Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 191 Raymond Gaydon's Magic Circle and the Ominous Scent (First Update!)

Salomon acted too quickly; Nick Fury had no chance to stop him. This wasn't because the sorcerer's spellcasting was too swift, but because Salomon pulled an ampoule from his pouch and drank the liquid inside in one gulp. Before Nick Fury could even ask what the liquid was, the sorcerer slammed his forehead on the table and fell into a deep sleep.

This left Nick Fury speechless—that wasn't the plan. The plan was to let the suspect go home first, then wait until he was asleep before taking action, not to rush into it like this. What's more, Salomon had parked Pergasos in the precinct's paid parking lot, between a Ford, the SHIELD black jeep, and a box of freshly bought apples. What if someone saw a winged horse if he stayed too long?

Nick Fury's anger flared up instantly: Bastard, you little bastard! Never does things according to plan!

Enraged, he slammed his fist on the table, causing Salomon's head to bounce up before slamming back down. The shock, however, left the sorcerer unconscious, the potion still taking effect.

"I'll have to clean up this mess. Maybe he's discovered some emergency." The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. sighed as he thought to himself. He made a phone call and began setting up the scene. After finishing all that, his eyes fell on the ampoule on the table. Nick Fury skillfully used a cotton swab to collect the remaining liquid from the ampoule. Then he took out another cotton swab, preparing to put it into Salomon's mouth—this was a rare opportunity to gather physical information about the arcane mage. Neither Agent Coulson nor Agent Romanoff had been able to do so before; S.H.I.E.L.D. only had the arcane mage's fingerprints.

Just as he was about to do so, a burst of light suddenly erupted in the interrogation room, and a large, golden-red bird spread its wings and landed in front of Nick Fury. "Hiss…we're friends, I won't hurt him, will I?" The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. chuckled awkwardly. He dared not fool this poet-writing Phoenix; it might be smarter than most people. "I just wanted to give him a physical exam," Nick Fury said, spouting a lie that no one could believe, while enjoying Phoenix's disdainful gaze. "Okay, okay, I won't do that. Now tell me, what exactly does your master want?"

"You little bastard, he really doesn't trust me. He even has a backup plan." Nick Fury chuckled as he tried to walk out—Salomon certainly wouldn't rush into anything unprepared. Phoenix was the insurance that pulled him out of the dream. If necessary, a gentle peck would be enough for the arcane mage to escape from the dream. That was the back door he had prepared for himself.

Just after Nick Fury left the interrogation room, Phoenix shook its feathers, and the smell of burning filled the entire room. It began to draw magical circles with traces of flame to enhance Salomon's power in the dream.

A scorch mark is drawn around Salomon, followed by a square enclosing the circle. Four hexagrams are located at the four corners of the square, each bearing an Iron Cross. These represent the four elements and the four worlds from soul to body, while the four hexagrams represent the macroscopic world. The word "adonai" is written around the hexagrams, signifying the connection between the four worlds. Next to the other two hexagrams are written "alpha" and "omega," representing the beginning and the end.

Then, scorch marks climbed up the walls and ceiling, and dense Hebrew script was etched onto them. Two more concentric rings, also inscribed with text, enveloped Salomon. This was the Divine Name, bearing the names of all the gods and angels, representing the nine elements of the Tree of Life: Crown, Wisdom, Understanding, Mercy, Rigor, Beauty, Victory, Glory, and Foundation. Outside the Divine Name were four pentagrams representing the microscopic world of "humanity," three of which were ablaze with flames, while Phoenix occupied the remaining pentagram alone.

When Nick Fury re-entered, he was startled by the sight before him and dared not even step in—Phoenix also refused to let Nick Fury in, because in this magical circle, Salomon's status was that of a god, and his consciousness was already connected to the world.

And what was Salomon up to? The answer was obvious, because he realized that this was not as simple as Spnog, the Hell Breather, who had smuggled himself into the Prime Material Plane; he smelled a familiar scent.

It was a very, very familiar smell. This unsettling scent had haunted him like a nightmare ever since he left Salem, constantly swirling in his dreams. Now he smelled a similar scent.

That's the smell of nightmares.

That damned Hell Breath Sprugger knows something; it didn't sneak out, it escaped.

The sorcerer kicked aside the red sofa cushion beside his feet, carefully examining the scene before him. This was the suspect Connor's dream; Salomon had used magic to put him to sleep. As expected, as soon as he fell asleep, he would be pulled into this dream—no, Connor wasn't the master of this dream; the master was someone else, and Connor's dream was merely manifesting here.

Salomon stepped over the men and women entangled on the carpet beneath his feet, over several used syringes and bags of white powder, and over the distorted shadows cast by the dappled colored lights, until he reached the spacious French windows. The sorcerer waved his finger, and the door opened by itself, allowing him to step onto the balcony.

Looking out, towering buildings stretched to the horizon before him, and a giant holographic image of GG kept changing in front of him. The cold rain that never stopped pattered on the balcony with the breeze, and strange light and shadows climbed all over the old building, so old that even the yellowed white tiles had peeled off, revealing the rough cement walls under the fragile skin.

This is a dream. The damp smell of rain that hits him and the rustling sounds coming from the city alleys all indicate that this is a dream, and he still remembers where he is—he tells himself.

This is a nightmare.

Because when he looked out, he saw a familiar dog on the garbage-strewn street.

The dog was also watching him; it recognized Salomon and had come to tell him some news.

Something has awakened.

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S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly took over the local police station. The town of Orogrand was located south of the White Sands Missile Range, not far from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Pegasus Base. Nick Fury made the call to ensure the mission wouldn't go wrong—he had initially thought he could handle the situation, but the current circumstances clearly didn't allow it. After the Quinjet landed, Agent Coulson pushed open the interrogation room door.

"Sir," he said, wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief, "we can't get close to that horse."

"Then ignore it." Nick Fury glanced at Phoenix, who was sitting quietly beside Salomon, then lowered his voice. "That little bastard isn't dead, and his bird is pretty capable." He told Coulson, "I want you to have the action team surround the police station—if you see any monsters, just shoot them."

"Sir, what monster?" Coulson, true to his reputation as Nick Fury's most trusted agent, didn't utter a single question about working overtime. "Now we have a giant bird that catches fire, and a winged Pegasus that's eating an apple," he said. "What else could be a monster?"

"Are they ugly?" Nick Fury looked at Agent Coulson with disdain.

"No, sir."

"Then you'll understand when you see the monster." Nick Fury recalled Salomon's description of the Hell Breather's appearance. "Just shoot the ugliest one."

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(End of this chapter)