The Ancient One Was Unworthy

"So, we're descendants of Merlin?"

Yuri was at a loss. In the Marvel Universe, Merlin stood at the very top of the food chain. He controlled time and space and was known as the "Omniversal Guardian."

Did things really have to get this crazy?

I'd just picked someone who looked good. How had I ended up connected to someone who could beat the Gods Group senseless?

For a moment, Yuri considered fleeing immediately. The reason was simple: if Merlin found out that one of his descendants had been replaced by a nonhuman being, then even if he had long since transcended reality and stopped concerning himself with worldly affairs, the slightest mishap could still get Yuri crushed.

"Yes. The noblest bloodline flows through our veins, and we possess blessings and protection from birth."

Rob pointed to the several portraits on the study wall. "These blessings protect us, allowing us to find a way to survive no matter how many hardships we face. That's why your grandfather came through the war without a scratch, and why I'm so fond of extreme challenges."

Rob carefully took a book from the shelf, then removed a second and a third in a particular order... The books, of varying thicknesses, formed a strange array on the table. After Rob placed the last one in a precise spot, a powerful surge of energy erupted from the books. As Yuri watched, wisps of Cosmic Energy shifted from intangible to tangible, finally condensing into an exquisite pendant that floated in midair.

"These are the Holy Sword and the Holy Shield."

Rob gazed at the pendant with fervent excitement. "After completing the trials passed down through the generations, every direct descendant of the family gets one chance to undergo a sacred relic's baptism. The baptism makes you immune to illness and grants you a long, healthy life. It can also determine whether you have a talent for magic and can receive the inheritance of our great ancestor."

"Yuri Ambrosius, my son, please wear the sacred relic around your neck."

Yuri considered it for a moment, then cautiously reached both hands toward the pendant floating in midair. An ancient-looking chain slowly appeared, carrying the pendant into his hands as if guided by a will of its own. A warmth that touched his soul swept through his entire body, and in an instant, Yuri lost all control over himself. Countless golden patterns, each representing a different Eternal ability, appeared one after another.

Under the influence of some mysterious force, they slowly converged and merged. The intricate, profound lines grew thicker in some places, thinner in others, while a few disappeared altogether.

The chain and pendant slowly settled around Yuri's neck. Then the Holy Sword and Holy Shield, which had seemed fused together, gradually separated. The chain split in two, attaching to the end of the sword's hilt and the shield's handle.

The two sacred relics dropped into Yuri's hands, which had risen of their own accord. Then they turned intangible and sank into his skin, leaving marks that looked like tattoos.

The strangely brilliant golden pupils in Yuri's eyes slowly drew together and merged, ultimately forming new, dark-gold irises shaped like concentric circles. The unknown transformation then began to wind down. Mysterious forces, imperceptible to the naked eye, slowly relinquished control of his body. Having completed their work, they all returned to the two marks on his palms and disappeared from sight.

"Hah...hah...hah..."

Like someone on the verge of suffocating who had suddenly found fresh air, Yuri gasped for breath as he regained control of his body. He raised his hands and stared warily at the two lifelike tattoos on his palms. Those two things had controlled his evolution just now. Their unparalleled power had taken control of his body effortlessly, and even the aftershock of their presence had driven his soul—which few on Earth could match—to the farthest corner of his consciousness.

But fortunately, they meant him no harm, even though Yuri's soul belonged to a monstrous Mutant.

"How are you, my son?"

Rob could vaguely sense that Yuri had changed. Combined with everything he had just witnessed, he had good reason to suspect that his son had recovered the ancestral inheritance lost three generations ago!

"Not bad."

Yuri tried to summon Jinger's energy absorption ability, only to discover that all the abilities within him had fused together, forming a "seed" that radiated a dense aura of origin. There was no longer any such thing as "Jinger's energy absorption ability" or "Ajak's healing ability." Every ability Yuri had absorbed had, under the seed's influence, become "Yuri's ability."

Seeing that Yuri seemed to be sensing the changes within himself, Rob asked cautiously, "So, have you learned any magic?"

"No."

A golden spark appeared out of thin air. Countless more spun around it, growing larger and larger. Then, as Yuri watched in wary alarm, a bald woman in a yellow robe, holding a folding fan, stepped through. She looked Yuri up and down, her deep gaze seeming to see right through him. No one present said a word. As the atmosphere grew heavier, the Ancient One smiled faintly and bowed to Yuri.

"It is an honor to meet you, Yuri Ambrosius, heir to Merlin the Holy Mage and great leader of the Mutants. I am the Sorcerer Supreme of this era, the Ancient One."

Yuri could tell that she was bowing to the Merlin he represented, not to him, the leader of the Mutants, who had no followers with him. He was about to bow politely in return, but the two marks on his palms suddenly flared with a searing heat, clearly telling Yuri that the Ancient One was unworthy of a return bow.

"Uh..."

Yuri gave an awkward smile. He was just about to explain when the Ancient One spoke first. "There's no need. Merlin the Holy Mage's inheritance remains in Kamar-Taj's pocket dimension. If you have time, you can visit 177A Bleecker Street in Manhattan, New York. Show them the marks on your palms, and someone will bring you to Kamar-Taj."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Ancient One stepped back through the portal. Yuri could see what looked like an endless void beyond it, but there wasn't a single star in sight, only an immeasurable darkness that seemed capable of swallowing everything.

"Whoosh!"

The portal snapped shut. Apart from the faint fluctuations Yuri could sense lingering in the space, everything else in the study seemed just as it had a few minutes earlier.

"So, have you learned any magic?"

The exact same voice, the exact same tone, the exact same expression, and the exact same gesture. Yuri narrowed his eyes. Was Merlin's inheritance really that important? Had the Ancient One actually used the Time Stone for it?

The thought passed in an instant, and a smile returned to Yuri's face. He gathered a pea-sized ball of energy at his fingertip and blasted a shallow dent into the study's sturdy door.

He was genuinely happy. At last, he had dealt with the only being on Earth who could currently pose a lethal threat to him. Of course, "dealt with" wasn't quite right. Given the Ancient One's attitude today, he'd turned a potential future enemy into an ally ahead of time. What's more, from now on, he could blame any unusual thing he did on Kamar-Taj, hidden away in the mountains.

Running fast, hypnotizing people, building mechs, healing wounds...

It was all because I learned magic.

Don't believe me?

Then go ask the Ancient One yourself!