"A Thousand Miles Frozen!"
Blaine took a sip of his drink. The pentagram pattern in his eyes flickered faintly, and a sudden chill burst forth.
The temperature dropped to freezing in an instant.
'Swish, swish—'
Goose-feather snowflakes floated gently in the air, slowly melting as they landed on Blaine's body.
With Blaine at the center, sheets of ice began to spread outward. Within moments, everything in the yard had turned to solid frost.
The hot summer breeze that had been blowing shifted unnaturally—now cold and biting, like tiny knives cutting across the face.
A stark contrast had formed: the villa's exterior still shimmered in warmth, but inside the yard, it had become a desolate tundra.
Outside, the air retained a higher temperature, but within the frozen yard, everything was consumed by a vast expanse of white. The biting wind pierced like needles, reaching deep into the soul.
Blaine stood calmly in the center of the frozen courtyard. Despite the bitter cold, a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
This was just a small test of his power.
If he unleashed his full strength, he believed he could cover the entire Queens borough in heavy snow. The frost would ripple outward from his body until the whole district had become a city of ice and snow.
"Meteorite Flames."
Blaine gave the command quietly, scanning his surroundings.
Rumble!
In the next instant, a low, distant roar echoed through the sky—like thunder rumbling before a storm.
Suddenly, small meteorites formed from concentrated fire energy began to fall from above, trailing long tails of flame as they descended into the courtyard.
The temperature swung violently—from freezing cold to blistering heat. It was as if winter had abruptly turned into a volcanic eruption. The heat was enough to roast a man alive.
The frozen yard began to melt rapidly, turning into pools of water—like the aftermath of a torrential downpour.
The fire-infused meteorites were small—no more than 20 centimeters in diameter—but Blaine knew that if he used his full power, he could generate much larger ones, possibly even up to two or three meters wide. Maybe even more, depending on the radius and his intent.
The meteor shower came to an end.
Yet the searing temperature lingered, scorching everything around.
For example, a tall green tree in the yard, which had just survived the sudden freeze, was now assaulted by unbearable heat. Though it didn't ignite, its bark cracked and its once-lush leaves turned brittle and yellow. The whole tree looked utterly withered.
"Tsk…"
Blaine clicked his tongue in annoyance, walked over to the tree, and patted its trunk.
It pained him to see such vibrant life reduced to this.
He placed his palm on the bark, and a soft green glow began to cover his hand. A gentle healing energy flowed into the tree. He even conjured a small protective stove to provide warmth—not heat, just enough to assist the restoration.
Miraculously, the tree responded.
Its branches, which had been drooping and dry, straightened slowly. The bark thickened—growing broader, as if strengthened—and the shriveled leaves unfurled into fresh greenery, shedding the brown dead ones like a snake's old skin. The fallen leaves decomposed into nutrients, feeding the now-vibrant tree.
The transformation was most apparent in the trunk.
It grew from the width of a single person's embrace to one requiring two arms to encircle it.
And as the tree came back to life, an aura of vitality bloomed. The grass surrounding it straightened and began swaying gently, lush and green, creating a scene that brought instant peace to the heart.
Blaine nodded with satisfaction and let out a deep breath.
He was ready to wrap things up.
"By the way… where's Gali?"
He blinked, suddenly alert, and looked around. There was no sign of her nearby.
'Was she inside the villa?'
Wait…!
Blaine's mind raced.
She had said, 'I'm going to the bathroom.'
'Bathroom? Are you kidding me?'
She was a cosmic entity—a 'goddess'. She didn't need to go to the bathroom.
His expression shifted.
A sense of unease crept into his chest.
He realized he had been too engrossed in the intricacies of his magic. Looking back, it seemed absurd that he believed her so easily.
Obviously, Gali didn't need to use the bathroom.
It had been a convenient excuse to slip away.
Blaine hurried into the villa.
He didn't start tearing through the rooms in a panic. Instead, he immediately activated his [Mind Reading], scanning carefully for Gali's presence.
Once... twice... three times… Nothing.
If [Mind Reading] failed, there was always [HawkEye]—a divine perspective.
He activated his [HawkEye] skill, casting his vision across the entire suburbs of Manhattan.
Still—nothing.
Blaine's face darkened. He began physically checking the rooms, even though he knew that if Gali wanted to evade his psychic scans, there would be no way to find her through ordinary means.
He combed the villa thoroughly.
No trace.
But what he 'did' find was a handwritten note.
---
"My father came to get me. He wants to solve his hunger problem, and I couldn't refuse him. If I had, he might've consumed the Earth I love so much.
Once this is resolved, I'll return soon.
Wait for me. ('3)
~ Gali."
---
Gali's father… came for her?
Wait—her father is Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds.
A true cosmic god.
Galactus had come to Earth?
He took Gali away to deal with his hunger? That explained why Blaine couldn't detect her—she had already left the planet.
Blaine let out a slow breath of relief.
At least it confirmed that Gali wasn't in danger.
The note sounded threatening on the surface, but any Marvel fan knows: Galactus, despite his cosmic nature, has a complicated and often affectionate relationship with his daughter (in certain continuities). If he said he was addressing a problem, he likely meant it.
The only unknown was how long it would take to resolve.
Blaine shrugged, suddenly feeling the silence around him.
Gali had always been noisy. Now that she was gone, the quiet was... suffocating.
Damn. One less person in the house. It felt wrong.
But...
Time to improve.
He sighed. His thoughts were conflicted.
He hoped Gali would come back soon—but also, selfishly, that she'd take her time. Maybe by then, he'd be strong enough to stand beside her—as an equal.
He glanced at the time.
'Just afternoon. Should still make it to class, right?'
The thought seemed to shake him out of his haze.
Anyway, Gali wasn't 'gone'—she had just gone off to solve a problem with her father. No reason to mope. There was something else that now deserved his focus.
"Let's go. Time for school."
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