"Can he endure this?"
Mordo, who had been standing silently to the side the entire time, asked worriedly.
"He should be able to."
The Ancient One was not entirely sure whether Alaric could withstand the experience, but the fact that he hadn't immediately broken down meant that he still had a chance.
A few minutes later, Alaric collapsed and lay on the floor, breathing heavily.
For those few short minutes, it had felt to him as if hours had passed.
He moved without stopping, traversing endless visions and scenes, witnessing the creation and collapse of entire universes.
In those moments, he realized how small he was, and how infinitely vast the universe truly was.
He was immersed in a sea of perception, trapped between reality and infinity, unable to immediately awaken.
"He's not... in danger, is he?"
Mordo looked at Alaric, whose eyes were glassy and body motionless, and his nervousness grew with each passing moment.
The Ancient One stepped closer and leaned over him.
"It's fine. It seems he has reached some kind of understanding."
"Come, let's go out first."
She said calmly, then turned and left the room without waking Alaric.
---
[By traversing the multiverse, you have grasped the energy of the universe and gained energy manipulation.]
[By circulating through the multiverse, you have gained a profound understanding of the nature of the multiverse and created a pocket universe; for now your energy is infinite!]
---
"System?"
The moment he heard the voice, his consciousness returned, and at the same time, a powerful energy burst forth from his body, permeating every cell, every bone, and tendon.
He felt his wounds, which had not yet fully healed, closing on their own, restoring him from within.
Alaric felt elation—his golden finger had arrived!!
His mind was flooded with an immense wave of knowledge about the multiverse. Every thought, every insight came at incredible speed, as though countless books filled with cosmic truths were opening before his eyes.
Slowly, he sat up, raised his hands, and turned his palms toward each other.
Between them appeared a cluster of stars, a miniature vortex of light and darkness, illuminating the room.
It was the source of energy that had suddenly boiled up within his body.
The energy of the pocket universe!
Alaric stared at the tiny cosmos in his palm, sensing it, transforming it, shaping it with the power of his newly gained knowledge.
In his hands it became increasingly complex—within the depths of that tiny space, a small solar system began to take shape, and a single sun became its center.
He felt he could enter and exit that universe at will. A single thought was enough.
And as that thought passed through him, his figure instantly vanished from reality, leaving behind only the glowing clusters of stars floating in the air.
---
On the square outside, the Ancient One, who had been watching the apprentices practice magic, was quietly counting time.
She thought it would be a long while before Strange arrived for his turn, and couldn't help but sigh.
I want to retire…
At that moment, suddenly a powerful energy appeared, waves of force so strong that they were felt throughout all of Kamar-Taj.
The magic apprentices, confused and frightened, stopped their movements and began looking around in all directions.
Mordo and Hamir's expressions immediately changed and they entered a combat stance.
Mages from other locations rushed toward the square, sensing that something abnormal was happening.
The Ancient One turned sharply and looked toward the hall.
The place from which the energy was emanating was precisely the one where she most often drank her tea.
And now, in that hall, there was only one person.
Alaric!
Even the Ancient One, who had lived for centuries and witnessed countless wonders, had to wonder whether she had underestimated this young man.
Was he truly just an ordinary mortal?
Or had he been skillfully hiding his true face?
"Ancient Mage?! Is it possible that a dimensional god has attacked Kamar-Taj?!" Mordo and Hamir asked at the same time, visibly nervous.
"Stay here. I'll look myself. Don't panic, everything is under my control!"
Said the Ancient One, rushing toward the hall.
"Ancient Mage!"
"We must go too!"
"Everyone wait outside!!"
The Ancient One sharply scolded Mordo and the others who wanted to follow her.
"Don't worry. This is Kamar-Taj."
"That's right! With the Sorcerer Supreme here, even if a Dimensional Demon came personally, it wouldn't end well for him!"
Although everyone was worried, their trust in the Ancient One was unwavering.
As if teleporting, the Ancient One appeared in the hall, ready for battle.
But instead of an enemy, she discovered that the room was empty.
In the air hovered only a radiant mass of light.
And that was the place where Alaric had just been sitting.
The Ancient One frowned, cautiously approached, and felt her heart skip a beat.
What was she looking at?
Before her eyes, within Kamar-Taj itself, a pocket universe had appeared!
She almost lost her breath.
If that thing went out of control, it would be enough to destroy not only Kamar-Taj, but the entire Himalayas. Even the Earth itself could be shattered!
How could something like this possibly be born here?
Even she herself did not have the power to create such a thing.
Wait…
The Ancient One thought of only one person.
"This… this was created by Alaric?!"
Her face was serious, and her eyes full of disbelief.
Who exactly was this young man?!
---
Inside the pocket universe, Alaric had no idea what was happening outside.
His attention was entirely devoted to creation.
His world was shaped like a divine work.
"Let there be light."
And light appeared.
From darkness, the Sun was born, a radiant star that suddenly scattered brilliance through the endless void.
Planets began to form around it, eight of them, each in its precise orbit. Around them circled moons, hundreds of them, and in the distance swarmed millions of asteroids.
Beyond the Sun stretched the cold and silent darkness of the cosmos, vast and uncharted.
For now, Alaric left the universe in that form.
He knew his universe was still small, just a newborn compared to the infinity of the real cosmos.
But he also knew it would grow.
It would mature, develop, and become stronger.
One day it might reach, or even surpass, the power of the real universe.
He felt his own energy connect with that universe, like a heart pumping through him.
Like the superhero Sentry in Marvel, the universe was linked to his body, and then he received the power of millions of stars.
Alaric too gained cosmic energy, but it was not as powerful as Sentry's.
Specifically speaking, there existed only one solar energy.