Sebastian Shaw turned, catching Tony's wary glance at the glowing portal. With a subtle nod, he signaled all was well, urging Tony to stand down. He stepped through the golden vortex, erging in Kamar-Taj's tranquil courtyard, where the air shimred with incense and the weight of ancient magic.
The portal snapped shut. The Ancient One stood before him, her serene gaze steady but tinged with a faint weariness. "Mage Shaw, it's been so ti."
Sebastian inclined his head, a warm smile breaking through. "Over a year, Ancient One. How's Kamar-Taj faring? Daniel, Wong, Kaecilius—are they well?"
Her expression remained calm, but a shadow flickered in her eyes. "Daniel and Wong are steadfast. Kaecilius, however, is… troubled."
Sebastian's brow furrowed. He studied her, noting the subtle tension in her posture—a burden she carried alone. His concern wasn't just for Kaecilius; it was for her. "What happened to him?" he asked, his voice softer. "Can you share?"
The Ancient One sighed, a rare crack in her composure. "It's my error. I thought him ready and opened Kamar-Taj's black magic tos to him, guiding him myself. But I misjudged. His ideals twisted, his heart darkened. The black magic consud him too soon."
Sebastian stepped closer, his gaze steady. "Where is he now? Confined?"
She shook her head, her eyes briefly eting his. "Kaecilius fled Kamar-Taj six months ago, cloaking himself with magic that veils him from my sight. I sense him faintly on an island in the northwest Atlantic, but his exact location eludes ."
Sebastian's jaw tightened, but his focus lingered on her. Beneath her stoic facade, he glimpsed a quiet weight—a fatigue she rarely showed. "Why can't you go?" he asked, his tone gentle, almost tender. "For the Sorcerer Supre, finding him should be simple."
For a heartbeat, her gaze softened, as if his concern had pierced her armor. "So matters, Mage Shaw, I cannot divulge," she said, her voice quieter now, carrying a trace of sothing personal. "If I could act freely, Kaecilius would be here. But I am… bound."
Sebastian understood. The Ancient One's power was unmatched, but her ties to ancient entities—particularly the Vishanti Trinity—had grown into chains. Once, their strength had crowned her Sorcerer Supre, Earth's mightiest guardian. Now, it bound her. To counter their influence, she'd tapped the Dark Dinsion's power, even bargaining with Dormammu. Yet, even that couldn't sever the Vishanti's hold.
To the Vishanti, the Ancient One was a prized asset, one they refused to release. Her resistance only tightened their grip, limiting her actions. They deed Kaecilius lost to darkness, unworthy of Kamar-Taj's light. In their eyes, he was a problem to be eliminated, not saved. Thus, the Ancient One was confined to Kamar-Taj, unable to pursue him.
The Vishanti, though fonts of white magic, were no benevolent deities. They were cosmic entities, their motives far from human. White or black, magic was rely a tool—its morality shaped by the wielder. The Vishanti prioritized their own ends, not Earth's welfare.
This was why the Ancient One had subtly steered Sebastian away from the Book of Vishanti, Kamar-Taj's core grimoire. Frigga, too, had warned him in Asgard, her caution laced with maternal concern. Both knew the Vishanti's true nature and sought to shield him from their grasp.
Sebastian wasn't naive. His ti in Asgard had peeled back the universe's veil. Frigga's teachings, rich with cosmic secrets, had clarified much—especially about Earth's mystic undercurrents. Gone were the days when he relied on hazy movie mories from a past life. Now, he saw the chessboard clearly.
"I'll help," he said, his voice firm but warm. "Kaecilius is my friend. I'll bring him back."
Her eyes held his, searching, a subtle warmth kindling within them. "Why do you trust with this?" she asked, her tone not quite teasing, but softer, as if she saw him anew.
Sebastian's lips curved faintly. "Because I see you. Not just the Sorcerer Supre, but the person carrying all this. And I trust her."
Her breath caught, a fleeting tremor in her composure. For a mont, centuries of solitude seed to lift, her gaze bright with sothing fragile—hope, perhaps, or gratitude. She recovered swiftly, but the warmth lingered in her eyes, unguarded for the first ti.
"In exchange," she said, her voice low, "I offer a spell of equal value."
"The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak," Sebastian replied, unflinching.
Her lips curved, a faint, knowing smile. "Of course." With a graceful motion, she conjured a parchnt scroll, its edges pulsing with red sigils. As she placed it in his hand, her fingers brushed his—a fleeting touch, neither acknowledged, yet heavy with unspoken weight. "This details the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. As for Kaecilius, he's on an island in the northwest Atlantic. Search there."
"I will," Sebastian said, his voice steady. "You have my word."
"Thank you, Mage Shaw," she murmured, her tone soft, almost wistful.
He raised his Sling Ring, a golden portal flaring to life. Before stepping through, he t her gaze one last ti.
She returned his look, and for a mont, her smile was not that of a ntor, but of soone who felt seen.
Sebastian stepped through, leaving Kamar-Taj behind.
As the portal closed, the clouds above Kamar-Taj churned, forming the vague shape of a tiger's head. Its misty eyes glared down, radiating silent judgnt.
The Ancient One stared back, unflinching. "All have the right to choose," she said, her voice low but resolute. "You cannot dictate who becos Sorcerer Supre."
Her tone grew sharper. "Mage Shaw earned everything Kamar-Taj offered through equal exchange. He owes us nothing."
She paused, a faint smile touching her lips, softer now. "If he seeks the Book of Vishanti of his own accord, I won't bar him. But if I force it upon him, he'd see the chains. There are many gifted sorcerers in this world, and not all hunger for your power."
With a gentle wave, the tiger's head dissolved into the clouds. The Ancient One turned, gliding back into the temple, her steps lighter, as if a long-buried spark had reignited within her.
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