MU||Midnight Suns|| Corruption

This story does contain violence, slight amount of gore, and swearing. If these trigger you or make you feel uncomfortable please find a different post. You have been warned.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Wanda asked with a confused expression. Turning her head to eye Daredevil and Blade, who were helping Ashlynn out of the car they had stolen. She had stopped bleeding a while ago, but the wound was still prominent and showed no sign of healing despite her flames working on it.

“It is,” Ashlynn stammered with a sharp breath as Blade adjusted at her side, “just get me to the door, and I’ll get us inside.”

“I still do not get why you won’t just let me work on the wound,” Wanda complained as she stepped aside. Folding her arms as Daredevil and Blade brought Ashlynn up to the back entrance they had parked by.

“Wanda, she explained it to all of us more than once in the car drive here,” Daredevil pointed out while he remained at Ashlynn’s side. His head shifted slightly to the side as Blade stepped back; his nose steadily wrinkling at the stench around him.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah… We don’t know what my magic would do to her. I just still think that’s bullshit. Why would she be an exception?” Wanda complained, only having stopped when Blade shot her a glare before he adjusted his sunglasses with a scoff.

Ashlynn was at first going to say something in return but decided against it as she raised her hand to the beside the door. She opened a small pocket on it where she typed in a six-digit code effortlessly. Afterwards she pushed the little star button in before the door in front of them was unlocked. Daredevil had been the first to notice that the door wasn’t automated, primarily because he could hear the thumping heart of the man behind it. Yet the heartbeat was unnervingly slow. Past what would be a natural resting state to the point of being in a perpetual state of dying.

“What did you say this place was again?” he’d ask, though Ashlynn didn’t answer as instead she left his side to stumble inside the door. While she also waved for the others to follow along.

Blade and Wanda shared a brief look before she shrugged and walked past Daredevil into the building. The blind man shifted his head towards her as she walked by, only for him to scoff as he heard Blade groan behind him. The two of them followed the two women inside, then into the elevator on the other side from the door. With only Blade catching a glimpse of who had truly opened the door, making him grit his teeth as he slid his hands to his side to ensure his weapons would be easy to grab.

The elevator ride was awkward; none of them wanted to hold a conversation. Mostly because Wanda was stuck staring at the boys holding their weapons. With Daredevil quietly muttering information about how many were on the floors as they ed them, and Blade ensuring his weapons were sharp. Ashlynn had noticed it as well, but she did not have the energy to speak to any of them. She focused everything on remaining standing and ensuring she kept breathing. Fighting off that ever-approaching urge to just faint from the still-burning pain of her back. It burned with every breath, and occasionally she felt the faint sting of the daggers as though she got stabbed again.

When the elevator stopped, Daredevil had raised a hand in front of the others. His other hand was ready with his weapon. Someone was clearly right outside, and as the door opened, the man came into view. He looked like the bouncer of a fancy club, dressed in a suit with his right ear having the visible plastic earpiece that connected into a hidden pocket. His face was in a stern expression, while his long black hair lay straight down his shoulders. He didn’t even seem fazed as he saw them, not until his eyes landed on Ashlynn.

“Miss Castle,” his deep voice rumbled before he stepped past Daredevil to reach her. Where the man, who looked as though he couldn’t carry anyone, scooped her straight up into his arms. As though she weighed nothing but a feather. “Come. All of you.”

“Wait a damn minute—” Blade had spoken, but before he could get any response, the man had walked out. Causing the hunter to tighten his fists while he gained a small smirk. “That man’s a damn demon. The whole floor reeks of them.”

“I guess that means we just have to be careful,” Wanda chirped before she followed the man. Leaving Daredevil and Blade dumbfounded. Her hand waving behind her for them to follow along as she shouted behind herself, “Ashlynn brought us here for a reason. And I doubt it was for a fight!”

Blade glared over at Daredevil after the shout. Only to groan as the man had shrugged in response. “This is nonsense,” he had muttered while he followed Daredevil. Where both of them swiftly caught up with Wanda and the man she was following. With both of them carrying their weapons as they moved. They, along with Wanda, shared a brief nod of acknowledgment as they remained on guard. Especially after Daredevil lifted his hand to show a single finger. Implying there’s only one other person on the floor with them that they couldn’t see.

“Sir, I apologize for bothering you,” the man suddenly spoke after he had pushed a door open with his foot.

“Nonsense, come right in,” the voice inside was soft with a hint of rasp in some spots. Not one of the three recognized it upon hearing it. Though Daredevil’s head did shift in response. “However, I wasn’t expecting you to bring in any guests, Zaar.”

“It’s Ashlynn,” the man carrying her expressed as he walked inside with the three hot on his heels.

The man that had spoken was seated in an office chair behind a very expensive-looking wooden desk. Behind it were all kinds of books and trinkets on display, some of which were clearly magical artifacts. On his desk lay a pile of paperwork he was clearly working on while he was sipping alcohol from a crystalized glass. He was dressed as one would expect of a CEO of some extravagant company, aside from his suit’s jacket hanging on the nearby couch by the windows. The room was an odd mixture of old-style furniture and modern layout. But it looked well suited for a collector, and as Blade had found out, a demon.

“What has she done now?” The man questioned, a hint of humor behind his voice, but there was no smile nor any laugh. Especially when he saw that Zaar was carrying her.

“She got stabbed by Lilith,” Wanda abruptly answered, making both of the boys look over at her in defeat. Blade was groaning while Daredevil’s mouth hung slightly open. “What? He asked”.

“I see… Set her down on the couch, Zaar.” The man responded, trusting Wanda’s words as he stood up and made his way over. Sliding his thigh off swiftly to toss it over his desk before he approached the couch and slid a hand to Ashlynn’s chin. Kneeling down to meet the woman at eye level as she was staring down.

“What did she hurt you with?” His voice was somehow even softer when he spoke to her. An unnatural smoothness behind every syllable. His eyes narrowed when Ashlynn quietly pulled the daggers out from her belt.

“Okay, this is sweet and all, but who the fuck are you guys?” Blade suddenly snarled as he stepped up to Zaar, his silver sword aimed straight at the taller man’s throat.

“Take a wild guess,” the man in front of Ashlynn responded with a challenging glare before he returned his attention to Ashlynn. Where he gently brushed her red locks in front of her shoulders before he walked behind the couch. He removed the section of Marc’s cloak that was still wrapped around her and laid it gently over her lap before he hovered his hands over her wound.

“... your heartbeat.” Daredevil muttered. “You’re Mephistopheles.”

Wanda’s hands ignited with red chaos magic as Blade stepped forward towards Zaar. Who merely raised his hands and walked backwards in retaliation. While Daredevil stood still at the door, his hands clutched his weapons. Blade having effortlessly slid his gun out of his holster before he aimed it at the man, Mephisto, with another grumble. All the while, red little orbs started dancing around the demon and Ashlynn. Making him just sigh before he’d raise himself tall and slide his hands into his suit pants’ pockets.

“Are you done with your display of distrust?” he asked them as though he were asking children to stop fighting for the hundredth time.

“Ashlynn, why the fuck did you bring us here?” Blade snarled her way, glaring down at her while he kept his gun aimed at Mephisto.

“Because I told you I knew someone who could help us,” Ashlynn responded before she slowly stood up, not a single flinch to show she was still in pain. “I… figured my mentor, who the deal was struck with to begin with, would be a good choice.”

Silence filled the room for a beat after she had spoken. The three others stood completely still until Wanda let the chaos dissipate from her arms. While Daredevil scoffed with a short laugh, muttering “of course” beneath his breath. The only one that didn’t budge was Blade, though he did remove his sword from Zaar, who had shown he was no threat. His gun remained trained on Mephisto. Who still stood in his human disguise, with no plan to change.

“We agreed to not tell them, my dear Zarathos,” Mephisto hummed softly as he stepped around the couch to Ashlynn's side. Now that Wanda’s orbs were gone.

“Things change,” she expressed, turning to stare at him. “So, will you?”

“Hmmm… I sense that the others are not with you because of her taking control. It’s a trick we are both masters of, but I stopped with it ever since I let the Rider go free.” Mephisto pondered, sliding his hands up to fold his arms. A small twisted grin pulling on his lips. “I propose a new deal. The old one is void, destroyed if you will, as neither of us managed to uphold its agreement,” he started, his eyes glaring directly through Blades’ sunglasses. “In exchange for some of my power, you kill her for me.”

“Wait, what?” Wanda spurted out, confused. “I thought you wanted her alive?”

“I did. But she has hurt one of mine and returned Rider to his imprisonment I promised he would never feel again.” Mephisto explained. “She is as good as dead, so I will make sure you can truly kill her. When she is dead, the power will return to me, and you will never hear from me again.”

“Deal,” Daredevil abruptly spoke up, getting glares from both Wanda and Blade while Mephisto just smiled, as did Ashlynn. “What? We do not have the power to stop her. Wanda might, but she is not doing it on her own. We will need this to succeed, or we will just all end up under her control, and hell will take over.”

“The Devil is seeing exactly what I see,” Mephisto spoke, clearly grinning because he knew Daredevil was blind. “Without me, you all die. With me, you have a fighting chance.”

“Fine,” Blade scoffed, “but I ain’t happy about it.”

“Neither am I,” Wanda added, “but… it’s all we’ve got.”

“It’s always a pleasure doing business with the Midnight Suns. Oh, this may feel a little weird.”

_____________________________________

The air is thick with the stench of mold and decay. Faint flickers of corrupted mystical energy illuminate the stone walls, which are scarred and cracked. Chains hang from the ceiling, some broken, but only some holding captives. Marc, battered and chained upright in the center. His eyes darted around, alert and defiant.

“My lady, he is awake,” Rider stated, which caused Lilith to emerge from the shadows and lightly pat his shoulder. “Good. Thank you, Rider,” she said, a smile on her grey skin forming as he stood completely still, a soldier waiting for his orders.

“What… did you… do?” Marc asked, grunting in pain as Lilith gripped Rider’s shoulder tightly, almost showing off what she had done. “I gave him what he wanted most. A purpose, direction, a master.”

“I doubt he wants to be owned. From what I know, he wanted to get away from you.” Within a second, Marc felt the back of Lilith’s hand smack against his masked face, the fabric tearing as blood dripped from his nose. “Case in point.”

“I it in the past I was volatile, dangerous even. But I walk this earth with a simple purpose now, one greater than what we strived for so long ago.” Marc looked up at the demon, seeing her eyes shine at the mere thought of her own plan almost coming to fruition. “Yeah? What’s that, Lilith?”

“Freedom, Marc Spector. Imagine if we were all free, free to do what we want, do what we please, fight for what we want, love who we want to love, and keep our homes safe.” She knelt down, lifting his head up to lock their eyes with just the tip of her finger. “This is what you superheroes fight for, no?”

“Freedom is one thing, but corruption? Your idea of freedom is twisted, just like you.” She giggled as if he paid her a compliment, lightly patting his masked face and standing back on her feet. “I’m sure you would know all about twisted identities, wouldn’t you?”

“If you think you can get a reaction out of me, you’re wasting your time.” Suddenly a figure swung by and landed on the ceiling right above Marc. “Scarlet?” He called out.

He dropped down from the ceiling and revealed his new costume, its sleek purple material with black carbon fiber blending into the suit and his green lenses zooming in at Marc. “I’m no longer the Scarlet Spider. I am Chasm.“

“Oh good god… struggling to find your place, and she helped you—is that it?” Chasm rushed toward Marc, gripping him by the jaw and bringing him close. “Unlike you and the others, Lilith accepted me. She’s helped me find peace with what I’ve done and doesn’t resent me.”

“Oh, grow the fuck up. You know as well as everyone else that your actions have consequences. If you can’t live with that, then you’re no hero at all.” Marc pulled himself away and growled at Chasm. “You’re a coward.”

Just as Chasm was about to deliver a punch, he was stopped by Lilith’s grip on his bicep. “Come now, my dear. Surely we can resolve this without violence, can’t we?” She asked, leaning over to look over at Marc with a raised eyebrow.

“Hmph…yes, my lady.” Chasm growled but nodded his head lightly before backing up to stand next to Rider as Lilith examined Marc carefully, almost like an animal ready to be dissected.

“Rider, Scarlet, and I’m guessing Strange is around here somewhere. Thought I was special here, Lilith.” The demoness chuckled before walking back to sit down on her throne, her legs crossing as she rested her chin on her palm. “You most certainly are, Moon Knight.”

“Okay…mind elaborating?” He asked, lifting his head as the chain slightly pulled on the collar around his neck. “Why should I? Doctor Strange is coming back with a full explanation ready.”

“Oh good, I love it when he explains.” Lilith giggled and leaned forward in her seat as Marc looked away. “You don’t like anyone, do you?” She asked, his scoff echoing in the dungeon.

“I tolerate people; there are very few I call friends.” Green flames suddenly puffed into her palm, and the shape of the flame slowly formed into what was Mr.Knight. “Like Steven?” Marc’s eyes immediately widened, and he lunged toward Lilith, only to be stopped by the chains and yanked back into his spot.

“He lived an interesting life the moment you three separated. Did you know he was seeing someone? Beautiful young lady. He even planned on marriage.” Marc growled as he slowly wrapped the chains around his wrists, the faint glow of white covering his eyes. “Shut up.”

“Steven Grant, one of London’s greatest private detectives of this century. A kind man, destined to live a long life… cut short due to a man and his quest for power.” Marc started yanking on the chains, the old metal struggling as Marc started to power through and gain another foot forward. “I said shut up!!”

“He showed so much promise, all those lives he could have saved and the life he could have lived, but instead he fought in your God’s selfless war and became a victim himself!” Marc roared, yanking his arms forward as the chains snapped, which allowed him to lunge at Lilith and tackle her through a wall and into a large room where Strange and demons resided. “I’m going to kill you!”

“Is that what you want, Marc? What do you truly want?” She asked, her voice choked by his grip as it grew tighter with each word that left her mouth. “Will my death fill that hole in your heart?” Tears ran down his face, smudging what was left of his mask as he lifted his fist into the air, ready to strike.

“It’s not about what I want! It’s about keeping the world safe from freaks like you!” Lilith rested her hand on his wrist, giving a gentle squeeze as Marc continued to choke her until she couldn’t breathe. “T-Then…do your duty, Moon Knight.”

Marc struggled for a moment before delivering his fist toward Lilith, her eyes shutting the moment he threw his fist. She opened her eyes to find his grip loose from her throat and his fist beside her face. He pulled it from the ground as the dirt and pebbles fell from his knuckles like leaves from the tree branch. He got up and turned away in shame. He could’ve ended the whole thing with one swift blow; hell, she even allowed him to, but he didn’t. This was a rare moment for Marc to miss being under the influence of his old master, Khonshu.

“Now why did you do that?” She asked, slowly standing as Marc fell to his knees, tears dropping on the ground below as he completely broke down. “I can’t… I don’t know. I’ve lost so much; killing didn’t even seem worth it. I’m just so tired.”

“With me you can rest, Marc. All you have to do is accept me, and not only will you earn your rest, but also Steven.” He looked up at her, tears running down his face, before she extended her hand. “Part of us is telling me that I shouldn’t.”

“And the other?” She asked, raising an eyebrow as Marc reached out and grabbed her hand, gently pulling him up onto his feet. “I don’t care anymore. I’m ready to rest.”

Lilith’s thumb gently rubbed his gloved knuckles, the green flame surrounding her body now traveling along to encase Marc. As the flames surrounded him like armor, Marc stood completely still as it completely changed his entire appearance, his white armor now black and gold accents replaced with emerald green. His once shiny white eyes are now green like the fire Lilith wields.

“You are free, my… Moon Knight.”

To Be Continued

Bolt:Ashlynn, Mephsito

Zay: Scarlet Spider, Daredevil

Title Card was made by Daisy

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