Marvel: Ned the Master of Mystic Arts

"Ugh..."

Ned weakly opened his eyes, confused by the unfamiliar surroundings around him. His gaze, though filled with doubt, carried a hint of wariness.

"Whoosh!"

The Cloak of Levitation, which had been folded at the head of the bed, instantly floated up the moment it noticed Ned had awakened. It hovered close to him, repeatedly brushing its collar against Ned's face, as if trying to express its deep concern.

"Hey, buddy."

Seeing the Cloak of Levitation, Ned visibly relaxed. He trusted it, knowing that no matter what, the Cloak would never leave him in a dangerous place without acting to protect him.

The way the Cloak was behaving now clearly showed that it trusted this place. And if the Cloak trusted it, then Ned trusted it too.

Sigh...

As his emotions settled, Ned felt the emptiness of his missing left arm and sighed silently.

The Cloak of Levitation, which had been affectionately brushing against his face, seemed to notice the change in his mood, and its movements gradually became more delicate.

"Where am I?" Steadying himself, Ned asked the Cloak softly.

Of course, he knew it wouldn't answer. After asking, he prepared to get out of bed and check the surroundings himself. However, the moment he exerted any strength, a sharp pain surged through his internal organs.

"Ah!"

Ned instinctively let out a cry of pain, immediately realizing that the injuries he sustained weren't limited to just his left arm. For the next few days, it seemed, he wouldn't be able to move freely at all.

The final barrage of spears had caused severe damage to him. Though each spear turned to black mist upon hitting him, the force behind them bypassed his body and struck directly at his internal organs.

One or two would have been manageable, but the sheer number—dozens, if not hundreds—was overwhelming. If not for the Cloak absorbing the majority of the force from those that struck his back, Ned might have already been in the embrace of God by now.

Even so, the residual energy from the spears left his internal organs seriously injured. Now, even the slightest movement brought unbearable pain, and even shifting an arm was a monumental task.

Though the situation was uncomfortable, Ned had expected it. He considered himself fortunate—he had merely lost an arm and needed time to recover.

The black-robed man, on the other hand, had lost his heart entirely. While it may not have been as painful, well… good riddance.

The only thing that puzzled Ned was why his left cheek also ached. Although the pain was mild compared to his internal injuries, it was still noticeable.

Their battle had been intense, but he was sure his face hadn't been hit at all. Moreover, with the Mask of Agony protecting him, even light physical damage would have been negated entirely. How could his face be hurt?

"Knock, knock, knock."

While Ned was pondering this, soft knocking sounds came from the door. Realizing it might be the owner of this place, Ned glanced at the Cloak and called out weakly, "Come in."

"Ah, ah…"

No sooner had he spoken than he began to cough violently. His current weakness made even speaking loudly an exhausting effort.

"Mystic Sorcerer, you're awake?"

A young Asian girl opened the door and entered, her face lighting up with joy.

"It's you?"

Ned instantly recognized her. She was the girl he had saved the night before his encounter with the black-robed man.

"It's really you!"

The girl was overjoyed when she saw that Ned recognized her.

However, as her gaze fell on Ned's tattered mage robe and the empty left side of his body where an arm should have been, her happiness gave way to hesitation.

Sigh.

Sensing her gaze, Ned forced a faint smile. He suddenly realized something and touched his face in alarm—his Mask of Agony was gone!

Before he could ask, the girl spoke up. "Last night, I tried to give you some water, but I couldn't remove your mask no matter what. Luckily, the Cloak helped."

Hearing this, Ned turned to look at the Cloak, which spun in the air as if asking for praise.

"Don't worry, Mystic Sorcerer," the girl said, seeing his injuries. "You're safe here. You must rest and recover. Don't push yourself too hard—your safety is the most important thing. I'm helping you willingly. If you hadn't saved me, I might have ended up like Parker's uncle."

"Parker?"

Ned's brow furrowed.

"Yeah, a classmate of mine. His uncle was shot and killed by a robber. Everyone at school feels sorry for him."

The girl nodded.

"What school do you go to?"

"Midtown High."

"Hmm... And your parents?"

Hearing the name of her school, Ned fell silent for a moment before asking another question.

"They work for Oscorp and are away on a business trip. Don't worry; they won't know about you. I won't tell anyone either," the girl said. "Oh, by the way, my name is Mia Huang. My Chinese name is Huang Xiwen."

"Ned," he introduced himself. "Huang, from now on, let the Cloak accompany you to school."

He said this in Chinese.

"Ah?"

Mia stared at him, dumbfounded—not because of his words, but because of the way he addressed her.

"I mean, let the Cloak go with you to school. New York isn't safe lately," Ned repeated, noticing her stunned expression.

He then turned to the Cloak, which seemed reluctant, and added, "Listen, that big lizard is still out there. He's no threat to us, but Mia is vulnerable."

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Mia suddenly raised her hands in disbelief, her mouth wide open. She clenched her teeth and exclaimed, "What do you mean by 'Huang'? I have friends back in China, you know!"

"Uh..."

Ned blinked, pretending not to understand. "And?"

"That's… that's a dog's name!" Mia protested, her fists clenched tightly. "And don't you think it sounds so old-fashioned?"

Perhaps because she preferred speaking Chinese, and since Ned could also speak it, Mia switched entirely to Mandarin.

"Really? But aren't dog names supposed to be things like Baker, Max, or Jenny? Maybe Warrior?" Ned replied, feigning ignorance.

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