Inside the observation room, Philip watched as William placed a firm slap on Charles's back.
Before he could even wonder why, a shimmering, semi-transparent spirit emerged from Charles's body.
Just a few glances at this sight sent shivers down Philip's spine.
Then, he heard William's voice:
"You Skrulls really don't know when to quit. After waging war against the Kree for so many years, you still have the audacity to infiltrate other planets and use your shapeshifting ability recklessly?"
The Skrull, now dislodged from Charles's body, struggled to maintain the human form.
Gradually, his appearance reverted to blue skin, pointed ears, and intricate facial lines.
But at that moment, the Skrull's mind wasn't focused on that—his expression was pure terror as he raised his translucent hands, stammering:
"W-what did you do to me? W-what… what is this power?"
"Magic," William replied smugly. "Isn't it obvious, you idiot?"
From the moment he'd seen an adult, bearded Harry Potter, William no longer felt the need to hide the fact that he could use magic.
"Magic?!" The Skrull gasped. "Then… this… this is my soul?!"
As he spoke, he looked down at his physical body and saw its head tilting lifelessly to the side. Panic overtook him.
"My body! Is it dying?! Let me back in—LET ME BACK IN!"
Seeing the alien's fear, William smirked and steadied the unconscious body.
Lying through his teeth, he said,
"Just like a fish out of water or a man deprived of oxygen, your soul won't last long outside its body.
If you don't return soon, this body will permanently lose all vitality."
"NO!"
The Skrull's soul immediately tried to dive back into his body—
But to his horror, he passed right through it.
Now truly panicked, he shouted:
"Ask me anything! Anything you want to know—just let me back in first!"
"Why did you impersonate Charles Cavendish? Where is the real Charles—alive, or have you killed him?"
"Charles is alive! He's at his own estate!"
Seeing William narrow his eyes, the Skrull hurried to explain:
"We Skrulls can shapeshift into any humanoid form, but our real bodies must remain alive.
Otherwise, after a short time, we lose the ability to maintain our copied form."
This matched what William already knew.
"Keep talking. Why Charles?"
The Skrull hesitated, but with his lifeless body still slumped over, he reluctantly admitted:
"Someone wants to know if your ability to build a spaceship is due to sheer genius…
Or if you've had contact with extraterrestrials—either through trade or theft."
Hearing this, William immediately knew who was behind it.
"So that's why I couldn't find that one-eyed bastard Nick Fury!
He's hiding on your ship—or somewhere in space—isn't he, you alien scum?"
The Skrull visibly flinched.
"How do you know about our connection with Nick Fury?!"
William sneered.
"Oh, I know plenty."
Then, with a smirk, he asked,
"What's her name?"
"Whose name—?" The Skrull began, but as he saw the knowing look in William's eyes, his own eyes widened.
"Sh*t—you even know that?!"
He still wanted to hide the truth.
But then he saw William casually pat his lifeless body's head, his expression clearly saying:
"You don't have much time left."
Left with no choice, the Skrull bitterly admitted:
"Carol Danvers. She's our ally. Maybe we should sit down and have a friendly conversation instead."
Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel.
Now that was a reason not to immediately kill this Skrull.
The last thing William wanted was for that overpowered cosmic saint to come after him.
It wasn't worth starting a fight with her over one measly Skrull.
If anything, keeping this guy alive might lead to unexpected benefits in the future.
"If you wanted my intel so badly, why didn't you just shapeshift into me and take my memories?"
"Hah! Do you think I didn't try?!"
The Skrull's expression turned bitter.
"Your power is too strong. Every time I tried, my transformation collapsed in under five seconds.
And besides, we can't just read memories through shifting alone.
We need physical contact and specific equipment to extract information.
If we could just copy everything, we wouldn't have lost to the Kree and become a race of exiled wanderers!"
Hearing that the Skrulls were losing their war was a relief to William.
It meant their priority was still fighting the Kree—
And that their numbers were dwindling.
"Alright," the Skrull said impatiently.
"I've told you everything I know. Now put me back in my body!"
William took a moment to think—
Then flicked his wrist and guided the Skrull's soul back inside.
The moment he re-entered his body, the Skrull gasped and tried to stand—
Only to jerk violently as the restraints yanked him back down.
"SHUT UP!"
Smack!
William clapped him upside the head.
"BANG!"
Once again, the Skrull's soul was slapped out of his body.
Then William yanked it back in.
Now the Skrull's face contorted in pure horror.
Even in pain, he didn't dare make another sound.
When William glared at him, he instinctively averted his gaze.
"Good," William smirked.
"Congratulations, pal. You're now under arrest for kidnapping, attempted murder of an English noble, espionage, and conspiring to overthrow England."
"Wait—kidnapping and espionage, fine—but when did I commit murder or treason?!"
"Whether you actually killed Charles or not, we'll only know when we find him," William said smugly.
"As for treason…"
He smirked.
"You manipulated King Philip into considering an internal coup.
That absolutely counts as an attempt to overthrow the government."
Realizing how serious these charges were, the Skrull panicked.
"No! All I did was follow Nick Fury's instructions! He wanted to drag you into human politics!
If anyone's the mastermind, it's him! I was just a misled alien!"
"Fine," William said.
"Then tell me where Fury is, so we can bring him in and question him.
Until then, I regret to inform you that you'll be spending some quality time in our prison."
"Wait—prison?!"
William's eyes gleamed.
"Oh, not just any prison, buddy…
You're about to make history."
His smirk widened.
"You're going to be the first person ever imprisoned…
On Mars."
(End of Chapter)
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