Carol touched down gracefully on the grassy field where she had left Arthur. The golden glow surrounding her body faded like a sunset as she approached him.
Arthur had managed to prop himself against a large rock, looking rather worse for wear. Scattered around him lay an odd assortment of items—vials filled with shimmering liquids that seemed to move of their own accord, small pouches of iridescent powder, and bandages infused with glittering substances. His fingers trembled visibly as he uncorked another potion bottle.
"Emergency supplies?" Carol asked, crouching beside him.
Arthur nodded weakly. "Not doing much good, I'm afraid." He downed a vial of silvery liquid that writhed unnaturally in the glass. His face contorted as he swallowed. "Disgusting as always."
"Are you going to be okay?" Carol's brow furrowed with genuine concern.
"Not particularly." Arthur set the empty vial down with a shaky hand. "Complete magical depletion is rather dangerous. These potions can patch physical wounds, restore blood, even mend bones. But magical depletion? That's like trying to refill an empty lake with bottled water."
"How long will it take to recover?"
"Days, possibly weeks for a full recovery." Arthur attempted to stretch and immediately winced. "There are other injuries too, but without my magic, I can't even properly diagnose the extent of the damage."
Carol studied his pale face. "I should take you to a hospital."
"Absolutely not." Arthur waved the suggestion away. "Normal doctors would be utterly useless with magical injuries. I'll need to consult a healer from the wizarding world later."
A comfortable silence fell between them as Arthur administered another potion to himself. In the distance, the wreckage of Yon-Rogg's fighter still smoldered against the bright blue sky.
"So," Arthur finally said, "you just let your commander go like that? Do you have a soft spot for him?"
Carol's expression hardened. "I had to send a message to the Kree. Besides, technically, he did save my life by taking me back to Hala after the explosion and giving me that blood transfusion." She shrugged. "Now we're even."
"Fair enough." Arthur nodded. "So what's next for you?"
Carol looked skyward, her eyes reflecting the endless blue. "I've made enemies with the Kree and their Supreme Intelligence. This fight isn't over." She sighed. "Meanwhile, I need to finish Dr. Lawson's work. Help the Skrulls find a home."
"So you're going to become a hero with a self-sacrificing nature?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You're still young, right? Giving up your life on Earth and your friends for some aliens?"
"Says the guy who nearly died saving Earth," Carol shot back with a smirk.
"That's different," Arthur protested. "This planet is my home. Also, I didn't have any other options. You don't have to fight the Kree or help find the Skrulls a home."
Carol shook her head. "You won't understand. To me, it feels right. I want to help Dr. Lawson finish her life's goal. I want to defeat the Kree and take revenge for the years they stole from me, for the things I did while working as their soldier." She paused, looking at her hands. "Except for Maria, I don't really have anything left on this planet. And these new powers..." She flexed her fingers, a subtle glow emanating from beneath her skin. "I want to do something good with them. I don't want to waste them."
Arthur studied her for a moment. "You're right. I don't understand." He sighed. "With great power comes great responsibility?"
Carol's eyes widened slightly. "Wow. That's actually really profound. Where'd you get that?"
"Heard some old uncle saying it to his nephew," Arthur replied with a half-smile. "Moving on. This might sound terribly corny, but you have more friends than just Maria on this planet. Although we met just yesterday, after going through this alien adventure together, we can be considered friends. Fury probably thinks so too."
Just as Carol opened her mouth to reply, she looked up sharply. Arthur followed her gaze to see the Quadjet approaching, its engines breaking the afternoon quiet.
"Speak of the devil," Arthur murmured.
With considerable effort, he pushed himself up to standing, legs shaking from the exertion. Once upright, he activated the mask on his stolen Kree suit, nanites flowing smoothly across his face until he was completely hidden behind the sleek black helmet.
"Going to keep secrets from someone you just called a friend?" Carol asked, eyebrow raised.
"I called him your friend. Not mine." Arthur's voice sounded slightly mechanized through the helmet. "While Fury has been decent with me during these couple of days, it's rather difficult for me to trust someone with a spy background. Besides, he has to answer to his superiors in the agency."
The Quadjet landed in a swirl of dust and grass. The ramp lowered with a pneumatic hiss, and out came Fury, Maria, and the Skrulls. Maria broke into a run, wrapping Carol in a fierce hug that nearly lifted her off the ground.
Fury approached more cautiously, surveying the aftermath of the battle. Arthur immediately noticed the fresh bandage covering one of his eyes.
"It's been a hell of a mission," Fury said, coming to stand before Arthur and Carol. "Came after a call about a weird woman in a paintball suit, which turned into a full fight with aliens."
"You enjoyed the adventure though, right?" Arthur asked, voice distorted by the mask.
Fury's mouth twitched upward. "Yes. What's with the mask, tour guide?"
"I'm a bit knackered," Arthur replied smoothly. "The mask is to hide my identity from you."
"A wizard is afraid of little old me?" Fury's tone was light, but his good eye watched carefully.
"You? No." Arthur shook his head. "But I don't want people from your little government club coming after me. I kill them in anger, and suddenly I'm a villain on worldwide wanted lists. Not exactly how I'd prefer to live my life."
"You've been fed lies about government agencies," Fury countered. "We don't do anything like that. We're law-abiding."
"Ask around and see if anyone agrees with that assessment."
"Enough, you two," Carol interrupted, placing herself between them. "This is time for celebrations. Let's go back to Maria's place."
Talos stepped forward, his green skin shifting slightly in the sunlight. "Yes, let's go. Where is the Core?"
Arthur was just about to point to where Carol had left the Tesseract when movement caught his eye. Goose was sniffing curiously at the glowing blue cube. Before anyone could react, tentacles erupted from the cat-like creature's mouth, engulfing the Tesseract in one swift motion.
The group stood in stunned silence as Goose calmly licked his paws, looking completely ordinary again.
"Anyone know where the Flerken stored the Core and how to get it out?" Carol asked finally.
Everyone shook their heads. Arthur's eyebrow twitched furiously behind his mask. After experiencing the raw power of the Space Stone, he'd desperately wanted to keep it for himself. He didn't care if it ruined the plot—with the Tesseract, he would have the power to fight any changes that occurred.
He'd planned to hide it away, but the Tesseract couldn't be stored in any of his expandable bags, and in his current state, he couldn't handle it. He had intended to retrieve it later. But now, with Goose swallowing it, Arthur had no idea when the creature would spit the thing out.
One thing was certain, though: once it did, Arthur was determined to steal it, even if that meant robbing SHIELD.
"Fury," Arthur said casually, breaking the awkward silence, "I've been meaning to ask. Was it your pet 'cat' that scratched your eye?"
Fury snorted in response but didn't elaborate further.
Goose trotted alongside them, looking entirely too pleased with himself. Arthur narrowed his eyes at the Flerken. The blasted creature seemed to be looking at him with a smug expression, as if it knew it had foiled his plans.
"Does your alien cat dislike water?" Arthur asked innocently.
Carol shot him a suspicious look. "Why?"
"No reason," Arthur replied, his tone far too casual. "Just wondering if alien cats hate baths too."
With nothing else to be done about the Tesseract, the unusual group boarded the Quadjet. As the engines roared to life, Arthur settled into a seat, his body aching with every small movement.
As the engines roared to life, Arthur took one last look at the battlefield where he'd nearly died stopping an alien invasion. This wasn't how he'd planned his Marvel adventure to unfold. Nearly dying certainly hadn't been on the itinerary.
The experience had taught him a valuable lesson, though—no matter how meticulously you plan, things rarely go perfectly. You must learn to adapt.
For now, the Marvel storyline was over. Carol and the Skrulls would soon leave for the stars. Meanwhile, Arthur still had the final task of the Triwizard Tournament looming ahead. He hoped that he could recover in time, but something told him it wouldn't be that simple.
He could feel the Space Stone's power had changed something fundamental within him. The energy had left a lingering signature, a subtle alteration to his magical core that he couldn't quite identify yet. He needed to examine whether this change was a good change or a bad change.