Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 225 Attending the Funeral (First Update!)

"As for those who have fallen asleep, we do not want you, brothers, to be unaware, lest you grieve as those who have no hope. If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then God will also bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus." The pastor stood on the pulpit, reciting scripture. A few people dressed in black sat scattered on the pews below the church. Cellist Audrey sat on one of the pews, surrounded by empty seats. She didn't know anyone here. If it weren't for the boy she had met once informing her of the funeral, she probably wouldn't have known when Coulson was buried.

"Why did you call her here?" Natasha asked Salomon beside her in a slightly reproachful whisper. "Don't you know this could easily expose the truth? What if she wants to see the deceased's face? It's an empty coffin!"

"How was I supposed to know that S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't even spare a wax figure!" Salomon knew he was in the wrong, but he still turned away, unwilling to back down. The funeral wasn't attended by many people; Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were both there, seated on another bench. Stark had provided well-fitting suits for everyone, and Salomon was happy to change out of his tuxedo. "Besides, aren't Stark and Captain Rogers here?" he asked Natasha softly, "Why aren't you worried about them?"

"Stark and Rogers wouldn't make such a request, but how can we refuse Coulson's girlfriend? This isn't something we can just brush off with the excuse of the body's condition!" Agent Romanov glanced at the enviable white-haired girl sitting next to the sorcerer, dressed in a black slit mini-dress and black knee-high boots—clothes that were definitely not for normal people! Natasha was certain of this, because the clothing would reveal too much with any movement. But what was even stranger was that the girl was also wearing an eye patch; Natasha was extremely curious how she could see the road ahead.

"Who is this woman you brought? She's not in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files."

"This is my half-body, my helper and Homon Curus. I brought her here to see if I could help her pass the Turing test. Don't tell anyone later."

"This is a funeral, and you actually developed artificial intelligence, and even brought it here. What are you thinking?!" She was somewhat surprised, because Salomon always did things beyond imagination.

"But this is a fake funeral, and the coffin is empty! Besides, this isn't artificial intelligence; it's an alchemical artificial life form."

"Whatever that is, this is a church! Although I have no faith, I take faith very seriously."

"Then I'm a person without faith, Natasha. If God appeared before me, I might even give him the middle finger and make him tell me why I'm causing trouble!" Salomon scoffed, changing the subject. "You S.H.I.E.L.D. don't even hire a choir, how pathetic."

"This is a fake funeral, arranged by Agent Maria Hill, and Agent Coulson has no other relatives. That's Agent Melinda May, also a friend of Agent Coulson." Natasha gestured with her chin for the sorcerer to look at the bench on the left. "I think you should have seen her on the Helicarrier. If it weren't for the big trouble you caused Fury, he would be here now, and the funeral would be much more solemn."

"Then we can't whisper here anymore." Salomon sat up straight, because the only people in the know were him, Natasha, and Agent Maria Hill, and he had to appear grief-stricken. Agent Coulson's condition had improved considerably after his spell that day, but because the time since his death was well past a minute, Salomon couldn't bring Agent Coulson's soul back—he couldn't even be sure if the Agent Coulson resurrected using GH325 possessed a soul.

Based on the interpretations of the soul found in the Kamar-Taj Library and Salomon's own education, he knew of several explanations of the soul: the first was Plato's concept of the soul, where the word "psyche" can be translated as mind. This dualistic view separating the soul from the body is no longer accepted, as Kamar-Taj has demonstrated through practice that the body influences the soul. In the past, this extreme metaphysical dualism was extremely prevalent, which is why the Sorcerer Supreme chose the Hermesic Book, which supports "pantheism," as his introductory text, rather than others, to protect his disciples from the influence of dualistic texts.

The second interpretation originates from the Greek text *Phaedo*, where the soul is defined as a harmonious arrangement of the various parts of the body. After the rise of Orphism, death was seen as the soul's liberation from the body: the body is the prison of the soul, and the purpose of life is to purify the soul, undergoing multiple reincarnations to achieve perfection, and then returning to the divine realm.

A more common view holds that memory and soul are inseparable; when a person has memories, that person also has a soul. This view is similar to the Pythagorean concept of "intellect," and the ideas of Kamar-Taj are also similar. Astral travel spells further demonstrate the relationship between intellect and soul. In addition, some mystical families have absorbed the views of almost all schools of magic on Earth, believing that the so-called soul is the echo of human intellect in the ethereal plane.

Even with so many explanations, Salomon remained deeply concerned about Agent Coulson's recovery of vital signs and near-consciousness. The reason the Third Circle spell Resurrection could revive someone dead for just a minute was because, in that short time, the soul hadn't yet gone to its proper place; casting the spell at this moment could also pull the lingering soul back to the mortal realm. As for spells like Complete Resurrection, those require pulling the soul from higher or lower planes.

Salomon was absolutely certain that the GH325 drug could not possibly pull a soul back to the mortal realm from the upper or lower planes unless someone helped. Agent Coulson had truly been resurrected, but what exactly was he?

Mephisto! The sorcerer took a deep breath, his face turning grim. Could it be that Mephisto had sent the soul back (Salomon believed the Colcentr Guild was destined for hell)? If so, what was his purpose? With Kamar-Taj closely monitoring the lower-dimensional portals, was this old devil about to send another avatar to the mortal realm?

"You look terrible, are you feeling unwell?" Natasha asked softly with concern, noticing the sorcerer constantly fiddling with the third button on his suit. "Are you attending the buffet later?"

"Of course I do, but I need to send a text message first." Salomon felt he had to report this to the Sorcerer Supreme. He had originally thought that Agent Coulson's resurrection in the timeline was predetermined and entirely due to GH325, but after thinking about it, he realized that he had overlooked the role of the outer dimensions.

This was his mistake. After this, he will join Mordo's work, using the Cosmic Cauldron to help monitor Hell. He needs to send a short message first, then continue his testing; Kamar-Taj can't function without him.

The pastor's sermon finally ended, followed by the time for family and friends to speak. Since Agent Coulson didn't have many relatives still alive, Audrey had to recount how she met Agent Coulson. Although it involved a classified mission involving enhanced individuals, Audrey spoke frankly, seemingly unconcerned about those present who knew nothing about it—this was her small act of revenge against S.H.I.E.L.D.

After the funeral, Stark and Captain Rogers went to comfort Audrey. Although they had only heard of Coulson's cello-playing girlfriend, that didn't stop them from praising Coulson's character and sacrifice in front of Audrey. "Master!" After an somewhat awkward exchange of condolences, Salomon finally approached with the girl, who spoke before anyone else. Her voice was melodious, but her tone was flat, revealing no emotion. "Weren't you going to introduce them to me?"

"Who is this?" Stark asked with his eyes. Captain Rogers had the same question, though Stark knew a little more. When he saw the clothes, he guessed the girl's identity, because those were the clothes he had ordered for Salomon. However, Salomon also gestured to him with his eyes not to reveal it yet, to save the surprise for last.

"This is my assistant, Dinah (from the Hebrew word 'judgement')," Salomon introduced them. "This is Stark, and this is Captain Rogers."

"Hello, ma'am," Captain Rogers greeted politely, then gestured for the sorcerer to follow him aside. Salomon had already guessed what he was going to say, and sure enough, Captain Rogers' overly serious nature led him to utter the words the sorcerer had anticipated: "Why did you bring an ordinary person here?"

"She's no ordinary person; she's my assistant. And I bet you $100 you can't beat her in an arm wrestling match."

Mecha girls have arrived!!

(End of this chapter)