Inside the glass case lay one of the greatest discoveries of the century—the peerless, priceless Archamada Book of Spells...
In the ancient museum, an elderly tour guide spoke in a slow, weary tone as she introduced the rare collection. Her voice was so monotonous that Lucian nearly dozed off beside her.
"Cool! I know about the Archamada Book of Spells!" Gwen's eyes sparkled as she fixed her gaze on the spellbook inside the glass case. "It contains every ancient spell and incantation recorded since the late 15th century. It's a treasure every wizard dreams of owning."
"Oh, please, nerd. If it's that amazing, how come no one's stolen it yet?" Ben rolled his eyes.
Gwen smacked him lightly on the head. "Idiot. Museums have security, obviously! Regular wizards can only pull off simple tricks to fool kids. How could they possibly steal the Archamada Book of Spells?"
"That might be true, but I still think such a priceless tome shouldn't be kept here," Grandpa Max said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
The old museum was steeped in history, filled with the murmurs of curious visitors moving from exhibit to exhibit. The air carried a heavy sense of age as people gawked at artifacts they'd never heard of—let alone seen in person.
Among the displays were the scepter of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, the Monkey's Paw sealed within an iron gauntlet, the sword Ame-no-Murakumo, the armor of a holy knight, the eternal spear Gungnir, the Holy Grail, the Star Coin, and even the cursed doll Annabelle.
As the crowd grew thicker, Grandpa Max began to sweat. The air was heavy and stuffy, filled with heat and the unpleasant mix of body odor and carbon dioxide.
He wiped his forehead. "Let's go somewhere else. It's too hot in here. My old bones can't handle this anymore."
"Awesome! Finally, we're getting out of this place. It's so boring!" Ben cheered, practically ready to turn into XLR8 and dash through the crowd.
"Lucian, could you help keep an eye on Gwen and Ben?" Grandpa asked with a kind smile. "They're short, so they might get pushed back in the crowd."
"No need, Grandpa. I got this." Ben pounded his chest—only to be shoved aside by a burly man, nearly falling right into Lucian's arms.
Gwen, her orange hair and green eyes catching the museum's dim light, brushed her bangs aside and whispered shyly, "This… this doesn't feel right. It's too much trouble for Lucian..."
"It's fine. Let's just get out of here first." Lucian smiled calmly.
Standing at about 5'10", he easily towered over most of the crowd. Protecting two ten-year-olds was no problem at all.
"With you around, Lucian, this old man can finally relax," Grandpa Max chuckled, a note of admiration in his voice.
But just as Lucian was about to lead them out, his feet suddenly felt weightless. His body lost its anchor to the ground, floating upward toward the museum ceiling like a drifting feather.
"What's going on?" Lucian's expression sharpened as he looked around.
To his shock, everyone else in the museum was also suspended mid-air, as though the Earth had suddenly lost its gravity.
The crowd erupted into chaos. Faces went pale as screams, cries for help, and terrified wails filled the vast hall.
"Help! Somebody, please!"
"Oh my God, I must be dreaming! I'm totally telling my girlfriend about this when I wake up!"
"Ahhh! What's happening?! Did Earth turn into the Moon?!"
"This is bad—don't tell me the museum artifacts are behind this!"
...
People suspended in midair kicked their legs desperately, but it was useless. They were frozen in place, unable to return to the ground.
"Ah! Cuz, what's happening?!" Gwen cried out in panic, glancing anxiously at Lucian beside her.
"Did the museum's gravity just vanish?" Lucian looked down, then shook his head. "No... the exhibits haven't moved. And that tissue on the floor hasn't either."
"This isn't gravity—it's affecting only the people inside the museum, making all of us float."
After a quick, calm analysis, Lucian came to the conclusion without losing his composure like the others.
"So, what now?" Ben drifted up and down in the air, staring at the Omnitrix on his wrist. He was already thinking about turning into Stinkfly to save everyone.
At that moment, Grandpa Max frowned slightly, about to say something—when his pupils suddenly shrank.
At the museum's entrance, a strange figure stepped slowly inside.
He was gaunt and pale, draped in a dark crimson robe. A necklace hung from his neck, inlaid with a glowing stone. In his hand, he held a gray wand shaped like an open bird's beak, as though it could unleash deadly magical energy at any moment. A chilling, sinister aura surrounded him.
It was Hex.
Lucian recognized him instantly. The man's power was formidable—especially when he possessed the Charms of Bezel.
"The Archamada Book of Spells is mine now," Hex declared, striding straight toward the glass display case.
"Fahta-me-doof!"
He chanted an incantation, and the reinforced glass shattered instantly.
Countless shards rained down like crystal raindrops, scattering across the museum's tiled floor.
Seeing the intruder about to seize the tome, Ben clenched his fists and shouted, "Freak! I'm not letting you steal the Makamaka—uh, Archamada Book of Spells!"
"It's the Archamada Book of Spells," Gwen sighed helplessly.
"Whatever! He's not leaving here today!"
Ben slammed down on the Omnitrix.
Thud!
A burst of eerie green light flashed, instantly drawing Hex's attention.
"Meton Weights!" Hex raised his gray wand high, chanting an ancient, obscure spell that echoed through the entire museum.
Whoosh!
As the final syllable fell, a powerful wind surged in all directions, dispelling the levitation magic over everyone in the building.
The crowd hanging in the air suddenly plummeted like falling dumplings, crashing toward the hard tile floor below.
Screams erupted everywhere. The roaring wind shrieked in their ears, striking fear deep into their hearts.
From this height—nearly two stories—anyone landing head-first would be doomed.
Among the falling crowd was Ben, who had just transformed into Upgrade.
His gelatinous body stretched outward, wrapping Gwen and Grandpa Max in his embrace. Enveloping them completely, he morphed into a black-and-green sphere, hurtling toward the ground.
He had intended to turn into XLR8, but his faulty Omnitrix had other ideas—now he was Upgrade, unable to protect everyone else.
At this critical moment, he could only focus on shielding those closest to him.
Just as the crowd was about to hit the ground, a blue blur swept past above them, wings spread wide, releasing a surge of icy air...
...
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