Marvel: The Enlightened One-Chapter 89: [] - Phoenix as Master, Draco as Guardian! (Bonus)

Chapter 89: [89] - Phoenix as Master, Draco as Guardian! (Bonus)

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Manhattan.

The East Village.

A yellow Corolla drove slowly down the street, turning into the driveway of the orange-hued, single-family home that had changed hands a month ago, and heading up toward the garage.

As Gwen pulled up, the garage door opened automatically. She drove inside, parking next to a black Audi A8 that gleamed under the lights.

The Audi was Hawk’s. He’d bought it shortly after they moved in.

Since then, Gwen’s little yellow car mostly stayed parked during the week.

Call it old-fashioned pride, but Hawk was determined not to mooch rides anymore, while Gwen couldn’t care less. By now, the passenger seat of that Audi A8 had practically molded itself to her body.

Gwen got out, opened the trunk of her Corolla, and lifted out a few grocery bags from a stop she’d made on the way home. She walked toward the door that led from the garage into the living room.

The moment she opened it, she heard it: the rhythmic, impactful sound of punches coming from the backyard.

She glanced out the living room window.

Of course.

He was training again.

Gwen smiled, set her keys and groceries on the kitchen island, then shoved her hands into her wool coat pockets. As she walked through the living room, she snagged a towel from the coffee table and headed for the back door.

...

In the backyard, a heavy bag hanging from a sturdy tree branch was taking a brutal beating, ready to split open from Hawk’s relentless assault.

Hawk was bare-chested. As he threw his punches, his blood boiled, and a column of steam rose from his body like a signal fire.

Gwen stepped outside but didn’t say a word. She leaned against the railing of the back porch, a small smile on her face as she admired the masterpiece in motion before her.

A little while later, Hawk threw his ten-thousandth punch of the day.

BOOOOOOM!

The heavy bag stopped dead in mid-swing, then with a quiet ripping sound, the bottom tore open and sand spilled out onto the ground.

Leaning against the railing, Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Is that the tenth one this month? Or the eleventh?"

"Eleventh."

Hawk glanced at the ruined bag, then turned and walked toward her.

Gwen smiled and tossed him the towel.

"Go take a shower. I’ll handle breakfast. My mom taught me a new recipe yesterday."

"Alright."

Hawk caught the towel. He watched as Gwen turned and walked back inside, then began wiping the non-existent sweat from his brow as he followed her into the living room.

Gwen carried the groceries into the kitchen.

Hawk headed up the stairs to the master bedroom on the third floor.

...

In the bathroom, steam from the hot shower swirled around Hawk, mixing with the heat radiating from his skin until he seemed surrounded by mist.

Within that mist, ghostly images flickered—a green dragon and a fiery phoenix dancing in the vapor. Hawk closed his eyes, his consciousness diving deep into his Cosmo as he gazed up at his inner universe.

Where once there had been only the constellation of the Phoenix, there was now a second.

They seemed to split his inner cosmos between them—the newly awakened Draco and the ancient Phoenix ruling their separate domains, standing back-to-back like sentinels, each protecting the other.

His second constellation, Draco, was now fully ignited.

He’d actually traced the Dragon’s outline back at Calvary Cemetery. But he’d only truly awakened it five days ago.

After returning from Quantico, the timing had felt right. He postponed his trip to Africa, deciding to focus on awakening Draco first.

You have to sharpen your tools before you can do the job properly. And awakening Draco five days ago had been the right call. Cosmo is the foundation of every Saint’s power.

The stronger the Cosmo, the stronger the Saint. With Draco’s awakening, his own Cosmo had grown significantly stronger.

This wasn’t just a feeling—it was real, measurable power. The moment Draco ignited, Hawk had felt his Cosmo expand at an almost visible rate.

Where it had once been just large enough for the Phoenix alone, it could now comfortably hold both constellations with space left over. The Phoenix remained the stronger of the two—it had been his first, after all.

But he had now gained access to the Dragon’s fundamental power:

The Might of the Dragon, and the Dragon’s Guard.

But that wasn’t the greatest reward.

The greatest reward was that, after igniting Draco, the Sixth Sense he had been chasing for so long was finally within his grasp.

He could actually see the door now.

Before, he hadn’t even known it existed. Now everything had changed.

The door was right there, and the path forward was crystal clear. All he had to do was follow it, and eventually he’d be able to reach that gate, push it open, and unlock the Sixth Sense—taking his Cosmo to a completely different level.

For the past few days, Hawk had been splitting his time between researching Wakanda online and trying to take another step toward the Sixth Sense before he left.

But the Sixth Sense remained just out of reach.

As for Wakanda?

He was done waiting for summer. He would ask his counselor for a leave of absence and head to Africa as soon as possible.

He already had his acceptance letter to NYU for the fall. His last semester of high school was largely a formality.

His classmates were doing the same thing. Apart from the ones still scrambling to get into other schools, most students who’d already gotten accepted were gradually disappearing from campus.

Some were working to save up for college expenses.

Others had been invited for campus visits at their future schools. And some just didn’t see the point of showing up anymore and wanted to chill out.

Midtown didn’t mind. As long as you had the credits, you could skip the entire semester and still graduate.

Just don’t miss the ceremony in June. Or the prom.

...

A little while later, Hawk finished his shower, changed into an outfit Gwen had picked out for him on a shopping trip last weekend, and went downstairs.

Gwen had already prepared breakfast.

Hawk’s eyes lit up as he saw the food on the dining table. "Wow."

"What do you think?" Gwen smiled, waiting for his review.

Hawk looked at her, his expression dead serious. "Honestly? I don’t know what I’d do without you."

"Then you better not lose me." Gwen, who was sorting through a stack of recipe cards she’d borrowed from her mom, replied just as seriously, then broke into a smile. "Come on, dig in."

Hawk sat down at the table.

Gwen sat across from him, copying the cards onto new ones as he ate.

Many family recipes were often passed down on cards like these. The ones she was holding belonged to her mother, Helen, and would need to go back eventually.

But she could copy them for herself to keep here, and someday pass them down to her own daughter.

"By the way," Hawk said. "You’re heading to Berkeley next week, right?"

Gwen, still writing, nodded. "Yeah, for two months. I’ll be back at the end of May."

The university had invited her for a two-month campus visit.

Hawk confirmed the dates and nodded, saying nothing more.

Perfect.

Next week, Gwen goes to Berkeley.

And he would be visiting Wakanda.

...

Soon, they finished eating and cleared the table quickly, then headed outside to begin the day’s work.

Mowing the lawn.

Believe it or not, in America, you can actually get fined if you don’t keep your grass cut regularly.

Same goes for hanging laundry outside to dry... Some states are even worse—they’ll fine you for growing vegetables in your own yard.

As Hawk wheeled it out, he watched Gwen inspect the machine with practiced ease, and he couldn’t help but say it again. "Seriously, what would I do without you?"

Gwen looked up at him, her expression just as serious as before. "Again, you’d better not lose me."

With that, she gave the starter cord a sharp yank. The engine roared to life. Though Gwen had grown up in an apartment, her grandfather was a farmer from the South.

When it came to machinery, she knew her way around.

And so, with Gwen calling out directions, Hawk pushed the mower across their front yard.

The noise brought some neighbors outside.

A few went back in, but others, seeing what they were doing, decided to drag out their own mowers.

It was Saturday, after all—they didn’t have anything better to do.

Soon, the sound of multiple lawnmowers filled the air throughout the District.

...

By the time Hawk had finished mowing, it was eleven o’clock.

With their work done, Gwen got ready to leave. She was meeting Mary Jane for some shopping this afternoon.

Hawk watched as she backed her car out of the garage and smiled. "I’ll come get you later."

Gwen nodded, then drove down the street.

Hawk watched her go.

Just as he was turning to clean the lawnmower...

Suddenly, the door to his Sixth Sense shuddered violently. In the next instant, a surge of power erupted from within him. He spun around, his eyes snapping toward the direction Gwen had just gone.

...

Bonus Chapter at 200PS

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