Chapter 279: He Will Be the Greatest Sorcerer Supreme
"Is this the 'future' the Ancient One spoke of?" Silas frowned, deep in thought.
As a transmigrator, one of his greatest advantages—besides his "cheat" abilities—was his foreknowledge of the plot. Now that the story was deviating and heading toward an unknown direction, things weren't looking particularly good for him.
"Forget it, it doesn't matter. A future is only interesting if it's unknown. If you know everything that's going to happen, what's the difference between the future and the past?" Silas quickly adjusted his mindset. The future itself wasn't scary; being afraid of the future was the real danger.
Silas returned to his room and opened a passage to Kamar-Taj. He was only able to traverse directly there via the Shadow Kingdom because the Ancient One had granted him permission; otherwise, her protective enchantments would have blocked his entry.
The Grand Hall
"You've come, Silas." The Ancient One had already prepared a tea table and was pouring a cup of steaming tea.
"It seems you knew I was coming, Sorcerer Supreme?" Silas said, taking his seat.
"It was merely an intuition." The Ancient One knew exactly what Silas wanted to discuss.
"The future has truly changed," Silas said, getting straight to the point.
The Ancient One maintained her calm smile. "Accurately speaking, the moment you were born, Silas, time began to shift."
With a wave of her hands, the Eye of Agamotto on her chest began to rotate and glow, projecting a vibrant green line of light. The Eye was a treasure of the Sorcerer Supreme and the vessel for the Time Stone.
She stood up and walked toward the beam of light. "Time was originally a straight line moving ever forward. But since your arrival..."
She gently swiped her hand across the timeline. The single beam instantly blurred and branched into dozens of thinner lines, all of them hazy and indistinct.
"The future has become opaque, branching into a multitude of possibilities." The Ancient One reached out to catch a floating teacup and took a composed sip.
"What do you plan to do?" Silas asked.
"I plan to make changes for the sake of that future." As she spoke, an orange-red sparks-filled portal appeared before her. She glanced back at Silas before stepping through, and he quickly followed.
They arrived at the balcony overlooking the training grounds of Kamar-Taj. Below, dozens of apprentices in simple tunics were diligently practicing their mystic arts.
"What do you think of him?" the Ancient One asked, looking down.
Silas followed her gaze and saw a long-faced man with trembling hands, struggling through the exercises. Unlike the others who moved with relative ease, his hands shook so violently he could barely hold a steady pose. An orange portal sputtered in front of him, dying out every time it reached a semi-circle.
"Is he the one you've chosen to be the next Sorcerer Supreme?" Silas recognized the man immediately. It was Stephen Strange—Doctor Strange—the man destined to succeed her.
"Yes. He will be the greatest Sorcerer Supreme of all." The Ancient One spoke with absolute confidence. No matter how the timeline branched, Stephen was the anchor of the future mystic arts.
"His hands seem to be... problematic," Silas said, playing along.
"A small obstacle will not defeat him," she replied with a faint smile.
Silas nodded, but internally he was reeling. The timeline had shifted drastically—Doctor Strange was already at Kamar-Taj studying magic much earlier than expected. If the Avengers and Strange were moving ahead of schedule, he wondered if the Guardians of the Galaxy out in deep space were experiencing similar changes.
The Training Ground
"GAH!" Stephen Strange shouted in frustration, throwing his Sling Ring to the ground. He had reached his breaking point. No matter how hard he tried, those damned hands wouldn't stop shaking, making it impossible to manifest a stable portal.
"Stephen!" a nearby master in white robes barked as Strange discarded his ring.
"Looks like he has a bit of a temper," Silas noted, barely suppressing a grin. The Ancient One had just finished saying he wouldn't be defeated by obstacles, and he immediately threw a tantrum.
"This is normal." The Ancient One kept her face stoic, though she was inwardly wishing Stephen had waited until Silas left before throwing the ring.
Below
"I can't do it! Look! Look at these hands!" Stephen yelled, thrusting his trembling fingers toward the master. His emotional outburst only made the tremors worse.
"Ancient One," the master bowed as the Sorcerer Supreme appeared beside them.
She kept her hands behind her back and asked calmly, "Do you wish to learn how to master the portal quickly?"
"Of course I do! But these hands won't let me!" Stephen snapped. His talent for grasping the theory of magic was unrivaled among his peers, but theory was useless if he couldn't execute the spells.
"I have a way to help you use the portal rapidly," the Ancient One said with a sly smile, looking like a wolf waiting for a lamb to fall into a trap.
"I... I'm listening," Stephen replied, though he felt a sudden sense of dread looking at her expression.
The moment he agreed, she flicked her wrist, opening a portal beside her. "Follow me." She stepped through without another word. Stephen looked at the swirling snow on the other side, hesitated for a moment, and then followed.
The Himalayas
A violent blizzard raged across the mountain peaks. The sub-zero temperatures hit Stephen instantly, making his thin tunic feel like nothing. He began to shiver violently.
"Why are we here?" Stephen gasped, his teeth chattering as he rubbed his arms for warmth.
"Stephen, look there," she said, pointing toward a distant peak.
Curious, Stephen stepped toward the edge to see what she was pointing at, but there was nothing there but more snow and ice. "Ancient One, I don't see—"
When he turned back, she was already standing inside her portal. "Practice your portal here," she said coolly. "Try not to freeze to death."
She stepped through, tossing a Sling Ring onto the snow before the portal vanished entirely.
"NO!" Stephen lunged for the closing ring of sparks, but he was too late. He fell face-first into the snow.
"AHHHHH!" he screamed in agony and frustration. He reached out, grabbed the Sling Ring, and forced himself to stand. "You can do this, Stephen. You have to."
Alone in the freezing wilderness, Stephen Strange began to draw circles in the air with all the desperation of a man fighting for his life.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!