If it's not Miss Fortune, then who could it be?
Diana?
Not likely. If it were Diana, Lake, having received the Moon's blessing, would've sensed her presence.
Leona, too.
His divine body had once bathed in solar lava and received the Sun's blessing. Even now, with his divine power temporarily gone due to the delay, his ability to sense the stars, the Sun, and the Moon remained intact. So, it shouldn't be Leona or Diana who came here.
Then who could it be?
Kaisa?
Lake, lying on the couch, mulled over his recent conversation with the Ancient One. She had used the word "hunt" in their exchange.
But...
It probably wasn't Kaisa. If it were really Kaisa, Lake would swear by the stars that she'd descend upon this world seated on her Angel Throne, accompanied by an army of angels.
In short.
Sneaking in quietly wasn't Kaisa's style.
Plus, if Kaisa had even the slightest confirmation of Lake's presence on this planet, she'd unleash a Holy Judgment without hesitation to force him out...
With other women, Lake might have doubts, but with Kaisa, he had none. After all, the day he activated the great clock and Void energy was the very day Kaisa was crowned queen, becoming the Holy Kaisa of the Angel Nebula.
Not this, not that—so who could it be?
Lake's head started to ache. In his ten-thousand-plus years in Valoran, only the stars knew how many women and goddesses he'd crossed paths with. But only a handful had the ability to traverse spacetime. No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't pinpoint a reasonable suspect.
Noon.
The roar of the T20's engine echoed down the street, growing closer.
Buzz.
Thud.
Lake opened his eyes and saw Michaela stepping out of the car, a backpack slung over her shoulder. She looked at Lake, still there, with a hint of surprise, "You haven't left yet?"
Lake smiled, "I've promised to make you a god someday. Are you trying to kick me out already?"
Michaela let out a dry laugh, "You're a god, aren't you? Doesn't sleeping on a couch feel a bit beneath your status?"
Lake pointed his right hand at the T20, which morphed back into a bracelet on his wrist, "Don't worry, I'll only be here for three months. The next time you see me after that, it'll be the day I fulfill my promise and make you a god."
If he'd never been to Valoran, no doubt Michaela would've been his type—he'd be tempted.
But...
For now, he'd pass. He had no interest in mortals. Even if he were tempted, once Michaela became a god in the future, there'd be plenty of time. No need to rush.
Right now?
Back in the Valoran universe, Lake had always thought that if he ever made it back to Earth, he'd do one thing.
It wasn't a big thing—quite small, actually.
The world was vast, and he wanted to wander and see it all.
Yes, it might sound absurd, but that was Lake's dream. In his early days in the Valoran universe, all he could recall were cities of steel and concrete, and rows of Home Inn chain hotels.
His memories of his origin universe were that sparse—painfully barren. He'd witnessed the Star Forger Dragon King lay out the stars in a grand spectacle, but he'd never seen the majesty of the Great Wall. He'd marveled at the beauty of Mount Targon, but never the splendor of the Amazon basin...
So.
After realizing how little he knew of his origin world, Lake had nurtured this small dream.
Though this was the Marvel Universe, it was still an Earth. Since he couldn't return to his origin universe for now, wandering around here was a decent compromise.
Why three months, though?
Right now, Lake was a complete undocumented nobody. But in three months, once Agatha broke through Heimerdinger's restrictions and tapped into this world's information network, forging an identity would be a breeze—heck, he could even craft one as a royal heir if he wanted...
Hearing Lake bring up the godhood thing again, Michaela couldn't help but recall the moment she'd knocked him out with one swing yesterday. The corners of her mouth twitched upward.
Lake's perception was sharp. He sighed inwardly. The moment his divine power returned, he'd erase that memory from Michaela's mind.
That incident was an outright insult to a god.
A blatant one, at that.
Just then.
A screeching sound.
Lake followed the noise with his gaze and saw a black SUV pull up to the repair shop's entrance. The doors opened, and a man and a woman stepped out from the driver's and passenger's sides.
The man wore a sharp black suit, sunglasses, and neatly combed hair.
The woman was clad in a tight black combat suit, her brown hair styled in wavy curls.
The man: Phil Coulson.
The woman: Natasha Romanoff.
But...
More than their names, Lake's attention zeroed in on an ornament adorning Natasha's right hand—a piece that stood out on her palm...
Agatha's voice rang in Lake's ear, audible only to him, "Valoran artifact detected. Connect?"
Lake snapped back, "No, don't connect."
He quickly responded, his mind reeling. What the hell was going on? Why did Black Widow suddenly have a Valoran artifact on her?
What was this about?
As Lake's thoughts raced, Coulson approached, removing his sunglasses. He pulled out an ID from his jacket and addressed Lake and Michaela, "FBI, Phil Coulson. We're here for Ms. Michaela Vicks."
Michaela shot Lake a suspicious glance before turning to Coulson, "Sorry, I don't understand why the FBI would be looking for me."
Coulson smiled, "Here's the thing, Ms. Vicks. Yesterday, you made a 911 call, correct?"
Michaela nodded, "Yes, but it was just a prank."
While at school today, Michaela had overheard students talking and realized why no police had shown up last night. Turns out, of the thirty-six students in her English class, twenty had called 911 last night claiming they'd seen aliens...
Alright.
It suddenly clicked for Michaela—yesterday was April Fool's Day, and that's why the operator had wished her a "Happy April Fool's."
Coulson seemed to expect her answer, his gaze shifting to Lake, also dressed in a suit, "And you, sir, are...?"
Lake's mind raced, "A passerby, here to get my ride fixed."
Coulson glanced around the empty repair shop, "Fixing a car?"
Lake nodded, pointing his right hand at the sky-blue scooter parked to the side, "That one. Don't know what's wrong with it—won't start."
Coulson's eyes lingered on Lake's handsome face for a moment, then moved to the sky-blue scooter. After a beat, his expression turned odd.
A suited guy riding a scooter?
The mental image?
Pretty jarring.