Waking up, Liam's entire body ached. Slowly, he blinked the grogginess from his eyes and took in his surroundings. The room he was in looked ancient—wooden doors, old carpets, and curtains with a design he hadn't seen anywhere in modern New York. The walls were decorated with worn-out fabric, and as he glanced through a rusted iron-barred window, he saw what appeared to be a busy alley, not a street.
"Kamar-Taj… they must have moved me here while I was passed out," Liam realized.
Getting out of bed, he stretched and walked out of the room. As he stepped into the corridor, other people moved past him, all wearing traditional robes, absorbed in their own tasks. Following the flow of the place, Liam made his way down a set of stairs and headed toward what looked like an open courtyard—the training grounds of Kamar-Taj. His goal was clear: find The Ancient One.
"Looking for someone, Liam Hawthorne?" a calm voice said from behind.
Liam turned around, instantly recognizing the figure standing before him. The Ancient One, her expression peaceful, stood with a small smile. Beside her was a familiar face—Wong. He wasn't a librarian yet, but Liam recognized him immediately from the Doctor Strange movies, known for his amazing sense of humor.
"Hello, Ancient One," Liam greeted, trying to remain composed. Then he turned to Wong and introduced himself with a nod.
"Follow me," The Ancient One said, her voice steady as she waved her hand, creating a portal. The gateway revealed another room on the other side, Liam followed her without hesitation.
The Ancient One gestured to a chair, and Liam sat down. Wong moved silently in the background, pouring tea for The Ancient One. As she sipped from her cup, her gaze settled on Liam, making his skin crawl.
"Thank you, Wong," The Ancient One said. "You can leave now."
Wong nodded and left, leaving The Ancient One and Liam alone.
"So," she began, her voice casual, "what is your purpose here, Liam Hawthorne?"
Liam met her gaze. "I want to learn. Please, teach me the mystical arts."
The Ancient One chuckled softly, but there was no warmth in it. "The mystical arts? Is that what you seek? The same arts we've used for centuries to protect this dimension from invaders and catastrophic dangers?" Her tone shifted, becoming sharper. "Why would we teach someone whose very presence has already thrown this dimension into chaos?"
Liam's heart skipped a beat as she stared him down. Her expression wasn't one of anger, but of careful examination—like she was looking past him, into him.
"You have caused quite a disturbance, Liam," she continued, her eyes flicking briefly to Incursio, which now rested dormant on his back. "Since that weapon of yours entered this world, the original timeline has gone off course. When you were first reborn here, I ignored you, thinking you'd live out your life peacefully. An error in judgment, perhaps. But ever since your weapon appeared, the threads of time have become tangled and more difficult to observe."
Liam swallowed. "I had no idea… I never meant to cause any harm. One moment, I was in my world, studying history, and the next, I was here, reborn as a baby." He paused, trying to find the right words. "I don't know how or why it happened, but I'm not here to destroy anything."
The Ancient One studied him in silence for a moment before setting her cup down.
"You misunderstand me, Liam. It's not your intentions that concern me, but your very existence here. Your presence, and that weapon… they do not belong. The natural order of this universe is already in chaos." Her tone softened, but the tension in the room only grew. "Your desire for power, for knowledge—it's understandable. Especially since you appear to have knowledge about this universe and its future. But you must understand the cost."
Liam clenched his fists. "I know I don't belong here, but I believe that this was an opportunity given to me. The battles that are coming—the wars—I can't run from them. I want to help, not tear things apart."
The Ancient One's eyes narrowed. "The battles you speak of—what makes you believe you should be involved? That your interference won't make things worse than what you already know?"
"Because doing nothing isn't an option," Liam said. "I know the threats that are coming—Thanos, the Infinity Stones, the invasion of Earth, all of them. If I don't get stronger, I'll just be another person waiting to die or be forced to watch billions die."
"You think you know quite a lot about this universe, don't you, Liam?" The Ancient One asked, her tone pointed. "While you know certain future events, what about the ones you don't know about? What about the ones from different dimensions? I doubt you've seen those threats, have you? Your influence on future battles might thin or break the barriers that keep out multiversal threats. What about those, Liam? Are you going to fight them too?"
"I will," Liam said.
"Arrogance," The Ancient One said coldly, her tone tinged with disappointment.
Suddenly, the room shifted around them. The Ancient One raised her hand, and the walls of the room melted away. In their place, vast expanses of different realities came into view—endless dimensions, each with its own cosmic dangers, some on the brink of collapse. Liam's breath stopped as he watched a universe consumed by dark matter, another shattered by unknown forces.
"This is the multiverse," The Ancient One's voice echoed, filling his mind. "The reality you know is but a small part of it. Every action you take here ripples across dimensions. You are a stone thrown into an infinite pond, and every ripple could bring ruin. Are you ready to face threats from beyond this reality? To bear the burden of potentially destroying entire worlds you have never seen?"
"Since it's my fault that this is happening, I will fight with everything I have if it ever comes to that," Liam said resolutely.
The room fell into silence, the air filled with tension. After what felt like an eternity, The Ancient One finally spoke, her voice no longer sharp, as if the entire conversation hadn't happened.
"Very well, Liam. If you seek power, I will not stop you. But know this: the path you're choosing is one of immense danger. You will not just learn the arts to protect yourself—you will learn to protect the very fabric of this universe. And the more you learn, the more you'll risk destabilizing everything."
Liam nodded. "I understand."
The Ancient One stood, gesturing for Liam to follow her once more. "Then come. Your training begins soon."