Consciousness was slowly returning, the darkness was fading.
Alaric opened his eyes.
In front of him appeared a room made of old wood, filled with the scent of incense.
He was surprised when he realized he wasn't dead.
He was saved!
As soon as he felt a surge of joy, he tried to get up, but the pain forced him to immediately laugh at himself.
At that moment, he realized his true condition.
Pain pierced through his arms, legs, and ribs.
He quickly lay back down.
He didn't know how serious his injuries were, but he was haunted by doubt.
Why was he saved, and why didn't he wake up in a hospital?
Where exactly was he?
Creak!
The door opened.
"You're awake."
A bald woman in a yellow robe entered.
Alaric looked at her and felt she was incredibly familiar.
"The Ancient!?"
He was shocked.
"You know me?" she asked curiously.
"No, no, you misheard me." Alaric immediately denied it, trying to hide his knowledge.
But inside, he was completely confused.
This was the Ancient One.
That character from Marvel.
Was it possible?
Had he really crossed into the Marvel universe?
Alaric was in disbelief.
He hadn't expected that falling from a cliff would end right here.
This sounded like those stories where the hero falls into an abyss and discovers secret knowledge or incredible power.
But for him, it wasn't some hidden code, but a chance to survive.
If the Ancient One hadn't found him, he probably would have ended up buried under the snow, becoming just another victim of the Himalayas.
The Ancient One smiled at his quick denial. She took a chair and sat beside his bed.
"Don't pretend. I checked your timeline and found nothing. Not even among the parallel universes. Where are you actually from?"
Her voice was calm, but her eyes revealed deep curiosity.
This was a rare occurrence.
In all possible timelines, in all parallel universes, there was no trace of Alaric.
He was a unique existence.
There were only two possible explanations. Either his existence was connected to the multiverse on a level no one yet understood, or he came from a reality completely beyond their comprehension.
For now, the only certainty was that he was harmless. That's why she left him in Kamar-Taj to recover.
"Eh..."
Alaric was speechless. Had she really used the Time Stone just to check his identity?
Her power was so immense that such use seemed trivial.
But how could he explain his origin?
"Well, let's put it this way: I fell from a mountain. Believe it or not."
"I believe you."
"You really believe me?" Alaric was surprised. Did the Ancient One really believe so easily?
"Your injuries confirm that you are telling the truth."
"…"
"But the fact that you know me means your origin is not ordinary at all. Which universe do you come from?"
Kamar-Taj was protected by complex spells and dimensional barriers. Any attempt to enter or spatial fluctuation would immediately be noticed.
But Aron appeared without any warning. That puzzled her.
If it weren't for his final desperate cry for life, she would never have found him.
"That... Honestly, yes, I come from another universe. But how I came, I really don't know. I only know that I fell from a cliff, lost consciousness, and woke up here, in front of you."
Usually, that would be called crossing into another world.
Alaric sighed deeply inside.
"As for how I know about you... in my universe, there also exists the Ancient One, who looks incredibly like you."
"I understand."
The Ancient One nodded.
If she hadn't clearly felt that Aron was an ordinary man, she might have still suspected him.
But in her long life, she had already encountered beings who crossed the boundaries of dimensions and universes.
Alaric, however, was different.
He had no trace in any reality, he was a one and only existence. That made him a special enigma.
Unfortunately, Alaric himself knew too little.
"What is your name?" she asked.
"My name is Alaric."
"Good. Recover from your injuries, and we'll talk about the rest later."
The Ancient One stood up, ready to leave.
"Wait..."
"What is it?"
"Can I stay here and learn magic?"
"That depends on your talent."
She said calmly and left the room.
Inside, she was already thinking. Alaric was an anomaly, and it was wise to keep him close.
But she didn't want him to realize that she was the one who wanted to observe him. So it was good that he himself expressed the desire to stay.
That way, everything would look more natural.
At the same time, she wanted to find out how much he actually knew about this universe.
...
"Although it would be inconvenient to say that this whole universe is actually a comic, luckily, the Ancient One is not hostile. She doesn't try to uncover everything about me."
Alaric felt relieved.
As long as he posed no threat to Earth, he believed she wouldn't consider him dangerous.
"I don't know how hard it will be to learn magic."
Ding!
[Divine universal system successfully connected!]
[Now unlocked: perfect understanding, unlimited creativity.]