"Pietro, this is Master Kaecilius, one of the masters here at our sanctum. Master Kaecilius, this is Pietro and he shall be accompanying you on this job."
"I do not need any help for this," Kaecilius spoke with a scoff after giving me one look and I smirked as the Ancient One stayed calm.
"The witch you are going after is far too skilled for you to face off on your own. That is also why I have asked Master Daniel of the New York Sanctum and Master Tina of the Hong Kong Sanctum to offer you aid as well."
"So, not only do you not believe I can't handle her alone, but you've gone so far as to assign me a full escort?"
"This is not about whether or not I believe, Kaecilius. This is about certainty. I have seen what the Dark Sceptre is capable of and you will not survive its effects."
"For those of us that do not have years in mystical artifacts or reading of that sort, what exactly is this Dark Sceptre?"
"…You're sending a buffoon as my escort?", Kaecilius asked with a look of bewilderment to the Ancient One, grumbling under his breath as the woman simply turned to me with a smile.
"The Dark Sceptre is an ancient artifact that dates back to Morgan Le Fay. It was one of her personal weapons before she acquired her ultimate staff and was then sealed away by the woman before being found by one of our Masters of the Mystic Arts a few years ago.
In the power of a novice magic-user, it is no more than a power-amplifier, but in the hands of a skilled master, it is a weapon more than capable of causing chaos in a country."
"In other words, it's something very bad and we need to make sure she doesn't use the sceptre for nefarious purposes."
"Precisely, which is why I believe that going alone would be the best of the choices that we have."
"Unlike al of us, Pietro is immune to mind control or soul control due to a unique circumstance that he has. On top of that, he is also fast enough to outmaneuver most sorcerers as you saw earlier. He would be a good fit for this mission."
"I promise I won't slow you down and I'll even let you land the last hit."
"…Ten minutes. You have ten minutes to get everything you need."
"No need. I got everything on me. Wanda! I'll see you when I get back!"
"Please, leave and do not come back for another year or so!", She answered back, to which I smiled before turning to see Kaecilius already making his way through a portal.
"Good luck."
"Thank you, master," I spoke with a bow before racing through the portal, stopping next to Kaecilius with a smirk right as the world sped up and the portal snapped shut behind us.
"…Good, you're fast enough," he murmured, but I knew he must have been surprised at how fast I was given the brief flicker of surprise that had appeared in his eyes.
Looking forward at our surroundings, I raised an eyebrow at how open it was, its grey stone walls and the numerous clocks being a complete change to the traditionalist and cultural style of Kamar-Taj.
"Master Kaecilius, I am pleased to see you in good health. You must be Pietro, one of the new students, yes?", the dark-skinned man that approached us spoke with a smile, dressed in the garb of Kamar-Taj that were a duller grey and silver compared to the vibrant colours of of Kamar-Taj's.
"That is I, yes. Pleased to meet you as well, sir," I nodded with a smile and a bow, Daniel nodding before turning to Kaecilius with a frown.
"Where is Wong? I was informed-"
"That he would be here as well? The fool is still recuperating after his bout against this witch with the Dark Sceptre. I do not understand why you all can't simply go after her and get rid of her once and for all."
"The Ancient One believes that she may have a connection to the Dark Dimension, which would explain how she is able to handle the Dark Sceptre without going mad."
"Nonsense, the Dark Dimension has been sealed off for eons."
'If only you knew,' I thought with a hidden smirk, remembering how the Ancient One was still using the power of the Dark Dimension to not only stay immortal but also enhance her power.
That brings me to my current dilemma. I have come to enjoy the presence of the woman that was the Ancient One in the few days that we have conversed with each other and I do know that the man in front of me would snap in the following years, becoming her murderer.
I could try and keep him on the right path, but I am mature enough to know that I am not someone that is capable of changing someone who doesn't want to be saved.
The man in front of me was simply a man driven by pain and hope for the chance of his wife coming back, but I also know that once he finds out about the Ancient One, it becomes a slippery slope into him wanting to destroy the dimension by summoning Dormammu.
An entity I did NOT want to deal with.
'Therefore, do I do it?', The thought of taking a human life was repulsive to the side that was my former life, but then there was the side of Pietro who had already taken a few lives as someone trying to fight against the corrupt government of his country.
To that side, the person in front of me was a threat to someone I've come to like and a presence like that is something that needs to be…exterminated.
"Master Kaecilius, if I may interject."
"You may not. Do you have a photo of this witch?", the man asked, Daniel simply taking out a picture and allow the man to see it.
The next moment, I watched as he easily opened a sling ring portal, taking off the quarterstaff on his back before walking through it.
As he did, I narrowed my eyes at the photo in Daniel's hands, immediately dashing out the side and racing into the bustling city of London.
'The Shard was the sign I saw in the background,' I thought with a frown as I raced throughout the city, the world around me moving at probably one frame every second as I caught sight of the sigh in question.
However, I frowned as I didn't see anyone in front of the bar, taking a deep breath before pushing my speed to the max.
Windows rumbled as I rushed past, the concrete cracking beneath my footing while I zipped through alleyways and open roads alike to try and find them.
It took me a few seconds before I finally saw something, rushing at the dead alleyway that was cleverly hidden between two buildings and flickering with old magic.
Easily pushing through it, I caught sight of Kaecilius standing defiantly in front of a cloaked woman, seeing her smirk as she held the Dark Sceptre aimed at Kaecilius.
My hand sped up and began to vibrate as I slid beside Kaecilius, pushing his knees softly and letting the beam fly over before rushing at the witch and stabbing my hand through her chest.
Her eyes slowly widened as the world finally accelerated, turning her gaze to me as I smiled and kept my hand in her chest.
"I'm sure you can see what's about to happen, right? So, why don't you put that down and I won't slow down the vibrations of my hand?"
"…Do it."
"Pardon?", I asked with a raised eyebrow, her smug smile returning as she held her sceptre and looked at me.
"Do it. You're just like them. You do not have the g-!", Blood spurted from her lips as I slowed down my hand, pulling it free before kicking the Dark Sceptre towards a surprised Kaecilius kneeling on the floor.
"I didn't destroy your heart, but I did give your lungs micro-cuts. They'll heal, but if you keep moving, then you'll be drowning in your own blo-", Quickly dashing back as she swung a Tao Mandala at my head, I narrowed my eyes when she stood up and glared at me.
"You…you think I expected to live after this? No! I…I will-!"
"Do nothing," I whispered as I rushed in, delivering a flurry of quick strikes to her chest and neck before dashing back and walking over to Kaecilius.
A loud thud behind sounded out the woman falling over, but I focused more on the man kneeling as I crouched down and smirked.
"Like I said, I'm very fast. Now, are you okay?"
"I had her," He muttered, voice low with a frown. "I had her in my sights and I was ready."
"You were ready to die, yes," I agreed, not surprised when he snapped up and glared at me.
"You walked through that portal expecting to win or at least take her with you. That's not what a master is supposed to. You guys are like the higher echelon of what everyone in Kamar-Taj is striving towards so do you really want to show your students that their pride is more important than their survival?", I asked, the man glaring at me even as he looked like he wants to snap back.
Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to as a portal opened beside us, a burly man walking through along with a woman and Daniel, both unknown people appearing to be of Asian descent and dressed in a sleek, black variant of the Kamar-Taj garb.
"You must be Master Wong and Master Tina. It is an honour to meet you both," I spoke with a smile and a bow, both returning it with Tina giving a slight smile before they turned their gaze to Kaecilius standing up.
"What happened?"
"What does it look like? The boy finished the job and got the sceptre back."
"The witch?"
"Over there and still alive. I tried to incapacitate her as quickly as possible," I answered, Wong walking over and creating an Eldritch barrier around her form before Daniel placed a hand on my shoulder with a smile.
"Good work, Pietro, and good work on making sure Kaecilius didn't do anything reckless. If you ever feel the need to join a Sanctum, New York will always welcome you."
"No, no. If he's going to be anywhere, it's Hong Kong. He's efficient and that is always welcome at our location."
"Considering the amount of vigilantes, villains and events happening in New York, would it not be better for him to come to us, then?"
"In any case, I will take her to the Vault. The Ancient One will want to interrogate her personally," Wong spoke up and I tuned out the two masters having a friendly argument over to my left as I looked at Kaecilius.
The man in question looked frustrated with everything around him, especially with me given the glare he aimed at me when he noticed me looking.
Yeah, I'm going to have to keep an eye out for him.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I half-expected you to kill her," I blinked as a voice pulled me from my meditation, turning around to see the woman sitting behind me with a smile and a cup of tea in hand.
"Pardon?"
"The witch. I expected you to kill her and then take the sceptre for yourself."
"Do I look like the killing type?"
"Yes," She answered instantly, letting out a soft giggle as I rolled my eyes and made myself comfortable.
"Well, there was a part of me that wanted to end her and make sure she didn't come back as a threat."
"Then, why didn't you?"
"Because that would make me no better than a villain."
"Really? That is the reasoning you expect me to believe?", She asked with a raised eyebrow and I chuckled before shaking my head.
"I'm kidding. There was a part of me that wanted to do it, but I could see that she wanted to die, to prove that I was just like every other person that wanted her dead. I…I guess I didn't want to give her that victory."
"And in doing so, you grew as a person," She spoke softly, a gentle glow in her eyes when she smiled. "There will always come a time when you'll have to choose between who you were, who you are now and who do you wish to come. What choice you make on that day will decide what path you must follow."
'…She probably knows that I wanted to kill Kaecilius,' With the way she was speaking and with her wearing the Eye of Agamotto that was radiating a cosmic energy eerily similar to that of Wanda's, she most definitely saw a timeline where I killed Kaecilius.
Speaking of Wanda…
"How did my little sis do today?"
"Not too bad. She's already achieved a mastery of Eldritch Magic on par with that of many acolytes. On top of that, her portals are on the level of a master and if she continues at this same pace with the others, she may be a Master of the Mystic Arts in the next six months."
"And her Chaos Magic?"
"That, unfortunately, is something she'll have to train on her own. However, there is someone that she's been receiving a few tips on what to do with it."
"A mortal someone or a divine someone?"
"The latter."
'And she's already attracting the attention of gods. Oh, I feel so proud,' I thought with a smile, lying back and looking up at the stars shimmering above.
One would think that I would be jealous, but to be honest, I was always the 'good, cool one' amongst the many cousins in my family.
Having all of that attention on someone else was an amazing feeling as I could skulk around and manipulate things in the background without anyone ever worrying about me.
'And I could live my life how I please without someone trying to push me into a direction they want me to go.'
"Pietro."
"Yes, Ancient One?", I asked before blinking as the woman stood up, placing her tea down whilst walking over and standing in front of me.
"Would you care for a spar?"
"…A what?"
"A spar. A training session if you will."
"…Do you want to vent or work off some stress? 'Cause I'm a very good listener and I give a killer massage, if that's the case."
"Don't worry, I'm not looking to hurt someone," She spoke with a giggle, to which I let out a relieved sigh before hopping to my feet.
"Alright then, but a warning first. I'm a member of the Equal Rights, Equal Lefts foundation."
"Meaning?"
"I beat up anyone I'm fighting with."
"Oh, may I join this organization?"
"Of course. As president, you are now officially my vice president," I spoke with a smile, chuckling as she smiled before I raised an eyebrow as she stood with her hands behind her back.
"Uh…"
"Do not worry. You may fight as you wish as I will be doing the same."
'…Okay, then. Full speed,' I thought as I rolled my shoulders, the sorceress waiting until I was done before she nodded.
"Beg-", The match was over before she could finish speaking, kicking out her legs from under her and pinning her to the ground by her neck.
"I w-"
"Do not worry. You may fight as you wish as I will be doing the same."
'…Okay, then. Full speed.'
"Beg-", Racing forward, I slid across the ground and kicked at her legs, but the woman was swift as she hopped over them before kicking off a Tao Mandala to dash to the side.
However, I was already on my feet and rushed at her before she could land, pinning her arms to her body with one arm while holding a vibrating hand to her neck.
"And I wi-"
"Do not worry. You may fight as you wish as I will be doing the same."
'…Okay, then. Full spee-Wait a second,' I thought with a frown as I didn't move, narrowing my eyes whilst wondering just what the hell is going on.
"Oh, you noticed," The Ancient One spoke with a smile, walking closer even as the world around us began to distort.
"You have not moved yet, Pietro. Well, not truly. You were about to win, three separate times, in fact, but you've simply experienced the outcomes of those choices."
"…Are you manipulating time or something?"
"Not quite. I'm merely bending your perception and compressing the sense of when a choice is made."
"So, like those mirror mazes in a carnival?", I asked, frowning as she nodded.
"Exactly. You want to move forward, but every time you do so, you're seeing reflections of every turn you might take before you can even take that first step," She spoke before snapping her fingers, green magical sigils appearing around us and shattering in that same moment.
As it did, I sighed as she vanished, finding myself lying on the floor with the Ancient One having a knee on my chest and a Tao Mandala aimed at my neck
"You never actually attacked me, but your instincts did. Your mind is fast, Pietro, but it is too fast as it moves before your body could catch up."
"This…is kinda creepy and kind of awesome at the same time," I muttered, the woman giving a knowing smile as she stood up and helped me up.
"It is also a lesson."
"Don't mess with people who can manipulate time?"
"That is a good lesson, but no. Speed is not power. You act before thought, but thought must catch up if you want to use it as more than a weapon. Hone your instinct and shape it with purpose, compassion and choice, not fear, control and reflex."
"Got i-Wait, I thought you said that I can't be mind-controlled."
"Never said I manipulated your mind."
"Then how did…?"
"Let's just say that I have my ways of going around your immunities."
'…She used the Time Stone for a spar?! Holy shit, and here I felt bad for going fast against her,' I thought with a grumble, the woman walking back over to her previous position with a smile.
"Now then, let us see if you can apply what just learned. Again."
A/N: And we end it off here~! Next chapter: Sibling Bonding
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