"You… know ?"
Wanda was stunned.
She was certain she'd never seen the woman before—so how could this person recognize her?
The Ancient One calmly seated herself on the sofa, her gaze drifting toward Johnny, who was still lost in the flood of returning mories.
Her brows knitted slightly.
"The Spirit of Vengeance… No wonder I sensed a burst of dark energy just now.
So it was that old fool phisto."
The mont she laid eyes on Johnny, everything beca clear.
The arrival of a Ghost Rider always ant one thing—phisto's involvent.
"Another pitiful soul."
Her voice carried genuine compassion.
Every Ghost Rider was soone who had offered their soul to phisto—usually deceived into doing so.
She never interfered with Ghost Riders for one simple reason:
their fate would always lead them to stand against phisto,
and eventually, to protect Earth.
"You're called Wanda, aren't you?"
The Ancient One looked at her again.
"I t you once when you were still an infant."
"Then… have you t my birth parents too? Can you tell where they are?"
Wanda's question ca out urgently.
She had lived with adoptive parents since she could rember, with no mory of her real family.
But the Ancient One shook her head.
"I'm sorry. I do not know who your true parents are."
She didn't elaborate.
In truth, she could have discovered the answer through the Eye of Agamotto—
but doing so risked disturbing the tiline.
She was an observer, not a ddler.
Wanda's excitent faded, replaced by mild disappointnt.
Still, it wasn't crushing—after all, she had no mories of her biological parents, and thus no emotional attachnt.
She had only wanted to understand her origins.
"Master Ancient One," Lucas said, "phisto just tried to attack Wanda. I'm worried he might attempt to possess soone using his soul projection."
Lucas was certain phisto would show up in person sooner or later.
According to the "script," his troubleso son Blackheart would also soon arrive on Earth in his true form—through so unknown loophole.
The Ancient One showed no concern.
"Even if he cos, he'll leave in disgrace.
Won't he?"
She glanced at Lucas aningfully, as though she already knew every page of the story to co.
Lucas blinked, then understood imdiately.
She'd already "read ahead."
He couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
"If you're that confident, then I guess things will go exactly as you expect."
She nodded gently.
"In that case, I will take my leave.
You are welco to visit Kamar-Taj anyti."
She rose, but before stepping through the portal she created, she cast one last look at the Moogle nestled in Skye's arms.
The Moogle glared at her, brandishing its staff threateningly.
The Ancient One chuckled softly and stepped through the portal back to the New York Sanctum.
"Phew… Looks like she's planning to have chase phisto back to his dinsion."
Lucas rubbed his forehead.
Her parting words had practically spelled it out.
Johnny regained consciousness near dusk.
Lucas and the others were eating; when they saw him wake, they dragged him over to join dinner.
Johnny tried to decline, but between Skye and Wanda, resistance was futile.
Lucas could only roll his eyes.
Perfect—another freeloader at the table.
"Well? Did everything co back?"
Lucas asked as he shoveled food into his mouth.
"Yeah… I rember it all."
Johnny sighed heavily.
"I was the one who got my father killed… and I signed that damned contract."
In his mories, his father had cancer.
phisto tempted him with a deal—his father's health in exchange for his soul.
He agreed.
And the very next day, despite being cured, his father still died in an accident.
phisto smugly insisted he had fulfilled the terms:
the cancer was gone.
Only then did Johnny realize he'd been tricked—after which phisto sealed away his mories.
After hearing this, Lucas frowned.
phisto had no reason to erase those mories.
Judging by Johnny's description, none of it warranted a seal.
"Do you know why he sealed your mories?"
Johnny thought for a mont, then shook his head.
"No idea."
Lucas didn't pursue it. Instead, he asked another question.
"So… do you still want to kill the thing living inside you?"
Johnny froze.
After recovering his mories, he now understood that the Spirit of Vengeance didn't choose him at random—
he had chosen it.
He hesitated for a long mont.
Just as he opened his mouth—
He realized sothing.
It was dark.
Night had fallen.
Which ant it was coming.
Before he could say another word, smoke poured from his body.
Agonizing heat surged through him and he scread.
His skin peeled away—
exposing muscle,
then bone—
and finally, flas erupted across his entire body, burning bright yellow.
The office door flew open.
A powerful force flung Johnny outside, dumping him onto the street.
The Moogle had sensed Johnny's hostility toward Lucas and promptly expelled him.
Johnny rose slowly, turning toward Lucas—
and in the empty sockets of the flaming skull, Lucas saw unmistakable hatred and madness.
"Sigh… What a hassle.
Knew he'd stick to like glue."
Lucas downed the last bite of his al, grabbed Punisher, and stepped outside.
Wanda followed imdiately.
Skye wanted to go too, but one look at her plaster-covered hands reminded her of reality.
She sat by the window to watch instead.
"Wanda," Lucas said, "I'll suppress him. You just shove that skull back into Johnny's body."
Wanda nodded.
Easy enough. Even without full mastery of Chaos Magic, she could force reality to comply and drag Johnny's consciousness back to the surface.
Lucas didn't wait—
three shots fired instantly, every bullet aid at the Ghost Rider's vital points.
But the Rider had learned.
He dodged them all and charged forward, hellfire intensifying, the air shimring from the heat.
Lucas fired again, then leapt upward, unleashing another volley midair before landing and firing once more.
Five bullets closed in from every angle.
The Rider blocked the first with his arm.
He dodged one of the next, but the remaining two punched clean through his shoulders.
The final bullet—fired from his blind spot—slamd into his knee.
That last shot carried the most power.
It blew his leg apart, knocking the Rider to the ground.
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