Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

Peggy Carter slowly opened her eyes.

She sat upright almost instinctively.

For a long moment, she simply stared into space, her expression blank as her mind struggled to catch up with reality.

Something felt... different.

The concrete slab beneath her was still painfully uncomfortable after lying on it for so long, but that wasn’t what caught her attention.

Her body had changed.

She’d sat up far too quickly.

At ninety years old, that alone should have been enough to leave her dizzy or even unconscious from the sudden drop in blood pressure.

Instead...

She felt perfectly fine.

Did it work?

Her hands flew to her face.

The loose skin was still there.

The wrinkles remained.

She looked down at her hands.

Age spots.

Thin skin.

Nothing had changed.

"...It failed?"

That only made her more confused.

If the ritual had failed, why did she feel this restless vitality surging through her body?

Her back didn’t ache.

Her knees didn’t complain.

Her breathing was effortless.

Her heartbeat thundered with impossible strength.

She even had the absurd feeling that she could knock Steve Rogers flat with a single punch.

"Awake already?"

Evenson wandered over, casually carrying a bottle of liquor in one hand.

"How are you feeling?"

Peggy blinked.

"I..."

She frowned, trying to organize her thoughts.

"I feel like I’ve been asleep for a very long time."

Her brow tightened.

"Almost as though I nearly never woke up."

She hesitated.

"And..."

"I dreamed I was trapped inside an incredibly cramped space."

Evenson immediately lowered his head and scratched his eyebrow, carefully hiding his expression.

"Just a dream."

Definitely not because she’d spent a brief period stored inside a Soulstone after he’d accidentally killed her.

That conversation could remain buried forever.

"Anything else?"

"My heart."

Peggy rested a hand against her chest.

"It feels unbelievably strong."

She laughed softly.

"If there weren’t absolutely no scars..."

"I’d swear you’d replaced it."

The surgical wounds had already regenerated completely under the influence of fel-enhanced life magic.

Not a mark remained.

"That’s... also your imagination."

Evenson answered far too quickly.

Was she secretly awake during the operation?

He forced a reassuring smile.

"While you were unconscious, I adjusted several of your major organs."

"It’ll take some time to get used to."

"But every change is beneficial."

"Think of it as your body becoming younger."

Peggy slowly nodded.

That explanation seemed reasonable.

Then she absentmindedly brushed a lock of white hair away from her face.

"...But I’m still old."

"Of course you are."

Evenson didn’t deny it.

"You spent seventy years becoming this age."

"You can’t expect me to reverse all of that in seventy minutes."

He raised the bottle.

"Seventy minutes isn’t even long enough to finish most superhero movies."

Peggy found herself unexpectedly convinced.

"...So this is only the first stage of treatment?"

"That’s one way to put it."

Evenson took another drink.

"How much longer?"

"No need to rush."

He swallowed another mouthful.

"We’re about to begin the final stage."

Peggy wasn’t surprised by how quickly he intended to continue.

Instead...

She stared at the bottle.

"...Are you drinking?"

"Hm?"

Evenson looked down.

"Oh."

He held the bottle toward her.

"Want some?"

He was in an exceptionally good mood.

Any warlock would celebrate obtaining a legendary piece of equipment.

Opening a bottle seemed far more civilized than setting off fireworks.

Peggy slowly turned her head away.

She genuinely didn’t know what to say.

This was effectively magical reconstructive surgery.

And the attending physician was drinking on the job.

Medical ethics had left the building hours ago.

"...Wait."

Her expression suddenly changed.

Sarah had dressed her after the operation, but as Peggy adjusted her sleeve, part of her forearm became visible.

Dark runes covered her skin.

"My God..."

She pulled the sleeve higher.

"What are these?"

The Doomguard’s heart pumped with frightening force.

Her startled cry nearly ruptured Evenson’s eardrums.

"I want an explanation."

"Now."

She rolled up both sleeves.

Pulled open her collar.

Checked beneath the fabric around her legs.

Everywhere she looked...

More runes.

Her face fell.

After maintaining the image of a dignified British lady for nearly a century...

She had somehow ended up covered in tattoos.

"They’re arcane tattoos."

Evenson remained perfectly calm.

"How did you think I reinforced your organs?"

"By reaching inside with my bare hands?"

"They’re part of the magical ritual."

"And they’ll be essential during the final stage."

Peggy examined herself again before letting her arms fall helplessly.

"...They’re everywhere."

"They’re not that bad."

Evenson shrugged.

"Some people would think they look incredibly cool."

"And if it still bothers you..."

"Think of them as surgical scars."

"You know that isn’t what I meant."

Peggy fixed him with a piercing stare.

"...Ah."

Evenson nodded as though enlightenment had suddenly struck.

"Sarah applied the tattoos."

"I swear I wasn’t present."

Peggy narrowed her eyes.

"Really?"

"Really."

He nodded emphatically.

"I was busy doing something else."

Only then did Peggy’s expression soften.

Unfortunately...

She happened to glance toward Sarah.

The woman supposedly responsible for tattooing her was currently reading a copy of Playboy with complete fascination.

She even looked close to drooling.

For reasons Peggy couldn’t fully explain...

That inspired remarkably little confidence.

"...Where’s Dottie?"

Only now did Peggy realize Dottie Underwood was gone.

The woman she’d spent so many years with had vanished without saying goodbye.

"She left."

Evenson answered casually.

"She received a phone call."

"Said her boss needed her."

"I assumed she was your friend, so I let her go."

Peggy frowned.

"That liar..."

Then she looked back at him.

"Dottie doesn’t have a boss."

"Really?"

Evenson shrugged.

"Who knows?"

"She certainly looked shocked."

"She stood there frozen for quite a while."

"The conversation was entirely in Russian."

"It was so fast I barely understood any of it."

"I had no reason to think she was lying."

"Russian..."

Peggy murmured quietly.

Something about that bothered her.

Very much.

Before she could pursue the thought, Evenson drained the last of his drink and set the empty bottle aside.

"Enough of that."

"Time for the final stage."

Peggy reluctantly pushed her suspicions aside.

"...All right."

They had barely begun.

Miles away, the abandoned factory on the outskirts of London was already surrounded.

Inside a mobile command center converted from a military truck, a striking woman handed a tablet computer to the man standing beside her.

"Captain."

"We’ve confirmed that Agent Carter is inside."

She paused before adding grimly,

"And judging by what we’ve seen..."

"...her situation may be far from ideal."

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