The Sword passed a hot dog stand.
A Rastafarian vendor said, “Hey, Sword! Chili dog, on da house!”
The Sword’s mouth watered, but he shook his head. Not unless I want to ruin my diet or do an extra workout. “Thanks, but maybe Dark Mystic wants one!”
The vendor shook his head, his dreadlocks slapping against his cheeks. “No offense, mon, but dat guy bad news, mon. Wouldn’t wanna jinx da place.”
Mystic snarled. “I’m being judged by the hot dog man!”
Jesse put a hand on Mystic’s shoulder. “I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it.”
Mystic shouted. “You want to see bad news! How would you like a plague of rodents and vermin in your stand?”
The vendor raised his hands. “Nothin’ personal, mon, I give you da chili dog!”
Mystic growled. “I don’t even want a chili dog!” He took a breath. “Sorry, I’ve had a rough day.”
The vendor nodded, lowering his hands hesitantly.
The Sword sighed. “Come on, Mystic.”
Dark Mystic glowered as they walked. “This has gotten a lot worse since the comic book came out. I thought that was supposed to improve my reputation? Before the comic book, most people didn’t know about the demon. Now, nearly everyone does.”
The Sword sighed. “I do regret that. I just didn’t think it would matter to people. Fictional comics have featured demons.”
“People are less likely to accept it in real life. Jalzabel has come under fire. Lucifer apparently would rather people believe demons don’t exist.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ll do what I can to make it up to you.”
Dark Mystic smiled. “I know one thing. I’ve always wanted to hold that sword.”
The Sword unsheathed his blade. “It won’t do much for anyone but me.”
Dark Mystic greedily snatched it.
The hilt fired an energy beam at Mystic, knocking him to the ground. The Sword put a hand on his hip and frowned. “Blade, what are you doing?”
His blade once again emitted a burst of energy at Dark Mystic’s chest. Dark Mystic let go of the blade. It clanked to the ground.
The Sword knelt beside Dark Mystic. He slipped his hand under Dark Mystic’s black overshirt and titanium armor. His heart was beating. Thank God. The Sword slapped Dark Mystic underneath his purple hood. Dark Mystic opened his eyes.
The Sword pulled Dark Mystic up. “I’m really sorry. The blade’s never reacted like that before.”
Dark Mystic sighed. “It’s the story of my life. To be misunderstood. But you understand me, Sword. I appreciate it. However, the Supernatural Intelligence Bureau has illustrated the need to get the Guild together.”
“Most everyone I’ve heard of in the superhero world has joined already.”
“We need one more. I’ll patrol Philly for the next three days. You need to take a trip.”
The Sword raised his eyebrow. “To where?”
“Moscow, Russia.”
The Sword sighed. “You sure this is the last one?”
“Of course. We have everyone else from Pantheon to Blue Gorilla. We need everyone in the world who fights for good.” Dark Mystic laughed.
The Sword rested on the hilt of his blade. “You know those guys back there would swear they were fighting for good.”
Dark Mystic nodded. “To them, good and evil is a battle between God and the Devil. The way I see it, good is for the progress and safety of humanity and evil against it. Therefore, they’re evil. Demonic and angelic forces are neutral. There are ‘demons’ who fight for good and ‘angels’ who fight for evil; thus it follows for those with power to take the side of humanity.”
“Hopefully, with an international team, we can set an example to the world of cooperation and friendship.”
Dark Mystic nodded. “And if the world can make peace and live together in harmony, hopefully God and Lucifer will realize they too need to make peace and join us in building a better world.”
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