Chronicle XV: Malicious entity (1/2)

The rest of the vision passed like a blur. The trio of men watched as the battle between Mephisto and Zarathos concluded with the spirit's defeat, once again becoming a slave to the red demon; however, this time it seemed completely controlled. From what they saw, Zarathos showed no sign of being conscious. From his actions, he obeyed Mephisto's orders without complaining or trying to break free, so they deduced that this was the last time he had his own body before becoming the infamous Spirit of Vengeance that lived in Johnny.

Also, inside his mind, Daniel learned about this war from Sophia. The massacre between factions ended up extinguishing the race of fallen angels, and taking the lives of thousands of angels, demons, and other celestial beings, even some demi-gods.

Thus, the brightness was present again in the Sanctuary of the Supreme Sorcerer, revealing the four men. The sphere where the teenager was floating vanished, causing him to fall to the ground causing him to groan in pain.

With a few waves of his hands, Strange tidied up all the chaos around him, putting everything back in his place. Daniel looked at the adults one by one, noting the grim look on his face.

Clearly, what they saw was not a pretty thing to remember. Johnny Blaze walked up to Strange and they seemed to be talking about something while the doctor ordered, and Wong walked up to him, seeming unsure how to approach the conversation.

- Daniel Williams- he began- . How do you feel?

For a strange reason, the boy felt that there was more behind that simple question, but like every feeling he had now and in the past, he ignored it.

-Uh, oh -he mumbled getting up- I'm fine.

Wong contemplated it for a moment. And with a nod, he left the room, leaving the boy confused.

Feeling a hand pat his shoulder, he turned to see Blaze, who kept his grim gaze but tried to disguise it with a smile.

- Come on, kid. It's time to go.

Daniel hesitates, but nods. They both leave the room, leaving Strange to work in peace. The Sorcerer Supreme watches the teenager out of the corner of his eye, and a sad expression appears on his face, which fades when he returns to work.

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Four days later, things returned to relative normality. Of course, that meant that Dante had to go back to high school, and the idea didn't interest him much. However, time passed quickly, high school was over, and he headed home.

Fortunately, an angel fallen from heaven kept him company. Elizabeth kept up an active conversation with each other, with her adorable and energetic demeanor. However, the teenager only answered her questions with yes or no, and some other word that he added.

- I can't imagine what it was like to travel with a celebrity! What places did you go to? Wait, no, don't tell me...- the girl spoke, excited- I'm sure you could see Johnny Blaze doing amazing stunts! I imagine all the people watching the show in awe, and you were there, accompanying him! Did people approach you? Did they think you were something like their son or their partner? Oh sure there were a lot of famous people you met! -and there, she paused, staring at her childhood friend-You met a lot of pretty girls.

That wasn't a question, it was a statement. Anyone with common sense would mistake those two as a couple, even more so if they saw the girl's jealous expression right now.

- Hmm.

But despite everything, that was the only response from Daniel, who hadn't been paying attention to her since the morning. To which Elizabeth understandably pouted and immediately started punching the boy demanding her attention, calling out his name non-stop.

Poor Dante snapped out of her trance as he took all her hits, demanding she stop, groaning in annoyance.

- What´s wrong with you?! - he exclaimed.

- You were lost in your world again and you weren´t listening to what I was asking! - she claimed, still pouting.

- Well, maybe you could have asked for attention like a normal person!

- You never pay attention to me if I do that either!

- Then if you see what I'm thinking, don't be a bother!

Automatically Elizabeth closed her mouth, hurt. He had never yelled at her like that. The boy realized what he had done and apologized in a whisper. Elizabeth changed her expression from pain to one of concern.

-Dan, look at me -the boy obeyed, and a hand rested on her cheek- Are you okay? You've been like this ever since you came back... Your family is worried about you, mine is too... And so am I. What happened on that trip, Kadane?

And there it was. Only two people called him that. Iris and her. Both with the same affection. Both with the same concern.

- I...

Daniel stuttered, wondering if he should tell her about everything. She was his closest friend (and the only one), the person he could trust the most besides her family, the person he always told absolutely everything to.

The person he loved.

But... He couldn't. Her safety would be in danger. He didn't care if she saw him as a monster, he didn't want her to get hurt, or worse, that she ended up dead. With all the pain in his heart, he assured himself that it was for his own good.

- It's okay, Eli. I guess I'm still used to crowds and other celebrity stuff. I'm good. I promise. I'm sorry for worrying you.

The innocent and oblivious teenager believed him. She smiled and waved goodbye, as her home was close to them . Daniel returned the greeting, but the grim expression settled on his face again.

- It's for her own good. She wouldn't understand. She'll be fine... -he murmured to himself, heading home.

What the boy did not know is that a figure was watching him in the dark, smiling.

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A couple of days passed, and with the issue of his post-trip behavior resolved, the young Ghost Rider was out hunting again on a cold night. And boy was it a busy night.

- 𝙎𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙖...! - exclaimed the boy, throwing himself aside.

Why was he dodging and above all, cursing? Easy. The demon in front of him resembled a bodybuilder, but his strength was not the same. He had just thrown a truck at him! Luckily, the place where the battle was taking place was empty, and at that time, it was impossible for someone to pass by that side. So the boy had the green light to go without holding back.

Grabbing the truck with his skeletal hands, he launched the vehicle the way it came, hitting his target squarely. However, he did not stop there, but instead accompanied the launch with fireballs that hit the truck's tank, causing it to explode next to the demon. The explosion was such that it produced a mini crater where the supernatural being was before.

The demon emerged from the crater staggering, trying to regenerate his wounds. His body had high-grade burns, a part of his head was missing, and blood was gushing from his body nonstop. When he barely got out of the hole, it fell to his knees, weak. Shoes stopped near his eyes, and the demon looked up only to meet Penance Stare upon his eyes.

Meanwhile, in an abandoned warehouse far away, Vengeance stood idly by with his gaze fixed on the other demon accompanying him. Said demon was sniffing a shirt, picking up and learning the scent of it. With a growl, the grotesque demon dropped the garment and looked at Vengeance.

-𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚? - he asked, getting an affirming grunt in response- 𝑬𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕..

With a smile, Vengeance returned to human form and as he left the warehouse, he indicated to his subordinate that he could begin his hunt with a wave of his hand.

The great demon stood up, spreading its wings. On an impulse, he smashed through the roof of the warehouse, shattering it in the process, and was lost in the darkness of the night as he walked away.

Aaron Crane watched him fly, drawing a smirk on his face.

- I wonder what his reaction will be when he finds out...

In the cold sky, the demon continued its flight, searching for his prey guided by his scent. He cut through the night clouds quickly, skimming through buildings with extreme ease.

He located his prey a few minutes later. Wasting no time, he dove towards the individual, opening his jaws as he let out a terrifying roar.

His prey turned, and an expression of utter terror graced her beatiful face behind her blond hair.