"Of course not." The Ancient One shook his head. "Kamar-Taj has always upheld the doctrine of the Trinity of the Vishanti, at the very least we can't oppose them openly."
"But aside from the position of the Sorcerer Supreme, there's no issue in training ordinary sorcerers."
Shin understood this was just a way to train Wanda as a regular sorcerer and keep her within their circle.
At that moment, the Scarlet Witch also looked at Shin and Wolverine. During the battle in Cairo, she had been manipulated the entire time and retained only a vague impression of the two.
Still, she was aware that she'd done plenty of regrettable things under that influence, so she gave both of them a small nod.
"But how did she end up at Kamar-Taj?" Shin asked with some curiosity.
Before the Ancient One could respond, Scarlet Witch, having restrained her magic, stepped forward and said calmly, "I was lucky. I met Master Ancient One just when my powers were about to spiral out of control."
Shin curled his lips inwardly. He didn't believe Wanda had met the Ancient One purely by luck. The Ancient One probably knew something long before it happened.
People like Scarlet Witch and Jean Grey lived under different rules than orthodox sorcerers. In essence, they could be seen as avatars of certain dimensional powers. Scarlet Witch and the Chaos Force, Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force, each was essentially one with their respective entity.
Because of that, they didn't need to pay the usual price to wield such forces, or rather their price wouldn't come due until the true dimensional entities claimed them. If they died, their souls would automatically be drawn back to those powers.
It wasn't necessarily a bad deal. In the Marvel universe, every soul ends up with someone. There's no true reincarnation. In that sense, they might even be coming out ahead.
As for the Scarlet Witch's powers going out of control? That was expected. Her mutant ability let her manipulate reality itself, and with the influence of chaos magic layered on top, it became especially unstable. Shin was more surprised that she'd managed to fight the Phoenix for so long.
Later, according to Mr. Sinister, it was Apocalypse who had first enhanced her mutant ability and then used the Great Illusionist to constantly stimulate her mind. That combination pushed her to surpass her limits and fully channel the Chaos Force.
Wanda's own account supported this. After escaping the battlefield, the Great Illusionist's influence faded, and she regained some clarity.
However, the chaos magic didn't subside right away. Without the Ancient One's intervention, she might've caused another catastrophe.
"So that's what happened." Shin nodded, finally understanding why the Ancient One had shown up at Wanda's side.
The Ancient One sighed. "Honestly, can you all stop causing so much trouble? I'd like to retire without having to clean up messes every other day."
Shin inwardly doubted his talk of retirement. Beyond being weary of life, perhaps he was simply scared of what the future held, an era of endless superhuman conflicts.
Why did Doctor Strange meet such a grim fate? Did he really enjoy dabbling in black magic? No, he often had no choice.
Take the Ancient One, for instance. He had protected Kamar-Taj for centuries, yet probably engaged in fewer battles than Strange did in a single year after becoming Sorcerer Supreme.
The more fights, the stronger the enemies, and in desperation, a mage could only draw on greater magical forces like drinking poison to quench thirst. Inevitably, that left a mounting magical debt.
If the Ancient One were thrown into that same situation, he wouldn't have many options either. After all, the entire magic system in Marvel relied on borrowing power essentially magical loan sharks.
Right now, he was voicing her concerns because he feared Shin might trigger yet another global crisis.
"This has nothing to do with me," Shin quickly clarified. "I don't even know how Apocalypse came back."
"In this timeline, Apocalypse wasn't supposed to appear," the Ancient One said, glancing at Shin. "He should've perished in the underground pyramid. But because of someone, the X-Men failed to thwart Magneto's conspiracy. Magneto's reckless actions led to a dark period for mutants, and some of those unwilling to be persecuted dug up Apocalypse."
Shin rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Sorcerer Supreme, but I don't have the power to foresee the future."
"Fair enough," the Ancient One said with a smile. "In any case, it's no longer my problem. The next Sorcerer Supreme can deal with it."
Shin paused. "The next Sorcerer Supreme? You mean... Strange?"
The Ancient One nodded with a calm smile. Shin mentally calculated the timeline it did seem about right.
"Hey, man, I think I should deal with my own stuff now." Wolverine, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.
"Of course, Mr. Logan. Let's take care of your memory issue first." The Ancient One smiled and led Logan to the treasure chamber.
Under normal circumstances, he didn't carry the Eye of Agamotto. The Ancient One only used such relics in serious situations.
As for why Doctor Strange wore it every day? That was because, in his era, serious crises came knocking every ten days or so!
Once the Ancient One left with Logan, Shin and Wanda were the only ones remaining. Shin stared at her intently. This mutant's ability was outrageously powerful she could reshape reality as if making wishes come true.
Wanda grew visibly uneasy under his gaze. After all, she hadn't yet adopted the mantle of Scarlet Witch, nor officially debuted as a superhero.
At this point in the original timeline, she still depended on her brother Quicksilver, and her mutant powers had only just awakened. She barely knew anything about chaos magic. She was, essentially, still just an ordinary girl.
But Apocalypse's emergence had drastically accelerated her growth. First, he enhanced her mutant powers. Then, prolonged mental stimulation activated her chaos magic.
Eventually, she met the Ancient One, the Earth's strongest sorcerer. After studying magic under his guidance for a time, Wanda's strength soared to that of a top-tier hero.
Yet raw power didn't mean emotional maturity. Facing Shin's scrutinizing eyes, Wanda felt guilty. After all, just days ago, she had been manipulated into fighting against the X-Men and the Brotherhood. She couldn't keep up her calm facade under that gaze and began to squirm uncomfortably.
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