Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

In one universe, people said science was the primary force driving civilization.

Across the multiverse, that statement wasn’t always true. Some worlds revolved around magic instead of technology.

But wherever you went, science remained a formidable power.

And when science and magic were combined...

The results could reshape worlds.

That was the real reason Evenson had come to the Felscar Rift.

He wasn’t here because he’d suddenly developed an interest in engineering.

He was here for Gnosis.

Umbrella needed him.

The Chitauri invasion had done far more than level half of Manhattan.

It had shattered humanity’s view of its own place in the universe.

Earth had entered the age of interstellar civilization.

Not because it was ready.

Because it had been dragged there by force.

The consequences were already becoming obvious.

Ordinary people no longer felt safe. Every strange light in the sky made them wonder whether another alien fleet was coming.

Radical organizations began exploiting public fear.

Governments had no meaningful answer for the next invasion.

Military leaders quietly questioned whether Earth’s armed forces could survive another encounter with an extraterrestrial army.

Human civilization had once flowed like a broad, peaceful river.

The Battle of New York had become the storm that turned it into raging rapids.

For Evenson...

This chaos wasn’t merely a crisis.

It was an opportunity.

Hydra was already preparing to enter its next phase and emerge from the shadows.

Umbrella couldn’t afford to fall behind.

Unfortunately, Umbrella’s impressive image was mostly smoke and mirrors.

Evenson handled the deception.

The Eredar Twins handled the intimidation.

Behind the curtain...

There wasn’t nearly enough substance.

The company’s first priority was obvious.

Create a product no one else on Earth could match.

That would establish Umbrella’s reputation while generating the funding needed for its future expansion.

They already possessed complete blueprints for a direct neural-link exoskeleton.

The problem was turning those blueprints into reality.

Evenson and the Twins weren’t engineers.

Breaking nerves apart?

They were frighteningly good at that.

Connecting them back together?

Better leave that to professionals.

The world’s greatest scientists were already tied to governments, corporations, or private research organizations.

The mediocre ones weren’t worth hiring.

Besides...

Human experts expected salaries.

Gnosis did not.

The demon scientist specialized in cybernetics and neural integration. Better yet, given his current circumstances in the Felscar Rift, he could probably be contracted with only a modest number of Soul Crystals.

Afterward, he’d work tirelessly...

Without ever asking for a paycheck.

"I see you, little runt!"

A furious roar shattered Evenson’s train of thought.

"Don’t run!"

"My saws are starving!"

He looked up.

A swarm of wild imps came bouncing toward them.

A split second later, three spinning circular saw blades screamed through the air.

Before Evenson could react, Agatha moved.

She exploded forward in a blur.

Six curved blades flashed simultaneously.

The incoming saws were deflected effortlessly.

The shockwaves from her strikes continued onward, slicing the charging imps into scattered chunks before they even understood what had happened.

"GNOSIS!"

Her voice thundered through the cavern.

"You dare attack the Lord Deputy?"

"What punishment do you think that deserves?"

As she shouted, she shot Evenson a quick glance.

The meaning couldn’t have been clearer.

Watch this.

I’ll scare him first.

You can negotiate the price afterward.

Evenson blinked once in reply.

Please.

Continue the performance.

Moments later, Gnosis came stumbling around the corner.

The elderly demon froze when he saw the carnage.

Thousands of years ago, he had stood among the Rift’s most influential figures.

His status had rivaled Agatha’s.

That had been a very long time ago.

Now he was little more than a forgotten eccentric.

Agatha, meanwhile, held real authority as the Lord Deputy.

Offending her was one of the fastest ways to disappear.

"M-Matron Agatha!"

He hurriedly bowed.

"It’s a misunderstanding!"

"A complete misunderstanding!"

"You call it a misunderstanding, therefore it is?"

Agatha’s voice dripped with menace.

"You attacked the Lord Deputy."

"I’ll give you two choices."

"Come explain yourself before the Lord..."

"...or we settle this the old-fashioned way."

She slowly raised her six blades.

"We fight."

"The winner decides who’s right."

Gnosis’s remaining eye nearly popped out of its socket.

Appear before the Rift Lord?

That muscle-headed fool would probably skip the questioning and go straight to execution.

Fight Agatha?

That was somehow an even worse option.

He was a scientist.

He could fight.

Just...

Not against her.

She’d carve him into paper-thin slices before he finished casting his first spell.

"Matron Agatha..."

He forced an awkward smile.

"Can’t you show a little consideration for our... long friendship?"

That proved to be exactly the wrong thing to say.

"Friendship?"

Agatha exploded.

"What friendship?"

"The time you blew up my dragonbone vanity while testing your fel cannons?"

"Or perhaps when you tossed experimental bombs everywhere and destroyed the crystal bathing pool I’d just finished building?"

The more she spoke, the angrier she became.

All six arms gestured wildly.

Evenson quietly took several steps backward.

Getting accidentally slashed during someone else’s argument sounded like a terrible way to spend the afternoon.

Good to know, he thought.

Apparently the old man was a menace even back then.

I’ll definitely keep a closer eye on him later.

Cornered, Gnosis finally snapped.

"That was twenty thousand years ago!"

"You’re still holding a grudge?"

"And don’t pretend you never got revenge!"

"When I inspected the fel cannon batteries, one exploded right beside me!"

"I almost died!"

"And what about the Soul Engine?"

"Someone kicked me into the reactor from behind!"

"If I hadn’t climbed out fast enough, I’d have been melted alive!"

He pointed accusingly at Agatha.

"You can’t honestly tell me those weren’t your doing!"

Agatha paused.

Just for a moment.

Then her expression turned dangerously calm.

Dark ripples spread across all six of her blades.

"...You’ve convinced me."

"Killing you really is the better solution."

She’s serious.

Evenson’s eyes widened.

A dead scientist was considerably less useful than a living one.

He hurried forward and grabbed Agatha to stop her.

The cavern fell silent.

Agatha froze.

Gnosis froze.

Even Evenson froze.

He slowly looked down.

Because of the enormous difference in height, the first thing he’d managed to grab...

Was the edge of Agatha’s skirt.

Worse...

In his panic, he’d pulled just a little too hard.

Only a little.

But it was enough for a flash of pale skin to appear.

Evenson’s face drained of color.

He released it instantly and stumbled backward as though struck by lightning.

"I..."

"It’s a misunderstanding!"

"A complete misunderstanding!"

He looked even more terrified than Gnosis.

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