"Sorry. I didn't arrange this."
The low, metallic voice echoed down the alleyway, carrying a weight that silenced even the distant hum of the city.
Bella turned slowly, her golden eyes narrowing beneath her white V-shaped mask. Standing at the far end of the alley was a towering figure clad in tactical black. The prominent skull emblazoned on his body armor left no room for doubt.
The Punisher.
"Hello, Goddess of Judgment," he greeted her calmly.
Bella tilted her head.
"I'm not fond of dealing with people from official circles—whoever you might be."
The Punisher gave a curt nod. "Believe me, if the situation weren't serious, I wouldn't be the one meeting you."
Step. Step.
The sound of polished leather shoes on concrete interrupted the exchange. From the shadows behind the Punisher emerged a tall, imposing man. Bald, with a black eye patch over his left eye, and a neatly trimmed goatee, he wore a long black trench coat that fluttered slightly in the night breeze.
Nick Fury.
A man whose presence carried the weight of global secrets and contingency plans.
"I apologize," Fury began, voice calm but assertive. "My agents overreacted. Your reputation precedes you—Goddess of Judgment. You are, after all, terrifying."
He gestured lazily with one hand.
Bella immediately sensed the subtle shift—the snipers watching her had withdrawn. She wasn't surprised. If Fury didn't have the guts to face her directly, he wasn't qualified to be the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
He was, after all, Marvel's most cunning operator—equal parts watchdog and manipulator.
While her fearsome reputation made criminals tremble, to ordinary people—and even some heroes—she was a symbol of justice, not menace. Her actions had always been aimed at evildoers. Innocents were safe from her judgment.
Fury understood this. Though wary of her power, he didn't fear her pulling the trigger on him.
"One minute," Bella said coolly, breaking the short silence.
Fury smirked, unfazed by the curt tone. "Straight to the point. I like that."
She reminded him of an old friend—righteous, no-nonsense, and brutally efficient. No wonder that friend held her in such high regard.
He pulled out a sleek black device, pressing a button to activate a holographic projection in front of them. A floating screen materialized, showing a video clip less than ten seconds long.
Clatter! Screams! Despair!
The footage showed a first-person perspective—likely from a body cam. It depicted a dilapidated farmhouse under siege. The lighting was dark, and muzzle flashes illuminated terrified soldiers as they fought off unseen assailants.
"Damn it, Fleiss, fall back! These things aren't human!"
"Kill them—shoot them!"
Gunfire crackled through the video, mingled with blood-curdling screams and panicked shouts. Then, black mist swept across the screen, consuming everything. In the final frame, a pair of abyssal eyes stared through the darkness, framed by a pale, snarling face.
Then—static.
The screen shifted, now displaying aerial satellite images.
A small rural town completely shrouded in dark mist.
Lakes filled with bloated, pale corpses. Faces twisted in agony reflected in stagnant water.
"A month ago," Fury began, his tone grim, "Basel, Texas was swallowed by a strange black fog. Locals in nearby towns reported hearing nightly screams and what they described as murmurs from hell itself. No one could sleep."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. dispatched seventeen agents to investigate the disturbance. None returned. Contact was lost completely."
He paused, letting the weight of the report sink in.
"It's estimated that at least forty lives have been claimed so far—demon hunters, priests, and civilians among them."
Bella's brows furrowed. She recognized the incident—it matched the data she had pulled from the S.H.I.E.L.D. database. But this footage… this wasn't there.
"Demons," she muttered.
Fury gave a slow nod, unfazed by her instant recognition. "Correct. The first sightings of demons date back to World War II."
He didn't mention that he'd seen one himself back then.
"But in all those years, we've never faced anything on this scale. The black mist is spreading. Fast. Towns it reaches are wiped off the map."
"If we hadn't evacuated civilians early, the casualties would've been catastrophic."
He pulled up another projection—an animated map showing the mist expanding across southern Texas.
"At its current pace, the entire state will be engulfed in less than twenty days."
Bella said nothing, but her body language changed. She was processing it all.
Fury, not waiting for a reply, continued.
"And it's not just Texas. Similar fogs have been appearing across the globe. Few in number, but all eerily alike."
"This isn't a local issue anymore. It's global."
"The Goddess of Judgment may only act against evil, but I'm here to tell you—this? This is evil."
He took a step closer.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is Earth's last line of defense. We've mobilized all available agents to contain these incidents. But it's not enough."
"That's why I'm here. We need you."
"We've also summoned a coalition of powered individuals—mages, psychics, some heroes. They'll assist you if needed."
Bella's eyes narrowed behind the mask. "You assume my powers are effective against demons?"
Fury didn't answer with words. Instead, he tapped the device again.
New images appeared—surveillance footage and analytical breakdowns.
The Manhattan Bridge explosion. The Fox Town incident. The crater at Sheldon Manor. All events where Bella had acted. All analyzed by S.H.I.E.L.D. tech.
Each scene showed the golden energy she used—its spectral frequency, elemental breakdown, and reaction to dark magic.
One file stood out.
Conclusion: Subject's energy output is highly destructive to dark-aligned entities. Estimated lethality rating: 9.6/10.
Bella blinked. She hadn't expected this level of honesty. She had assumed S.H.I.E.L.D. would hoard this analysis, maybe even weaponize it. That was their usual play.
But Fury had shown her the cards willingly.
Interesting.
Bella crossed her arms. "Your analysis is accurate. My magic is effective against dark entities. But if my energy runs out…"
Fury raised a hand, cutting her off.
"We anticipated that."
He smirked like a businessman unveiling a secret deal.
"In fact, based on your energy output and usage patterns, we've already developed a weapon tailored to your abilities. Something that won't drain your reserves."
Bella tilted her head. Now that got her attention.
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