During the Lunar New Year, Feeney took Skye to Hong Kong to accompany his parents and let them experience the festive atmosphere. The elderly couple took a liking to the local cuisine and planned to settle in Hong Kong for the time being, which made Feeney incredibly happy.
Anywhere was fine as long as it wasn't New York. If Skye hadn't flatly refused, he would have liked to dump her beside his parents too, so she wouldn't have to stay in New York.
In the new year, Feeney didn't get his fifth draw, but he did meet someone at Kamar-Taj who was somewhat unexpected, yet also entirely within his expectations.
Kassilius—the future traitor who might betray Kamar-Taj and join Dormammu if Feeney didn't interfere.
He had even stabbed The Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme, to death, despite her already wanting to die.
Looking at this man, Feeney's expression grew solemn. He didn't have those dark circles under his eyes yet, and he wasn't even a Sorcerer. He wore pale yellow training robes, had unkempt hair and a messy beard, and radiated an aura of sorrow and despair.
His eyes were lifeless.
For someone who could turn even a cup of plain water into a long story, no one could imagine that he would betray them in the future and attempt to let Dormammu invade Earth.
Of course, someone could!
"This guy obviously isn't a good person. We should just make him leave!"
Feeney emphasized this repeatedly, making Mordo wonder whether Kassilius had offended Feeney somehow.
"Feeney, he's just a poor man who lost his wife and son. He came to Kamar-Taj seeking redemption. Why do you keep targeting him?"
"No, look at this face, this nose, these eyes. He obviously doesn't look like a good person!"
"Feeney, stop fooling around."
Seeing how unreasonable Feeney was being, Mordo grew irritated. Kassilius was the one he had brought back. Not long ago, he had found Kassilius reeking of alcohol outside a bar.
When he saw the confusion in Kassilius's eyes, Mordo had thought of his former self. That was why he had brought him back to Kamar-Taj, hoping this place could help him.
He hadn't expected it to provoke such intense prejudice from Feeney, especially prejudice that Feeney couldn't even explain.
Feeney was anxious, but he didn't know how to explain himself. If someone asked what he most wanted to change, it would undoubtedly be The Ancient One's death. That was connected to whether Thanos would be able to perform the Snap in the future.
Was Thanos strong?
Of course he was. He could destroy countless planets, beat Hulk so badly that he couldn't fight back, and command an army. He was absolutely a top-tier powerhouse in the universe.
But—
If The Ancient One were still alive, Thanos wouldn't dare come so easily to seize the Time Stone, especially with Odin also protecting Earth and watching over the Space Stone.
The Ancient One and Odin were both powerhouses no weaker than Thanos. If they were present, the chances of that future Snap succeeding might not be zero, but they would at least be far lower.
In Feeney's eyes, although Kassilius was only one of the factors influencing The Ancient One's death, he was still a factor. If he eliminated all those factors, wouldn't The Ancient One no longer have to die?
Unfortunately, this first step had already failed. Looking at the somewhat angry Mordo, Feeney opened his mouth, then ultimately sighed and said nothing.
In any case, there were still several years before Doctor Strange grew up. There was no need to worry too much about The Ancient One's state of mind yet. At least until her successor, the next Sorcerer Supreme, matured, The Ancient One could never bring herself to die.
Another reason Feeney didn't want Kassilius to stay was that he didn't know how to stop Kassilius from pledging himself to Dormammu.
From the plot Feeney knew, Kassilius seemed to want everyone in the world to gain eternal life, which was why he had asked Dormammu to descend.
Although Dormammu's understanding of eternity was probably somewhat different from his.
Actually, if Thanos learned about this idea, he might want to kill Kassilius first. If everyone lived forever, what would happen to the planet's resources? What about population growth?
Even The Ancient One couldn't guide this man back, so Feeney didn't believe that a few words from him could change someone's personality. Rather than that, it would be better to cut off his path from the beginning.
If someone else had brought Kassilius back, Feeney would definitely have tried everything he could, even at the cost of offending that person, to drive Kassilius away.
But the person who had brought him back was Mordo. Mordo had helped him greatly, and Feeney didn't want to ruin their friendship over this.
Since Mordo was out of the question, Feeney had no choice but to find The Ancient One. In truth, whether Kassilius could stay was ultimately decided by her.
When Feeney found The Ancient One in her room, she was sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed in meditation. Wisps of smoke curled through the quiet, peaceful room.
Feeney came before The Ancient One and said cautiously, "Teacher, do you not think there's something wrong with that Kassilius Brother Mordo brought back?"
The Ancient One opened her eyes. Her sharp gaze fixed on Feeney as she asked, "What's wrong?"
"I think he won't be a good person in the future."
Feeney gritted his teeth as he spoke. He didn't believe The Ancient One was unaware of Kassilius's future.
"That's why we should work harder to help him become a good person in the future."
The Ancient One continued calmly, "Feeney, you should give him a chance. He hasn't chosen his future yet, has he?"
Hearing this, Feeney was left speechless. Yes, no matter how one looked at it, Kassilius was currently only a poor man who had lost his family.
As long as he had not truly chosen to join Dormammu, The Ancient One was willing to give him a chance. That was the Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj—a hopelessly kind person.
"Sigh, fine."
Feeney knew he couldn't change The Ancient One's decision. He could only sigh and hope that he would have a chance to change Kassilius in the future.
"Feeney, don't always think about avoiding danger. You should solve it instead."
The Ancient One spoke softly. "I believe that if it's you, no matter what kind of difficulty you face, you'll find a way to deal with it."
Feeney secretly rolled his eyes and didn't take her words seriously. Back then, she had said that he would have such a huge impact on the world, but an entire year had passed, and he didn't seem to have caused any major trouble.
"I understand."
Feeney nodded heavily. The matter of Abomination had yet to be resolved, and now there was also the threat of Kassilius. Fortunately, this threat would probably need several more years to develop.
After bidding farewell to The Ancient One, Feeney secretly went to take another look at Kassilius.
Kassilius undeniably possessed a unique charm. Although his face was filled with grief and sorrow, one could still see a hint of rebelliousness in him.
Feeney didn't want to get too close to Kassilius for the time being. At the same time, Kassilius had no intention of speaking with anyone else either, keeping everyone at a distance.
Looking at Kassilius, Feeney thought of Doctor Strange again. He was The Ancient One's personally chosen successor as Sorcerer Supreme. As long as he hadn't matured, The Ancient One would not step down.
But thinking of Doctor Strange made Feeney think of his magical talent. Comparing himself to Doctor Strange, Feeney realized that even after so much time had passed, he had made no progress in his research into Spirit Bodies.
Could it be that he should try shaving his head?
As for the Fifth Skill, I've actually already written it. Well, it'll come in about ten chapters. Have I revealed something? If you're bored, you can try guessing. The anime it comes from is fairly famous, and it's a very fun series. Its primary user is a female character, and the upper limit of its power system is quite high. I'll also give you a not-so-important hint: "frog" (not A Certain Magical Index). See if you can guess it! Hmm... that's assuming this book actually has readers who will guess. You don't even vote or send rewards. Hmph, hmph~
Before you continue