For Daniel, the most urgent task now was to sever his connection with the ancient oak tree. But the problem was, Amora's hold over the entire setup ran deep. Daniel had already investigated the situation thoroughly: although the outer enchantment she placed had faded over the past couple of years, the last time she restructured the magic circle couldn't have been more than a decade ago.
That timeframe was troubling. It meant that Amora was very likely still hiding somewhere on Earth.
Even if she wasn't monitoring him directly, her lingering magic remained deeply rooted in the base of the tree. Daniel didn't have the strength or mastery to dismantle it on his own. Sure, he could theoretically use Mjolnir to break the enchantment by brute force—but doing so would damage his own magical foundation.
This infuriating dilemma gnawed at him. He gritted his teeth in frustration, but knew he had to stay calm. Solving this wouldn't be quick or easy. It required a high level of magical strength and finesse—neither of which he could conjure overnight.
A part of him wanted to draw Amora out and force a confrontation. But now wasn't the time. He could potentially use Heimdall or even Odin to deal with her, but doing that would mean trading one captor for another. Escaping Amora's grasp only to fall into Odin's hands was hardly a victory.
Daniel let out a long breath.
He still wasn't strong enough.
He slowly let the oak wand slip from his sleeve and planted it in the soft forest floor. The moment it touched the ground, an invisible magic circle bloomed outward. In an instant, Daniel's senses expanded, his mind stretching out in every direction. Every sound in the surrounding forest—every rustle, every chirp—layered together in his mind, forming a vivid picture.
The entire jungle, for kilometers in every direction, fell under his awareness.
He could detect every living thing—man, beast, or plant. It wasn't just his magical strength allowing this, but also the ancient oak tree itself. With this tree as the core, he could build a mage tower strong enough to withstand even a nuclear strike.
If he had a few decades to develop the area, maybe—just maybe—he could use the terrain to force his way into the demigod realm, just like the Ancient One or Merlin. That path stretched before him now, clear and possible.
The thought was intoxicating.
But just as the allure began to take hold, Daniel slapped himself—hard.
Then again.
And again.
Until the fog cleared from his mind.
That was close. If the faces of Loki, Thor, and even Thanos hadn't flashed through his thoughts, he might've surrendered to the temptation.
It was Amora's leftover charm magic. Subtle but dangerous. Just a trace of her spellwork had nearly nudged him into compliance without him even noticing. That woman... she was too dangerous. Too skilled.
The future Amora had mapped out—becoming a near-immortal demigod, reigning over a fortified magical sanctuary—might have looked appealing under normal circumstances. But this wasn't a normal time. The war for the Infinity Stones had begun. Thanos was already on his way, and Earth might not survive the year. No matter how strong a base Daniel built, it would never be enough to face what was coming.
The brief illusion snapped him back to reality. In a blink, he leapt back several meters from the oak tree.
Even at that distance, he could still hear everything happening across the jungle through the magic connection. The charm had tried to seduce his will—but what he sensed through the tree itself was real. There was no deception in the oak's presence.
The tree's spirit felt calm, even warm. Though it held a degree of awareness, it wasn't truly sentient. Left alone, the tree might've remained in its long, dormant state forever. But now, after long contact with Daniel and exposure to Amora's magic, that might change. In time, its intelligence could awaken.
Daniel felt a sudden impulse to transplant the oak to Central Park in New York—keep it close, let it grow beside him.
But the idea died as quickly as it appeared.
Central Park sat in the heart of Manhattan, the epicenter of Earth's chaos. Everything happened there first—alien invasions, time distortions, magical anomalies. It was the planet's bullseye. Even if the park itself survived in every timeline, its buildings and people were constantly reshaped and rewritten by unseen forces.
No. If he ever moved the tree, it couldn't be to Manhattan—or anywhere Amora had touched. He needed a truly hidden place, one even she couldn't trace.
Eventually, when he was powerful enough, he would not only relocate the oak but also sever the magical bond between them completely.
If he got too bold just because he had backup plans, that confidence could get him killed—again and again.
Still, for now, the tree was safe. Daniel decided against building any protective formations around it. Doing so could trigger Amora's alarm spells. Besides, if anyone happened to stumble upon the tree and chopped down its entire trunk, it wouldn't matter much—as long as they didn't damage the roots.
Better to let things be. Let nature take its course.
Right now, the most important thing was to take advantage of the fact that everyone—Fury, the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D.—was preoccupied with Loki aboard the helicarrier. Daniel could use this window to finish what he'd started.
There was still the old secret base in the North Sea, buried somewhere off the coast of Norway.
It held the biggest secret he'd left behind before disappearing decades ago.
Who knew how much had survived all these years? Maybe a lot, maybe nothing. But even a single clue would be enough—a springboard to reclaim everything that once belonged to him.
Daniel returned to Berlin. He'd been gone just a few hours—three, maybe five. When he stepped back inside the apartment, Elektra was still asleep, unaware he had ever left.
He was just about to crawl into bed and wrap his arms around her when his phone buzzed.
The screen flashed a name: General Ross.
Daniel didn't need to guess. The real message came straight from the White House.