Chapter 57: The Sanctum of the Serpent
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The Rust Bucket tore down the highway toward San Antonio, its headlights cutting through the Texas darkness. Inside, one could practically taste the tension.
Grandpa gripped the wheel like he was trying to strangle it, while Gwen kept fidgeting with her charm necklace. Charmcaster couldn't sit still, pacing back and forth in the cramped space like a caged animal.
Me? I just stared out the window, trying to wrap my head around what Grandpa had just dropped on us.
The Ancient One. The freaking Ancient One.
If my jaw could unhinge like a snake's, it would've hit the floor. The Sorcerer Supreme of Earth was apparently just another name in Grandpa's contacts, sandwiched between "Phil's Plumbing" and "Pizza Hut."
"Okay, time out," Charmcaster finally said, her voice pitched high with barely controlled shock and excitement. "You're telling me you have the Ancient One on speed dial? The Sorcerer Supreme? The woman who makes my uncle look like a party magician?"
"Would you sit down already, young lady?" Grandpa grumbled, though I could tell he was more amused than annoyed. "You're gonna wear a hole in my floor. And yes, we've worked together before."
"How?" Gwen leaned forward, her inner nerd taking over. "I mean, from what Charmcaster was whispering earlier, isn't she like... super ancient? Centuries old?"
"...She is," Grandpa confirmed, taking an exit ramp. "But the Plumbers have been around for a while too. We crossed paths back in '76. Interdimensional squid things trying to eat Tibet. Messy business."
I couldn't help myself. "So what, you guys are pen pals now? 'Dear Ancient One, hope you're well. The grandkids say hi. P.S. - Ben found an alien watch!'"
That actually got a chuckle out of him. "She's got a Plumber badge, believe it or not."
"No way." I nearly choked on air. "The Sorcerer Supreme is a space cop?"
"Honorary member. Makes sense when you think about it. SHIELD handles Earth stuff, we handle the universe. She protects Earth from mystical threats across the universe. Our jobs overlap more than you'd think."
Charmcaster looked like Christmas had come early. "This is insane. My uncle used to whisper her name like it might summon her. She's basically a living legend."
"Even legends can bleed," Grandpa said, his voice going dark. "And we're gonna need every bit of her help against Selene."
The conversation slowed down as we rolled into downtown San Antonio. The River Walk sparkled with lights and late-night tourists, completely oblivious to the cosmic drama about to unfold. Grandpa pulled up next to an old Spanish mission, its weathered stones practically glowing in the moonlight.
"This is it," he announced, fishing something out of his pocket. It looked like a tuning fork made from some kind of alien metal.
"What's that supposed to be?" I asked.
"Harmonic Resonator. Opens doors that aren't supposed to exist."
He struck the device, and it made a sound that wasn't really a sound. More like someone was pressing on my eardrums from the inside. The air in front of the wall started shimmering, rippling like water.
Then the solid stone just... melted away. In its place hung a golden portal, sparks of energy dancing around its edges.
"Holy crap," Gwen blinked.
"Yeah," I agreed. "That's some serious Harry Potter shit right there."
"Language," Grandpa said on autopilot, already stepping through.
I hesitated for half a second before following. Walking through felt like passing under a warm waterfall that somehow didn't get you wet. The Omnitrix tingled on my wrist, responding to whatever energy we'd just passed through.
And then we were inside, and my brain kind of short-circuited.
The San Antonio Sanctum was nothing like I'd imagined. For starters, it was alive. The space was impossibly huge, way bigger than any building had a right to be. Staircases twisted and curved in ways that hurt to look at, occasionally rearranging themselves with creaky groans. Books floated in lazy orbits around pillars of pure light, their pages fluttering despite the lack of wind.
But the real showstopper was the massive model hanging in the center – not our solar system, but alien star clusters I recognized from researching the stars as Grey Matter. Planets and moons danced around each other, chiming softly whenever they aligned just right.
The whole place smelled like old books mixed with ozone and something spicy I couldn't identify. Magic, probably. Raw, concentrated magic.
"This is..." Gwen trailed off, her charms glowing brighter in response to all the ambient energy.
"One of many Sanctum Sanctorums," Charmcaster supplied, slipping back into know-it-all mode. "I don't think it's one of the main ones, though. They're like... mystical shield generators for Earth."
"Since when are you the tour guide?" I asked.
She smirked. "Some of us actually read, Tennyson. You should try it sometime."
"Children," a calm voice interrupted. "The artifacts get nervous when people argue."
We all spun around. There, sitting at a simple wooden table by the window, was a woman sipping tea as if this were just another Tuesday. She was bald, wearing plain yellow robes that somehow looked more expensive than any designer outfit. Her face was... hard to describe. Ageless. She could've been thirty or three thousand.
This was her. The Ancient One. Earth's magical bouncer. And as I remembered her from the movies, she was drinking tea like we'd dropped by for a chat.
"Old friend Maximus," she said, setting down her cup. "You only call when the world's ending. Should I be concerned?"
Grandpa nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so. We have a situation."
"You always do." She waved at the cushions around her table. "Sit. Tell me what has the great Max Tennyson so worried he'd cash in a favor this old."
We arranged ourselves around the low table. I noticed Charmcaster kept her eyes down, practically radiating respect. That was new. Well, she looks scared too. The Ancient One might scold her for being a dark mage.
Grandpa laid it all out – the tablet, the mummy, Joan's farm, the Forever Knights, and finally Selene. He explained how I'd sabotaged the mask and gotten the location. Through it all, the Ancient One just sipped her tea, face giving away nothing.
When he finished, she set down her cup with a soft clink that somehow sounded final.
"May I?" She held out a hand toward Gwen.
Gwen carefully unwrapped the stone tablet and passed it over like she was handling a bomb. The Ancient One traced the symbols with one finger, and they lit up gold under her touch.
"You've all been very brave," she said finally. "And incredibly foolish."
Not exactly the pep talk I was hoping for.
"What do you mean?" Gwen asked.
The Ancient One set the tablet down gently. "You think you're racing to stop someone from getting a weapon. You're wrong."
"But the Sword of Ek Chuaj—" Charmcaster started.
"Is a weapon of destruction, sure, but it isn't that dangerous in this current era," the Ancient One cut her off. "The real danger is what it unlocks."
My stomach dropped. "Which would be?"
Her eyes met mine, ancient and knowing. "What do you think a death god would seal beneath a pyramid, Ben Tennyson? Other than the sword."
I swallowed hard. "Something... really dead?"
"If only." She waved her hand over the tablet, and the symbols lifted into the air, rearranging themselves into a 3D image of something that made my skin crawl. It looked like someone had tried to draw pure nightmare fuel and succeeded. "That creature is Ah Puch's First Avatar. A cosmic parasite that feeds on souls. The first sorcerers barely managed to seal it away. It doesn't just destroy – it unmakes things. Erases them from reality itself."
It was a bulky creature, larger than Hulk. It had a toothless mouth and wore a mask covering the upper half of his face. A blue Mayan-style outfit with yellow lining draped his body. He was crimson-eyed and barefoot with sharp nails, and had a long tongue and leafy decorations on his sleeves.
I recalled it clearly. This was "Ah Puch" himself in the Ben 10 cartoon, but in this amalgamated world, he was being called Ah Puch's Avatar. Like how Moon Knight was Khonshu's Avatar.
"And Selene wants this thing?" Gwen's voice came out small.
"If I have to guess based on the tablet, she believes she can control it," the Ancient One replied. "She wants to make it her pet."
The room went dead silent. Even the floating books seemed to pause.
"Great," I muttered. "So we've upgraded from 'stop the bad guy from getting a sword' to 'also prevent the immortal vampire from adopting a reality-eating monster.' My summer vacation rocks."
"Crude but accurate," the Ancient One said with the tiniest smile.
Charmcaster leaned forward eagerly. "You… um, hello, my name is Hope. It's an honor to meet you! But you'll help us stop her, right? You're coming with us?"
Look at her fangirling.
The Ancient One stared at her for a short moment, her expression unreadable, which made Charmcaster fidget. Then stood in one smooth motion. "I have little choice. If Selene succeeds, the results would be... unfortunate. If she fails and the creature escapes, equally so."
"What do you mean by 'unfortunate'?" I asked, though I probably didn't want to know.
"Human extinction. Possibly planetary destruction."
"Oh good. Just another Tuesday then."
Nobody laughed. Tough crowd.
The Ancient One moved to the center of the room, her robes somehow billowing despite the lack of wind. "Before we go, a small demonstration. Gwendolyn, Hope. Show me your strongest shield."
Gwen and Charmcaster exchanged looks before standing. Gwen's charms flared as she created a shimmering pink barrier. Charmcaster's hands danced through complex patterns, weaving a shield of glowing runes.
The Ancient One studied both for about two seconds. Then she reached out and tapped Gwen's shield with one finger. It shattered like cheap glass. She touched Charmcaster's next, and it unraveled like a badly knitted sweater.
"Hey!" Gwen protested.
"Power without understanding is just noise, sweet girl," the Ancient One said gently. "And complexity without foundation is a house built on sand." She made a simple gesture, and a golden shield materialized around her. It was perfect – elegant, powerful, and humming with controlled energy.
Even Charmcaster looked properly humbled.
"I'm not trying to embarrass you," the Ancient One explained. "But you need to understand what we're facing. Selene is beyond either of you. Even working together."
"So what do we do?" Gwen asked, deflated.
"We get creative." The Ancient One reached into her robes and pulled out two items. First was a jagged black crystal that seemed to eat light. The second was a small scroll with a wax seal.
"This," she handed the crystal to Charmcaster, "is a fragment of Moctezuma's Midnight Stone. It won't harm Selene much, but it can disrupt her life-draining abilities for a short time. Use it wisely."
Charmcaster took it as if it were made of solid gold. "Sure thing, but… Sorry, if you, the Sorcerer Supreme, are coming with us, do we really need to prepare all this?"
"I'm flattered you think so highly of me, but please don't underestimate Selene. She was once considered for the position of Sorcerer Supreme as well," the Ancient One said simply. "She is not weak. I cannot guarantee victory."
Well, that was terrifying. And I knew from the movies that she could die; it wasn't baseless words.
She turned to Gwen next, breaking the seal on the scroll. But instead of handing it over, she pressed two fingers to Gwen's forehead.
Gwen gasped, her eyes flashing gold. "What did you just—"
"The tablet's glyphs aren't just a map, Gwendolyn. They're part of a binding ritual that can be reversed. I've given you the knowledge to reinforce the seals instead of breaking them. You'll have one chance, at the pyramid's heart."
I raised my hand like a kid in class. "Uh, what about me? Don't I get any cool magic stuff?"
The Ancient One gave me a look that could've peeled paint. "You have the most powerful device in the known universe on your wrist, and you're asking for party tricks? Don't be so greedy." Although she said that, her smile was amused.
"I mean, when you put it that way..."
"The… Omnitrix represents balance, Benjamin," she said, softer now. I wasn't too surprised that she knew about it. "Perhaps you should consider that balance extends beyond physical forms. Each of your transformations carries its own wisdom. Your existence… I wanted to visit you the first day you received the watch as it became difficult to track the timelines since that moment, but I held back because I knew you'd come to me one day. I hope we'll come out of this alive."
That shut me up pretty effectively. Though I still felt a little left out of the magic item distribution.
Grandpa had been on his communicator this whole time, talking in that clipped military style. "Backup's en route," he announced. "Small team, but all veterans. They'll handle any Forever Knights or other distractions."
The Ancient One nodded approvingly. "Then we should go." She spun her hand in a circle, opening another golden portal. This one showed dense jungle under a starlit sky. Somewhere in Mexico. "This will take us directly to the pyramid."
Grandpa went first, then Charmcaster, then Gwen. Before I could follow, the Ancient One caught my shoulder.
"Ben Tennyson," she said quietly. "You carry more than just the Omnitrix."
My blood turned to ice. "I don't know what you mean."
"I'm the Sorcerer Supreme. I see things others miss, and something tells me you already know that." Her eyes were kind but piercing. "Is it one of your aliens? I'm aware you have universal-scale transformations. Is it one of them that gives you this strange aura, this strange knowledge of other possibilities…? Regardless, your secret is safe with me. As long as you don't stray from the path too much."
Goddamit. At least she doesn't seem to know my secrets thoroughly. Before I could process that bombshell properly, she gently pushed me through the portal.
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