Just as the downed helicopter exploded in a massive fireball right above them, Daniel who was still holding Betty Ross protectively, suddenly stopped running.
His eyes focused on the falling flames.
Then, in one smooth movement, he lifted his wand. Without using any fancy words or some dramatic spell-casting, an invisible force shot out.
An invisible sword sliced the fireball perfectly in half. The explosion split apart in the air, as if someone had commanded it to, and crashed down in two separate pieces on either side of them.
The destroyed helicopter hit the ground with a thunderous crash. Debris flew everywhere but none of it even came close to touching them.
Everything just bounced off some kind of invisible shield.
Daniel stood perfectly still, wand still raised.
A dome of magic surrounded them, faintly shimmering in the firelight.
Betty Ross, still in his arms, didn't move.
She didn't fight him or pull away. Didn't flinch. Didn't even say anything.
She just pressed closer to him, her breathing shallow, her mind going blank from all the sudden noise, heat, and chaos. But somehow...
In all that madness, breathing in the scent of his coat, feeling his steady heartbeat—she felt something strangely comforting.
Safety.
Betty had known Daniel could do magic. During those quiet times they used to spend together—talking about magical theory, ancient civilizations, mystical patterns—she'd sensed there was something deeper underneath his calm exterior.
She'd been jealous of it.
Part of her had always wished she could use magic too.
Now, in this exact moment—being held by a wizard while war machines rained fire around them—she realized something else.
She could never go back to how things used to be.
Hulk had seen everything.
He'd been jumping forward when the broken rotor blade from the falling helicopter came spinning toward him—those deadly metal blades whirling with enough force to cut through stone.
Even for him, that was too dangerous.
He had to dodge sideways, his instincts making him move out of the way. But his eyes never left Betty.
And through her, Daniel.
There was no mistaking that barrier. The calm confidence. The magic flowing invisibly through the air.
Hulk might not have recognized Daniel, but Bruce Banner did.
He'd been watching the man from a distance, long before he'd come back. Quietly studying him from hidden rooftops. He knew Daniel had some kind of relationship with Betty, one that had formed while Bruce was basically a ghost.
But even Bruce hadn't realized he was this powerful.
From the edge of the battlefield, General Ross stood completely still.
The full impact of what was happening hit him when he realized—
His daughter wasn't next to him anymore.
He whipped around—just in time to see her standing out in the open, across from Hulk, directly in the path of fire from the helicopter that had just unleashed everything it had.
"BETTY!"
The word tore out of him, desperate and broken.
He was too late.
The bullets had already rained down like hail, the explosion already crashing toward earth. He had basically sentenced her to death. His own daughter.
Then he saw him.
Daniel. The guy who had appeared like a ghost between Betty and certain death. The one who took a storm of bullets to the back and didn't even flinch. The one who held her like she was the most precious thing in the world, while flames consumed everything around them.
And he didn't have a scratch on him.
The fire raged, and it just bounced right off.
General Ross stared. His mouth opened, but no words came out. His military-trained brain tried to make sense of what he was seeing: magical barriers, no spoken spells, instant defensive casting. Tactical shielding that could stop high-speed bullets and explosive impacts.
But the simple truth was: he had no clue what he was looking at.
He'd only found out about Daniel a few days ago. With Bruce gone and Betty seemingly emotionally stable, he'd pulled back the security detail he'd had watching her. He thought she'd moved on.
Apparently not.
Ross had even ordered a quiet background check. The guy came up clean. Started college at 19. Smart, but nothing suspicious. No military connections. Just some minor weirdness about his academic record. The kind of small oddity you ignore, until it literally saves your daughter from a fireball.
Now Ross knew this wasn't just some college guy his daughter had mentioned.
This was something completely different.
The fireball he'd been terrified would kill her smashed into the street, but Daniel split it apart like it was nothing more than wind. And Betty stood completely unharmed right in the middle of it all.
Ross felt his chest tighten as the gears in his mind churned.
He stopped seeing Daniel as a potential threat and as a potential weapon.
The U.S. military had been chasing the dream of super soldiers for decades. Stryker had his mutants. S.H.I.E.L.D. had their classified projects. Stark had his technology. But wizards?
Magicians didn't leave behind blueprints. They were legends who had come to life. They were hard to find and even harder to copy.
And apparently impossible to kill—if today was any indication.
If Daniel could be convinced... recruited... turned into an asset...
Ross didn't let himself finish that thought.
He just watched as the flames finally died down.
Standing in the middle of the scorched pavement, completely untouched by fire or metal, was Daniel, his coat a little singed around the edges, but his eyes remained calm.
Daniel wasn't looking at Ross or the soldiers who were now slowly surrounding the area with their weapons lowered or even at Betty.
No... his eyes were locked on one figure.
The massive green giant standing just a short distance away.
The Hulk.
There was no question about what was going to happen next.
Despite all the chaos, all the destruction, all the fire and explosions and death... this was the real heart of the storm.
Daniel carefully helped Betty down to the ground whose eyes were still wide in astonishment.
Then, without turning around, he spoke in a voice that was quiet but crystal clear.
"Stay behind me."
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