Daisy stared at the Obelisk in her hands, turning it over slowly as if expecting it to bite her. The strange artifact had a simple but crucial purpose, distinguishing Inhumans from regular humans.
When an Inhuman held it, the Obelisk would glow, just like it was doing right now in her trembling grip. But when a normal human touched it, it would begin corroding their flesh, turning them to stone from the inside out.
The pure Terrigen crystals weren't dangerous to humans on their own, even breathing the mist form was harmless.
"Through a certain ritual, you can become exactly what you've been chasing, someone with superpowers. Interested?"
Mario leaned forward. "Or should I tell the whole world about you? Post your info everywhere, let everyone know there's someone special hiding in plain sight?"
Daisy's expression grew complicated. She muttered under her breath, "That's... that's not possible. This thing is probably just malfunctioning or—"
"You're an Inhuman," Mario interrupted flatly. "Part of a race genetically modified by aliens thousands of years ago. No malfunction."
He adopted the same excited, breathless tone Daisy had used when confronting Peterson at the café. "If I publish your information, I guarantee people will line up to take you away for research. You'll never have to worry about food or shelter again, because you'll spend the rest of your life in a lab somewhere."
The harsh reality hit Daisy. She'd spent months trying to expose S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets about enhanced individuals, posting conspiracy theories about superhuman cover-ups, demanding transparency. But now that she was one of them, all those righteous principles felt a lot less appealing.
A nervous, embarrassed smile crept across her face. "No... I don't have any special abilities. You've definitely got the wrong person."
Mario straightened up and said nothing. This was the fundamental truth of every Marvel story, people loved to demand accountability and exposure right up until it affected them personally. Then all those lofty ideals became flexible.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang, cutting through the tension.
Voices filtered in from outside the villa.
"Who are you looking for?"
"Peterson? What are you doing here?"
"We're S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. My name's Coulson. Your body is extremely unstable right now, you could detonate at any moment. I hope you'll come with us. We've found a way to cure you."
Mario opened the door and stepped outside. At the villa's gate stood two men in standard-issue suits, while Peterson watched them with suspicion, muscles tensed and ready for a fight.
"Mike," he called out.
Peterson immediately turned, relaxing slightly. "I don't know these guys."
"I do. Let them in."
The visitors were indeed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Phil Coulson and Grant Ward. Seeing Mario's cheerful smile, Coulson felt an overwhelming urge to turn around and leave. This was dangerous territory. Mario was way outside his operational capabilities, and he knew it.
Ward, being a loyal Hydra operative, also recognized Mario immediately. Unlike Coulson, his first instinct was to report this encounter up the chain, let Hydra know that Mario was active in Los Angeles.
The moment Ward's dot on Mario's mini-map turned red, Mario's smile got even brighter.
"Agent Coulson, what brings you to my residence?"
Coulson steadied himself and walked through the gate. "I'm looking for someone. I didn't expect to find you here, though."
"Daisy? Or Mike?"
"Daisy."
Mario nodded and gestured them inside. He led them to the living room, where Daisy sat looking significantly calmer than she had moments ago. The Obelisk rested on the coffee table.
Coulson's pupils contracted sharply when he spotted it. The Obelisk? Does that mean Mario is Inhuman too?
"Alright, Daisy," Mario announced. "You've seen everything. If you've got something to say, now's the time."
Daisy looked at Coulson and Ward, clearly having no idea why they'd come looking for her specifically.
Coulson reached into his jacket and pulled out a small device, setting it on the table in front of her. The screen displayed several of Daisy's online videos, like conspiracy theories about S.H.I.E.L.D., superhuman cover-ups, and the usual Rising Tide content.
"What's your relationship with Mr. Argento?"
Daisy shrugged. "Maybe... sort of... experimenter and test subject?"
Mario couldn't help but laugh. "They wanted to use you to find Mike. But since they've already found him, all that's left is recruiting you to their team. Agent Coulson really appreciates your skills. You could agree to join him, the pay and benefits aren't bad, and you'll get access to way more information about enhanced individuals."
Coulson and Daisy both fell silent as Mario laid out the entire situation without being asked.
"So... can I go with them?" Daisy asked cautiously.
Mario smiled and nodded. "Of course. It's your choice. What, did you think I'd tie you up and hang you from the ceiling with a whip? I'm not that kind of person."
He paused for effect. "Though I do hope that when I need you, I'll be able to contact you immediately."
Daisy looked at him strangely. "I'm not that kind of person..."
"You could be," Mario said with a grin.
Why does everything sound sexual with this woman?
Before anyone could respond, a man materialized out of thin air in the middle of the living room.
The first thing everyone noticed was his face, or more specifically, what was missing from it. No eyes, and empty sockets, just smooth skin where eyes should have been.
The moment he appeared, the man lunged directly toward Daisy.
Mario reacted immediately, pulling his wand from his inventory. "Containment!"
A translucent cube of energy formed instantly around the mysterious man, trapping him inside a three-meter box.
The man didn't seem to notice at first. He reached for Daisy and activated his teleportation ability, but his body only flickered faintly before solidifying again. He was stuck.
[Containment:
Tier: Advanced
Element: Sorcery
Mana Cost: 40
Effect: Creates a containment field; target cannot leave a 13×13 meter area centered on the caster. Duration: 20 seconds.]
Mario grinned at the trapped man. "If I'd known it would be this easy, I wouldn't have bothered coming to L.A."
He'd thought he would need to perform the full Terrigenesis ritual to awaken Daisy before other Inhumans would show up. But apparently, just having her touch the Obelisk was enough to trigger a response.
Even without eyes, the man could clearly perceive his surroundings. He turned toward Mario, recognizing him as the source of the problem.
"You are—"
Mario didn't let him finish. He stepped forward and drove his fist into the back of the man's neck. The teleporter's body went limp and crumpled to the floor.
Coulson, finally recovering from his shock, rushed forward to check the man's condition. Then he looked up at Mario with an exasperated expression.
"Next time you want to knock someone out, maybe let me handle it. Because right now... he's dead."
"Oops," Mario said, not sounding particularly sorry. "Minor miscalculation."
He'd realized his mistake the moment he struck, the target's health bar had been completely wiped out. He'd forgotten to turn off full data mode. With his current strength in that state, the fact that he hadn't completely severed the man's neck only demonstrated how tough Inhuman physiology was.
He pulled out his phone. "Kaecilius, could you come over for a moment?"
A portal wreathed in flame opened, and Kaecilius stepped through, his eyes immediately scanning Coulson and Ward with suspicion.
"What do you need?"
Mario noted the aggressive posture with some confusion. When did he become so confrontational?
"Can you trace where this guy came from?"
Kaecilius looked at the teleporter's corpse, and a magic circle appeared around his wrist. The body floated into the air, bathed in scanning light.
After a few moments, Kaecilius nodded. "Found it."
---
Afterlife.
A flaming portal opened in the middle of a small mountain village, and Mario stepped through, followed by Skye and Daisy.
The Inhumans who lived there turned curious gazes toward the newcomers. Afterlife was isolated from the world, outsiders rarely came here, especially through portals.
Mario looked around with appreciation. Afterlife was nestled in a mountain valley, traditional buildings arranged in terraced rows with snow-capped peaks visible in the distance.
"Nice setup," he said. "Very peaceful."
Before long, Jiaying arrived, having been alerted to the intrusion. The moment she saw Daisy, her expression shifted.
"Daisy?!"
Jiaying moved forward instinctively, but Mario raised a hand to stop her.
Jiaying stopped, her eyes moving to Mario. "Who are you?"
"Me? Just a traveler. But I came here specifically to find you."
Mario glanced meaningfully at the crowd of Inhumans gathering around them. Jiaying noticed his look and quickly made a decision.
"Then please, come with me."
She led them to a private meeting room. Whether through confidence or desperation, she dismissed all her subordinates, leaving the group alone.
"Is Gordon with you?" she asked, though her expression suggested she already knew the answer.
Gordon, that was the teleporter's name. She had sensed Daisy's awakening beginning and sent him to bring her daughter home. In her mind, only by becoming Inhuman could Daisy truly be her daughter.
Since they hadn't openly turned hostile yet, her face still wore a gentle, motherly smile, the kind that made you believe she was good.
They all sat down. Hearing her question, Mario smiled slightly. Gordon was indeed "with" him, currently stored in his inventory. Which was kind of hilarious when you thought about it.
He placed his hands on the table. "That person is in my custody, yes. He suddenly appeared in my home and tried to take someone right in front of me. I came here today to find out why."
Of course, he was playing dirty. His real goal was recruiting some of these Inhumans and, more importantly, getting his hands on Jiaying's supply of Terrigen crystals.
He wanted to study the upper limits of Inhuman abilities. If even a few of them turned out to be Black Bolt-level powerhouses, that would be quite the return on investment.
"What do you want?" Jiaying asked, her gentle smile never wavering.
If it weren't for the glaring red marker on his mini-map and his knowledge of the original timeline, Mario might have believed she was a warm and hospitable person.
"I want the Terrigen crystals."
After a pause, Jiaying said, "The Terrigen crystals are important to our people. It's impossible to hand them over."
"There's nothing impossible about it."
Mario straightened up and met her eyes directly. "This isn't a negotiation, it's a notification. And I'm only being this polite because of Skye."
Jiaying's smile finally cracked, her eyes turning cold.
"You think you've got us cornered?"
Mario chuckled. "Not 'us.' Just you."
"I imagine the Inhumans outside don't know about your grand plans. They're just trying to live peaceful lives away from humans, they're not chasing your vision of revolution. Your plan is too extreme. It's doomed to fail."
Rage and madness flashed in Jiaying's eyes. "You have no idea what I've been through. Humans and Inhumans can never coexist peacefully. What happened to me will happen to all of us eventually. Humans are too greedy."
Mario nodded thoughtfully. "Actually, I agree with parts of your worldview. I've had my share of horrors too. I was once hung upside down by vampires, treated like livestock, just waiting to die as their food. That feeling of complete helplessness, of being nothing but meat... I never want to experience that again."
Everyone in the room was shocked. It was the first time they'd heard Mario mention such a traumatic past. Skye now understood why he had founded the Hunter Association with such dedication.
She moved closer and took his hand.
Mario turned and gave her a reassuring smile before continuing.
"Your enemies aren't all of humanity. You should know, Inhumans and humans aren't even reproductively isolated. After thousands of years, most humans probably carry Inhuman genes. Some of those genes just pass quietly through generations. Your daughter is a perfect example."
Daisy blinked in surprise. "Wait, what? She's my mother?"
Mario nodded. "She is your biological mother. That's correct."
Daisy sat heavily in her chair, eyes glistening with tears as she looked at Jiaying, who appeared equally emotional.
"Alright," Mario interrupted before the reunion could get too sentimental. "The touching mother-daughter moment can wait. Now, about those Terrigen crystals, have you thought it over?"
"I can give you some of the crystals," Jiaying said after regaining her composure. Despite her extremism, her love for Daisy had always been genuine.
Mario smiled. "In that case, I assume you won't mind if I also recruit a few Inhumans of my own, right?"
-----
Some readers asked where and how to access the advanced chapters, so I added more information below. I'm also working on another Minecraft story, with 28 chapters available so far. The story is set in a cultivation world.