Malrick ignored Hulk, who at this point was little more than an overgrown child with the temperament of a toddler.
Instead, he pointed to the faint green soul line connecting Bruce Banner and the Hulk.
He said calmly, "See that? You two share the same soul. He's not someone else. He's you—another side of your personality."
"If you see him as a monster," Malrick added, "then deep down, you're calling yourself one too."
"He's me?" Banner muttered, staring blankly at the glowing soul line. "So... I really am a monster."
Malrick blinked, momentarily caught off guard by that conclusion. That wasn't quite what he meant.
"Being a monster isn't about what you look like, Bruce. It's about what you choose to think, and how you act."
He shifted gears. "Look, what I'm doing right now? Teaching you magic? That can help. Learn to control yourself—control Hulk."
"You mean use magic to cut the link between us?" Banner asked thoughtfully. "Or... destroy him at the soul level?"
"HULK!!"
The green giant, still poking at Malrick, did not like the sound of that.
He let out a thunderous roar, lunged at Banner, and punched him in the face.
Bang!
"Ow, that hurts!"
The cry came from both Hulk and Banner simultaneously. Since they shared one soul, hurting one meant hurting both.
"HULK SMASH!"
Hulk kept swinging, driven by stubborn rage. Banner, taking hit after hit, wailed in pain. Hulk winced too, finally realizing the flaw—every punch he threw hurt him just as much.
Grimacing, Hulk got to his feet, groaned in frustration, and turned away from Malrick with a huff, sulking.
The others stood in stunned silence. The scene had the eerie vibe of something supernatural—or outright impossible.
Malrick shrugged toward Banner. "See? You're the same soul. You can't just cut it in half."
"If Hulk were truly split from you, you'd become incomplete. Your strength would vanish overnight."
Banner cast a weary glance at the brooding Hulk. "Maybe I don't want this kind of strength anymore."
"HULK," Hulk grumbled in response, disgusted again. He slapped Banner down and instantly clutched his own head, the shared pain rebounding between them.
Malrick stepped closer, voice measured. "Are you sure? If separated, Hulk's strength would fade... and Bruce, your regular human body might not hold up. Paralysis is a real risk."
"Forcing a split isn't your best option."
He raised one finger. "But I do have a better idea."
"What is it?" Banner perked up. After everything he'd seen Malrick do, he figured the man wasn't bluffing.
"Learn magic. Specifically, learn Astral Projection, the technique I used to knock your soul out of your body earlier. With that, you could control Hulk—or avoid triggering him altogether."
Malrick went on, "Your biggest problems with Hulk are, one, his volatility. He's emotionally immature and constantly destructive. And two... well... let's just say it gets awkward when things get intimate with your girlfriend."
Banner flushed. "You didn't have to say it like that."
Across the room, Betty Ross's soul awkwardly turned away.
Just last night, when they'd escaped from the military facility, the two had holed up in a small motel. Reunited under the soft moonlight, emotions ran high. Things escalated.
But then Banner's body had started turning green.
Not ideal timing.
"So what you're saying is... when I feel myself slipping, I could use this Star Projection technique to push Hulk out?" Banner asked, a glimmer of hope returning.
"More or less. But you'll need solid soul control."
Malrick touched Hulk's soul with one finger. Instantly, it rejoined with Banner's.
"You need to master Astral Projection," he said, "then keep working on your soul control. With enough progress, you'll be able to knock Hulk out of your body at will."
"Or knock yourself out," he added with a smirk. "Either way, you gain control. And you can still transform when danger strikes."
Banner looked amazed. "That sounds incredible! What's the catch? How do I start?"
"Just join Kamar-Taj. You can start today."
With a snap of Malrick's fingers, everyone's souls returned to their bodies.
Gasp! A chorus of shocked breaths echoed as the "bodies" jolted awake.
Everyone sat up quickly, clutching their chests and faces in awe. The feeling of having their soul leave their body wasn't something they'd forget.
Their eyes lit up with wonder. Even others looked like they was ready to enroll.
Malrick cut them off before the questions started. "Don't even think about it. Magic requires talent—and sacrifice. Stick to being good Agents and keep doing your jobs."
"What kind of talent?" Tony Stark piped up, sidling over. "Do I have talent?"
Malrick smirked. "Talent means your body or soul has to be... appealing. Appealing enough for a Dimensional Demon God to give you a loan quota."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Did you just say delicious? Are you turning this into a cooking show? What even is a Dimensional Demon God?"
"If you're that curious, I'll have one of the sorcerers explain it later."
Malrick glanced around, using his super-vision to check the surroundings. Then he drew a glowing portal in the air.
"But not today. I came for the Tesseract, remember?"
It was part of their agreement: Tony would hand over the Tesseract, and Malrick would join the Avengers.
The portal opened. On the other side: the S.H.I.E.L.D. vault—and the Tesseract.
"Holy crap," Tony muttered, staring. "You just... opened a magic door straight into the vault? Do those Kamar-Taj guys even pay taxes? They're the best burglars on Earth."
"It's not that easy," Malrick said, stepping through. "Most sorcerers need tools to do this. The spell's not as convenient as it looks."
He walked to the pedestal and picked up the glowing cube.
The Tesseract pulsed wildly, energy flaring the moment it touched his hand.
Blue light surged around him. His eyes lit up, his skin glowing as the power of the Space Stone flooded through him.
Every cell in his body greedily drank in the energy.
To any normal person, this would have been fatal. But not to Malrick.
With his current strength, he could easily handle one Infinity Stone. Still, controlling this raw power wasn't like using a spell. This was chaos—unfiltered.
The Tesseract's casing began to crack, blue energy pouring out like a dam breaking.
Malrick quickly shut the portal.
Back in the real world, Tony turned to Jarvis with concern.
"Jarvis, what was the energy spike from Malrick just now? Is he in danger?"
"Sir, uh... Young Master Malrick... he... he appears to be temporarily..." Jarvis's voice sputtered with static.
Tony groaned. "Forget it. Just keep evolving."
Then, from behind him, a strange voice echoed through a newly opened portal.
"This is definitely the S.H.I.E.L.D. Base. The energy signature is here—and I can still sense traces of Malrick's magic."
A large, round man stepped through the swirling gate.
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Looks like no bonus chapters again today, enjoy the 2 daily ones instead!