Roads and Boundaries

Ancient One's portal did not open directly in Kamar-Taj or a Sanctum, but beneath a boundless starry sky—this was the Mirror Dimension she had created, yet it was far grander and infinitely more stable than the one Li Wei had constructed. The stars moved with an eternal rhythm. The two stood atop a floating meteorite, with a slowly rotating nebula beneath their feet.

"A very unique reception room." Li Wei spoke first, his tone calm. Startrail on his right arm glimmered faintly beneath the starlight. Ancient One's gaze did not linger on the armguard for long. Instead, he looked straight into Li Wei's eyes, his gaze seeming to pierce through time and glimpse countless possibilities.

"Li Wei, your rate of growth has exceeded my expectations." Ancient One's voice echoed through the starry sky. There was no rebuke in it, only the calmness of a statement of fact. "Magic, an entirely new spiritual power, an assassin's killing arts... and this creation, which ingeniously combines spatial technology, energy guidance, and the beginnings of causal interference. You are like a sponge, greedily absorbing power from different sources and forcibly kneading it all together."

He paused, and his tone gained a trace of gravity. "This way of growing is filled with predation. And predation is often accompanied by costs and... uncontrollable risks. The faint threads of causality from other worlds winding around you, along with that barely perceptible scent of blood, all prove it." Li Wei's heart tightened slightly. He knew Ancient One had likely already sensed what he had done in other worlds. He did not deny it, nor could he.

"Master, you have protected Earth for centuries. You surely understand better than anyone that power itself is neither good nor evil. What matters is the person who wields it, and whether the 'amount' of power they possess is sufficient." Li Wei answered frankly. "My circumstances, and the fragments of the future I have glimpsed, have both told me that steady, step-by-step cultivation cannot withstand the coming storm. I need to become stronger faster. I need to control more 'variables.'"

"So you chose the path of 'predation'?" Ancient One pressed. "Do you know what chain reaction will be triggered by arbitrarily altering the course of other worlds and harvesting their core power? The backlash from the fates of those worlds you have changed may one day trace the threads of causality back to you, and even to this world you inhabit." "I know." Li Wei nodded, his gaze sharp. "But I know even better that if I am not strong enough, I will not even be qualified to endure that backlash. Thanos's snap, Dormammu's devouring, and the many beings farther still who watch this dimension... which one is not a sword hanging over our heads? If I bind my own hands out of fear of an unknown backlash, the final outcome may be the fall of the entire world."

He raised his right hand, and the runes on Startrail glimmered faintly. "As for the risks... I have always tried to keep them under control. I plunder, but I do not destroy without restraint. I fuse, but my own will always remains in command. This Startrail has indeed touched upon a trace of fate's course, but its core is 'guidance' and 'control,' not 'alteration' and 'enslavement.' I believe you can sense the difference." Ancient One fell silent for a moment as the starry sky slowly turned around him. He was weighing the matter. Through the Time Stone, he could see countless futures. Li Wei's appearance truly was an immense variable. In the overwhelming majority of bleak futures, there was no sign of him. Yet in the few possibilities where hope emerged, even where despair was reversed, this young mage left active traces—though his methods... were deeply controversial. Ancient One had seen Li Wei's decisive and ruthless side, but he had also seen the "bottom line" Li Wei was trying to explain. More importantly, he had seen the "connection" in the depths of Li Wei's soul to this world—not born of selfless love, but more like the maintenance of a "home base." Even so, that could likewise become the driving force behind protection.

After a long while, Ancient One slowly spoke, his tone carrying a faint, almost imperceptible weariness and... compromise? "You are right. The crises of the future will require sufficient strength to face them. Kamar-Taj's path may not be the only road leading to protection." He looked at Li Wei. "I will not stop you from walking your path, Li Wei. But I need you to understand and promise two things." "Please, go on." Li Wei's expression turned solemn.

"First, boundaries." Ancient One's gaze was blazing. "Your predation must not come at the cost of completely destroying a world that is developing healthily. Your actions must not deliberately draw irresistible disasters to Earth and its affiliated dimensions. That is the bottom line." "Agreed." Li Wei accepted without hesitation. He had never been a destruction fanatic.

"Second, responsibility." Ancient One continued. "Power brings responsibility. You have grown strong through predation, and you must also bear the causality that comes with that strength. When this universe, when this world needs you, I hope you will stand on the side of protection rather than watch coldly from the sidelines, or even... take advantage of the chaos." Li Wei smiled. "Master, I invested in Stark and stabilized my own foothold. The premise of all that is a world that continues to exist. If the world is destroyed, would my investments not go down the drain? Whether for sentiment or reason, when a disaster threatens my own continued existence, I will act. Of course, the 'price' and method of my intervention will be decided by me."

That nearly naked declaration of self-interest instead brought a flicker of reassurance to Ancient One's eyes. Clear demands for benefit were more trustworthy than empty promises. "Very good." Ancient One nodded. "Then we have reached an understanding. You may continue on your path, but you must strictly uphold the boundaries and be prepared to bear responsibility."

With a wave of his hand, the starry sky around them shifted, and the two returned to Li Wei's apartment living room, as though nothing had happened. "Your Startrail is very interesting." Ancient One gave the armguard one final look. "Its principles of controlling energy and trajectories have even given me inspiration. Perhaps in the future, we can have a deeper... exchange regarding 'dimensional positioning' and 'energy trajectory stabilization.'"

After saying that, a sparking portal appeared beside him once more. He stepped through it and vanished.

Li Wei looked at the place where Ancient One had disappeared and slowly let out a breath. This interrogation had been less a warning than an "authorization" that defined the scope of his actions. Ancient One had acknowledged his path and tacitly permitted his existence, so long as he did not cross the line. This undoubtedly cleared away the greatest potential obstacle to his future actions. He lowered his head and stroked Startrail's cold surface, his gaze becoming resolute and profound. "Boundaries and responsibility... I will remember them. Then next, it is time for Startrail to truly taste blood, and for certain people to learn that the 'Predator' exists."