His head hurt.
So much pain.
His body too—aching all over.
Dr. Bruce Banner instinctively pressed a hand to his forehead, his skull throbbing as though it might split open.
He had lost control to the Hulk before, but never had he woken with this kind of crushing pain.
After several deep breaths, Banner managed to sit upright on the bed, blinking rapidly as his eyes adjusted.
Based on past experience, he half-expected to find himself somewhere deep in the wilderness, waking among rocks and trees.
But when his gaze finally cleared, what met his sight was an ornate ceiling and a richly decorated room, every piece of furniture and ornament exuding an antique aura.
"This… where am I?"
He blinked, dazed.
If General Ross had captured him, the surroundings would be nothing like this.
Fortunately, his confusion didn't last long.
"You're awake, Dr. Banner."
A girl's voice spoke from behind.
She had been watching over him from the moment he was brought here, her task assigned by Arthur himself. After all, Banner was no ordinary man—inside him lived a monster called the Hulk. Someone had to keep watch.
"Who are you? Where is this? How did I get here?"
Banner quickly turned, scanning the girl. Her clothing seemed oddly familiar, though he couldn't quite place where he had seen it before.
She was blonde, with delicate features and a disarmingly gentle air.
"My name is Anna. I am a sorcerer of the Sanctum." She introduced herself politely.
"…Sorcerer?"
Banner froze. As a man of science, he had always assumed magic and sorcery were little more than myths. How could such things exist in the real world?
But looking around at the intricate, otherworldly furnishings—and at the peculiar presence radiating from the girl—it was difficult to deny her claim outright.
Especially now.
Especially after discovering he could transform into the Hulk.
Especially after witnessing Senju Haruto's mechanical apocalypse.
Compared to that, the sudden existence of sorcerers hardly seemed unbelievable anymore.
"Then this place is…?"
"This is the New York Sanctum," Anna explained patiently. "It was Mage Arthur who found you. Though at the time, you didn't look like this."
"…Not like this?" Banner's eyes widened. That meant when they had discovered him, he had been in Hulk form.
"That's right." Anna nodded. "Mage Arthur defeated… the other you, then brought you back here."
Understanding dawned. So that explained why every muscle in his body screamed with pain.
It sounded absurd, but since she clearly knew about the Hulk, there was reason to believe her words.
Still, the realization left Banner unsettled, lost in thought.
Anna didn't press him, simply waiting in silence. She had time.
"And your purpose in all this…?"
"No—can I meet this Mage Arthur?"
Banner inhaled deeply. Whoever had gone through the trouble of bringing him here must have had some reason.
And if this Arthur truly wielded magic, perhaps—just perhaps—he had a way to rid him of the Hulk once and for all.
If there was any chance, Banner wanted to meet him.
"Actually," Anna said softly, "Mage Arthur is already on his way."
As if on cue, a glowing ring of fire—about the size of a fist—suddenly appeared in the room.
Banner flinched at the sight.
The fiery circle expanded rapidly, revealing a portal to somewhere else entirely.
A man in robes much like Anna's stepped through.
The moment his feet touched the floor, the fiery portal shrank into nothing and vanished.
"The spell you just witnessed," Anna explained, "is one kind of magic."
From Banner's expression, it was clear he remained skeptical.
"Hello, Dr. Banner," the newcomer said with an easy smile. "I am Arthur."
Arthur had already studied Banner's condition. As long as his emotions didn't spiral out of control and his body wasn't critically injured, the Hulk would remain dormant. And Banner, after years of practice, had become very skilled at keeping himself calm.
"You must have many questions," Arthur continued before Banner could speak.
In truth, the words Arthur spoke were not his own—they came from Senju Haruto. Arthur was merely a messenger.
Before Haruto completed his check-in, he had no intention of meeting Banner directly.
"I'll be honest," Arthur said, voice steady. "We have no way to eliminate the Hulk within you."
"We bear you no ill will. The only reason we intervened was because the Hulk was rampaging through the city."
He gestured lightly toward Banner's injuries.
"And we cannot keep you here long-term. Now that you're awake, Dr. Banner, I must ask you to leave."
Arthur's tone left no room for negotiation.
He personally believed it would be safer to keep Banner close, where they could monitor him. But in the Sanctum, Haruto's word was absolute.
Whatever his orders, Arthur would not disobey.
"…Leave?"
Banner stared, baffled. They had gone to the trouble of subduing the Hulk and sheltering him… only to now tell him to go?
"Is there truly no other way?" he asked, unwilling to give up so easily.
But Arthur only shook his head. Wherever Banner wished to go, Arthur said, he would open a portal to take him there. At the very least, Banner would not need to fear immediate capture by the military.
"I see…"
Seeing Arthur's determination, Banner's shoulders sagged.
In truth, his first choice would have been Senju Haruto himself. That overwhelming power… maybe Haruto could solve the problem of the Hulk once and for all. It was the very reason Banner had risked coming to New York in the first place.
But even that, Arthur rejected. Haruto had made himself clear.
"…I understand."
Disappointment clouded Banner's face. In the end, he could only fall back on his original plan: to meet with Dr. Blue at the university, as they had arranged.
"In that case, please send me to Dr. Blue," Banner requested.
Arthur nodded, summoned another shimmering portal, and stepped aside.
"Good luck, Dr. Banner."
Banner gave a grateful nod, offering Arthur his thanks before stepping through the portal. He emerged onto the campus where Dr. Blue was waiting. Behind him, the portal sealed shut.
And in that instant, Senju Haruto appeared silently behind Arthur.
"Was that sufficient?" Arthur asked, unfazed. Haruto's presence here was no surprise—everything had gone exactly as planned.
"If it's you," Arthur added, "you should be able to solve the problem that has tormented Dr. Banner all these years, shouldn't you?"