The Ancient One.
Lin Fan narrowed his eyes as a golden portal opened before him, crackling with mystic energy. From its center stepped a tall, robed figure—serene, bald, and glowing faintly with arcane power.
Even before she spoke, Lin Fan knew who she was.
He just hadn't expected her to show up so fast.
But it didn't matter. This meeting was inevitable.
Lin Fan remained calm, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Didn't expect to see you so soon, Sorcerer Supreme," he said, rising from the sofa. "I figured you'd take a little longer."
"You know who I am?"
There was a subtle shift in her eyes—calculating, not surprised.
It didn't take long for her to arrive at a conclusion. "You're from a different timeline. Another dimension. That's why I couldn't read you clearly."
She assumed he was from the multiverse—a visitor from one of the infinite realities. It explained his familiarity with her, and why even her precognitive spells had failed to reveal his true nature.
Of course, she was wrong.
Lin Fan didn't come from a universe. He came from outside the multiverse entirely.
But he didn't correct her. Letting her believe that gave him an edge.
"No need to explain," he said. "So what brings Earth's top sorcerer to my doorstep? Not here to swap tea recipes, I assume."
The Ancient One's calm exterior didn't waver. But her tone sharpened.
"The shockwave you unleashed last night nearly disrupted three ley lines, collapsed a dimensional veil, and triggered alarms in Kamar-Taj and beyond," she said coolly. "You may be from another reality, but in this one, actions have consequences."
"Consequences?" Lin Fan raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that in a world like this, power speaks louder than rules."
The pressure between them escalated. The air crackled with opposing energies.
Beside him, Psylocke tensed, forming her psychic katana instinctively. She didn't know exactly who this woman was—but her senses screamed danger. Not just powerful—untouchable.
"I won't allow you to endanger this planet," the Ancient One said, and golden mandalas spun into existence around her wrists. "This is your only warning."
Lin Fan laughed. "If you think you can stop me, then by all means—try."
He took one step forward—then vanished.
In a blink, he reappeared with a devastating punch aimed straight at her.
BOOM!
A column of white-hot force tore across the villa, vaporizing the pool and carving a trench through solid stone. The sheer blast radius would've flattened a city block.
But when the smoke cleared, the Ancient One was still standing.
She floated a few feet above the ground, her hands glowing with ancient symbols and runes, a spherical barrier shimmering around her like a sun.
Her robe barely stirred.
Lin Fan's punch had landed—but she had channeled the energy through space itself, redirecting most of it into the astral plane with a flick of her fingers.
He raised his eyebrows.
"Not bad."
"You haven't seen anything yet," she replied—and struck back.
The air turned green, gold, and blue all at once as she began weaving spells at impossible speed. Space fractured around her as dozens of ethereal blades formed, circles of runes hovered midair, and portals snapped open and shut like blinking eyes.
A chain of dimensional binds shot toward Lin Fan. He dodged the first few—then grabbed one mid-air and shattered it with brute force.
The Ancient One waved a hand, and time shimmered. The world slowed, reversed, then looped. Lin Fan took a step forward—and found himself right back where he started.
"A temporal loop?" he muttered, frowning.
Around him, the Time Stone's power surged—centered in the Eye of Agamotto, which had now opened fully on her chest. Its light bathed the battlefield in emerald brilliance.
"I've trapped beings older than this universe in here," she said. "You're not special."
Inside the loop, Lin Fan flexed his fingers.
Even trapped, his aura didn't weaken.
"You're good," he said. "Better than I expected."
"And you're reckless," she replied. "You can't be allowed to roam free."
"You're not Doctor Strange," Lin Fan chuckled. "But you're playing his scene."
The Ancient One's eyes glowed brighter, and she raised her hand to seal the loop further.
But Lin Fan's smile widened.
He was still amused.
Still completely unshaken.
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