Even though it was 11 a.m. and the sun was high in the sky, Ronan wished it were the middle of the night.
The reason was simple: New York's time zone was twelve hours behind Kamar-Taj's. In other words, while it was Monday morning 11 a.m. at Kamar-Taj, it was still Sunday night 11 p.m. in New York.
Now, Ronan finally understood.
Why did everything feel off when he returned to this universe?
Because when he left, it was daylight, but when he came back, it was already night. No matter how he thought about it, the time didn't match up!
Ronan never would have thought that after saving the world—well, the boy who saved the world—he'd come back and still have to attend a geography class.
And, of course, finish his homework.
He had less than nine and a half hours before school started.
In these nine and a half hours, Ronan had to complete all his weekend assignments.
He regretted not learning The Images of Ikonn—splitting into hundreds of versions of himself to get the work done would've been way easier.
Five hours later, it was 4 a.m.
The entire New York Sanctum was quiet, except for the lights still shining in Ronan's room.
Ronan swore to himself.
If anyone ever dared say that American students had less homework, he'd find a way to travel back and smack them in the face.
Thanks to Wong's "friendly" assistance, Ronan had only one assignment left by 4 a.m.
The price, of course, was a three-tier burger meal.
Ronan sighed in relief, tossing his pen aside as he collapsed into his chair.
He was utterly exhausted.
This was New York at 4 a.m.!
Some famous athlete who claimed to have seen 4 a.m. in Los Angeles was probably still sleeping peacefully next to his wife right now.
But not Ronan—he couldn't sleep.
And the last assignment he had to finish was a weekend travel essay.
Ronan had no idea where to even start.
He certainly couldn't tell his teacher that he spent the weekend in a parallel universe helping save their Earth, could he?
If he said that, the teacher would probably have to save the classroom rules first.
So, after much consideration, Ronan was left with only one option.
Make it up!
As Ronan tossed his pen down, he noticed the first rays of sunlight creeping through the window.
The sun was beginning to rise slowly in the east, a red dawn pushing upward with unstoppable force.
In the end, Ronan managed to finish all his assignments just before school started.
Though most of the answers were pure guesswork, at least it was done.
Ronan slumped back in his chair, staring blankly at the distant sky.
He, a proud sorcerer of Kamar-Taj, a candidate for Sorcerer Supreme, the boy who defeated Thanos face to face, had never endured such humiliation!
If this got out, Tony Stark 2.0 would laugh himself to death on the spot.
The boy who fought Thanos head-on, who outwitted future enemies…
...still had to finish his homework!!!
Just thinking about it made Ronan tremble.
His body shook with cold fury.
When would this student finally be able to stand tall?
"I have yet to rise, but when I do, change will come!"
Knock knock knock.
As Ronan lay lifeless in his chair, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
Ronan weakly called toward the door.
If he had stayed up playing video games, Ronan would still be full of energy.
But staying up to do homework? That was a whole different story.
"Looks like you finished your homework."
The person who walked in wasn't anyone else—it was the Ancient One.
Seeing it was her, Ronan sat up straight, though he was also a bit curious.
Why was the Ancient One here?
Was she here to supervise his homework?
"Master, what brings you here?"
The Ancient One walked over to Ronan and glanced at the homework scattered on the table.
Even though most of the handwriting was messy, you could still make it out.
Some people thought the Ancient One wasn't very knowledgeable about modern science.
But in reality, if she wanted to get a doctorate in any field, she would ace it without any trouble.
Her knowledge far surpassed what anyone could imagine.
"Looks like you've finished your homework."
The Ancient One shifted her gaze back to Ronan.
"Yeah, cursed Tony Stark and Bruce Banner!"
"One made me lose my weekend, and the other didn't even help me finish my homework."
"The next time I see them, I'm going to give them a surprise they'll never forget!"
Ronan had already written down their names in his little mental notebook.
One broke his promise, and the other sabotaged him behind the scenes.
The next time they met, Ronan would have a big gift waiting for them.
"Since you've finished, I have some good news for you."
The Ancient One smiled at Ronan, but Ronan felt a strange sense of foreboding behind that smile.
Why did that smile seem so familiar?
He had seen it many times before.
"Good news?"
"Please don't tell me that today's actually Saturday… no, wait, today's Sunday, right?"
Ronan swallowed hard. Ever since he returned, he had only eaten one meal.
The rest of the time had been spent cycling through a mix of homework, regret, homework, anger, homework, and rest.
He hadn't even checked the time.
"No, the time is correct. You finished your homework within the deadline."
The Ancient One shook her head.
Hearing this, Ronan finally relaxed.
If it had turned out differently, Ronan would have been beyond furious.
"That's a relief."
"So, what's the good news you mentioned, Master?"
Ronan let out a breath and collapsed back into his chair.
After all, his all-nighter hadn't been in vain, and that was all that mattered!
"The good news is that I've arranged for you to take tomorrow off."
"You'll be going on a little trip with me."
The Ancient One delivered her so-called "good news."
"No problem, Master, wherever you say… wait."
Mid-sentence, Ronan suddenly jumped up from his chair.
He looked at the Ancient One in disbelief.
But the Ancient One merely gave him a confirming nod.
What?!
A day off?!
Ronan felt like his heart shattered into pieces.
Why…
Why didn't you tell me sooner?!
He was still growing!
Staying up all night could seriously affect his development!
And also…
"Where are we going?"
In the end, all of Ronan's thoughts were condensed into one question.
"I have yet to rise, but when I do, change will come!"
Of course, he only said that in his heart.
Perhaps the Ancient One hadn't noticed Ronan's internal turmoil, or maybe she knew he was just joking.
Either way, she didn't seem to care.
She simply glanced out the window.
"We're going to Asgard."
Asgard?
As in, the place where Thor lived?
The legendary realm of the gods, with a treasure vault rumored to be filled with amazing items?
"Master, haven't you been in contact with Asgard this whole time?"
"What do I have to do with it?"
Ronan frowned. He knew about Asgard and that the Ancient One had been in touch with them for a while.
But why was she taking him along this time?
"This was Odin's suggestion."
"He wants the future King of Asgard to meet the future Sorcerer Supreme."