Archmage Ancient One

"Not just seven years ago—you simply don't remember. When you were born, I held you in my arms." The mysterious woman in the yellow robe said with a smile.

"Who exactly are you, and what relation do you have to my parents?" Lu Yifang stared at the mysterious woman and pressed.

"My name is Gu Yi. I am a mage." After saying this, the mysterious woman pulled back her hood, revealing the unmistakable hallmark of a Marvel heavyweight—a bald head!

"Just as I thought." Lu Yifang's expression shifted slightly, but he wasn't particularly surprised. He'd already guessed at this woman's identity; this was merely the final confirmation.

A bald woman in a yellow robe, coupled with that obvious portal magic—who else could it be but the Sorcerer Supreme, Ancient One?

"You don't seem very surprised." Ancient One looked at Lu Yifang, her gaze as calm as Professor X's, yet carrying a depth that seemed to see through everything.

Of course I'm not surprised, Lu Yifang thought to himself. I don't just know you're Ancient One—I even know your secret about bending the rules and secretly drawing power from the Dark Dimension.

Naturally, Lu Yifang wouldn't voice any of that. After a brief pause, he spoke: "You mages hide behind the scenes, and your movements are indeed very mysterious, but not so secret that no one can ever find you out. Don't underestimate the mortals in your eyes."

"That's true." Ancient One nodded in acknowledgment. Unlike other members of the Hidden Society of Mages, who looked down on ordinary people with arrogance, the Sorcerer Supreme had never belittled them.

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

"Your parents... were once my best and brightest students." As Ancient One spoke, a look of nostalgia appeared in her eyes.

"My parents were mages too!" This time, Lu Yifang was genuinely shocked. As a child, he'd sometimes thought his parents acted a bit mysterious, but he'd never noticed anything truly off.

But thinking back now, if they'd really wanted to hide it from Lu Yifang, it would have been easy for two people who could use magic.

"Yifang, I hope you can understand—your parents didn't want you to know they were mages to protect you." As if afraid Lu Yifang wouldn't understand, Ancient One quickly explained.

"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 slightly as he spoke.

Though Lu Yifang was a transmigrator, as someone who had soul-transmigrated, the years of nurturing and daily companionship made them his true parents in this life—there was no doubt about it.

Lu Yifang genuinely hoped they were still alive, hoped that after seven years of disappearance they would return, racking their brains to explain some great hardship to him, only for him to cover his ears and curse them out without listening.

"Lu Shanyan and Mili are dead." Ancient One's sighing voice shattered Lu Yifang's fantasy.

"Is... that so?" Lu Yifang's eyes dimmed. Though disappointed, he didn't lose his composure over a result he'd already anticipated—after all, his mind was far more mature than his appearance suggested.

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

"Dark Mages. They died in battle against Dark Mages."

"Tell me, who is that Dark Mage?" Lu Yifang pressed, a dense killing intent flickering in his eyes. No matter who that person was, or what organization they belonged to...

Lu Yifang would destroy them completely. He had the confidence, and he had the power.

"That is meaningless." Ancient One looked calmly at Lu Yifang, her voice still steady.

"The enemy in your eyes died long ago. Before his death, Lu Shanyan used Forbidden Magic to drag those people down with him into oblivion."

"What? Dead?" Lu Yifang, who had been consumed with thoughts of revenge, was stunned. He felt a frustrating sense of having punched cotton.

"Are you kidding me?" Dazed, Lu Yifang slumped weakly into a chair, bitterly grabbing at his hair.

"What kind of father is that? He dies for no reason, leaves nothing behind—fine—but couldn't he at least leave me an enemy, so I'd know what to do?"

"That's not your father's style." Ancient One's expression turned serious. "Leaving enemies to his child, letting his child bear his risks—in Lu Shanyan's eyes, that would be a shameful, cowardly thing. Perhaps he didn't fulfill his duties, but he was never a cowardly father."

"And your parents didn't leave you with nothing. This notebook is what they left." Ancient One pointed to the black notebook in Lu Yifang's hand.

"This is your father's old magic study notebook. After you were born, your mother specially organized it, hoping to give it to you at the right time. But in the end, she never got to."

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

At that moment, the three characters "Lu Shanyan" on the first blank page suddenly vanished. The next moment, a more delicate line of black handwriting appeared, and simultaneously, a woman's voice—so gentle it made Lu Yifang's heart tremble—sounded in his ear.

"To my most beloved child—Lu Yifang."

"Mom!" Lu Yifang's eyes reddened as he silently hugged the notebook tight.

After a long silence, Lu Yifang raised his head, his gaze toward Ancient One growing resolute.

"Can I learn magic?"

"Of course you can." Ancient One gave an affirmative answer.

"In fact, I originally wanted to take you directly to Kamar-Taj. But at that time, a very terrible incident happened in the Magic World, and I didn't want to involve you, so young, in that matter.

So I sent you to the orphanage, then bought this house to ensure it would be preserved. I planned to find you once you came of age and tell you the whole truth." Ancient One explained, then suddenly turned her gaze to Lu Yifang.

"Then yesterday, I received news that someone had forcibly bought this house. I was a bit worried at first, but I never expected it was you, Yifang. I must say, it seems you've really grown up. My choice back then was right—though you haven't touched magic these past few years, you've gained other powers." Ancient One squinted as she appraised Lu Yifang, her voice full of relief.

"Will my current powers affect my ability to learn magic?" Lu Yifang asked.

"Of course not. These two powers don't conflict."

"Good." Lu Yifang had been afraid of some cliché setting where superpowered individuals couldn't learn magic, bleeding from every pore after using it twice.

"So, are you going to take me to Kamar-Taj now?" If so, Lu Yifang would have a problem.

After all, he couldn't exactly tell Fury and Professor X, "I want to take a spontaneous trip to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to cultivate my temperament, purify my soul, and maybe learn some magic on the side."

Yeah, Lu Yifang figured Fury and Professor X wouldn't approve that leave.

"No rush. This notebook contains detailed methods for learning magic, so the initial stage is the same no matter where you study." As if seeing through Lu Yifang's concerns, Ancient One said considerately.

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

"Just write whatever you want to ask on the page, and the notebook will automatically show the answer." Ancient One told Lu Yifang the correct way to use it.

"That does sound good." Lu Yifang's eyes lit up at the words, and he was just about to find a pen to try it out.

But at that very moment, Ancient One's body suddenly flickered. Her expression, which had been calm just a moment ago, shifted, and she immediately said, "That's enough for today. I have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

"Yifang, I'll come back to see you in a while and check on your progress." After instructing Lu Yifang, Ancient One had already stepped into the portal.

"She left in quite a hurry." Watching the portal vanish, Lu Yifang muttered to himself.

Yet a trace of doubt lingered in his eyes. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, because in that instant when Ancient One's body flickered, Lu Yifang seemed to notice that her form had turned transparent.