Marvel: The Ultimate Superman-Chapter 170. The Sorcerer Supreme’s Legacy

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Wanda stared down at her hands. Scarlet wisps of Chaos Magic flickered gently across her fingertips.

"Can't I just rewrite reality?" she asked quietly. "Just... change what happened to Pietro? Make his wounds... non-lethal?"

The Ancient One shook her head with a gentle but firm finality. "Altering past reality means rewriting time itself. That path is steeped in danger... and consequence. Much worse than you realize."

Nolan nodded solemnly. "So the safest path is finding his soul?"

The Ancient One gave a subtle nod.

Wanda, seated cross-legged beside Nolan, exhaled with visible relief. She couldn't hear the whole conversation, but she understood enough.

There was a way to bring her brother back.

That was all she needed.

As the tea's warmth settled in, Nolan turned toward the Ancient One.

"Master... do you still have time?"

The Ancient One smiled faintly. "I always have time for what must be done."

"What if there's another way?" Nolan pressed. "A different future?"

"There always is," she said. "But I have no desire to stay. I've lived long enough."

Her expression didn't carry sorrow only peace.

"I've fulfilled my role. If you hadn't arrived, maybe I would've stayed. But now? You're here. And you've even brought a spare candidate."

She gestured toward Wanda with amusement.

"I don't need to be here anymore."

"...Will I ever see you again?" Nolan asked.

"You planning to dissect me?" she chuckled. "You'll see me again. Just not on this plane."

"I'm returning to serve the Vishanti. Perhaps when you breach the multiverse... or if the moment calls for it... we'll meet again."

Nolan bowed slightly. "Then I'll do everything I can to make that happen."

The Ancient One nodded in approval.

Then, with a fluid motion, she unclasped the necklace around her neck, the Eye of Agamotto, and held it out to him.

A relic shaped like a closed eye, pulsing with untapped power. The Time Stone.

Nolan didn't immediately reach for it.

"...I haven't been made Sorcerer Supreme yet," he said, hesitant.

But his fingers betrayed him.

He took it anyway.

Because even in the multiverse, this artifact still mattered.

One of the Infinity Stones. The purest form of chronomancy. Other universes might treat them like paperweights, but here now it was still the apex of magical power.

"You've earned it," she said. "Use it wisely. Time governs life and death, choice and consequence. Don't wield it lightly."

Her tone turned serious.

"The Eye is more than a weapon. It's the key to the Three Sanctums. Only its bearer can fully awaken their power."

Nolan slipped it around his neck. He could feel the Eye syncing with him like it had been waiting.

So this is why Strange received it so soon in the movies.

It wasn't about the title. It was about timing.

"You think the Sanctums have other keys?" she teased. "Agamotto built them. He forged this Eye with that purpose in mind. Nothing else can unlock their full power."

She extended her hand, and boom a stack of ancient tomes materialized from beneath her palm.

"Everything you need to master the Eye of Agamotto. Study them well."

Nolan immediately transported the books to his lab.

The moment was sealed.

He had inherited the mantle.

And the burden.

But then, the Ancient One's eyes narrowed slightly. "By the way, are you still interested in studying Dormammu?"

Nolan's eyebrows rose. "I mean... if it's allowed?"

"Normally, no," she replied. "But with her at your side " she glanced at Wanda "You might just pull it off"

Wanda blinked. "Wait... who's Dormammu?"

"Don't worry," Nolan said. "We'll talk later. But I'll need your help one day."

Wanda flushed a little under his gaze, then gave a firm nod. "You've helped me so much. Of course, I'll help you."

The Ancient One couldn't help but smile at the two of them so young, so powerful, so naive.

She leaned back and sighed.

"One last warning," she said. "Magic always has a price. Every spell. Every invocation."

She waved a hand lazily.

"Go now. You've taken enough of my tea and time."

Nolan stood, then bowed with both hands. "Thank you, Master. For everything."

Wanda followed his lead, slightly awkward but earnest. "Thank you, Sorcerer... ma'am."

A glowing portal opened before them.

As the two stepped through it, the Ancient One smiled to herself.

"I look forward to seeing what you become."

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Outside, Wanda watched Nolan walk in silence for a few moments. His face looked thoughtful. Distant.

"Is she sick?" Wanda asked softly. "The Ancient One?"

"No," Nolan said after a pause. "She's the greatest sorcerer on Earth. She's not sick."

"Then why...?"

"She's just tired," he said, voice low. "She's lived over a thousand years. Protected the Earth alone. Now... she's ready to move on."

Wanda frowned. "People can just... stop wanting to live?"

"Sometimes," Nolan replied. "When they've seen everything. Done everything. Or when they know they've hit their limit."

He didn't say it aloud, but he understood.

The Ancient One had foreseen that she would never reach cosmic godhood. She knew her ceiling.

And she accepted it.

But he couldn't.

He had to go beyond. Not just to reach the multiverse... but to touch the fabric of the One Above All.

He couldn't afford to be content.

Wanda exhaled. "Okay. I don't really get it. I'm only in my twenties."

Nolan chuckled faintly.

Then she turned to him again, hopeful.

"So... does this mean I can start learning magic?"

He looked at her and nodded.

"Yes. But your path is different. You'll only be able to access the dark magic versions of what I teach. The Vishanti won't lend you power. You belong to Chthon."

Wanda bit her lip.

She wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

But she remembered the Ancient One's words magic always has a price.

And somewhere deep in Nolan's mind, one sentence lingered like an echo:

"Wanda being chosen by Chthon... might not be as simple as it seems."

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