The Holy Son in Marvel

The dimly lit chamber was illuminated only by a few flickering yellow candles. The Cauldron of the Cosmos glowed with erratic, multi-colored light, like stars shimmering and bursting into bubbles. Each bubble showed fleeting images of the past, present, and future.

Solomon sat cross-legged on a red silk cushion before the cauldron, his expression one of frustration. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s handling of the Ghost Rider situation had not met his expectations. He'd given Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. plenty of time, so now he was determined to make contact with the Rider himself, regardless of whatever covert moves Fury might be plotting.

He wasn't overly concerned about personal danger in meeting the Ghost Rider. Whether it was the spirit of vengeance attached to Johnny Blaze, the elemental demon Zarathos, or some fusion of the two, they were ultimately beings from other dimensions. If needed, he could bring along Phoenix, whose cries could temporarily banish extradimensional entities back to their realm. If he managed to locate the Ghost Rider, Phoenix would be essential.

As for the Cheshire Cat, Solomon had no plans to bring it along. He'd left the cat with Bayonetta and wouldn't allow it to come along on any missions until it shed some weight. This chubby feline could no longer fit into the custom battle suit Rodin had painstakingly crafted for it.

Solomon remembered the loud thud when the Cheshire Cat leaped off the cabinet. He and Jeanne had even worried that their downstairs neighbors might come up to complain.

Suddenly, Solomon leaped up from his cushion in front of the Cauldron of the Cosmos. In a split second, the cauldron's starlike glow shifted into a hellish crimson flame that shot up, licking the ceiling before extinguishing, leaving the room reeking of burnt wood and acrid smoke.

He hadn't fully processed what had just happened, caught off guard by the unexpected encounter. His throat felt raw as he forced out the name: "Mephisto!"

No, that was impossible. Mephisto's avatar had already been captured by the Supreme Sorcerer. There was no way the King of Hell could escape her grasp! Solomon's eyes widened, a cold sweat prickling his back as he struggled to comprehend what he'd seen. But recalling the vision from the cauldron and that fleeting glimpse of Mephisto's avatar, something felt off.

That cold sweat seemed to seep into his bones, bringing a chill to his skin and clearing his mind in the overheated room.

Too weak.

Yes, that was it—too weak!

While intercepting his Clairvoyance spell and tracing it back showed skill, the counterattack's force had been barely more than a basic Fireball. Even though the hellfire from Mephisto's presence had scorched the ceiling, it was nowhere near the power that Mephisto should command. Solomon suspected that even without the cauldron's containment, that hellfire wouldn't have been able to roast a chicken.

So, he could only conclude that Mephisto had more than one avatar on Earth. After the Supreme Sorcerer captured one, Mephisto likely withdrew much of the power from his remaining avatars in the mortal realm to avoid further losses.

It was just like a devil to prioritize profit over all else, even treating his own avatars with ruthless efficiency. Solomon brushed back his damp black curls, sitting back down before the Cauldron of the Cosmos. He opened a window to let the smoke clear. Since Mephisto seemed to be linked to the Ghost Rider, it meant he was on the right track. Using the Cauldron to cast Clairvoyance had saved him from serious harm—otherwise, that hellfire would have scorched his eyes directly.

Solomon took out his wand, held it to his lips, and whispered a spell. A long strip of white paper covered in writing emerged from the wand's tip and flew out the window—his report to the Supreme Sorcerer about Mephisto. Meanwhile, he would continue monitoring Mephisto's avatar and the Ghost Rider's location through the Cauldron until someone else could take over the task.

————

Mordo eventually took over the job. Since Solomon's birth, incidents of lower-dimensional intrusions had increased significantly. Combined with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s experiments in New Mexico, Kamar-Taj's arcane casters were now busier than ever. With Kaecilius and other wardens tracking down cults in East Africa and Canada, only Mordo, still recovering from an injury, and a few off-duty mages had time to handle the issue.

When Solomon opened the chamber door, he saw Mordo waiting, looking far from well. His face was pale and damp, his breath heavy, as if he'd just been through a severe illness.

"You should be resting," Solomon said, stepping aside to let Mordo enter. "Your injury is serious; positive energy alone can't mend a fractured bone."

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Mordo replied, shaking his head as he sat where Solomon had been sitting. "I'm still fit for this task."

Solomon shrugged, then followed Mordo's instructions to transfer control of the Clairvoyance spell. He reminded him to cast fire protection spells—while the cauldron could block attacks, the ceiling couldn't.

"You should focus on repairing the ceiling and those long scratches in the hall," Mordo said, seeming unfazed by Solomon's suggestion. "And you'd better explain why you used the Cauldron of the Cosmos."

"Ghost Rider, Mordo," Solomon leaned against the doorway, watching the gaseous nebula-like glow in the cauldron reappear. He spoke slowly, "I still don't understand why the Supreme Sorcerer is allowing Ghost Rider to roam freely, so I wanted to see where he was…"

"Everything the Supreme Sorcerer does has a purpose; it's only that we don't always understand it," Mordo replied, shaking his head as he focused on the cauldron. "And you had no permission to use this artifact."

"The main point is, I saw Mephisto. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that." Solomon shook his head. "The avatar the Supreme Sorcerer captured isn't his only one. We don't know why Mephisto has so many avatars on Earth, or why he's near the Ghost Rider, but it's certainly not for anything good. At the very least, we need to be prepared."

"That is not your responsibility, Solomon!" Mordo said sharply without looking back, his tone growing stern. "The Supreme Sorcerer is aware of everything. I once thought you respected Kamar-Taj's rules even more than I did, but today you've broken every one of them!"

"I'm certain the Supreme Sorcerer is fully aware of my actions, especially since I used the Cauldron under her supervision," Solomon countered. "She didn't stop me, which means she tacitly approved. Besides, Mordo, this isn't like you."

"I've been too lenient with you," Mordo said without glancing at him. Solomon couldn't see his expression. "You're talented, wise beyond your years, but ever since you met the witch, you've changed. I'll speak with the Supreme Sorcerer; you should stay away from her."

"Are you sure this isn't just a case of teenage hormones?"

"I know exactly what it is, Solomon. Now, go apologize to the Supreme Sorcerer."

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