Chapter Summaries

Evenson resisted Uthalesh’s offer to merge with her, then escaped her realm as the Eredar Twins’ intervention returned his soul to his body. He found himself back with Thor, but his right hand and forearm had been burned to ashes.

• Uthalesh tempted Evenson with power from Uthalesh, but Evenson recognized the danger of her vague offer and refused.
• Uthalesh warned Evenson that he could not escape her realm and that his soul would eventually be assimilated.
• Evenson tried to cast an emergency escape spell, but it failed, and Uthalesh invited him to play Hearthstone.
• Evenson began floating away and realized the Eredar Twins had kept their agreement and saved him.
• Thor greeted Evenson after he returned, and Evenson discovered that his charred right hand and forearm crumbled away.

After Evenson’s spell destroyed the Chitauri forces, he discovered that healing could restore the concept of his right hand but not its flesh, while Klayya realized the black wizard was Evenson. Just as the Avengers prepared to close the portal, Tony reported a nuclear strike on its way, and Evenson called Sarah to help stop it.

• Evenson tried to regrow his right hand with a Healing Stone, but only restored its concept and used bandages to form a temporary hand.
• Evenson learned that he had shouted strange words while possessed by Uthalesh, and Sarah confirmed what he had said.
• Klayya recognized Evenson as the black wizard and hid her shock from Olivann.
• Evenson and the others prepared to close the portal after the Chitauri forces were defeated.
• Tony warned that a nuclear bomb was approaching, then sent it through the portal as Evenson summoned a stone statue and called Sarah to help.

Tony Stark sacrificed himself to destroy the Chitauri mothership, but Evenson summoned him back to New York before he died. After the invasion ended, Ancient One agreed to speak with Evenson, while General Ross left with Veronica and the captured Chitauri corpses.

• Tony carried the nuclear bomb through the portal and destroyed the Chitauri mothership, but his armor lost power and he prepared to die.
• Tony accepted Evenson's summoning and reappeared in New York, where Captain America helped him stand.
• Tony invited everyone to eat, while Evenson pointed out that Bruce Banner needed clothes as he changed back from Hulk.
• The New York Sanctum sorcerers celebrated the invasion's end, and Ancient One told Olivann she would speak with Evenson after resting.
• General Ross traveled with Veronica and the Chitauri corpses, then recognized her as a nightclub dancer rather than the mercenary she claimed to be.

After the Avengers celebrated the end of the New York crisis, Evenson met with the Eredar Twins, who approved of his actions and prepared to begin the next stage of their plan. Evenson proposed muddying the waters in the newly opened world and considered a target for the job.

• The Avengers shared a meal, and Dottie returned Tony's missing burgers before slapping Tony and Captain America after their looks stirred suspicion.
• Dottie revealed she had waited for Carter while Captain America was gone for more than sixty years.
• Natasha asked where Evenson had gone, and Sarah said he had returned early to rest.
• The Eredar Twins summoned Evenson to Void's Legacy nightclub and teased him before praising his performance in saving their property.
• Evenson discussed muddying the waters in the new world and thought of a target: the Nuclear Bomb.

After a night with the Eredar Twins, Evenson asked them to help him confront a powerful guest who might be the Sorcerer Supreme. He then went to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters to discuss the nuclear bomb with Nick Fury.

• Saloras and Aurelles treated Evenson’s night with them as a reward for his loyal service and denied that it meant they had romantic feelings for him.
• Evenson told the Eredar Twins that a powerful, possibly hostile guest might visit and asked them to help him put on a show of force; Aurelles guessed the guest was the Sorcerer Supreme.
• Evenson returned to his mage tower, rested, and then drove to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
• Nick Fury dismissed Evenson’s request for a special bonus and lifelong disability benefits but agreed to discuss the nuclear bomb.

Evenson questioned Nick Fury about why the committee ordered a nuclear strike on New York before conventional military forces had joined the battle. He left Fury worried that the committee’s decision came from ignorance and excessive speculation rather than panic.

• Nick Fury tried to soothe Evenson by blaming the committee for the nuclear strike and recalling Coulson’s death.
• Evenson told Nick Fury that the Army and Air Force had failed to respond during the two-hour battle, while the committee had quickly authorized a nuclear bomb.
• Nick Fury realized that the committee had launched the bomb without consulting the US government and began to share Evenson’s doubts.
• Evenson pointed out that the Avengers had already turned the battle around and warned that the nuclear blast might have affected the Cosmic Cube.
• Evenson told Nick Fury that he feared the committee understood nothing but insisted on overthinking everything.

Evenson explained to Nick Fury that the committee’s nuclear strike could have killed both of Odin’s sons and provoked an Asgardian war, possibly as part of a plan to expand the committee’s power. He left Nick Fury with a warning that the committee had badly underestimated Asgard’s military strength.

• Evenson explained that the nuclear strike could have killed Thor and Loki, leaving Odin without heirs and giving him cause to make war on Earth.
• Nick Fury realized that Odin might respond to the deaths of both sons by attacking humanity and angrily condemned the committee’s decision.
• Evenson proposed that the committee may have wanted a limited war with Asgard to gain power and negotiate a settlement.
• Nick Fury considered whether the US government had secretly cooperated with the committee in exchange for political benefits.
• Evenson said a stalemate with Asgard was impossible because the committee had underestimated Asgard’s military strength.

The committee planned to invade Asgard after mistaking Sif’s boastful account for proof that its army relied on primitive weapons. Evenson warned Nick Fury that the Bifrost could destroy Earth, leaving Fury wary of the committee and asking Evenson about resurrection.

• The committee gathered intelligence from Sif while she drank and concluded that Asgard’s forces were weaker than Earth’s modern weapons.
• The committee decided to use Asgard as a stepping stone to dictatorship and planned to divide the world among themselves.
• Evenson explained that Asgard had powerful weapons and that the Bifrost could destroy Earth if it operated at full power for two hours.
• Evenson clarified that the Bifrost’s destructive potential was his speculation, and Nick Fury decided to watch the committee closely.
• Nick Fury sent Evenson to Melinda to file for disability compensation, then asked what he thought about bringing the dead back to life; Evenson gave no opinion.

Nick Fury asked Evenson about resurrecting the dead, hoping to bring Coulson back. Evenson explained that his necromantic spell would create a suffering living corpse, leaving Fury to seek another way.

• Nick Fury asked Evenson whether resurrection through science and magic was possible, and Evenson said he had no objection to studying the laws of life and death.
• Evenson said he would resurrect an enemy or a tool but refused to use his spell on a friend.
• Nick Fury admitted he wanted to resurrect Coulson, and Evenson revealed that he and Coulson were friends.
• Evenson explained that his spell would make Coulson a living corpse who felt endless hunger, lost his senses, and slowly rotted while remaining unable to die.
• Nick Fury abandoned the idea of having Evenson resurrect Coulson, and Evenson offered advice if Fury pursued the resurrection himself.

Evenson comforted Melinda after Coulson’s death by revealing Nick Fury’s secret plan, renewing her hope and setting a date to grant her power. He then traveled to Fel Scar Rift to contract a special demon, where Agatha confronted him over his arrival and he accused her of nearly getting him killed.

• Evenson found Melinda waiting in his car, and she asked him to cancel their contract because Coulson had died.
• Evenson refused to cancel the contract and told Melinda that Nick Fury had a plan, restoring her hope.
• Melinda kept the plan secret, and Evenson agreed to fulfill their contract in three days after making preparations and attending a ceremony.
• Evenson returned home, ordered Sarah to close the shop, and traveled as a projection to Fel Scar Rift.
• Agatha greeted Evenson, and he angrily accused her of nearly getting him killed the last time they met.

Evenson spoke with Agatha on his way to meet Gernos, learning that the Burning Legion was concentrating its attention on Azeroth and might leave remote territory unguarded. Agatha reaffirmed her loyalty to the Eredar Twins and asked Evenson to pass it on when he returned.

• Agatha sensed the Eredar Twins' marks on Evenson and assured him that other demons could not detect them.
• Agatha led Evenson toward the Lower Rift to find Gernos, the Great Scientist.
• Agatha said Gul'dan's failures had angered Kil'jaeden and that he might personally lead the Burning Legion against Azeroth.
• Agatha described the Legion's limited responses to raids on its territories, and Evenson inferred that its leaders had little attention to spare for remote regions.
• Evenson told Agatha that the Eredar Twins were doing well, and Agatha declared that she would always obey them and await their commands.

Evenson sought to contract Great Scientist Gernos to develop Umbrella Corporation’s neural-link exoskeletons, while Agatha tried to intimidate the disgraced scientist into agreeing. The confrontation ended in embarrassment when Evenson accidentally tugged down Agatha’s skirt.

• Evenson planned to hire Gernos with Soul Crystals because Umbrella Corporation needed a scientist to develop its neural-link exoskeletons.
• Agatha deflected Gernos’s saw blades, then threatened him with a choice between facing Lord or fighting her.
• Gernos pleaded with Agatha and reminded her of the dangerous pranks they had played on each other in the past.
• Agatha grew angry and prepared to kill Gernos, so Evenson grabbed her to stop her.
• Evenson accidentally tugged Agatha’s skirt down slightly and backed away, exclaiming that it was a misunderstanding.

After Evenson accidentally tore a piece from Agatha’s skirt, he stopped her from killing Gernos by persuading her to let him take the scientist away from Fel Scar Rift. The chapter ended with Gernos signing Evenson’s contract, unaware that it was a contract of sale.

• Agatha flew into a rage over her torn skirt and nearly cut off Evenson’s hand, but spared him after he invoked the Twin Ladies.
• Agatha tried to kill Gernos to keep the incident secret, but Evenson stopped her and offered to take Gernos away from the Void.
• Gernos agreed to leave Fel Scar Rift, and Evenson tricked him into signing a contract of sale.
• Evenson told Gernos to pack his things and promised to summon him for work he would enjoy.

Evenson learned that Gernos could restore and activate Fel Scar Rift’s abandoned cannons, then visited the Eredar Twins’ newly acquired underground base to discuss his role in the Edge of Tomorrow project. Saloras ended the chapter by asking how Agatha looked beneath her skirt, leaving Evenson stunned that she knew what he had seen.

• Agatha explained that Gernos had designed Fel Scar Rift’s cannons and kept their activation keys, and Evenson learned the weapons could cover the entire rift once the Soul Engine was restored.
• Evenson and Agatha agreed that Hailmondas was unfit to rule and hinted that the Eredar Twins were more qualified.
• The next day, Evenson visited the Eredar Twins’ company and discovered its building concealed a ten-level underground base acquired from the US Military through General Ross.
• Evenson said Gernos was the best candidate to oversee the Edge of Tomorrow project, and Saloras asked how Agatha looked beneath her skirt.
• Evenson admitted that Agatha’s ass was white, then asked Saloras how she knew.

Evenson and the Eredar Twins agreed that they wanted to keep the world under their own control, and he summoned Gernos to discuss Fel Scar Rift’s crisis. The Twins’ former subordinate arrived with a bundle of dangerous bombs and begged them to reclaim the throne from Hailmondas.

• Agatha told the Eredar Twins about Evenson’s plans, and Evenson discussed the scheme with them.
• Evenson admitted that he wanted to keep the world in his own hands, and the Twins agreed that they wanted to live by their own will.
• Saloras offered Evenson drugs from Guler, but he refused and warned them to stay away from drugs.
• Evenson summoned Gernos, who arrived carrying engineering gear and a bundle containing a Fel Pulse Bomb.
• Gernos recognized the Eredar Twins, knelt before them, and begged them to return to the throne and rescue Fel Scar Rift from Hailmondas.

Gernos offered the Eredar Twins control of the Fel Scar Rift’s cannons, but the Soul Engine lacked fuel. Evenson revealed he had a thousand high-quality souls from San Venganza to power it.

• Gernos sought advancement by pledging loyalty to the Eredar Twins and complained that Hailmondas had wasted his talents.
• Gernos told Saloras and Aurelles that he still controlled the Fel Scar Rift’s cannons but could not activate them because the Soul Engine had run out of fuel.
• Evenson offered to supply fuel, explaining that fresh souls with intense experiences of hope, despair, sin, or corruption were especially valuable.
• Evenson revealed that he had a thousand high-quality souls from San Venganza, which Gernos estimated could power the Soul Engine.
• Evenson explained that he had obtained the souls through the Soul of Mephisto Contract after Mephisto’s scheme for San Venganza had been interrupted.

Evenson strengthened his position in Fel Scar Rift by putting Gernos to work on a new project, but still needed a way to overcome Hailmondas and his forces. He attended the Avengers’ farewell as Thor’s group returned to Asgard, then asked Tony Stark for advice.

• Evenson and the Eredar Twins agreed to postpone their plans to take Fel Scar Rift because Hailmondas and his Demon Guards and Wrathguards remained major obstacles.
• Aurelles gave Gernos a Deception Orb, and Saloras assigned him to oversee research on the Edge of Tomorrow project; Gernos asked for two assistants.
• Evenson rushed to a park, where the Avengers were preparing to send Thor, Loki, and their companions away with the Cosmic Cube.
• Sif told Evenson that the unrepaired Bifrost could transport only three people, so he would have to wait for another chance to visit Asgard.
• Thor’s group returned to Asgard, and Evenson asked Tony Stark to try his car because he wanted his advice.

Evenson asked Tony Stark for advice about his absent girlfriend, Klayya, and admitted that he had slept with two women after the Chitauri invasion. Tony concluded that Klayya had dumped him, but just as Evenson began to accept it, she suddenly returned and called him to come with her.

• Evenson let Tony test-drive his uniquely modified antique car, and Tony agreed that they could discuss combining magic and science later.
• Evenson told Tony that Klayya had left without giving him her destination, return date, or contact information, and confessed that he had slept with two women after the battle in New York.
• Tony told Evenson that Klayya had dumped him, leaving Evenson stunned.
• Evenson returned home and began to feel relieved that he would not have to explain the twins to Klayya.
• Klayya rushed in and urgently called for Evenson, who rolled behind his chair in shock.

Klayya revealed that she was a mage and warned Evenson that the Sorcerer Supreme was coming to confront him. Ancient One arrived at his shop, and Evenson challenged her claim that his magic was evil by pointing to her own use of power from the Dark Dimension.

• Klayya admitted that she was a mage, but reassured Evenson that their time together had been genuine.
• Klayya warned Evenson that Ancient One was coming and urged him to escape because his identity as a dark wizard had been exposed.
• Evenson realized Ancient One had already displaced the surrounding block into a subspace and appeared at the entrance to his shop.
• Klayya stepped between Evenson and Ancient One to defend him, but Ancient One said his power was more evil than any she had encountered.
• Evenson challenged Ancient One by pointing out that she drew power from the Dark Dimension.

Evenson revealed that Ancient One wielded power from the Dark Dimension and activated the magical defenses of his home, which he called a fortress. The Eredar Twins arrived as planned, and Aurelles attacked Ancient One, leaving the uneasy group on the verge of a fight.

• Klayya rebuked Evenson for accusing Ancient One of using dark power, but Ancient One revealed purple eyes and markings that confirmed it.
• Ancient One explained that she had used Dark Dimension power to fight darkness, while Evenson warned her that she should not have entered his home.
• Evenson activated hidden magical arrays that expanded and fortified the building, prompting Ancient One to recognize it as a mage tower or fortress.
• Someone shattered Ancient One's pocket dimension, and the Eredar Twins, Aurelles and Saloras, entered Evenson's home.
• Aurelles hurled a compressed fireball at Ancient One, who raised a golden shield as Evenson protected himself and Klayya with Void Protection.