Walking alongside the Ancient One, Ward followed her to her 'private relic vault'. Though, the vault, as she called it, wasn't exactly private… any Master of the Mystic Arts could access it. They simply had to receive her permission first. Getting there was a pain, though.
'The wards surrounding this space are nothing to scoff at.'
'It would be impossible to enter via portal.'
'I wouldn't want to try breaking my way through either.'
This was because the relics which reside here, were… "temperamental in nature", they required a watchful eye. Otherwise, they became a danger to any sorcerer not capable of controlling them. And by extension… a danger to others as well.
'We've been walking for a while…'
Nearing the hallway leading to the vault, Ward spoke at length with the Ancient One, taking the time to tell her a bit about his upcoming plans after leaving Kamar-Taj. She had asked him to stay of course. To be part of 'something more', as she phrased it. And although he was grateful for all she had done for him… Ward knew what was coming.
'Thanos…'
He wanted to stop it. To stop "him", but he also recalled the Arbiters warning. Ward knew that if he exposed to much of what he knew of the future, thereby potentially altering the fate of the MCU, it would be inevitable that "certain forces" would intervene. Unless he was ready to face them, that is. That was also something he had been busy with over the last two years.
Ward made full use of the money he received after his parents' estate was liquated. All six point seven million dollars to be exact. With it, he further increased his own wealth. With his knowledge of the future, he made worthwhile investments in several businesses that he knew would succeed.
He was looking forward to the billions more the returns would earn him. Though, in an overabundance of cation, Ward chose to keep things discreet. Wealth brought with it, its own troubles. And his age limited his options. With that in mind, Ward hired a trustworthy female attorney named Alice Tremaine, to conduct matters on his behalf. She was expensive, but well worth it.
She was also the second person he had come across that had a name he found familiar, the first being his parents attorney, James Madrox, who Ward had since hired to advise him on legal matters. His encounter with these two people shaped his thoughts regarding "whom… and what else" might exist in this universe.
It had led him to some very exciting, and potentially disturbing conclusions… the verification of which he would have to postpone. It was unavoidable, as upon leaving Kamar-Taj, Ward had a certain matter to intervene in before he could attend to anything else.
'How did I end up with so much to do?'
Noticing the Ancient One standing before the vault door, Ward recalled his first encounter with a relic. Growing a bit nostalgic, Ward rubbed his thumb across the surface of the ornately carved, bone ring he now wore on his right index finger.
The ring was his personal relic, the 'The Travelers' Band'. Of course, he hadn't known what it was called when it just showed up on his hand one night. And even worse, he couldn't remove it. Thankfully, after consulting with the Ancient One, he was told that the relic "chose" him. She even told him what she knew of the ring's history.
It had been created sometime after "Atlantis" vanished. Yes, that had been an actual place in this reality. A small, yet potentially crucial piece of information which Ward put away for later. The ring's crafter had carved the ring from a sliver of dragon bone found while searching for his lost child.
Most legends said that the ring protected its creator from unforeseen threats, while others said that the ring guided him to lost souls in need of saving. No matter what the truth was, the one thing all the old legends had in common, was that the rings creator spent the rest of his days in search of his daughter.
Across the world, through the multiverse, he searched for her, not giving up until death finally took him. Thus, his name… "The Traveler". And while the Ancient One couldn't remove the ring in the end, she promised him that it intended him no harm. That was enough to reassure Ward.
'It's hard to believe how attached I've become to an object that I never wanted.'
Passing through the vault door, Ward stood beside the Ancient One, soon losing focus looking around at the many artifacts spread throughout the room. In their dormant state, it was hard to imagine that they were all dangerous. Watching his reactions as he walked about the room, the Ancient One spoke.
"You must use your senses wisely."
"Seek out the artifact that resonates with you…"
"But be careful, for the relics within this room are 'wild' by their very nature."
"In fact, there are not many aside from their original owners that could control them."
Hearing the Ancient Ones words, a single question popped into Wards mind.
'If they can't be controlled, then why offer them to others?'
Smiling at him as if she somehow knew what he was thinking, the Ancient One spoke again.
"Do they not deserve to be wielded?"
"Should they just sit here forever?"
"If they are not given the chance to choose, then they never will."
Hearing the Ancient One's remark, Ward could only sigh in his heart. Although he knew better, he sometimes felt that she could read minds. Still, as always, she was correct. With time and effort, any relic could be bonded with, his lessons had taught him that. Temperamental relics like these simply required a bit more effort, that's all.
Noticing the self-deprecating look on Wards face, the Ancient One laughed lightly.
"My apologies, Grant."
"I was only reminding you that all things in this world have a use."
"It is up to us however, to figure out what that use might be."
Pausing momentarily, she continued.
"Now, why not finish having a look around."
Nodding his head, Ward did exactly that. And fifteen minutes later, he still hadn't found a relic that responded to him. Just as he was beginning to believe that he may not find one at all, a loud banging noise sounded out from behind from a wall he was passing by. Whatever was behind the wall was making a large racket.
"What on Earth?"
Turning towards the noise, Ward heard the Ancient One call out from behind him.
"Step away!"
"The containment ward won't hold for much longer!"
It looked like a solid wall to him, but judging by the Ancient One's reaction, something truly dangerous must be hidden there. Doing exactly as the Ancient One instructed, he managed to back away in time. And not a moment too soon, at that.
Seconds after, the wall burst apart and a magical ward of some kind, shattered. A dark-colored object shot out of the wall and hurtled towards Ward at a speed that difficult for even him to keep track of. He barely managed to catch it before it struck him.
Holding it in his hands, Ward got a good look at what it was. He recognized it immediately. The "Casket of Darkness". It was a container holding the "All-Dark", an entity that consumed life. Once he realized what he was holding, Ward's eyes went cold.
'Oh… I have a bad feeling about this.'
The Ancient One placed her hand on his shoulder and pointed towards a nearby table.
"Place it down on that table Grant."
"And be careful."
"It's undoubtedly attempting to free itself."
Noticing cracks forming in the black material the casket was made from, Ward moved quickly.
'I'm not going to make it!'
As if his thought was somehow the catalyst, the casket began to break apart. Black mist seeped out from inside of it. In a blur of movement, Ward dropped the casket and moved to the Ancient Ones side. All while apprehensively watching as the All-Dark fully emerged from its former cage. Gritting his teeth, Ward spoke.
"Is there another way to contain it?"
"And if not… what happens if it gets out?"
The All-Dark was akin to a massive living shadow, and its only purpose was to devour everything in its path. And while Ward could only assume by its appearance that it was in fact the same All-Dark from his memories, so he recognized the potential danger this being posed to the world.
But as the casket was broken, he was uncertain if it could even be contained again. If that was indeed the case, then the only option left… was to kill it. The unfortunate part was… Ward wasn't certain he could do so. Thankfully, the Ancient One had an answer.
"It cannot be allowed to escape the vault."
"The death and destruction it could cause is inconceivable."
The Ancient One lay down several warding spells to slow the creature advance. She then continued.
"And yes, there is a relic that can contain it…"
"However… it currently resides within the Hong Kong Sanctum."
She paused in her words before continuing.
"Ward, I will remain here to slow it down."
"You must go to Hong Kong and retrieve the relic, it is called…"
Noticing the All-Dark eating through the wards as if they were a light snack, Ward grimaced. Turning to the Ancient One, he smiled softly. He knew why she wanted to send him. For one, this wasn't his responsibility. And, on top of that, she undoubtedly knew how to handle the All-Dark.
There was also the matter of his age. To her, Ward was still a child. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a good plan. Ward was faster than her, but in her efforts to protect him, the Ancient One overlooked three things.
"We don't have time for this, old woman."
"Need I remind you, that thing is headed towards me… not you."
"Even if I leave, can you guarantee that it won't try and follow?"
Despite her wisdom, the Ancient One hated it when someone called her old. Something that Ward found ironic given what she called herself. He didn't do it often, as she could be quite spiteful at times. Even locking him inside the "Mirror Dimension", a plane of existence that ran parallel to theirs, for three whole days. Granted, he had it coming.
"And while it's true that when compared to you, I am barely mediocre when it comes to magic…"
"I am still more than capable of holding my own in a fight."
The All-Dark was eating its way through the last of the Ancient Ones wards. It wasn't even letting her put up more. It would lash out anytime she tried. It even broke out of her attempt to constrict it to the Mirror Dimension. Honestly, if anything, it seemed to be adapting. Which shouldn't be possible, as it wasn't like the All-Dark was sentient. Or at least… it shouldn't be.
"I've also never been to the Hong Kong Sanctum…"
"Would they even believe me, if I told them, that you sent me without proof of some sort?"
Shaking his head, even as the Ancient One tried to protest, Ward closed the distance between them. Placing one hand on her shoulder, he called forth the Omega Effect. In a flash of crimson light, the Ancient One vanished from the vault. Ward had teleported her back outside.
He had wanted to send her straight to Hong Kong, but he wasn't strong enough to do that with all the wards protecting the vault. The Ancient One was likely none too happy seeing that all the wards lining this place couldn't stop him from entering or exiting unimpeded should he desire to. Though, he could guess that after today, the Ancient One would fix it so that it would no longer be an issue.
"Hmm…?"
The All-Dark had finally finished its meal and was now moving towards him at a speed that belied its large size.
"What?"
"After eating all of that, you want desert, too?"
Cracking his knuckles, Ward wore a fearsome expression. Gone was the lost soul who wore the face of another. Gone was the humble student who had so diligently studied the mystic arts for the last two years. And in his place, stood the soldier who bore the scars of war.
"Well, if you're going to try and eat me…"
"You're going to have to work for it!"
Surrounded by the crimson-colored energy of his Omega Effect, Ward slowly walked forward.
---
"Kaecilius!"
A lone man was running fast down a long tunnel. He was attempting to catch up another in the distance.
"Kaecilius!"
Hearing the mans call, the distant figure, Master Kaecilius stopped running. Turning to see who called him, he spoke.
"Master Mordo… come."
"We can speak while we run."
Both men began to run again at top speed. Headed towards the vault at the end of the tunnel. Mordo spoke again.
"The Ancient One told me where to find you, she said you would need my help…"
"She mentioned you would explain."
Looking to his right, at where Mordo was running, Kaecilius responded.
"Something sort of creature got lose inside the vault, Ward is there now."
"He is buying time for the Ancient One to retrieve a relic to re-seal the creature."
"She was unsure of how long he might last against it."
Mordo said nothing else after hearing Kaecilius' words. If a young man as powerful as Ward might not be capable of holding the creature off for long, then it must be truly dangerous. Running for a full ten minutes, both men finally reached the vault.
On arrival, they witnessed Ward hovering in mid-air, while bringing two energy-clad fists, down on a creature that looked like some sort of massive shadow. The creature crashed into the floor of the vault after being struck, then, as if it felt nothing, it struck Ward from three different sides.
Ward was sent spiraling across the room, crashing into a nearby wall. The creature followed, moving at a quick speed. Before it could reach him however, Kaecilius and Mordo brought forth several "Tao Mandala's" a spell that had multiple uses, acting as a barrier in this case. It bought Ward enough time to move away from the creature reach. Approaching the Master's, Ward spoke.
"I appreciate the help."
"That… was a bit too close for comfort."
Noticing that Ward was missing a leg, while using his abilities to hover, Kaecilius responded.
"Your leg…"
"Are you alright?"
Ward looked down at his leg, before nodding his head in reply.
"Hmm."
"I'll heal."
Interrupting, Mordo spoke.
"What is that thing?"
"I… it appears to be eating through our barriers."
Turning his head towards the creature, Ward saw that the All-Dark was nearly upon them. Shaking his head, he replied.
"I don't know what it truly is, but it's tenacious."
"It's managed to shrug off everything I've thrown at it and as you can see… it devours energy."
Motioning at his leg, Ward continued.
"And don't let it grab hold of you."
After fighting the All-Dark, Ward no longer thought of it as the same creature he was familiar with. This thing was smart… and it was growing smarter. It also had some sort of "core". During his fight, Ward had noticed a glowing red energy of some sort moving around inside of it.
It was an energy that was similar to the Omega Effect. Similar, but not the same. And more importantly, it shouldn't be there. The All-Dark didn't have a core at all. At least, it shouldn't. That meant that either the All-Dark from his memory and this one, were two completely different types of creatures, or something was very wrong.
"It also seems to have some sort of… energy core."
"It never stays in one place form what I've seen."
"I think that if we can find it, maybe… separate it from the creature somehow…"
"We might have a chance to slow this thing down."
After hearing his explanation, they formed a plan. Splitting up, they each moved to different sides of the vault. Attacking the creature from all sides, the three men attempted to locate the energy core that Ward had mentioned. It took nearly an hour of harsh combat, but Master Mordo finally called out form his side.
"Here!"
Hearing Mordo shout, Ward moved. Appearing before Mordo, Ward quickly located the glowing-red energy source moving around inside the creature. Surrounding himself with all the energy he could muster, Ward rushed forward at tremendous speed. Striking the core with all his might, it shot out of the creature's body.
As if it were heavily injured, the All-Dark flailed about. It then began to tremble, before going completly still. The Ancient One arrived soon after, using a relic holding the shape of a small golden chest to re-seal the All-Dark. Kaecilius, Mordo, and Ward sat down on the floor, a bit winded from their efforts. After a while, Mordo started laughing. Kaecilius and Ward joined in not long after.
They had survived a life-or-death situation. They had earned the right to be joyful. With the battle over, Ward took the opportunity to use the Omega Effect in order to regenerate his lost limb. Rising, he greeted the Ancient One and thanked her for her help. They all then walked out of the vault, which by this point needed repair. But that wasn't his problem. Standing outside the vault, Ward spoke.
"Farewell, Ancient One."
"Thank you again, for all that you've done for me."
Nodding his head at Master's Kaecilius and Mordo, Ward flew away, headed east across the Pacific Ocean. He wanted to rest a bit, but he couldn't afford to wait. There were things he had to do. Things that could not wait.
---
As she watched her latest disciple fly away, standing beside Master Mordo, the Ancient One reminisced upon the many years she had been alive. On all the wonders she had witnessed. The horrors she had seen. And… upon the things, she had done to stay alive. In all those years however, not once had she seen something like what she had just witnessed.
She had watched Ward fly into the All-Dark. A feat that should have been impossible. One that should have killed him. If she were anyone else, it would likely have appeared to her like the scene out of a fairy tale. But... she wasn't someone else. She knew exactly what such a feat took.
Power… pure, awe-inspiring… breathtaking, power. She had fought extra dimensional beings that lay beyond mortal comprehension, wicked demons, would be gods, hell she had fought actual gods… and not once had she found herself in awe of another.
"Sigh."
'Perhaps I am just getting too old for such things.'
Shaking her head, her thoughts continued.
'But… I fear that fool child has far too many burdens.'
It was the reason she had helped him. It was also the reason that she wished he had chosen to stay. It would have been easier on him. Grant Ward, if that was indeed his true name, was a young man who was in great pain. The Ancient One found it ironic in a sense, that although he was strong in body, his heart was still quite human.
She had understood that fact from the moment they had first met. Ward tried to hide it of course, but he remained far too open hearted for his own good. He tended to wear his heart on his "proverbial sleeve", so to speak…but the Ancient One didn't necessarily see that as a bad thing. After all, the world didn't need more liars.
That honesty of his was the reason she had assigned him to Kaecilius, because she felt that they could help one another. She understood that there were things Ward refused to say, but she also understood that he would not ignore someone who was suffering right in front of him.
And Master Kaecilius was suffering… he had almost lost himself because of it. The death of his wife and son had nearly all but consumed him. And though the Ancient One had tried to reach him, he would no longer heed her counsel. So, she tried something different.
She paired him with disciple who was also in pain yet had chosen not to close himself off from others because of it. And after observing them for a time, she felt that she had made the correct decision. They both showed noticeable signs of improvement. Ward began to achieve emotional balance and Master Kaecilius had started opening himself up to others again, if only a little.
'Kaecilius even felt genuine concern, when he heard that Ward was in trouble.'
'I can only hope…'
"Sigh."
The Ancient One found herself sighing yet again… lost in her own thought's. She felt quite tired for some reason. She truly was getting too old for such things. Closing her eyes, she whispered one last farewell to her departing student.
"Farewell young traveler."
"May you find what your seeking, wherever you may roam."
Then, with her hands behind her back, the Ancient One bid farewell to Mordo, and quietly walked back to her chambers to meditate. It was almost time for her final student to appear, and she must be ready. Reaching her chambers, she noticed something odd resting atop her bed.
A letter addressed to her. From the very student she had just seen off. Its contents, although surprising, were nothing she had not already foreseen. The Ancient One could only shake her head, wondering how long the fool child had known about her secret. Sighing once more, she pondered all the pointless burdens Ward carried with him… and the offer that he had extended to her in his letter.
---
"I didn't expect "you" would be the energy core…"
Ward was holding a small red cube in his hand. He had picked it up after the fight. By his guess, it had acted like a control center for the All-Dark and it also, just so happened to be something that he recognized. Unfortunately, he had no time to deal with it right now. Placing it inside separate dimensional storage space of the Travelers' Band, a feature he had only recently discovered, he turned his focus to the task at hand.
It was now June 10th of 2001. That meant that the first of a set of needless tragedies was about to begin, tragedies that would go unnoticed for years to come. That was why Ward was in a hurry, as he intended to put a stop to those tragedies before they occurred. Of course, he also had other… more practical reasons for intervening.
"What…?"
Ward was crossing the Pacific Ocean while moving at a speed of nearly 40 miles per second. His fastest time yet, when he came to a sudden stop. Looking down upon the ocean from the stratosphere, he focused his senses on the ocean floor.
Scanning the oceans depths with his mind, he filtered through the thoughts of the various deep-sea lifeforms. Touching mind after mind, he searched for what he sought. Though, he wasn't doing so without reason.
Ward had felt something touch his mind, something from beneath the waves. Something powerful. That ruled out nautical life… for the most part, that is. He was more than certain it wasn't a sea creature, but he had always held the opinion that it never hurt to be thorough.
'Hmm…'
'Whatever it is, it pulled back the moment it realized that I noticed.'
"There."
Done scanning the depths, he flew down to the ocean surface, his sight resting upon a specific location on the ocean floor. He could barely make it out. It was deep beneath the waves, but it was there. A massive city with beautiful architectural structures that he didn't recognize.
'There's more than one consciousness down there.'
"Sigh"
"I don't have time for this right now."
Turning to leave, he caught sight of his appearance, reflected at him from atop the water's surface. He was now eighteen years old and looked like a young "Brett Dalton", the actor that had played Grant Ward on 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'.
The only differences being his height and his musculature. His current self, stood at six foot four, and he was built like fitness model "Chase Savoie". Every muscle on his body was rock hard and clearly defined. He looked like a Greek God. Of course, that was just his opinion.
The only problem he had with his appearance was his hair and clothing. Ward had allowed his hair to grow for two years, and he was still wearing a set of robes he received while at Kamar-Taj. Reaching up to stroke his long beard, Ward remembered where he was headed.
"Yeah… this isn't going to work."
It was time to freshen up. Utilizing a few easy to use "Transmutation Spells", he ran his fingers through his hair. At the same time, his robes began to change shape and color. His beard became finely trimmed and his hair shortened rapidly. By the time it was done, he looked much more presentable.
With his hair now coifed, wearing a dark grey suit and black overcoat to complete the look, it was time for him to keep his "appointment". With his eyes aglow, he disappeared in midair amidst a flash of crimson light, only to reappear hovering high up in the air, over a countryside mansion. Smiling to himself, Ward spoke.
"Hello, Los Angeles."