Before meeting the Ancient One, Skye had been trying hard to tell herself not to be surprised, to be polite, and not to embarrass herself, but at the moment of meeting her, she couldn't help but show surprise.
Besides not expecting the Ancient One to be a woman, there was also that huge bald head.
After seeing the Ancient One, Skye subconsciously turned her head to look at Finney Hellseg's hair beside her, her eyes filled with a hint of worry, which made his face darken slightly.
After glaring at Skye to make her realize that this was impolite, Finney began to introduce Skye to the Ancient One, even though the Ancient One should have known her long ago.
When introducing Skye, Finney mainly said, "This is my sister," but when introducing the Ancient One, he used many more titles:
"This is my master, the leader of Kamar-Taj, the strongest person on Earth, the Sorcerer Supreme who knows almost everything about the past and future, the Ancient One!"
Hearing this, Skye became even more nervous. Although she couldn't understand why Finney was exaggerating this gentle and refined person, it didn't stop her from feeling awe.
"Hello, Master Ancient One,"
Skye greeted respectfully.
"Hello, Miss Helscythe." The Ancient One nodded kindly, then said to her, "Finney has already told me about you, but please forgive my bluntness, the power of magic may not be something everyone can control. Don't force it."
Skye nodded earnestly, indicating she understood. She was already grateful for this opportunity; even if she couldn't learn it, she wouldn't blame anyone.
Everything in Kamar-Taj was new and exciting for Skye. During this day of sightseeing, her thirst for knowledge was off the charts, and her anticipation of learning magic was instantly at its peak.
After telling her parents, the two of them, under the pretext of tourism, stayed temporarily in Kamar-Taj.
At first, they didn't study anything, but instead observed other mages practicing in the training grounds. Watching the orange-red energy swirling in the mages' hands, Skye was incredibly excited and couldn't wait to join in.
But as she began practicing, she realized things weren't so simple. A whole month passed without her producing even a single spark.
Thankfully, Kamar-Taj was modern enough to have internet access; otherwise, she probably would have given up long ago. Even so, she'd been considering quitting these past few days.
The only consolation for Skye was that Finney wasn't much better off. If Finney's lack of sparks was indescribable, Finney's was a mere sliver of fire.
For a month, Finney had been incredibly frustrated, even wondering if hair loss was truly the only way to become stronger—a whole month and only a tiny spark!
It was only after Mordo told him that most people were at this level when they first started learning that he continued practicing, feeling frustrated.
It seemed the Ancient One's assessment of his mediocre talent was indeed true.
This magical setback made Finney realize that trying to quickly become stronger this way was unrealistic; his greatest asset still lay in the abilities extracted by the system.
Just as Finney was pondering how to proceed, Skye found him and said she wanted to give up.
"Are you sure?"
Looking at Skye's dejected face, Finney asked again, confirming. He understood her feeling; studying for so long without seeing any progress was incredibly discouraging. He could still see a glimmer of hope, but Skye couldn't draw out any energy at all.
"Yeah, maybe I'm just not suited for it,"
Skye said sullenly. If she could, she would certainly want to gain this extraordinary power, but she also remembered that the Ancient One had advised her not to force it.
"Alright, alright, it's okay. Actually, I always felt that arcane magic wasn't really suitable for girls. You should think more about how you would use a shockwave ability if you had one."
"Why a shockwave?"
Skye didn't understand why Finney kept bringing this up.
"Don't worry about it. I'll tell you when the time is right." Finney didn't explain, then changed the subject: "So, are you planning to go home?"
"Yes."
Skye nodded. Although Kamar-Taj had internet, the speed there was obviously not very good, and the simple, austere lifestyle was something she wasn't quite used to.
"Alright, then I'll leave the explanation to Mom and Dad to you."
During this time, they had spoken with their families and taken some photos in town to show them, so their parents didn't find anything unusual.
"Let's go then. I'll take you to talk to your teacher and have her send you home directly."
After Skye, who had packed her things, found the Ancient One and explained the situation. The Ancient One didn't say much about Skye's decision to give up; she offered neither comfort nor encouragement, simply nodding to indicate she understood. After
opening a portal and sending Skye to a spot not far from her home, Finney began discussing another matter with the Ancient One.
"Master, I want to find other sorcerers to train my combat abilities."
"Mordo and the King should be happy to help you," the Ancient One nodded, offering her suggestion.
In the past month, he had also gotten to know these two sorcerers who would later become close to Doctor Strange. As for the traitor Kaecilius, he didn't seem to have joined Kamar-Taj yet.
"So, can I use this?" Finney used 'Evil Spirit Possession,' a silver longsword appearing before him. He grasped it but didn't immediately choose to equip armor.
The Ancient One looked at Finney holding the sword, paused slightly, and after a long while said softly, "This is a living weapon. It might erode your spirit and harm your body, you know that?"
Finney hesitated for a moment, then nodded, indicating he understood. The system's description said it housed ancient life; without that, it couldn't have evolved.
"Remember, never let the power control you!"
In the end, the Ancient One didn't stop Finney from using these abilities, giving him her utmost trust.
Just as Finney was about to leave to discuss the battle with Mordo, he suddenly thought of a possibility, stopped, and turned to look at the Ancient One: "Master, can you use it?"
Finney held up 'Evil Spirit Possession,' wanting to know if others besides himself could use it. Testing it with ordinary people would be too dangerous, but with the Ancient One, there were fewer concerns, unless she herself wanted to die.
"I think I can give it a try."
The Ancient One didn't stand on ceremony, taking the 'Evil Spirit Possession' sword from Finney and examining it with curiosity. "Hmm…it seems to be a very peculiar creature, capable of evolving to adapt to the user's power. The forging method is also quite magical!"
"Its incantation is 'Evil Spirit Possession,' and it can transform into armor," Finney reminded her from the side.
"Evil Spirit Possession!"
The Ancient One murmured, and a shocking energy erupted from the longsword, its power far surpassing the scene of its first use.
The figure that materialized behind it was even more terrifying, exuding a sense of oppression that made Finney, standing nearby, almost breathless.
"Roar!"
A tremendous roar echoed throughout Kamar-Taj, startling all the sorcerers.
Just as the figure was about to embrace the Ancient One, she waved her hand, a green energy swirling around it, dissipating the 'Evil Spirit Possession' figure, then withdrawing the energy and transforming it back into the longsword.
"Huff, huff!"
The oppressive feeling disappeared, and Finney gasped for breath. Only through personal experience could one understand their own weakness. The same equipment was more than ten times stronger on the Ancient One than on him.
However, after the Ancient One's testing, he also understood that the control of the skill ultimately remained with him. Although the Ancient One could use it, he could cancel the skill at any time.
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(End of Chapter)