Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

"You’re no different from Blackheart."

Johnny Blaze’s voice was cold.

"You’re both after the Contract of San Venganza."

Mephisto had called Evenson a demon sorcerer. Johnny had witnessed his dark magic firsthand, felt its corruptive nature, and seen the sins weighing on his soul through the Penance Stare.

As far as Johnny was concerned, putting the contract in Evenson’s hands was little better than handing it to Blackheart.

Evenson frowned.

"That’s a pretty insulting comparison."

Truthfully, he didn’t think much of Blackheart. The so-called Prince of Hell struck him as little more than a spoiled heir who had inherited ambition without earning competence.

"Is it?" Johnny shot back. "After I learned you took the contract, I tried contacting you over and over. You never answered."

His expression darkened.

"Can you honestly say you weren’t after its power?"

"And because of what you did..."

"Lorraine was cursed."

Johnny had convinced himself of the sequence.

If Evenson hadn’t stolen the contract, Blackheart would have found it immediately. There would’ve been no reason to use Lorraine as leverage against him.

Even afterward, if Evenson had answered his calls, perhaps they could have resolved everything before she’d spent an entire day and night suffering beneath the curse.

To Johnny, the blame rested squarely on Evenson’s shoulders.

Which made betraying him to Blackheart much easier to justify.

Evenson let out a short, humorless laugh.

"So that’s how you see it."

His eyes narrowed.

Time for a little theater.

"A Ghost Rider..." he said slowly, adopting the tone of an ancient sage, "...has no true name. No past. No future. No personal attachments."

"There is only the contract."

Johnny blinked.

The words sounded absurdly dramatic...

Yet somehow carried the weight of ancient truth.

Evenson continued before he could interrupt.

"You accuse me of greed."

"But the truly greedy one is you."

"You reached for a happiness that was never meant for someone who sold his soul to the Devil."

"You clung to love."

"And in doing so, you dragged an innocent woman into Hell’s reach."

"Am I wrong?"

Johnny froze.

Memories surfaced unbidden.

The day he signed Mephisto’s contract...

His father’s death...

The years spent shutting everyone out...

Mephisto had engineered every tragedy with cruel precision, but perhaps Evenson had a point.

Friendship.

Family.

Love.

Those weren’t blessings someone like him was ever supposed to keep.

Maybe Lorraine had only been cursed because he’d dared believe he could reclaim a normal life.

Maybe the tragedy had begun the moment he’d sold his soul.

"..."

His shoulders sagged.

Then Evenson ruined the moment.

"And as for ignoring your calls..."

He spoke with perfect seriousness.

"I left in a hurry."

"I forgot my phone charger."

"My battery died before I even reached the contract."

Johnny stared at him.

The emotional revelation he’d just experienced evaporated instantly.

...Are you kidding me?

Give me my existential crisis back, you idiot.

Slow applause echoed through the courtyard.

Blackheart approached with Water Demon shambling beside him, his slick body glistening unpleasantly.

He’d planned quite an entrance.

The applause.

The dramatic timing.

The intimidating speech.

Then Evenson had ended his philosophical monologue with I forgot my charger.

The atmosphere had died so thoroughly that Blackheart briefly considered starting over.

Instead, he forced himself to continue.

"You understand our kind well."

He glanced toward Johnny.

"He has broken one of the Rider’s greatest taboos."

"Fortunately for me..."

"It makes him useful."

Evenson scratched an ear.

"...This conversation has gotten strangely awkward."

His gaze swept over Blackheart’s outfit.

"And while we’re being honest..."

"That look is painfully outdated."

Blackheart’s eye twitched.

That was supposed to be fashionable.

He’d specifically asked around in Hell for current human trends before coming here.

Apparently Hell’s information network was decades behind.

Enough of that.

He had business to conduct.

"You know why I’ve come."

"I do."

"My father is an obsolete fool."

Blackheart spread his arms.

"A relic waiting to be buried."

He pointed toward Johnny.

"You should learn from him."

"Serve the future ruler of Hell."

"The future ruler?" Evenson repeated, sounding genuinely amused.

He stepped down from the porch and strolled into the courtyard.

"What exactly convinced you..."

"...that you can overthrow a throne your father has occupied for millennia?"

"The Contract of San Venganza."

Blackheart smiled confidently.

"It is the key to my victory."

"Give it to me."

"The new Lord of Hell rewards his allies generously."

Evenson simply chuckled and kept walking, passing Blackheart without stopping.

"I can offer you far more than my father ever could," Blackheart called after him.

No response.

Evenson continued walking.

A flash of irritation crossed Blackheart’s face.

"Do not test my patience."

"Willingly or not..."

"You will hand over the contract."

"See?" Evenson finally stopped.

"You’ve already proven one thing."

He turned slightly.

"Your father is far more patient than you are."

Blackheart’s jaw tightened.

Ordinarily, he’d have attacked by now.

But Evenson had defeated the Ghost Rider head-on.

Charging recklessly wasn’t an appealing option.

That caution was exactly why he’d followed Johnny here instead of attacking alone.

After a moment, Evenson shrugged.

"Still..."

"Let’s hear your offer."

Blackheart relaxed slightly.

Negotiations?

Excellent.

He could promise anything.

He had absolutely no intention of honoring any of it later.

Only then did he notice where Evenson had stopped.

Beside a crude temporary outhouse covered by a black tarp.

...Does he negotiate next to portable toilets on purpose?

"But can you actually afford to outbid your father?" Evenson asked thoughtfully.

"Of course."

"Really?"

Evenson looked as though he were doing mental arithmetic.

"Suppose your father promised me one-tenth of his power."

"You’d need to offer me well over half of your own strength just to exceed that."

"What guarantee could you possibly give me?"

Even Blackheart recognized blatant mockery.

His patience snapped.

"Give me the contract!"

Evenson’s smile widened.

"The difference between you and Mephisto isn’t just power."

"It’s intelligence."

"He never resorts to crude robbery."

"He doesn’t take hostages."

"He convinces people to hand him exactly what he wants."

"Voluntarily."

He shook his head with genuine disappointment.

"You really are nowhere near his equal."

A beat passed.

"...Are you sure you’re actually his son?"

Blackheart’s face twisted with rage.

"And besides," Evenson added casually, "the contract isn’t even here anymore."

Blackheart forced the words through clenched teeth.

"...Who has it?"

Evenson glanced deliberately toward Johnny before answering.

"Thor."

"The God of Thunder decided it was far too dangerous to leave on Earth."

"So he took it back to Asgard."

"If you really want it..."

Evenson smiled encouragingly.

"...why not sneak into Odin’s Golden Palace?"

"Even your father never managed that."

"It’d be the perfect opportunity to prove you’ve surpassed him."

"I’m rooting for you."

Blackheart’s hands trembled.

"I will make your soul suffer for eternity."

He already knew the contract was effectively lost.

Sneak past Heimdall’s all-seeing gaze.

Break into Odin’s palace.

Recover an artifact from Asgard.

The odds of succeeding were probably worse than staging a successful coup in Hell.

And knowing Asgardians...

The contract had likely already been destroyed.

Rage boiling over, Blackheart and Water Demon advanced together.

"Feel despair," Blackheart hissed.

"Savor the final breath of your life."

Evenson calmly watched them approach.

One step.

Two.

Three.

When they reached precisely the distance he’d been waiting for...

His eyes lit up.

"Surprise."

He yanked away the black tarp covering the "outhouse."

"Banishment. Release!"

A thunderous boom erupted.

A brilliant pillar of golden light exploded upward, engulfing the two stunned demons before either had time to react.

Johnny, standing off to the side, stared with wide eyes.

For one bewildered second, he’d genuinely believed Evenson had hidden some kind of explosive septic tank beside the house.

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