Conversation

"There's no need to be so wary. I mean you no harm." Ancient One blew on the hot tea in her hands, the hazy steam obscuring her face from Li Nian's view.

"About ten minutes ago, I discovered that the future had become a complete mess. Even using the Eye of Agamotto to observe it produced the same result." As she said this, Ancient One suddenly fixed Li Nian with an intense stare.

"So I observed ten million possible futures and compared them with the original timeline." Ancient One rose to her feet and slowly walked over to Li Nian. She raised her head and looked at him calmly, though her eyes held a newfound seriousness.

"I discovered that the root of it all was you. From the moment you were born, everything in the future changed."

"The future itself is uncertain..." Li Nian tried to explain, but Ancient One interrupted him.

"Do you know why I'm so certain you're the cause?" Ancient One smiled. That smile sent a chill down Li Nian's spine.

Suddenly, Ancient One struck in an instant, slamming her palm into Li Nian's chest and shoving him back several staggering steps. A nearly transparent figure burst out of Li Nian's body.

"This is..." Li Nian lowered his head and looked at his translucent hands in disbelief.

Bang!

Vision's body collapsed. The Mind Stone in his forehead dimmed considerably, while Li Nian floated in midair in the form of a soul.

"So this is what you truly look like—an Easterner?" Ancient One said in surprise. She circled Li Nian's soul, her eyes full of curiosity, as though she wanted to thoroughly study this visitor from beyond their realm.

Li Nian hurriedly floated over to a mirror, but souls had no reflections. He could only lower his head helplessly and look at his clothes. They were still the ones he had been wearing when lightning struck him.

"Then what do you intend to do? Send me back?" Li Nian steadied himself and asked calmly. He knew that even Ancient One, the current Sorcerer Supreme, could not send him back to his original world.

"I have no way to do that." As expected, Ancient One shook her head and announced the news with a regretful expression.

Li Nian felt a little disappointed, but only a little. In his original world, he had been alone and without support, with few connections. He had only two or three friends, and they did not even live in the same place.

Rather than returning to his original world, he wanted to stay here and live on as a hero.

"Perhaps you have a way yourself. You simply don't know it yet."

"Whenever I choose to observe your future, an inexplicable force prevents me from doing so. It even resists the power of the Eye of Agamotto and forcibly pulls me back to reality."

As Ancient One said this, her tone grew grave. To stop her completely, even while she possessed the Time Stone—none of those Celestials could accomplish that. It could not help but make her think of the Watchers and the Five Great Gods who stood even higher.

In the end, Ancient One did not show that concern on her face. "I cannot interfere with your future, so I hope you can live peacefully and not obstruct this universe's original course of development."

Her tone was incomparably stern, and her expression more solemn than ever before.

"Should any uncontrollable danger arise, it could cause irreversible harm to this universe."

"Do you understand?"

After hearing Ancient One's words, Li Nian silently floated there with his head lowered. He was thinking—thinking about what he could do for the future, what he could change, and what he could make up for.

Li Nian suddenly raised his head and spoke.

"You mean I should live through Vision's original life, quietly wait for Thanos's army to descend upon Earth, and then wait to die?"

Ancient One frowned. She did not agree with Li Nian's words, but neither did she deny them.

"Everything has a reason for existing. Changing things recklessly may only..."

"What if I refuse?"

"?"

"I mean, what if I insist on living according to my own will rather than some so-called predetermined fate? What will happen to me?"

Li Nian floated before Ancient One. The two stood so close they were almost leaning against one another. His eyes were filled with sorrow, causing an inexplicable tremor in the heart.

Ancient One looked into his eyes and remained silent for a long while.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, until Ancient One finally looked away and smiled helplessly.

"Forget it. The future was never controllable to begin with. Perhaps your arrival was arranged by some great god to save us from a crisis."

Ancient One made up a lie she did not quite believe herself to comfort the boy before her.

She lightly waved her hand, and Vision's body, lying on the ground, gradually rose and floated toward Li Nian. Their figures slowly overlapped.

Vision's closed eyes suddenly opened, and the Mind Stone on his forehead shone brightly once more.

"I respect your choice, otherworlder." Ancient One gently placed her hand on Li Nian's chest. "I cannot interfere with the future... but you can... so... I'm leaving everything to you..."

Her eyes were incomparably clear, and her tone more sincere than ever. It was difficult to imagine that Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, a powerhouse at the level of a Skyfather, was entrusting the future to someone who could barely even be called human.

These sudden words caught Li Nian off guard. He covered Ancient One's hand and solemnly nodded. "I will. I will protect Earth's future."

"That's good." Ancient One withdrew her hand with an easy expression. "Your companions are about to lose patience. Our late-night snack ends here."

Ancient One waved her hand. To Li Nian's astonishment, a sparkling ring of light slowly appeared beside them. It was a portal she had opened, and within it was the interior of Avengers Tower.

"Must I say 'please'?" Ancient One asked half-jokingly.

Li Nian still wore that serious expression. Perhaps he was making some other expression, but the emotions a robot could display were simply too limited.

"You still haven't answered my question." Li Nian did not leave in a hurry. He truly needed an answer. "What will happen to me if I don't act according to predetermined fate?"

"Don't dwell on it so much, child." Ancient One had not expected him to be so stubborn. "Countless parallel universes contain countless possibilities for development. Your fate can only be saved by yourself, not by me."

"If you run into any trouble, you can come find me."

Li Nian gave Ancient One a meaningful look. "My fate is mine to decide, not Heaven's. Is that it?"

He stepped into the portal and silently looked at the brilliantly lit scenery beyond the glass, pondering Ancient One's words.

Was I really dragged here by some great god? What was his purpose? And what role am I supposed to play?

The countless questions were enough to overload even his supercomputer-like brain.

Ancient One watched Li Nian leave and quietly sighed at the child's stubbornness.

She suddenly raised her head. Her dark pupils seemed to pierce through countless obstacles and strike directly at the vast, boundless universe as she murmured under her breath.

"Whoever you are, this universe will never become your plaything."

Ancient One smiled. She recalled the last of those ten million futures: a man in a golden cloak leading the Avengers against a colossal body tens of thousands of meters tall, his eyes filled with determination. Though covered in wounds, he still refused to retreat a single step.

"I believe in you, child. And I hope you won't betray my trust."