Adrian finally decided to stop acting lazy.
The relaxed attitude he had maintained over the past few days disappeared instantly.
He straightened slightly and looked at the two people sitting across from him.
"Alright."
"Let's begin."
Across the table, Nick Fury and Captain Marvel exchanged a glance.
Then both nodded seriously.
Smack.
A chair suddenly scraped across the ground.
Hela had returned at some point and casually dropped into the seat beside Carol.
Facing the curious looks of the group, Hela shrugged.
"I'm curious too."
"You carry no trace of divinity…"
"…yet the aura of death surrounding you is intoxicating even to me."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"There's no way someone with that kind of presence only killed a thousand Asgardians."
Adrian pursed his lips.
Then he finally began.
"A long, long time ago—"
"Skip it."
Hela waved her hand impatiently.
"Why not start with the Big Bang while you're at it?"
Nick Fury and Carol said nothing.
But both silently nodded.
Clearly, they agreed.
Adrian paused for a moment.
"…Fine."
"A long, long time ago—before the universe existed."
"In the endless void, when reality was still chaotic and unformed…"
"…there existed six cosmic singularities."
Carol, Fury, and Hela all stared at him.
So he really started from the Big Bang.
"These six primordial forces represented the fundamental laws of existence."
"Time. Space. Power. Soul. Mind. Reality."
"When the universe was born in the Big Bang, those singularities condensed into physical forms."
"They became six artifacts."
"Objects of immeasurable cosmic authority."
"The Infinity Stones."
Across the universe, civilizations had fought wars for them.
Entire empires had risen and fallen seeking their power.
"But these stones are not something ordinary beings can control."
"Most creatures who touch them are either destroyed instantly…"
"…or their bodies disintegrate while their souls scatter across the cosmos."
"Only a tiny number of individuals survive exposure to their energy."
"And those survivors sometimes gain unimaginable power."
Adrian slowly turned his gaze toward Carol.
"Chosen by cosmic forces."
"Some would call them superheroes."
Carol froze slightly.
Because she understood exactly what he was implying.
"You're saying…"
Nick Fury spoke slowly.
"The Tesseract is one of those singularities?"
"More precisely," Adrian replied,
"It's the container."
"The Tesseract houses the Space Stone."
Carol blinked in surprise.
Adrian continued calmly.
"The powers you gained were created when you were exposed to its energy."
"Even if your abilities appear unrelated to space itself…"
"…the energy source is still the Space Stone."
"That's why you can freely pass through Odin's magical seal using raw energy."
"Without realizing it…"
"You're using the authority of space."
Carol leaned back slightly.
Realization slowly dawned on her face.
Until now, she had only known how to use her power.
But she had never truly understood its origin.
If her abilities were a weapon—
Then this was the first time someone explained how the weapon actually worked.
"So where are the other five stones?"
Nick Fury asked immediately.
Exactly as Adrian expected.
Adrian smiled.
"After discovering aliens exist…"
"…you're already thinking about collecting the rest?"
Nick Fury's expression immediately stiffened.
The Tesseract had already caused enough trouble during World War II.
Now it sounded like there were five more.
Suddenly the object sitting in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vault felt less like an asset…
…and more like a bomb.
"A man without guilt becomes guilty by possessing treasure."
The old proverb flashed through his mind.
"That Infinity Stone originally belonged to Asgard."
Hela spoke calmly from the side.
"According to the records of Asgard, Odin once kept it in his vault."
Nick Fury exhaled slowly.
"During World War II…"
"The Tesseract was called the 'Dragon's Jewel.'"
He shook his head.
"I never imagined it was literally a relic of the gods."
Everything Adrian said fit together perfectly.
It explained phenomena that had puzzled scientists for decades.
And worse—
It sounded completely logical.
"So Earth already holds two Infinity Stones."
Adrian said calmly.
"You probably shouldn't go hunting for the rest."
"Let the rest of the universe fight over them."
"At least that way Earth won't become the center of attention."
"Yes."
Nick Fury nodded instinctively.
Then he suddenly froze.
"…Wait."
"Two?"
Adrian smiled faintly.
"What?"
"Planning something again?"
Nick Fury frowned.
"You know what kind of damage these things can cause."
"During World War II, the Tesseract nearly allowed Hydra to reshape the world."
He paused.
"If another stone appears…"
"Shouldn't someone responsible control it?"
"You don't need to worry."
Adrian waved his hand casually.
"Even if you betray Earth and join Hydra one day…"
"…she won't."
He pointed vaguely toward the distance.
"She's been protecting Earth from threats in other dimensions for centuries."
Nick Fury's eyes narrowed.
That sentence raised far more questions than it answered.
But his instincts remained unchanged.
"I've seen too many betrayals."
"It's difficult for me to trust people easily."
"In that case," Adrian said calmly,
"there's nothing more to discuss."
"No matter what I say…"
"…you won't fully believe me anyway."
"So we might as well stop here."
For a moment, silence filled the area.
Then Hela suddenly spoke.
"You've been talking for half an hour…"
"…and still haven't said a single word about yourself."
Adrian shrugged.
"Even if I did…"
"No one would believe it."
Hela slowly stood up.
"I can help with that."
"…What?"
Before Adrian could react, Hela walked directly up to him.
Then she closed her eyes.
He stared at her, confused.
"What are you doing?"
"Be quiet."
"I'm trying to remember how this spell works."
She remained completely still.
One minute passed.
Two minutes.
Five minutes later—
Even the instant coffee on the table had gone cold.
Finally, Hela opened her eyes again.
"This is a memory magic."
"It allows someone to relive their past experiences."
"The caster can observe those memories directly."
She paused and glanced at Adrian.
"I made a small modification."
"You can block any memories you don't want others to see."
"And…"
She glanced toward Carol and Fury.
"You can choose to let them see the memories as well."
Adrian stared at her for a second.
"…So basically…"
"You turned yourself into a memory repeater and projector?"