Evenson hadn’t technically lied.
He’d simply handed Mephisto a handful of facts and allowed the Devil to assemble them into an entirely different picture.
The strategy worked beautifully.
The more someone knew, the easier it became for them to deceive themselves.
Mephisto understood exactly what Mjolnir represented.
He also knew how serious it was for the hammer to be lying abandoned on Earth.
So when Evenson claimed he’d been given full authority to handle the matter, Mephisto naturally reached the most "reasonable" conclusion.
Only one person could issue an order like that.
Only one ruler possessed the authority to entrust someone with the affairs of Thor.
Odin.
It was the same kind of logic that led people astray every day.
Imagine the President of the United States sitting inside a hardened bunker, surrounded by grim-faced generals.
One officer wipes the sweat from his brow and says,
"Mr. President, the missiles are ready."
The President closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and quietly replies,
"Launch them."
Then adds,
"May God forgive me."
Anyone witnessing that scene would immediately assume the world had reached the brink of nuclear war.
No one would think...
They’re probably just playing a military strategy game.
Now Mephisto paced slowly across the ruined church, leaning on his cane and occasionally glancing at Evenson with growing suspicion.
But he wasn’t the only confused person present.
Melinda was completely lost.
She knew exactly who had issued Evenson those orders.
Director Fury.
So why did Mephisto suddenly look as though he were weighing the political consequences of offending a cosmic empire?
No way...
Does my boss really have that much influence?
One order from Nick Fury has the Lord of Hell second-guessing himself?
She stared at Evenson, wondering if she’d somehow been working for the most powerful bureaucrat in the universe without realizing it.
Finally, Mephisto stopped pacing.
"How much do you actually know about the one who gave you those orders?"
Three thousand years of deceiving mortals had taught him never to accept appearances at face value.
Evenson’s eyes flickered.
Then he smiled.
"What kind of man is he?"
"Someone who stands above everyone else."
"He enjoys giving orders."
"He genuinely believes it’s his responsibility to protect this world."
He shrugged.
"The difference is..."
"Unlike people who merely talk about responsibility..."
"He actually fights for it."
"And he sacrificed one of his eyes in the process."
Melinda blinked.
That’s... Director Fury.
One eye.
Dedicated to protecting Earth.
Always issuing orders.
That described her boss perfectly.
Mephisto, meanwhile, reached an entirely different conclusion.
It’s Odin.
For centuries, the Asgardians had rarely visited Earth.
When they did, they stayed hidden.
Humanity’s real familiarity with them dated back nearly two thousand years, when their exploits had slowly evolved into myth.
The stories had changed with every retelling.
Some details were wildly inaccurate.
Others were strangely close to the truth.
One legend claimed Odin had surrendered an eye to Mimir’s Well in exchange for wisdom.
Reality was somewhat different.
He had lost that eye during his battle with Laufey, King of the Frost Giants, while defending Earth from being frozen into an icy wasteland.
In a sense...
He really had sacrificed it for this world.
Even many younger Asgardians no longer knew the truth.
Yet Evenson had spoken as though it were common knowledge.
To Mephisto, that suggested access to information very few mortals should possess.
Perhaps...
Evenson truly did have an unusually close connection to Odin.
Then another question occurred to him.
"No..."
"Why would he choose you for something like this?"
Asgard possessed no shortage of mighty warriors.
Mjolnir was among its greatest treasures.
Why entrust such a sensitive matter to a Warlock whose strength, while respectable, hardly placed him among the cosmic elite?
Evenson sighed dramatically.
"A family tragedy."
Mephisto stared at him.
...Didn’t I use that line first?
You can’t just steal my phrasing.
And since when are you part of Odin’s family?
Evenson ignored the look.
"You do realize..."
He raised two fingers.
"...he has two sons."
Understanding struck Mephisto immediately.
Of course.
Odin was old.
There was only one throne.
But there were two heirs.
Now Thor’s divine hammer had mysteriously fallen to Earth.
The implications practically wrote themselves.
No wonder Odin hadn’t sent one of his own people.
If internal factions became involved, the succession could easily erupt into civil war.
Choosing an outsider...
Someone with no ties to Asgardian politics...
Even a Warlock...
Suddenly made perfect sense.
At least in Mephisto’s mind.
"Very well."
He finally nodded.
"Handle that matter first."
For the moment...
He decided to give Odin some respect.
Not because he feared the All-Father.
Hell possessed power enough to stand alongside Asgard.
Neither side had ever been eager to provoke the other.
Starting a conflict over one young Warlock simply wasn’t worthwhile.
Especially now.
If Asgard truly faced a succession crisis...
If Thor had somehow lost Mjolnir...
If Odin’s rule was already unstable...
Then adding outside pressure could push the Nine Realms into open conflict.
A desperate king might decide that an external war was the perfect way to unite a divided kingdom.
A war between Asgard and Hell would be vastly more troublesome than Blackheart’s little rebellion.
Truthfully, Mephisto had never worried that Blackheart might succeed.
He was merely furious at the boy’s insolence.
The Contract of San Venganza?
Even if Blackheart obtained it...
So what?
A thousand damned souls were valuable.
Losing them would be annoying.
Nothing more.
If a mere thousand souls were enough to overthrow a Lord of Hell...
Every throne in Hell would have changed hands a thousand times over.
"I’ve shown you a measure of respect," Mephisto said, glancing toward the advancing sunlight.
"But don’t forget our contract."
"If you break your word..."
"No one will be able to protect you."
Evenson nodded calmly.
"You have my word."
"I honor my contracts."
"I certainly hope so."
Mephisto’s body gradually became transparent.
Just before the first rays of sunlight reached him...
The Lord of Hell vanished.
...
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