"To me, reality and illusion are not important." The Ancient One smiled at the young man. "The mysteries of the soul, the true face of the world—who can truly see them clearly? For a sorcerer, whatever I believe is real; whatever I doubt is false."
Sean quietly put some distance between them, ignoring the strange looks from passing drivers. He did look rather miserable now. His expensive suit had been torn into strips, and his shoes had been unable to withstand the force of his eruption, leaving them tattered and ruined. He looked like a homeless man.
Even so, the young man remained wary. "We're not fighting anymore?"
The greatest sorcerer on Earth chuckled and said casually, "Continuing would only be a meaningless battle. You're not like those of your kind from before, discovered by sorcerers while still weak enough to be dealt with easily."
The Ancient One walked along the edge of the highway, and Sean naturally followed at her side. For the moment, he could not figure out what she intended to do. The Sorcerer Supreme was the strangest person he had ever met, someone who never played by the rules.
"Imprisoning or destroying you would both come at a great cost. I dislike trouble."
The two strolled beneath the night sky. The sun had long since sunk below the horizon, and dazzling stars dotted the dark heavens.
The Ancient One toyed with the folding fan in her hand and said softly, "I have prevented countless terrible events, yet misfortune always follows one after another. We preserve the order of time, while also trying to alter the final outcome. It is contradictory, yet reasonable."
"Sometimes, I am like Charles. He wanders through the ocean of human minds, while I drift along the river of time between past and