----
Nolan opened his eyes, fresh from his meditation session.
Before him, golden sparks flared in the air, swirling into a perfect circular portal. A cold wind crept through it, followed by a portly figure with a calm, unreadable expression.
"I am Wong," the man said, his voice steady and polite. "The Ancient One sent me to bring you to Kamar-Taj."
Nolan rose, nodding. "It's an honor."
He stepped through the portal.
Kamar-Taj unfolded before him a sanctuary frozen in time. Ancient architecture, untouched by the Industrial Age, stood solemn and majestic. Despite its age, the place pulsed with vitality, as though the very stones hummed with magic.
Apprentices trained in open courtyards, their hands conjuring sparks, slinging arcane rings, or stepping through rippling portals.
Nolan's eyes followed a group in yellow robes rushing into a portal. "Why the hurry?" he asked.
"Kamar-Taj was attacked," Wong explained. "They're pursuing the thief. We lost something… dangerous. They're checking dimensional seals as a precaution."
Nolan narrowed his gaze. Cassilius. The rogue disciple who would soon steal from the library and summon Dormammu.
But wait, if the Ancient One was preparing to pass her mantle to him, what was going on? Was she still orchestrating events behind the scenes? Would he now be the one to pass the torch to Strange?
They arrived at a modest, nearly dilapidated door. It was so plain that it looked forgotten, but Nolan could sense the dense magic around it. The door was open. Wong gestured politely.
"She's waiting."
Nolan brushed off the dust on his coat and stepped inside.
The room was quiet and perfumed by incense. An aged incense burner stood at the center, emitting a calming fragrance.
A bald woman in white robes stood by the window, hands folded, her posture serene.
"You've arrived," she said softly, turning with a smile.
Nolan sat opposite her, respectfully silent. He might be a powerhouse in the modern world, commanding science, systems, and strength, but this woman had stood atop the supernatural hierarchy for centuries.
The Ancient One was the balance between realms. The wielder of the Time Stone. Even Odin himself treated her as an equal.
In the MCU, her death had felt… anticlimactic. But this wasn't fiction anymore.
This was real.
Here sat the woman who had repelled dimensional invaders, kept eldritch horrors at bay, and slayed gods like weeds. Her body count could build mountains.
And now she wanted to retire?
As if reading his mind, the Ancient One smiled faintly. "Even Odin fell, Nolan. Everything beneath the multiversal tier is bound to decay. Even me."
She poured him tea with quiet grace.
"I have regenerative serums," Nolan offered. "They could extend your life."
She chuckled, sipping slowly. "I've lived enough. I want to serve Vishanti now, in full. Earth's future is yours now, yours and the Avengers, Wanda, Charles, Erik… I've heard you're forming something called the 'Illuminati'?"
Nolan blinked. Of course, she knew. She never left Kamar-Taj, but her awareness spanned continents.
Odin watched the Nine Realms. She watched the whole Earth.
"The Illuminati is just a framework," he replied. "Something to stop things before they spiral out of control."
The Ancient One laughed gently. "They called me naive for believing in hope. But the Battle of New York, when I saw what Stark, Rogers, and even Banner did—I knew Earth had a future."
She leaned forward slightly. "This world must be guided… but not controlled. The next era must bloom from conflict and growth, not the shadow of an old sorcerer."
Nolan's brow furrowed. "But Thanos is still watching. The dimensional lords still hunger for Earth…"
"And that's why I'm entrusting it to you," she said calmly. "You're a scientist who understands the mystic. A mortal who can see past mortality. You'll do more than I ever could."
Nolan fell silent.
"Go back," she said at last, her tone gentle but final. "Train, prepare, build. Because the next war… won't be like the last."
She closed her eyes, her voice now almost a whisper.
"Let an old soul rest."
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