Chapter Seventeen: Unraveling the Spell

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Nick Fury, who had already prepared his words for every possible scenario.

“Because of them,” Fury said, gesturing toward Thor, who was standing by watching the scene unfold, and Atanis, who floated in the air.

Thor looked incredulous. “Because of me?”

“Last year, some visitors from another world arrived on our planet. Their conflict destroyed an entire small town. It was then we realized that alien life exists in the universe, and compared to them, humanity is utterly powerless.” Taking advantage of their ignorance, Fury began to fabricate his narrative.

“We only wish to coexist peacefully with you. Besides, that battle didn’t harm anyone,” Thor protested, clenching his fists, clearly angered by the suspicion from his supposed allies.

“What about others? Can you speak for all extraterrestrial life? Can you guarantee no alien will ever invade? There’s always a higher mountain, and things can spiral out of control,” Fury replied, always striving to keep every variable within his grasp.

“So that’s why you want to study the Cosmic Cube?” Steve was somewhat swayed by Fury’s argument. It reminded him of the American efforts to develop nuclear weapons during the war.

“Yet it was your research into the Cosmic Cube that attracted Loki and the others. You broadcasted a signal to the entire universe, announcing that Midgard was ready to join high-level warfare,” Thor retorted, furious. If Fury hadn’t activated the Cube, Midgard would still be classified as a primitive civilization, protected by the Tribunal of the Cosmos, and would not have suffered invasion.

“High-level warfare?” Steve looked to Thor for clarification, but Fury cut in, deftly changing the subject.

“You forced our hand first. We need a way to defend ourselves,” Fury said, unwilling to accept any blame. He was determined to deflect responsibility.

“So you plan to suppress threats with nuclear weapons?” Tony, who’d been listening for some time, interrupted Fury’s argument. Based on the information at hand, nothing surpassed nuclear weapons in terms of deterrence. “That should be enough to avoid all-out war.”

“I almost forgot—you made your fortune from war, Stark.” Fury turned to Tony. If Stark hadn’t hacked S.H.I.E.L.D.’s database, none of this would have happened.

“If he were still making weapons, he would be…” Steve’s words, now directed at Tony, carried a sharp edge.

“Hey, hey, hey, so now you’re blaming me?” Tony sensed something was off but was cut off by Steve before he could continue.

“I’m sorry, but haven’t you always been at the center of attention?” Steve shot back, the memory of their earlier argument still fresh in his mind.

Tony’s reason was quickly overwhelmed by a surge of anger from deep within, and he began to argue fiercely with Steve.

“I thought humanity had already become highly civilized,” Thor challenged Fury, questioning the necessity of his actions.

“I’m sorry, but did we ever go to your planet and start a war?” Fury retorted, his emotions slipping out of control as he began to mock Thor.

“Do you really not trust your own comrades?” Thor was infuriated by the suspicion, though he was perhaps the least affected in the room, so he managed to keep his cool and didn’t reach for his hammer.

“How naïve. S.H.I.E.L.D. is responsible for monitoring all potential threats,” Natasha interjected, rebuking Thor. Hearing this, Banner gave a cold laugh and asked, “Does that make Captain America a threat too?”

“All of us are,” Natasha replied without hesitation.

“Are you on the watchlist?” … “Are you trying to keep your temper in check?” … “Stark, if you keep talking nonsense!” … “Threat! An empty threat! I’m so terrified!” …

The group’s quarrel echoed within the confines of the small laboratory, while Atanis, immersed in dispelling the spell, had reached a critical moment.

The magic within the scepter had been dormant, but at a certain moment, it activated. Atanis traced the awakened threads of power, delving deeper into the strange enchantment.

Let’s see—malicious influence, emotional amplification—what is this? Atanis identified the core structure of the spell and understood its purpose.

This is bad. The people outside are in danger. Atanis sensed the surge of volatile emotions in the room; with the scepter’s aid, these feelings were flaring like oil thrown on a fire. He had to break the spell at once.

He poured his psychic power into the scepter. Having grasped the magical structure, he only needed a bit more effort to unravel it.

But what Atanis didn’t expect was that as his psychic energy poured into the scepter and unraveled the enchantment, the gem atop the scepter absorbed his psychic force.

What is this? Could it be…! As his energy was swallowed, Atanis’ consciousness briefly linked with the gem. He sensed its boundless, infinite power, and instantly understood the true nature of the scepter—or rather, the gem set within it. This was a relic!

But now was not the time to rejoice. Though the magic had been dispelled, those affected still needed to be “treated.”

“Speaking of order, isn’t this place a complete mess as well?” Thor mocked Fury’s idea of control, and Banner chimed in, “This is his management style. What are we now? A team? No, we’re just a bunch of monsters sowing chaos—ticking time bombs.”

“You need to calm down,” Fury said to Banner, worried the scientist’s anger might trigger a transformation.

“I think all of you need to calm down,” Atanis said, opening his eyes. A blue radiance radiated from him, sweeping over everyone in the room.

They all felt as if a gentle breeze had passed through them, as if their very souls had been drawn from their bodies, carrying away all pain and anxiety. Reason returned to every mind.

“What just happened?” Tony was the first to speak, still recalling his argument with Steve, but the anger now gone.

“You were all under the influence of magic cast upon this scepter,” Atanis explained, seeing that everyone had regained composure.

“I sensed the spell on the scepter while meditating. Since I needed to break the enchantment, I couldn’t move. The spell amplifies the darkness in your hearts, making your emotions hypersensitive.” Atanis picked up the scepter—now that he knew it bore a relic of his people, he would not let it out of his care.

“Was it Loki’s doing?” Natasha asked, recalling her earlier intelligence and glancing subconsciously at Banner.

Atanis shook his head. “This is not rune magic, nor does the caster’s aura match Loki’s. I do not believe it was him.”