Thank you legends for your support and contribution.
Thanks to[joshawa brooks] for subscribing to my $9 tier!
If you're feeling generous, here's the link: patreon.com/Eden_Translation. I'm back to 60, thanks for keeping me afloat, folks! 🤧
*****
{Chapter: 96 Shadows And Sting of the Widow}
"What is this?" she finally asked, tilting her head slightly. "No g-forces. No wind drag. My hair's not even moving."
"Is this your ability? This layer of energy feels so special" Natasha curiously asked. 'Did Aiden devour another special ability? However, I had not heard anything about Aiden except… him going on a trip out of earth.'
"Green Lantern energy," Aiden replied, lifting his hand to show her the ring. "This is called the power ring. The primary function of the Power Ring is to provide a weapon capable of transforming the wearer's thoughts into physical constructs through the wearer's strength of willpower. It lets me turn thought into matter—constructs made of willpower. A Green Lantern can create any particular item or construct that they can imagine as long as they have the willpower necessary to will it into existence."
"Green Lantern? Power ring?" she murmured, brushing her fingers against the glow. "Not from Earth, are they?"
"No. But then again, neither are half the things I've tangled with lately."
She gave a low chuckle. "I know the feeling. Once, I infiltrated a Hydra base that was secretly a front for an Alien research station. Still haven't told anyone. Fury would've had a stroke."
"I'm surprised anything surprises you anymore."
"Oh, I'm rarely surprised. But I do get curious."
Their destination came into view below—a rundown hotel on the edge of the city, the kind where lights flickered and nothing good ever happened after dark.
"You've been quiet about where you've been," Natasha added softly, not looking at him. "You left Earth for... what? A vacation?"
"I needed perspective. And power. A lot has changed since I was last here."
"I can see that," she said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied the ring again. "This energy… it's cleaner than anything I've felt. Controlled. Efficient. It's not just brute strength—it responds to your thoughts."
"Exactly," he said as they gently descended behind the building. "That's why we're going in directly. No more creeping around."
Natasha smirked. "You just gave me flashbacks to Budapest."
"Oh? How was that?"
"Let's just say I prefer a rooftop to a ring. But... I'm starting to like the upgrade."
They approached the hotel's side entrance. The car they'd followed was parked out front. Aiden adjusted his jacket. Natasha rolled her shoulders like a predator warming up before the kill.
"You want to go in quiet or loud?" he asked.
She gave him a grin that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I was trained to be the shadow in the corner of your eye. But tonight, I feel like being the storm."
"Then let's crash their party."
She moved beside him, pulling a small concealed blade from under her belt, even though she likely wouldn't need it. "You take the lead. I'll follow. Just don't expect me to play damsel."
Originally Natasha was ready to work her ass off but now that Aiden is here she is more confident in doing something more bold and direct.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
They stepped through the side door, shadows trailing behind them.
The two of them—Aiden and Natasha—stepped into the dimly lit lobby of the small roadside hotel. It reeked of mildew and cheap cologne. A neon "Vacancy" sign blinked lazily outside the smudged glass windows, casting a flickering red hue across the faded wallpaper. The place was quiet—too quiet.
They moved in sync, arms linked as if they were lovers on a getaway, but their eyes said otherwise. Both were scanning their surroundings, their steps quiet, deliberate.
Natasha's eyes narrowed. "Room 204. End of the hallway, right side."
"You sure?" Aiden whispered, watching her with curiosity.
She tapped her temple. "Thermal trace on the door, three warm bodies inside. One of them just moved to the window."
Aiden gave a low whistle. "Impressive. Do you always bring high-end spy gear on casual nights out?"
Natasha didn't answer. She simply pulled him by the arm and led him to the stairwell. As they climbed, the silence between them was a cocktail of tension and anticipation.
At the second floor landing, they reached the door.
Aiden cocked his head. "Do you think they'll actually open the door?"
Natasha gave him a flat look. "You ask a lot of dumb questions."
"Hey," Aiden whispered with a half-grin, "if I weren't here, you'd still be lurking in a ventilation shaft wondering how to break in silently. I bring style."
She rolled her eyes. "You bring noise."
And then, she knocked.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound echoed down the hallway. Inside the room, hurried shuffling. Then an angry voice barked, "Who the hell is it?!"
Natasha didn't respond. She knocked again, harder this time. Her face was calm, unreadable.
Footsteps approached.
The door creaked open.
A man peered out with a suspicious glare—tall, thin, dark circles under his eyes. He didn't even get the words out before Natasha struck.
She grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and with a seamless spin, flipped him hard to the floor. The impact knocked the air out of him. Her knee was on his chest before he could even groan.
He blacked out within seconds.
Aiden gave a low laugh from behind. "You never do foreplay."
"There's no fun in warning shots," she replied coolly, standing up and scanning the room.
Inside, chaos erupted.
The second man, burlier than the first, stood up from the bed and yanked a strange black rod from a duffel bag. His hand gripped it tight. The moment he made contact, his demeanor changed—his eyes sharpened, pupils dilated, and an aura of rage surrounded him.
Aiden could feel it from across the room. The atmosphere grew heavier. He stiffened. "That thing?"
"Emotion stick. Psychomancer tech," Natasha muttered as she moved.
The man roared and charged, swinging the weapon wildly.
Natasha ducked low, bracing one hand on the floor. With perfect control, she twisted her body and launched her leg upward—her boot connected with the man's wrist in a precise strike.
The rod flew into the air.
She caught it effortlessly.
"Mine now," she muttered.
With the stick in her grip, her eyes glowed violet for a moment. Power coursed through her arm. She gritted her teeth, trying to resist it.
But rage flared in her veins.
She screamed—not in fear, but war cry—and struck.
The rod cracked across the man's shoulder with brutal precision, and before he could react, she spun and landed a clean kick under his jaw. His body lifted from the floor, suspended in air for a heartbeat.
Then she finished it.
A roundhouse kick slammed into his gut, launching him backward into the wall with a loud crash. He slumped down, unconscious and bleeding from the mouth.
The last person—a woman—watched in horror.
Natasha turned to her like a predator.
The woman panicked. She bolted toward the hallway.
Natasha started after her, muscles coiled like a spring—but then stopped.
Her fingers tightened around the rod. Her teeth gritted. She trembled slightly, violet still flickering in her irises. Natasha snorted and chased after her but suddenly stopped.
"Catch her! Hurry!"
But Aiden didn't move.
Instead, he approached her slowly. The woman outside was dragging one of the unconscious men toward the stairs, tears in her eyes, muttering to herself in some language Aiden didn't understand. She glanced back once—then fled into the night.
Boom!
With a thought, Aiden used a surge of telekinetic force to shove the other man still on the floor out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The room was now empty except for him and Natasha.
He turned to her.
Her chest was rising and falling. Her hands shook. Her jaw was tight.
"Let me go," she growled, eyes blazing. "I can still catch them."
"Natasha," Aiden said softly, "you're being manipulated. That rod—one of its functions is to amplify base emotions. Anger, especially."
"Shut up and move!" She lunged.
He blocked her with a glowing green shield, the familiar light of the Power Ring enveloping his hand.
Her fist slammed against it. Sparks of green and violet danced in the air.
"You're not thinking clearly," Aiden said, his voice gentle but firm. "You're stronger than this. You know better than to lose control in the field."
"Don't tell me what I know!" she roared.
Aiden stepped in, catching her wrist as she raised the staff again.
"Sorry," he whispered, "but I promised I would lead the mission."
With a twist and a glow of emerald energy, he disarmed her. The rod clattered to the ground and rolled to a stop near the overturned nightstand.
Natasha dropped to her knees.
*****
You can support me by joining my Patreon and get upto 60 chapters in advance.
patreon.com/Eden_Translation