After hanging up, Lucas sent Tony the measurements for Skye's arm bracers.
Then he scooped up the moogle in his arms and gave it a vigorous rub.
"Lucky I've still got you to keep me company."
"Kupo~"
The moogle let out a lazy chirp, rolled over, and nudged Lucas to scratch the other side.
Late that night, Lucas slept soundly.
Outside the window, a streak of black smoke flashed past.
Lucas didn't sense a thing—
only the moogle in the office lifted its head briefly, then promptly went back to sleep.
At the top of the Empire State Building, Blackheart emerged from swirling darkness.
He stepped onto the eagle-headed ornament and looked down over New York, calculating where the Contract of San Venganza might be.
For some reason, he couldn't trace its presence at all—
no aura, no residue, nothing.
As if the contract had vanished into thin air.
But he knew that was impossible.
Someone must have hidden it.
Blackheart extended both arms and muttered an incantation.
A breeze rose—
then instantly stilled.
A humanoid figure formed in the suspended wind.
Next came a swirl of sand, then a rushing mass of water—
each forming its own humanoid shape.
Their bodies and features appeared gradually,
and the three demons knelt before him on one knee.
"Young master, you've finally arrived."
Blackheart gave the trio a faint nod.
"Wind Demon, Water Demon, Earth Demon…
Have you found any trace of the Contract of San Venganza?"
All three shook their heads.
"Young master, the contract has completely disappeared.
No traces remain.
The last known location was a church in a small town outside the city."
The Wind Demon spoke first.
"Yes, young master.
We investigated the church.
The contract wasn't there.
According to the pastor, the Ghost Rider took it decades ago.
Its whereabouts since then are unknown."
The Water Demon added.
Their search ended at Ghost Rider—
the trail went cold from there.
"Ghost Rider…
Just a dog of my father.
And he dared hide the contract from me?
Courting death."
Blackheart narrowed his eyes, which turned blood-red, as if reflecting mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.
"Find him.
Find that dog for me."
His voice dropped into a growl—
the wind around them erupted violently.
"Yes, young master!"
In a swirl of storm winds, the three demons vanished,
leaving Blackheart alone, overlooking Manhattan.
"It won't be long…
This place will be my paradise."
With that, he dissipated into black smoke.
Immediately after, a portal opened.
The guardian of the New York Sanctum stepped out,
casting a complex sigil that captured a wisp of Blackheart's fading demonic aura.
At Kamar-Taj, he presented the residue to the Ancient One.
"Supreme Sorcerer, Mephisto's son Blackheart has entered Earth.
By some unknown means…
and this time, with his true body."
The Ancient One glanced at the dark smoke, flicked her hand, and scattered it effortlessly.
"Don't worry.
Someone will send the little one back to where he belongs."
She returned to sipping her tea.
No further comment.
"Then I'll take my leave."
The guardian bowed and returned to the New York Sanctum.
The Ancient One looked upward;
the sky was clear except for orderly flocks of birds.
Early the next morning, Wanda dragged Lucas out of his warm bed.
Her reason?
She and Skye were heading to MIT to visit Gwen and Peter for the whole day.
Therefore, Lucas would be responsible for watching the house.
Lucas stared at them, dumbfounded.
The two really did whatever came to mind.
How were they planning to get to MIT?
It was hundreds of kilometers from New York.
Driving would take hours—
and they didn't even have a car.
"You forgot? Gwen set the coordinates ages ago.
We can go through the Chocobo Space!"
Skye held up her crystal.
"When did Gwen set coordinates?
How did I not notice?"
As the owner of the Chocobo Space, Lucas could sense every coordinate—
whether he set it or a crystal holder did.
"Just now.
You were still sleeping."
Wanda also pulled out her crystal.
"We're in a hurry.
We're heading out.
Take good care of the house~~"
Before Lucas could respond, Skye activated her crystal.
Wanda followed.
"Hey! I'm not finished—"
Too late.
Both vanished.
Leaving Lucas and the moogle staring at each other.
The moogle floated over, dropped a brush into Lucas' hand, and promptly sprawled across his lap.
"Kupo~~"
"Sure… everyone in this house thinks they're royalty.
Who's the boss again?"
Lucas muttered as he brushed the moogle's fur.
The creature had become more and more like a cat—lazy, pampered, and demanding.
All thanks to Skye and the others spoiling it.
At the same time, inside S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters,
Nick Fury savored a rare quiet moment, casually sipping coffee.
A precious window of peace—
a rare chance to relax.
Beep—beep—beep—
The communicator on his desk lit up.
"Motherfu—!"
Fury slapped the button.
"Coulson, if this isn't important,
I will personally transfer you to mine gemstones in Africa!"
He was furious.
He barely got a break, and they were already ruining it.
"Uh… Director,
we found Captain America.
And the Tesseract."
Coulson's excitement was overflowing.
He had just met his childhood idol—alive.
"What's Rogers' condition?"
"His vital signs are weak, but stable.
Physically, everything looks normal.
He likely needs time to recover after being frozen."
"Good.
Both Rogers and the Tesseract are top-priority assets.
Bring them back safely.
I'll send you a secure route—
only you and Barton will know it.
You two transport Rogers and the Tesseract in secret.
Everyone else follows the original schedule."
Better safe than sorry—
Fury altered the plan, creating an entirely new transportation route.
Somewhere over the Arctic,
Captain America lay in a heated containment unit under constant monitoring.
Coulson personally carried the Tesseract in its case.
He and Hawkeye boarded a small separate aircraft,
while the others returned to Washington via the original transport.
From the radio came a live baseball broadcast.
Suddenly, Steve's eyes snapped open—
his pupils constricted sharply.
"You're awake, Captain."
A nurse-like attendant spoke while jotting notes.
"Where am I?
I remember… I was on a plane."
Steve rubbed his forehead, trying to recall everything before the crash.
"You're in a hospital, Captain.
Our people found you."
The nurse glanced discreetly at her watch.
Steve said nothing—
still pressing his forehead.
The radio continued to play the baseball commentary.
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