There were three small desks in the classroom. The Ancient One smiled and invited Lin Ze, Paimon, and Stephen to take their seats.
"Next, I will teach you how to use spells. I know you have come here for different reasons. Mr. Aether wishes to explore the mysteries of time, Strange wishes to heal his injured hands, and Paimon..."
"Wants to conjure up yummy food whenever she likes!"
Floating above her seat, Paimon raised her little hand and blurted out her answer.
"Haha, yes."
The Ancient One wasn't upset by Paimon's interruption. She placed a book in front of each of them.
They picked up their books and examined them curiously. The pages were packed with writing none of them could understand.
"This mystical language has existed since the dawn of civilization. Long ago, the masters called this language spells."
The Ancient One patiently explained, "The writing in this book is Ancient Sanskrit. I don't expect you to master it completely, but you mustn't mispronounce the spells."
Stephen frowned slightly. Although he had encountered many things on his journey that defied his previous understanding, he had always been a staunch materialist. Abandoning his ingrained way of thinking so abruptly was genuinely difficult.
Spells and sorcery were hard for him to comprehend as he was now.
The Ancient One seemed to notice Stephen's inner conflict. Understanding flickered in her eyes. "I understand, Stephen. If calling them spells feels too unrealistic to you, think of them as programs."
She continued slowly, "These programs are the source code that builds reality. We gather power from other dimensions in the multiverse."
As she spoke, the Ancient One raised both hands, moving them sideways and turning them over.
Golden-red lines of magic suddenly appeared before them. Following the movements of her hands, they gradually formed