The Ancient One

"It wasn't just seven years ago. You just don't remember. I even held you when you were born." The mysterious woman in yellow robes smiled.

"Who are you, really? What do you have to do with my parents?" Lu Yifang stared at the mysterious woman and demanded.

"My name is the Ancient One. I'm a sorcerer." After speaking, the mysterious woman lowered the hood over her head, revealing the unmistakable mark of a major player in the Marvel Universe—a bald head!

"I knew it." Lu Yifang's expression shifted at the sight, but he wasn't very surprised. He'd already guessed who this woman was; now he had confirmation.

A bald woman in yellow robes, and the unmistakable magic of a Portal. Who else could she be but the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One?

"You don't seem very surprised." The Ancient One looked at Lu Yifang. Her gaze was as gentle as Professor X's, yet it held a profound quality that made it seem as though she could see through everything.

Of course he wasn't surprised. I don't just know you're the Ancient One; I even know the secret of how you broke the rules and secretly drew power from the Dark Dimension.

Naturally, Lu Yifang kept that to himself. After a moment's pause, he said, "You sorcerers hide behind the scenes, and your movements are indeed mysterious. But you haven't managed to keep yourselves completely hidden from everyone. Don't underestimate the ordinary people you call mortals."

"That's true." The Ancient One nodded in agreement. Unlike other members of the Hidden Retreat Society, who looked down on ordinary people as mortals and were full of arrogance, the Sorcerer Supreme had never underestimated them.

"You still haven't answered me. What was your relationship with my parents?" Lu Yifang pressed.

"Your parents... were once my finest and most talented students." A look of nostalgia came into the Ancient One's eyes.

"My parents were sorcerers too?" This time, Lu Yifang was genuinely shocked. As a child, he'd thought his parents were secretive at times, but he'd never suspected anything was wrong.

But thinking about it now, if the two of them had truly wanted to keep it from him, it would have been easy for a pair of sorcerers.

Yifang, I hope you can understand. Your parents didn't want you to know they were sorcerers because they wanted to protect you." The Ancient One hurried to explain, as if afraid he wouldn't understand.

"I don't care about that. I just want to know where they are. After all these years, where have they..." Lu Yifang's voice trembled.

Though Lu Yifang was a transmigrator, he had transmigrated into this body, and after all those years of being raised by them and living with them day in and day out, they were truly his parents in this life. There was no doubt about that.

He sincerely hoped they were still alive. He hoped they would come back after disappearing for seven years, rack their brains to explain what terrible circumstances had forced them to leave, and then let him cover his ears and give them a thorough scolding without listening to a word.

"Shanyan and Mili are dead." The Ancient One's sigh shattered Lu Yifang's hopes.

"So... they are?" Lu Yifang's eyes dimmed. He was deeply disappointed, but the outcome was one he'd long suspected, so he didn't lose control. His heart was far more mature than his appearance suggested.

"Then how did they die?" Lu Yifang clenched his fists, his gaze turning cold.

"Dark Mages. They died fighting the Dark Mages."

"Tell me who that Dark Mage was." Lu Yifang pressed, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. It didn't matter who that person was, or what kind of organization they belonged to.

Lu Yifang would destroy them completely. He had the confidence—and the power—to do it.

"It wouldn't mean anything." The Ancient One looked calmly at Lu Yifang, her voice still even.

"The enemy you're thinking of is already dead. Before Shanyan died, he used Forbidden Magic to take them all down with him."

"What? They're dead?" Lu Yifang, who had been consumed by thoughts of revenge, froze. He felt as if he'd thrown a punch into a cushion.

"You've got to be kidding me." Dazed, Lu Yifang sank helplessly into a chair and ran a hand through his hair with a bitter smile.

"What kind of father does that? He dies out of nowhere, leaves nothing behind, and doesn't even leave me an enemy so I'll know what I'm supposed to do."

"That doesn't sound like your father." The Ancient One's expression grew serious. "Leaving his enemies for his child to face, making the child bear his risks—that would have struck Shanyan as disgraceful and cowardly. Perhaps he failed in his duty, but he was never a cowardly father."

"Besides, your parents did leave something for you. This notebook." The Ancient One pointed to the black notebook in Lu Yifang's hands.

"It's the notebook your father used when he studied magic. After you were born, your mother took special care to organize it, hoping to give it to you at the right time. But in the end, she never got the chance."

"So this is what they left me." Lu Yifang stroked the notebook.

Just then, the three characters "Lu Shanyan" vanished from the blank first page. The next moment, a line of neater black handwriting appeared. At the same time, a woman's gentle voice, so tender it made Lu Yifang's heart tremble, sounded beside his ear.

"To my dearest child, Lu Yifang."

"Mom!" Lu Yifang's eyes reddened. He silently clutched the notebook to his chest.

After a long silence, Lu Yifang finally raised his head. His gaze at the Ancient One had grown resolute.

"Can I learn magic?"

"Of course," The Ancient One replied firmly.

"In fact, I wanted to take you straight to Kamar-Taj back then, but something terrible happened in the Magic World around that time. I didn't want you, so young then, to get caught up in it.

"So I sent you to the Orphanage and bought this house to make sure it would be kept. I originally planned to come back for you after you came of age and tell you the whole truth." The Ancient One explained, then suddenly turned her gaze to Lu Yifang.

"Then yesterday, I received word that someone had forcibly bought this house. I was worried at first, but I never expected it to be you, Yifang. I have to say, you really have grown up. My choice back then was the right one. You haven't studied magic these past few years, but you've gained other powers." The Ancient One narrowed her eyes as she examined Lu Yifang, her voice full of relief.

"Will the power I have now affect my ability to learn magic?" Lu Yifang asked.

"Of course not. The two kinds of power don't conflict."

"Good." Lu Yifang had been worried there might be some ridiculous rule that Metahumans couldn't learn magic, or that they'd use magic twice and then bleed from every pore and die.

"Then are you taking me to Kamar-Taj now?" If so, Lu Yifang would have a bit of a problem.

After all, he couldn't exactly tell Fury and Professor X, "I want to take a spontaneous trip to the Tibetan Plateau to soothe my mind, cleanse my soul, and maybe learn some magic while I'm at it."

Yeah, Lu Yifang didn't think Fury and Professor X would approve that kind of excuse.

"No need to rush. This notebook contains detailed instructions for learning magic, so you can study the basics anywhere." The Ancient One seemed to understand Lu Yifang's concern and spoke considerately.

"Really?" Lu Yifang flipped through a few more pages, but the rest of the notebook was blank.

"You just need to write down what you want to ask, and the notebook will automatically display the answer," The Ancient One explained.

"That sounds pretty good." Lu Yifang's eyes lit up, and he was about to look for a pen to try it out.

But just then, the Ancient One's body flickered. Her previously calm expression changed, and she immediately said, "That's all for today. I have something to take care of, so I'll be going."

"Yifang, I'll come back after a while to check how well you've been studying." After reminding Lu Yifang, the Ancient One stepped through the Portal.

"She sure left in a hurry," Lu Yifang murmured as the Portal disappeared.

A trace of doubt lingered in his eyes. Perhaps it had been his imagination, but in the instant the Ancient One's body flickered, Lu Yifang thought he'd seen her turn transparent.