According to John Austin, "Law is an aggregate of rules set by men who are politically superior, or sovereign, to men who are politically subject." Austin also states, "A law is a command which obliges a person or persons to a course of conduct."
Currently, in a non-lethal domain of a cursed spirit born from the fear of law enforcement, Ethan would agree with the sentiment.
In recent years, Ethan had come to the Western Seaboard multiple times to perform exorcisms. Ethan's view of Los Angeles was that it was superficial, insincere, and the "worst city in the world," filled with self-absorbed influencers.
Though he came back every chance he got, he enjoyed the view from Santa Monica more than he cared to admit.
Everywhere in the world a sorcerer visits, they encounter non-sorcerers with non-grade curses attached to them. It is impractical to exorcise every non-grade curse one sees, but it is no less unsettling.
Ethan had traveled to cities all over the world, but even then, Los Angeles was a different beast. Here, every person he came across had at least two non-grade cursed spirits attached to them, with the number sometimes reaching eight—or even ten.
Normally, non-grade curses or even Grade 1 curses would flee if he was in the vicinity and released his cursed energy. Special Grades, however, would immediately know his location.
That was why Ethan actively modulated his cursed energy to a low, stable level using specialized seals, making it appear as if he possessed only one-tenth of his actual capacity.
After the December 26th incident, this process became passive with Tora's help. After extensively studying the Ancient Boat, a cursed tool capable of completely masking cursed energy and shikigami, they managed—after countless failures—to create a perfected mobile seal inspired by Domain Amplification.
Though the seal could not be applied to most of his shikigami, there were exceptions—Chimera Raiju and Rabbit Escape, due to their size.
Now, Raiju's strikes were invisible to cursed spirits as well as fellow sorcerers and he appears to be someone with zero Cursed energy, though he can't bypass certain barriers unlike Toji Fushiguro or a fully realised Maki.
Ethan had come to the Western Seaboard after receiving reports of a reconnaissance team going MIA, later found dismembered. There was no confirmation regarding the curse's level—or whether there was one curse or multiple powerful curses working together, similar to the Colombia incident during the winter of 2003.
What was most unusual was the absence of any cursed energy signature. Stronger curses never erase their signatures—they find it degrading to their prowess.
But now Ethan understood.
The absence of cursed energy was part of the curse's technique: a non-lethal domain that enforced non-violence on all parties—similar to Hiromi Higuruma's domain, but far darker in tone.
Ethan had never been inside a non-lethal domain before—especially one that enforced non-violence.
He was excited.
Ethan Park could not use his Domain Expansion, as that would be considered "violence" by the cursed spirit's domain.
Unlike Higuruma's domain, however, the shikigami acting as the judge was not Judgeman, but Lady Justice.
Ethan remembered the origins of Lady Justice—derived from the Roman goddess Justitia, representing the moral force of the judicial system, and the Greek goddess Themis, symbolizing law, order, and justice.
She evolved from ancient mythological personifications of fairness, introduced formally by the Romans under Emperor Augustus. Now, however, this distorted incarnation of Lady Justice presided over the cursed spirit's domain.
Ethan had many questions.
Would she still represent moral impartiality—the blindfold symbolizing fairness and justice without regard to wealth, power, or status?
Or would she be biased toward the cursed spirit to which she was bound?
She still held scales to weigh evidence, and a sword to represent the power of law.
Ethan wouldn't have to wait long for answers.
The "Court of Conviction" was now in session.
For the first time, getting a clear look at the cursed spirit standing opposite him, Ethan was reminded of a conversation he had had two weeks earlier with Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D., about protecting the organization from Calamities.
Ethan had told Coulson nothing about cursed spirits—or sorcerers, for that matter.
His reasons were simple: cursed spirits are composed entirely of cursed energy and are invisible to non-sorcerers.
Additionally, Ethan did not yet possess specialized cursed glasses, which were surprisingly difficult to manufacture—even for Tora. These glasses would allow non-sorcerers or those with low cursed energy to see and hear curses.
Sorcerers from Kamar-Taj used spells equivalent to Veils from Jujutsu Kaisen to hide their battles from public view. When damage occurred, cover-ups usually involved excuses such as gas leaks or criminal activity. In extreme cases, the Runes of Kof-Kol were used to erase public memory—similar to Doctor Strange's spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but without the catastrophic failure.
Sorcerer society was structured to keep common people unaware, partly because knowledge of curses could theoretically cause even more powerful curses to manifest from fear. While graded curses were common in areas filled with negative emotions, they remained localized or hidden.
A normal person could only see a curse in a life-or-death situation that forced them to experience overwhelming negative energy.
Two Weeks Earlier:
Agent Phil Coulson & Ethan Park
The hallway smelled faintly of disinfectant and burnt coffee. It wasn't that Ethan couldn't afford a better place—the money he earned hunting curses was more than enough. He simply preferred simplicity over extravagance. Besides this was a temporary residence specially for this meeting.
Agent Phil Coulson stood outside Apartment 3F, posture relaxed, hands visible, no weapon drawn. He checked his watch once before knocking—measured and polite.
The door opened almost immediately.
A teenage boy stood there wearing a hoodie and expensive sneakers, earbuds hanging loosely around his neck. He looked like any other New York kid—except for his eyes. Too mature.
"Yes?" the boy asked.
"Ethan Park?" Coulson said.
"That depends," Ethan replied. "Who's asking?"
Coulson slowly produced his badge.
"Agent Phil Coulson. Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."
Ethan stared at the badge—not in awe, not in fear—just recognition.
Huh. So this is how it starts.
A flash of memory surfaced. Another life. Another world. A couch. A glowing TV screen.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Season one was shaky. Season four? Phenomenal. Ghost Rider alone carried it.
And Coulson—
You were supposed to be dead. Tahiti. Magical resurrection. Decent arc.
He pushed the thought aside.
"That's a mouthful," Ethan said. "You want to come in, or are we doing this in the hallway?"
Coulson smiled faintly. "Inside would be preferable."
Ethan stepped aside.
The apartment was small but orderly. High school books were stacked neatly on a table. A backpack rested by the couch. No signs of weapons, traps, or hurried escape.
"You live here alone?" Coulson asked.
"Mostly," Ethan said. "My mom's… away."
That was a whole other can of worms.
Over the years following the December 26th incident, Ethan had gone on various expeditions to exorcise Grade 1 curses or, occasionally, weaker Special Grades.
But during these missions, he wasn't always alone—reconnaissance teams, fellow hunters—and soon the truth of his prowess spread among sorcerers. The Ancient One used to personally assign him missions.
After her encounter with that octopus cursed spirit, however, she had been… restless, if that was the right word—hunting curses day and night. She had done so before, but never at this intensity. Ethan tried asking her if anything was wrong, but she didn't share her concerns with him.
Maybe it was because of that cursed binding vow…? He didn't know.
Coulson nodded, filing it away.
He gestured toward the table. "May I sit?"
Ethan shrugged. "Sure. Tea?"
He offered, and Tora used a Transmutation spell to manifest a hot, boiling teacup on the dining-room table as Coulson looked around the apartment. Coulson picked up the cup with a confused expression—he hadn't seen it there before—but didn't question it and sat down.
"So," he began, calm and measured as he took a sip, "you were recently involved in an incident at a convenience store."
Ethan leaned against the counter. "Incident, huh? That's one word for it."
"We saw the security footage, Ethan," Coulson said. "Two armed suspects were immobilized in less than a second, with no injuries. You walked away."
"They were amateurs—from the way their hands were shaking," Ethan replied. "Probably meth heads. Bad footwork. Worse trigger discipline."
Ethan had gone to the corner store by chance to buy cold drinks, though he had been pleasantly surprised to meet a very pregnant lady. He had even joked with her about finding a better man to carry her shopping bags.
Coulson raised an eyebrow. "That's an unusual observation for someone your age.
Ethan, are you Enhanced?"
Ethan smirked. "'Enhanced,' huh… like Captain America?"
He knew Coulson was a die-hard Captain America fan—that was why he invoked the name.
Silence hung for a moment until Coulson cleared his throat.
"Ethan," Coulson said, "I need to ask you directly—what specialized equipment or…
abilities did you use during the armed robbery incident? Because from what we saw in the footage, it's clear that you knew what you were doing. You even… waved at the end."
And here it comes…
Ethan tilted his head. "You mean powers?"
Coulson didn't answer. To him, the pinnacle of strength and power had always been Captain America. He had seen all the old World War II footage and movies involving the Captain. He even collected vintage Captain America cards—he almost had a full set, only a few missing.
But even Captain America couldn't outrun a bullet.
"Yes… powers. Superspeed, at the very least. Ethan, before we go further with this conversation, I'd like to tell you something about S.H.I.E.L.D., if I may," the agent added.
Ethan nodded. "Go ahead."
He knew what S.H.I.E.L.D. was. HYDRA was wearing it like a skin—for now.
Still, Ethan wouldn't interrupt a proper introduction.
"The principle S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded upon was pure," Coulson said.
"Protection. One word. Sometimes to protect a man against himself… other times to protect the planet from an alien invasion from another universe. It's a broad job description. We keep enhanced individuals such as yourself on the Index."
"A list?" Ethan cut in.
He knew exactly what the Index was, no matter how they tried to glamorize it—a comprehensive, classified registry maintained by S.H.I.E.L.D. listing individuals and objects possessing superpowers, enhanced abilities, or deemed dangerous.
Coulson stiffened. He knew people didn't like being put on a list, but it was a necessary measure—especially after his last mission in Bahrain.
Melinda May and Phil Coulson had led a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission in Manama, Bahrain, to locate a gifted individual named Eva Belyakov, who possessed enhanced strength and durability. She had taken agents hostage and was later revealed to be under the thrall of her own child, Katya Belyakov.
May had been forced to kill the child to save fellow agents, causing severe psychological trauma. It transformed her from the warm agent Coulson once knew into the withdrawn "Cavalry," leading to her retirement from field duty and reassignment to a desk job.
"A list of people S.H.I.E.L.D. protects," Coulson argued.
But Ethan had had enough of the charade.
"Protect?" Ethan said. "Protect from whom? You misunderstood, Agent Coulson. This meeting isn't happening because I need protection. It's happening for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sake."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s?" Coulson asked cautiously. "And what are you going to protect us from?"
He knew even normal people could become megalomaniacs after encountering power.
Has this child been lost too?
"From yourself, of course," Ethan said calmly. "But now isn't the time yet…"
Indeed, the two greatest threats S.H.I.E.L.D. would face—the Chitauri invasion and HYDRA—would come from within.
"But when the time comes, when you need an extraordinary solution, here's how you contact me."
Tora manifested an antique wooden box containing a cursed tool—Hiraishin—which they had been developing. It allowed for long-distance instantaneous teleportation, using principles derived from Simple Domain and Rabbit Escape.
The kunai was imprinted through the sacrifice of a Rabbit Escape shikigami and activated a Simple Domain Ethan could sense—theoretically from galaxies away—allowing teleportation via Shadow Manipulation.
As soon as Agent Coulson touched the kunai, clearly bewildered by its sudden appearance, Ethan vanished from the apartment, leaving only an echo behind.
"When calamity comes, throw the kunai on the ground, Agent Coulson—and I will appear too."
Coulson sat there for a full minute, absorbing what had just happened.
Maybe he should have stayed a history professor.
He picked up the wooden box and left the apartment, muttering under his breath,
"Tsk… didn't even get to ask if 9/11 was an inside job."
Ethan would know—after all, he stopped it… right?
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