"Wait—Boss, are you saying… you're going to teach me magic?!"
Lucas shook his head. "Not magic. I mean awakening your superpower. I have a way to make it happen."
Skye's eyes widened in disbelief. She didn't speak for a long moment—the concept was so far beyond what she'd expected that she needed time to process it.
"You mean… I can actually awaken superpowers?" she repeated mechanically, as if her brain couldn't keep up.
"Yes," Lucas said calmly. "You can. But think carefully. The process is extremely dangerous. There's a real chance of failure—and if that happens, you'll turn into stone. Forever. So, make sure you're certain before you answer."
"Stone? Turn into stone?!" Skye was stunned. She'd seen people with powers before—Marko the Killer, Peter, Gwen, even Lucas himself—but she had never heard of someone turning to stone because they failed to awaken.
Of course, she didn't know the truth about the Obelisk. Ordinary people who touched it would instantly turn to stone, while Inhumans faced a chance of the same fate if their transformation failed.
"Go back to your apartment and think it over," Lucas said. "Tell me your decision before midnight."
Skye left in a daze. She couldn't even remember how she made it back to her apartment. Once inside, she sat on the edge of her bed, lost in thought the entire day—didn't eat, didn't drink, didn't move.
Lucas, meanwhile, stayed in the office, quietly waiting. He was curious about her choice. The power of vibration—quake—was immense, potentially strong enough to shatter the planet if fully unleashed.
But regardless of her decision, he would respect it. Even if she chose to stay a hacker, as long as she remained in the apartment, she'd be safe. All he wanted was for Skye to never regret her choice.
Night fell, the sky ink-black and moonless. Heavy clouds swallowed the stars, and the streets below were empty save for the glow of neon signs and flickering streetlights.
It was then that Skye pushed open the office door.
"Have you decided?" Lucas asked, smiling as he sipped his pineapple juice.
Skye looked perfectly calm. Her first words were, "I'm starving."
Watching her tear into a plate of grilled fish, Lucas relaxed a little—seemed she'd worked things out.
After devouring the food, Skye gulped down a glass of peach juice and let out an unladylike burp.
"Burp~! I've decided. I'm ready—I want to awaken."
Her eyes gleamed with resolve. It was clear she had thought this through carefully.
Lucas didn't press her. Whatever she chose, he'd support her. But he also knew her power came with risks. The Quake ability was overwhelming in raw strength—but the vibrations also tore through the user's own body. If she lost control, she could end up hurting herself before even touching the enemy.
Still, there were ways to mitigate it. If he could get her a pair of vibranium gauntlets, they could absorb most of the backlash. Not perfectly—but enough.
The problem was getting vibranium. Outside of S.H.I.E.L.D., only Tony Stark and a certain black-market dealer had any. The man's name escaped Lucas—he couldn't even remember it.
Probably because Black Panther was the one Marvel movie Lucas had utterly hated. In his words, "I didn't pay good money to watch a black-and-white movie full of dudes in cat suits."
So, remembering who that arms dealer was—or how to find Wakanda—was hopeless. All he knew was that it was "somewhere in Africa," which didn't exactly narrow it down.
That left two options: S.H.I.E.L.D. or Tony Stark.
But Stark's vibranium reserves were tiny—just traces mixed into his armor alloys. Definitely not enough to craft gauntlets.
So… S.H.I.E.L.D. again. Somehow everything always led back to them.
Lucas sighed in irritation. He hated dealing with that organization—always scheming, always digging traps, never the kind you'd trust to watch your back.
Forget it, he thought. One thing at a time. Let's get Skye awakened first.
"Alright," he said finally. "Since you've made up your mind, wait a bit. I'll get what we need and find a safe place for the ritual."
"What do we need?" Skye asked curiously. "I thought you were just going to use your magic or something."
Lucas chuckled. "No, it requires a specific item. It looks like a tall, stone pillar."
"'Looks like'?" she repeated, catching the wording. "What is it really?"
"Actually…" Lucas grinned faintly. "It's a crystal. A crystal that holds strange, ancient power."
He didn't bother hiding the truth—she'd see the Obelisk soon enough.
"A crystal? Like the one you gave me before?" she asked, referring to the crystal key to his Chocobo Space.
"Not even close. You'll see when the time comes."
Lucas said no more. His next step was clear: somehow get the Obelisk from S.H.I.E.L.D.
The next morning, Natasha arrived early at the office. When she pushed open the door, only Skye was there, sitting idly at her desk.
"Where's Lucas? He's not here?" Natasha asked, scanning the room.
"He's still asleep," Skye replied without even looking up. "Unless there's an emergency, he never wakes up before noon."
She was long used to his lazy schedule. Mornings were her shift. If Lucas happened to be in a good mood, he might show up early—otherwise, not a chance.
"That guy can really sleep!" Natasha grumbled. "Fine, I'll wake him myself."
She pulled out her phone and started hammering Lucas with call after call—no mercy, no pauses.
After almost twenty calls, Lucas finally picked up, his voice groggy and half-asleep.
"Hellooo~ who's haunting me this early…"
"Ha! You've got nerve, little boss—daring to stand me up!" Natasha's voice oozed sultry menace, the kind that made your spine tingle.
Lucas shot up from bed instantly. One glance at the clock—and he remembered what he'd promised her yesterday.
"Twenty minutes," he said flatly, and hung up.
Downstairs, Natasha nearly crushed her phone in rage. Grinding her teeth, she stormed to the bar counter and began rummaging around.
Skye didn't bother stopping her—there was no reason to. The bar had nothing but snacks and drinks anyway. And Natasha wouldn't dare plant a bug—Skye's system would detect it instantly.
After a minute of furious searching, Natasha pulled out a slice of Starlight Cake Roll and a cup of Ishgard Milk Tea, biting into them like they were Lucas himself.
Half an hour later, Lucas finally strolled in through the office door—completely unbothered.
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