"Kaecilius is a tragic figure."
The Ancient One completely ignored Mario's suggestion about Wong and shifted the conversation to darker territory.
"His fall... I saw it coming. But maintaining the integrity of the timeline means accepting that some futures cannot be changed, even when you know they're approaching. I am, after all, just another piece in the game."
She took a sip of tea.
Her secret use of dark dimension energy was only one trigger for his downfall. What truly drove him was the desire to resurrect his wife and child. He thought he could control Dormammu's power, bend it to his will. He deceived his own disciples, convinced them to help him raid the library and steal forbidden texts. You've seen how that story begins in Doctor Strange. But Kaecilius overestimated himself and underestimated Dormammu. He became the Dark Lord's puppet, and in the end, he was absorbed completely, just another fragment of the Dark Dimension.
The Ancient One set down her cup and met Mario's eyes. "If you're confident you can reach him, you should try. It would be a better fate than what awaits him otherwise."
Mario frowned. His approach to Kaecilius had always been pragmatic, recruit him if possible, eliminate him if necessary.
"You're still planning to make Strange the next Sorcerer Supreme, aren't you?"
You're still choosing to die?
The Ancient One smiled gently. "I've been watching Stephen Strange for quite some time. He's exceptionally talented."
"And I'm tired."
Mario couldn't help the dismissive noise that escaped him. "Talented? Don't tell me you haven't noticed that chubby kid hanging around Spider-Man. That kid's never studied a day of magic in his life, but he can use a Sling Ring to open portals. Interdimensional portals, even."
The Ancient One's response was: "I don't look that far ahead. What happens with that boy will be Strange's concern, not mine. But you must understand, everything has a price. Magic is no exception. I told you before that using magic requires forming contracts with extradimensional entities. If someone can do what you're describing without training, it means only one thing: someone else wants him to do it and is paying the price on his behalf."
Mario nodded slowly. In the Marvel universe, magic always had a source, it was essentially a cosmic loan system. Even Doctor Strange paid prices for his spells, though the costs weren't always immediately obvious.
Of course, there was also the Ancient One's approach: directly siphoning power from the Dark Dimension like some kind of mystical bank robber.
Looking at the woman before him, he felt admiration. To know the exact moment and manner of your death years in advance, and to face it with such calm acceptance... that took a special kind of courage.
If it were him? If he knew he'd die tomorrow despite having god-like power at his fingertips? He'd fight it tooth and nail.
"You don't have to leave, you know. There are other ways—"
She cut him off with that same smile. "Death is a celebration of life. Besides, you misunderstand. Only my body will die. My soul will merge with the cosmos itself."
Mario's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "So let me get this straight. You're planning to let Strange take your job so you can, what, punch out and go watch multiversal drama unfold with the cosmic entities? Like some kind of celestial reality TV?"
The Ancient One laughed at that. "Your summary is quite accurate. I've held this position for far too long. It's time for a change of scenery."
Mario pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and held it up. "Mind if I smoke? I need something to calm my nerves after that."
Before he could even reach for his lighter, a spark of flame appeared beside him. A portal opened, revealing a blue ocean on the other side. He pressed his cigarette against the glowing edge of the portal, letting it ignite, then took a deep drag. The exhaled smoke was immediately swept away by sea breezes from the other dimension.
"You really know how to live," he admitted.
Then an idea struck him. "Hey, I've been wondering, can you draw power from my world and use magic? If you can, you wouldn't have to worry about the corruption from dark dimension energy."
She'd observed Mario extensively, but the Time Stone revealed nothing about him. She'd never been able to see the new dimension that had linked itself to the Marvel universe through his presence.
"Your world... the one you came from before arriving in this universe?" She leaned forward. "I'm quite curious. What kind of place could produce someone like you?"
Mario shrugged casually. "Sure, I can show you. But my portals aren't as convenient as yours, I need to build a frame with physical materials first."
"How large does it need to be?"
"Minimum four meters by five meters, with about one meter thickness for the frame."
The Ancient One stood, setting her tea aside. "Follow me."
She walked toward the door, and Mario quickly followed, pocketing his cigarette butt in his inventory rather than littering.
When the door opened, the real Kamar-Taj was revealed in all its glory. Ancient architecture stretched before him in every direction, the kind of traditional design that made Mario feel like he'd stepped onto a historical film set.
Outside the Ancient One's quarters was a courtyard that doubled as a training ground. A group of apprentice sorcerers in rough linen robes were undergoing rigorous training under the watchful eye of Mordo, the Ancient One's disciple.
"Master..."
"Sorcerer Supreme..."
"Ancient One..."
Everyone who saw her stopped to bow and greet her, each using a different title. She acknowledged them all with polite nods, never breaking stride.
Many curious eyes turned toward Mario, speculation written across their faces. Had the Ancient One taken on a new student?
Mario barely noticed the attention. He was too busy drinking in the architectural details around him. His instincts were screaming at him to harvest some of these materials.
The Ancient One seemed to sense his thoughts. "You're welcome to stay here in the future. Everything is protected by magical wards, things don't break easily."
"Yeah, maybe sometime," Mario said, forcing his hands to stay away from his pickaxe. The urge to treat Kamar-Taj like a village in a video game was almost overwhelming. Walking away empty-handed felt wrong on a fundamental level.
They arrived at a spacious new building that would easily accommodate the portal dimensions. Without wasting time, he pulled obsidian blocks from his inventory and began constructing the frame. Once the rectangular gateway stood complete, he produced his flint and steel.
Click.
A spark flashed and vanished, replaced by the swirling purple void of an active Nether portal.
The moment it activated, the Ancient One's brow furrowed deeply as she turned to meet Mario's gaze.
"I can't sense any magical energy from this... yet I can feel reality itself shifting around the portal."
---
One hour later, the Ancient One and Mario emerged from the Nether back into the Marvel universe.
She maintained her usual composed expression, but Mario's face was split by a grin he couldn't fully suppress.
"So, uh..." He cleared his throat. "About that trip to Asgard. Think you could portal me over there?"
The Ancient One nodded slightly and waved her hand through the air. A golden portal materialized, revealing the towering, magnificent architecture of the Realm Eternal on the other side.
Mario didn't hesitate. "Thanks, I'll just—"
He dove through the portal like something was chasing him. The moment he crossed over, the laughter he'd been suppressing burst free in uncontrollable waves.
The Ancient One watched his retreating form with a faint smile. As the portal closed, cutting off his laughter, she turned toward the door.
"Time to have that talk with Kaecilius..."
---
Standing on the shattered Rainbow Bridge in Asgard, Mario laughed manically. He didn't care how he looked or who might see him. The memory of what had just happened in the Nether was too perfect.
"I can't believe it actually worked! The Ancient One can draw power from my world, and she turned into a fucking villager!"
That's right. The Ancient One had successfully connected to the Minecraft dimension's power. And there had been exactly one side effect.
The moment she'd established the connection, she had begun making villager "hmm" noises completely involuntarily. He had watched in disbelief as "Villager" appeared above her health bar, and a trading interface became accessible. Not just any villager profession either, she'd become a Librarian.
Her appearance hadn't changed. She still looked like the bald, mystical mentor everyone knew and respected. But whenever he opened the trading window, she would let out those "hmm" and "huh" sounds that every Minecraft player recognized instantly.
The image of the dignified Sorcerer Supreme making villager noises was burned into his brain. He'd never be able to look at her the same way again.
His laughter was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. He looked up to see a tall black man in golden armor approaching across the now-colorless bridge surface. The warrior carried a massive two-handed sword and stood well over two meters tall. But his most distinctive feature was his eyes, golden, luminous, and seeming to see far more than they should.
Heimdall.
Mario recognized him instantly. Heimdall, guardian god of Norse mythology, protector of the Bifrost, blessed with the all-seeing eyes that allowed him to observe all things across the Nine Realms.
"Who are you?" Heimdall's eyes flickered with faint light as he scanned Mario intensely. For all his power, he couldn't see through the man before him.
"Name's Mario, Guardian Heimdall. I'm from Earth. Here to see Thor, we made a deal before, and I'm here to collect what he owes me."
"Earth?" Heimdall muttered the word, mulling it over. He sheathed his sword but kept his gaze locked firmly on Mario. "Thor is in Asgard currently. Wait a moment, I'll inform him."
Mario nodded and finally took the opportunity to properly survey his surroundings. The Bifrost's control chamber had fallen into the cosmic void along with the destroyed section of bridge. All that remained was a long, colorless pathway stretching straight toward Asgard's golden palace.
Above the realm, the sky was pure cosmos, stars and nebulae stretching in every direction. It looked like CGI in a movie, except it was breathtakingly real.
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air. A figure launched from the palace, flying with the distinctive trajectory of someone being carried by a spinning hammer.
The mighty God of Thunder still thinks he's the God of Hammers, Mario thought with a mental sigh.
BOOM.
Thor landed beside Heimdall with enough force to crack the bridge surface. His face broke into a grin when he spotted Mario.
"What brings you here?"
Mario smiled back. "Wanted to experience Asgard's beauty for myself. Gotta say, it's stunning. Feels like standing in the depths of space."
Thor's grin widened. He wasn't the type for false modesty about his home.
"How did you get here? I was just trying to figure out how to reach Midgard to find you."
"You mean to find Jane, right?"
Thor's expression turned sheepish. Since returning to Asgard, he'd been overwhelmed with responsibilities. With Odin in the Odinsleep and unrest spreading across the Nine Realms, he had spent every waking hour putting down rebellions and maintaining order. Only late at night did he think about Jane.
As for his deal with Mario? He'd completely forgotten about it until just now.
"I'll gather what I promised you. But it'll take some time."
Mario nodded, a few days wouldn't kill him. "No problem, I can wait. But hey, quick question, you guys still need this broken Bifrost?" He stomped lightly on the colorless surface beneath his feet. "The material seems pretty high-quality. If you're not using it anymore, could I have it? I'm thinking about building a house."
Thor opened his mouth to respond, but Heimdall cut in immediately. "That's not possible!"
The guardian's protective instincts kicked in. He was responsible for the Bifrost, after all. Even though Thor had smashed it, it could potentially be repaired, they just needed the Tesseract, the Space Stone...
His train of thought derailed completely when Mario casually pulled out a glowing blue cube.
As the all-seeing guardian of Asgard, Heimdall recognized it instantly.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat, his eyes locked on the Tesseract. "What I meant to say is... this section was destroyed by Thor. But the back section is still intact. And honestly, if you're building a house, there are better materials available in the palace."
The movies never explicitly stated it, but the comics made it clear, the Bifrost could be repaired using the Tesseract's power.
Mario caught the look on Heimdall's face and knew he'd gotten the confirmation he needed. He slipped the glowing cube back into his inventory with a grin. "Thanks for the clarification, Heimdall. For a second there, I thought you just didn't want to part with the bridge materials."