Inside the Sanctum Sanctorum, Ancient One was teaching her disciples magic and how to comprehend it, just as she always did. Ever since her clash with Ebony Maw, she had become more vigilant.
Ancient One now clearly understood Thanos's ambition. Perhaps one day in the future, Thanos would invade Earth—and by then, relying solely on the Emperor might not be enough.
Because Thanos's goal wasn't just to destroy Earth; he aimed to wipe out all life in the galaxy.
While talented sorcerers weren't rare, the path of cultivation was treacherous—many could easily stray into darkness. Just like one particularly gifted disciple under her tutelage.
The sorcerers she'd sent to retrieve him had mostly returned injured—some had even been killed by Kaecilius.
Kaecilius had once been her pride. Unfortunately, his heart wasn't in the right place. He was never satisfied with the magic he'd already mastered and yearned for more—longing for eternal power.
He was willing to pay any price to study dark magic. Now, he had long fallen into madness. Ancient One couldn't allow Kaecilius to continue down this path.
He had to be captured and executed. Only his death could restore some peace to the world.
Ancient One didn't even want to imagine what might happen if Kaecilius succeeded in summoning the dark entity Dormammu and bringing him to Earth. What would become of the planet then?
If Dormammu emerged from the Dark Dimension, Thanos might notice—and the worst, most terrifying possibility was the two joining forces.
By then, the universe would descend into chaos. Even ten of her wouldn't be able to stop it. What worried her most was that relying on the Emperor alone might not be enough to protect the universe.
"Master Ancient One, why are you so distracted again?" Alan's voice suddenly rang out from behind her. She hadn't even noticed his arrival.
It reminded him of how she must have looked when Hela returned the Time Stone—lost in deep thought.
"Emperor!" Ancient One exclaimed, startled. Immersed in her thoughts, she hadn't sensed anyone appear.
"You've been out of sorts a lot lately," Alan observed. He noticed the fatigue in her expression. After all, who knew how many lifetimes she had lived?
She had always protected the sanctum, preventing the dark elves from invading. If the sanctum ever fell, the dark elves in the other dimension could potentially invade Earth.
"Is it because of Kaecilius?"
The moment Alan mentioned the name Kaecilius, Ancient One lifted her head sharply, eyes fixed unblinking on him.
"Seems like nothing can be hidden from the Emperor," Ancient One sighed softly. She even missed Hela's occasional visits to bother her.
When Hela had time to come pester her, it meant Asgard and the other realms were at peace.
But ever since Hela had returned the Time Stone, she had never appeared on Earth again. Could it mean they were preparing for war against Thanos?
"What's the current situation?" Alan wanted to know whether Kaecilius had already snuck into the library where the spellbooks were kept, and if he'd torn out the pages containing the spell to summon Dormammu.
"Kaecilius flees the moment he's spotted. He's killed many of our own." Ancient One still considered Kaecilius her disciple.
After all, she had personally taught him how to learn and control magic. It pained her to see what he had become.
"Has he come back?" Alan asked directly.
...
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