Loki was the first to react. He stepped into the magic circle and retrieved the bag from the figure's hand, along with the ruby hanging from his waist.
"What is that?"
Robert asked Loki, puzzled.
He was beginning to feel that this so-called god of death wasn't quite what the records had described.
Loki glanced at the black pouch—it was full of sand. Then he looked at the helmet the figure was wearing, and a suspicion crept into his mind.
A ruby, a sand pouch, and a helmet—these were the typical hallmarks of the god of dreams.
Could it be that the summoning ritual had gone wrong and accidentally summoned Dream instead?
Had he messed up the incantation during the ritual earlier, and inadvertently called forth the god of dreams?
Was this what his father always meant by, "you search high and low only to find it by accident"?
A surge of excitement bubbled up in Loki's chest, but he quickly coughed to cover it up. After all, he was still playing the role of a young cleric and needed to report to Robert. Taking a deep breath, he said, "It's sand."
"Sand? What's that supposed to mean?"Robert frowned, motioning for one of his men to remove the mask from the god lying on the floor.
Long hair, a youthful and handsome face exuding an air of mystery, and tightly shut eyes—this was the face that appeared before them.
"His clothes, too."Loki reminded. "Take his clothes off as well."
Robert recalled the powerful aura Loki had displayed during the ritual and gave a subtle nod to the subordinate.
Soon, the god of dreams had been stripped, lying completely naked on the ground.
Since none of the wizards seemed to realize they had summoned the wrong god, Loki played along and pretended to be unaware as well.
"Let this honored guest rest here. Once he wakes up, we'll present our request. For now, reinforce the magic circle—just in case something goes wrong."
Mabry, pushed forward in his wheelchair by a servant, looked solemnly at the naked man on the ground.
"No, we can't stop here just yet."
Loki stopped the others as they began to leave.
"What is it, Ronan?"Robert gave Loki a curious look. This was a member he had barely noticed before.
"We won't be able to keep him under control like this."
Loki's gaze fell on the man lying on the ground.
"If he truly is a god, even if we've captured his spirit now, once he regains his power, he'll find a way to escape."
As he spoke, Loki's eyes grew sharper.
Since he planned to take Dream's tools of power, he might as well go all the way and make sure Dream could never escape—ever.
The castle's master, blinded by ambition and desire, could be the perfect pawn in this scheme.
"So what do we do then?"Mabry asked anxiously as he wheeled closer.
"The magic circle alone isn't enough. You'll need to craft a glass orb to imprison his physical body. Someone must guard him day and night—no exceptions. And whatever you do, no one is allowed to fall asleep in his presence."
To capture Dream, Loki had studied many ancient magical texts.
Before he'd even obtained the Book of Magdalene, he had already devised this method for imprisoning Dream.
"Why can't anyone sleep near him?"Robert was beginning to sense something was off.
How did this cleric seem to know more than he did?
"Because humans are at their most vulnerable when they sleep,"Loki answered with a seemingly logical explanation. "And if he refuses your demands, then keep him locked away. Never let him go. Don't fall for his tricks—if you do, you'll all suffer."
"I understand. In any case, thank you for your help,"Mabry replied, surprised and grateful that Loki had such detailed suggestions.
"No need to thank me—it's my duty."Loki gave him a small smile. "By the way, may I take a look at that helmet?"
"Of course,"Mabry said, handing it over.
"Thank you."
Half an hour later
Mabry and Robert were deep in conversation in the study.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, the door was pounded on with urgency.
"What's going on?"Robert called out.
"Something's happened, Mr. Robert!"
Hearing the panic in his subordinate's voice, Robert's heart sank. He rushed to the door and flung it open.
"Did the god escape?"
"No—it's Ronan!"
The subordinate stammered.
"Ronan?"
It didn't take long for Robert to understand what had happened.
Standing before him, drenched in sweat and with blood on his face, Ronan looked utterly exhausted.
"What happened, Ronan?"Robert asked, stunned.
"Sir, I was attacked in the café bathroom… by someone who looked exactly like me. I managed to escape, and rushed back here as fast as I could."
As he spoke, Robert froze.
"Wait… you just got here? Then… that means the one from earlier wasn't you?!"
Ronan hesitated, then replied, "I… I don't think so…"
At that moment, Robert's vision swam with black.
"Damn it!"
He immediately thought of the three divine artifacts they had taken from the god.
Without a second of hesitation, Robert and his men sprinted to the room where the artifacts were stored.
With a loud slam, he threw the door open—only to find it completely empty.
He nearly fainted on the spot.
How could I be so stupid?
I should've realized something was wrong when that guy insisted on performing the entire summoning ritual himself!
"What happened? Didn't I tell you to keep watch here?!"
Robert was furious as he questioned the two guards stationed at the door.
The two guards exchanged a look, then said hesitantly, "Wasn't it you who took the items just now, sir?"
Hearing this, Robert nearly spat out blood in anger.
Meanwhile...
Loki, who had successfully acquired the three divine artifacts, was already on a train heading back to Smallville.
He took off his sunglasses and glanced at the bustling train station. A faint smile played at the corner of his lips.
This trip had been quite the success.
Metropolis
John and Star-Lord had just regrouped with Peter.
Inside the hotel, Peter frowned and asked, "Where's Loki?"
"He…"
John hesitated before answering, "We don't know where he went."
He went on to explain how Loki had used a clone to deceive them.
"So, you're telling me he snuck out and none of you noticed?"
"I'm sorry, Dad."John apologized with guilt.
At home, it was his job to keep an eye on his two younger brothers. Loki's disappearance was his responsibility.
Peter glanced at the two of them and shook his head. "No, this isn't your fault."
If Loki had really made up his mind to sneak out, there wasn't much anyone could've done to stop him.
"Um… Dad, want me to go bring him back?"John suggested, looking up at Peter.
"No need. I'm pretty sure he'll call soon. He's probably off planning something big."
Peter waved off the idea.
John nodded, then asked, "So, Dad… what's going on with you?"
"Well… something."Peter looked out the window at the bright sunlight. "This time, I might be going up against a group of gods—or at least demigods."
"Gods?"Confusion flickered in John's eyes. "What kind of gods, Dad?"
"Most likely the Olympians."
Hearing that, John straightened up with confidence. "Don't worry, Dad. Even if they're gods, I'll slay them for you."
"Me too, Dad! I'll help you take down those so-called gods!"Star-Lord chimed in.
Peter stared at the two little troublemakers, visibly surprised.
"John, didn't you get your butt kicked by that 'Lucifer' last time?"
"I—"Caught off guard, John stammered.
"Uh… Dad, I've grown since then. I could fly at Mach 1 when I was seven—now I can break Mach 4. My strength and reflexes have improved too. Clark's no match for me now. If I ran into 'Lucifer' again, I'd take him down no sweat."
Peter didn't doubt what John said about Clark.
After all, Clark was a late bloomer—he still couldn't even fly.
"Of course I believe you,"Peter chuckled. "I was just messing with you."
"Uh…"
Off to the side, Todd had been quietly listening to all of this. Hearing John talk about flying at supersonic speed when he was seven, he gulped in disbelief.
Is this family even human?!Did I stumble into a nest of aliens?
Or maybe my boss and his entire family are gods—ones even stronger than the Olympians?Otherwise, why would he speak so casually about killing gods?
"Um… can I ask something, boss? Who exactly are you?"
"Me? I'm just a Kansas cowboy… with a few businesses here in Metropolis."
"Cowboy?"Todd glanced nervously at the imposing John.
A cowboy with kids this powerful?
And Peter hasn't aged a day in all the years I've known him…
Peter ignored his wild thoughts and asked, "Let's get down to business, Todd. What was the deal with that guy who got burned to a crisp?"
Todd scratched his head. "He was someone trying to get information from me. Got a little too cocky and was about to tell me something about his boss, but then he just caught fire right there. I panicked and ran out of the bar."
"He was silenced?"
Peter asked with suspicion.
"That's very likely."
"Did he say anything useful before that?"
"He mentioned something about… the 'sun,' I think."
"The sun?"
Peter fell into thought at that.
After a moment, he spoke, "In any case, our top priority now is finding your ex-girlfriend. I'm very interested in the child she's carrying."
"You're serious, boss?"
"What, you got a problem with that?"
"No, boss… it's just… she really doesn't seem like your type."
Todd gave a sheepish smile. "So… can we head out now? I know a few places she might be hiding. We need to find her before those people do."
"Of course."
Peter nodded in agreement.