Chapter 40: The Angel's Gaze

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Late evening had settled over Metropolis, the city bathed in the orange and purple hues of twilight. Marcus, in his Superman guise, soared high above the skyscrapers, his thoughts far from the bustling metropolis below. The weight of his role was heavier than ever. NeoTech had cured cancer, reshaped global politics, and Marcus was already preparing humanity's next step: conquering the stars.

But tonight, an ominous energy buzzed in the atmosphere, a presence that made Marcus uneasy. His enhanced senses, usually sharp and attuned to danger, picked up something unfamiliar. A faint hum that didn't belong in the natural world. The kind of thing that could pierce even his impenetrable calm.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and without breaking flight, Marcus answered. Wang's voice, tight with worry, crackled through the speaker.

"Marcus, you need to get to NeoTech immediately. There's something in the research division… something we can't explain."

Marcus tensed. NeoTech's security was flawless, impenetrable by all known means, but the tone in Wang's voice said otherwise. Without hesitation, Marcus accelerated, a streak of light cutting through the night sky. The sprawling NeoTech tower came into view within seconds, its glass walls gleaming under the city lights.

Landing softly at the entrance, Marcus nodded to the guards, whose nervous expressions told him more than words could. He moved swiftly through the building, following the familiar halls of his empire, but there was something different tonight. The air seemed to grow thicker with every step he took toward the research division. It weighed him down, not physically, but in a way he hadn't felt before—an unnatural pressure.

Wang met him at the end of the corridor, his face pale and drenched in sweat.

"You won't believe it until you see it," Wang muttered, leading Marcus through the final doors.

They stepped into the research lab, sterile and stark, its usual hum of activity silenced by an unearthly presence. And there, in the center of the room, stood a stone statue. It was an angel, carved with horrifying precision—wings unfurled, frozen mid-motion as though preparing to ascend. But its face was grotesque, twisted in a mask of rage, its eyes wide and filled with a kind of fury Marcus had only seen in battle.

Marcus' heart skipped a beat. He felt it instantly—the oppressive energy coming off the statue, like it was watching him. No, not watching… waiting.

"Where did this come from?" Marcus demanded, his voice sharp.

Wang swallowed, glancing nervously between Marcus and the statue. "It wasn't here an hour ago. We've checked the security footage, and one moment the room was empty, and the next… it was here."

Marcus approached the statue cautiously, his heightened senses trying to make sense of what his eyes couldn't. He scanned it—stone, just stone, but it radiated something unnatural, something that wasn't meant to exist here.

As Marcus studied the figure, the air in the room grew even heavier. He blinked, and for a brief moment, it felt like time slowed. The hum he'd felt earlier grew louder in his ears. He sensed the statue's presence, more real now than before. Then he saw it—the world around him seemed to freeze, as if the very essence of time itself had halted. But it wasn't just the world; Marcus, too, was caught in the force, though his power allowed him a sliver of movement. He could still think, still see.

The angel's gaze had shifted. It wasn't the frozen stone figure anymore—its eyes were now alive, burning with a malevolent intelligence. A whisper, at first faint and unintelligible, began to fill the air.

"Yasshl-nu…"

The voice was ancient, its words curling around Marcus like a snake. Then, it shifted into something clearer, more comprehensible.

"You've been watched for a long time, Marcus."

Marcus froze, his heart pounding as the voice became unmistakably clear. English now, but laced with an otherworldly resonance. The angel statue's wings twitched as though something was inhabiting it.

"I am Ash'Shaytan," the voice continued, the name dripping from the air like venom. "I have seen your rise… and your ambitions."

Marcus broke out in a cold sweat. His mind raced back to a conversation he had months ago with,The Watcher, an ancient being who had warned him about forces far older than he could imagine. He had dismissed it at the time, thinking it was just a cryptic warning about his newfound power. But now, faced with this entity, Marcus understood what the Watcher had meant.

Ash'Shaytan laughed, the sound deep and echoing in Marcus' mind. "You are more than just a man playing god, aren't you? I've watched you closely, Marcus. You wish to reshape humanity. To lead them beyond their limitations. Fascinating."

Marcus clenched his fists, his body trembling with the effort to move against the frozen tide of time. "What do you want?" he spat, forcing the words from his lips.

The angel's head tilted slightly, eyes gleaming with a dark amusement. "I bring a gift. A challenge, if you will. You have grand ambitions, but every being I find interesting must prove themselves. Consider this statue the beginning. I will watch how you handle what's to come."

Suddenly, the oppressive weight that held Marcus in place began to lift. The angel's eyes dimmed slightly, though the unsettling presence lingered.

Ash'Shaytan's final words echoed as time began to move once more. "I will watch you, Marcus. I am curious. Don't disappoint me."

Then, with a sudden rush, time resumed. The soft hum of electronics filled the room, and Wang was beside him again, oblivious to what had just transpired. The statue stood exactly where it had before, unmoved and cold, but Marcus knew better now. It was far from ordinary.

Wang looked at him with concern. "Marcus? Are you alright?"

Marcus didn't respond immediately, his eyes still locked on the angel statue. He could feel it—whatever Ash'Shaytan was, it was real. The statue hadn't moved physically, but it had shifted in ways Marcus couldn't yet explain.

"We need to treat this as a high-priority threat," Marcus said, his voice sharp and focused. "This isn't some alien tech. It's… something else."

Wang looked confused but nodded. "Understood. What should we do?"

"Nothing," Marcus said, still watching the statue. "For now, we keep our eyes on it. And no one else goes near this room without my approval. Understood?"

Wang hesitated but nodded. "Of course."

As Wang hurried out, Marcus remained in the room, staring at the angel. He had conquered diseases, corporations, and the will of nations. But this… this was something far more dangerous. And now, Ash'Shaytan was watching him.

The question that lingered in Marcus's mind was simple: how do you outmaneuver a being beyond time?