Just a little AN before we begin. I rewrote the whole story and removed all litRPG aspects.
Hopefully this new version is even better!
Happy reading!
-IV
The Ancient One knelt down on the rather uncomfortable mat on the floor, settling upon her heels as she adjusted herself slightly. Traditions be damned, what she wouldn't give for a plush leather sofa in the Sanctum, especially after the events of today. She sighed, and sipped at her tea, holding the cup up and inhaling slowly, deeply, letting the flavour and aroma of the familiar drink soothe her mind and body. She had seen today coming; of course she had. The Eye of Agamotto and subsequently the Time Stone had allowed her to see into the future, just one of the many possibilities that may come to pass, or will have passed.
The Chitauri had invaded New York, and it hadn't been a small battle either. She and the magic practitioners at the Sanctum had stepped in where they could to assist in the battle, keeping their presence to a minimum to avoid providing the world with the information of their existence. They had just had one of their major cities invaded and learned the hard way that Humanity was not alone in the universe. She would spare the world the shock of learning that magic was real too… for now. They would be ready in time.
The Ancient One herself had been prepared to step in when the nuclear missile was launched at the city. Those foolish "secretive" organizations making poorly planned decisions that could have led to the deaths of millions! Granted, they had sound reasoning, but they were too impatient for immediate results, even when being provided proof that one of their alternative plans had been working. The Ancient One was quite pleased to see that Tony Stark, Iron Man, had taken it upon himself to alter the course of the missile from striking the city toward the large blue portal in the sky. With that step and the decision to sacrifice himself for the greater good of Earth, the Ancient One was confident that Humanity would continue to survive for the next while. Though… the potential futures following this timeline were harrowing, the last she checked.
Looking down, she moved to sit cross-legged on the mat and set her tea down on the floor, sitting up straight and closing her eyes. With a breath, she opened up the Eye of Agamotto and floated several inches into the air, her vision suddenly filled with too many images, sights, sounds, past, future, possibilities and impossibilities alike. She focused, noting that she had not been in contact with a rather large green and muscular Bruce Banner that afternoon during the Invasion of New York. She furrowed her brow, mentally digging slightly to follow the thread of that potential timeline, only to be stonewalled by the eventuality of her death at the hands of her student, Kaecillius. Her poor student, where had she led him astray?
She shook off the mental fog and existential dread of her death and shifted to her future in this current timeline. Flashes of white appeared every now and again as she scanned through the future, thousands of timelines, every decision any person made leading to a potential branch in reality, a new set of events that could occur. Curious, she looked ahead again, finding that not much had been altered. The Sanctum was secure, and those little skirmishes the Avengers would have in the future were of no concern to her or the Earth as a whole, give or take a few events. Bah, only several timelines showed the Earth being shattered by a city-sized meteorite piloted by beings of metal, she was certain it would be fine.
She looked forward further, the car crash critically injuring Stephen Strange, following the various timelines branching from that moment. The Ancient One mentally paused, catching a flash of white in the corner of her future sight, but unable to "see" what was there, just avoiding her gaze. She pursued the future nonetheless, years passing by in an instant, leading to the final constant of her death, of where Stephen Strange would obtain the Eye of Agamotto and-
The Ancient One paused. She opened her eyes for a moment, looked down at the amulet on her chest, and then closed her eyes again when she was sure it was there.
There was no amulet in the future. Strange didn't get the Time Stone. She searched, frowning as she looked through the timelines again, searching for the moment when it may have vanished. She couldn't find it. The Ancient One moved her sight forward through time again, working toward her eventual death. It was inevitable, always happened, and always would continue to happen, regardless of—
White. Bright, snowy white filled her vision. Two blazing golden eyes and a black nose came into view as she observed the image. She focused a little more, looking at the red markings that accented the white fur. Something wasn't quite right.
The Ancient One, confused, shuffled through the timelines again, only to catch a flash of white, and end with the same gaze of a canine, no, a wolf looking at her. She paused for a moment, mentally blinking, caught off-guard, and searched further, timeline after timeline, each one gradually growing blurrier, fading into flashes of white and red, with those eyes blazing. Bright gold eyes, intelligent, determined. She looked closer, and her breathing stopped momentarily when she realized she wasn't looking at the wolf. No, the wolf was looking at her. The wolf was looking at The Ancient One, not in the future, but now, through time, those eyes staring at her, without malice. Just watching, gazing intently, understanding her, an infinite presence, a being far older than herself, those eyes drawing her in, covering her in warmth, a light she hadn't felt since she was young, sitting in front of a fire, sheltered from the cold of her homeland, with her parents near her. She was home. She was—
A knock at the door broke her out of her thoughts. The Ancient One inhaled sharply and broke herself free from the visions she had been viewing, giving it one final glance to see the brief flash of those gold eyes gazing at her once more. She picked up her tea and got to her feet, turning toward the door and opening it with a gesture of her hands, far too distracted to open it by conventional means.
"I'm sorry to bother you," said Kaecillius, the man standing in the doorway spoke, "but there is a… dog at the front door."
"I've told you several times now, it is a wolf. That looks nothing like a dog, Kaecillius." Mordo spoke, leaning into frame just over the shoulder of the other man. They both looked agitated, mildly frustrated even, at having come to see The Ancient One herself because of a canine visitor.
"…I hardly see how this requires my attention. Feed it and send it off." The Ancient One spoke, still distracted by her visions. Still, this couldn't be just a coincidence, could it?
"We tried. The dog—"
"Wolf," Mordo interrupted.
"…the wolf ate everything we gave it. We tried to send it off but it just sat at the door. It's blocking the other apprentices from entering or leaving through the door. I tried to persuade it with magic, but…" Kaecillius paused, frowning, almost embarrassed to admit it.
"Nothing happened. It just sat there, watching us." Mordo continued. "It doesn't seem like it's mystical in nature, but those eyes… I swear it—"
"Send it in," the Ancient One spoke, turning around, sitting down on her mat once more. She sipped at her tea and, after a moment of thought, set up another cup of tea across from her in front of the other mat. She closed her eyes, inhaling, preparing herself for whatever may come, and then opened them once more.
There was a wolf. Snow white fur, and warm, golden eyes. Sitting at the mat across from her, and…
It was wagging. It tilted its head at The Ancient One and then lolled out its tongue, the regal appearance of the creature disrupted by the goofy grin on its face. The wagging tail ruffled up the mat it was sitting on, and the canine's attention dropped down to the cup of tea at its paws. The Ancient One watched in stunned silence as the wolf leaned down and lapped at the tea with large, uncoordinated drags of its tongue, splashing the floor and its muzzle with the warm tea. She was well aware of her two students standing in the door frame, watching the proceedings as equally confused as she was, Mordo and Kaecillius whispering to one another, not quite sure how to handle the mutt. She closed her eyes and sighed quietly, mentally preparing herself as she spoke.
"Welcome to—"
The Ancient One opened her eyes and paused, looking at the wolf. It was closer. Slightly. Its tail gave a little quiver as the wolf glanced at her, and then looked away, its eyes shifting away as it pretended to not look at her. The hundreds years old woman glanced behind her at her students who were watching as well, before turning back to face the wolf in greeting, as was customary.
"Welcome-" She paused again. The wolf sat closer still, its tail quivering a little faster, the wolf side-eying the woman, staring with intent, but without maliciousness, before looking away once more, the canine feigning innocence. The Ancient One set her tea down to the side and in that brief moment of lost eye contact, the beast moved closer still.
She could feel her students tensing up behind her, magic ready to defend their master at a moment's notice. She could also feel the wolf's warm breath against her face as it panted directly in front of her, almost nose-to-nose with the large canine. Its tail was wagging furiously and had already knocked over its own cup of tea, just adding to the mess on the floor and staining her decades-old seating mats.
"…If you lick me, I will portal you into the river," the Ancient One threatened, narrowing her eyes slightly. The great white beast blinked, looking horrified, its jaw dropping, before letting out a pitiful whine, shuffling back slightly, its eyes flicking down to the sling ring on the Ancient One's hand, before looking back up at the woman. The wolf then looked at her tea, back at the hundreds years old woman, and then back to the tea. She and the wolf stared at each other for a moment, before picking up her tea once again, and sliding it in front of the wolf, cringing as the canine messily drank the tea, splashing the other pristine mat with tea and making a further mess.
"Why have you come to find me, wolf?" She asked, feeling almost silly speaking to the beast. The canine sat up and settled itself, paws positioned and looking almost regal if not for the tea staining its fur.
"Woof."
"…come again?" The Ancient One asked. Her students behind her froze, blinking. Surely their master wasn't this far gone, was she?
"Awoof," the wolf 'spoke', blinking balefully at the woman, and shuffling in place a little, its tail giving a flick behind it.
"You must be joking," the Ancient One replied, before giving a soft hum, raising one hand to her chin in thought. "…Although with what happened today, and the portal, it isn't a stretch…"
"Er… Are you—" Mordo was interrupted.
"Why are you talking to the dog?" Kaecillius asked bluntly, his expression one of disappointment and concern for the mental well-being of their Master. Maybe the hundreds of years had finally caught up to her, and the Ancient One was a little too ancient?
"Hush, let them speak," The woman snapped back, barely giving them thought as she turned her attention back to the canine. There was an odd weight to the room, a seriousness that did not fit the situation hung in the air.
"…ruff!"
"You do realize this is difficult to believe. I need some sort of proof—" and with that, the wolf took off, brushing by the Ancient One and leaping over the two standing in the doorway, before bolting out of sight around a corner. Mordo and Kaecillius chased after it, while the Ancient One glanced down, noticing a flower growing out of the floor, and a few blades of grass trailing down the hallway where the trio took off. Surely this couldn't be true…
The Ancient One portaled herself to the courtyard, watching with mild amusement as the wolf startled several of the younger apprentices and slid to a stop right in front of the Sorcerer Supreme, giving a sharp bark, and leaning forward to poke at her robes with its nose for a moment, before looking up at the sky. Mordo and Kaecillius slid around the corner, tripping over themselves as they entered the courtyard, pausing as they noticed the Ancient One's gaze also directed up.
The sun was just grazing the horizon, smoke filling a decent portion of the surrounding city after the events of the day. Sirens were still able to be heard, as was confused shouting and people still digging through the rubble, assisted by the Sanctum's apprentices working out of sight to secure collapsed structures and recover injured citizens. It was a beautiful if tragic sight, the city working together to recover after the terrifying events of the day. Humanity working together to pick one another back up, with the sun slowly dipping over the horizon, calling a close to the day, and hopefully, the start of a brighter one. Working toward a better future for all.
The Ancient One shivered as the universe lurched. Intense magic erupted all around them, the fabric of reality shifting, dimensions screaming as they were forced to obey something far more powerful than the laws of physics and reality. The world seemed to pause for a moment before time resumed, the universe jolting for just a fraction of time.
The courtyard was quiet as everyone looked up. The sun moved. It was mid-afternoon, the sky bright and the sun intense, beating down with all the heat of a midsummer's day, where just seconds before it had been a cool evening. Reality itself had shifted and bent to the will of someone, something, much more powerful than herself.
"Bark!" The wolf beside her announced proudly, pointing its nose at the sky, and then glanced back at the Sorcerer Supreme, its eyes seeming to glow for a moment, containing mirth. The creature grinned… if such a thing was possible.
The Ancient One used the Amulet and reversed time itself for several seconds, undoing the massive pull on the forces of reality and magic, leaving the world unaware of the event that had just taken place. Everyone had never experienced the sun shifting positions in the sky, and they were all back to normal. Everyone that is, but the Sorcerer Supreme, slightly winded from the use of the Eye of Agomotto, and the wolf still gazing smugly at The Ancient One, its tail giving a playful flick, a couple splatters of ink falling to the ground, before evaporating in an instant. The woman focused as she stared at the creature before her, and noticed the faint red markings slowly coming into existence against the wolf's pure white form, accenting the creature and leaving the Sorcerer Supreme no doubt in her mind that this was indeed a being far beyond herself in years.
"…very well," the Sorcerer Supreme opened the Eye of Agomotto, floating the Time Stone out of the device, and before the wolf. "I can tell that you aren't quite as powerful right now as the legends have said. I have no doubt in my mind you will succeed though."
"W-what are you—" Mordo was silenced by his master as she gave him a glare, while Kaecillius just sat in stunned silence. Clearly, the Ancient One had lost her mind.
"Boof!" The wolf commented, seemingly dipping its head in a bow toward the woman, before leaning in, pressing its nose against the stone. There was a bright flash of green, and then… The stone was gone. In its place was just the wolf, wagging its tail, giving a dopey grin up at the Sorcerer Supreme, and then casting its gaze around the courtyard to every stunned individual watching the display, each of them unaware of the preceding events before the time shift.
"Don't make me regret this," The Ancient One warned, before turning around, feeling a presence behind her. It was the wolf. But… She turned around, and it was also standing there. They both barked at the same time, one of them rushing toward her and leaping up, catching her by surprise as the tall wolf set its paws on her shoulders and licked her face in a quick, broad stroke. As she spluttered, the wolf behind her took its chance to do the same, dragging its tongue along the back of her shaved head in the most unpleasant manner, sending a shiver of disgust through the Sorcerer Supreme.
As she moved herself away, the wolf that had suddenly appeared darted away, leaving a trail of grass and flowers as it vaulted itself over the courtyard walls, vanishing from sight. She looked over at the other wolf who was standing there and panting happily, before it folded in on itself with a flash of green light, reminiscent of the Time Stone, and disappeared, likely the same wolf that had just leaped over the walls moments prior.
The courtyard was filled with stunned silence, broken only by the sound of Mordo and Kaecillius quietly walking toward their master the Sorcerer Supreme. They came to a stop beside her, glancing at her, and then where the wolf had leapt over the walls, glancing at the vegetation left behind.
"…did you—"
"Yes. I did," the Ancient One interrupted Mordo, reaching a hand up to wipe off her face of wolf slobber.
"What have you done?" Kaecillius asked in horror, looking between the Sorcerer Supreme and the trail of plant life.
"…I'm not actually quite sure," the woman replied, casting her gaze off toward the setting sun. She took a breath, a weight lifting off her shoulders, feeling decades younger. "For the first time since I became Sorcerer Supreme, I don't know. It's wonderful." She turned to face her apprentices and gestured with her head for them to follow her, which they did in stunned silence.
"I do know, however," the Sorcerer Supreme spoke, "that she will do well by it. Have faith in Amaterasu."