I spent the next four years refining myself.
Not chasing power.
Perfecting it.
Atlantis stabilized under my rule with frightening ease. Rebellions never had the chance to form. Dissatisfaction never had the chance to grow. Every potential threat was identified before it could even become a thought.
And quietly… efficiently… removed.
I elevated those I deemed useful.
Loyal.
Competent.
Not because I trusted them.
But because I understood them.
With my perception, deception was meaningless. With my charisma, resistance dissolved before it could solidify. And with my power…
Well.
There were no second chances.
By the end of those four years, my rule was absolute.
Unquestioned.
Unshakable.
Which meant—
I could finally turn my attention outward.
The world beyond Atlantis.
And more importantly…
Its magic.
I arrived at Kamar-Taj without announcement.
The moment my feet touched its sacred grounds, I felt it immediately—structured magic layered into the very space itself. Wards. Barriers. Observational constructs.
Impressive.
Outdated.
I let them detect me.
That, too, was intentional.
It didn't take long before I was brought before him.
Merlin.
Up close, his presence was even more pronounced.
Ancient.
Measured.
Dangerous.
And yet…
He looked at me not with hostility—
But curiosity.
"…Interesting," he murmured.
I met his gaze without hesitation.
"I want to learn."
A simple truth.
And one he accepted.
Becoming his student was easier than it should have been.
Perhaps he saw talent.
Perhaps he saw potential.
Or perhaps—
He simply didn't realize what I truly was.
Kamar-Taj was… enlightening.
Not because it was beyond me.
But because it was different.
Their magic relied on borrowing power.
Drawing from other dimensions. Other entities. Other realms.
A system of exchange.
Power… for a price.
Souls.
Energy.
Debt.
I found it inefficient.
Because I didn't need it.
Every spell I learned…
Every technique I observed…
I absorbed.
Completely.
When I borrowed power—
It didn't remain borrowed.
It entered my Soul Gem.
And became mine.
Refined.
Purified.
Owned.
No cost.
No repayment.
No consequences.
A loophole so absolute it might as well have been theft.
I smiled the first time I realized it.
"…How convenient."
With my mind, my memory, and my perception—
Learning was trivial.
Theory?
Months.
Practice?
Even less.
Magic circles, dimensional alignment, spatial folding, energy manipulation—I understood all of it almost instantly.
And once I understood something…
I perfected it.
Portal magic came first.
Then defensive constructs.
Then offensive casting.
Then more complex manipulations of space and reality.
Time passed.
One year.
Then another.
Within a year and a half…
I stood at a level most would never reach.
Sorcerer Supreme.
In everything but title.
Even he knew it.
One evening, as golden light filtered through the halls of Kamar-Taj, Merlin stood beside me in silence.
"You've surpassed them all," he said calmly.
I didn't respond.
Because it was obvious.
After a moment, he continued.
"When my time ends… you should take my place."
I glanced at him.
And for the first time—
I almost laughed.
"…No."
A single word.
Firm.
Final.
He didn't react immediately.
"Why?"
I turned my gaze forward again.
"Because I have nothing left to learn here."
That was the truth.
Kamar-Taj had given me everything it could.
Which meant—
It had outlived its usefulness.
That night…
I went to the library.
The Librarian never saw me coming.
Because time had already stopped.
The world froze.
And I moved.
The restricted sections were exactly where I expected them to be.
Dark magic.
Forbidden knowledge.
The things they hid.
The things they feared.
I took everything.
Every book.
Every scroll.
Every fragment of knowledge they had tried to bury.
All of it vanished into my possession.
And before time resumed—
I was already gone.
By the time Kamar-Taj realized what had happened…
I was back in Atlantis.
Seated upon my throne.
As if I had never left.
But I knew.
And soon—
They would too.
To them, I was no longer a student.
No longer an ally.
I was a criminal.
A thief of forbidden knowledge.
An existence that could not be allowed to continue.
Kill on sight.
I smiled faintly at the thought.
"Let them try."
Because now—
I wasn't just powerful.
I was complete.
And the next time I stepped into the world beyond Atlantis…
It wouldn't be as a student.
It would be as something far worse.