The passage of time is a curious thing. It affects everyone. Unless you were a human or a god who controlled time and space itself.
The Ancient One sensed a disruption in the timeline. He was greatly perplexed by such a drastic change in the events of their Universe.
People who were going to die were going to live. People who were going to live were going to die. All the changes were inspired by a man. A man who was considered the savior and messiah of mankind. He saw people worshiping the very ground he walked on. He saw mankind prosper as never before, even after it had witnessed wars on a scale it had never seen. 9
Everything revolved around one man. A man whose identity remained unknown. A man he couldn't figure out even with the help of the Time Stone.
The Ancient One could only hope that his successor would be able to deal with him. But then, he was probably overthinking things. Strange was destined to be the greatest of the Sorcerer Supremes. He would be far better placed to judge the man's motives.
He had great faith in the next Supreme Sorcerer of Earth. After all, he always did the right thing.
It was evening. Central Park was almost empty, except for one person. A boy of about thirteen was sitting alone on one of the benches. In his hands was a new touchscreen mobile phone that he had bought today.
The boy had beautiful features. You could say he was very handsome for his age. He had dark blond hair and dark eyes. His nose was small, he was dressed in ordinary jeans and a T-shirt.
Suddenly a Porsche stopped at the park gate. A boy of about ten got out of the car and entered the gate.
The boy walked towards the small child with a smile on his face.
- Lex. We did it. I managed to hack into MIT. You were right about everything, my friend! - the boy exclaimed happily. He didn't bother to check his little friend's personal space and immediately embraced him.
Robert and Lex couldn't help but sigh at the antics of the boy in front of them. Benjamin Drake was one of his seniors, maybe even a close friend despite his age. He had been pushing him to go to MIT to study chemical engineering. They had a paint business. They were one of the wealthy families in London.
However, Benjamin, or simply Ben, was very weak in chemistry, physics and mathematics. He took lessons from the greatest London professors, but he had problems in these subjects.
Their chance meeting happened unexpectedly. The boy left his textbook in the cafeteria, and the teacher asked Lex to return it. He was interested in the math textbook, which was not taught at school. Out of boredom, he solved all the problems in 32 minutes. He could have done it earlier if he had not drunk tea in between.
The boy was shocked to see the solved book. He asked him about the questions and was shocked to learn that he had solved the questions himself. As a result, the boy brought him a series of tests. Lex easily solved them. After that, the boy decided to bother him more about these subjects. Like an annoying pest, he began asking him his absurd questions.
However, his doubts were amusing. Why do we need calculus? What is the tangent of a given angle? And what is the use of it?
However, he remained calm and answered all the questions. After all, the boy was paying him to clear his doubts. He gave him the basics on all the questions and predicted the various answers.
"So you're going to clear the entrance?" Lex asked with a smile on his face, looking at the boy in front of him.
"Hell yeah!" Ben replied, grinning from ear to ear. He had double-checked his knowledge with his tutors, and they had confirmed his beliefs. He had answered all the questions correctly. And it was all thanks to the boy in front of him.
"I even brought you a laptop as a thank you," Ben said, taking it out of the bag he was carrying on his back.
"Take it. Consider it a thank you gift from your friend," Ben said with a casual smile. The idea was his father's. His parents had met Lex. The boy had charmed them with his charisma and intelligence. There had even been talk of adopting the boy from the orphanage.
However, Lex refused this offer. Apparently, he wanted to remain an orphan, since this was his essence, with which he had already fully come to terms. Ben found this strange, but he came to terms with Lex's desire.
He knew Lex was destined for greater things. It wasn't hard to tell, seeing the intelligence and wisdom in his words. The boy was a natural genius. Ben could bet his entire family fortune on him becoming a polymath.
The boy certainly had the necessary abilities. He was the best in his class. He always got excellent grades in everything. His academic record was clean. He was friendly with everyone. He won first place in sports sections. There was not a single area in which he did not understand something.
He was also never overconfident. Ben had seen inferior people boasting about their achievements or knowledge. This boy had a well-developed humility. His words were always measured, and he never showed disrespect to anyone.
Lex took the bag. It was strange that the orphanage matron had named him Lex. What an irony of fate! he thought cheerfully.
He wasn't complaining. His thoughts were mostly about Lex Luthor. It just made him more receptive to that persona. Robert was very small compared to Lex. The Robert part simply served as a countermeasure to Lex's inhumanly large ego. Otherwise, everything in his mind was exclusively Lex Luthor.
This world was weird. It wasn't the MCU.
There were mutants. Plus there were various mutants that weren't in the movies. With the amount of mentions of them in the news, it was easy to miss them.
That made one thing clear. This world was different from the MCU. But it wasn't exactly like the comics either.
There were changes in it. Absurd changes.
However, he took it all in stride.
He opened the bag and found a strange thing. There was a check in the bag. He took the check and read it.
Ben's father donated £10,000 to his orphanage.
He looked into the bag again because he felt that something was wrong with the laptop. When he looked inside, he found ten bundles of notes. They were £10 notes each.
He looked at Ben, confused. Ben just winked at him and laughed.
"My father has been very generous today. Besides, consider this a thank you from the Drake family. And consider the package with 50 pounds as an extremely grateful gift from your dashing friend," Ben said with a gentle smile on his face.
Lex nodded grimly.
It's really weird to be a genius orphan in a world of superheroes and supervillains.
'It takes money to make more money.'
It was one of those immutable truths. A truth that Lex knew very well.
Lex was ecstatic. He loved his genius mind. Lex Luthor was a man whose genius knew no bounds. His limits were limited only by his personal ego. He spoke of the man who turned the sun red in his quest for revenge against Superman. The man who created armor to fight one of the most powerful beings in his universe.
His achievements only prove that it was the best choice.
If he took Bruce Wayne's mind, there's a good chance he would be Batman in this world.
Bruce Wayne was smart. Maybe on par with Lex Luthor. But he had serious problems.
Anyone who read the comics knew that Batman was his personality. Bruce Wayne was just his mask. He spent years honing his mind for this purpose. If he took the mind of Batman or Bruce Wayne. There's a good chance he would have inherited some personality disorders from his mind.
He wasn't sure about that. But it was one of the best reasons. He justified his choice of Lex Luthor to himself.
Thanks to Ben, he now owned the latest model laptop from the best laptop company.
It's time to use the laptop.
He was hungry for knowledge. There were a few things he wanted to understand. The X-Men existed, and this wasn't the MCU. That meant there was already a possibility of war between mutants and others.
He could take advantage of it.
But there was one big problem.
He had no superpowers. That was one of his biggest flaws. He also had no knowledge of combat. Sure, Lex Luthor had trained with the Amazons and knew how to fight. But the problem was his body. He wanted to become a skilled hand-to-hand fighter. However, his young body was a problem.
Having the memories of a peak fighter and not having a body to carry them out are two different things. What good are memories if the body isn't equipped to handle them.
He couldn't risk everything just because of his intelligence! Not everyone could be convinced by sound arguments. Some needed convincing.
There were various options to choose from.
Extremis, super soldier serum or another way to strengthen the body.
Magic was also an option. He could go to Kamar Taj and study the mystical arts. Or he could follow Doctor Doom's path and learn magic here and there.
The last option was interesting. However, there was one problem. He did not know any teachers of the mystical arts.
This presented him with many problems.
However, he was now working on another project.
On the project he was going to focus on going forward.
He wanted to make a name for himself in the field of science and technology. The government valued smart people very much.
If he succeeds, he will gain many advantages. An Internet search led him to learn about Reed Richards.
It turned out that he, Reed, was already about 18 years old. Only 5 years older than him. He was already famous for his intellect, which was mentioned in many scientific journals and magazines.
The future polymath already had 4 degrees to his name. He knew he would have many more degrees in the coming years.
At this point, he still had to create an interstellar ship. This made something clear to him.
The Fantastic Four has not yet formed.
This year, he planned to draw more attention to his intelligence. He was going to beat Reed Richards' record. Many might consider it a small thing, but Lex's pride did not want to sit idly by.
He had a chance to make a sensational news for himself. Besides, he lacked the resources that he really needed now.
If he becomes famous, he will receive a contract with the government, which, in turn, will supply him with resources.
For now, he needed money. With Lex's memories, it wouldn't be hard to get money. But the routes might be a problem. He could supply weapons far superior to those of this world. However, all this would be useless, as it would cause many unnecessary questions and stares.
A child prodigy is one thing. But a child prodigy who creates weapons is quite another.
Besides, he wouldn't be able to make money from it now. Starting a company took time. And starting a weapons company took even more time. The latter attracted attention and constant surveillance.
Besides, there was a bald, one-eyed man nearby, whose attention he didn't need at all right now.
"If only I could learn strong magic!" he sighed out loud. However, that was the easiest thing.
Suddenly the bench he was sitting on became colder. The lights in the park flickered for a second. The wind around him began to rage and then suddenly died down. Suddenly he felt a chill run down his spine.
The light suddenly went out.
Lex frowned. This wasn't normal. There shouldn't be power outages in a place like this. And his body shouldn't be reacting like this.
He looked around and noticed lights on the streets and buildings.
Even though the park was empty at that time, there was the usual crowd of people walking along the roads from outside the park.
He noticed that everyone was walking as if nothing had happened. They seemed not to notice either the flickering light or the strange coldness of the air.
Suddenly a light flashed at the end of the park.
Lex looked in the indicated direction.
A man in a coat stood under the light. The coat was pure black. Black trousers matched the coat perfectly. He had a cane in his hands. His suit looked impeccable and elegant. His smile was friendly.
But it was the man's eyes that made him wary. He was looking straight at him from a distance.
Lex met his gaze and he smiled.
For some reason, that smile sent shivers down Lex's spine. This man was no ordinary man.
As if he was the prey here and the man was there. He was the predator.
It was really scary.
His mind told him the identity of the man, or not quite man, standing before him.
But it couldn't possibly be him.
He looked at the man, who was smiling nervously at him from afar.
He blinked for a moment. He was so overwhelmed by its presence that he couldn't even blink for more than a minute.
However, the man's presence changed instantly. Before he could blink, the man was standing under the light.
After he blinked his eyes, the man was no longer there. In addition, he felt a light. The light that was not on before was now normal, as always. The eerie feeling completely disappeared from the air.
"Maybe I'm hallucinating?" he thought to himself.
"Hello, young man," he suddenly heard next to him.
He turned his neck towards the voice, his dark eyes meeting the man's red eyes.
Opposite him. On the same bench sat the same man in a black suit. He looked about fifty, but his body showed no signs of age.
This man was not ordinary. His mind told him the identity of this man. If what he thought was true, then the man in front of him might not be human. He was much higher than human.
"Hello," he replied calmly, his voice shaking slightly as he looked at the devil in human form.
He smiled warmly, his red eyes suddenly becoming brighter.
"You seem nervous," he remarked casually, his eyes shining with triumph and delight as he looked at him.
"Who are you?" Lex asked suddenly. He needed confirmation. This confirmation would be the key to his plan.
"Aaah I..." The man chuckled dryly. His laugh was hoarse and unnerving to Lex.
With every moment spent near him, he felt more and more uncomfortable.
"I am known by many names. I can be found in many scriptures. But I prefer to be called Mephisto." The man smiled. Lex could see his sharp teeth. His eyes gleamed with fire as he declared his identity.
"Although. I suppose you could have guessed my identity even before this," Mephisto raised his right leg and crossed it over his left.
"Not exactly. I mistook you for Satan, the wish-granting one, who asked for the souls of men in return," Lex answered slowly, his voice measured as he lied effectively.
Mephisto was many-faced. He had many abilities. However, he could not read minds. Reading minds was not one of his abilities, if he remembered correctly.
- Ah! You are right about that. However, I am not Satan. He is the lord of another Hell, - Mephisto explained casually. It irritated him when people called him Satan.
"So there are different kinds of Hell?" Lex asked curiously. Of course, he knew there were different kinds of Hell, but he had to play his part.
"Yes," Mephisto answered calmly with a nod.
"Don't rush things, young man," Mephisto said softly, looking at him.
- I've been watching you. A young boy, living in an orphanage. Very smart. Perfect in every way. Perhaps one of the smartest minds on the entire planet. But strange. A child. A strange child who shows no inclinations like other children. Who are you, Lex Luthor? - Mephisto asked with a smirk.
"I've seen you from the shadows. Fixing broken things and selling them for profit. Writing scientific theories in your notebooks. You're definitely not normal. Are you, Lex Luthor?" Mephisto asked, a smile on his lips. His red eyes bored into his dark eyes.
"When you're born gifted. You just become different. You become a lion among sheep. That's what I am, Lord Mephisto," Lex replied with a small smile.
Mephisto looked at him for a moment. Suddenly his lips formed a grin.
"Lord Mephisto certainly sounds good," Mephisto commented. He looked at Lex with his fiery red eyes. He released his demonic form so that it could be seen, and was inwardly pleased when the boy flinched slightly in his seat.
"Since you know my identity, and I know yours, there is no need for sweet words," Mephisto commented, hiding his horns with magic again.
"You want to learn magic. And powerful magic, if I understand correctly," Mephisto commented with a smile.
Lex nodded his head.
"I want to," he answered softly.
"I can help you with that," Mephisto said, his gaze fixed on Lex.
"I can give you knowledge of magic. Arts that have been long forgotten in the tides of time. Arts that will help you change the course of battle. Arts that, if used correctly, will help you rival the Sorcerer Supreme." Mephisto said this with a smile. His voice was calm and patronizing as he spoke these words.
"What do you want in return?" Lex asked sharply. Mephisto could do that.
It was because of him that Doctor Doom began to study the mystical arts. The Lord of Hell witnessed the birth of humanity. He certainly had knowledge of ancient and archaic magic.
"There are many mages on this planet. Some have been practicing magic for centuries. I cannot promise that you will become the best. But I guarantee that you will become fearsome," Mephisto smiled.
Magic was unlike anything else. Some were born with a natural gift for it. And some perfected it through hard work and practice. It took time and practice to become perfect in the mystical arts.
Mephisto knew that the boy in front of him understood this too. He had good reason to pay attention to him. The boy was special. He had a sharp and supernatural mind. In the right hands, he could be destructive.
He wanted him. He lusted after him as a possible pawn in the future.
"Or you can choose the hard way. Go to Kamar Taj or wander the world. Try to learn magic, no matter how much time you lose. But even then, the Supreme Sorcerer will not teach you everything. And the tribes will not either. The choice is yours," Mephisto said casually.
His words were correct. Lex had to admit it. The demon standing before him was one hundred percent right. No tribe would reveal all their secrets to an outsider. And the Supreme Sorcerer himself would not teach him everything. Some knowledge was secretly kept for the next Supreme Sorcerer.
The most striking example of this is the Book of Vishanti.
The Book of the Vishanti contains the most powerful Light/Ordinal magic spells known, many of which are counterspells to other magical disciplines. It has a seemingly infinite number of pages that seem to materialize out of thin air. The book itself can be used to repel magic. Additionally, its spells can never be used offensively, only defensively. The book is marked with the Seal of the Vishanti. It also contains extensive knowledge contributed by several powerful mages, such as information gathered by Agamotto about his discovery and mastery of the "Three Paths to Enlightenment", as well as detailed information about the Marvel cosmology itself, supposedly dictated by the Vishanti to the original human authors.
Many masters of the Mystic Arts considered this book a myth. Although only the Supreme Sorcerer knew of its existence.
The book was also a contrast to its counterpart, "Darkhold".
"If I agree to your offer to teach me magic. What do you want in return?" Lex asked sullenly. He wanted to know how much he would have to pay for it.
Mephisto smiled a Cheshire grin.
"Only two things. When the time comes. You will have to fight for me as a champion," Mephisto said, looking at him intently.
"That makes sense," Lex said, frowning thoughtfully. "And the second?" he asked, frowning curiously.
- The time will come. I will come to you again. Then you will have to fulfill my request. But the request will be with restrictions. I am not going to ask for something absurd, - Mephisto joked with a smile.
Lex got the joke. Mephisto knew something about the future. And he was worried. He didn't know that the devil was some kind of oracle. But whatever it was, it worried the demon.
"A deal with a demon. Gods help me," Lex said with a smirk on his lips. It was madness. But power comes at a price.
Mephisto smirked. He had won. He had won him over. The boy could play a vital role in preventing the impending disaster.