Marvel: The Awakened One

Yes.

Using Anya as leverage against him.

Was it likely?

Extremely.

The moment Mephisto had suggested he needed help dealing with Blackheart, Hawk had been on high alert.

He now seriously suspected that the whole story about his sister’s soul being tainted by the aura of Hel was a complete fabrication.

It was just a little trick, a bit of added drama from Mephisto to ensure Hawk would help him deal with Blackheart.

It came back to the cardinal rule.

Never trust a demon. And when it’s the king of demons, it’s best not to trust a single punctuation mark.

That whole line about not wanting to make an enemy of a future god over a single, ordinary soul?

Heh...

It sounded nice.

But if you believed it, you were a fool.

Mephisto wasn’t afraid of gods. This was the being who had once tried to scheme against Galactus.

Sure, the Devourer of Worlds was perpetually starving, but at full power, he was on par with the other cosmic entities.

Though, admittedly, Galactus was never well-fed.

But it was a glimpse into his audacity.

Mephisto had once coveted the soul of a cosmic entity. What did he care about the soul of a man who wasn’t even a true god yet, even if he did command the divine authorities of Immortality and Rebirth?

Put it this way.

If Mephisto wasn’t after his soul, Hawk would gladly rip his own head off and gift it to the demon as a urinal.

And the claim that he couldn’t resurrect his sister without a body?

Other lords of other hells might be bound by such rules, but for the master of a dimension that bordered so closely on Death itself, it was bullshit.

You couldn’t trust a single word.

So—

”Either Mephisto is using this to see if he can use my sister as leverage against me, or he’s trying to lure me to Texas to see if he can get his hands on my soul.”

”Hiss!”

Gwen drew in another sharp breath as she listened to Hawk’s theory. She frowned. ”You’ve met him before, and he couldn’t take your soul then. Why would luring you to Texas make a difference?”

Hawk replied, ”Texas is the closest place on Earth to Hell.”

Texas didn’t just have demons. It had the Ghost Rider. And that Penance Stare of his... God only knew if it would work on Hawk.

An image of Nicolas Cage’s face flashed in Hawk’s mind.

Gwen’s expression grew worried. ”So, what are you going to do?”

Hawk snapped back to the present, meeting her gaze with a faint smile.

”Simple.”

”I’ll just build my own underworld.”

...

The underworld was a must.

Life and death were the fundamental authorities of any universe.

Hawk had originally planned on waiting until he had grasped the Seventh Sense, until his Cosmo had fully manifested into a true, parallel Phoenix Universe.

After all, his inner universe was still a desolate place. He hadn’t even touched the threshold of the Seventh Sense. The idea of building his own underworld had been completely unrealistic.

Before his Cosmo could manifest, it lacked the fundamental elements needed to form a material world. But the appearance of Blackheart and the Elemental Demons had given Hawk an idea.

What were the foundational elements of a material world?

Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, and Aether.

Hawk already had the aether. That was the fundamental component that would allow him to transform his Cosmo into a parallel universe.

But the other four elements?

The Elemental Demons were the key. They were the hope he needed to rapidly populate his Cosmo, to push his Silver Cosmo to its absolute peak.

If I can absorb those four demons…

Combined with the Reality Stone…

The stars in my Cosmo will grow at an exponential rate!

And… it might even be possible to build the underworld of my Phoenix Universe ahead of schedule.

And once I’ve grasped the laws of life and death for myself—even if I haven’t mastered the Eighth Sense that allows one to traverse those realms—I’ll still be able to go to Hell.

Most importantly!

The Underworld Armor (Surplices)…

It doesn’t require nearly as many complex materials.

So, Mephisto—you’d better not be playing games with me.

...

The next day.

Hawk bought a ticket to Texas. After a final hug with Gwen, he boarded the flight.

His first thought had been to just fly there himself, straight through the atmosphere.

But he wanted to run one last test, to see if he truly had some kind of curse that doomed him whenever he used public transportation to leave New York.

If this trip went wrong too, then that was it. From now on, if he ever needed to leave New York, he would just fly himself.

He’d just settled into his seat and was looking out the window when a surprised voice cut through the cabin noise.

”Hawk?”

”…Sharon?”

Hawk turned to find Sharon Carter sliding into the seat beside him, her face frozen in complete shock. He was equally surprised.

”What are you…”

”Texas. Vacation...” Sharon glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention, then lowered her voice. ”What about you? Why didn’t you just fly?”

She was curious. With the speed Hawk had displayed during his weekly sparring sessions with Thor on Mars, he could get to Texas much faster by flying himself. And a lot cheaper...

Hawk, of course, wasn’t about to tell her he was testing a theory about a personal curse. His mind spun, and he just smiled. ”It’s the holidays. I was trying to save you the trouble of coming to knock on my door tomorrow. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Sharon blinked.

She bought it. She had no doubt that if Hawk had just zipped over to Texas, she would have been the one getting a call to go and ask him what he was up to.

Sharon’s expression turned serious as she nodded at him.

”Thank you.”

”You’re welcome.”

Hawk smiled back, then asked, a curious glint in his eye, ”By the way, are you just starting your vacation now?”

Sharon’s voice was even.

”My leave was approved before the holidays.”

”Then…”

”The day I picked up Carrie from your house, I came straight from the airport.”

”…”

Hawk paused, then, meeting Sharon’s slightly resentful gaze, he just shook his head. ”Alright. Sorry.”

Hearing his apology, the last of Sharon’s lingering resentment vanished.

After all, even though she hadn’t been able to start her vacation right away, it had been worth it.

It didn’t matter if Hawk had entrusted Carrie to them or not. The fact was, she had been the one to bring back a witch. She had been rewarded by the bureau for it.

A level-up in clearance, and an extra ten days of paid leave.

All things considered... She had definitely come out on top.

Sharon smiled faintly and began to give him an update on Carrie’s progress.

The short version was—

Carrie was doing great. The S.H.I.E.L.D witch consultant had been thrilled to learn she was a Salem Witch and had happily taken her on as an apprentice.

”By the way, I saw Carrie a few days ago. She said that once she finishes her first phase of training, she wants me to bring her to thank you and Gwen.”

”Oh?”

”Yeah. I was going to ask you the next time I saw you.”

”Of course.” Hawk was genuinely happy to hear the news.

The Hell Witch had entrusted Carrie to him. He might not be able to offer a lifetime warranty, but he had to at least guarantee her well-being for the first year.

...

Soon. The plane took off without a hitch.

It ascended into the clouds with a smooth, professional grace and began its steady journey towards Texas.

After takeoff, Hawk kept his senses fully open. It wasn’t until the plane had finally crossed into Texas airspace that he let out a sigh of relief.

Good...

Looks like even if something does happen, it won’t be on the flight.

It’ll probably be after we land.

Hawk thought to himself as he continued to chat with Sharon.

Suddenly, he heard her mention something about a motorcycle stunt show and his interest was piqued.

”What stunt show?”

”This one.”

Sharon pulled a promotional pamphlet for Johnny Blaze’s motorcycle stunt show from her bag and handed it to him, launching into her pitch. ”It’s the hottest show in Texas right now. Johnny Blaze. His stunts are incredible. I came all the way to Texas just to see him.”

Hawk took the pamphlet.

The first thing he saw was the unforgettable face of Nicolas Cage.

Yep.

That’s the Ghost Rider.

Hawk thought, handing the pamphlet back to Sharon. ”Is that so? If I have time, I’ll check it out.”

Sharon took the pamphlet back, then her eyes lit up. ”By the way, Hawk, what are you in Texas for?”

Hawk smiled faintly.

Just as he was about to answer, the plane, which had already begun its descent, suddenly lurched.

In an instant, the cabin was filled with cries of alarm.

Hawk’s good mood instantly vanished.

He opened his five senses completely, and in the blink of an eye, his awareness swept over every corner of the plane, searching for the source of the danger.

Sharon had tensed up as well, but as the plane stabilized. She saw Hawk’s serious expression and assumed he wasn’t used to flying. ”Relax, Hawk. It’s just turbulence. Happens all the time.”

Hawk heard her words, thought of the strange energy fluctuation his senses had just detected outside the plane, and looked at her, a corner of his mouth turning up.

”You sure about that?”

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