The days of learning were both fleeting and endless... fleeting because immersion made time slip away unnoticed, and endless because no matter how diligently one studied, the true depths of knowledge always remained just out of reach...
Perhaps influenced by the tranquil atmosphere of Kamar-Taj, Sean found himself living the most routine life he had ever experienced.
His days followed a steady rhythm: buried in the library's vast collection of ancient texts, studying the origins and evolution of magic, the founding and history of the Sorcerers, and, in rare moments of leisure, practicing meditation as taught by the Ancient One to attune himself to the fluctuations of the soul and master basic spells.
Unwilling to forge a connection with the Vishanti, the trinity of cosmic entities, Sean faced far greater challenges in wielding magic than an ordinary sorcerer.
After repeated failures, he turned inward, attempting to draw energy from the invisible door within himself in hopes of completing the first step of a sorcerer's journey through sheer will.
This unorthodox approach, of course, bore no immediate fruit. The current system of magic had evolved over millions of years, branching from ancient practices like witchcraft, rituals, and divination before converging into what was now called the 'arcane arts'.
It was the Ancient One's predecessor, Agamotto, who had established the trinity system by forming a pact with the dimensional deity Vishanti, founding the Three Sanctums and ensuring magic's survival rather than being lost to the tides of time.
Sean flipped through the pages of 'A New Cosmology of the Universe'... a book written by an astronomer who had once walked the halls of Kamar-Taj.
It viewed the cosmos through the lens of sorcery, chronicling the legends of the Nine Realms... such as Asgard's wars with the Frost Giants, or the Dark Elves' attempt to plunge the Nine Realms into eternal darkness with a terrifying weapon. These hidden truths broadened his horizons like never before.
Even with his inherited memories, Sean had never grasped the world with such clarity. The vast knowledge within these ancient texts painted a grand, breathtaking universe before him.
The legendary Nine Realms, led by Asgard, were forged through countless battles waged by Odin, the Allfather...
He had expelled the Dark Elves of Vanaheim, crushed the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, and, in ages past, his name, along with that of his firstborn, Hela, had once shaken the Nine Realms to their core.
The Valkyries, his elite warriors, had been unstoppable, their glory and authority casting a shadow over all kingdoms...
Midgard, also known as Earth, was the realm of humans... a place considered backwater by the rest of the Nine Realms during its primitive eras, though once under Asgard's protection.
Then there was Svartalfheim, home of the dwarves, master craftsmen whose innate talent for forging had birthed legendary weapons... Thor's Mjolnir among them.
Helheim, the land of the dead, was a frozen wasteland shrouded in mist, accessible only to the deceased. The rulers of Asgard used it as a prison for the worst of criminals.
And Muspelheim, the fiery realm guarded by the fire giant Surtur, a land of eternal flame...
With each book, Sean's understanding of the vast and dark cosmos deepened. Even within Earth's own galactic neighborhood, countless civilizations and races thrived. And beyond that, endless wonders awaited discovery.
Gently closing the ancient tome, Sean exhaled softly and murmured, "The universe is so vast… I want to see it all..."
...
At the summit of a towering mage's spire, the Ancient One stood with her wide sleeves billowing in the wind, gazing at Kamar-Taj bathed in the glow of sunset...
Beside her, her first disciple, Mordo, reported on Sean's recent activities:
"On the first day, he read 'The Key of Solomon', 'The Book of the Vishanti', 'The Codex of the Sorcerer Supreme'… nearly eleven books in total..."
"...As you said, his learning ability and talent are extraordinary. An average sorcerer would take at least half a month to digest such knowledge, yet he mastered it effortlessly. What's even more astonishing is that he only studies for eight hours a day... the rest of his time is spent observing other sorcerers' training or conversing with the reclusive monks." Mordo's tone carried a mix of admiration and unease.
He had seen geniuses like this before... Kaecilius, for instance, whose brilliance had far surpassed ordinary men. But it was precisely such individuals who were most prone to losing their way, falling into the abyss of the Dark Dimension.
When Kaecilius had first arrived, he had been a broken man seeking answers in the arcane arts. His intelligence and pride had gradually led him to question the Ancient One, until he was seduced by the power of the Dark Dimension, becoming a fallen zealot.
"...In less than three days, he mastered the secret of astral projection. Even while asleep, he can engage in deep reading. This nearly breaks Kamar-Taj's fastest record... no sorcerer before him has so effortlessly shattered the constraints of conventional thinking, accepting the truths of the world and the cosmos without hesitation, transcending the boundaries of materialism and idealism."
The more Mordo spoke, the more astonished he became. If not for Sean's clear unfamiliarity with magic, he might have believed the young man was already a fully trained sorcerer.
"I told you, Sean Cyphers is extraordinary." The Ancient One seemed unsurprised.
She ran her fingers along a sandalwood folding fan, her thoughts lingering on the enigmatic mist that shrouded the young man... a veil even she could not pierce. Not even the Eye of Agamotto could reveal his presence in the river of time.
Moreover, Sean possessed all the qualities of a sorcerer. The lengthy incantations, the obscure ancient scripts, the intricate spell formations... most sorcerers needed years of repetition to commit them to memory and wield them fluently.
Yet for him, it was as if he skipped the intermediate steps entirely, absorbing knowledge with terrifying efficiency.
"Let him learn. At the very least, his thirst for knowledge is genuine." The Ancient One's voice was calm.
"But…" Mordo hesitated, his dark face set in determination, "What if he opens the Book of Cagliostro like Kaecilius did? If he learns the secrets of the Dark Dimension–"
"He won't." The Ancient One cut him off, her gaze shifting toward the library, "Sean is far more prideful and stubborn than Kaecilius. He refused to bow to the Vishanti, choosing instead to harness his own energy... do you truly believe he would kneel before Dormammu?"
"...That young man is the most arrogant individual I have ever met. Not even gods could make him bend the knee."
Mordo's mouth hung open, he was rendered speechless...