Chapter 114: Runic Barriers
Nick Fury didn't hide anything and nodded directly:
"Correct. While processing the A.I.M. base, our people found some shell casings with the Stark Industries logo.
So, I suspect that the person who rescued Tony Stark from the Ten Rings, altered your memories, and burned down the entire A.I.M. base is this George, who has no records whatsoever.
Or perhaps, it's a mysterious organization we don't know about, represented by this George."
"Director, we still haven't found any information on him?"
Coulson's face showed a look of surprise.
If it was understandable that they couldn't find George's information in the database before, it was now unbelievable that, after extensive investigations, S.H.I.E.L.D. still hadn't uncovered any details about George.
With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s capabilities, as long as they wanted to investigate, even someone with dozens of fake identities could be traced.
"Nothing. This guy seems to have appeared out of thin air, with no clues at all.
Last night, I met with Tony Stark, but I couldn't get any information about him either."
Nick Fury's expression was serious:
"So, from now on, you two will stop all your current tasks and focus entirely on memory recovery treatment."
A sudden, uncontrollable, and unknown organization with extraordinary abilities, capable of altering memories, couldn't be left unchecked.
He needed to quickly figure out their origins and their purpose in getting close to Tony Stark.
Two weeks later.
With the help of various black technologies, professional psychologists, and hypnotists, Coulson and Black Widow finally managed to recover some of their lost memories.
"So, he's a mutant created by A.I.M. No wonder we couldn't find any information."
Combining Coulson and Black Widow's descriptions with the intelligence S.H.I.E.L.D. had previously gathered about A.I.M., Director Nick Fury pieced together the general sequence of events.
George was a mutant created by A.I.M., but he later broke free from their control, escaped the base with a group of young mutants, and found Wolverine, who had been missing for years.
With Wolverine's help, they fled to New York, then went to Afghanistan to rescue Tony Stark, and with Tony's assistance, destroyed the entire A.I.M. base.
Of course, many details were still unclear, such as how George and the others found Tony Stark in Afghanistan.
But the general picture seemed to fit.
When it came to mutants and superpowers, many things couldn't be explained by conventional logic.
"Coulson, you'll continue to be responsible for Tony Stark and assess his suitability for the Avengers Initiative."
In the director's office, Nick Fury assigned tasks to Coulson before turning to Black Widow:
"Your mission is to locate where George, Wolverine, and those mutants are hiding in New York. We can't let a group of superpowered mutants roam freely."
Originally, he had considered assigning Black Widow to handle Tony Stark, but since Tony might have already met her, sending her could cause unnecessary friction.
Instead, the more amiable Coulson was a better fit, especially since he had already established a good rapport with Tony.
As for George and Wolverine's group of mutants, although they hadn't caused any major issues so far, such unpredictable elements needed to be monitored and controlled.
Otherwise, if something unexpected happened, he wouldn't be able to manage the situation effectively.
Meanwhile, at the Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach, Wolverine puffed on a cigar as he watched George writing strange symbols on the school walls. He couldn't help but ask:
"What are you doing?"
"Setting up runic barriers."
George didn't look back as he continued drawing.
Wolverine was completely baffled:
"What's a runic barrier?"
"Even if I explain, you won't understand. Just think of it as a special ability to protect the school from intruders.
Isn't it almost time for your history class? Shouldn't you head over?"
George waved him off dismissively. Wolverine didn't mind and stubbed out his cigar before hurrying off to teach the kids.
After his recent experiences, Wolverine had grown fond of teaching history to the children at the school.
With Wolverine out of his hair, George sped up his work on the runic barriers.
Levy's Script Magic had been one of his main focuses of study recently.
Unlike other magics, which mostly required self-study, Script Magic allowed him to seek guidance from Levy, who was always willing to help.
Unlike other mages who were often out on missions for weeks at a time, Levy, like George, spent most of her time in the library, accumulating magical knowledge.
This made it easier for George to consult her regularly.
The difficulty of learning Script Magic lay in the accumulation of magical knowledge, an area where George had been diligent since joining Fairy Tail, making it easier for him to get started.
In contrast, despite frequently seeking advice from Erza, he still hadn't made much progress in Requip Magic since returning from the mission in Crocus.
However, during his studies with Levy, George focused less on the three-dimensional aspects of Script Magic and more on runic scripts.
Script Magic was mainly divided into three-dimensional scripts, runic scripts, dark scripts, and demonic scripts.
Typically, the library contained information on three-dimensional and runic scripts, while dark and demonic scripts, being forbidden magics, were absent.
Three-dimensional scripts involved making text appear in three dimensions to produce effects in combat.
For example, writing "fire" would manifest flames, "wind" would create gusts, and "silence" would mute the surroundings.
However, because the effects were so varied, enhancing the power of each manifestation was challenging. Even after years of study, Levy was only at an intermediate level.
George felt that many of these effects could be replicated using his existing spells, so he preferred to focus on runic scripts first, leaving three-dimensional scripts for later.
Runic scripts, unlike three-dimensional scripts, were difficult to use immediately in combat but had powerful effects.
They involved writing magical runes containing specific rules on any surface or in space. Once completed, the runes would form an invisible barrier.
If someone entered the area covered by the runes, the rules would automatically activate, and the barrier would be difficult to break by force. Only those who met the conditions set by the runes could pass through.
However, because the runes had to be written precisely, any mistake or alteration would render the rules ineffective or even rewrite them to benefit the intruder.
(End of Chapter)