Caught red-handed, John remained unnervingly calm.
After all, he had authorization.
Wong, however, couldn't believe his eyes. The Supreme Sorcerer had actually lent out the Eye of Agamotto. That was the most important artifact in all of Kamar-Taj.
Time. The concept itself was a taboo, existing alongside countless paradoxes. The grandfather paradox, for one; a single careless mistake could leave a person lost in the cracks of time forever, or worse, splinter their reality into multiple timelines. Whatever the outcome, it was an extremely dangerous power to wield.
But now, Wong watched as a shimmering green magic circle wrapped around John's arm, and he fell silent.
"Take it off," Wong said, his voice laced with deadly seriousness.
He clenched his fists and struck a pose. Kamar-Taj magic flared to life, forming two fan-shaped weapons of pure energy in his hands. From his stance, it was clear he intended to forcefully make John relinquish the Eye of Agamotto.
"Didn't the Ancient One tell you I can use it however I want?" John's expression was one of genuine confusion. The Supreme Sorcerer's handling of this was a bit rough around the edges. He waved a hand casually. "Don't worry, I won't take this thing. I'm just studying it for a bit."
"Take it off, Wizard King," Wong repeated, his preparatory stance unwavering.
John raised an eyebrow. He closed the book he was holding and looked up at the determined librarian.
Wong made his move. The safety of the Eye of Agamotto was paramount.
He rushed towards John, the circular shield magic in his hand spinning with the deadly sharpness of a buzzsaw. John took a single step back, effortlessly dodging the attack. Though Wong's belly was not small, his movements were unusually agile. The magic in his hands shifted freely, a frisbee of golden light flying towards John.
Before it could reach its target, it was deflected by a silent Shield Charm.
Wong leaped, catching the spinning disc and transforming it into a long whip that lashed down with a sharp crack.
John simply raised his right hand slightly. A concussive force erupted from his palm, sending Wong flying backward.
Seeing that the stubborn librarian still wouldn't give up, John put down his book. His left hand, wrapped in the green light of the Time Stone, began to rotate.
Wong's flying figure froze in mid-air. John pointed his left hand downwards.
With a groan, Wong's body dropped to the floor. He tried to move, to rise again, but John used a Petrificus Totalus to root him to the spot.
Withdrawing his finger, John walked over to the immobilized mage. "The power of time magic is really quite potent," he said with a click of his tongue.
He raised his left hand again. Wong's body was like a video rewinding, his actions reversing until he was back at his initial starting point. He stood there, his face a mask of bewilderment.
"How did you…"
John was able to skillfully use the power of the Time Stone after touching it for the very first time. This left Wong completely baffled.
John crushed the green magic circle in his hand. "Time magic is not unlearnable," he said lightly. He pointed at the Eye of Agamotto, which now revealed the glowing Time Stone within. Before Wong could make another move, he spoke again. "Didn't you ever think about why I can use it?"
Wong stopped in his tracks. The Eye of Agamotto was sealed by the Supreme Sorcerer's own magic; opening it required a specific incantation. If John had stolen it, he would have no way of accessing its power.
With a heavy sigh, Wong dispersed the magic in his hands. "I will ask the Supreme Sorcerer," he said, his face grim.
"Go ahead," John replied indifferently. Having tested the stone's power, he was beginning to quite like it.
After Wong retreated, John glanced at the book still suspended in the air. "Kamar-Taj magic is really cool," he muttered. He recalled Wong's attack, and with a clap of his hands, two golden circular shields appeared in his own.
He could feel an external force requesting something from him, a pull from another dimension. He quickly understood this was the borrowing model of Kamar-Taj's magic. It was fundamentally different from a wizard's. The stronger the borrowed power, the greater the price that had to be paid.
John narrowed his eyes. "It's similar to the Gate of Matter."
Equivalent exchange. The backlash from such spells could sometimes cost more than an ordinary mage could bear. Thinking of this, he became less interested.
Dispelling the shields, John looked down at the Eye of Agamotto, its green light pulsing gently. Compared to borrowing power, he was far more eager to study the Time Stone itself.
Wong returned, his expression now one of profound respect.
"Got your answer?" John asked. He was now sitting in Wong's usual reading spot, wearing the Eye of Agamotto and perusing a text.
"I apologize for my offense, Wizard King."
Though Wong was impatient and seemed difficult, his willingness to admit his mistakes earned John's appreciation.
"It's alright. If you feel bad about it, help me find some books on dimensional magic."
As the librarian, Wong knew the collection like the back of his hand. With his help, a tall stack of magic books soon piled up on John's table. John studied dimensional magic while simultaneously absorbing the power of the Time Stone, organizing and categorizing the knowledge until it formed a new grimoire in his mind.
He put away the second scroll-shaped bottle, now filled with the Time Stone's energy, and looked over at Wong, who was already fast asleep. The night in Kamar-Taj was quiet. The diligent librarian was truly impressed by John. If he said he wouldn't sleep, he really wouldn't. Wong, still a mortal, couldn't last more than three days before sleeping like a log.
John took out The Book of Cagliostro again. He looked at the section on summoning Dormammu, and the notes concerning 'followers'.
Stroking his chin, he muttered, "Develop followers… so I can travel to other worlds through their power." He thought of Agnes, the witch who had summoned a Hell Lord through sacrifice. He had experienced the entity's strength firsthand. It was powerful. But what if he reversed the process? If he cultivated followers in other dimensions, could they use a summoning ritual to transport him?
The method seemed feasible. There was no rule stating that only entities from other dimensions could be summoned. What he had told the Ancient One was no joke. Passively taking hits would never make an enemy retreat. If he could allow Hell to develop followers, he could cross dimensions through their summons. He could carry out a dimensional invasion of his own. While his enemies invaded this world, they would also expose their own coordinates.
John stared at the summoning method, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.
While the Ancient One was contemplating how the next Supreme Sorcerer would resist invasions after her death, John was already planning how to deter those dimensional lords by invading their homes first.
The Ancient One had never expected John to be so audacious. As the Supreme Sorcerer, her duty was to protect. But John was not so constrained.
By the time Wong woke again, John had already finished half the pile of stiff, obscure magic books. This efficiency made Wong gasp. Some of the texts contained records that even he, the knowledgeable librarian, only half-understood. But John only needed to convert the concepts and integrate them into the wizarding magic system to digest them completely.
Wong was becoming more and more in awe of the Wizard King. During this time, John wore the Eye of Agamotto and showed no intention of testing its taboos. Anyone who understood magic often had a mind for exploring the unknown. With John's rationality, it was no wonder he had become the leader of all wizards.
While Wong was impressed, he had no idea that John had started researching the so-called time taboo during his school days. Although the Sands of Time in the wizarding world were not as powerful as the Time Stone, their effect in reversing time was almost the same. Once John figured this out, the Time Stone, for him, only had one function left: to have its power absorbed.
While Wong wasn't paying attention, John replaced the bottle absorbing the Time Stone's energy once more.
"As expected of an Infinity Stone," John said, looking at the stone, which was still radiating brilliant energy. He nodded with satisfaction.
He just didn't know if the bottles he brought could absorb it all.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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