Marvel: Neo Journey

Seeing the young man agree without hesitation, George began to suspect that the incident might have been caused by the boy.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. The kid didn't seem strong at all, and besides, what had happened at the site was beyond the capabilities of any known human or mutant.

The structural damage and destruction were described as if the sun itself had descended onto that place for a few seconds.

However, what truly enraged George was the confirmation that hundreds of charred bodies had been found, with some showing signs of having been trapped inside.

At the moment, George was overseeing the investigation, but after learning that a boy had been hospitalized and likely knew what had happened there, he wasted no time.

He immediately requested permission from the commissioner to speak with the young man—perhaps a father would have a better chance of getting something out of him.

What struck George—and the entire department—as strange was that there was no record of this boy's existence anywhere. No fingerprints, no blood records, no DNA.

He was, essentially, a ghost who had never existed.

Still, George didn't dwell on that too much. Instead, he continued speaking to Neo as if he were just a child—until he quickly realized how mature the boy truly was.

George felt a pang of sympathy for Neo. Whatever this kid had been through to reach this level of maturity, it wasn't something small.

After a few minutes of conversation, George decided to ask about the arena.

George: "I'd like to know about the place you were in. That burned-down site… but only if you're willing to talk about it."

Neo looked at George, understanding why he was here, and found it a little ridiculous. Even so, he answered.

Neo: "An arena. A place where slaves were forced to fight just to survive another day. Where people and mutants were auctioned off like objects."

When George heard that, his eyes widened in shock and rage—rage against his own kind.

He looked at Neo, seeing the tattoos that were likely meant to identify him as a slave, the dark circles under his eyes that had probably witnessed countless horrors, and the scars he would have to carry for the rest of his life.

The only thing George could think of was imagining his own daughter in such a situation, and the thought made his heart ache.

Without thinking, he pulled Neo into a hug, gently patting his back as he spoke.

George: "I… I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through, but…"

George pulled away slightly, looking Neo in the eyes with a serious expression.

George: "I promise you, Neo. I will bring those monsters to justice, no matter what. You can count on me."

With that, George let go of Neo and continued the conversation, asking him a few more questions about what he knew.

After a while, visiting hours ended, and since Neo still couldn't leave his bed, he decided to sleep.

________________________________________________

The Next Morning

A loud commotion erupted at the reception desk.

Alex: "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T SEE MY LOR—M-MY BROTHER?!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Neo already knew the mess that was about to unfold. With a sigh, he smacked his palm against his face.

Thanks to his sharp hearing, he caught the receptionist's response.

Receptionist: "Alright, sir, you may visit the patient, but the police will be present to ensure you have no ill intentions."

Alex wanted to slap the woman, but Adrian—now standing beside him—placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head in disapproval.

Seeing this, Alex took a deep breath, calming down slightly, and decided to follow the nurse without further protest.

Upon arriving at Neo's hospital room, both of them were accompanied by two police officers.

As soon as Alex saw Neo, he burst into tears and lunged at him.

Alex: "I missed you so much, my lor—my little brother! I was so worried I almost burned down half the city because of you!"

Alex: "How I missed you, my lor—little brother! I was so worried I almost set half this city on fire because of you!"

Hearing that, Neo wanted to beat up this idiot genius, but knowing he was being watched by the police, he just gave Alex a few pats on the head, like a brother trying to calm the other down.

Then, Neo looked at the officers and asked:

Neo: "Is it possible for me to be alone with my brothers for a moment?"

The officers, still a little apprehensive, agreed and left to stand guard at the door.

As soon as they were gone, Neo pushed Alex away and said:

Neo: "Damn it, Alex, I'm all busted up, and you come hugging me like that? Seriously?"

Realizing his mistake, Alex quickly responded:

Alex: "A THOUSAND APOLOGIES, MY LORD!"

Neo ignored his usual weirdness, looked at Adrian with some confusion, and asked:

Neo: "I thought you were going after your own business after I helped you with some food and medicine. So what are you doing here?"

Embarrassed, Adrian replied:

Adrian: "I did think about going after revenge or trying to start over, but..."

Neo immediately understood and finished his sentence:

Neo: "You don't have the strength to go after revenge, nor the means to start over, right?"

Adrian, realizing he had been seen through, lowered his head in shame and simply nodded.

Seeing this mess in his life, Neo felt like he should just drop everything and check if Antarctica had fewer weird people. But since there was no turning back now, he said:

Neo: "Well, now that you're on board, good luck dealing with the two lunatics we have here. Stay as long as you like."

Noticing that everyone was here except Carina, a valid question crossed his mind.

"Why hasn't anyone come to kidnap me again for some lab experiment just because I'm a mutant?"

With that thought in his head, he turned to Alex and asked:

Neo: "Alex. Why is no one after me for being a mutant?"

Alex stopped being dramatic, stood up from the floor, and, with a serious expression, said:

Alex: "I don't know."

Neo stared at this nonsense, ready to split Alex in half, but before he could act, Alex quickly realized his lord's intentions and blurted out:

Alex: "BUT I CAN FIND OUT!"

Hearing that, Neo stopped his attack and looked at Adrian.

Neo: "Hades, since you're on the team now, I have a job for you."

Adrian didn't refuse—he didn't really have much choice anyway.

Neo: "Get me out of this place as soon as possible."

Adrian nodded and quickly left the room.

Neo continued chatting with Alex, throwing in some jokes here and there, but nothing had really changed while he was unconscious—which was a good thing.

About twenty minutes later, Adrian returned with good news.

Adrian: "Hey, boss, I managed to get you released in three days, as long as they confirm that your injuries are more about blood loss than anything serious."

Hearing that, Neo nodded and said:

Neo: "That's good, Hades—actually, what's your real name? I call you Hades because it's the only name I know."

Adrian responded:

Adrian: "You can call me Adrian, boss."

______________________________________________________________

Four days later.

Neo was finally home, and the first to greet him was Brownie.

The massive cheetah pounced on him with its full weight, knocking him down and starting to lick him.

Laughing, Neo pushed the giant cat off and gave it a few pats on the head.

Brownie reminded him a lot of a dog he had as a child in his past life, so out of everyone here, Brownie had the most freedom to be an idiot.

The second person to greet him was Carina, who ran up to him and hugged him tightly, crying.

Neo gently patted her head, then pulled her away from his chest and said:

Neo: "See? I'm back. Feel better now? Look, I didn't even die—I'm all in one piece."

Carina smiled, punched him lightly on the shoulder, and said:

Carina: "Don't do that again... You really scared me."

Neo just patted her head again, offering a weak smile.

But when he saw Adrian and Alex, he felt like something was off.

How did he know? Both of them had the kind of expression people make when they're holding back a huge laugh.

Looking closer, he noticed they were staring at a letter—one that Neo quickly snatched from their hands. The moment he finished reading it, he shouted:

Neo: "WHAT THE HELL?!"

____________________________________

Meanwhile, in a normal house, George Stacy was having dinner with his family, still wearing a worried expression.

Noticing this, his daughter, Gwen Stacy, looked at him with concern and asked:

Gwen: "What's wrong, Dad? Did something happen?"

Hearing his daughter, George looked at her and explained:

George: "A few days ago, when I was investigating that explosion at the underground arena..."

Gwen shivered at the thought of all the charred skeletons they had found there. She was familiar with the case, so she simply nodded, letting her father continue.

George: "So, we found a teenager about your age at the site of the explosion—barely alive. When we rescued him, I talked to him and... he's been through a lot there."

Hearing that, Gwen felt sorry for the boy. Being forced to fight in an arena against his will must have been horrible. But still not understanding why her father was so worried, she asked:

Gwen: "Okay, but what's the problem with that?"

George, visibly frustrated, answered:

George: "The problem is that since he's under 16, he's required to go to school. And I'm afraid he might cause a lot of trouble. I don't know what he's been through or what kind of trauma he carries, and I'm worried he might get hurt... or hurt someone."

Gwen finally understood her father's concern. After thinking for a moment, she asked:

Gwen: "Which school is he going to?"

George thought for a moment before answering:

George: "I think it was Midtown High."

Gwen was surprised—especially because that was her school. Without thinking twice, she reassured her father:

Gwen: "Don't worry, Dad. That's my school. I'll help him get used to everything and make sure he doesn't hurt anyone."

Hearing that, George felt a little more at ease. He patted his daughter's head and said:

George: "Thank you, sweetheart."

_____________________________

In front of Neo was a letter listing the materials and class schedule for some school called Midtown High. His mouth was hanging open in pure shock.

Seeing his reaction, Adrian and Alex couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter, tears streaming down their faces.

But Neo didn't even care. In his mind, only one thought echoed:

"Me—the guy who can kill a Grade 1 curse, someone capable of evaporating a city, someone who in the future will literally be able to wipe out a city with a wave of his hand... is being forced to go to school."

_____________________________

Hey guys! As always, if you're enjoying my fic, please send some power stones.

I'm starting to get the hang of writing, so all I need is a little time. But if there's something you don't like, if you have any questions, or if you have any writing tips, just let me know—I always read everything!

P.S.: That's all for today, folks... OR IS IT?