At Kamar-Taj, inside one of the training grounds.
"Master, I still can't do it."
A haggard-looking man lowered the Sling Ring in his hand and forced an ugly smile toward the yellow-robed figure standing not far away.
"I can't picture other places in my mind at all, much less open a dimensional portal..."
"Kaecilius, don't rush."
The Ancient One walked over slowly and pressed a hand onto Kaecilius's trembling shoulder. "The practice of magic is not something accomplished in a day or two. A spell like opening dimensional portals already requires a long period of accumulation for ordinary people, unless they are gifted prodigies. You do not need to blame yourself, and you certainly do not need to grow impatient."
"Your heart is full of hatred and helplessness. Why not take this chance to rest for a while..."
"No!"
Kaecilius suddenly became agitated. With a violent twist, he shook off the Ancient One's hand.
He put away the Sling Ring, conjured two yellow-glowing blades with magic, and walked off to the side to continue practicing.
"I can't slack off. I have to keep getting stronger..."
After training for a while, Kaecilius finally collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. Using the last of his strength, he hurled one of the blades in his hand toward the empty wall at the edge of the training ground.
"I have to get stronger!"
"Hm?"
Fenris had just stepped out of a dimensional portal and had not even had time to react before he saw a blade made of magic flying straight at him.
"If you want to get stronger, then get stronger. Why are you taking swings at other people?"
Fenris's eyelid twitched. He caught the blade with a backhanded motion, then flicked his wrist. The blade flew back along its original path even faster, slicing past Kaecilius's neck with perfect precision and drawing a bright spray of blood.
"Kaecilius!"
Everything had happened too quickly. Only then did Mordo react, just in time to see Kaecilius clutching his neck and curling up on the ground.
"It's nothing. It just hurts a little."
With Mordo helping him up, Kaecilius struggled back to his feet. Looking at Fenris in the distance, he frowned and asked, "Who is that? He's really strong."
"His name is Fenris. Like you, he's a sorcerer the Master brought back from the outside some time ago. He just won't be staying at Kamar-Taj permanently."
Mordo gave a brief explanation, then frowned and lectured him. "I already warned you. When you use spells in the training ground, you need to follow the rules. You nearly hurt someone again. How many times has that been now?"
"I'm sorry."
Kaecilius apologized obediently, but his eyes remained fixed on Fenris's back without blinking.
"You came."
Sensing that the aura around Fenris had gained yet another familiar trace, the smile on the Ancient One's face deepened.
"Who was that just now?"
Fenris tilted his head and glanced back at Kaecilius. He had never seen this man before, and there was something strange about his aura that made Fenris instinctively dislike him.
"His name is Kaecilius. He's a sorcerer who only recently came to Kamar-Taj. He is talented and has a bright future."
The Ancient One praised him warmly, clearly holding the new sorcerer in high regard.
"So he's the one..."
Fenris froze.
After discovering that the Ancient One had been secretly drawing power from the Dark Dimension, Kaecilius had stubbornly concluded that she had betrayed him. Later, after becoming one of Dormammu's followers, he was the one who personally killed her.
"Yes, that's right. He is."
The Ancient One interrupted him before he could finish speaking, then smoothly changed the subject. "You came to see me so suddenly. Did you run into some confusion while studying magic?"
"No. We ran into some trouble recently."
Seeing that the Ancient One clearly had no intention of saying more, Fenris decisively shut his mouth.
The two of them left the training ground side by side. After briefly explaining the Sentinel robots and everything that had happened earlier, Fenris finally got to the reason he had come.
"We can't let Bolivar fully complete his research on those Sentinel robots. So I was thinking... could magic be used to restore the data that was completely destroyed?"
Once they entered a private chamber nearby, Fenris waved his hand and took out the powdered remains of the data storage.
"I see."
The Ancient One looked at what Fenris had brought out. Her gaze lingered on it for a second or two, and then, as though she had suddenly understood something, she let out a knowing laugh.
"What do you mean by that?"
Seeing her strange reaction, Fenris asked in confusion.
"Nothing."
The Ancient One pulled out a folding fan from behind her back and waved it lightly, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. "Fenris, you've been studying magic for a while now. Have you ever heard of any spell that could restore these things?"
"This..."
The sudden question caught Fenris off guard.
Wouldn't time manipulation through the Eye of Agamotto make something like this easy?
"As expected..."
The Ancient One stared at Fenris's eyes without blinking, taking in his reaction completely.
"Very well. I can help you, but on one condition."
Halfway through speaking, the Ancient One suddenly paused for effect.
"What condition?"
Fenris could not help asking.
"The condition is that you must be the one to cast the spell yourself."
The Ancient One waved her hand, opening a dimensional portal.
The moment it appeared, the portal passed straight through both her and Fenris, carrying them into the library of Kamar-Taj.
"This is the core of Kamar-Taj, where the relic guarded by every Sorcerer Supreme through the generations is kept. The Eye of Agamotto. I mentioned it to you before."
The Ancient One stepped forward, took a necklace from the side, and gently placed it in Fenris's hand.
Its structure was unbelievably intricate, covered with countless dense runes. As the Ancient One cast her spell, a green glow gradually began to spread across it.
"Through the Eye of Agamotto, a sorcerer can cast time manipulation spells and wield the power of time."
"It is through this that I have been able to glimpse the future. It has also played no small role in helping me protect Earth from the invasion of the Dark Dimension."
As she spoke, the Eye of Agamotto began to unfold layer by layer, and the green light pouring from it grew brighter and brighter.
"The Time Stone!"
As the Eye of Agamotto fully opened in his hands, Fenris slowly raised it, clearly seeing a beautiful green gem resting inside.
That soft green radiance was being emitted by the Time Stone itself.
Even now, this was the first time Fenris had ever laid eyes on one of the Infinity Stones in person.
"Go ahead and get some sleep."
Seeing the fascination in Fenris's eyes, the Ancient One smiled faintly and directly removed the Time Stone, placing it in Fenris's palm.
In the next instant, a powerful burst of gamma radiation exploded from the stone and swept through Fenris's entire body. The infinite energy contained within it also began pouring into him all at once.
"Ah...!"
As warmth suddenly surged through every part of his body, Fenris's consciousness abruptly grew hazy.
He vaguely heard a sharp cry echo inside his mind. His whole body went limp, his vision went black, and he collapsed unconscious onto the floor.
(End of Chapter)
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