"In a few years, Your Holiness, you will die at the hands of your apprentice," Ethan Blake said calmly.
The Ancient One's eyes revealed a hint of surprise, though her expression remained composed.
"So you truly can see the future."
Ethan quietly let out a breath of relief. As long as she believed that explanation, things were fine. Thankfully, she hadn't jumped to the conclusion that he had somehow broken through the fourth wall of reality.
Thinking about it carefully, however, it made sense. Even someone as powerful as the Ancient One couldn't easily perceive those kinds of things.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Ethan decided to ask a question of his own.
"Your Holiness… do you know me?"
What he really wanted to understand was how much the Ancient One already knew about him.
The Ancient One first nodded, then shook her head. The conflicting gesture left Ethan slightly confused.
Seeing his reaction, she explained calmly.
"I noticed you the moment you first appeared in this world. At that time, I suspected you might be an extraterrestrial invader. Certain powerful beings—Mephisto in particular—often send agents to infiltrate worlds this way."
"But after examining your soul with magic, I discovered that it belongs to this Earth. After that, I stopped paying attention. My responsibility is to guard against invasions from other dimensions and alternate universes. I cannot personally involve myself in every matter that happens here."
Hearing that explanation, Ethan finally felt completely relieved.
Since the Ancient One had verified that his soul belonged to Earth, she clearly didn't know about his transmigration.
Seeing that Ethan had no further questions, the Ancient One moved directly to the main topic.
"I am very curious about the magic you use," she said calmly. "It is completely different from any magical system I know. I would like to understand it better."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"Of course, I understand that knowledge has value. I am willing to pay a price in exchange. What does Sorcerer Ethan think?"
"Of course," Ethan replied without hesitation.
"What conditions do you propose?" the Ancient One asked.
Ethan spoke plainly.
"I hope Your Holiness will teach Wanda magic. In addition, I would like permission to read all the books in Kamar-Taj's library."
In the past, Ethan had dreamed of studying Kamar-Taj's magic. Now, however, his interest in learning it had greatly diminished.
The reason was simple.
Kamar-Taj magic required borrowing power from dimensional entities.
Most of the dimensions in the Marvel universe were inhabited by conscious beings. Borrowing energy from such powerful entities was essentially taking out a loan.
And like any loan, repayment would eventually come due—with interest.
That arrangement was far too restrictive.
Of course, not drawing energy from those dimensions didn't mean Ethan couldn't still study the techniques and theories behind Kamar-Taj's magic.
"The knowledge of Kamar-Taj is open to all sorcerers," the Ancient One replied calmly. "Sorcerer Ethan may read the books here whenever he wishes."
She had already agreed to his second request.
Then her gaze shifted toward Wanda.
Wanda immediately straightened her posture.
She had been quietly listening to the conversation between Ethan and the Ancient One. Although she didn't understand terms like dimensions or alternate universes, she clearly grasped one important point.
Ethan was negotiating so that this powerful bald sorcerer would teach her magic.
She didn't want to disappoint him.
The Ancient One studied Wanda silently for a moment before turning back to Ethan.
"Do you know where the Scarlet Witch's power comes from?" she asked.
The moment she said the title "Scarlet Witch," Ethan noticed something important.
She spoke the name with the tone of someone who had already encountered that identity elsewhere. That meant the Ancient One must have traveled to other universes before.
And the casual way she mentioned it suggested she had likely visited more than one.
A true powerhouse was still a powerhouse.
As for the source of Wanda's power, Ethan—who had read Marvel comics in his previous life—naturally knew the answer.
Chthon.
The ancient god of chaos magic, one of the oldest beings ever to exist on Earth.
If that name alone didn't carry enough weight, another way to understand it was this: even entities like Mephisto and Dormammu had borrowed power from that being.
"Ch—"
The moment Ethan began to speak, the Ancient One casually cast a spell that sealed his voice.
"You know," she said with a meaningful glance. "It seems your ability to see the future is more complicated than you claim."
Ethan smiled awkwardly.
Clearly, the Ancient One was still testing him.
She continued speaking calmly.
"Remember this. Do not speak his name aloud, or he will become aware of it."
"Wanda possesses immense dimensional energy within her body from birth. She is a natural sorcerer. I can teach her how to use that power."
She paused slightly before asking again.
"Are those truly all of your conditions?"
Ethan nodded.
"Since our exchange has been agreed upon, then every Saturday afternoon I will come here to explain the magical system I use. I will also organize written materials for you to study. Would that arrangement be acceptable?"
"Yes," the Ancient One replied with a nod.
"What would Your Holiness like to learn first?" Ethan asked.
"The system and its overall structure," she answered.
Dumbledore had spent his entire life teaching at Hogwarts. Without question, he had been an excellent educator.
And since Ethan had fully inherited all of Dumbledore's magical knowledge, he could also be considered a competent teacher.
Several hours later, Ethan finally left Kamar-Taj with Wanda.
From that day forward, Wanda began visiting Kamar-Taj every weekend to study magic.
She was extremely unhappy about the loss of her weekends. However, Ethan eventually convinced her to feel better by increasing Pietro's daily homework load from five hundred practice problems to one thousand.
That compromise significantly improved Wanda's mood.
...
Time passed quickly.
Two years slipped by in the blink of an eye.
Ethan was still technically the director of the FBI's New York branch. However, he wasn't particularly dedicated to the job. On average, he didn't even visit the office once a month.
Despite that, the New York branch continued receiving annual commendations from FBI headquarters.
The reason was obvious.
The New York branch had the highest case resolution rate in the entire United States.
Even the higher-ups in Washington knew exactly why that was the case.
Unfortunately, they had no choice but to keep rewarding the department anyway. Otherwise, the situation would be impossible to explain.
Two years later, Wanda and Pietro had both turned eighteen.
Ethan had celebrated their birthday just a few days earlier.
That night, Wanda had walked directly into Ethan's room and stubbornly demanded a second birthday gift.
From that day onward, she never slept in her own room again.
Over the past two years, Ethan had performed three summons in total. Tonight, the energy required for his fourth summon had finally been filled.
The three previous summons had given him:
Super-Speed Regeneration — an ability that allowed his body to heal rapidly. As long as his brain remained intact, even catastrophic damage could regenerate.
Popeye's Spinach — the source of Popeye's legendary strength. After eating it, his strength, speed, endurance, and overall physical abilities increased tenfold for an hour with no side effects.
Armament Haki — a powerful technique that enhanced both defense and attack. It functioned like invisible armor and could also amplify offensive power to counter supernatural abilities.
Super-Speed Regeneration greatly improved his survivability.
Popeye's Spinach gave him a powerful explosive combat boost.
And Armament Haki significantly increased his overall combat strength.
Ethan was quite satisfied with these three summons.
Seeing that Wanda had already fallen asleep beside him, Ethan quietly got out of bed and walked into another room.
He was ready to begin the next summon.
....
Join my P@treon and get 60+ advanced chapters.
Link: p*atreon.com/0LordSilvere0 (Remove the *)
Free members get 2 chapters free.
Join Right Now