"The Celestials…" The Ancient One stood up from the meditation cushion, and with a wave of her hand, an ancient, thick book flew towards her.
Noah couldn't see the title on the book's cover, as it seemed to be obscured by magic. The Ancient One reached out and caught the heavy book, then with a gentle flick of her other hand, the pages began to turn automatically.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~"
After turning about halfway, the book finally stopped. The Ancient One pressed her hand onto the page, and a profound magic array appeared, followed by a light projection that materialized above the book.
"The Celestials, a race that existed before the Universe was born. In the Universe, they are responsible for igniting stars, creating Galaxies, and maintaining the continued existence of the Universe. They are immense in size, clad in armor, and wield powerful forces."
In the projection, various forms of Gods appeared, with stars and various Nebulas forming in their hands.
Noah felt like he had seen this setting somewhere before; wasn't this just like the Dragon King, beings who illuminated the Universe? If the Dragon King appeared in this Universe, he wondered if he would be mistaken for a Celestial?
The light projection froze, and the Ancient One gently placed the heavy book on the wooden table, turning her gaze to Noah.
"This information, I only learned after I became aware of the Eternal and went to consult with Vishanti."
Vishanti, a trinity of Gods, is the source of all magic for the Sorcerer of Kamar-Taj. Vishanti is not a single God, but a powerful trinity composed of three ancient and mighty Gods: the omnipotent Oshtur, the all-seeing Agamotto, and the ancient Hoggoth. These three Gods combined form "Vishanti."
'Does the Ancient One not know about the Celestials? Can the Time Stone not see them?' Noah was a bit confused. Logically, the Celestials, being such a grand presence whenever they appear, and the Ancient One frequently using the Stone to observe the future, should have been able to notice their existence. Yet, she said she only learned of the Celestials after consulting Vishanti, which puzzled Noah. Could it be that the Time Stone is ineffective against the Celestials?
Actually, it's not that it's ineffective, but rather that the causal abilities used with the Stone are ineffective against them. For example, Thanos's idea of making half the Universe's life disappear would not affect the Celestials. However, if you simply use the Stone's power to attack the Celestials, the Stone's power would not fail. (It seems like in the comics, snapping fingers can affect the Celestials?)
"Then, you mentioned the Celestials; have you discovered something important?" The Ancient One, after setting the book down, turned her gaze to Noah.
"Sorcerer Ancient One, after you spoke with the Eternal, do you know the reason they came to Earth?" Since the Ancient One didn't know about the Celestials when she spoke with Ajak, she probably also didn't know the Eternal's true purpose for coming here.
Noah's reason for being here was to learn magic and to enlist the Ancient One's help in dealing with the Celestials. Although adding the Ancient One wouldn't be enough to defeat that group of Gods, it would be effective against the Eternal, and through the Ancient One's connections, he might even be able to bring Vishanti to lend support.
"As far as I know, the Eternal came here to eliminate a type of monster called the Deviants. These Deviants are naturally bloodthirsty, born to deprive life." The Ancient One recounted the information she had received from the Eternal leader.
"They seem to believe the Deviants have been eliminated, but I have learned from the future that some stragglers still exist in the world." Although the Ancient One cannot see the Celestials through the Time Stone, she can observe the Eternal in the future. After encountering the Eternal, she skillfully began to observe their future.
"Sorcerer, this is merely their superficial mission. Their true purpose for coming to Earth is to assist in the birth of a new Celestial on Earth."
The Ancient One's pupils contracted slightly, and a hint of shock appeared on her usually calm and composed face.
"Arishem the Judge." Noah raised his hand, and magic formed a projection: a six-eyed God clad in red armor appeared within the projection.
"He buried a Celestial seed within Earth, and then sent the Eternal to catalyze the Celestial's birth."
The projection changed again. The red God floated beside Earth, extending a hand to release a golden seed. The seed was buried deep within Earth, and the scene accelerated: a bronze-colored spaceship approached Earth.
magic constructed ten golden figures, who fought a group of monsters on Earth, helping humanity, and then separated after several centuries.
"However, the conditions for the Celestial seed's birth, for us, mean destruction."
The magic shifted, reconstructing a new scene.
"The birth of a God requires the absorption of a large number of intelligent life forms. Once the intelligent life on Earth reaches the conditions for the seed to sprout, the God will emerge, absorbing all life on Earth, and finally, Earth will be destroyed!"
In the projection, a giant golden hand emerged from Earth, followed by the God's massive body breaking free from Earth's depths, while Earth itself turned to ashes.
Tiamut, a bit blurry.
"The Eternal and the Deviants, both of these races were actually creatures created by the Celestials. Initially, they created the Deviants, intending for them to clear out Predators on the life-bearing Planets where seeds were planted, ensuring the proliferation of life. However, the Deviants went out of control, becoming even more terrifying Predators, wantonly slaughtering other life."
The projection began to shift. A group of pterodactyl-like creatures descended upon a life-bearing Planet, beginning to eliminate the large Predators on that Planet. But then they began to undergo morphological changes, evolving sharper claws and fangs, and started to extensively hunt the Planet's life, which greatly violated the Celestials' original intention in creating them.
"So the God once again created a life form called the Eternal. This time, the Celestials learned from their experience and set the newly created Eternal as life forms incapable of evolution, thus preventing them from repeating the Deviants' mistakes."
The projection froze again. Noah looked up at the Ancient One; her expression was quite spectacular. If it weren't inappropriate, Noah would have truly wanted to take a picture.
"This is the truth of the matter. That Ajak obviously didn't tell you the truth."
"Is that so?" The Ancient One rubbed her forehead. The information Noah had provided was quite impactful for her.
The Celestials, the Celestial seed, the Eternal's true mission, the impending destruction of Earth—the Ancient One truly wanted to retire now, so she wouldn't have to worry about these things. However, she was still the Sorcerer Supreme, and thus had the responsibility of protecting Earth. But she was also troubled about how to prevent the Celestial's birth.
"Sorcerer Ancient One, actually, I still have a way to resolve the matter of the Celestial's birth." Seeing the Ancient One looking troubled, Noah was genuinely afraid she might just throw in the towel and leave. Of course, that was just a joke; Noah still trusted the Ancient One's character.
"Oh? I'd like to hear more." The Ancient One's eyes lit up. She was hoping to hear some good news now.
"As far as I know, not all of the Eternal are aware of their true mission on Earth. Apart from their leader and a powerful warrior, the other eight have always believed they were here to eliminate the Deviants."
"If we tell them the truth, we might be able to gain their help, because some of them have already grown fond of life on Earth," Noah said. The Ancient One nodded at his words. If they could gain the help of those mysterious Eternal, perhaps there would still be a turning point.
"Among the Eternal, there is a female named Sersi. Her ability can be used to resolve the Celestial seed issue," Noah said. This was his contingency plan. If he still didn't have the ability to resolve the mission after a year, he would have to revert to the movie's plot.
In the plot, Arishem the Judge didn't immediately destroy Earth, but instead said he would decide whether Earth should be judged based on Sersi's memories. Noah estimated that Earth must have passed Arishem the Judge's judgment later, but Noah didn't want to gamble. What if something changed again? Just like the Celestial awakening prematurely this time.
"Hmm, it seems you've already made your decision." Seeing Noah speak so logically, the Ancient One understood that he already had a plan. Coming here now was probably to enlist her assistance.
"Yes, and I already know the exact time of the 'Emergence.' It's in one year. I also plan to completely resolve these issues on the day of the 'Emergence.' "
If nothing unexpected happens, the 'Emergence' will likely occur in one year. At that time, when the God emerges from the Earth, he will have a chance to resolve it. Noah doesn't know if directly entering the Earth's core to dig out the Celestial seed would prematurely draw that group of Celestials to Earth.
"Regarding these matters, if you need any help, you can come to me." The Ancient One said to Noah after a period of contemplation. Since the other party already had a plan, she would naturally support him. Of course, the Ancient One herself would also seek ways to solve the problem, not just stick to one path.
"Next, I'll take you on a tour of Kamar-Taj, as you'll be studying Kamar-Taj's knowledge from now on."