MC POV
When I mentioned this group and race, my father was intrigued and asked if I was sure they were human and not some alien race like the Asgardians or Olympians.
'They were human. Every human emits a certain aura, even if they have acquired powers through experiments or as a mutant. Even if they have the ability to use magic, there is something in their essence or perhaps their soul that makes them human. For example, you, Dad—your aura has a human aspect, but I can distinguish the non-human part in you from the blood of another race. But his aura was more like that of a modified or enhanced human, similar to mutants.'
My words intrigued my father, but he chose not to act on them, and I felt the same way. It only made me realize even more how unique and particular this world was, and especially how Earth seemed to have some kind of magnet for unusual things…
"The last item. The sword of the ancient King of England has been sold!"
With the final item auctioned, the event concluded, and everyone began leaving, ready to depart. The buyers went to claim their purchases.
Of course, not everything went as planned.
...
Before everyone could leave, the disappearance of two items caused chaos throughout the venue.
When my father heard that a painting had also vanished, he looked at me speechlessly, and I smiled at him subtly.
Each guest was meticulously investigated, but there was no way for them to find anything. The security cameras had been hacked and altered—no hacker or guard could determine how it happened. The individuals found tied up and unconscious claimed they remembered nothing—only a man asking multiple questions. Of course, there was more to it, but the bosses of these people certainly wouldn't want to reveal secrets.
The individual named Bakshi seemed the most enraged about failing to recover his boss's item.
My father and I stayed a little longer, trying to gather more information and see if we could find anything. But once we realized there was nothing else to be uncovered, we decided to retreat and head home.
…
On the plane back…
My father and I were playing chess and discussing the situation.
"What do you think of the information, Dad?"
"Inconclusive."
Hearing his response, I glanced sideways.
"Honest opinion?" I asked playfully, and he responded with a smile.
"There is probably some organization infiltrated within S.H.I.E.L.D., but it's hard to say which one and what their objective is. It could be the military of some country or an organization similar to but distinct from S.H.I.E.L.D. Of course, there's also the possibility of corruption—some high-ranking members trying to gain power. Political issues complicate things as well."
I agreed with his assessment, but I had a bad feeling. I remembered the organization known as A.I.M., but something told me that wasn't entirely the case.
In the end, I shrugged indifferently.
"Try to see what you can find out later, Dad."
"Of course. If in doubt, I'll leave it to Mr. Fury to handle."
I smirked as I focused on two things in my hands.
The first was my intense curiosity about that individual and the group he mentioned. This suggested the existence of a second group of powered beings, similar to mutants. Considering powerful individuals like Professor Xavier and Magneto, if there were others of comparable strength, they could be a real threat.
The second was the object beside me.
It was entirely silver and deeply intrigued me. When I thought of touching it, my senses warned me against it. I didn't believe it could kill or destroy me, but it could still inflict significant damage, which could be problematic.
So, I investigated it using my mental power, Divine Eye, Haki, and internal energy—or witchcraft, as HP would call it. What I understood was that the item seemed to be storing something inside… This made me want to forcibly break its protection, but… it wasn't mine to tamper with.
After playing around and testing it for a while, I stored the item in a box and left my father responsible for it.
"We should be home soon."
"Yes. Bishop to H7."
My father responded as he moved his piece.
I smiled and moved my rook, and thus, we spent time together—father and son—engaged in a small war of strategy.
…
My little trip with my father ended there. As for further investigations and results, I was not informed. My father said he would let me know if anything came up later… The problem is, I have a feeling this event will have far-reaching consequences.
Regardless, I focused on other activities.
"So, love, do you want a date tonight while we're on vigilante duty?" I asked my boyfriend, who looked a little flustered.
Aside from school, he worked at Dr. Connors' lab, earned some money as a photographer, and acted as a vigilante, which left him with little free time.
Of course, we still went on dates now and then and kept in constant contact, but we hadn't gone out in a few days. His idea for today was a date in our masked identities.
"It's not like we can hug or kiss in costume… but at least it's time together."
I sighed and decided to stop being dramatic about it.
"Let's go."
He looked relieved and pulled me into a tight hug, giving me a deep kiss that lasted several minutes…
Afterward, I cast a bit of ice magic on both of us.
I put on my gear and activated my disguise powers.
Peter pressed the pendant I had given him, and his suit improved, covering his body more efficiently. Compared to the original, his current suit was significantly better. Not only had I made technological modifications using my aliens and Peter's help, but I had also enhanced it with magical enchantments and sealing jutsu, making it much safer and even stealthier.
With both of us ready, I used Kai Kai to teleport us to a random area in the city.
There, I used my wind power and the threads from my Akuma no Mi to fly and maintain my balance, while Peter moved using his webs.
I had already established a telepathic link between us, and we chatted about all sorts of topics while fighting crime.
Armed robberies, phone thefts, carjackings, and even some minor drug trades—nothing major happened. The most notable case was a mutant who had a raccoon-like appearance and was robbing apartments. His physical strength, attributes, and combat experience were far inferior to Peter's, who easily defeated him.
As we continued moving at high speed, we both suddenly stopped.
Peter's skin tingled, his senses on high alert.
For me, fragmented images appeared in my mind for one to two seconds—visions of gigantic lightning bolts exploding miles away.
"Something's going to—"
Peter began to speak but was cut off as something indeed happened.
In the distant sky, a massive surge of lightning erupted.
Startled by the event, we exchanged glances.
Peter immediately grabbed me tightly.
Powerful wind tornadoes swirled around my body, and white threads from my Akuma no Mi latched onto buildings and even the clouds.
At the same time, my body became charged with light magic, and Borg materialized around us, assisting the wind energy in shielding us from friction and acceleration at high speed.
And in an instant, we vanished—while something, moving at an astonishing speed, shot toward the explosion of energy.