Marvel: Silver Hand

Alexander moved like a phantom in the night, his form flickering as he sprinted towards the Smith Foundation building at impossible speed. The world around him blurred, the cityscape melting away as he focused on his target.

The rage in his heart burned hotter than ever before.

He reached the towering structure in mere seconds, staring up at its glass exterior. He didn't hesitate—his fingers curled into claws, wraith energy crackling around his hands as he dug them into the wall. With terrifying speed, he climbed, his body propelled by sheer fury.

Within moments, he was at the top, his grey eyes locking onto Ryan's office. Through the glass, he saw her.

Emma.

She was bound to a chair, her platinum hair matted with blood. Her face—once elegant and composed—was swollen and bruised, deep purple marks marring her skin. Blood dripped from her split lip, her head slumped forward as if she was unconscious.

The sight sent a fresh wave of wrath through Alexander's veins.

Ryan.

Without hesitation, he launched himself forward, shattering the glass as he burst into the office. Shards rained down like deadly raindrops, but he paid them no mind. He landed in a crouch, his breathing heavy, his hands tightening into fists.

He moved to Emma's side immediately, kneeling in front of her. His fingers brushed against her cheek, his touch careful despite the fury coursing through him.

"Emma," he said, his voice rough, urgent.

She stirred, a soft groan escaping her lips before her swollen eyes fluttered open. When she saw him, her expression brightened with relief. "You're… alive…"

"Of course I am," he muttered, quickly undoing the restraints. "What the hell happened?"

Emma winced as she tried to move. "Ryan… has an amulet… It blocks my telepathy. I couldn't control his mind. And when he figured it out… he—" Her voice broke for a moment, but she quickly composed herself. "He beat me. Then he sent his men to my penthouse."

Alexander clenched his jaw, his entire body trembling. That bastard.

Emma grabbed his wrist, her fingers weak but urgent. "Ryan doesn't know you're alive. We can still get out of here."

Before he could respond, a slow, mocking clap filled the air.

Alexander turned his head, his fury solidifying into something deadly as Ryan walked into the office.

"Welcome, nephew," Ryan smirked, his sharp suit pristine, untouched by the violence he had orchestrated. "I thought you were dead. Didn't Vanessa slit your throat?"

Something inside Alexander snapped.

A firestorm of rage erupted within him—an anger even deeper than what he felt for Vanessa. Ryan stood there, so calm, so smug like none of this meant anything. Like his mother, sister and aunt's deaths meant nothing.

Alexander's vision burned red.

"You're going to die here," he growled, rising to his feet. "Just like Vanessa."

Ryan's smirk widened. "You can try."

Alexander didn't wait.

He surged forward, his body propelled by an explosion of wraith energy. He slammed into Ryan with the force of a wrecking ball, sending him flying through the wall. The impact shattered drywall and glass as Ryan tumbled through the building, crashing through furniture and steel beams until he finally stopped himself.

Ryan wiped the blood from his lip and chuckled. "You've gotten stronger." His eyes gleamed with intrigue. "Where'd you get this power?"

"You don't need to know."

He lunged.

His first punch connected with Ryan's face, a brutal wraith-infused blow that sent his head snapping back. Ryan staggered but quickly retaliated, his fist slamming into Alexander's jaw. The impact barely registered.

They collided again—two storms of raw power, fists meeting flesh, bones breaking under pressure. But Ryan was losing.

Alexander was simply stronger.

He grabbed Ryan by the throat and slammed him into the ground, creating a crater in the office floor. Ryan gasped for breath, his smirk finally faltering.

"This…" he coughed, spitting blood. "This wasn't how it was supposed to go."

Then, his hand shot into his coat, pulling out a gleaming amulet.

Alexander froze.

The moment the amulet was revealed, his body locked up. He felt it instantly—the divine power within, a familiar presence, yet wrong.

Eldrborinn.

But it was corrupted, twisted into something sinister. The flames inside the amulet flickered like dying embers, but their heat burned into Alexander's very soul.

Pain erupted through his body.

He collapsed to his knees, his veins darkening as the corrupted divine power tried to consume him.

Ryan smirked, bringing the amulet closer. "What's wrong?" he sneered. "Too weak?"

He didn't understand. He thought the amulet was just magic. He had no idea what he was holding.

And as Alexander struggled, Ryan continued to talk.

He described everything.

How he had killed Alexander's mother. How he had laughed as she begged for her son's life. How he had personally butchered his aunt, how her screams had echoed through the halls.

Alexander's fingers clawed at the ground.

His breathing grew ragged.

The darkness was winning.

Celebrimbor's voice echoed in his mind, but even he was powerless against this divine corruption.

And then—

Ryan turned to Emma.

He raised the amulet, its flames growing stronger. "Maybe I should kill her next," he mused. "I wonder how loud she'll scream."

That was it.

The final straw.

Something deep inside Alexander snapped.

The amulet was ripped from Ryan's grasp, flying into Alexander's hands as the flames within answered him. The corrupted divine power was his now, absorbed, merging with the pure power he had received from Eldrborinn.

His body changed.

The shapeshifting magic faded away. His true form returned—his black hair shifting into a living inferno, his eyes molten gold, burning with divine rage.

Ryan staggered back, horror creeping into his features. "What the fuck are you?!"

He tried to summon the amulet back. It didn't move.

Alexander stepped forward, his power suffocating the room.

Ryan ran.

It didn't matter.

Alexander opened a portal to Eldrborinn's realm and threw him inside.

Then, he turned to Emma.

For a brief moment, a twisted thought entered his mind. Kill her.

His fingers twitched.

But before he could move, Celebrimbor slammed into his mind, throwing all of his will against the corruption.

Together, they fought.

The divine power raged, but Alexander pushed back. The amulet's taint was stripped from his soul, leaving him weakened but himself again.

Emma collapsed, unconscious.

Alexander didn't hesitate.

He picked her up and stepped into the portal.

Eldrborinn's Realm

The volcanic wasteland stretched before him, the air thick with heat. The peak of the volcano loomed in the distance, where Vanessa's charred corpse still lay.

Ryan tried to run, but there was nowhere to go.

Alexander raised his hand, and the molten rock obeyed. Chains of magma erupted from the ground, wrapping around Ryan's limbs, burning into his flesh. He screamed, but Alexander wasn't done.

Turann appeared in his grasp.

He swung.

Ryan's left arm exploded into a spray of blood.

Another swing—his right arm was gone.

Another—his legs shattered.

Ryan sobbed, his entire body shaking. "I— I did everything right!" he wailed.

Alexander's expression was cold. "Then why are you on your knees?"

He brought Turann down—destroying Ryan's genitals. The man's screams turned into gurgled whimpers.

Then, Alexander grabbed his face and began punching. Again. And again. And again.

By the time he stopped, Ryan's skull was barely recognizable.

With one final act, he tossed both Ryan and Vanessa's bodies into the heart of the volcano.

And then, using all of his remaining power, he sealed the amulet inside the molten depths of the volcano forever.

Exhausted, Alexander collapsed into a meditative state.

As he drifted into darkness, he gave one last command.

"Celebrimbor… watch over Emma. Wake me when she does."