SIXTEEN

Devourer's Prison/cave, Ta Lo.

(John's POV)

I was met with absolute darkness the instant I walked into the cave and with my lack of night vision, that put me in a handicap of sorts. Trying my x-ray vision was equally as pointless as I still couldn't see a thing. I decided to resort to my hearing, I was no bat with echolocation but It seemed to be the best choice I have giving the circumstances.

I slowly began to float ahead, my ears working full gears, searching for any surprise attack. I would be glad I did as suddenly from the darkness I heard a swipe coming at my direction. I hastily dodged the swipe but my nose picked up the burnt sulphur like scent demons and other eldritch monsters usually had. Sniffing deeply, I caught the scent again but this time it was all around me, constantly on the move. Like numerous eagles weaving between each other.

A sudden screech came out behind me and my nose and ears picked up movements all around aiming for one direction now, mine.

With no time to waste, I unleashed my heat vision on them, searing through them in the hundreds. But as much as I killed, even more replaced them. This stalemate went on for minutes with the occasional monster escaping my heat vision. They didn't get near me though as the sword and spear in my hands were put to good use.

Shoving my spear through another monster, the air suddenly went very chilly. A screech much louder than the previous one, bellowed out from underneath me temporarily deafening my enhanced ears.

Feeling powerful movement coming from beneath myself, I focused my eyes in that direction, red hot eyes poised and ready to deal out heat on molten levels. Still I waited in the air, it seemed the creature had noticed the threat my eyes posed as it inched slower as if to creep up on me but I stayed focus, not letting its movement escape my ears or nostrils.

Smelling that it was around thirty feet away from me, I began to feeling drowsy. I felt the wind move as if I were being inhaled by something. This must be what they meant by devourer. It was trying to devour my soul, but it would seem I had a very powerful one because after a minute of sucking, I still barely felt my soul being pulled. What a pathetic waste of time this had been. And I decided to let it know exactly how I felt.

"This is a waste of time and to think I saw you as a threat to my existence. I wonder since when did I begin to second guess my power. It's time to end this little play"

And with that said I unleash my heat vision on it, burning through demonic flesh after demonic flesh. The heat coming from my eyes were so powerful the walls around me began to heat up and crumble. By the time the creatures screeching had ended, the cave was no where to be found and we were back outside in Ta Lo.

Turning to look around, I found myself being stared at by the entire village. They seemed scared and yet still happy and full of hope. The hope drowned out of their eyes seconds later, when the gargantuan demon gave out another screech of defiance.

...

Margaret Carter's Mansion, Carter's Estate, Washington DC, USA.

(General POV)

It had been three years since Peggy's son, John had left them. The years had not been good on the woman psychologically, physically she could still kick top flight models out of the business.

The dark times began for her after her son left. Next was her husband finding out about her extramarital affair, drug usage and lots of matters swept under the rug, in his mad search for hydra operatives.

After the exposure of her evil acts, he filed for divorce immediately. And with that, like fuel in a burning house made purely of dry wood, the reasons for their separation spread to family and friends.

She was soon ostracized by them, and only with the last bit of influence she possessed, was she able to stay out of prison.

Margaret sat in front of a mirror that morning, looking at her perfectly smooth face. Even at her age she still lacked wrinkles. She sat staring at herself for minutes not moving an inch.

She was dressed impeccably for a final court hearing on her divorce. She knew Steve would get his wish but she wouldn't let him see her unhappy. She would walk in there strong and walk out even stronger she mentally assured herself. With a sigh she stood to begin leaving her house, one last thought on her mind.

'If John was still here, who would dare hurt me'.

...

Ta Lo, Mystic realm.

The devourer screech had sent the people of Ta Lo into a bout of panic and fright, but John?. Not really. He simply rolled his eyes in annoyance and let loose another blast of heat vision. Knowing that the increasing heat in the air would soon begin to hurt the people around him, he stopped to think of a better way to kill the monster.

Looking at his hands and seeing the currently useless sword and spear resting in them, a sudden realisation came to him. Hurling both weapons at the monster he saw them hurt it but not enough and that gave him an idea.

Blasting towards where the gates used to be, he was met with the sight of them now lying on scattered on the ground. Flying towards one of them, he heaved it over his head and under it he found the crushed body of one of the soldiers of Ta Lo that escorted him. John couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the blatant waste of life, thinking how useless he must have been to not be able to move away from the falling gates.

With a dismissive shrug he blasted towards the sky, 20 ft dragon scale in hand. Once he was high in the sky enough to appear only as a dot to those on the ground, he aimed the sharp tip of the scale towards the slowly healing body of the devourer and flew back downwards at sonic speeds.

The crimson scale tore through the beast, sending itself, the monster and John into the depths of the formerly existing cave.

Downwards they went on and on for thousands of ft. until finally they crashed into the bottom. At this point though, the mystic energy coming from the scale had already burnt the eldritch monster in dust particles. Seeing that his job there was completed, John flew out of the pit.

Three hours later.

There were ongoing celebrations on the death of the ancient devourer. There was also the celebration of a newly accepted member of the village. Said member was currently standing on the edge of a very deep lake, searching for the ancient dragon and protector he had heard so much of.

John caught sight of something moving in the lake. It was large and bright like the scales of the dragons he had seen, except this one was more vibrant and alive. The lake began to bubble as said being began to approach the surface and with a mighty splash, the dragon exited the lake. It was without a doubt the most beautiful and majestic creature John had ever laid eyes on. He watched it dance in the air with grace and finesse he had never seen before until it finally returned to the lake.

Now the dragon was at eye level with him, half its body in the lake the other half guiding its eyes towards him. With an awkward chuckle, John greeted.

"Hi there, uhm I'm John and I just killed that big bad guy. So we cool?" The dragon remained staring at John for the next few uncomfortable minutes until with a disinterested huff, it twisted around and returned to the depths of the lake. John could only look around, embarrassed with the dragons display of lack of interest in him. And with an aggrieved huff of his own flew back to the ongoing celebrations.

...

Year 1995, Hidden Hydra base, New York, USA.

(General POV)

It has been years since Hydra began experimenting with the radiation homelander produced. They had found a way to replicate it and had been using it to try to create formulas to recreate him. But it had been a fruitless endeavor. Nothing they had experimented on was both durable and genetically powerful enough to hold the radiation within itself without exploding. Not even the super soldiers.

Until they got their hands on him of course. The corpse of the extra terrestrial being had simply landed in their compound like a gift from god(That is me author, alias ROB). And they began to work on him immediately.

Today was the day for the experiment to finally be carried out, all of their hope rested on this final trial. Almost all of the highest personnel in the organisation were sat in a room, watching the process through a glass window.

They watched as the necessary serums were infused into the alien corpse. They watched as the body was carried into an empty tank connected to pipes. And they watched as the tank was filled with radioactive gas reproduced from homelander.

And they watched as the eyes of the former kree soldier Yon-rogg lit up with life, glowing a deadly crimson red. They watched as the body slowly grew in size, jagged exoskeleton forming around its body. And they watched as a cruel smile formed on its face before it unleashed a large beam of cosmic energy towards them.

The night sky of New York was filled with the screams and wails of the dying hydra agents and the terror inducing roars of the new and very much improved Yon-rogg.