Kaecilius had once been a disciple of the Ancient One, but later, blinded by his obsession with dark power, he betrayed her. He turned into Dormammu's lackey, even going so far as to steal pages from a forbidden book of magic before fleeing into hiding.
So naturally, for this wayward student, the Ancient One had never stopped searching. She kept tracking him down, determined to stop him from sinking further into the shadows.
This time, following Dormammu's command and driven by the Mind Stone, Kaecilius hadn't had much time to cover his tracks — which was why the Ancient One had found him and chosen to intervene herself.
Yet when she used space magic to step directly into this mirror dimension, even she was caught off guard.
Kaecilius's arms were gone, cleanly severed, and the other dark magicians who'd come with him lay scattered on the ground, battered and defeated — pitiful shadows of their former menace.
"Who are you?" the Ancient One asked. Her eyes flicked from Kaecilius's broken followers to Alex, studying him from head to toe.
He looked young — early twenties at most — and carried himself like a seasoned warrior. In one hand, he gripped a strange scepter; in the other, a gleaming sword. On his left hand, he wore an unusual moon-white glove.
The Ancient One's gaze lingered on that glove — a rare creation of vibranium alloy — before shifting to the Mind Stone set into Alex's scepter.
Few would recognize both, but as the Sorcerer Supreme, with countless years behind her, she saw them for what they were in an instant.
In that moment, it all made sense to her. No wonder Kaecilius and his dark followers had gone after this young man — they were hunting the power of the Mind Stone.
At this moment, the Ancient One suddenly understood — no wonder Kaecilius and his men had attacked this young man. It turned out they were after the power of the Mind Stone.
"My name is Alex. You must be the Ancient One of Kamar-Taj, right?" In response to the Ancient One's question, Alex first introduced himself, then asked calmly.
"Yes, Mr. Alex. Hello. Kaecilius was once my disciple. May I take him back to deal with him myself?" The Ancient One still looked kind, with a gentle smile on her face, and asked politely.
"Of course you can," Alex did not refuse the Ancient One's request.
Right after saying this, Alex spoke again: "However, I have another request. I hope you can help me."
"Mr. Alex, please go ahead," the Ancient One nodded lightly.
Since Alex was willing to hand Kaecilius over so easily, she naturally owed him a favor. Now that Alex had something to ask, if it was not too troublesome, the Ancient One would not refuse.
"I have long admired the magic of Kamar-Taj, and I wish to learn from you. Please agree, Ancient One," Alex said directly, without any extra nonsense.
Yes — Alex wanted to go to Kamar-Taj to learn magic. Although a lot had happened since he came to this Marvel world, it had not been that long — only about half a month.
Judging by the computer pattern on his palm, he could stay here for at least half a year, so Alex naturally wanted to use that time well.
To be honest, Kamar-Taj's magic combat methods did not matter much to Alex — they were mostly melee spells, which were easily countered by his own power.
However, Kamar-Taj's magic was not without its strong points. At the very least, the portal magic and the mirror dimension were extremely useful.
Alex would not forget that when he returned, he would land right back at the zombie nest in Silverlight Tower. If he wanted to leave safely, the portal spell was indeed the best choice.
So, Alex wanted to go to Kamar-Taj to learn magic — and the most important was the portal technique. Of course, if there was enough time, the mirror dimension trick would be good to master too.
"Learning magic with me?" Alex's request made the Ancient One pause for a moment.
Obviously, Alex's request was completely beyond what the Ancient One had expected.
Without rushing to answer, the Ancient One glanced around at the dark magicians lying on the ground nearby, then asked with some surprise, "Mr. Alex, may I ask you something? Your strength is already very good — why do you want to learn magic?"
"It's not about switching," Alex shook his head and explained, "I only want the trick you magicians use to make a space portal. If possible, I'd also like to learn how to open the mirror dimension. For some personal reasons, I really need that kind of magic."
So, it turned out he just wanted the skills to open portals and the mirror space. Alex's answer made the Ancient One understand.
"To be honest, learning magic requires talent. Not everyone can truly grasp the essence of magic and master its power," the Ancient One said after a short silence.
However, as she spoke, her eyes fell on the Mind Stone, paused for a second, then she nodded. "But since Mr. Alex has the power of the Mind Stone to help, you can give it a try."
"In that case, thank you very much, Master…" Hearing the Ancient One agree, Alex couldn't help but smile and thank her.
After the Ancient One and Alex decided when to meet, she used her space portal to send Alex out of the mirror dimension. Then she took Kaecilius and the others with her and left.
As for Alex, he looked at New York not far away. The battle there had already reached a fever pitch.
Although the Avengers were strong, the number of alien creatures kept increasing, and they were badly short of manpower.
"Hey, Alex, where did you run off to? I couldn't reach you just now. Come help out…" Not long after Alex left the mirror space, Tony Stark called him on his phone.
From the sound of explosions coming through the phone, Alex could tell just how intense the fight in New York had become.
For the Avengers, every fighter was crucial now. With the endless army of Chitauri, they were stretched thin. As an Avenger, Alex's strength was naturally important too.
Hearing Tony's call, Alex stayed silent for a moment, then raised his hand.
A motorcycle that had been fleeing nearby suddenly flew right in front of him.
"Sorry, I'm taking your bike," Alex said simply as he set the rider down on the ground without giving him a choice.
"Hey, man, go help them out!"
Seeing Alex's power, the man whose motorcycle got taken wasn't even angry. Instead, he opened his mouth and shouted after him, cheering him on.