Chapter 19: Drinking Age

[Third Person's PoV] 

Nathan sat in a high-end bar, nursing a glass of scotch with a single ice ball. He downed his drink quickly, causing his long, wavy red hair, which reached his chin, to glow faintly.

"Ugh… that's good… another one," Nathan said in a strange language, addressing the bartender—a man with green skin and three eyes, dressed in a white shirt and vest, who was wiping a glass.

The bartender refilled his glass just as a woman entered the bar. She, too, had long red hair, but hers cascaded all the way down to her waist. Her bright green eyes were sharp, and her long legs were encased in tight blue jeans, paired with a blouse and a short leather jacket. She sighed upon seeing Nathan and walked toward him.

As Nathan leaned back from the bar, she sat down on his leg, her hands still inside her jacket. "Do you always have to come to this planet for a drink? I'm pretty sure you know how to make it with your abilities."

"Sorry, love, I just like the ambiance this place gives when I'm drinking," Nathan smirked before kissing her cheek.

"Why even drink when you have such a high tolerance and can't get drunk?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like I said, I like the ambiance," Nathan replied, downing another glass. He pulled out his phone, flashed it over the bar to pay the necessary credits, and then tapped the woman on the hip, signaling her to get up. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the bar together.

"You're talking like you're an experienced drinker. You're only 21, you've only just reached the legal age to drink," the woman said with an eye roll.

"Come on, Mama Bird, let me act like I know what I'm talking about," Nathan teased.

The woman's eyes flared a fiery color as they stepped out into an advanced, bustling cityscape where tall, chrome buildings dominated the skyline and vehicles floated above the streets.

She stepped on Nathan's foot. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that? Someone as noble and majestic as I deserves a better nickname."

"Come on, Mama, you know I meant it in an endearing way," Nathan said, kissing her cheek again.

The woman, who was none other than the Phoenix Force, blushed slightly, scoffing as she turned away. Nathan chuckled mischievously at her reaction. 

"Now, come on, there's a planet giving me a weird vibe… You know this is supposed to be your job, right? Not mine?" The Phoenix chirped. 

The Phoenix surrounded herself in a fiery aura and flew into the sky, with Nathan following closely behind.

"I'm here to help with your training, not to do your job!" she retorted, her voice echoing in his mind as she flew through the vastness of space.

"Hey, I made you that body for a reason, right? To help me out," Nathan called out, still grinning.

"With your training!! Not for you to sleep with me and make me do your work!" The Phoenix turned around, glaring at him.

"Oh, please, like you don't enjoy it. You can be all high and mighty, but if I remember correctly, someone was screaming, 'Oh, Nathan~ you feel so good~'" Nathan said in a high-pitched, mocking voice.

The Phoenix's face turned a deep red as she spun around and threw a powerful psychic beam at him. Which dissipated on contact.

"Come on, your body is made with a mix of my psychic energy—you can't hurt me," Nathan laughed, pretending the attack was tickling him.

But then, both of their expressions suddenly shifted to seriousness.

"It's Luther..." Nathan muttered.

"Your brother..." Phoenix echoed.

"He's dying..." they both said in unison.

The Phoenix transformed back into psychic energy and flew toward Nathan's forehead, merging with him. Nathan's eyes glowed with fire as his hands were enveloped in a shimmering aura of psychic energy. 

He extended his hands, making a gripping motion, and the space before him twisted, forming a wormhole. Without hesitation, Nathan blasted off inside, traveling light years in a matter of seconds.

A wormhole opened near Earth's solar system, and Nathan shot out, appearing above his home planet. His gaze was sharp, focused on what he knew would be a desperate situation.

… 

Reginald and Pogo carefully carried Luther, who was clad in an astronaut suit, on a hospital bed towards Reginald's lab. Once inside, Pogo quickly removed Luther's helmet and began cutting open his spacesuit. As Pogo did so, he noticed Luther's vitals rapidly declining, which prompted Reginald to search through the lab's equipment, eventually pulling out a syringe.

"Master, you can't be thinking of using that on him! It's still experimental," Pogo exclaimed, shocked at Reginald's decision.

"If we want him to live, then we really don't have a choice," Reginald replied, his voice firm as he aimed the syringe over Luther's heart.

Just before Reginald could inject the serum, a wormhole suddenly appeared behind them, startling both Reginald and Pogo. They turned in shock to see Nathan stepping out of the wormhole, which then closed behind him.

"Young Master Nathan!" Pogo was surprised and relieved to see him.

"Hey, Pogo, it's nice to see you again," Nathan greeted with a smile, but his expression quickly turned serious as he noticed Luther's critical condition.

"What happened to him?" Nathan asked urgently, moving towards his brother. His hands began to glow with a beautiful golden flame as he placed them gently on Luther, closing his eyes to concentrate.

"He had an accident during his mission on Mars and was critically injured," Pogo explained, his voice filled with concern as he monitored Luther's condition.

To Pogo's relief, Luther's vitals began to stabilize under Nathan's healing touch. After what felt like an eternity, Luther's condition improved, and his eyes slowly fluttered open. He was surprised and touched to see Nathan standing over him.

"Hehe, look at that, brother. You care enough to come flying to my rescue," Luther teased, a weak smile forming on his face.

"Oh, shut it, big guy. You could die for all I care," Nathan retorted, though the smile on his face betrayed his true feelings.

"Your actions say otherwise," Luther said, grinning.

Nathan scoffed but couldn't help but smile as well. Once he was done, Nathan extinguished his flames, causing Luther to let out a sigh of relief as he felt normal again.

Luther then got up from the bed and pulled Nathan into a tight hug. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

Nathan, struggling to breathe under Luther's powerful embrace, patted him on the back. "Alright, big guy, you're squeezing me a bit too tightly," he managed to say.

Luther released him with a sheepish smile. "Why haven't you visited more often?" he asked, his expression turning serious.

"I have, what are you talking about?" Nathan replied. "I came to your space launch, Diego's police academy entrance exam, Allison's first movie appearance, I signed Klaus out of rehab for the third time already, I continue to visit Five, I even recorded Ben and Jennifer's proposal last week, and I was there for Vanya's first orchestra performance. Although I don't always appear in front of you guys, just know I'm always present for your big moments… Spaceboy," Nathan said, teasing him.

"God, do I hate that name," Luther muttered with a smile, realizing that Nathan had always been there for them.

"Anyway, I have to go. I was in the middle of something important when I detected you were in danger," Nathan said, preparing to leave.

"Do you have to leave so soon?" Luther asked, a bit saddened.

"Yeah, I kinda do. Like I said, it's important. How about this—after I'm done, I'll come visit you for a drink," Nathan offered.

"That sounds good," Luther agreed, and the two shared a strong high five.

Before Reginald could say anything to Nathan, he created another wormhole and disappeared through it.

*"Speaking of Ben and Jennifer's proposal, do you think—"* Nathan began to ask, his voice trailing off.

*"Slow your roll there. We've only begun our relationship a month ago. No need to do a speedrun of our relationship, as you would call it. We can take our time,"* a voice responded, calm and measured.

Nathan shook his head with a smile, but then his expression turned serious again. "Now, about that planet you mentioned. What was weird about it?" he asked.

*"There was an eldritch minion slowly eating the core and hibernating inside of it..."* The Phoenix informed him, her tone grave, underscoring the seriousness of the situation.

Nathan's face hardened as he processed the Phoenix's words. "An eldritch minion? That's not good," he muttered, his voice tinged with concern.

*"Not at all. If left unchecked, it could consume the entire planet and possibly destabilize the surrounding star systems,"* the Phoenix replied telepathically, her tone grave.

Nathan's eyes blazed with golden fire as he opened another wormhole, preparing to travel to the planet in question. "We need to act fast. If it's already hibernating in the core, that means it's been there for a while. We can't let it wake up."

*"Agreed. But be careful, Nathan. These creatures are powerful, and if it's mature, it might not be something you can handle alone."*

Nathan smirked, though there was a seriousness in his expression that belied his usual cockiness. "Since when have I ever been alone? I've got you with me, don't I?"

*"Flattery won't make this easier, but I appreciate the sentiment,"* the Phoenix responded, her fiery energy swirling around his consciousness.

Nathan took a deep breath and stepped through the wormhole, emerging in orbit above a vibrant, Earth-like planet. However, instead of the usual signs of life, the planet's surface was marred with dark patches—areas where the eldritch minion's corruption had already begun to spread.

"Let's do this," Nathan said, summoning a powerful aura of golden flames around his body. He then plunged toward the planet, ready to confront the threat within its core.

As Nathan descended through the atmosphere, the ground below him grew darker, and the air thickened with a malevolent energy. He could feel the eldritch creature's presence growing stronger with every passing second.

Finally, he landed near a large fissure that led deep into the planet's crust. The fissure pulsed with a sickly green light, and Nathan could sense the minion's foul energy emanating from within. 

With a deep breath, Nathan raised his hand, the golden fire in his palm burning brighter than ever. "Time to send you back to whatever hell you crawled out of," he growled, and with a powerful thrust, he shot down into the fissure, heading straight for the planet's core where the eldritch minion awaited.

*"Be careful, Nathan. This thing is dangerous,"* the Phoenix warned.

"I know," Nathan replied, his voice filled with determination. "But so am I."

*********************************

+15 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3