Several cars sped across the vast wilderness of Texas, roaring like wild beasts.
The rolling wheels kicked up clouds of dust, forming a long, winding golden dragon behind them.
These vehicles had clearly been specially modified. Every component had been optimized and reinforced to handle all sorts of rugged terrain with ease. Even when racing across bumpy, uneven ground filled with potholes, they moved as smoothly as if on a paved highway. Inside the cars, barely a jolt could be felt, and the passengers sat as though in a mobile fortress.
In the largest vehicle in the convoy, Wes Elwin was hunched over a sheet of paper, completely focused, scribbling furiously.
Johnny lay unconscious, tightly bound to a seat with thick ropes.
Carter casually glanced at Wes's paper, but quickly lost interest. He shook his head and moved to a seat nearby, closing his eyes to rest.
Meanwhile, Coulson sat beside Wes, eyes glued to the paper with unrestrained curiosity. Wes didn't bother hiding anything from him.
On the paper was a circular magic array, its runes crisscrossing in intricate, arcane patterns.
Wes remained absorbed in his work, continuously refining the symbols. Beads of sweat began to form on his brow.
An hour later, Wes finally exhaled deeply and handed the paper to Coulson.
Coulson accepted it, his face frozen in complete confusion.
"Give this to your engineers. Make sure they memorize every detail. There can be no mistakes," Wes said seriously.
"Can you tell me what this magic circle is for?" Coulson asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
"I'll explain when the time comes," Wes replied without elaborating.
"Jandy," Wes called out.
With a soft "pop," the house-elf Jandy appeared instantly.
Coulson stared in wide-eyed shock at the sudden arrival of the strange creature.
Carter, stirred from his nap, lifted his hat brim and glanced at Jandy. He let out a whistle. "Now that's a magical creature."
"Watch this guy," Wes instructed, pointing at Coulson.
"Yes, Master!" Jandy replied respectfully.
Wes then opened the leather suitcase beside him and stepped inside.
The case shut and locked itself.
Jandy stood dutifully by the suitcase, eyes never leaving Coulson, tense and alert.
"Um, sir?" Coulson attempted to engage, unsure how to address Jandy but assuming from the voice it was male.
Jandy didn't flinch. "Sit still, you Muggle. Unless you want to suffer."
Coulson, clearly shut down, could only sigh and stay quiet.
When Wes reemerged from the suitcase, he paused at the sight before him. Coulson was curled into a ball.
Seeing Wes, Coulson's eyes flew open, and he let out a muffled "Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!"
"Let him go, Jandy," Wes said.
Jandy snapped his fingers.
Coulson stretched out his cramped limbs, breathing a long sigh of relief.
"I just wanted to have a friendly chat with Mr. Jandy," he muttered, sounding slightly hurt.
Johnny, now sipping beer, couldn't help but scoff. "You mean you were trying to get info. Don't play innocent."
Wes glanced at Johnny, who raised his beer in salute.
"Well done, Jandy," Wes praised.
Jandy's face lit up with glee.
Wes assigned him a new task, and the elf vanished in an instant.
"Magical creature. Magical suitcase. Magical wizard!" Johnny downed his beer in one go and tossed the can out the window.
The past few days had been far too intense for Johnny—even wizards from fairy tales had become part of his reality.
"Did you tell him everything?" Wes asked.
"I only told him about the Ghost Rider stuff. Everything else? I'm just as lost as he is," Carter shrugged helplessly.
"Alright then." Wes walked over to a chair and slowly sat down. "Where should I begin?"
"Mephisto!" Johnny and Carter shouted in unison.
The two of them were kindred spirits—both had been lured into signing contracts by Mephisto.
"Fine. The truth is… everything traces back to Mephisto," Wes said, his tone turning heavy.
"Mr. Elwin, do you mind if my colleagues listen in as well? They'll be involved in this too," Coulson asked carefully.
Wes nodded, giving his permission.
Coulson skillfully activated the comms system. Though it was supposedly for multiple agents, only one person was truly listening—Nick Fury, far away in New York.
Wes began explaining, starting with Mephisto's identity, and continued into how he'd been tricked by the Ancient One into taking on this mission.
As he spoke, the expressions of the three men in the car shifted constantly—shock, disbelief, even fear.
Even Coulson, who had undergone specialized training and was known for his mental fortitude, struggled to keep his face neutral. The information was too explosive, too unreal.
The Ancient One, Sorcerer Supreme.
Mephisto, Lord of Hell.
Coulson couldn't help but wonder if Wes was spinning a fantastical story from some forgotten mythology.
But then again… sitting beside him were Carter and Johnny, two men who had signed contracts with Mephisto.
Coulson himself had watched them transform from flaming-skulled riders of vengeance back into humans earlier that morning. He'd also seen the horrifying demons the night before.
It all added up. Wes wasn't lying.
"I've got to admit… I kind of admire you two," Wes said, glancing at Carter and Johnny with a look that clearly meant "Are you two insane?"
"Signing a contract with the infamous, sly, and ruthless Mephisto?"
Carter and Johnny both looked embarrassed and regretful.
Johnny slumped in his seat and muttered, "It's too late. I've lost everything. I can't even die if I wanted to."
His eyes were dim, lifeless—like someone who had lost all hope.
Carter looked just as despondent.
"Ask him how to stop Hell from descending."
Nick Fury's urgent voice buzzed through Coulson's earpiece.
"I can hear you, you know," Wes said coldly. "You agents always have to do things on the sly, huh?"
Coulson didn't even flinch from the jab. Instead, he pressed a few buttons on the dashboard with practiced ease.
In the next moment, a life-sized projection of a bald man with a single eye appeared inside the car.
"Whoa! Technology's gotten this advanced?" Carter gasped. He reached out to touch the hologram, but his hand passed right through Fury's image.
"Cowboy, now's not the time to be amazed," Nick Fury said, turning toward Wes. His tone was urgent. "Mr. Elwin, what exactly can you do to stop Hell's arrival?"
"Nothing." Wes spread his hands, calm and unbothered.
Everyone in the car turned to stare at him in disbelief, unsure if they heard him right.
"I'm not that powerful," Wes said with a shrug. "I'm just following through on what the Sorcerer Supreme asked me to do."
"And who exactly is this 'Sorcerer Supreme'? Why hasn't she shown up in person for something this critical?"
Fury couldn't help but complain, his voice sharp and full of doubt.
Wes let out a derisive laugh. "Please. When the Sorcerer Supreme was saving the Earth, your ancestors were probably still running from lions in Africa."
Fury looked... furious, but managed to calm down.
"You're more anxious than the emperor's eunuchs," Wes added sarcastically. "No offense, but you guys panicking isn't gonna help anything. If we can't rely on the Sorcerer Supreme, Earth would've already been torn apart by demons."
Fury opened his mouth to argue, but before he could get a word out—the car came to a stop.
"Looks like we're here." Wes grabbed the suitcase next to him, opened the door, and stepped outside.
A desolate, eerie landscape stretched before them—overgrown with weeds and blanketed in swirling dust.
And there, standing alone in the middle of nowhere, was a single ancient, weather-worn temple. It looked completely out of place.
"This is... San Venganza?" Carter and Johnny followed Wes out, staring in disbelief.
"Will Mephisto show up here?" Johnny asked quietly.
"Hopefully not," Wes muttered. "I really don't want to face the Lord of Hell."
Even if he'd moved away from his former obsession with safety, Wes knew that facing Mephisto directly would be nothing short of suicidal.