Chapter 392: Here for More Tea?
In a desolate prairie, a rhinoceros was undergoing a series of inhumane experiments.
To test the strength of the Eight Demon abilities he now possessed, Silas was repeatedly slamming Aleksei into the dirt.
Bang!
Aleksei finally landed in a massive crater. The earth instantly closed around him, trapping him underground with only his head exposed.
"As expected of the Moon Chi." Silas was currently floating in mid-air. This time, he wasn't relying on the Rooster Talisman, but rather his direct control over gravity.
While Silas marveled at his own power, Aleksei gazed up at the sky, his soul seemingly leaving his body. "Just... let me die..."
"No, I won't let you die," Silas smiled at him. This was far too good a subject for experimentation.
"No!" Aleksei's body writhed frantically beneath the soil as he tried to break free, but it was impossible. If he could just crawl out, it would be a huge insult to Dai Gui, the Earth Demon.
"For now, you stay here. Someone will bring you food and water." Silas turned and opened a shadow portal, returning to his home in Queens.
"Damn it! You little brat!" Aleksei would now rather be back in prison than buried in the dirt. The feeling of being completely unable to move was excruciating.
Queens
Silas returned to Peter's room. Peter was still unconscious on the bed, utterly exhausted. It would take at least an hour for him to recover enough strength to wake up.
"There was no need to go that far," Silas sighed, sitting down beside him. If it were Silas, he certainly wouldn't have pushed himself that hard. He could fight crime like Spider-Man, but he couldn't be as self-sacrificing as Peter—willing to throw away his own life to ensure no one else died.
Silas had seen everything when Peter was holding up the ruins. Ever since the news reported the chase between the Vulture and Spider-Man, Silas had opened a connection to Peter's shadow. If Peter had failed to hold on, a Shadow Ninja would have immediately pulled him into the Shadow Kingdom. Peter was unaware of this, which was how Silas had arrived so precisely.
"It wasn't necessary, Peter." Silas picked up an apple and began to peel it for his brother.
On the other side of things, Toomes had been taken to the hospital and then arrested, awaiting trial. When his daughter Liz heard the news, she went to visit him. Afterward, Schultz gave Liz a huge sum of money—five million dollars in total. One million was Toomes' original share, and the rest was pooled together by Schultz and Mason. Schultz then contacted Liz's grandmother to take her back to the countryside. It looked like she wouldn't be returning to school anytime soon.
The Prison
Toomes sat dejectedly in a solitary steel cage, staring out the window at the sky.
Tap... tap... tap...
A set of footsteps approached. "Toomes, get up," a voice said.
Toomes looked up to see a prison guard. He slowly stood, his hands still cuffed. The guard opened the gate and escorted him out. At the same time, another prisoner was being brought in.
"How is it in here?" the incoming prisoner asked with a smirk.
"Hmph... not great," Toomes grunted.
"Let's get straight to the point. I heard the famous Vulture knows the secret identity of that annoying Spider-Man. Is that true?" the prisoner asked.
Toomes' eyes narrowed. He noticed the guard remained calm, as if he hadn't heard a thing. He immediately realized these guards were on the other man's payroll.
"I have some friends on the outside who are very interested in him," the prisoner continued as Toomes remained silent.
Toomes let out a cold laugh. "If I knew who he was, he'd be dead by now." Without another word, he walked toward the exit to face his final judgment.
The prisoner frowned in confusion as Toomes walked away. Feeling the footsteps behind him, Toomes tilted his head slightly and smiled. As for Spider-Man's identity... who knows?
Peter was naturally unaware of the small drama in the prison, but Silas knew everything. There were Shadow Ninjas even in the prison, especially since Silas knew Toomes had discovered Peter's secret. A listening Shadow Ninja had been planted in Toomes' shadow.
"At least you have some heart left." Hearing that Toomes hadn't sold Peter out, Silas decided to spare his life. If Toomes had spoken, no one in that hallway would have survived the night.
"Silas..." Peter groaned, slowly waking up with a splitting headache.
"You passed out from exhaustion. If I hadn't arrived, that Rhino would have killed you." Silas handed the peeled apple to Peter.
"Thanks." Peter took it weakly.
"We're brothers; you don't need to thank me." Silas stood up. "Stay in bed."
"I don't think I'm going anywhere anyway." Peter felt completely drained.
"Fair enough. Rest up." Silas laughed and prepared to return to his own room.
"Wait! Silas!" Peter called out.
"What is it?" Silas turned back.
"Can you do me a favor?" Peter pleaded. "Can you go check on Gwen for me?"
"...That's it?" Silas rolled his eyes. He thought it was something important, but Peter just wanted him to play messenger. "Why don't you just call her yourself?"
"Please, Silas."
"Fine, fine. I'll go." Seeing Peter was injured, Silas agreed. He'd just have the Shadow Ninjas do it later anyway.
With that, Silas left the room. "Thanks, Silas!" Peter took a bite of his apple, feeling glad he had a brother.
Once out of Peter's room, Silas started thinking. He hadn't finished his tea properly last time at Kamar-Taj. Since he had time, he might as well go for a sit-down. He opened a portal and stepped into the familiar tea room. Finding no one there, he sat down and began brewing tea for himself. It wasn't the same without the Ancient One; he had to do all the work.
As he brewed, Wong felt his arrival and prepared to open a portal.
"What's wrong?" Doctor Strange stopped him.
"That Silas is back. I need to go brew tea for him," Wong explained.
"Silas?" Strange frowned. "He's back again? Does he think this is a free tea house?"
"The Ancient One said to treat him well before she left," Wong noted.
"You stay here. I'll go," Strange said. He had been bored lately since the whole Dormammu business. Dealing with minor mystical threats was too easy. He hadn't had a chance to really test Silas last time; today, he wanted to see what the boy was capable of.
Kamar-Taj
"You're late. The tea is getting cold." Silas propped his head up on his hand, swirling a cup of hot tea he had brewed for two.
"I had some business to attend to," Strange said, his cloak fluttering as he sat down opposite Silas.
"Try it. How's my brewing?" Silas gestured to the cup.
Strange took a sip. "Not bad. But it's mostly because our tea leaves are superior."
"Fine, you really don't know how to give a compliment. Nothing like the Ancient One," Silas smirked. At least the Ancient One always knew how to give him the "chicken soup for the soul" type of praise.
Mentioning the Ancient One caused Strange to fall silent. The room became quiet.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!