Kamar-Taj was a secluded village in the Himalayas, and a sacred place in the world of magic.
Yang Bo sat on a stool, watching the howling snowstorm outside the window. A steaming cup of tea sat before him.
Across from him sat the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, her eyes unfocused. She was observing the future through the Eye of Agamotto, which glowed green against her chest.
She had been like this for a while. After Yang Bo had followed her to Kamar-Taj and chatted with her about a few things, the Ancient One had begun using the Time Stone to look into the future.
He lifted his cup and took a sip, a delicate fragrance filling his mouth. Even though he rarely drank tea, he could tell that nothing he had tasted before could compare to this.
He had come to Kamar-Taj as a guest at the Ancient One's invitation. He was very interested in the Portal spell.
If I could learn to open Portals, I'd never have to worry about suddenly getting transported to another world while going to the bathroom again!
Even after several days, he still dreaded going to the bathroom. The incident had probably scarred him for life.
"I can't see you!"
The Ancient One's sudden words startled Yang Bo, who had been wondering how to ask her to teach him the Portal spell.
He quickly put down his cup and asked, "What can't you see?"
The Ancient One looked at him with a complicated expression. "You don't appear in any future timeline, even though you're standing right before me. Your existential rank is higher than that of the Eye of Agamotto!"
The Eye of Agamotto was the vessel that housed the Time Stone. It possessed nearly limitless power within this universe, allowing the Ancient One to observe the future of the entire cosmos.
Yet no matter how she looked, she couldn't see Yang Bo in any vision of the future. Even just one second ahead, the room contained only her and a teacup floating in midair.
She had never encountered anything like this before, and she had no idea whether it was good or bad.
Yang Bo was baffled by her words.
What does she mean, she can't see me? Is the Time Stone broken?
Yang Bo didn't particularly care that the Ancient One couldn't see him in the future. He wasn't native to the Marvel Universe, after all. Perhaps the Time Stone simply had no jurisdiction over him. Right now, all he wanted to know was whether he could learn the Portal spell.
After thinking for a moment, he said to the Ancient One:
"Um... Ancient One, could I learn the Portal spell?"
The Ancient One nodded slightly at his question. "Anyone with the talent can learn. If you want to learn magic, you must first meditate and use your spiritual power to connect with extradimensional gods!"
"Gain their approval and sign the appropriate contracts, allowing you to use their magic!"
Yang Bo froze, then asked uneasily, "Do I have to borrow a god's power? Can't I gain it through my own training?"
The gods of the Marvel Universe weren't easy to deal with. Everything came with a price set long in advance, especially contracts. He might end up signing himself away.
He didn't have the Ancient One's strength. She borrowed energy from the Dark Dimension every day, and when Dormammu, the lord of darkness, finally came to collect, she beat him back and even threatened him.
I borrowed that energy fair and square! Why the hell should I pay it back?
"Of course you can. However, an ordinary apprentice mage would need roughly five years of study to cast a Portal using their own power! If you're willing, I can arrange for someone to teach you right now!"
The Ancient One said it with complete composure, as though five years were no more than the blink of an eye to her.
The answer made Yang Bo wince.
That was just to cast a Portal. Whether it could transport him over long distances was another question entirely. Was he really supposed to spend eight or ten years studying just so he could go to the bathroom?
"If you want to learn magic a little faster, I can help you take a look at the multiverse..."
As she spoke, the Ancient One suddenly stood and swiftly struck Yang Bo in the chest with her palm. A surge of force sent his body flying backward.
Everything around Yang Bo seemed to slow down, including his own movements. It was his first time experiencing such a strange sensation.
At that moment, he understood what the Ancient One meant by looking at the multiverse. When Doctor Strange had learned magic in the movie, she had struck his chest like this too, sending his soul into a bizarre space.
Smack!
Time around him suddenly returned to normal, and Yang Bo landed on his backside. He checked his health and saw that he had lost a heart and a half, leaving him astonished.
Holy shit, that little tap did more damage than an ordinary handgun??
He dusted off his backside and got up, staring at the Ancient One as though she were a living weapon.
The Ancient One, too, was watching him with a deeply complicated expression. Her gaze made his skin crawl, and he couldn't help asking, "Ancient One, what's wrong? Weren't you going to let me see the multiverse?"
"Your soul and body are fused together. They cannot be separated at all. Your body is your soul, and your soul is your flesh!"
"You cannot learn the magic of Kamar-Taj!"
Hearing her words, he wasn't particularly worried about the condition of his body.
He could resurrect, after all. It was only natural for his body and soul to be a little unusual. What he couldn't accept was being unable to learn the Portal spell.
Beside him, the Ancient One's gaze was eager. She was intensely curious about Yang Bo's body. She had never imagined that someone like him could exist, with flesh and soul perfectly fused together. If she could achieve the same thing, perhaps her body would no longer break down.
"Don't lose heart. I believe you have your own path!"
Her words suddenly brought Yang Bo to his senses.
I've got a cheat of my own! A mere Portal spell isn't even worth my time! If I get a travel map mod with teleportation one day, I'll be able to go wherever I want!
Once he thought it through, Yang Bo felt refreshed. All his frustration over being unable to learn magic vanished.
Two days later.
Dressed in black mage's robes, Yang Bo was sent back to Central Park in New York by the Ancient One.
His trip to Kamar-Taj had been richly rewarding. Most importantly, his inventory was now packed with all sorts of items. It couldn't be helped-the Ancient One had wanted to learn about his special abilities.
He turned and waved at the rather unhappy-looking Ancient One through the spark-lined Portal. A moment later, it dissolved into thin air.
"The Ancient One's being a little stingy. All I did was mine up a few pieces of antique furniture. Isn't this what happened because you wanted to see my abilities?"
Once home, Yang Bo first took his favorite rosewood tea table out of his inventory, complete with a tea set on top. Items came out of his inventory in exactly the same state they had gone in, so the tea was still steaming. He took a gentle sip.
"Ah... now this is living!"
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