Finney Hellseg, wearing the 'Possessed by Evil' amulet, finally met with Nick Fury after completing his preparations.
With his current strength—enhanced by magic and the [Golden Grand Evolution Technique]—wearing the amulet for an entire day was no longer a burden, provided he didn't engage in combat or use invisibility.
As he followed Fury into the massive underground facility researching the Tesseract, Finney couldn't help but whistle in appreciation. "Your S.H.I.E.L.D. is seriously loaded!"
He felt a pang of regret for his previous lack of ambition. If he had known the budget was this massive, he would have demanded 100 million a day and negotiated from there.
Nick Fury ignored him, but a woman walking beside the Director looked at Finney with curiosity. "The budget is high, but the work here is grueling," she noted.
Finney turned to look at her. Maria Hill, Fury's right hand.
"You can call me the Silver Mage," Finney introduced himself politely as they shook hands. Even though his combat style was becoming more like a knight—and he even had a mount now—he was stubborn about his identity. In his heart, he was a Mage, through and through.
"Silver Mage? Shouldn't it be Silver Knight?" Hill asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No. I just look like a knight. Professionally, I am a Mage. Thank you!" Finney's impression of Hill was already better than Black Widow; she was an agent, but she didn't feel like she was constantly trying to dissect his soul.
Fury had known about the "Mage" title for a while, but unlike Tony Stark, he didn't care about the semantics. He just assumed it was a weird personal preference.
"Come on. I've arranged your quarters. I also need to introduce you to the team," Fury said.
As they descended deeper, Finney scanned the fighter jets and armored units, wondering if he'd ever get his hands on a spaceship.
"This is your room," Fury said, pointing to a well-furnished suite. Then, he led him to an elderly man. "This is Dr. Erik Selvig, the lead on the Tesseract project."
"The Silver Knight!" Selvig exclaimed. Finney had been active long before Thor arrived, so even the scientists recognized his silhouette.
"I'd prefer 'Mage', Dr. Selvig. Good to meet you." Finney looked at the old man, remembering that in the original timeline, this guy eventually ended up running around naked.
Next to the doctor stood a man with a bow, his eyes sharp and scrutinizing.
"Clint Barton," the archer said, extending a hand. "I know you. The world's strongest superhero."
"Unfortunately, I'm neither the strongest nor a superhero," Finney replied, shaking his hand. "And I can't give you my name. Just call me the Silver Mage."
"Why Mage?" Barton asked, mirroring Hill's confusion.
"Because I know magic!" Finney explained flatly. He didn't want his future colleagues to get the wrong idea. Barton, being a professional, controlled his curiosity and didn't push further.
After the introductions, Fury led Finney directly into the heart of the facility: the experimental area. There, sitting atop a complex device, was a glowing, pale blue cube.
The Tesseract.
This was the second Infinity Stone Finney had encountered. He had seen the Time Stone with the Ancient One, but he had never been allowed to observe it up close. He couldn't help but step closer, drawn to the humming power of the Space Stone.
"Agent Hill will stay here to manage the base. Tell her if you need anything," Fury said, preparing to leave.
"Got it," Finney said casually, secretly hoping Fury would hurry up and go.
As he approached the cube, the researchers—who were clearly just pretending to work while sneaking glances at him—made way for his demonic-looking armored figure.
"The Tesseract is vital to Earth's future," Fury instructed solemnly. "Protect it."
"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Finney reassured him. Usually, Loki wasn't due for another year, and Asgard wasn't in a rush to take it back. Everything should have been quiet.
But Finney had forgotten one thing: wherever he went, "normal" didn't exist.
As he leaned in to inspect the glowing blue light, he realized it was getting brighter. Much brighter.
"What's happening?!" Fury shouted from across the room, his hand flying to his holster.
Selvig rushed to the monitors, Hill followed, and Barton drew an arrow, scanning for threats. Finney sensed the danger and tried to back away, but he felt a strange, invisible constraint locking him in place.
Then, a small, childish voice echoed in the back of his mind:
"Huh!?"
In a flash, a blinding azure light consumed his vision. Gravity vanished. Finney felt his body floating into a void. He could hear Fury's muffled cursing, but it sounded miles away.
As the light swallowed him whole, only one thought remained:
I've been played!!!
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(End of Chapter)