Reigning Supreme in Every Reality

Lyon curiously stood up. "How do we experience it?"

"Like this!" The Ancient One suddenly struck out with a palm, aiming straight for Lyon's chest.

Instinctively, Lyon sidestepped to dodge.

The Ancient One's palm missed and followed up with another strike.

Lyon again dodged reflexively.

The Ancient One withdrew her hand with a resigned expression. "Stop moving. At your speed and reaction time, I won't be able to land a hit on you even by nightfall."

"Sorry, my body just moved on its own," Lyon apologized. Then, realizing her intention, he added with excitement, "Are you going to use astral projection on me? Go ahead! I'm ready!"

Lyon puffed out his chest, eager to experience magic firsthand.

"..."

The Ancient One struck again, this time landing squarely on his chest.

A strange sensation immediately surged through Lyon.

He felt as if he was about to break free from some kind of restraint.

However, after a few seconds, Lyon blinked at the Ancient One in confusion. "Hasn't it started yet?"

"It's already over," the Ancient One explained. "Your physical resilience is too great, and you possess some unusual ability that protects your consciousness. This makes your soul exceptionally stable. I'll need to use more force."

Lyon was momentarily stunned by what he heard.

A peculiar ability? Was it referring to his power to traverse worlds, his gene-based self-locking ability, or perhaps the Dominion of Life and Death he wielded?

He decided not to dwell on it further, as the Ancient One had already placed her palms together and begun gathering energy.

Mordo, who had been quietly standing to the side, was utterly dumbfounded.

He looked at Lyon, his mouth twitching. It was the first time he had seen someone render the Sorcerer Supreme's spell ineffective.

Energy swirled between the Ancient One's palms, and after a few seconds, she struck again, her expression far more serious this time.

This time, Lyon's soul was instantly knocked out of his body—but only halfway.

His semi-transparent upper body floated out, while his lower half remained firmly rooted in place.

"I can see the back of my own head! Is this astral projection? Ancient One, I want to learn this!"

Lyon's soul waved its arms enthusiastically but quickly realized something was off.

"Wait, where are my legs? Why are they still in my body?"

He attempted to float higher, but his body tethered the lower half of his soul, leaving him wriggling awkwardly in place.

"Why do I feel like I've turned into a tethered spirit?" Lyon said, his expression odd as he even managed to make his lower body walk around.

The Ancient One sighed. "Let's stop here for now. You can try again later when you've learned astral projection yourself."

For Lyon's soul to fully detach, she would have to exert even more magical power.

However, she had long relied on drawing energy from the Dark Dimension to prolong her life.

Given her current physical condition, using too much power would expose traces of the Dark Dimension's energy.

Although the Ancient One had no qualms about wielding such dark energies, it was better not to risk misunderstandings among her fellow sorcerers.

Not long ago, her prized disciple Kaecilius had defected from Kamar-Taj.

If the other sorcerers began to suspect that even she, the Sorcerer Supreme, had succumbed to darkness, the morale at Kamar-Taj would surely collapse.

With a single gesture, she dispelled the spell, allowing Lyon's soul to return to his body.

"Though I only experienced half of it, it was incredible!"

Lyon stared at his hands in amazement.

"Ancient One, when can we begin lessons?"

"Once Mordo arranges your room and helps you get familiar with the place, we can begin," said the Ancient One, smiling warmly.

She seemed eager to teach Lyon magic, as she saw a certain hope emanating from this young man.

The previously guiding Mordo stepped forward again, changing his tone slightly. "Mr. Lyon, please follow me."

The esteemed Superman to Mr. Lyon, huh?

Once Lyon began studying magic, he would naturally be considered part of the order of sorcerers. As a senior Master, Mordo now regarded him as one of their own.

"Thank you, Mordo," Lyon replied, nodding politely as he followed.

The two walked through Kamar-Taj, passing a training ground, a cluster of ancient buildings, and—most importantly—the library, before arriving at Lyon's new quarters.

"This will be your room from now on. Over there is the bathroom, next to it is the meditation area, and here is the Wi-Fi password," Mordo said, handing him a small slip of paper.

He then bowed slightly and excused himself. "I'll leave you to settle in. When you're ready, please visit the inner sanctum. The Sorcerer Supreme will guide you in your magical training."

Left alone in the room, Lyon glanced at the paper.

"'Shamballa,' huh? Just like in the movie. This password hasn't changed in ten years?"

He chuckled to himself. "Still, the name—Shamballa, or Shangri-La—makes sense. It refers to the pure land in Buddhism, which does align with a secretive and mystical organization like Kamar-Taj."

Lyon tidied up his room briefly, took a few pictures, and sent them to Sherry and Tony before heading off to find the Ancient One again.

...

The Ancient One and Lyon sat across from each other.

The teaching process began directly and without preamble.

"Before learning magic, one must first understand magic and clarify why they wish to study it," the Ancient One explained.

"This is especially important for us sorcerers.

"You have the ability to travel to other worlds and might one day encounter more advanced forms of magic.

"But here at Kamar-Taj, the essence of magic is to borrow power from other dimensions, at a certain cost.

"The simplest way to assess a sorcerer's strength is to see how effectively they can obtain greater power with the smallest cost."

Hearing this, Lyon couldn't resist interjecting, "So someone like you, borrowing but never repaying, would be considered the most powerful sorcerer, right?"

The Ancient One paused, then chuckled softly. "You seem to know me well. Though, you're not entirely wrong. The most powerful sorcerers will even go a step further—they directly devour the source they're borrowing from, turning it into their own strength."

"Wow, Master Ancient One, you better not let the other sorcerers hear you say something like that—they'd lose their minds," Lyon said, spinning his teacup in his hand.

"Which is exactly why it's crucial to clarify your goals before embarking on the path of magic," the Ancient One replied calmly.

"A steadfast and devout belief is necessary to avoid being corrupted by power. Though, at times, the line between devotion and madness is thin."

"Lyon, I can see that you have a resolute pursuit of strength."

"That is your purpose in learning magic."

"Remember it, and never become complacent. Always choose to strive for greater power."

"Perhaps one day, you may reach the level of Agamotto."

Lyon hadn't expected such praise from the Ancient One. "You seem to think highly of me?"

"Of course. Your potential may even surpass Strange's because your future holds limitless possibilities."

The Ancient One drew a portal in the air with her finger and retrieved several thick, heavy tomes from the other side.

"Your physical body is immensely strong, destined to attract the attention of dimensional deities. This is your greatest talent for learning magic."

In other words, these mystical entities would be more than willing to lend their power to Lyon.

"Although the entire Kamar-Taj library is open to you, I recommend starting with the magic of the Vishanti."

"The Vishanti, the trinity that Kamar-Taj venerates, offer magic that is more stable and comes with fewer costs."

The Ancient One showed Lyon the books she held.

The Key of Solomon, The Codex of Dominion, The Heart of Hoggoth...

All were foundational texts for beginners in magic.

Lyon accepted the books. "So, it looks like you're not planning to teach me directly but letting me self-study?"

The Ancient One smiled warmly. "I believe you'll learn much faster from reading than from listening to my explanations."

"Alright, fair enough."

Lyon quickly flipped through the books in a matter of seconds, then closed his eyes to absorb the knowledge.

A few minutes later, he opened his eyes, ready for his "teacher" to test him. But the Ancient One didn't ask any questions. Instead, she handed him another set of books.

Gradually, as the sky darkened, the pile of books beside Lyon grew larger and larger.

When Lyon finally put down the book he was holding, prepared to take the next one the Ancient One was about to hand him, his hand grasped at nothing.

"Hmm? No more?" Lyon asked, still eager to continue.

The feeling of diving into the ocean of magical knowledge had been so fulfilling that he didn't want to stop.

"These are all the books I recommend for now. Beyond this, you can begin to explore on your own," the Ancient One said with a faint smile, pointing around them.

Lyon turned to see that the spacious inner sanctum was now filled with stacks of yellowed, aged tomes.

Lyon quickly glanced around and roughly counted over a hundred books.

"So, are you saying I'm already a graduate?" Lyon closed the book in his hand, its flipping pages revealing the title on the cover: The Book of Cagliostro.

The Ancient One shook her head. "I haven't taught you anything. Only you can be your own teacher."

"Looks like I have plenty left to learn in the future," Lyon said, understanding the Ancient One's subtle reminder not to grow complacent.

The Ancient One nodded in satisfaction, stood up, and pushed the door open to leave.

"The night has come, so rest early. Though for you, perhaps it's time to bask in some sunlight in space," she said with a faint smile as she exited.

_____

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