CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER 058: MEETING THE ANCIENT ONE! THE CELESTIAL AT OUR FEET!

Of course this wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment idea. I mean, really—who wouldn’t want a set of Iron Man armor in their home?

Tony’s current suit already incorporated nanotechnology. It wasn’t quite at the "tap once and you’re fully suited" stage yet, but spatial compression and mobility had improved dramatically. And the cost? A single set could run anywhere from hundreds of millions to billions of dollars.

Meanwhile, Lorien’s "cell phone Transformer"? A simple tap of the finger and—done. Too easy.

What made the deal even sweeter was how the two systems worked. Tony’s armor ran on a permission hierarchy—once Lorien became the top-level authority, the suit would be entirely his.

The cell phone Transformer? Different story. Transformers operated on a creator hierarchy. Even if Lorien handed the little phone over to Tony, a single word from him could turn it into a double agent instantly.

Terrifying, right?

For Lorien, this was a zero-risk, guaranteed-profit trade. Actually... it didn’t even cost him anything at all.

...

After their conversation, Tony left in high spirits. Back home, he suited up and blasted off toward the Avengers Compound.

A burst of flames erupted from his hands and feet as he touched down. The front plates of the armor unfolded completely, and Tony—immaculate in his suit—stepped out. The armor sealed itself behind him and strode to the entrance, switching into sentry mode.

Tony walked into the meeting room.

The moment the doors opened, every head turned—Cap, Hawkeye, Falcon, Black Widow, Vision, and more. Even Nick Fury was here. That alone spoke volumes about how important this meeting was.

He took the empty seat waiting for him, glanced around, and said,

"Alright. Let’s begin. What’s on the table?"

"Tony."

Cap’s voice cut in immediately. He fixed Tony with a serious look.

"The United Nations has passed the Sokovia Accords. The Superhuman Registration Act is about to be implemented. We need to find a way to shut it down."

Tony tilted his head.

"And why exactly should we shut it down?"

"Because it will restrict our actions and our freedom!" Cap’s tone was firm. "If superheroes have to justify their every move, then what’s the point of having them at all?"

Tony didn’t respond right away. Instead, his gaze swept the room.

"You all feel the same way?"

It was a question about allegiance.

He already knew Cap had pulled together a group opposed to the Accords. This was Tony’s way of seeing who was standing where.

Hawkeye and Falcon both nodded. Wanda and Natasha remained silent.

In truth, Cap also had Winter Soldier and Ant-Man in his camp.

Tony? No one.

Thanks to Lorien’s influence, Wanda and Natasha had decided to stay neutral—no sides, no involvement. Gwen wasn’t even part of the team to begin with, so this wasn’t her fight.

After gauging the numbers, Tony gave a short nod and turned to Nick Fury.

"What about you?"

Fury, who’d been quiet until now, sat up and straightened his coat.

"I’m not involved in any of this anymore. How you decide is your business. I just want to know the final outcome so I can prepare for it."

"Fair enough," Tony said.

Finally, after a moment’s thought, he turned to Wanda and Natasha.

"And you two?"

Wanda barely glanced at Tony. She studied her fingernails and casually said something completely unrelated.

"After the meeting, I’m going to Lorien’s."

Natasha went quiet, lost in thought. She looked at Tony, then at Wanda, then around the room.

Finally... she gave a small nod and stayed silent.

In other words, she was tacitly agreeing to the Sokovia Accords.

"Natasha?"

That clearly didn’t sit well with Cap.

"Why would you agree to this? Under that agreement, superheroes will just become weapons in the hands of politicians. We’ll lose our freedom—and our purpose!"

Natasha’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of irritation in her voice as she replied.

"But holding out won’t change anything. We can’t fight the entire world. And we’re superheroes, not supervillains."

When she finished speaking—

Clap, clap, clap.

Tony started applauding.

"Exactly. The era of unchecked superheroes is over. So I neither agree nor disagree. Let the agreement be applied however it’s applied—I don’t care."

"I’m planning to develop a vacation resort and take Pepper there for a while. Maybe a year or two, maybe ten."

His words drew every gaze in the room.

Tony was talking about stepping away. Half-retirement.

No one had expected it—the famously bold, flamboyant Tony Stark choosing to bow out. Even Cap looked at him with surprise.

For a moment, the conference room was silent.

Cap’s brow furrowed as he glanced around at everyone, then at those still willing to follow him.

Finally, he stood.

"Whether you agree or stay quiet, I’m taking my team and fighting this to the end. I just hope we don’t end up as enemies."

With that, he turned to leave, his people following.

"Captain America."

Nick Fury, who’d been silent until now, finally spoke up. His tone was steady, almost warning.

"Don’t resist the military’s searches or restrictions. Don’t fight them. Otherwise..."

He didn’t finish the sentence, but everyone understood. If they resisted, the Avengers would be finished—and even those who stayed neutral would be dragged in.

Cap gave the room one last look, then walked out, leaving only,

"You’ll see when the time comes."

Tony’s eyes followed him, their last exchange nothing but coldness—without even the competitive spark they’d once had.

A while later, the meeting dispersed. Tony suited up and flew off.

Outside, Cap watched the arc reactor glow fade into the distance, his expression thoughtful.

After a long moment, he turned to his team.

They needed to find Winter Soldier and Ant-Man—and fast. The Sokovia Accords had to be stopped before they were set in stone.

...

The day passed quickly.

Lorien only learned later that the Gwen from the morning had been the introverted Gwen, while the extroverted Gwen had gone home for school. At the time, Lorien had still been asleep. Gwen didn’t know how to switch back, so she just left.

When this Gwen woke up, she showered, got dressed, and came downstairs to keep Lorien company at work—while slacking off alongside him.

As yin-yang counterparts, they shared memories, though their personalities were different.

That afternoon, worried she might get bored, Lorien played co-op games with the introverted Gwen all day. He sat on a blanket, with Gwen nestled in his arms, the two of them practically tangled together as they played. From time to time, her soft laughter filled the room.

By five o’clock, Lorien was wrapping up work when the introverted Gwen suddenly said, "She’s asking me to go back..."

"She" meant the extroverted Gwen. Lorien didn’t know exactly why—maybe a hint of jealousy—but since they were connected, he figured something must have come up.

"Want me to have Jetfire take you back?"

"No, I’ll just head out from the roof~"

With that, Gwen left ahead of him.

Lorien then thought to himself, "Check in."

[Ding!]

[Acquired: Phoenix Force Fragment x5!]

"Huh? Again?"

He froze for a moment before sensing his Phoenix Force surging rapidly upward. First it had reached Elder God level, then Sky Father level—now, with five more fragments at once, it had leapt past Universal level entirely, reaching the tier just below Multiversal yet above Universal—Super Universal level!

"Hoo..."

After absorbing the power, Lorien exhaled deeply and clenched his fists.

"I kind of... want a fight."

It was natural—such a sudden boost in strength brought with it a strong urge to test it out. Just as some people lose themselves to crime after gaining power, the allure was undeniable.

But for Lorien, it wasn’t corruption—he genuinely wanted to see how strong he had become.

Beep...

A text message came in. It was Stephen, nearly recovered, wanting to arrange a time to meet.

Lorien thought for a moment, planning to tell him to just come over once he was fully healed. But before he could send the reply, a portal crackling with sparks opened right beside him.

The moment Lorien saw it, he smiled, nodded, pocketed his phone, and stepped through.

In an instant, he went from New York to Kamar-Taj. Behind him towered the Himalayan Mountains; beneath his feet lay the sacred ground of the sorcerers—the Temple of the Ancient One.

Opposite him stood the current Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One herself. She looked just as he remembered—her bald head gleaming, her expression serene, as though nothing in the world could unsettle her. There was warmth in her gaze, the kind that made her seem like a genuinely good person.

Seeing Lorien arrive, the Ancient One walked to the long table, poured two cups of tea, and gestured for him to drink.

Lorien sat opposite her, took a sip, and spoke slowly.

"You finally couldn’t hold back?"

The Ancient One looked a little surprised at his words, but quickly understood.

"It seems you know me... and I can see you."

Lorien nodded. Of course. As Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, she was bound to keep an eye on him—he was a wildcard, after all. She had the Time Stone, knew fragments of the future, and understood the convergence of timelines. But she couldn’t perceive any major disruptions he might cause; otherwise, things would deviate from her carefully prepared plan.

According to that plan, she would gradually pass the title of Sorcerer Supreme to Stephen, then fake her death, existing as a spirit to watch over and guide the world. But if anything went wrong, her "death" would be for nothing—and the consequences could be unpredictable.

That was the last thing she wanted.

So, before Lorien could reply to Stephen’s message, before any changes to Stephen’s timeline, she came to him directly. That was why they were sitting here now. A real conversation was needed.

The Ancient One took a sip of tea and spoke slowly.

"I can feel the Phoenix Force within you. This ancient power is extremely strong, so I must know—are you good or evil to this world?"

It was a reasonable question coming from the Sorcerer Supreme. She had the right to ask it.

But Lorien shook his head.

"No need for the formalities. I don’t care for empty words."

"Your real goal is to keep me from interfering with Stephen, isn’t it?"

The Ancient One knew his temperament well enough. He was lazy—too lazy for her to be questioning his morality. She could tell what kind of person he was. She had another agenda.

Seeing that he had gone straight to the point, she pursed her lips, then nodded.

"Stephen is the most important step in the future plan. Any deviation could cause it to fail."

"I know." Lorien looked at her. "You want your disciple’s training to go smoothly. And at the same time, you plan to destroy your own body so you can completely rid yourself of the Dark Magic’s influence. Am I wrong?"

The Ancient One’s expression didn’t change, but inside, she was startled. How did he know this? She had intended to reveal the dangers of Dark Magic to Stephen only before her "death."

So why did Lorien know now? The Phoenix Force... it shouldn’t grant that kind of knowledge.

After a moment of silence, she pulled back her hood. Sure enough, there was the mark of Dark Magic on her forehead—a sign she had once drawn on its power. Removing it would leave her open to Dormammu’s influence, bringing irreversible consequences.

But before she could speak, Lorien went on, saying something that shook her even more.

"There are two reasons you want to train Stephen as Sorcerer Supreme quickly before faking your death.

One, so you can remain as a spirit to watch over Earth and guide Stephen when needed.

Two, because you don’t dare to use the power in the Book of the Vishanti—it’s your last and strongest safeguard—so you’ve had to gamble on using Dark Magic instead. Am I right, Ancient One?"

Her fists clenched. Her eyes shut tight for a moment. His words had laid bare every secret she’d kept for years. If she were the type to kill to protect them, this would be the moment. But she was the Sorcerer Supreme, and that forced her to stay calm.

Time passed in silence. Lorien sat drinking tea, refilling his cup without asking.

Finally, she opened her eyes and asked, "You’ve said all this because you have something you want to do, haven’t you?"

"Of course." Lorien set down his cup and looked at her calmly. "You don’t need to worry about Stephen. He’ll be an even better Sorcerer Supreme than what you’ve seen in the Time Stone. And you don’t need to worry about Earth’s safety either—small matters don’t require you, and for big ones... you’re not enough."

"Even with the Book of the Vishanti, what use is a divine tome that can only defend but never strike?"

The Book of the Vishanti was the most powerful source of White Magic, but its spells were purely defensive. Against certain enemies, it served only as an amplifier.

His words made even a Sky Father–level Sorcerer Supreme sound insignificant—but that was the harsh truth of the Marvel Universe.

Naturally, she didn’t accept it easily.

"You’re saying I can’t protect Earth?"

Lorien took another sip of tea.

"If I told you there’s a Celestial gestating beneath our feet right now, how would you destroy it? And if you did, could you protect Earth from the retaliation of other Celestials?"

The mention of the Celestials left her completely stunned.

"There’s a Celestial... beneath us?"