Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

"Are you certain those were his exact words?"

Coulson stood frozen for several long seconds before finally speaking.

"Anyone who would say something like that... and the organization it represents... should have been wiped out decades ago."

"Cut off one head. Two more shall take its place."

The motto belonged to Hydra.

For as long as S.H.I.E.L.D. had existed, Hydra had been its shadow.

The roots of both organizations stretched back to ancient civilizations, but they had become infamous during the Second World War.

Hydra, led by Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull, had begun as a secret division within Nazi Germany before breaking away in pursuit of its own ambitions. Armed with the power of the Tesseract, Schmidt had sought to conquer the world.

To stop him, the Allies formed the Strategic Scientific Reserve and created the world’s first Super Soldier.

Captain America ultimately defeated the Red Skull and shattered Hydra’s plans, sacrificing himself in the process.

Hydra’s leader vanished.

Its soldiers were killed, imprisoned, or recruited into the organizations that followed.

Officially...

Hydra was dead.

"So they say," Evenson replied calmly.

"But those were his exact words."

May narrowed her eyes.

"Do you even know what those words mean?"

Hydra had fallen more than sixty years ago.

Evenson was barely in his twenties.

She couldn’t be certain he understood the significance of what he’d just said.

Evenson gestured toward himself.

"Blond hair. Blue eyes. German ancestry."

"If I’d been alive back then, I’d probably have qualified as one of the regime’s so-called ’ideal citizens.’"

"And considering how fascinated a certain dictator was with the occult..."

"...do you really think I’ve never heard of Hydra?"

Coulson studied him carefully.

"Did your predecessors ever work for Hydra?"

It wasn’t an unreasonable question.

A genuine practitioner of magic with German heritage would have been invaluable to either Hydra or the Nazis.

Evenson answered without hesitation.

"No."

"I can swear that no Warlock has ever served either of them."

Technically true.

There had never been another Warlock in this world.

May and Coulson had no way of knowing that.

After a long silence, Coulson sighed.

"Perhaps it was nothing more than the rambling of a dying gangster."

"I hope that’s all it was."

He looked directly at Evenson.

"Until we know for certain, I need you to keep this conversation confidential."

"Understood?"

"Of course."

Evenson nodded.

Coulson wasn’t interested in arguing about Evenson’s family history anymore.

Compared to the possibility of Hydra’s return, that question barely mattered.

Whether the dead gangster had simply been delusional...

...or whether Hydra had somehow survived...

Director Fury needed to hear about it immediately.

The front door closed.

Only after Coulson and May disappeared down the street did Evenson finally relax.

"They’re gone."

He glanced toward Habbs.

The Hellhound silently informed him through their soul link that neither agent had left behind surveillance devices or listening bugs.

Evenson collapsed over the counter.

"...Finally."

He let out a long breath.

"That was exhausting."

Improvising an entire magical history on the spot wasn’t nearly as easy as he’d made it look.

At this rate, he could probably write fantasy novels for a living.

"Sarah."

"Water, please."

The disguised demons emerged from the back rooms once the danger had passed.

Sarah handed him a glass.

"So..."

"You never intended to teach them Warlock magic, did you?"

Evenson took a drink.

"No."

"At least not right now."

The succubus smiled knowingly.

"So you lied by telling the truth."

"Clever."

Evenson shrugged.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t going to lose interest in magic because of one conversation."

"If they decide they want it, they’ll keep coming."

"So it’s better to let them believe I’m completely willing to teach anyone..."

"...provided they have the talent."

He smiled.

"Whether someone actually has that talent..."

"...is ultimately my decision."

If S.H.I.E.L.D. eventually found someone suitable, success or failure would still depend entirely on him.

He controlled the curriculum.

He controlled the standards.

He controlled the definition of "qualified."

"That’s probably for the best," Sarah said.

"A world full of Warlocks sounds like an excellent way to accidentally open another Dark Portal."

Evenson stared at her.

"Seriously?"

"You’re a demon."

"You’re supposed to be pro Dark Portal."

Sarah rolled her eyes.

"The Burning Legion leaves nothing behind."

"They burn cities."

"They destroy worlds."

"They don’t even appreciate beautiful women."

She crossed her arms.

"Beautiful women are a limited resource."

"What a waste."

"Then stop competing with me for them."

"My succubus being exclusively interested in women is one of the greatest tragedies of my life."

Sarah giggled.

"If you’re truly desperate..."

"I suppose I could make an exception for my employer..."

She slowly ran her tongue across her lips.

Evenson remained completely unmoved.

He knew her far too well.

Sarah enjoyed provoking people.

In reality, she couldn’t stand physical intimacy with men.

As her master, he had privileges others didn’t, but even those had clear limits.

"Enough."

Evenson finished his water and set down the glass.

"I’ve got work for all of you."

The demons immediately became attentive.

"Sarah."

"You know the Dead End Gang better than anyone."

She smirked.

"Two drinks into the evening, those idiots would happily confess what underwear they wore in elementary school."

Extracting information from ordinary humans was child’s play for a succubus.

Before Evenson could continue, Habbs suddenly lifted his head.

"When was I ever lovesick?"

Both Evenson and Sarah turned toward him.

"Stay down."

The Hellhound wisely returned to pretending to be an ordinary lazy husky.

"Dumen."

"Dissolve."

The Voidwalker silently obeyed.

With a muffled pop, his enormous body disappeared, leaving behind only two massive metal bracers.

Evenson picked them up and handed them to Sarah.

"Tonight, you take Dumen with you."

"Stay invisible from the moment you leave."

"I want seven or eight Dead End Gang members eliminated."

"Lower management."

"Middle management."

"No higher."

Sarah accepted the bracers.

"Understood."

"One more thing."

Evenson’s expression became serious.

"No witnesses."

"No security cameras."

"No evidence."

"I don’t even want rumors."

"Completely invisible."

"Yes, Boss."

She hesitated.

"What about the bodies?"

"You’ve got Dumen."

"Feed them to him."

Voidwalkers had no need for food.

But anything weaker than themselves could be swallowed into the endless shadow within their bodies, where it would dissolve into pure Void energy.

That same terrifying trait had once allowed the mighty Void Lord Dimensius to earn the title The All-Devouring.

"What about me?"

Taylor finally spoke up.

The towering Doomguard looked genuinely offended.

People were going to die...

...and he hadn’t been invited.

Evenson considered it for a moment.

"Fine."

"You remember the guy who supplies our counterfeit merchandise?"

Taylor grinned.

"I do."

"Go break one of his legs."

Taylor blinked.

"...That’s it?"

"I’m paying him to make convincing fakes."

"Not defective junk."

"A jade Buddha that sheds green paint?"

"Seriously?"

"If he can’t source fake jade, he can smash up beer bottles and polish the glass."

Taylor immediately nodded with righteous indignation.

Fraud against paying customers was apparently a crime worthy of punishment.

He strode off to administer justice.

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