Edit 05/08/2023 - Re-wrote the first chapter to bring it in line with the quality and content of later chapters. The others will follow soon. No changes to the story content have been made, only quality of life and ease of reading.
The Ancient One sipped at her tea and knelt down on the rather uncomfortable floor mat. Traditions be damned, what she wouldn't give for a plush leather sofa in the Sanctum, especially after the events of today. Who thought that a single thick piece of fabric would be enough to make stone a decent resting spot? Her predecessors were utter masochists, the lot of them.
She sighed, took a breath, and lifted her cup up. The flavour and aroma of the familiar drink soothed 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. Many futures, tens of millions of them. Today was just one of the many possibilities in the timeline that could happen, would happen, or will have happened. They were just lucky that Thanos and his Generals hadn't decided to accompany Loki in this timeline.
The Chitauri had invaded New York. The Sorcerer Supreme and the magic practitioners at the Sanctum had stepped in where they could to assist in the battle, and kept their presence to a minimum. Earth just had one of its major cities invaded and people learned the hard way that Humanity was not alone in the universe. She would spare the world shock of learning that magic was real, for now. They would be ready in time... She hoped.
She'd rather not have to deal with mass chaos or act as a representative for the entirety of Mystic Arts practitioners. The Ancient One may be a several-hundred-year-old master of magic, dimensional manipulation, and was able to force back entities that could mould reality to their whims, but political work was not for her. She hadn't the patience to watch people squabble while there were things to be done.
No, her skills were more in line with the ability to draw power from other dimensions and alter reality with energies she could manipulate. Sure, maybe she couldn't defuse a tense political situation between two warring factions. However, a flick of the wrist could send both leaders of the warring sides to the top of Mount Everest—they'd have to get along if they wanted to survive.
Portals were such useful things. She had been more than ready to step in and use one when the nuclear missile had been launched straight toward New York City. 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 toward the rift in the sky. He had decided to sacrifice himself for the greater good of Earth. She was confident that Humanity would continue to survive for the next while. Though… the potential futures following this timeline were harrowing, to say the least.
She really hoped that this wasn't the timeline that lead to Dr. Connors turning himself into a giant lizard and trying to infect the whole city. The Sorcerer Supreme may be bald, but her skin was far from scaly, and she would like to avoid being turned into a skink or something equally annoying.
Though... She could accept a bearded dragon. That wouldn't be a bad life, all things considered.
Now that her curiosity was piqued, she just had to see what potential futures would come of this historic victory. She set her tea on the floor, adjusted her robe, sat up straight, and closed her eyes. With a breath, she opened up the Eye of Agamotto, a green light radiating outward and filling the room with a dull glow.
The floor gradually fell out from under her, magic thrumming through her body, lifting her off the ground. A quick glance forward through time confirmed that, yes, Earth would not be enslaved by genocidal alien warlords anytime in the next... three weeks? Several years if everything went well.
The images in her head grew in number as she expanded her focus. Past, present, and future blurred together, then drifted apart as her gaze shifted. Images flashed into view, and entire realities came into focus for a moment, then vanished the next. An infinite number of people, of choices, of possibilities and impossibilities alike.
She paused and noted that she had not been in contact with a rather large, green, muscular Bruce Banner that afternoon during the invasion. She furrowed her brow and attempted 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 pupil, where had she led him astray?
She shook off the mental fog and existential dread of her death, long used to the knowledge that her end was approaching—her attention was directed elsewhere along the timeline. Flashes of white appeared every now and again as she scanned through the futures, thousands of them, every decision any person made leading to a potential branch in reality, a new set of events that could occur.
It was rather unfortunate to note that the Earth had a bad track record of being invaded or put in lethal danger. Maybe she should invest in some form of cosmic signage. Something similar to those "beware of dog" signs that people put up to warn of their Chihuahua. Maybe not the most threatening if one were to see the actual subject of the sign, but ideally it would warn away some threats. Hopefully, the ones that decided to approach the Earth regardless of the sign were the kind that would want to pet the Chihuahua, and not punt it across the cosmic backyard.
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 meteor piloted by beings of metal, she was certain it would be fine.
She looked forward further and watched the car crash that critically injured Stephen Strange, following the various timelines branching from that moment. The Ancient One paused, catching a blur of white in the corner of her future vision, but could not "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. The moment that 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 after verifying the artifact was still 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 it may have vanished. She couldn't find it—the Time Stone had vanished.
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 peered at her through the brilliant light. There was a slight shift, and red markings came into view. Red markings that accented white fur and highlighted those intense eyes. Something wasn't quite right.
The wolf turned tail and fled. It jumped, and then disappeared in a ripple, reality itself flexing and shifting around the creature. The Ancient One moved to follow, hopping into a new timeline to chase this creature.
Through stream after stream, time flowed by rapidly. The futures around the duo grew brighter and brighter, more green, more alive. The past grew brighter as well, horrors of the world being smothered over in a bright, white light. The edges of her vision grew brighter, enveloping her vision, everything suffused in that warm glow.
Then, she froze and came to a stop. The wolf was no longer running. Instead, it sat. Waiting. Watching. It was looking for something. Its eyes shifted, moving around, hunting for-
Those gold eyes snapped forward.
The wolf was looking at her.
It was looking at The Ancient One, not in the future, but now, through time itself. Those eyes stared at her, without malice, just watching, gazing intently, understanding her, an infinite presence in the universe around them all.
The creature was a being far older than herself—those eyes radiated power and warmth that nothing could hope to match. It let out a light she hadn't felt since she was young, sitting in front of the fire, sheltered from the cold of her homeland, with her parents near her. She was home. She was safe, warm, and happy. Things were going to be okay. Everything was—
A knock at the door shattered the memories. She inhaled sharply and broke herself free from the visions she had been exploring. A glance inward had her trying to see that comforting gaze one final time, only to be left disappointed. She picked up her tea and got to her feet, turning toward the door and opening it with a gesture of her hands. She was far too distracted by the visions to open the door through conventional means.
"I'm sorry to bother you," said Kaecillius, her student, "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 and leaned into frame just over the shoulder of the other man. Another one of her students. They both looked agitated, 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. This couldn't be just a coincidence, could it?
"We tried. The dog—"
"Wolf," Mordo interrupted.
"…The wolf ate everything we gave it." Kaecillius shuddered in revulsion. "That was a sickening amount of food. We tried to send it off but it just sat at the door—it is blocking the other apprentices from entering or leaving. I tried to persuade it with magic, but…" Kaecillius paused, then frowned, 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 our guest in," the Ancient One interrupted.
She turned around and knelt down on the mat once more. Her eyes lingered on the teapot and empty cups that sat in the middle of the floor. A twitch of her fingers had a stream of tea snaking from the teapot and into a cup. Then, she pressed a palm forward, guiding the full teacup in front of the mat across from her, all without touching anything. With her role as a good host fulfilled, the woman closed her eyes and took a breath. She took a long sip of her drink and enjoyed the warmth.
There was a sound behind her, several sounds in fact. Confused murmuring from her students, and a gentle yet heavy movement of a large creature walking past her. She took a breath, and opened her eyes, bringing her attention to the Sanctum's newest guest.
It was a wolf. The wolf. The one she had seen in her visions. White fur. Gold eyes. But... no markings. A presence radiated from the creature, majestic and serene. This was a being of legend, a creature of mythical ability and powers beyond comprehension. It was-
It was wagging. The wolf's tail swished behind itself violently, kicking up dust in the corners of the room. She swore there hadn't been a speck of dust in the room prior to the wolf sitting down.
The wolf met her stare and tilted its' head. Then, its jaw fell open, and its tongue flopped out, shattering the regal appearance of the lupine. The mat beneath the creature was getting more bunched up and unkempt with every hard swish of the wolf's tail.
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. They were equally confused as she was, whispers passing between the two. She closed her eyes and took a breath, mentally preparing herself for the absurdity that was likely to follow.
"Welcome to the New-"
The Ancient One opened her eyes and paused, watching the wolf. It was just a tad closer. Its tail gave a little quiver as the wolf glanced at her and then looked away quickly. It was pretending as if it hadn't just looked at her.
The hundreds-years-old-woman glanced behind herself toward her students, raising an eyebrow at the duo. Kaecillius and Mordo gave a slight shrug, just as confused as her. She turned to face their new guest once more.
"Welcome to-"
The wolf sat closer still. Its tail flicked and wiggled a little faster, but remained roughly in the same place as if the creature were willingly restraining it. Those gold eyes were locked onto the Ancient One, side-eyeing her with intent. Then, they flicked away again, as if nothing had even happened, the wolf feigning innocence.
The Ancient One set her tea down to the side and, in that brief moment of lost eye contact, the beast moved.
She could feel her students tense 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—it panted directly in front of her, and she was almost nose-to-nose with the large creature. Its tail was wagging furiously and had already knocked over its own cup of tea, 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, and narrowed her eyes.
The great white beast reared back, hopping away from the Ancient One with a pitiful whine. Its jaw dropped as if it couldn't even comprehend the cruelty of threatening it with a bath of all things. Truly one of the most cruel punishments imaginable. The lupine's gaze fell to the sling ring on her hand and then glanced 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 she picked up her cup of tea, and slid it forward, offering it to the wolf.
The Ancient One cringed when the wolf dunked its muzzle into the teacup and began to drink it messily, slopping tea across the floor, the pristine ancient mat, and splashing it all over its muzzle. Despite the situation, she still had questions. Getting answers could be problematic, however.
"Why have you come to find me, wolf?" She asked. She felt silly for asking the wolf in the first place.
The canine sat up and settled itself, paws positioned firmly. It sat straight and squared its shoulders. A sunbeam from the window caused its fur to glimmer in the light. The picture of elegance, grace, and floof, all rolled into one package... If only the view weren't ruined by the tea drenching its muzzle. Still, it sat tall, opened its mouth, and spoke.
"Awoof."
"…Come again?" The Ancient One asked.
Her students froze and blinked several times. Surely their master wasn't this far gone, was she?
"Wurf," the wolf 'spoke', blinking balefully at the woman. Its tail flicked anxiously behind it, and its paws padded at the ground in a nervous fashion.
"You must be joking," the Ancient One replied. She gave a hum and raised a hand to her chin in thought. "Although with what happened today, and the portal, it isn't a stretch that you came from-"
"Er… Are you-" Mordo's interruption was interrupted.
"Why are you talking to the dog?" Kaecillius asked. He held an expression 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 to your claim- and she's gone."
The wolf took off with an excited yip. It brushed by the Ancient One and leaped over the two standing in the doorway, before it bolted around a corner and out of sight. Mordo and Kaecillius chased after it, while the Ancient One glanced down, noticing something rather strange.
There was a flower growing out of the floor where the wolf had been sitting, and several blades of grass fluttered where the wolf had run. Surely this couldn't be true...
The Ancient One portaled herself into the courtyard and turned to face the back of the Sanctum. A smirk graced her face when she watched the wolf barrel through the doors, and leap over the heads of multiple apprentices. Several of them screamed in surprise or dropped to the ground, covering their heads and bracing for impact.
The wolf landed and slid to a graceful stop in front of the Sorcerer Supreme, the lupine's claws digging into the ground. Mordo and Kaecillius raced around the corner a moment later, tripping over one another to get ahead. The duo staggered to a stop a few feet away from the Ancient One and the wolf, watching the duo wearily.
"So, why did you need to drag us outside? What is this proof of your claim?" The Sorcerer Supreme asked, raising an eyebrow at the wolf.
The wolf nudged at the Ancient One's robes and gave them a sharp tug with its teeth. With her attention properly grabbed, the wolf sat down and cast its gaze upward. The Sorcerer Supreme's eyes followed the lupine's and focused on the sky.
The sun brushed against the horizon, and smoke filled swaths of the surrounding city after the events of the day. Sirens could still be heard, as well as confused shouting and people still digging through the rubble, attempting to rescue trapped individuals. The Sanctum's apprentices worked 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. People working as one to pick each other back up, as the sun slowly dipped 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 entirety of reality jolting for just a fraction of time.
The force of the magic use caused all the individuals in the courtyard to stagger and try to adjust their balance. Several fell over, unable to right themselves from the sudden spike in pressure and power, before it faded just as fast. The courtyard was quiet as everyone looked up.
The sun had moved.
It was now 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.
"Wurf!" The wolf announced proudly.
It pointed its nose at the sky and then glanced back at the Sorcerer Supreme. Its eyes glimmered with mirth, and a grin graced itself onto the lupine's face. Wolves couldn't smile like that, could they? This one did.
Screams of terror erupted from the surrounding city, confusion and fear affecting the general populous even further. First an alien invasion, and now the sun had changed position in the sky! People were terrified. For all they knew, the world was ending.
The Ancient One held her hands in front of herself and gestured. The Eye of Agomotto opened, and a green glow from the amulet radiated outward. She rotated her wrists; a green circle of magic formed in front of her. The circle began to spin backwards, following her hands as she forced the universe to comply, aided by the Time Stone.
Just like that, the panic was over before it even began.
The Sorcerer Supreme had rewound time by several seconds, undoing the massive pull of magic on the forces of reality. No one had experienced what just occurred. Not a soul was aware that the Earth had rotated backwards, and the world was no longer cast into terror by the celestial movements.
No one knew of what occurred, save for the smug-looking wolf, and the slightly winded Ancient One. The wolf gave a little 'yip' and flicked its tail, several spatters of ink coming off from the motion. The ink splotched onto the ground and evaporated in an instant.
The woman focused as she stared at the creature before her. Faint red markings began to fade into existence on the wolf. A circle of red on its head; swirls of red appeared on its sides; lines accented those warm, gold eyes. Those eyes held within them centuries of experience, multitudes of lives, and genuine care for the world.
Warmth suffused the Ancient One, and she focused. Light radiated outward from the lupine, a spiritual, mystical energy that only certain beings held. Creatures of immense power, potential, and above all, actual care for the people they watched over. She had only encountered several of these beings up close.
Then, the Ancient One narrowed her eyes. Her gaze flicked to the left, looking at the Sanctum. No, she was looking through the Sanctum, not seeing something, so much as sensing something. She made her decision.
"…Very well." The Sorcerer Supreme opened the Eye of Agamotto and floated the Time Stone out of the device. The Stone hovered in the air, spinning slowly, radiating an ethereal green. "I can see you are not quite as powerful as the legends have said. At least, for now. However, I have no doubt in my mind you will succeed."
"W-what are you-" Mordo was silenced by his master as she gave him a look.
Kaecillius just sat in stunned silence. Clearly, the Ancient One had lost her mind.
"Boof!" The wolf commented, then dipped its head in a bow toward the woman.
The wolf leaned forward and pressed its nose against the Time 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. It then moved its gaze around the courtyard, taking in all the stunned looks. None of them would be questioning the Ancient One if they had been able to experience the celestial movement moments earlier.
"Don't make me regret this," the Ancient One warned.
She then whirled around, noting a presence behind her. It was the wolf. But…
She glanced over her shoulder. The same wolf was also standing there, wagging its tail, tongue lolling from its jaws in a goofy doggy grin. They both barked at the same time, and one of them rushed toward her. It jumped up, catching the Sorcerer Supreme unprepared, and planted its paws on her shoulders. Then, it darted in and delivered a big, wet wolf kiss right up her face, leaving behind a trail of drool.
As she spluttered in surprise and disgust, the second wolf followed suit. It jumped up, planted its paws on the Ancient One from behind, and delivered a big, long, drool-covered lick right up the back of her shaved head. She shuddered in disgust, and cringed away, magic flaring up in her hands as she darted to the side.
After escaping from the unwanted affection, the wolf that had appeared out of thin air barked at her. It turned around, and then raced away, sprinting toward the tall security walls of the Sanctum's courtyard. It crouched, leaped, soared over the walls, and disappeared with a ripple of magic, escaping the privacy and space-extending spell. A trail of grass and flowers was left behind by the wolf.
The Ancient one looked over at the other wolf who was standing there and panting happily. It shook itself out and then winked, eyes locked on the Sorcerer Supreme. The wolf glowed green and folded in on itself, vanishing with an energy that was identical to that of the Time Stone.
Stunned silence filled the courtyard. Not even the wind shifted the leaves in the trees, as if reality itself was questioning how wise the decision made was. The silence was shattered as Kaecillius and Mordo walked toward their master, their footsteps echoing off the walls of the Sanctum.
"…Did you-"
"Yes. I did," the Ancient One interrupted Mordo. She reached up to wipe the wolf slobber off her face, grimacing at the feeling.
"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, and cast her gaze toward the setting sun. She took a breath, and a weight seemed to lift off her shoulders, allowing her to feel decades younger. "For the first time since I became Sorcerer Supreme, I don't know. It's wonderful."
The Ancient One used a hand to gesture to her students, encouraging them to follow her. She walked back into the Sanctum and began to walk toward the front door.
"I do know, however, that she will do well by it." The Sorcerer Supreme turned to face her students and gave them a reassuring smile. "Have faith in Amaterasu."