"General Ross, please—sit down," Daniel said warmly, greeting Ross as though he'd been expecting him. He poured a cup of tea with steady hands, then took a seat across the table. "It's Mingqian Longjing, from China. Pretty rare around here."
Ross raised an eyebrow, accepting the delicate porcelain cup as he sized up Daniel's calm. The hospitality caught him off guard. Instead of jumping right into business, he sipped and glanced around the room, finally commenting, "Your decor is a little… old-fashioned."
Daniel chuckled at the bluntness—clearly, Ross was no diplomat, not the type for fake compliments. "True. I only moved in a few days ago and haven't had time or connections to redecorate. I'll be here for at least four years—maybe more, if graduate school works out. Eventually, I'll make it feel like home."
Ross's eyes narrowed. "Are you really just here to study?"
Daniel leaned in, ready for the question. "I get where you're coming from, General. But things aren't what they seem." He refilled Ross's cup smoothly as he went on. "You saw what happened on campus. Yes, I know some magic. But I think there's a big misunderstanding about what that means."
Ross set his cup aside and focused, his curiosity piqued.
"If you go back a few centuries," Daniel said, "a powerful magician could change even the outcome of wars. But in the last hundred years, magic's faded. It's rare just to meet a new mage. The reason is what we call magic inertia. On Earth now, the elements resist manipulation so much that magic barely works. The stronger the inertia, the weaker the magic."
Ross's face revealed nothing, but he absorbed every word.
"There are others like me out there," Daniel continued, "but at best, we're junior magicians. Progress beyond that is hard. Every serious spell takes a ton of preparation. So, I started focusing on science. If you break down this world deep enough, you realize everything is connected—matter, magic, it's just another layer. Maybe that's the real path forward."
"Magic inertia," Ross repeated, chewing on the idea. Daniel's theory was philosophical, but the word inertia stuck with him. So if magic was so limited here, even powerful users wouldn't make for reliable weapons. That made Daniel less of a military asset and more of a curiosity—with potential, but not necessarily a priority. Still, someone who could face the Hulk couldn't be ignored. Maybe the Thunderbolt Program could use him.
He thought about it. Blonsky, the last guy they'd given power to, became a disaster—unpredictable and dangerous, a failed investment after the Hulk left him broken. Daniel seemed different: steady, focused, not eager for battle or glory.
Ross put on his political smile. "I appreciate your honesty. But you should keep your guard up. Hulk won't let this go easily."
Daniel smiled softly, relaxed. "He's strong, yes, but finding me will be tough."
He nodded to Ross. "Watch this."
With a flicker of blue light, Daniel filled the room with shimmering copies of himself. They appeared in the kitchen, upstairs, even on the porch—indistinguishable illusions, breathing and moving just like him. Ross's eyes darted from one to the next, unsettled.
In Jotunheim, Daniel had been forced to give up brute magic. Instead, he'd spent years honing subtle control—especially with cold and ice—until even the simplest illusions became second nature. Earth's magic was sluggish, but tricks of reflection and cold still worked beautifully.
He picked up more than a little from Loki, too: deception and distraction.
Ross scanned the room, struggling to spot the real Daniel.
Daniel—probably the real one—smiled lightly: "It's just a simple illusion. A careful observer could sort out the fakes. But that monster you're worried about—do you really think he's up to it?"
Ross's jaw clenched. Did that mean Daniel saw him as no sharper than Hulk? The idea stung.
But what mattered more was clear now: Daniel wasn't someone to frighten or strong-arm. He was calm, smart, capable. And dangerous in ways Blonsky couldn't even dream of.
Ross realized that Daniel was a problem no one could afford to ignore.
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