"Devil, I command you in the name of God — stay away from this girl!"
In Kelly's bedroom on the Upper East Side.
In front of the Mysterious Files program team's live camera — with hundreds of thousands of people watching online — a priest held holy water in his left hand and a cross in his right, chanting an exorcism over Kelly.
Kelly, the girl at the center of it all, was trembling among a circle of burning candles.
Her parents, Kenny and his wife, stood nearby with anxious faces.
At the doorway—
"Alyssa, do you think Father Thomas can really do it?"
The producer asked as he watched Father Thomas muttering and gesturing with his cross.
"I don't know," Alyssa replied, frowning. "I'm just a host interested in the supernatural. I'm no theology student… I don't know how real exorcisms even work—"
Before she could finish, a sudden gust of cold wind swept through the room.
The flames of the candles flickered violently.
Sitting in the middle of the circle, Kelly's terrified eyes darted around the room.
"Quick, get this on camera!" Alyssa shouted, adrenaline surging.
The cameraman pushed forward, recording everything.
On the monitor, Kelly's face twisted in horror — and the candles went out all at once.
Everyone watching the live broadcast froze.
A chill seemed to pass through every viewer's room.
"It's fake. Must be a fan or air vent."
"Oh my God, that's terrifying… I need to pray."
"Wait, what ritual did she even play? Can it really summon the dead? I… kind of miss my grandpa…"
"Hey, what about the Blood Parrot Gang case— Your comment has been deleted. Account suspended 180 days."
While the internet erupted in comments, Kelly — once terrified — suddenly started laughing.
Her eerie, unnatural grin sent a shiver down the cameraman's spine.
Even he stepped back involuntarily.
Seeing Kelly's expression, Father Thomas immediately stepped forward, pressing the cross to her forehead.
"Evil spirit, I command you in the name of God — leave this girl's body!"
He splashed holy water on her face.
But the spirit didn't flinch. Instead, it sneered, its voice rough and mocking:
"God's believer? Ha… pathetic, pitiful creature."
A moment later, Kelly's body lifted into the air —
then flipped upside down, crawling across the ceiling like a spider.
"Oh, fu—"
Alyssa gasped, unable to hold back a curse.
The camera zoomed in — capturing Kelly's contorted, demonic face.
"Evil spirit! You dare blaspheme—"
Before Father Thomas could finish, Kelly's body snapped around.
Her mouth opened unnaturally wide — and she spat a stream of green fluid straight into the priest's face.
"Ha… ha ha ha…"
Kelly's possessed voice echoed in laughter.
Holy water for mucus — fair trade.
Before Father Thomas could even draw his Bible, an invisible force hurled him through the window.
Then the possessed Kelly turned her head toward the film crew.
The screen flickered — and the live broadcast suddenly cut to black.
Viewers panicked.
"Oh my God! Did the demon kill them?!"
"If that was real, I'm never sleeping again."
"God, save that poor girl!"
"It's too late! I'm moving out of New York tonight!"
"Even the priest failed! Are we all doomed?!"
The chaos online was instant. Over 70% of viewers believed the possession was real.
Inside Linen's Apartment
"Focus."
Linen patted Barbara on the head as she kneeled on the floor in front of the screen.
Static danced across the TV.
"Linen, do you think the crew's okay?" Jessica asked.
"No," Linen said calmly. "If Father Thomas hadn't splashed holy water in her face, she wouldn't have retaliated like that. I checked Kelly's place earlier — the evil aura wasn't strong. They won't die."
"No kidding… my mouth is sore."
Barbara groaned, rubbing her jaw, then sat on the couch. "Your turn, little brat."
"Heh, loser."
Jessica flipped her ponytail and gave Barbara the middle finger before walking over to Linen.
"By the way," Barbara said, "the price of those crafts ranges from ten cents to two dollars. Once our studio launches, I plan to mark them at twenty to seventy dollars."
"I checked — that range's totally acceptable."
"Of course," she smirked, "if a rich snob wants something special, I'll sell them those ten-dollar warehouse pieces for a few grand instead."
"Tsk, I call that smart pricing."
Linen chuckled, patting Jessica's head and giving Barbara a thumbs-up.
"And once we make money," Barbara continued, "I'm starting a charity fund."
Linen raised an eyebrow. "A charity fund?"
"Yeah! Every rich person in New York has one. It's the perfect tax shelter — donate ten grand, write off fifty. Totally legal."
She grinned. "And of course, I'll handle all the accounting myself."
Linen sighed. "Ahem…"
Jessica rolled her eyes, slapped his thigh, and went to grab her drink.
Suddenly, the TV flickered back to life.
The Mysterious Files team appeared again — standing outside Kelly's building, pale and terrified.
"Dear viewers," Alyssa said, trembling, "we just escaped the apartment. Our signal was interfered with… and the spirit possessing Kelly—"
"Look up!"
The cameraman shouted, pointing at the second-floor window.
Everyone turned.
Kelly stood there, pale and still, staring down at them — smiling that same horrifying smile.
Alyssa screamed.
That night, countless viewers couldn't sleep.
Some even hid under their blankets, convinced it would keep them safe — as if some ancient rule said ghosts couldn't touch you under the covers.
Well, Linen didn't sleep much either.
Not from fear — but because he was thinking about what to fabricate next.
There were too many choices.
He could make a video from the Avengers' perspective — or reveal a future event.
But what should he do next?
Morning sunlight slipped through the blinds, streaking across Linen's face.
He stretched lazily and pushed open the window.
"Hey, close that before you catch a cold," Barbara said as she walked in. "It's freezing out — minus 0.4 degrees. Broke the old record from 1888."
She closed the window and continued, "By the way — you're famous now. The whole internet's looking for you."
"Huh?" Linen blinked. "What happened?"
"That show last night! Mysterious Files! It exploded online. Sure, some think it's staged, but most people are terrified."
"And then, Tony Stark himself showed up on camera this morning — in full armor!"
Barbara handed him her phone. "See for yourself."
On screen, Tony Stark descended from the sky, landing right on top of a hot dog stand.
A nearby reporter sprinted over, camera in hand.
"Mr. Stark, what do you think about last night's Mysterious Files broadcast?"
Tony took a bite of his hot dog, wearing shades.
"Of course I believe in supernatural stuff," he said casually. "That show didn't scare me. I've seen worse."
"Mr. Stark, can you elaborate?"
"Not really," Tony said with a grin. "Privacy and all that. But yeah — ghosts exist. I mean, we believe in God, right? If God's real, why not ghosts?"
The reporter's eyes lit up. "Then what about the girl, Kelly, who was possessed last night?"
Tony paused, looked straight into the camera.
"No offense to Father Thomas, but priests can't handle every supernatural mess."
He winked. "If you want to save that girl, tell her parents to find a young man named Linen. I've seen his work — he's the real deal."
"If anyone can deal with spirits, it's him."
Then he put on his helmet, flew up —
and a second later, came flying back down.
"Mr. Stark! Anything else to add?"
"Yeah," Tony said, handing cash to the hot dog vendor. "Forgot to pay. Keep the change."
And with that, Iron Man blasted into the sky again.
Barbara grinned as Linen set down the phone.
"See? Tony Stark just gave you the best marketing in the world. The whole internet's hunting for you now."
"When the hype peaks — that's when you'll make your grand appearance."
She rubbed her hands eagerly. "I've gotta talk to our suppliers. Sales are gonna explode."
Then she hurried out the door.
Linen sighed, grabbed his breakfast, and sat down to read the morning news.
"…Why do I suddenly feel like a gigolo?"
He shook the thought off.
Then came a noise outside.
He opened the door — and froze.
Countless reporters and camera crews filled the street.
At that moment, Linen fully realized just how terrifying Tony Stark's influence really was.
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