Wanda's ears twitched the moment she heard it—the voice she knew better than anyone else's.
She didn't even bother to look up.
The seriousness on her face melted instantly into delight. The magic circle she had been forming in her hands dissipated in an instant, and she turned and ran toward the descending figure.
Around her, the other magic apprentices merely glanced up at him once before returning to their own spell formations.
Clearly, the story of the Sorcerer Supreme's newly accepted "special" disciple was no longer a secret here.
"Antony!"
The moment Antony landed, before he could even strike a dramatic pose, a warm body slammed straight into his arms.
"Why are you here so early? Didn't you say you wouldn't come until next week?"
Wanda felt noticeably different from before. Her temperament had changed—more confident, calmer, and carrying that faintly detached aura unique to practitioners of the mystic arts.
"Missed you," Antony said with a smile, wrapping an arm around her waist and casually pinching her cheek.
"Looks like the Ancient One hasn't been mistreating you. Your complexion looks great."
"Of course!" Wanda said proudly. "I already learned how to draw circles!"
She traced a circle in the air with her finger like she was showing off a new trick.
Sparks erupted instantly.
A glowing portal opened in midair.
On the other side… was Antony's office.
"Very good. Nicely done," Antony said encouragingly. "But next time, call before you come over. Don't just rip open a portal inside my office."
Wanda blinked playfully.
"Want some milk? I can warm it up for you."
"Next time," Antony said with a chuckle, politely declining. "I need to see your teacher first. There's a bit of trouble."
Seeing the seriousness in his expression, Wanda immediately dropped the playful mood.
"She's in the meditation chamber. I'll take you."
…
They arrived at the quiet chamber.
The Ancient One stood there with her hands clasped behind her back, silently observing him.
Antony walked up to her. No pleasantries. No small talk.
Straight to the point.
"Master… do you know about the Celestials?"
The Ancient One paused slightly.
"The Celestials…" she said slowly. "Ancient gods of the universe. Creators… and destroyers."
"That's because one of them left a bad seed on Earth."
Antony laid out everything he knew from his previous life—Ego's "Universal Assimilation" plan—in full detail.
"You're saying…" the Ancient One said quietly, "…that an avatar of a living planet exists on Earth?"
Even the Sorcerer Supreme couldn't hide her shock at that revelation.
"Yes. And it could be activated at any time."
Antony looked directly at her, a hint of accusation in his tone.
"What I want to know is this: as the guardian of Earth's dimensions… why didn't you detect it?"
Silence filled the room.
The Ancient One stood up and walked to the window, gazing toward the distant snowy mountains.
Only after a long pause did she speak.
"Mr. Starr… you overestimate me. And you underestimate the Celestials."
"Kamar-Taj's defensive network is designed primarily to guard against interdimensional invasions—Dormammu, the lords of Hell, and other beings from outside realities."
"But the Celestials…"
"They are among the architects of this universe's very laws."
"If Ego intentionally concealed this seed… and kept it in a dormant state…"
"Then to my perception, it would be no different from an ordinary rock… or a tree."
"Unless…" her eyes sharpened, "…it begins to awaken."
She paused before continuing.
"And in the timelines I originally observed… there was never a global catastrophe like the one you're describing."
"That's because the Guardians of the Galaxy stopped him before it escalated," Antony explained.
"But things have changed now."
"I'm worried about the butterfly effect." Antony shook his head. "This isn't the timeline we know anymore. I'm not sure that bunch of screw-ups can still defeat that giant floating brain like they did in the original script."
"And besides…"
"There's already a seed planted on Earth."
Antony continued,
"That idiot called Star-Lord has already been found by Ego. Once Ego starts channeling Star-Lord's celestial power… this seed will activate."
The Ancient One's expression became grave.
"Where is the seed?"
…
"Missouri. My assistant has already arranged a search team."
"Let's go see it."
The Ancient One didn't waste another word.
She raised her hand and drew a perfect golden circle in the air.
Sparks exploded outward.
On the other side of the portal… lay a dense forest.
The three of them stepped through.
Instantly, the thin, icy air of the Tibetan plateau shifted into the humid warmth of a temperate woodland.
"Skynet, report the location."
Antony pressed the comms device on his ear.
"Sir, according to energy spectrum analysis, the anomaly is located 300 meters northwest of your current position."
Skynet's voice sounded in his ear.
"The Vought Special Operations Team has already sealed off the area and begun excavation, but the site only contains soil and rock."
"No results from digging?" Antony frowned.
"Yes, sir. It's like a ghost."
"Lead the way."
Antony brought the Ancient One and Wanda through the trees until they reached a massive excavation pit.
Several fully armed Vought soldiers were working at the bottom with shovels and scanning equipment. The moment they saw Antony arrive, they immediately stood at attention.
"Boss! There's nothing here! Our energy spectrum shows a strong reaction at this exact location—but when we dig, it's just dirt!"
Antony frowned.
But he wasn't surprised.
If it were that easy to find, Ego's seed wouldn't have remained hidden for decades.
He looked toward the Ancient One.
"Master… this is your field."
She nodded.
Closing her eyes, she formed intricate hand seals.
The Eye of Agamotto on her chest slowly opened.
The green glow of the Time Stone did not fully reveal itself—only a faint, mysterious aura leaked out.
"The ancient body of Hoggoth… grant me sight. Reveal yourself."
The Ancient One gave a low command and slammed both hands downward.
"—HUMMMMM!"
A wave of green energy rippled outward from her body, spreading across the forest.
The ripple swept over trees, grass, and stone.
The seemingly ordinary landscape began to change under the lens of magic.
Deep within the empty soil…
An eerie blue glow suddenly appeared.
"There!" Wanda pointed into the pit.
A sphere about the size of a fist floated silently in midair.
It glowed with a dim blue light.
The surface was covered with vein-like tendrils that pulsed slowly—expanding and contracting like a living heartbeat.
"We found it."
"This… is the Celestial Seed."
The Ancient One stared at the seed, her brows furrowed.
"I can feel it. Though it sleeps, its roots have already merged with the ley lines of this land."
"Can we destroy it?" Wanda asked.
"I'll try."
Antony's eyes instantly turned crimson.
"ZZZZT—!!"
Two blazing beams of heat vision shot out.
They struck the blue seed with pinpoint accuracy.
Temperatures reaching tens of thousands of degrees poured onto its surface without restraint.
The blue glow on the seed suddenly intensified.
The energy of the heat vision was diverted through the tendril-like veins and dispersed deep underground.
Antony increased the output.
The soil around the seed melted into molten lava.
Yet the seed itself remained completely unharmed.
In fact, its blue light pulsed even stronger.
Its heartbeat grew faster.
"Stop, Starr," the Ancient One said, raising a hand to halt him.
"It's useless."
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals