The night was deep.
There was a huge excavated pit in the Quarry.
A cold wind scraped across the ground, swirling sand and stones, making a whistling sound.
Lin Huai stood in an open space in the center of the Quarry. He didn't mind the oppressive atmosphere around him and took a silver candle and some powder from his pocket.
Lin Huai stood the candle on the ground and carefully drew a Ritual Array around it with the powder, which was covered with complex symbols and lines.
Natasha was atop a crane several hundred meters away, watching him coldly through a scope.
The transformed Johnny Blaze leaned against his hell cycle, arms crossed, the flames in his eye sockets flickering restlessly. He didn't like waiting; it reminded him of the countless nights he had been tormented by the contract.
Dr. Banner was at his temporary workstation, staring intently at the data stream on the screens. He was surrounded by dozens of holographic displays showing vital signs from the container at the other end of the Quarry.
Just then, Lin Huai finished the final stroke of the array.
He straightened up, brushed the dust off his hands, then took out the Marionette converted from a human trafficker from his storage space and gently placed it in the center of the array.
Having done all this, Lin Huai took a few steps back and walked to the edge of the array.
Lin Huai closed his eyes and crossed his hands over his chest in a posture of prayer.
"O Fool that doesn't belong to this era;"
"You are the mysterious ruler Above the Gray Fog;"
"You are the king of yellow and black who wields good luck."
He chanted softly in Ancient Hermes Language.
Each syllable uttered was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, stirring ripples in the World of spirituality.
The silver candle self-ignited, a ghostly blue flame rising without heat. The lines and symbols of the array lit up along with it.
"I pray for your witness."
"I pray for your power."
Lin Huai's voice became increasingly ethereal.
He snapped his eyes open, and grayish-white mist seemed to be churning in the depths of his eyes.
Lin Huai extended his right hand, pointing it at the container.
"In the name of the Fool, borrowing your authority, Grafting—"
And in the Spirit Vision he had activated, countless near-transparent spiritual threads shot out from his fingertips, silently penetrating the metal shell of the container.
One main thread connected precisely to the sleeping Danny's spirit body. More dense threads connected to the Marionette in the center of the array.
The spiritual thread connected to Danny began to copy and transcribe his life aura, soul fluctuations, and even the bloodline connection between him and Mephisto, bit by bit, then injected it into the Marionette's body using Lin Huai's body as a relay.
At Dr. Banner's workstation, alarms blared.
"Warning: Unknown high-energy reaction detected."
"Vital signs fluctuating wildly... No, data model Error, Subject A's soul frequency is being copied..."
"Energy flow locked; Subject B is being injected with unresolvable biological information."
Jarvis's calm electronic voice sounded in Banner's earpiece, though the content of the report was absurd.
Dr. Banner stared fixedly at the crazily jumping curve on the screen, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
***
Meanwhile, inside the container.
Curled up on the bed, Nadia had a strange dream.
She dreamed she was standing in a palace with gold beneath her feet and gems above her head. Countless servants knelt before her, calling her Queen.
A well-dressed old gentleman walked toward her with a smile, holding a glass of red wine that looked like liquid rubies.
"My noble Queen." The old gentleman's voice was magnetic, filled with an irresistible allure. "You see, all of this should rightfully belong to you. Wealth, power, eternal youth."
Nadia looked at him, her eyes dazed.
"Who are you?"
"I am the one here to fulfill your wishes." The old gentleman—the incarnation of Mephisto—smiled even more warmly. "I can give you everything you desire, and all I ask for in return is a small favor."
He pointed to the palace throne, where little Danny sat in a magnificent prince's suit, looking at her curiously.
"Give your son to me," Mephisto enticed. "He will become my heir, inheriting my kingdom and power. And you will become the Queen of the mortal World, enjoying all of this forever."
Nadia's heart pounded. Eternal life, endless wealth... For a woman who had struggled at the bottom of society for half her life, the attraction was too great.
She seemed to be back in her dilapidated rental room, smelling the lingering stench of trash in the alley, remembering the exhaustion of scrambling for her next meal.
Her gaze began to waver.
But just then, images flashed through her mind.
That man covered in fire, silently guarding the outside of the container.
That Dr. who could turn into a green Monster, clumsily handing her a thick coat.
And Danny, his clear eyes, and that cup of steaming water in the cold wind.
"Mom says if you drink hot water, you won't be cold anymore."
That naive voice struck hard against Nadia's heart.
She snapped awake, looking at the smiling Demon before her; the daze and greed in her eyes vanished, replaced only by sadness and resolve.
She smiled through her tears.
"My son..." She spoke each word distinctly, her voice not loud but incredibly clear.
"He is not a commodity."
The dream shattered... In a certain dimension of Hell, Mephisto, sitting on his throne of bones, snapped his eyes open.
His dark red pupils suddenly constricted, and the entire throne of bones trembled.
A mortal.
Stupid! Unreasonable!
He had run out of patience.
That damned contract and the bloodline of his worthless son were attracting him every second.
Since that woman didn't know what was good for her, there was no need to play this game anymore.
Mephisto stood up, and a terrifying pressure swept through the entire dimension.
***
The Quarry.
"Warning: High-dimensional energy is tearing through the spatial barrier."
"Coordinates locked; directly overhead."
Jarvis's voice carried a sense of urgency for the first time.
Simultaneously, Mage Russell's solemn voice came through Natasha's communicator: "Careful, he's here!"
The sky had turned dark at some unknown point.
Dark clouds rolled and gathered in the air, forming a massive vortex.
The temperature plummeted, and a sickening smell of sulfur spread.
Lin Huai stood tall, feeling the pressure descending from the sky. He knew the main player was finally about to take the stage.
He looked up at the sky.
At the center of the cloud vortex, a blood-red rift was slowly torn open by a force.
A figure in a black tailcoat descended from the rift, landing not far from the Ritual Array. His face was handsome, but his eyes were sinister.
He looked at no one, his gaze falling directly on the boy tied up in the center of the array.
"My child..."
Mephisto's incarnation sighed with satisfaction, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
He reached out his hand, preparing to take his prey.
Johnny Blaze straddled his cycle, the engine giving a roar as the Hellfire on his Skull blazed up.
Atop the crane, Natasha's finger rested on the trigger.
The Quarry was deathly silent.
The actors were all in place.