- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 121
“Ms. Ancient One, may I ask why you are looking for my wife and me?”
Leo instructed Wanda to brew some tea, then politely invited the Ancient One to sit on the living room sofa.
The Ancient One seemed to sense the unease in Leo’s heart and spoke in a gentle, reassuring tone:
“Please, call me Master Ancient One. Don’t worry, I’m only here to meet you both and to ask if you’re interested in joining Kamar-Taj.”
As the Sorcerer Supreme and guardian of the Time Stone, she often used the stone’s power to foresee future events.
However, the future holds countless possibilities, and no one can predict exactly how it will unfold because, in truth, the future has already shifted slightly by the time she uses the Time Stone to look into it.
But there are some certainties. For instance, in countless futures, a neurosurgeon named Stephen Strange always becomes her disciple and succeeds her as an even greater Sorcerer Supreme.
Yet, four years ago, the future she had foreseen suddenly underwent a significant change. If she initially saw over a million possibilities, it was as if something triggered a mutation, multiplying those possibilities into the tens of millions.
The catalyst for these changes was a man in Sokovia named Leo Chen.
As the Sorcerer Supreme, who has long protected Earth, the Ancient One isn’t one to investigate every anomaly. She believes that as long as something doesn’t pose an immediate threat to the planet’s safety, it’s not worth worrying about.
So even though she knew that all these changes stemmed from Leo, she merely kept a closer eye on him.
Until a year ago, when she saw that the number of future possibilities had increased once again. This time, it was significantly more, and over time, the possibilities continued to increase threefold.
And at the center of all these changes, Leo’s influence only grew stronger, his abilities becoming more pronounced—he even began to use magic.
According to Kamar-Taj’s tradition, whenever a new sorcerer appears on Earth, Kamar-Taj sends an invitation for them to join. So, she decided to come personally.
This doesn’t violate her principle of not interfering with the future.
The main reason is that among the countless future possibilities, the ones where Leo and his wife Wanda join Kamar-Taj tend to be the more favorable outcomes for both Kamar-Taj and Earth.
“Kamar-Taj?”
Hearing that she wasn’t here to cause trouble, Leo finally felt the weight lift from his chest.
At that moment, Wanda returned with two cups of hot tea, handing one to the Ancient One and the other to Leo before quietly sitting beside him.
The Ancient One took a sip of the tea, nodded in satisfaction, and explained with a smile:
“Kamar-Taj is like a global organization of sorcerers. Our ultimate goal is to protect Earth from the invasions of beings from other dimensions in the multiverse…”
She then proceeded to carefully explain the details of Kamar-Taj to Leo and Wanda.
“I had no idea there were so many sorcerers on Earth!”
After hearing the Ancient One’s words, Wanda’s face showed a look of astonishment. She had thought that she and Leo were the only ones on the planet capable of using magic—she never imagined there were so many others, let alone a dedicated organization.
Leo, however, cautiously asked:
“Master Ancient One, what would happen if we chose not to join? And if we do, what obligations would we have to bear, and what… um… benefits would we receive?”
If the Ancient One had come to order them to join Kamar-Taj, he wouldn’t have dared refuse.
But clearly, that wasn’t the case. From his observations, he could tell that the Ancient One’s invitation was indeed just that—an invitation, not a demand. So, he tentatively inquired further.
If joining meant following rules like not using magic in front of ordinary people, it would be a headache for him since he needed side quests to earn time in small worlds.
So if rejecting the offer didn’t come with severe consequences, he would definitely decline.
The Ancient One, clearly seeing through Leo’s concerns, smiled and shook her head:
“Kamar-Taj is a very free organization for sorcerers. Whether you choose to join or not, I won’t do anything to you.
As long as you don’t pose a threat to Earth’s safety in the future, you’re free to live your life as you see fit.
If you choose to join, since you’re not my disciples and have your own legacies, you won’t need to follow any of Kamar-Taj’s rules.
You’ll only need to assist when Earth faces a major crisis, and Kamar-Taj calls upon you.
As for benefits, well, there aren’t many. You could freely exchange magical knowledge with the other sorcerers at Kamar-Taj, and we do have a library with many magical texts available for borrowing.”
If they were to formally join Kamar-Taj as her disciples, they would undoubtedly have to follow all of Kamar-Taj’s rules and ensure the safety of the sanctums without slacking.
But for Leo and Wanda, joining Kamar-Taj would be more akin to forming an alliance.
Kamar-Taj was founded and led by the Ancient One. Most of the sorcerers there are either her disciples or the disciples of her disciples, given that she’s lived for over five hundred years.
In addition, there are a number of allied sorcerers—those who originally lived in various secret realms around the world and eventually joined Kamar-Taj at the Ancient One’s invitation.
These sorcerers continue to live in their secret realms most of the time, only coming to help when Kamar-Taj summons them.
“In that case, Wanda and I would be honored to join Kamar-Taj!”
After hearing the Ancient One’s explanation, Leo and Wanda discussed briefly, with Leo making the final decision, as Wanda had left it up to him.
Since joining Kamar-Taj wouldn’t impose any restrictions, why not join?
He wasn’t particularly eager to learn Kamar-Taj’s magic since he couldn’t use it anyway. Their spells require drawing power from specific dimensional entities.
For instance, the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak draw on the power of the demon Cyttorak, while the Bolts of Balthakk draws on the power of Balthakk, and the Shape of Ikonn draws on the power of Ikonn.
Whichever dimensional entity’s magic you use, you must repay that entity afterward.
In Kamar-Taj, only the Ancient One, the ultimate “freeloader,” could borrow without repayment. Everyone else must repay what they borrow, making the magic he learned in the small worlds seem much safer by comparison.
This is why, in truth, most sorcerers in Kamar-Taj, or rather, in this world, are known as mystic sorcerers.
In battle, while they do use magic, it’s often more for support, with most relying on weapons imbued with magical abilities for close combat.
Because if they constantly used magic, they wouldn’t be able to pay back the debt later!