Magical Marvel: The Rise of Arthur Hayes

The Blockbuster Video store in Simi Valley, California stood silent in the pre-dawn darkness, its windows reflecting the glow of street lamps. At precisely 3:17 AM, the silence was shattered by a blinding streak of light plummeting from the sky. The object—or rather, person—crashed through the roof with explosive force, sending debris flying in all directions.

Inside the wreckage of what had been a display featuring "The Right Stuff," a woman in a green and black uniform lay momentarily stunned. Captain Carol Danvers—though she currently knew herself only as "Vers"—pushed herself up from the crater her impact had created, fragments of ceiling tiles and VHS cases sliding off her shoulders.

She blinked, taking in her surroundings with military precision despite her disorientation. The colours, the primitive technology, the strange arrangements of entertainment boxes—all confirmed what she already suspected. She had landed on planet C-53.

A flicker of movement caught her eye. Acting on instinct, Vers charged her fist with photon energy and fired. The blast obliterated what turned out to be only a cardboard standee of Arnold Schwarzenegger promoting "True Lies."

"Perfect," she muttered, glancing around to ensure no actual threats remained.

Finding the store empty, Vers made her way toward the exit, where a security guard sat in his vehicle, staring wide-eyed at the destruction. His radio was halfway to his mouth, frozen in shock.

"I need to use your communication equipment," she stated without preamble as she approached his car.

The guard swallowed nervously. "W-what?"

"Communication," Vers repeated with forced patience. "I need to contact my commander."

"Uh...there's a payphone," the terrified man stammered, pointing to a booth at the edge of the parking lot. "Over there."

Vers nodded curtly and strode toward the indicated device. She examined the primitive communications technology with growing frustration. How was she supposed to contact the Kree Empire with this archaic contraption? She picked up the handset, turning it over in her hands before focusing on the internal components. Perhaps she could modify it somehow to boost its signal capacity.

—

From the shadows of an alley across the street, Arthur Hayes observed the scene with barely contained excitement. After months of planning and waiting, it was really happening—Captain Marvel, or rather the Kree soldier Vers, on Earth. The moment was surreal, like watching a movie scene play out in real life.

Arthur caught a glimpse of his reflection in a shop window. His appearance had been subtly altered through transfiguration—facial features adjusted, apparent age increased to mid-twenties, eyes darkened to an almost unnatural black. He didn't want his real identity revealed and tracked by intelligence agencies like SHIELD, and through them, Hydra and other villain organizations. For the next four to five days, he planned on being the mysterious mage, Merlin.

"Merlin," he muttered to himself, testing the name again. "Bit on the nose, but it'll have to do."

It was the best alias he could come up with. Hopefully, this was only the MCU universe and the real Merlin who existed in the comics wouldn't be offended by the use of his name. Either way, it was too troublesome to change it now.

Arthur carefully planned his approach. This was his chance to make a proper first impression on a future cosmic-level hero. He'd rehearsed various opening lines, planning to come across as enigmatic and intriguing—like characters in those web novels he'd indulged in during his past life. Something cool that would leave her curious about who he was.

Taking a deep breath, he straightened his jacket—a simple black affair that he'd transfigured to look suitably mysterious—and stepped out from the shadows with what he hoped was casual confidence.

"Hey there, visitor from outer space," he called, hands casually in his pockets. "Having a spot of trouble with Earth technology, are we?"

Vers spun around instantly, her body tensing into a defensive stance as she assessed the newcomer.

"Who are you?" she demanded, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Name's Merlin," Arthur replied with a smile he hoped appeared mysteriously knowing rather than nervous. "Bit of an adventurer, you might say."

"How long have you been watching me?" Vers asked, her posture shifting subtly into something more threatening.

"Long enough to see you're having a right mess with that payphone," Arthur said, taking a careful step forward. "Fancy some help? Those things are rubbish even for us locals."

Something in his manner—or perhaps his advance—triggered Vers' combat instincts. He was acting too confident, nothing like the frightened security guard she'd just spoken to. Without warning, her fist glowed bright with photon energy, and she fired directly at him.

Arthur's eyes widened in shock. "Bloody hell!" This wasn't how the scene was supposed to play out in his head! He barely had time to duck, the energy blast passing so close he felt its heat singe his hair before it destroyed a movie poster behind him.

"What was that for?" he shouted, scrambling backward. "That could have killed me!"

But Vers was already moving. Before Arthur could properly regain his balance, she closed the distance between them with enhanced speed and delivered a kick to his midsection that sent him flying backward. He slammed into a parked car with enough force to dent the door, the vehicle's alarm immediately blaring to life.

Pain exploded across Arthur's back despite the charms he'd hastily cast to cushion the impact. He groaned, pushing himself up with effort. This wasn't going according to plan at all. He'd expected to have a civil conversation first, perhaps impressing her with his knowledge, before maybe suggesting a friendly sparring match to test his abilities against hers.

"Why did you attack me?" he demanded, wincing as he straightened. "I was just offering help, for God's sake!"

"My instincts rarely miss," Vers replied coolly, approaching with measured steps. "You're not ordinary. Who are you really? Skrull or their allies on this planet?"

"I told you," Arthur insisted, "my name is Merlin. I'm human—completely human! Born and raised on this planet, thank you very much!"

Vers didn't seem convinced. She launched into another attack, a series of precise strikes that spoke of extensive military training. Arthur tried to defend himself, calling upon the basic martial arts he'd learned years ago at that London dojo, but the gap in their combat experience was immediately apparent.

Where Vers moved with fluid, practiced precision, Arthur's motions were stiff and academic. He'd practiced forms and katas daily after his parents' death, but without a proper instructor or sparring partners, his technique had developed serious flaws. 

His magical enhancements at Hogwarts had always given him such an edge against bullies that he'd never noticed how inadequate his actual fighting skills were.

A punch slipped through his guard, connecting with his jaw and sending him staggering backward. Only a hastily applied cushioning charm kept his teeth intact. Another strike to his ribs made him gasp despite the magical protection.

For the first time, Arthur understood how those Slytherin bullies must have felt when facing him—outclassed, overpowered, with no real way to defend themselves effectively. It wasn't a pleasant realization.

"Is this how you greet everyone who offers help?" he called out between desperate blocks and dodges. "Or am I special? Because this seems a bit excessive!"

"You're unusually resilient for a person from this planet," Vers observed, landing another solid blow to his shoulder. "If my intel is correct, humans from C-53 don't get up after hits like that."

Arthur tried to counter with a strike of his own, but Vers easily caught his wrist, using his momentum to throw him into a shopping cart. He crashed through it, scattering metal and plastic across the pavement.

Despite his magical cushioning, Arthur was accumulating real injuries now—bruises forming beneath his clothes, a split lip bleeding freely, his left shoulder throbbing from what might be a minor dislocation. He'd severely underestimated both her combat abilities and how effectively she could hurt him even through his magical protections.

"Bollocks," he muttered, spitting blood onto the pavement. "This is not how I imagined my first alien encounter would go."

As he pushed himself up once again, Vers approached with professional caution. "Your resilience is impressive," she noted, "but your technique is amateur at best. Who trained you?"

"Self-taught, mostly," Arthur admitted, tasting blood. "Look, I didn't come here for a scrap. Can we just have a civilised conversation? I'm really not your enemy."

"Then why are you here?" Vers demanded. "How did you know someone from space would crash at this location?"

Arthur knew he looked suspicious, but he had to say something believable. "Saw something falling from the sky, didn't I? Went to investigate and found you. I didn't know I'd find an alien. Thought it might be a meteorite or some rubbish space junk."

Arthur wiped the blood that was running from his lips with the back of his hand. "Look—red blood. I'm human, not some alien. Just a bloke in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Vers narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced. "Maybe, but you're not a normal human. I'll get the answers I want after I've taken you captive. You look too suspicious, too cunning."

As Vers prepared to continue her assault, Arthur made a decision. He did not want to get beaten up anymore.