After winding through a maze of back alleys, Martin finally dragged Stephen into a narrow, dilapidated passageway. They came to a stop in front of a weathered wooden door, worn down by time and the elements.
"This... is the legendary Kamar-Taj? The home of Earth's most powerful human?" Stephen shrank into himself, wearing a pained expression that hovered somewhere between a bitter smile and the verge of tears.
This was where the strongest human lived?
This? Seriously?
Mordo's voice remained calm: "Years ago, when I first arrived here, I felt exactly like you do now. I was filled with doubt. But let me give you a piece of advice, from someone who's been there: Forget everything you think you know."
With that, Mordo pushed open the door and gestured for them to enter. Martin didn't hesitate. He stepped inside first without waiting.
Mordo frowned, displeasure flickering across his face, though he said nothing. He was here for Stephen, for the so-called magical prodigy the Sorcerer Supreme herself had spoken so highly of.
But now, looking at this disheveled wreck of a man, Mordo couldn't help feeling disappointed. He looked like a common beggar, hardly someone with the poise or presence of a master sorcerer.
He hadn't seen Stephen before the accident, before his prideful arrogance had been stripped away.
As the three stepped through the wooden threshold, the world around them shifted.
Gone was the crumbling alley. They now stood in a vast courtyard surrounded by ancient, mystically elegant architecture. Stephen instinctively turned to look behind him, but the door they'd entered through had vanished. So had the uneven brick walls. It was as if they'd stepped into an entirely different dimension.
Inside the temple-like structure, a few robed figures moved gracefully, scholars whose every movement radiated wisdom and discipline. Their presence exuded quiet intellect and centuries of arcane study.
In many ways, they were true scholars as sorcery demanded mastery of knowledge far beyond any mundane science.
BANG!
Martin slammed a door open with unnecessary force, sweeping the room with a sharp glance. He spotted a chair, marched over, and dropped himself into it unceremoniously.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare.
"Don't mind me. Carry on with whatever sorcery or tea ceremony you were into," Martin chuckled. "I'm here for the Ancient One, not for any of you."
"…"
Silence hung in the air as he plucked a book from a nearby shelf and poured himself a cup of tea as though he owned the place.
Mordo took a deep breath, forcing down the surge of irritation that flared in his chest.
Then, something shifted.
Everyone in the hall suddenly stiffened, expressions growing solemn. A weight, invisible yet overwhelming, seemed to press down on the room. Awe and reverence filled the space.
A bald woman entered, walking with serene grace.
The Ancient One.
Martin snapped the book shut and stood, smiling. "I was wondering when you'd finally show yourself."
She radiated power. Not just magical strength, but the kind that bent stars and galaxies around her presence. The cosmic weight of her aura was undeniable.
"This would be our second meeting, wouldn't it?" she said with her trademark calm smile. But those who knew her well understood, it wasn't joy behind that smile. It was a mask. A practiced disguise.
"I came to give you a heads-up," Martin said evenly. "Otherwise, we might end up fighting. And that... would be a real mess."
The tension in the room skyrocketed. The energy between the two crackled like the first strikes of lightning before a storm. Many of the sorcerers present broke into cold sweats without even realizing it.
Suddenly, the Ancient One narrowed her eyes. She examined Martin with an intensity that pierced through space and time.
"You're carrying two Infinity Stones on you... aren't you?"
"Of course I am," Martin replied casually. "Otherwise, I wouldn't dare walk in here to talk face-to-face. Everyone knows you magic folk are the most unpredictable types, no telling what arcane abominations you've got stashed up your sleeve. One moment of carelessness, and it's all over."
He raised his hand.
Two radiant stones, one yellow and one blue, hovered above his palm. The Mind Stone and the Space Stone, pulsing with interwoven energies, began to spin slowly in the air.
The chamber froze. Every eye locked onto the gems, dazzled. It was as if the most extraordinary wonders of the cosmos had been compressed into those two luminous points—mysteries untold, held in the palm of one man.
The Ancient One waved her sleeve.
WHOOM.
A wave of magic surged outward, jolting the sorcerers from their trance.
"The Infinity Stones are woven into the very fabric of our universe," she said solemnly. "The average mind is far too fragile to withstand their influence. Prolonged exposure... can twist and destroy the will."
The gathered sorcerers immediately bowed in shame before swiftly exiting the chamber.
Martin noticed Stephen lingering, unable to tear his eyes away from the stones.
"These stones... they're incredible," Stephen whispered, voice trembling. "Could they... fix my hands?"
No one laughed.
Even the ever-critical Mordo looked stunned. He stared at Stephen. "You're still lucid... after staring directly at the Mind Stone?"
He hadn't expected it. That kind of mental stability in the presence of a stone that manipulates thoughts and consciousness?
Suddenly, Mordo understood what the Ancient One had seen in this man. Despite appearances, Stephen's willpower was unshakable.
The Ancient One gave Stephen a small nod. It was enough to leave him dumbfounded, honored beyond words.
Then her gaze returned to Martin, eyes sharp as razors. "The power of the Infinity Stones... is beyond even most Skyfather-level beings. No one, not even the gods, can fully grasp their true magnitude. If you lose yourself to the allure of that power, it'll consume you. Martin, do you understand? In all of recorded existence, no one has ever wielded two Infinity Stones at once."
Martin met her gaze with calm defiance.
"Well, I guess that makes me the first."
The only one in the universe's history.
"I'm not stopping with these two. I want the rest. All six are on my hunting list. You've probably guessed that already—hell, I bet you've even seen it... through some mystic foresight."
He slowly closed his hand, the stones disappearing into the void.
The Ancient One's eyes darkened. Her heart pounded. Her greatest secret, the Time Stone, hidden inside the Eye of Agamotto, could be next.
"Martin," she said gravely, "you're walking a path that ends in destruction. You will die."
"Maybe," he said with a shrug. "But if I do? Trust me, I've already planned for a resurrection. I'm not here to argue with you, Ancient One. I came to warn you: certain things need to be dealt with now. Soon, I'll be gone."
"Gone?"
"I'm leaving Earth. I'm going to build a world of my own. A planet worthy of me. Far from this dusty, backwater speck in the universe."
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