You can read early chapters on my [P].[A].[T].[R].[E].[O].[N].
Link: [email protected]/Arson09
_______________________________________
Ethan sat in a meditative state, floating above the ground in E1. His astral form could be seen watching the fading spirit of Andrew.
He reached out his hand to touch the boy's forehead, and the entire scene shifted to that white room—the same void he first encountered upon his reincarnation. It was the same white space the King of Curses could access to offer a final goodbye to departed spirits.
"Ethan," Tora spoke through their mental link, his voice strained.
"You have never before attempted to create a sentient cursed corpse. Hell, I didn't even know it was possible," Tora noted, emerging from Ethan's shadow into the blinding white room. He looked around cautiously and murmured, "You must have heard that saying in Kamar-Taj: 'No knowledge in Kamar-Taj is forbidden, only certain practices'."
"And reviving the dead in any shape or form is strictly prohibited. What is this place?" he finally asked.
"I call it 'The In-Between'—a place where every soul passes, whether curse or human, before moving to the afterlife," Ethan explained, looking around the void. "I tapped into this realm after landing my thousandth Black Flash."
"How are we even here?" Tora asked, bewildered.
"That's the neat part, Tora: we aren't. Only I am, and this is merely my consciousness," Ethan clarified.
"And since I am linked to your soul via the Ten Shadows, I can piggyback here," Tora said as a look of realization crossed his face.
"Let's go," Ethan said. The scenery shifted, and both of them stood before a hotel pool in Pittsburgh—presumably where Andrew had drowned.
"This is Andrew's soul information," Ethan said, answering Tora's unasked question.
Ethan bent on one knee and touched the water in the pool. "Ethan, if I may..." Tora began, looking at Ethan's back. "I have read and memorized nearly every book in Kamar-Taj."
Tora wanted to ask about the method of creation of Abrupt Mutation Cursed Corpse, but he was hesitant, Even for someone like Ethan, Knowledge of such a technique could be considered highly valuable, Tora would understand if Ethan wouldn't want spread such knowledge, but...
Ethan interrupted him. "Normally, you would need to replicate soul information from physical remains. But since we are here, I don't have to; I can directly input Andrew's soul information. No replication is needed." Ethan began exploring the area as he spoke.
"Then, you must input that information into the cursed corpse's core. But that isn't enough," Ethan continued, making his way toward a children's playground. "You must place cores housing three highly compatible souls into a single cursed corpse."
"Three souls?" Tora asked.
"Yes, and have the souls observe each other constantly. Only that will stabilize the core and give rise to self-awareness. Then, in three months' time, the corpse will achieve self-sustaining cursed energy," Ethan explained.
"And as for the Kamar-Taj prohibiting certain practices—they don't even know about Abrupt Mutation Cursed Corpses, so how could they prohibit them? Besides, everything which is not forbidden is allowed," Ethan spoke as he entered the playground. Tora sank back into his shadow.
'There are other entities I have to deal with..If I go through with this' Ethan thought, his hesitation previously has been due to them, due to Her, Lady Death.
"There you are..." Ethan murmured, as Andrew's soul could be seen playing on a swing.
"Hello, Andrew," Ethan said, looking at the boy.
"Are you here to take me to Heaven?" Andrew asked bluntly, continuing to ride his swing.
"What?" Ethan stammered, the abruptness of the question catching him off guard.
"Heaven. My mom said people go there after they... well, she didn't say 'dead.' But I'm a big boy; I know what she meant. Grandpa will be there, too," Andrew added.
"How old are you exactly, kid?" Ethan asked, making his way beside the swing.
"I will be seven," Andrew spoke, puffing out his chest. Then he murmured, "...in six months."
"Six it is, then. What is the last thing you remember, Andrew?" At his question, Andrew's face fell.
"Bella, that little grasshopper... she fell in the pool. Then I went in," Andrew spoke as the speed of the swing slowed to a halt. "How is she?" he asked with genuine concern.
"She is alright, thanks to you. That was a brave thing you did; it saved her life." Ethan bent on one knee. "How about you come with me and we go see Bella? How does that sound?"
"Yeah!" Andrew replied as he hopped off the swing with an excited smile. "I would like that."
"Oh... by the way, you can call me Ethan," he said, as he and Andrew made their way back to the real world.
**Tony Stark.**
He was looking out the cafeteria window of **Allegheny General Hospital** when he heard the commotion erupting inside the trauma center...
Ethan made his way out of the center, pausing to offer a final word to the family. "Give me a call if you need any help," he said. He had given the parents a summary of what to expect from Andrew's new form, but he knew a more detailed explanation would be required later.
Ethan and Tony locked eyes from across the hallway. Tony motioned for him to follow as he headed into the nearly empty cafeteria.
"Did you save the kid?" Tony asked as soon as he was within earshot.
"Yup. What are you doing here, Stark?" Ethan asked.
"Well, I would have called... But then again, I don't have your contact info," Stark said, idling by the racks on the side. "Which is weird, considering I have the contact info for all my shareholders," Tony added, glancing pointedly at Ethan.
"Congratulations, you figured out my secret identity: corporate millionaire," Ethan said flatly.
"Heh. I heard what happened that day from Cap. You saved the day... again. Maybe a little overboard? Yeah. But save the day you did," Tony added, his expression turning serious.
"And this is why I'm here," Tony said, offering Ethan a business card.
Ethan took it. "**Harvey Specter**, from Pearson Hardman," he read aloud.
"The best lawyer money can afford. He's already on my retainer, and I gave him a call this morning. He was eager to take your case," Tony clarified.
"My case?" Ethan questioned.
"Yeah. You know, the whole situation with the U.S. government," Tony sighed as he sat down. "I made some calls. Someone in the House is pushing this propaganda against you."
Ethan sat opposite Tony. "What else is new?" he spoke bitterly.
"Ethan, do you remember Rhodey?" Stark asked.
"Colonel James Rhodes. **The War Machine**," Ethan replied as a cup of steaming coffee materialized in front of him.
Tony eyed the transmutation for a second.
"Yeah, him. He's been on my ass, asking me to create something that can put up a fight against you—like the 'Veronica' for the Hulk—even before they hauled you in with the terrorists."
"And did you?" Ethan smiled.
"I'm close. The point is, not everyone in the House is your enemy. Just a few bad apples; most of them are just terrified, terrified of you." Stark answered. "And Harvey is the best when it comes to dealing with bad apples."
"The great Tony Stark complimenting a guy twice in a row... he must be good," Ethan spoke between sips. He watched Tony, reading the conflicting emotions on his face.
"But that's not the only reason you're here," Ethan noted, resting the coffee mug and leaning back.
"I'm terrified," Tony spoke bluntly. "I am... too."
"Of me?" Ethan questioned.
"No not of you, Don't blame Bruce; I practically pulled it out of him," Tony said as he produced a glass frame and slid it across to Ethan.
These were the same Cursed Glasses Ethan and Bruce had created—the ones that allowed normal humans to perceive Cursed Energy.
"You saw them," Ethan concluded. "The **Cursed Spirits**".
"Even before this, I couldn't sleep because of the aliens, and now these creatures," Tony admitted. "If aliens are a plague, then Cursed Spirits are the cancer of this world... they eat us from the inside out".
"Banner told me what they are and why they need to be kept a secret. He also told me what you are: a hunter," Tony spoke."I want in," he said simply.
"Tony Stark wants to exorcise Curses," Ethan noted with a smile.
**Later that evening:**
**Children's Village Orphanage:**
After his conversation with Stark, Ethan had received an urgent message from Miss Andler.
"You remember Max, right?" Miss Andler asked, looking at Ethan with a mischievous smile.
"You used to take his colored pencils when you were a kid," she added, as a look of realization passed over his face.
"He missed you quite a bit after you were adopted... though he was adopted that same year by a beautiful family," Miss Andler spoke while looking through old adoption files.
"He called me last night, about this girl who is missing , I think he likes her, " she noted with a neutral smile. " He asked for your help,"
"I called The Detroit police today... they are missing, Ethan," Miss Andler added as she handed Ethan the copy of what the Detroit police has sent Andler.
"The whole family?" Ethan asked, skimming the file.
"Yes, it's been three days. I know you have a lot on your plate, but can you look into it?" she requested.
"Any chance they could have gone off the grid without telling anyone?" Ethan questioned.
"No chance at all. This boy, Max... he was on call with Julie, He sent me this, " Miss Andler said, passing over her phone, as a recording of the call played
"nah bc why is there a whole tree in the middle of the road… " The recording went static after that.
" I will look into it for you and for Max, hopefully The family just went on unplanned detour," Ethan said as he made to stand up.
Just then, Ethan felt a mental tug from one of his **Raiju**—the one he had specifically stationed to monitor **Lucifer Morningstar**.
**Dr. Linda Martin.**
Charlie, her newborn baby, was missing along with her husband, **Amenadiel**, the Angel of War.
"Charlie... he's..." She gasped, choking back tears as she looked toward Maze. "He's... gone."
Chloe, Lucifer, and Maze stood in the living room of Dr. Linda's home while she frantically searched for reasons to explain Charlie's absence.
"I didn't cancel the night nurse agency, so that means Amenadiel probably did... yeah. Yeah, I'm sure Amenadiel cancelled the nurse because he wanted to spend more time with the baby," she said, looking around the room for even a semblance of affirmation.
"And... and then Charlie must have gotten fussy... and... he didn't want to wake me. He probably took him for a ride in the car," she spoke, even as a clinical thought from her psychiatric training surfaced unbidden: *Denial is the first stage of grief.*
She choked up again. "I'm sure they are somewhere safe and sound, right?" she asked Chloe, who solemnly nodded.
Lucifer, however, had reached a realization. "Linda, there is something I think I need to tell you. The good news is, I think you're right; I believe Amenadiel has the child safe. The bad news is, he's in my least favorite place: Heaven."
"Are you trying to tell me that Charlie is..." She couldn't finish the sentence.
"Oh, no, no, no, no. Of course not. The baby is half-celestial, so he should be able to travel between Heaven and Earth; he just needs someone to take him," Lucifer clarified.
"So Amenadiel took our baby from me? To live in Heaven?" she questioned.
Just then, Amenadiel himself opened the door and walked in. Linda didn't wait for an explanation; she lunged at him with a mother's fury.
"How could you? You go back and get him! You go back!" she shouted.
"What are you talking about? I never took Charlie," he countered.
"Right now!" Linda screamed.
"Wait, wait, wait—he's not here?" Amenadiel questioned.
"No, because you took him up there!" Linda cried.
"Linda, I swear I didn't. Look, I was going to... but after what you said to me last night about family, I couldn't. I was so confused and needed to clear my head, so I went on a long walk," Amenadiel pleaded. "But I handed Charlie to the night nurse before I left."
"The nurse never came to the house, Amenadiel," Chloe said.
"What? Yes... yes. She was here. She was rocking Charlie to sleep when I left."
Chloe immediately produced an image of the scheduled night nurse on her phone and showed it to Amenadiel.
"No, that's not her," he said.
Chloe and Lucifer exchanged worried glances as she showed him a picture of another woman. "That's her. That is her," he repeated.
Lucifer looked at the Angel of War and spoke hurriedly. "Amenadiel, that's a demon. A demon took Charlie."
------------------------------------------------------
A/N: So how was the chapter?
Sorry for the delay, I spilled Coffee on My Laptop 🫠
(P.S. All the drafts were on My Laptop)