Lucien stretched his body as he finished the final kilometer of his daily quest.

By the time he returned to the apartment, it was already eight in the morning. The smell of coffee and bacon greeted him as he walked through the door, evidence that someone had been busy in the kitchen.

"Perfect timing," Daniel called from the dining table, not looking up from the tablet on which he was working. "Anna made breakfast before she went back to bed."

Lucien grabbed a plate of still-warm food and settled into his chair. Around them, the apartment was quiet—Anna, Laura, and Illyana had all returned to their rooms after eating.

'Man, these sleepyheads.' Lucien thought with a smile on his face.

After finishing breakfast, Lucien made his way to his bedroom and settled onto his bed. The others might be sleeping, but he had work to do. He opened his status screen and began allocating the stat points he had after the fight with Sukuna and today's daily quest.

Five points into Agility—his speed and reflexes could always be better. Five points into Perception—awareness was crucial in combat. Six points into Strength—raw power never went out of style.

And finally, eleven points into Mana—the resource that would determine the size of his shadow army.

The moment he confirmed the allocation, new notifications appeared:

[Shadow Preservation capacity increased: 30 → 32]

[Shadow Extraction capacity increased: 50 → 52]

Lucien grinned. Just as he'd suspected, increasing his Mana directly enhanced his shadow abilities. The relationship was clear—the more mana he possessed, the more shadows he could command.

It was a simple equation that promised incredible power as he continued to grow stronger.

His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts about future army compositions. Natasha's name appeared on the screen.

"What's up?" he answered.

"We found Sinister's location," Natasha said without preamble, her voice carrying the crisp efficiency of someone delivering a mission briefing.

Lucien sat up straighter, his full attention focused on the call. "Where is he?"

"Remote area, heavily forested, about two hundred kilometers northeast of the city. Perfect place for a hidden laboratory complex."

"That was fast," Lucien observed. "Yesterday, you had no leads, and now you've pinpointed his exact location?"

"That's what's bothering me," Natasha admitted. "We've been hunting this bastard for days with no success. Our best analysts, satellite surveillance, electronic intercepts—nothing. Then suddenly, this morning, we get a tip that leads us straight to him."

Lucien felt a cold certainty settle in his stomach. "It's definitely a trap."

"That's what I'm thinking. He's basically sending you an invitation at this point."

"I'll go," Lucien said without hesitation.

"Alright, then me, Bucky, and Yelena will get ready too. I'll have a full tactical team assembled within the hour."

"No need," Lucien interrupted. "I'm going alone."

"Absolutely not," Natasha's voice rose sharply. "Sinister is dangerous, Lucien. We can't let you walk into an obvious trap by yourself."

Lucien sighed, knowing this conversation was inevitable. "Look, not to be rude—you guys have helped me a lot, and I'm grateful for that. But Sinister is strong. He might not be much by himself physically, but he's smart. Too smart. If he's showing himself now, he has something planned."

He paused, choosing his words carefully. "And since he knows how strong I was in our last fight, whatever he's prepared won't be ordinary soldiers this time."

"That's exactly why you need backup," Natasha said.

"Look, you, Bucky, and Yelena are skilled, but you're still normal humans. If Sinister has something that can handle me at my current power level, then anyone without superhuman abilities will just get hurt."

The line went quiet for a moment. When Natasha spoke again, her voice was calmer.

"You might be right about our power levels," she admitted. "But I'm not comfortable with you going in alone."

"This time, I'm ready for whatever Sinister has planned," Lucien said. "I'm not the same person who barely escaped last time."

Another pause. Finally, Natasha spoke again.

"You're right," she said. "But I'm not leaving you without support. A team of SHIELD soldiers and I will be nearby in case something goes wrong."

"Natasha—"

"I won't take no for an answer," she interrupted firmly.

Natasha was like an older sister who was establishing the house rules in the absence of their parents.

Lucien wanted to argue, but he could tell from her tone that she would probably scratch his face like a wild cat if he tried to convince her otherwise.

"Alright, alright. You win," he sighed.

"Good. We'll be there in twenty minutes. Get to the pickup point."

"Okay," Lucien agreed, then ended the call.

He went to his closet and retrieved the tactical mask Yelena had given him weeks ago—sleek black material that would conceal his identity while still allowing full visibility and communication. He stored it in his inventory for easy access.

Before leaving, he made his way back to the living room where Daniel was still working, now surrounded by multiple tablets and a notebook filled with notes.

"How's it going?" Lucien asked.

Daniel looked up with bright eyes. "It's going great. I think I've solved the main problems, and the basic systems are coming together. If everything goes right, I should have a working prototype ready in about a week."

"That's great," Lucien said. "Just don't overwork yourself, okay?"

Daniel laughed. "I'll try to remember that. Where are you headed?"

"Just some business I need to take care of. I'll be back soon."

Lucien made his way to the bedrooms to check on the others before leaving. The sight that greeted him made him pause in the doorway.

Laura was curled up in her bed with Jeff nestled against her side, the land shark's fins draped over her arm like a protective embrace. Even in sleep, Laura looked ready to fight, but Jeff's presence had softened her usual tension. It was a reminder that beneath all her training and trauma, she was still just a teenager who deserved peace.

Illyana was sprawled across her bed in a tangle of blankets, her blonde hair covering half her face.

The portal spell marking on her forehead was visible in the morning light, a red line that seemed to pulse with its own rhythm. Another reminder of the threats they all carried with them.

And then there was Anna, sleeping alone in a separate bed because her powers made touching others dangerous. The sight made Lucien feel sad. She'd been so happy when she discovered she could touch him safely, but that protection didn't extend to anyone else.

He needed to find a way to help Anna control her abilities. Everyone deserved to sleep surrounded by the people they cared about.

"I'll be back soon," he whispered to the sleeping room, then quietly left the apartment.

The pickup point was in an industrial area on the outskirts of Manhattan, far enough from populated areas to avoid civilian attention when SHIELD arrived. Lucien had been waiting only a few minutes when the familiar sound of repulsors announced the approach of a Quinjet.

The aircraft landed with its usual efficiency, and Lucien climbed aboard to find it packed with personnel. At least thirty SHIELD agents filled the passenger compartment, all wearing full tactical gear and carrying weapons that looked like they belonged in science fiction movies rather than conventional warfare.

"Expecting a war?" Lucien asked as he took a seat next to Natasha.

"When dealing with Sinister, it's better to overestimate the threat than underestimate it. Plus, we will still rely on you, our purpose is not to fight, but rather to extract you if the need arises," she replied. "These agents are volunteers, by the way. Everyone here knows the risks."

The Quinjet lifted off smoothly, and Natasha began briefing him on the mission parameters.

"We'll drop you five kilometers from the target location," she said, handing him a small communications device. "This earpiece will keep you in contact with us, but if communications are cut off like last time, you have thirty minutes before we assume you're in danger and move in."

Lucien fitted the earpiece and tested the connection. "Understood."

"Do you want a codename for radio communications?" Natasha asked. "It's standard procedure for operations like this."

Lucien thought for a moment, considering various options. But with his powers, the choice seemed obvious.

"Shadow," he said simply.

Natasha nodded and made a note on her tablet. "Shadow, it is."

As the Quinjet carried them toward what was almost certainly a trap, Lucien found himself looking forward to the confrontation. His last encounter with Sinister had ended up with just a talk and the building going boom on him.

But this time, if Nathaniel was there, then he would pay the price for everything he did.

He can be surrounded by an army for all Lucien cares. He now had his own army, fewer in numbers but higher in quality. And it will only grow with time.

This time, Nathaniel was done for.

.....

POWER STONE GOAL: 700 ( 1 Extra Chapter)

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