CH 9: Summoning

Lex did not know how, but he knew why he had to do something. Anything.

Because when humans start eating other humans, it stops being simple evil. It becomes something else entirely. A predator wearing the skin of its own species.

And predators like that were not meant to roam free.

You put them in cages. You remind them where they belong.

More than anything though, his first priority was saving the girls. Not just because they were fellow humans—or mutants—but because he refused to let someone like Azazel continue doing this any longer than he already had.

Everyone had moral lines.

For some people those lines were blurry. For others they stood like towering walls.

Lex's own line was admittedly lower than most, but the few boundaries he did have were absolute. He might not always care when people crossed moral lines, but there were certain things he simply could not tolerate.

Killing? There were plenty of justifications for that.

Even torture could be acceptable if the victim truly deserved it.

But cannibalism?

That was one of the few things that made his skin crawl.

Lex was not a hero.

But he knew people who were.

At the party, Lex ultimately agreed to join the Hellfire Club. Partly because he needed information on the kidnapped girls, partly because refusing too aggressively inside what was obviously a villain organization sounded like a terrible survival strategy.

And if possible?

He fully intended to burn people like Azazel and Jason from the inside out.

Of course, infiltrating the club wasn't his only plan. He had other methods too.

Like the Compass of Peeking.

Once something extraordinary was marked on the compass, it could be continuously tracked as long as it remained within fifty kilometers of him.

Marking Jason directly had been difficult. Pulling out the compass in front of him would've been suspicious, and with the entire party filled with mutants, identifying which yellow dot belonged to Jason wasn't exactly easy either.

Thankfully, Jason left the party early.

And the moment he did, Lex followed.

Once outside the venue, tracking him became much simpler. One isolated yellow dot moving away from the mansion was easy enough to follow.

The trail eventually led far outside New York City to a lonely farmhouse sitting in the middle of nowhere.

Jason entered without hesitation.

The obvious question was whether the girls were actually being held there.

So Lex checked with the compass.

And immediately realized the situation was much worse than expected.

The farmhouse wasn't just a farmhouse.

Beneath it was an underground facility packed with mutant signatures.

And not just mutants.

There were dozens of dark blue dots too.

Lex had no idea what dark blue represented yet, but considering the atmosphere of the Hellfire Club, he doubted it meant anything pleasant.

Returning to the city afterward, Lex found himself unusually aware of how alone he actually was.

Which made sense.

Ever since arriving in this world, he hadn't really built genuine connections. Mostly acquaintances. Temporary allies. People he knew.

Not friends.

Could Daredevil count as one?

…Probably not.

Lex didn't even know the man's real name.

And while he did get Angela’s number—mostly because she wanted to stay in contact in case the Hand started targeting him again or something—Lex honestly didn't think they would be much help for what he was about to do.

Well… maybe they could.

They were heroes after all. People like Daredevil and Angela probably knew how to approach situations like this far better than he did. Infiltration, kidnappings, underground organizations—this was their world, not his.

But at the same time, they were already drowning in their own problems.

The Hand alone sounded like enough of a nightmare to deal with, and dragging them into another mess involving mutant experiments and possible cannibalism felt… selfish.

Besides, what exactly was he supposed to say?

“Hey, remember that weird mutant guy you met a few days ago? I accidentally joined a secret villain club and now I think they're carving up kidnapped mutant girls underground.”

Yeah. That definitely sounded insane.

By the time Lex returned to his hotel, the city outside had already begun dimming into late evening. Golden lights reflected across the glass windows of nearby skyscrapers while distant sirens echoed faintly through Manhattan.

Stepping into his suite, he loosened the collar of his shirt and exhaled slowly.

For the first time since arriving in this world, Lex truly felt out of his depth.

Not because he was weak.

But because this world was much bigger—and much darker—than he initially thought.

Mutants, ninja cults, multiversal artifacts, magical organizations, cannibalistic demons pretending to be businessmen…

And somehow he had gotten entangled with all of them within a few weeks.

Leaning back against the couch, Lex stared at the ceiling silently for several moments before finally making a decision.

He needed help.

Real help.

Originally, he had planned to wait until he officially moved into his new house before summoning anyone properly. The place would be finished in two days anyway, and having a secure location sounded far smarter than bringing superpowered people into a hotel suite.

But at this point?

Two days suddenly felt very far away.

Reaching into his Gacha Storage, Lex pulled out two cards.

One shimmered with silver and blue edges—the Sharon Rogers summon card.

The other looked far plainer in comparison, almost deceptively simple.

Background Creation Card.

Lex looked at both cards for a moment before pressing them together.

The instant the edges touched, both cards dissolved into streams of light.

A new interface immediately unfolded across Lex’s vision, translucent blue text hovering in the air like a system notification directly etched into reality itself.

{Searching for suitable Backgrounds…

Due to Multiversal Travel being common in Marvel, optimal background detected.

Sharon Rogers — A Guest From Another Universe:

This identity will create all necessary phenomena to establish Sharon Rogers as a genuine visitor from an alternate universe or timeline within the multiverse. Her arrival cannot be prevented and will be integrated naturally into the world.

…

Background Created:

Sharon Rogers may at any point claim to be from another universe and all evidence will prove it. Any investigation that Sharon Rogers allows to uncover her identity as a multiversal traveller will succeed. Likewise, if she wishes for it to remain hidden, no investigation will discover the truth.}

Lex stared at the final line for a few seconds.

“…Convenient,” he muttered.

Then he confirmed the process.

The moment he did, a figure materialized directly in front of him.

There was no summoning circle. No explosion of light. No dramatic magical chanting echoing through the room.

One moment the space in front of the couch was empty.

The next moment someone was standing there.

A blonde woman around her early twenties appeared as naturally as if she had simply walked into the room. She wore a striking red, blue, and silver combat suit that looked futuristic while still carrying the unmistakable style of a superhero uniform. A triangular shield rested casually in one hand while a sleek spear remained held in the other as if she had arrived mid-battle.

For half a second, Lex just stared.

Not because she was beautiful—though she definitely was—but because the sheer normalcy of the summoning somehow made it feel even more surreal.

Then the girl smiled brightly.

“Hi Lex. Thanks for finally calling me, you know I was starting to get bored.” she said casually.

Lex blinked.

“…Wait, what?”

His brain immediately latched onto the worst possible implication.

Was she conscious inside the card?

Because if that was true then he absolutely needed to summon everyone else immediately. Keeping people trapped in magical trading cards sounded significantly more horrifying than he originally thought.

Sharon tilted her head before suddenly seeming to realize what he was thinking.

“Oh, no no, not here first.” she said quickly before glancing around the suite. “Can we go outside? I wanna breathe actual air again.”

Before Lex could even reply, she had already started walking toward the door with complete confidence like she had lived there longer than he had.

Lex hurried after her.

The hotel itself had a fairly luxurious private garden attached near the rear side of the building. Even this late into the evening, soft golden lights illuminated the pathways while cold autumn air drifted through rows of carefully maintained trees and flowerbeds. Manhattan’s distant noise echoed faintly around them—sirens, traffic, people somewhere far below the skyline.

Compared to the increasingly insane situations Lex kept finding himself in, the peaceful scenery almost felt unreal.

Sharon inhaled deeply the moment they stepped outside.

“…God, that’s nice.” she muttered quietly.

She closed her eyes for a moment, simply standing there as the wind moved through her blonde hair.

Only then did Lex finally ask:

“So… were you actually conscious inside the card?”

Sharon opened one eye before laughing softly.

“Hmm… no, you misunderstood.” she explained while slowly walking along the stone pathway. “I wasn’t inside the card. I was in my own universe.”

Her tone became quieter afterward.

“Or what’s left of it anyway.”

Lex’s expression shifted slightly.

Sharon continued calmly, though there was a strange heaviness beneath her voice now.

Replace that section with this instead:

> “When I died, your power offered me a deal.” she explained while walking slowly along the garden path, the fountain lights reflecting softly across her shield. “Not just simple resurrection either. It was more like… a contract.”

She paused briefly, seemingly organizing the memory in her head.

“If I accepted, I’d revive as your summon. I’d remain myself—my own personality, my own thoughts, my own free will—but I also wouldn’t be able to intentionally harm you or act against your interests.”

Lex blinked slightly at that.

“…That sounds less horrifying than I expected.”

Sharon snorted softly.

“Trust me, I had the same reaction at first.”

She continued walking before speaking again.

“The deal also came with additional choices. Different perks, I guess you could call them. One option was immediate revival. Another would've allowed me to heal someone before leaving my world. There were others too.”

Her expression dimmed slightly afterward.

“The option I chose let me remain in my universe as a spirit-like existence until you eventually summoned me. I could explore what was left of my world, look for survivors… things like that.”

The last sentence came out quieter.

“My universe was already dying by then, so I just… wanted to know if anyone else made it.”

Lex slowed slightly beside her.

“Wait.” he said carefully. “So everyone I have as cards right now is basically wandering around as ghosts waiting for me?”

“No.” Sharon shook her head immediately. “That was specifically my choice. Other people might choose immediate revival, peaceful death, sleep, or something completely different depending on what your power offers them.”

Then she glanced sideways at him with a faint smirk.

“Honestly? Your power is weirdly considerate for something that literally recruits dead people.”

They eventually reached a quieter part of the garden near a small decorative fountain. Sharon casually sat down on the grass nearby before absentmindedly pulling at a few blades while staring at the water.

Lex remained standing for a moment before speaking again.

“You seem surprisingly chill about your entire world getting destroyed,” he said carefully.

Sharon laughed once.

Not a happy laugh.

“It happened over seven years.” she replied quietly. “At some point you either learn how to cope or you completely fall apart.”

There was no self-pity in her tone.

Which somehow made it worse.

Lex immediately regretted asking.

“…Sorry.” he said after a moment before sitting down nearby. “You would’ve been what? A teenager when all that started?”

Sharon glanced at him before smiling slightly.

“Thanks for the compliment, but I’m thirty-two.” she replied casually. “Maybe thirty-three depending on this universe’s date.”

Lex stared at her.

“…There is absolutely no way.”

That actually got a genuine laugh out of her.

“Have you seen my father?” she asked proudly. “Super soldier genes. Aging slower comes with the package.”

“Okay that’s unfair.” Lex muttered. “You genuinely don’t look older than twenty-five.”

“Exactly.” Sharon nodded smugly.

For a while the atmosphere became lighter again.

Then Sharon looked down at her own combat suit and grimaced.

“God I need to change.” she complained while tugging slightly at part of the armor. “I forgot how uncomfortable combat uniforms are when you’re not actively fighting something.”

“You’ll probably need actual clothes then.” Lex replied while standing back up. “We can just go shopping now.”

Sharon waved dismissively.

“Nah. One of the perks included with the summon deal is that I can materialize my equipment whenever I want.” she explained while walking back toward the hotel entrance. “One of my alternate uniforms is basically casual wear anyway.”

“…That sounds extremely convenient.”

“It is.”

As they entered the elevator and started heading back upward, Lex suddenly remembered something from earlier.

“Wait.” he said. “You were talking about this world like you already knew it.”

Sharon nodded casually.

“Oh right. I automatically receive surface-level knowledge from you.” she explained. “If you know who someone is, I’ll know too. If you know general information about the world, I get that information as well.”

Lex blinked.

“…That is terrifyingly efficient.”

“Yep.”

When they returned to the suite, Sharon immediately headed toward the changing room while continuing the conversation from behind the door.

“So.” her voice echoed from inside. “I’m assuming you didn’t summon me just because you were lonely. Explain the situation properly.”

Lex leaned against the nearby counter.

“Well…” he began slowly. “It all started with a party invitation.”

As he explained everything—the Hellfire Club, the farmhouse, Azazel, the kidnapped girls, the underground facility—Sharon occasionally interrupted with short questions but mostly listened quietly.

Several minutes later she stepped back out.

Her armor had changed slightly. The heavier combat plating was gone now, leaving behind what looked more like a fitted tactical outfit mixed with casual clothing. The spear and shield remained, though both had altered designs too—sleeker, less overtly militaristic.

Even then, it still looked far too heroic for everyday life.

Lex stared at the outfit for a moment.

“…That still looks uncomfortable.”

Sharon looked down at herself.

“It’s comfortable enough.” she defended immediately. “And no, we are not doing a rushed shopping trip tonight. I haven’t gone shopping in years. When I do it properly, I’m enjoying it.”

Lex honestly couldn’t even argue against that.

Sharon then crossed her arms thoughtfully.

“Well, from what you described, you already know where they’re probably holding the girls.” she said seriously. “And you have possible enemy numbers too.”

She paced slowly around the room while thinking aloud.

“Normally I’d just gather my team and hit the base directly.” she admitted. “Fast, aggressive, overwhelming force. But right now we don’t have enough manpower for that approach.”

Her expression sharpened afterward.

“So we go subtle instead.”

Lex nodded slightly.

“Well my mother taught me a lot of things,” Sharon continued. “But strategy was probably the biggest one.”

Then she looked directly at him.

“So I’ll be honest. The smartest move is informing the X-Men or Charles Xevier.”

Lex hesitated slightly.

“…Charles Xavier?”

“Yeah.” Sharon nodded immediately. “You might not know much about him, but I do. If mutants are being kidnapped and experimented on, Xavier will absolutely send people.”

“Well…” Lex recalled slowly, “they did mention intercepting the girls before they reached Xavier.”

“There you go then.” Sharon replied instantly. “That means the X-Men were already involved somehow.”

She then added calmly:

“When you don’t have enough manpower, use other people’s.”

Lex quietly admitted that was annoyingly logical.

“And honestly?” Sharon continued. “Even the Brotherhood would probably oppose this. I don’t know much about your Hellfire Club yet, but mutant experimentation is exactly the kind of thing Magneto would lose his mind over.”

Of course, neither of them had any idea that Mystique had already bugged the room earlier.

Which meant the Brotherhood now knew two very important things.

The Hellfire Club was experimenting on mutants.

And Lex Everhart had somehow discovered it too.

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