Tony's question echoed through the frozen air, but no one answered immediately.
His gaze remained fixed on where Ancient One had appeared moments ago, trying to find traces of some magical mechanism, but finding nothing.
When he turned toward the composed trio across from him, he felt his genius mind experiencing an information overload it could not process for the first time.
Hua Wei did not answer Tony directly. Instead, he turned to Neos beside him and calmly introduced, "This is Ancient One, Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. For a long time, she protected this planet alone, resisting threats from other dimensions."
He paused, then added meaningfully, "In some ways, she is very much like your former self—lonely, bearing the burden of an entire civilization's survival, forging ahead through the darkness."
A flicker of emotion passed through Neos's otherwise calm eyes.
He adjusted his rimless glasses and studied Ancient One carefully once more.
His gaze no longer carried lofty scrutiny, but respectful curiosity. Protecting the world alone? He understood that weight and loneliness all too well.
The shock in Ancient One's heart was equally beyond words. Not only did they know of her existence, they even knew her identity, duties, and the burden behind them! The feeling of being seen through completely unsettled her more than losing her view of the timelines.
She steadied herself and looked at Neos. "It seems that the abrupt changes in the timeline were caused by the power you unintentionally leaked. Your very existence has... disrupted this world's fundamental rules."
Neos pondered briefly, then nodded frankly.
He had only just acquired psionic power and arrived in an entirely new universe. He truly had not yet fully reined in his immense strength.
"My control over my power is still lacking. Influencing the course of this world unintentionally was