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*****
After completing his preparations, Fini donned the "Incursio" armor and sought out Nick Fury.
With his current strength—bolstered by his mana and the "Aureolin" technique—he could comfortably wear Incursio for an entire day without issue, provided he didn't engage in combat or use its invisibility.
Accompanying Nick Fury, Fini arrived at the massive research facility housing the Tesseract. Surveying the high-tech environment and the sheer scale of the base, he couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"SHIELD really is loaded, huh?"
He felt a fresh pang of regret for his earlier lack of foresight. Had he known they were this flush with cash, he would have demanded a hundred million a day. If they had balked, he could have just haggled down from there.
Nick Fury ignored Fini's comment, but a woman walking beside him glanced at Fini with curiosity. "The funding is high," she replied, "but the work here is grueling."
Fini turned his gaze toward the speaker.
"Maria Hill. Director Fury's deputy," she introduced herself, extending a hand.
"You can call me the Silver Mage."
Fini shook her hand politely, offering the moniker he had recently adopted. Although his skill set was making him look more and more like a knight—especially now that he had a mount—he remained steadfast in his conviction that his true profession was that of a mage.
"Silver Mage? Shouldn't it be Silver Knight?" Hill asked, her curiosity piqued.
"No. It's just the exterior that looks knight-like. On the inside, it's all mage, thank you very much."
Fini's impression of Hill was slightly better than his view of Black Widow. While she was also a top agent, she didn't seem like she was constantly trying to pry information out of him at every turn.
Nick Fury had known about the "Mage" title for a while, but unlike Tony Stark, he didn't care about the nuances behind it. He simply chalked it up to Fini's personal eccentricity.
"Let's move. I've had quarters prepared for you, and there's someone I want you to meet," Fury said. Even if Clint Barton's raw power couldn't compare to Fini's, he remained one of SHIELD's elite agents and a core candidate for the Avengers Initiative.
As the three descended into the subterranean levels, Fini's eyes darted everywhere, taking in the rows of fighter jets and armored vehicles. He suddenly wondered if he should find a way to get a spaceship for himself in the future.
"This is your temporary resting area," Fury said, showing Fini into a clearly well-appointed room equipped with every necessary amenity. Then, he led Fini to an older gentleman. "This is Dr. Erik Selvig, the lead scientist on the Tesseract project."
"You're the Silver Knight!"
Fini had been active on the world stage long before Thor's arrival, so despite his age, Selvig recognized him instantly.
"I'd be happier if you called me a mage, but it's a pleasure, Dr. Selvig."
Fini had a rather strong impression of the old man. After all, in the original timeline, there weren't many people who had the sheer audacity to go streaking through Stonehenge.
After the introduction, Fury turned his attention to another man standing nearby, who was carrying a bow and studying Fini with a sharp, calculating gaze.
"Clint Barton."
Barton extended a hand. "I know you. The world's strongest superhero."
Fini shook his hand but shook his head in disagreement. "Unfortunately, I'm neither the world's strongest nor a superhero. I can't share my real name, but you can call me Silver Mage, or just Mage."
"Why 'Mage'?" Barton asked, echoing Hill's confusion.
"Because I use magic," Fini explained casually. Even though the rest of the world had branded him a knight, he didn't want the people he might be working with frequently to share the misconception.
As a SHIELD agent, Barton's discipline was far beyond that of an average person. Though he was curious, he suppressed the urge to interrogate Fini further.
With the introductions over, Fury led Fini directly into the Tesseract's experimental zone.
There, in the center of the lab, Fini saw it: a pale blue cube resting inside a complex apparatus. This was the second Infinity Stone Fini had encountered. However, since the Time Stone was always kept on the Ancient One's person, he had only seen it from a distance and never had the chance to observe it up close.
Driven by an involuntary impulse, Fini moved closer to the Tesseract to get a better look.
Just then, Nick Fury spoke up. "Agent Hill will remain here to manage the base for now. If you need anything, tell her."
Fini glanced at Hill, who nodded at him. "Got it. You're not staying?"
Despite the polite question, Fini was internally hoping Fury would leave as quickly as possible. As he spoke, he continued walking toward the Tesseract. A few researchers surrounding the cube stepped aside, their "busy" attitudes clearly a front for the curious glances they were stealing at him.
"I have other matters to attend to," Fury replied, before adding a serious warning. "The Cube is vital to Earth's security. You must protect it."
"Relax, it'll be fine."
Fini offered a reassuring word. Under normal circumstances, Loki wouldn't arrive until next year, and Asgard wasn't in a hurry to reclaim the item. As long as nothing unexpected happened, everything should be stable for a while.
However, Fini had momentarily forgotten a crucial fact: wherever he went, things were rarely "normal."
As he spoke to Fury, Fini stood directly in front of the Tesseract. The staff, intimidated by the imposing Incursio armor, cleared a wide berth until Fini was the only one left by the cube.
Fini leaned in, his face inches from the pale blue cube, scrutinizing it carefully. But as he watched, he suddenly realized... wasn't the blue light getting a bit bright?
He wasn't the only one who noticed. From a short distance away, Nick Fury sensed the anomaly. His hand went to the pistol at his waist as he shouted, "What's happening?!"
Erik Selvig scrambled to his computer to check the readings, Hill followed suit, and Barton drew an arrow, scanning the perimeter with a wary eye.
Fini sensed something was horribly wrong and tried to pull away, but his body felt suddenly weighed down, as if caught in an invisible snare. Then, a faint, almost childlike voice echoed in the depths of his mind:
"Huh!?"
In an instant, a blinding flash of blue light consumed Fini's vision. He felt a sudden sensation of weightlessness, as if he were drifting through an endless void. He could hear Fury's muffled shouting, but the sound was fading rapidly into the distance.
Only one thought remained in his mind:
I've been played!!!
(End of Chapter)