One month later, Alan was settling into his new life.
The gold bar—created with the construction technique—had sold smoothly. Hard cash, no questions asked. He'd purchased a comfortable apartment in New York City, complete with basic amenities and a view overlooking the skyline.
He unpacked slowly, his cursed energy still fully under control.
The apartment wasn't much. Two bedrooms, a small kitchen, a living room with windows facing the city. It was clean, quiet, and most importantly—anonymous.
Alan placed the containment unit with the Reality Stone in a hidden compartment behind a bookshelf. Double layered with his curse energy barrier. No one would find it without his permission.
He sat down on the couch, leaning back.
Alan began his training. The Ten Shadows technique—one of the legendary techniques alongside Shrine.
He started with the Divine Dogs. The black one and the white one. They manifested from his shadow, obedient and sharp, their eyes locked onto him. Perfect control.
Next came the ritual.
He stood in the center of his apartment living room. He knew the rules. One on one. No interference. Single combat.
Alan stepped into the center of his apartment. The first ritual.
He formed the hand sign. The shadows pooled at his feet, thick and liquid. Two pairs of glowing eyes emerged from the darkness.
*The Divine Dogs. Black and white. Twins.*
They padded forward, circling him in perfect synchronization. His hand signs were flawless. The summoning was complete.
Two canine shadows.
Alan stepped back, admiring his creation.
The Divine Dog: Totality stood before him. Twice the size of the original pair, its fur shifting between black and white like living ink. Its eyes glowed with a primal intelligence.
It bowed its head. Loyal. Obedient.
*Good.*
One down. Four more to go.
Alan drove several hours outside New York City, far from civilization. The forest was dense, remote. Perfect for what he needed.
He found a clearing deep in the woodscars, far from any trails or witnesses. No interference. No one to compromise the ritual.
He formed the hand sign.
*Great Serpent.*
The shadows beneath him writhed.
The ground trembled. A massive, serpentine shadow rose from the earth, towering over the trees. The Great Serpent—Orochi—coiled and hissed, its scales glistening like black ink.
Alan stood alone in the clearing. The ritual had begun.
*Single combat. No interference. No help.*
The serpent lunged, jaws wide. Alan dodged, rolling through the dirt.
Alan moved faster than the serpent could react.
A Black Flash—perfectly timed, imbued with his enhanced cursed energy—struck the massive snake's head. The impact sent shockwaves through the forest.
Before it could recover, construction technique activated. Liquid shadows became solid chains. Thick, unbreakable links wrapped around Orochi's body, pinning it to the earth.
The Great Serpent thrashed violently, its massive coils straining against the chains. But Alan's construction was perfect—impenetrable. The cursed energy chains tightened with every movement, forcing the ancient shikigami into submission.
*The ritual was complete.*
The serpent stopped struggling, bowing its massive head in defeat.
*Two down. Three more to go.*
The forest clearing fell silent as Alan finished his third exorcism ritual. Three shadows now obeyed him—Divine Dog: Totality, Great Serpent, and Toad.
But he wasn't alone.
Hidden cameras. Satellite surveillance. SHIELD agents had been tracking him since London. They'd watched him incinerate Malekith. They'd watched him vanish into dust.
The SHIELD agents observed him from their hidden vantage points, their equipment recording every move. But what they didn't know was that beneath the surface of SHIELD lay Hydra—the secret organization that had infiltrated every level of government and security forces worldwide. And they had been watching Alan too.
*Project Insight.*
The SHIELD helicarriers. Algorithm-driven prediction. Elimination of threats before they could act.
Hydra's plan was near completion. World domination through preemptive strikes. Every potential obstacle cataloged and neutralized.
Alan was not on their original list. Not yet.
But after London... they knew. He was a variable. An unpredictable element.
Alexander Pierce watched the satellite footage personally.
Alexander Pierce leaned back in his office chair, studying the satellite footage of Alan in the forest clearing. The mysterious man had tamed three shikigami in record time.
"He's a wild card," Pierce muttered to his aide. "Keep watching him. If he becomes a threat to Project Insight, we neutralize him before he can act."
But Hydra had a backup plan.
Alexander Pierce leaned back in his office chair, studying the satellite footage of Alan in the forest clearing. The mysterious man had tamed three shikigami in record time.
"He's a wild card," Pierce muttered to his aide. "Keep watching him. If he becomes a threat to Project Insight, we neutralize him before he can act."
But Hydra had a backup plan.
Pierce smiled. A threat needed a threat.
Bucky Barnes. The Winter Soldier. Hydra's most lethal asset. A man who had been conditioned into a living weapon. Never failing. Never wavering.
And if Alan became a problem for Project Insight...
"The Winter Soldier will be deployed to eliminate the anomaly," Pierce ordered coldly.
Alan stood in his apartment overlooking New York, gazing at the skyline.
He knew Hydra was watching. He knew about the Winter Soldier. He'd known since London.
But he'd calculated the risks. Helping Thor wasn't just about stopping Malekith. It was about positioning. Landing squarely on the Avengers' good side meant resources. Information. Protection.
*And Captain America.*
Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff had been... interesting. Steve, with his unwavering morality. Natasha, with her razor-sharp intellect and hidden agendas. Both had been impressed by his intervention in London.
And SHIELD had taken notice.
But Alan had played it smart. He'd helped, but he hadn't oversteered. He wasn't threatening their authority.
Alan had months before the helicarriers rose. Months before Hydra's plan unfolded.
He trained relentlessly. Every day. Every night.
The Construction Technique became second nature. Chains, blades, barriers—all formed instantly, woven from his cursed energy. But the true breakthrough was something else entirely.
Mimicking his shadows' abilities.
He formed a hand sign, and shadows coiled around his arm.
Alan focused. Imagined the electrical discharge of Nue coursing through his cursed energy.
*Snap.*
Blue lightning crackled across his fingertips. Then his palm. Then his entire forearm.
It wasn't full replication—not yet. But it was close. He could discharge electricity. Aim it. Shape it.
Nue's electricity was wild and unpredictable. Alan's was controlled. Disciplined.
Alan sat in his apartment, cup of coffee in hand. The television flickered with breaking news footage.
*BREAKING NEWS: CAPTAIN AMERICA SOUGHT FOR THE MURDER OF NICK FURY.*
The anchor spoke with solemn gravity. Photos of Steve Rogers flashed across the screen. Alan's jaw tightened.
*So it begins.*
He set down the cup.