The old SSR safehouse was tucked between jagged rocks near a frozen ridge. Hidden from satellites, buried under layers of reinforced stone, it hadn't been used since the 60s. With A.I. Carter guiding him, Ron reached it within minutes.
> "This place was meant to house enhanced individuals during the Cold War," said the AI as Ron walked through the dusty corridors. "Stark helped design it."
Ron found a control room, its equipment still functional thanks to the AI. He set the Tesseract sphere on a reinforced pedestal and began studying its energy signature, trying to understand its connection to what he saw in his visions.
> "White Magic… stabilize its influence. Dark Magic… suppress feedback," he whispered, weaving spells instinctively.
Suddenly, the security alert blared.
> "Unknown entity approaching. No heat signature. High-speed approach."
Ron snapped to attention. Through magical and physical senses, he felt the cold presence cutting through the trees toward the mountain.
A shadowed figure burst into the safehouse's outer wall—metal arm first—followed by a flurry of bullets.
Ron blurred into motion, dodging every shot effortlessly. The moment he saw the attacker's face, something clicked.
> "You're… Bucky Barnes. The Winter Soldier."
Bucky said nothing. His eyes were cold, empty, programmed for one thing: eliminate the target.
He charged.
Ron raised his hand. A silver pulse knocked Bucky back, shattering a wall, but he rose again like a machine. The cybernetic arm glowed with Hydra tech—surging with experimental enhancements.
They clashed.
Blow for blow, Ron held back. He didn't want to kill him—he knew Bucky was a victim. He fought defensively, mixing superhuman strength with magical barriers, teleporting inches at a time to avoid damage.
But Bucky was relentless.
He hurled a grenade.
Ron absorbed the blast with dark magic and snapped his fingers—summoning ethereal chains of shadow that wrapped around Bucky's limbs, freezing him in place.
> "Sleep," Ron whispered, channeling white magic into Bucky's mind.
The Soldier's eyes flickered—blank, then confused. His body sagged.
> "Who… are you?" Bucky muttered before collapsing.
The safehouse went quiet.
Ron stood over him, heart pounding. "I didn't ask for this. But if I can save one man from being a puppet… maybe I can save more."
Outside, Hydra agents closed in. And above them all, a satellite turned—watching.
Nick Fury had just seen the Silver Mage.
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