Blaine happily replicated all sorts of minor magic spells from Gali.
Wind magic, wind slash...
Ice magic, "Frozen Thousand Miles"...
Fire magic, "Meteor Flame"...
While spells like "Frozen Thousand Miles" and "Meteor Flame" didn't pack as much single-target damage as the elemental arrows from Blaine's bow, their area-of-effect damage was leagues ahead.
With a bow, even one enhanced by elemental energy, you can only shoot so many arrows at once. There's no real comparison when it comes to crowd control and wide-range destruction.
The Copying Eye's power was truly impressive.
Even at just level 3, Blaine could easily replicate city-level destructive spells—an absurdly powerful feat. And as he theorized, by the time it reached level 4 or 5, he might even be able to copy Gali's time-stopping magic at a glance.
All in all, it was an incredibly worthwhile investment.
While Blaine explored the full potential of his replicated magic, the Avengers were actively pursuing the Tesseract.
Natasha had gone to confront Loki, hoping to extract critical intel and sabotage his plans.
To the team's surprise, she succeeded.
But none of them stopped to think deeply about who Loki truly was. The God of Mischief—deceitful, manipulative, and cunning beyond mortal comprehension. While he might not match Thor in raw power, Loki's mastery of illusion and manipulation made him just as dangerous. The idea that he would willingly give away vital information to a mortal like Natasha? Absurd.
Inside a secure research chamber aboard the Helicarrier, the original Avengers had gathered.
Tony Stark, Thor Odinson, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, and Director Nick Fury—almost the full roster, minus Clint Barton, who was still under Loki's control.
But the atmosphere was tense.
As anyone familiar with the early Avengers team dynamics knows, they were anything but united in the beginning. Trust was thin, egos were high, and past traumas hung over them like a storm cloud.
The tension between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark was palpable.
Banner, ever the wildcard, was being watched closely by the others, while Thor—Loki's own brother—was met with guarded suspicion.
It was a powder keg waiting for a spark.
And that spark came soon enough.
"We found evidence that you've been using the Tesseract to develop weapons," Tony said bluntly, tossing a tablet onto the table. Bruce backed him up, arms crossed, unimpressed.
As known pacifists, both Stark and Banner objected strongly to weaponizing alien tech, especially one as volatile as the Tesseract.
Nick Fury wasn't one to back down. His expression was unreadable as he responded, "Not long ago, outsiders attacked a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility and blew up an entire pier. That was when I realized Earth is not alone. There are beings far more powerful than us out there—including that so-called Bounty Hunter. How exactly are we supposed to stop someone like him?"
His words, though rational, rubbed everyone the wrong way.
Especially his thinly veiled reference to Blaine.
Thor frowned. While he wasn't the most diplomatic among them, he wasn't foolish either. "Studying the Tesseract is what drew Loki and his allies to Earth in the first place. Your actions might have started a war you can't win, Fury."
He narrowed his eyes. "As for the Bounty Hunter… perhaps it's time you stop trying to control what you do not understand. Not everyone will bow to you, Fury."
That last line struck a chord—especially with Banner and Natasha, who had seen Blaine's power firsthand.
Even Natasha, one of Fury's most loyal agents, looked conflicted.
They all knew the truth. Someone with Blaine's level of strength wouldn't be controlled by a human agency—nor should he be. Attempting to manipulate someone like that wasn't just arrogant, it was suicidal.
The only way to control power like that was to be more powerful.
Fury wanted to argue, but even he hesitated. For the first time, doubt flickered across his face.
The room's tension escalated rapidly. What began as a professional disagreement quickly spiraled into personal conflict.
Tony and Steve began trading insults.
Natasha defended Fury.
Banner clenched his fists, silently battling the rage that constantly threatened to turn him into the Hulk.
All the while, none of them noticed the faint, eerie glow of the Mind Stone embedded in Loki's scepter, which lay on the table.
The glow pulsed gently—just enough to influence, just enough to exacerbate the team's buried fears and frustrations.
None of them realized the source of their sudden irritability wasn't just ego or ideology.
It was manipulation.
And it was working.
Meanwhile, far from the chaos, Clint Barton—still under Loki's control—soared toward the Helicarrier aboard a commandeered fighter jet.
Don't ask where Loki got the aircraft. S.H.I.E.L.D. had too many enemies to count, and there were always factions more than willing to lend a hand if it meant seeing the agency burn.
Hawkeye's eyes shimmered with that unsettling, jade-green glow—proof of Loki's control.
With precision, he readied his bow and notched an explosive arrow.
He fired.
The projectile struck a structural turbine—one of the massive engines keeping the Helicarrier aloft.
The explosion shook the entire base, causing alarms to blare and lights to flicker.
If that turbine went down, the consequences wouldn't just be structural—they could be catastrophic.
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