the only exception.
---
Bavaria
Lucas was currently brooding in frustration. He'd been dragged here by Hydra, and without proper entry papers, there was no way to leave legally. His passport was gone, and even worse—his phone had been destroyed. Wanda didn't have one either.
At least money wasn't a problem; Lucas had a habit of stashing cash in his system backpack.
"Damn it… what was the home number again?"
He racked his brain but couldn't recall. Gwen's and Skye's cell numbers? Not a chance—too many digits to memorize.
"I'm such an idiot," he groaned, stabbing at his steak with his fork. "Playing double-agent with Hydra? I should've just trashed those bastards at the office when I had the chance. Total miscalculation!"
He glared at his plate. "Next time I start getting clever, I swear I'll bark like a dog. A mutt!"
He bit into the steak with renewed fury, silently vowing: No more tricks. If I can fight my way through, I fight my way through.
"Just you wait, you little moogle," he muttered darkly. "Hydra agents walked right into the agency, and you didn't even fart in alarm. When I get back, I'm selling your stupid staff and that ridiculous crown!"
Sitting across from him, Wanda could feel the simmering storm of resentment radiating from him.
"Lucas… what's wrong?" she asked softly. "I can feel this… strange energy around you. Did something happen?"
"Oh, nothing," Lucas said quickly, reining in his irritation. "Just thinking about a few things. Eat up."
Still, he couldn't help marveling inwardly at how sensitive her power was. Even now, with her Chaos Magic still unstable, she could sense emotional fluctuations so clearly. No wonder it was one of the Three Primordial Powers—and the only one not born at the dawn of the universe, yet equal to the others.
In the Marvel Universe, the Three Primordial Powers were said to be:
The Phoenix Force, the embodiment of all spiritual energy;
The Chaos Force, capable of rewriting reality itself;
The Faerie Force, a mysterious power that devoured everything in existence.
The Faerie Force was the most obscure—its appearances few but catastrophic, capable of consuming even the Phoenix itself.
The Phoenix Force, on the other hand, was the source of all psychic power across the multiverse. Countless beings had inherited fragments of it, but none had ever possessed it completely—not even the famous Jean Grey.
The Chaos Force was unique. Unlike the others, it wasn't born with the cosmos. It originated from one of the four elder gods created by the Demiurge: Chthon, the dark god of death and chaos.
The Demiurge had created four gods—Gaea, Set, Oshtur, and Chthon. Over time, Chthon fell into corruption, becoming the first god of darkness and thus birthing the Chaos Force.
It was from this same Chaos Force that all black magic in the Marvel universe derived. Even Dormammu, the Dread Lord of the Dark Dimension, had once borrowed Chthon's power.
Eventually, Gaea sealed Chthon away in another dimension—but his influence endured. It was his attempt to return to Earth that led to the creation of Wanda Maximoff and her brother Pietro.
And now, one of those heirs sat before Lucas—unaware that her awakening powers were stirring forces older than the universe itself.
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