When Ronan regained consciousness, it was another familiar day.
The familiar "sorcerer training" wake-up call and the familiar atmosphere greeted him once more.
Ronan shielded his eyes from the sunlight with his left hand, and immediately a sharp pain shot through it.
"Ouch... this is excruciating!"
There was no doubt in his mind—muscle tear, for sure!
His left arm was wrapped tightly in bandages like a mummy, and the pungent smell of herbal medicine was noticeable.
It was Kamar-Taj's special remedy, specifically for treating muscle injuries.
However, the amount used on Ronan seemed a bit excessive.
Feeling the pain from both his head and left arm, Ronan winced and couldn't help but gasp.
"Damn..."
"So using that thing drains mental strength too?"
"And what kind of Mirror Dimension did the master use yesterday? I only used it once, and it completely wiped out my mental energy!"
Ronan rubbed his temples with his right hand, muttering to himself.
Given his current mental strength, it wasn't the best, but it was far from weak.
He remembered Ebony Maw—back then, Ebony Maw thought he was unstoppable with just a few stars' worth of power.
Too bad he ran into Ronan, who was basically cheating.
Grumble, grumble.
Ronan's stomach growled in protest.
So, amidst the sound of his own discomfort, Ronan slowly made his way out of his bedroom.
He needed to find something to eat.
Wong and Mordo were patrolling the training grounds, keeping an eye on the trainees.
The ever-scheming Kaecilius stood off to the side, watching the surroundings with a sinister air.
When Kaecilius saw Ronan appear, his expression darkened noticeably.
Ronan couldn't help but roll his eyes at him.
Villains are so obvious; your expression gives you away. You don't even blend in with the others.
And those people following you… they all look like they belong to the dark side!
Your villainous face is just too noticeable!
Ronan couldn't quite remember when exactly Kaecilius defected, but for now, at least, he was still at Kamar-Taj with no intention of leaving.
However, the librarian had warned him several times not to look through forbidden books anymore.
It seemed Kaecilius's betrayal wasn't far off.
The first thing Ronan did after leaving his room was rush to the kitchen, where he ate three large bowls of rice with the leftovers.
To clarify, the "bowls" Ronan referred to were soup bowls.
As a sorcerer, Ronan needed to train daily, which consumed a lot of energy.
Soup bowls had become his standard for serving rice.
When Ronan finally left the kitchen, stuffed and satisfied, he happened to run into Mordo.
"Ronan, the Ancient One is looking for you. She said to head to the temple after you woke up."
"She's waiting for you inside."
Hearing this, Ronan rubbed his belly and flashed an "OK" gesture before heading toward the temple.
Off to the side, Kaecilius was fuming with jealousy!
Why?!
Why was this good-for-nothing, who did nothing but eat and laze around, considered the next Sorcerer Supreme?
And why couldn't Kaecilius, the most talented sorcerer at Kamar-Taj, get the Ancient One's attention?
The fire of envy burned within him.
Of course, this was mostly Ronan's imagination—none of it was real.
But Ronan did notice Kaecilius's expression shift when Mordo mentioned the Ancient One waiting for him.
Is this another case of "unrequited love," except in this case, Kaecilius's object of desire was the title of Sorcerer Supreme?
Ronan didn't worry too much—Kaecilius was nothing he couldn't handle himself.
Upon entering the temple, Ronan found the Ancient One seated calmly, as usual, sipping tea.
"Master, you wanted to see me?"
Ronan quickly walked over and plopped down in front of her.
He couldn't help but wonder how the Ancient One spent her days—no TV, no phone, and she rarely went outside.
Ronan doubted he'd ever achieve that kind of discipline.
"You're feeling better?"
The Ancient One didn't answer his question directly; instead, she inquired about Ronan's condition.
After all, it was she who had brought him back to his room the previous day, removed the gauntlet, and applied the medicine.
"I'm mostly fine, though my head and arm still hurt a bit."
Ronan instinctively raised his arm, only for the pain to surge through him again.
"Ouch..."
Ronan had lost count of how many times he'd winced from the pain.
Even his teeth felt cold from all the gasping.
"You were too reckless. The power of the Infinity Stones is immense, but not something easily controlled."
"Don't attempt such reckless things again."
The Ancient One didn't scold him harshly, merely offering advice.
Ronan nodded in agreement.
Next time?
There won't be a next time!
"master, I have a question."
"The Mirror Dimension you used yesterday—it was different from your usual one, right?"
"That's why my mental energy got completely drained."
Ronan asked tentatively.
Although his own Mirror Dimension had grown stronger through training, the Ancient One's version seemed on a whole different level.
And of course, Ronan's Mirror Dimension was unique compared to hers.
It was a fascinating difference.
"The Mirror Dimension works differently for everyone who casts it."
"Yours is different from mine, and mine is different from others. That's perfectly normal."
The Ancient One didn't directly answer his question but, seeing Ronan's confused expression, continued,
"What's important is that the Space Stone lets you feel spatial fluctuations."
"It also allows you to measure the strength of space."
"So next time you use it, make sure to protect yourself."
"As for my Mirror Dimension, the fact that you didn't become mentally impaired means your mental strength far exceeds any human I've ever known."
Perhaps her final remark was meant to satisfy Ronan's curiosity, or maybe it was a warning about the limits of his mental strength.
Either way, Ronan now had a better understanding.
"Since you've chosen to use the power of the stone, I will take you somewhere over the next few days."
"I'll be giving you some special training."
"I'll teach you how to harness the energy within the stone."
The Ancient One's words shocked Ronan.
Wait, the Ancient One knows how to use the power of the Space Stone too?
But he quickly came to terms with it.
The Space Stone had been on Earth for many years—of course, the Ancient One must have used it before.
S.H.I.E.L.D. only got hold of it in the 1990s, thanks to Nick Fury.
But what about before that?
Given how long the Ancient One had lived, it was impossible that she didn't know the capabilities of the Space Stone.
So, it was perfectly reasonable that she was familiar with its power.
Still, Ronan was curious—what exactly was the Ancient One going to teach him?