After leaving Kamar-Taj and dealing with Mephisto, Sean had never proactively contacted the Sorcerer Supreme again. The two had reached a tacit understanding.
The Ancient One and the Masters of the Mystic Arts turned a blind eye to his existence, while Sean acted as a variable for the future, creating more possibilities. They maintained a delicate balance; a strange relationship of mutual cooperation and mutual wariness.
"Long time no see, Sorcerer Supreme." Sean's furrowed brow relaxed.
He had once speculated that Ancient One would seek him out again... perhaps when he dealt with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, or when Thanos arrived.
But surprisingly, the Sorcerer Supreme had waited until now to appear before him: 'Could it be that the aloof Ancient One is also interested in Wakanda's vibranium mines?'
Sean glanced at her. She was still clad in pristine white robes, her head gleaming bald. Her androgynous face remained unchanged, as if time had frozen around her.
"You often make me question whether my initial choice was correct, Sean Cyphers." The Ancient One spoke slowly.
Kamar-Taj's supreme artifact, the Eye of Agamotto, hung around her neck. It seemed she had come prepared.
"I've never crossed the line." Sean sat in the central control room's chair, speaking earnestly.
The Masters of the Mystic Arts had always been the defenders of the material world and the guardians of the river of time. Under the leadership of the previous Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto, they adhered to the principles of eliminating the unnatural and resisting darkness.
Compared to her fiercely righteous mentor, the Ancient One was far more tolerant...
When she first discovered Sean's existence, after a brief skirmish, she concluded that the cost of eliminating him was too high. So, she tacitly allowed his presence, creating another variable for the cataclysmic disaster looming in the future, adding a sliver of hope.
Thus, Sean was able to openly enter Kamar-Taj to study magic and even collaborate with the Ancient One to deal with Mephisto.
Had it been Agamotto, the reaction would have been simple: attack first, ask questions later. That sorcerer was hot-tempered and was no different from a berserker.
"You are, as you claim, establishing a new order for this world. That is something I greatly admire." Ancient One nodded approvingly.
Sean's actions had, to some extent, reduced chaos and crises, replacing them with greater stability.
For instance, taking the Tesseract forced the Chitauri to target Asgard as their beachhead, preventing the Battle of New York.
Pushing the Registration Act, regulating superheroes, suppressing S.H.I.E.L.D., and eliminating Hydra averted the Sokovia Incident and the superhero civil war that would have followed...
Operating from the shadows, Sean had moved beyond primitive accumulation to expand his influence, establishing order and bringing the world under his control.
Ancient One's tone shifted abruptly, her gaze sharpening, her words aggressive, "But deep down, you harbor a reckless streak. Drawing Thanos here prematurely is like walking a tightrope. You're gambling with billions of lives on this planet!"
Sean raised an eyebrow, then asked mockingly, "Where were you, Sorcerer Supreme, when Thanos led the Black Order and the Chitauri army descended?"
He wasn't Kamar-Taj's enforcer, subject to the Sorcerer Supreme's oversight and correction. Their initial understanding had been based on the Ancient One's assessment that eliminating him would be too costly, and that she had her own agenda.
For his part, Sean had no desire to make an enemy of the world's most powerful sorcerer without reason, nor to face the power of the Eye of Agamotto. Thus, they had reached a delicate state of "non-zero-sum" coexistence.
But times have changed. Sean now held three Infinity Stones. In his Void state, he could defeat Thanos. He feared neither Odin in distant Asgard nor the Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj...
"At that time, the Dark Dimension was in turmoil. Kaecilius obtained the ritual to commune with Dormammu from the Book of the Damned and became a zealot of the dark." Ancient One's brow furrowed, her eyes dimming slightly.
Kaecilius had been a genius, and his understanding and mastery of magic was among the finest in Kamar-Taj.
But he had gone to extremes... He was subtly corrupted by Dormammu, losing his mind, and becoming a zealot of the Dark Dimension.
Dormammu deceived Kaecilius with illusions, and the energy of the Dark Dimension eroded him. Not everyone could be like the Ancient One, drawing power from the Dark Dimension to maintain immortality while retaining their sanity.
That required unshakable willpower and the ability to endure suffering. Even Ancient One, after centuries of torment, felt exhausted. She longed for a successor to inherit the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme and relieve her of this heavy burden.
"Through his contact with Dormammu, Kaecilius learned the whispers of darkness... the mad, chaotic murmurs that can corrupt mortal minds, driving them to insanity and turning them into zealots." the Sorcerer Supreme sighed, as if lamenting.
Had she detected Dormammu's sinister scheme sooner, she might have saved Kaecilius, preventing the chain of events that followed.
"Under Kaecilius's influence, Dormammu's minions multiply. A war is coming."
Sean's eyes gleamed, "I assume the Sorcerer Supreme is prepared for this. After all, you've already sought out Stephen Strange."
In the Project Insight program, the renowned New York neurosurgeon had also been on the surveillance list.
Not long ago, Dr. Stephen Strange had been in a car accident and narrowly survived. But his once-steady hands, which were essential to his work, could no longer perform surgeries.
For a surgeon, losing the ability to wield a scalpel was a devastating blow. So this effectively ended his career.
"If I'm not mistaken, Kaecilius and Dormammu have made you sense impending crisis, so you... adjusted Dr. Strange's life trajectory slightly." A hint of mockery curled at Sean's lips. He continued, "Medicine can't save the world, so switching careers to become a sorcerer isn't a bad choice. Right, Sorcerer Supreme?"
"In the river of time, he was always destined to enter Kamar-Taj and inherit the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. That is an unalterable fact." Ancient One countered, her expression impassive.
She had indeed accelerated Stephen Strange's life journey.
Under Sean's influence, the timeline had constantly shifted. Some changes were for the better, while some, for worse.
Reducing chaos, establishing order, temporarily repelling Thanos and the Black Order, uniting Asgard and the Nine Realms to resist crisis... these were positive developments.
At the same time, Kaecilius had gained more room to grow, and Dormammu had more dark minions to command... these were negative consequences.
"Then what can I do for you? The Great Sorcerer Supreme wouldn't visit without a reason." Sean asked bluntly.
"I wish to discuss another deal." Ancient One replied solemnly.