Marvel: Shadow Monarch

I pushed through the dense undergrowth, Anna's unconscious form secure on my back.

She'd fainted almost immediately after we'd escaped the facility, probably from the stress of everything that happened. I couldn't blame her—being held at gunpoint and seeing blood would take a toll on anyone.

I guess I am different in that matter, taking all of those lives feels like a distaste, but I don't feel any overwhelming emotion towards that. Maybe I'm the odd one.

The jungle was thick around us, branches catching at my jumpsuit and roots trying to trip me with every step.

But they simply broke as soon as they tried to hold me. Even Anna's weight felt negligible thanks to my enhanced strength.

More importantly, Ashborn's blessing seemed to negate her power completely. I could carry her skin-to-skin without any fear of her absorption ability draining my life force. It was a relief I hadn't expected to feel so keenly.

After what felt like one or two hours of steady movement, the forest began to thin out.

The dense canopy gave way to more open sky, and I could see plains stretching out ahead of us. The terrain was much more manageable here—rolling grassland dotted with occasional trees.

Anna stirred against my back, making small sounds that suggested she was waking up.

I looked around for a suitable place to rest and spotted a large oak tree with good shade. As I approached it, Anna mumbled something against my shoulder.

"Lucien?" she said groggily.

"Just a minute," I replied, gently lowering her to sit against the tree trunk.

The movement seemed to fully wake her up. She stretched her arms above her head like someone emerging from a particularly good nap, then blinked several times as she took in our surroundings.

"We really did escape, huh?" she said, wonder creeping into her voice.

I watched as her eyes swept across the open landscape—the grass swaying in the breeze, the trees scattered across the plains, the vast sky overhead. Her eyes grew wet as she stared, and I felt my own chest tighten at the sight.

When was the last time either of us saw something this simple? Just... nature.

Even I felt overwhelmed by the sensation of freedom, and I'd been conscious for the entire journey.

For Anna, who was seeing it all for the first time since our escape, it must have been almost too much to process.

She turned to look at me, tears still threatening to spill over. "Thank you," she said simply.

The weight of those two words hit me harder than I'd expected. It felt really good to hear them and more so at the fact that I fulfilled my promise of taking her out.

"The guards said you disappeared into the wall," she continued, curiosity replacing some of the emotion in her voice. "Where did you go?"

So nobody else could see the dungeon gate.

That was interesting information. It suggested the dungeons were somehow personal to me, invisible to others. I'd have to remember that for the future.

"It's... complicated," I said, sitting down across from her. "My powers work differently than I thought. I have much higher strength and speed than normal people, and that disappearing thing—it was like something was calling me out to a different dimension, with that wall being the gateway. So, I took the chance."

Anna studied my face, clearly picking up on my evasiveness. "And what happened in whatever dimension you went into?"

I hesitated. "There's a reason I can't say. It's linked to my powers, something like a vow."

She stared at me for a long moment, then snorted. "I don't buy that story."

My heart sank. I'd hoped—

"But it doesn't matter," she continued, cutting off my worried thoughts. "I trust you, and there must be a reason you're hiding stuff. Just... don't give me stupid made-up reasons, okay? Just say you can't tell me. I trust you enough to know you won't harm me, and that's enough."

She said all of this with a slight pout, like she was annoyed at having to explain something so obvious.

I felt heat rise in my cheeks. Her faith in me was both humbling and slightly embarrassing. "Thank you," I managed.

She smiled at my reaction, then looked around again. "So where are we?"

"I was carrying you in a random direction," I admitted. "There weren't any clues in the lab about where the facility was located."

Anna nodded. "Anywhere's better than staying in that prison."

"Agreed."

That's when she noticed her neck, her hand automatically going to where the collar had been. "My suppression collar—it's gone."

"I broke it," I said simply.

"Good. That thing felt like a pet collar." She rubbed her neck where the metal had chafed for months. "Thanks for—"

Her face went white as the full implications hit her.

"Oh God," she whispered. "Without the collar, my abilities... I'll harm anyone I touch." Her eyes went wide with panic as she looked at me. "Are you alright? Did I hurt you when I was unconscious? I was touching you this whole time and—"

She was spiraling into full panic mode, words tumbling out faster than I could respond to them. She looked like a worried cat, all wide eyes and nervous energy.

That's actually kind of cute.

"Anna," I said firmly, but she kept talking.

"—don't know how long I was unconscious but if I drained your life force I'll never forgive myself and—"

"Anna!" I said louder.

She stopped mid-sentence, staring at me with terrified eyes.

"Don't worry," I said gently. "Your abilities don't work on me."

She shook her head frantically. "That's impossible. They work on everyone. I've never met anyone who—"

I reached out and placed my hand against her cheek, cutting off her protests.

Her breath caught as skin met skin. We both waited for something to happen—for me to collapse, for her to start absorbing my memories or life force, for any of the terrible things her power was supposed to do.

Nothing happened.

"See?" I said softly. "I'm unharmed."

That broke her.

Anna launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around me as tears finally spilled over. I was startled by the sudden contact, but after a moment I hugged her back, one hand gently patting her back as she sobbed against my shoulder.

"I can touch someone," she whispered between tears. "I can actually touch someone without hurting them."

I held her as she cried out months of isolation and fear, feeling my own eyes sting at the raw emotion in her voice. For someone whose power had made human contact impossible, this had to feel like a miracle.

Maybe that's what freedom really means, I thought, watching the sun set over the plains. Not just escaping prison, but finding out you're not as alone as you thought.

.....

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