The Ancient One wiped the blood from her lips, then took a deep breath before saying:
"You must be more careful when traversing the dinsional worlds from now on. Being marked by Dormammu is no small matter."
The violent energy backlash had wounded even her...
With the Dark Dinsion as his foundation, Dormammu was nearly invincible... unless he foolishly entered the material world, where the Sorcerer Supre could seize an opportunity to strike.
Sean shrugged indifferently. He had already provoked phisto, a Lord of Hell, and now the ruler of the Dark Dinsion had set his sights on him...
But with debts piling up, what was one more? Sooner or later, they would all cross paths... and then, he'd settle the score.
One day, he would stand among these ancient powers, towering at the pinnacle of the world.
His gaze flicked to the Ancient One, and playful smirk tugged at his lips, "If the sky falls, Kamar-Taj and the Sanctums will hold it up."
The Ancient One shook her head with a faint smile and dispelled the Mirror Dinsion that had enclosed them.
Her first disciple, Mordo, stood waiting outside, his dark face etched with concern...
The earlier disturbance had shaken all of Kamar-Taj... the dark energy battering the material world's barriers had triggered the sanctuary's layered wards, setting off a chain reaction that even alerted the New York, London, and Hong Kong Sanctums.
For a mont, they had feared an all-out invasion by extradinsional beings.
"Are you alright?" Mordo asked.
As the Ancient One's direct disciple, he knew all too well that the ruler of the Dark Dinsion was no easy foe. Dormammu had dragged countless life-bearing planets into his realm, assimilating them into his being.
His unfathomably vast form stretched across endless dinsions. He was a horror beyond human comprehension, one impossible to kill or destroy.
Even Agamotto, the first Sorcerer Supre, could only erect impenetrable defenses to keep Dormammu at bay...
This was not the first clash between the Sorcerer Supre and Dormammu.
Long ago, the Ancient One had discovered a way to draw energy from the Dark Dinsion within the Book of Cagliostro. Through relentless refinent, she had exploited a loophole in the dinsional pact, managing to siphon power right under Dormammu's nose to sustain her ageless form.
This act was no different from stealing treasure from Dormammu's own vault, inciting his boundless wrath.
After several confrontations, Dormammu (unable to fully manifest in the material world) realized he could do nothing to her.
All he could do was tempt and corrupt the audacious Sorcerer Supre with the Dark Dinsion's infinite power...
...
"I think our little test ends here." said Sean.
Once the Ancient One dismissed Mordo, Sean rose to his feet and looked down at the kneeling Sorcerer Supre, "I'll be leaving Kamar-Taj soon. Before that, I'll settle your problem with phisto."
The Ancient One fell silent for a mont before eting his gaze, "You figured it out?"
"Of course. I'm not arrogant enough to believe that the master of Kamar-Taj, the most powerful sorcerer in the world, would risk charging into Dormammu's trap just to save ." A mocking smile curled on the young man's lips, "Mutual wariness is the natural state between us..."
"...Even though you granted free access to the library and answered my questions without reservation… none of that hides the fact that you've always been on guard against ..."
"...And I could never truly believe that the great Sorcerer Supre held in such high regard. Just now, against Dormammu, you 'trusted' with your back, as if, had I joined forces with the ruler of the Dark Dinsion, we could have trapped you there forever. But of course, that was all an illusion... one you deliberately crafted!"
His voice turned sharp, "Was it worth such a high price just to test your theory?"
Faced with Sean's interrogation, the Ancient One remained composed, "It was worth it."
Even after recklessly confronting Dormammu head-on, she did not regret her decision. Her ti was running out, she would soon depart this world. She had to leave behind a worthy successor to inherit her mantle and mission.
This young man before her was the result of her deliberate indulgence. Yet, even with the Eye of Agamotto, she could not glimpse a single trace of him in the future.
This uncertainty troubled her...
She did not know if her actions were right, if Sean Cyphers, this man of unfathomable origins, would beco the greatest variable in reshaping destiny.
No one could perfectly predict the future, not even the Sorcerer Supre wielding the Eye of Agamotto. The future was in constant flux, shaped by countless variables leading to an uncertain outco.
So the Ancient One needed an answer...
Had Sean seized the opportunity to strike while she faced Dormammu, he would have been trapped in the Dark Dinsion forever.
It had been a test, a dangerous trap, but the young man had seen through it and called her out.
"You thought you held all the cards. But what if I had already made contact with Dormammu? Could the great Sorcerer Supre have remained so calm then?" Sean's voice was icy, "No matter the reason, entrusting your life to another is the stupidest decision of all."
"Yet I gambled correctly." The Ancient One smiled faintly, eting Sean's indifferent gaze, "I am your only constraint in the material world. With gone, even Kamar-Taj and the Three Sanctums would pose little threat to you."
Sean shook his head.
He and the Ancient One each had their own agendas. Their seemingly amicable cooperation was, in truth, mutual exploitation.
She saw him as a variable in the future, while he rely avoided conflict with the world's most powerful sorcerer... there was no benefit in fighting her.
To be blunt, the Ancient One's role in safeguarding this world was more crucial than anyone else's. Without her, the precarious balance between the Dark Dinsion and the material world would shatter instantly.
Heaven, Hell, and the ever-watchful Dormammu would descend like starving dogs.
On the surface, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers protected the planet from harm. But in the shadows, it was the Sorcerer Supre who maintained the fundantal order of reality...
"Sean Cyphers," the Ancient One called out as he turned to leave the hall, "You flaunt your darkness and selfish desires without hesitation... so why do you begrudge revealing the moral boundaries deep within you?"
Sean paused at the threshold, his back still turned:
"You know, great Sorcerer Supre, most people in this world fear violent criminals, deranged madn, and rciless executioners. But there's one thing they never fear... a good person." His voice was low, carrying an edge, "Never show others your moral limits. Once they see them, they'll push further until all reverence is lost. So I choose to be this world's sun, not a lighthouse for all mankind..."
His tall figure strode out of Kamar-Taj's grand hall, his back lit by the fading sunlight, leaving the Ancient One kneeling alone in contemplation.
"Such arrogance…" She lowered her head, a faint smile touching her lips.
The evening glow stread through the latticed windows, gilding the white-robed Sorcerer Supre in gold like a silhouette frozen in ti...
User Comments
0 comments from readers