New York City, Planet Earth..
Noah and Nanoha followed Wong and the two members of the Masters of the Mystic Arts as they moved from the busy streets of New York into a quieter residential area.
According to Wong, their destination was the place they called the New York Sanctum—one of the three bases of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, alongside the London and Hong Kong Sanctums.
"By the way, Mr. Wong," Nanoha said, her curiosity practically spilling into her voice, "would you mind telling us what your group—uh, the Masters of the Mystic Arts—actually does?"
Wong glanced at her, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "Our order was founded by Agamotto, the first Sorcerer Supreme and the father of the mystic arts," he explained. "The Masters of the Mystic Arts were originally established to safeguard our world from extradimensional threats. That duty hasn't changed."
He paused, allowing the words to sink in, before continuing. "These days, we deal with dark sorcerers, ghosts, demons, and even dark gods that attempt to enter our reality with malicious intent."
"Dark gods?" Nanoha tilted her head.
Wong nodded. "The most well-known example would be Dormammu, ruler of the Dark Dimension. He sought to absorb Earth's plane into his own."
"Huh… now that's interesting," Noah chimed in, clearly intrigued. "For a world that embraces science and technology to reach this level of magical development and even know how to deal with extradimensional beings…" He let out a short laugh. "Just like the old saying in the Nameless, one really shouldn't underestimate a civilization just because it looks small."
"Noah?" Nanoha looked at him in surprise. Wong and the two sorcerers beside him also stared, momentarily taken aback by his reaction.
"Ah—sorry about that," Noah said quickly. "I hope I didn't offend you, Mr. Wong. I was just surprised by how far your understanding of the Plane of Reality and Imaginary Space has already progressed."
"Please don't worry, Mr. Noah," Wong replied calmly. "I wasn't offended." The other two sorcerers nodded in agreement.
"Was it really that surprising?" Nanoha asked. "After all, even the TSAB understands this much. We use both magic and science together to advance our technology to the point where we can freely travel the dimensional sea."
Noah shook his head gently. "That's because, my dear Non, the 'magic' the TSAB uses is built on science as its foundation, then further refined as their scientific development advances. In return, the spells created are far more bound to the laws of physics." He smiled faintly. "Even Hii's own 'magic' follows the same principle."
"Ehh? Is there any difference?" Nanoha asked.
"Of course," Noah replied with a smile. "Most magic systems—no matter the world—get power from people's belief in what they see as 'impossible.' The strength of a spell often comes from how much mystery it can create. Even my family's magical arts were formed the same way."
He turned to her as he continued, his tone gentle. "Which is why, as a civilization's scientific understanding advances, magic slowly fades from daily life and becomes something you only hear about in stories. There's simply no 'fuel' left for it."
Nanoha blinked, the confusion clear on her face.
'How cute,' Noah smiled wryly and lightly pinched her cheeks. "To put it simply, the more you understand how something works, the less 'wonder' it holds. Eventually, people will stop paying attention to it altogether."
"Ohhh!" Nanoha finally nodded, her expression brightening as she understood.
Wong looked at Noah, clearly impressed by his knowledge. "It seems, Mr. Noah, that you are quite knowledgeable about the mystic arts for someone your age."
"Ahaha! I may look like this," Noah replied with a light laugh, "but I'm still the eldest child of a prominent Genestella family who practices magic back in my home world. And after seeing so many cultures and levels of development across different worlds, I realized something."
He shrugged. "No matter how different things appear on the surface, they usually come from the same roots."
Their conversation carried on until they finally reached their destination—a four-story residential building that carried a mystical charm, yet felt strangely homely.
Noah slowed to a stop, his expression turning thoughtful. Even without relying on the Force, he could tell the building stood on an exceptionally rare power hotspot. It was positioned atop a leyline convergence, further tethered to a flowing trail of Imaginary energy coming in from beyond the planet itself.
"A nice place you've got here…" Noah muttered.
"Amazing…" Nanoha breathed, looking around in awe. "The mana density here is incredible." Even she couldn't hide her amazement at the sheer amount of energy flowing around the building.
"This Sanctum is built at the intersection of cosmic energy currents," Wong explained. "We were the first to seek them out. Some of these walls are thousands of years old."
"No wonder there's so much mana here," Nanoha said, looking around in awe. "I feel like I could cast Starlight Breaker Plus over and over without even straining my linker core."
"...Non," Noah said slowly, a visible shiver running down his spine, "please don't say terrifying things like that so casually. You're talking about it like it's the weather."
As someone who had personally experienced Nanoha's love, the infamous giant pink beam of doom, during their last spar, Noah still hadn't recovered from the shock. His magical shield, Force abilities, Astral Emblem, and even his Trailblaze powers had all been rendered completely useless by her overwhelming power of making friends.
Lumine and Sirin hadn't been spared either. The Pink Beam of Love and Friendship had been so effective that the two of them had unanimously given Nanoha a nickname.
'Nonon.'
"Fuee?" Nanoha tilted her head cutely, genuinely confused by his reaction.
With Wong leading the way, they entered the Sanctum. Noah and Nanoha instinctively slowed their steps, their eyes wandering over the countless bookshelves, strange magical artifacts, and even neatly displayed weapons lining the halls. When they reached the front, a grand staircase stretched upward, disappearing into the higher floors.
They followed Wong up the stairs and into a corridor that seemed to stretch on endlessly, doors lining both sides as if the place had no intention of ending. After several turns, they finally stopped before a single door.
"Beyond this point," Wong said calmly, "is Kamar-Taj—the heart of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, and the residence of our leader, the current Sorcerer Supreme."
As they passed through the doorway, Noah immediately felt the displacement between the dimensions. He did notice how, in a fraction of a second, they left and reentered the plane of reality.
When he turned back, the narrow corridors of the New York Sanctum were still there. But before them lay a temple-like complex that blended ancient architecture with a strangely familiar sense of space.
Showing through the windows in the distance were snow-capped peaks and rugged mountains stretched endlessly along with the clear sky.
'Alright… that was cool.' Noah thought. 'It feels similar to how the Trailblaze links two points in space, but this is different.'
His mind analyzes how the Masters of the Mystic Arts' version of 'Anywhere Door' worked. 'Unlike how the Trailbaze works, their version seems to be… like punching a hole through the dimensional barrier… to move between spaces.'
His eyes narrowed slightly as he took everything in.
'…..So their magical arts were being realized by poking a hole through the dimensional gap, then making use of the leaking Imaginary energy from it.'
The conclusion came easily after that.
'No wonder their main enemies are dimensional beings. You open a gap between realities, draw power from the other side… and sooner or later, whatever lives on the other side will surely notice something.'
He let out a small sigh and shook his head. 'A perfect example of self-inflicted injury.'
"Noah, is something wrong?" Nanoha asked, worry creeping into her voice when he stayed silent for too long.
Noah smiled at her and shook his head. "It's nothing, Non. Don't worry."
"Mister Noah, Miss Nanoha, are both of you alright?" Wong asked, noticing how the two had stopped and were staring toward the distant peaks.
"It's nothing, Mr. Wong. Sorry about that," Noah replied. He reached out, took Nanoha's hand, and gently guided her back toward Wong.
Wong accepted the answer, though he still noticed something was amiss. But with the Ancient One waiting, he set it aside and continued leading them onward.
They passed through the library and crossed a courtyard where several practitioners were training, their movements sharp and disciplined. Soon, they arrived before the largest building in the complex.
Inside the main hall, two attendants stood guard at the doorway. Upon seeing Wong and his guests, they bowed deeply and opened the doors.
Once they were inside, Wong immediately bowed respectfully toward the person waiting inside.
Following his sight, Noah and Nanoha saw a bald woman in a yellow monk-like tunic seated at the center of the room, wearing a strange medallion shaped as an eye hung at her neck. She calmly pouring tea into three waiting cups.
"Master, I have brought your guests," Wong said.
"Thank you, Master Wong. I'll take it from here," the Ancient One said as she finished pouring tea into the cups.
Wong nodded and glanced at Noah and Nanoha before leaving the room. They thanked him in return, then turned their attention back to the Ancient One, who was already sipping her tea. The couple exchanged a brief look before stepping forward and taking their seats across from her.
"Please, have some," the Ancient One said with a small smile. "It's a special blend that I made myself."
Noah lifted his cup and took a sip. "Hmm… is that honey?"
Her smile grew wider as she continued drinking. "Correct."
"This is a nice blend," Noah said, clearly pleased. "Maybe I'll try something similar next time."
"Noah," Nanoha said, giving him an exasperated look, "are you trying to make us fall for you even harder?"
"Huh? What do you mean, Non?" He looked genuinely confused.
Nanoha sighed, her expression turned grimace. "Your usual tea blend already screams affection whenever we drink it. Now you're talking about adding sweetness to it. Are you trying to drown us with love?"
Noah deadpanned at her, since he could also hear the agreement from the other four over the communication line. "...It's just a regular family tea blend. How did it suddenly turn into a weapon of affection?"
Nanoha placed her cheek on one hand and let out a dramatic sigh that practically screamed, Goodness me, what am I supposed to do with this man?
Noah's cheek twitched at her complete lack of a proper answer before he finally let out a long, tired sigh. Across from them, the Ancient One watched the small exchange with an amused smile.
"Oh, right, before I forgot, please accept this small gift from us." Noah took a box filled with cookies from his storage space and gave it to the Ancient One. "It's a homemade cookie. I hope you would like it."
"Ahaha, you didn't need to bother, but it would be rude not to take it, so I'll gladly accept it," she said as she took the box from Noah's hand.
"So friends from the far side of the stars, you all crossed billions of light-years and took the trouble of coming here in our humble world… surely your purpose won't be a simple thing," the Ancient One said with a smile. But both Noah and Nanoha notice how her eyes try to decipher their real intention.
Perhaps slightly unnerved by her stare, Nanoha fidgeted lightly in her seat. Noah noticed immediately and placed his hand gently on her thigh, a silent gesture meant only to reassure her. Feeling the warmth of his touch, Nanoha slowly relaxed.
The other four girls on the comms, however, did not share that sentiment.
[...Did he just casually 'feel up' Nonon's thigh?] Lumine deadpanned.
[TSK!! Just when I thought we could finally get Noah's attention on this mission because Kii isn't here… to think we'd run into an existence on the same level as her on Nonon! How unfair!!] Sirin complained.
[I'M NOT JEALOUS!! I'M REALLY NOT JEALOUS!!!] Hayate insisted.
[...Noah, do you like thighs perhaps?] Fate's innocent question silenced the comms completely.
Noah's smile stiffened as a cold sweat ran down his back. Over the line, he could also hear Chrono and the others muttering things like, 'That guy sure has guts,' and 'Where does he get the courage to flirt during a meeting?' One voice even added, 'I'm starting to regret approving him for a first-contact mission…'
Beside him, Nanoha was blushing faintly, trying—and failing—to hide it as she sipped her tea with elegance. The small, triumphant smile on her lips made it clear she was completely ignoring every jealous remark coming from the comms.
"Hmm…?" The Ancient One raised an eyebrow, clearly confused by their reaction. She had expected them to talk back or start to explain their reason... maybe even give excuses, but she absolutely did not expect blushing faces and stiff smiles.
"Ahem." Noah cleared his throat lightly, using the moment to steer things back on track. "Well, before we get into our reason for coming here… perhaps we should introduce ourselves properly."
Both Noah and Nanoha straightened in their seats, their playful mood switching into something more formal.
"My name is Noah Alden," Noah said, his tone was sure and confident. "I am a Nameless of the Astral Express, followers of Akivili—the Aeon of the Path of Trailblaze." He paused briefly. "I am also what the wider universe refers to as a Force-sensitive. A Jedi."
"I am Takamachi Nanoha," Nanoha followed smoothly, smiling as she placed a hand over her chest. "An Executive Officer of the Time-Space Administration Bureau. I currently hold the rank of Air Force Captain and serve as a combat instructor for aspiring mages."
The Ancient One nodded slowly. "I'm afraid I've long forgotten my original name. For the past several centuries, I've simply been known as the Ancient One, the current Sorcerer Supreme of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. You may address me the same."
Noah and Nanoha exchanged a glance before nodding in return, offering polite smiles while the Ancient One returned the same.
"I'll be honest with both of you," the Ancient One began as she sipped her tea. "Aside from the term 'Force-sensitive' and the word Aeon… I'm not familiar with the other names or titles you mentioned."
"That's perfectly fine, ma'am," Nanoha replied gently. "I'd be more surprised if you did know us. After all, my organization is still quite young, only about two hundred years old by the Earth Calendar."
"Honestly, I'm already surprised that you're familiar with Force-sensitives and Aeons at all," Noah added. "From what I've seen, your civilization is still confined within its own star system."
"You're correct, Mr. Noah," the Ancient One said calmly. "Compared to yours, our civilization is still very much an infant. But just as the two of you were able to visit our world… others have done the same in the past."
"Ah… of course," Noah murmured.
The Ancient One smiled faintly as she continued. "When I was young, I was fortunate enough to meet a Force-sensitive individual. Through them, I was able to learn a little bit about the wider universe. About the war between the Jedi and Sith. The ongoing conflict between the Empire and the Rebellion. And in the texts left behind by Master Agamotto, there were references as well, along with brief mentions of cosmic gods known as Aeons."
"Huh? He knew about the Aeons?" Noah raised an eyebrow at her unexpected words.
The Ancient One shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure. But according to the records, he was somehow able to perceive their presence when he tried to connect with cosmic energy during the creation of the three Sanctums. After sensing just how vast and dangerous their existence was… he chose not to pry any further."
"I see," Noah said, rubbing his chin before giving a small nod. Then he shook his head lightly. "Alright. Let's get back to our reason for coming to your world."
He looked at the Ancient One directly. "We're looking for information on the locations of something called the Infinity Stones."
The Ancient One's eyes narrowed and almost, ALMOST flared her power. "…And what would you do with that information?"
'Bingo,' Noah thought. Even Nanoha's eyes widened for a split second before she straightened herself, realizing they had found the right person.
"Nothing," Noah said sincerely. "Aside from recording where they are and who's holding them, we—" he paused briefly, then corrected himself, "—I won't interfere."
The Ancient One blinked, clearly not expecting that answer. "…Nothing? Truly?"
Noah nodded. "As long as the stones aren't being used for something stupid, we're fine. Unless, of course, it was being used on questionable things then… then I'll take them away."
"…From your tone, I can assume you're not interested in the power those stones possess?" the Ancient One said, disbelief still clear in her voice. From everything she had gathered so far, Noah seemed to regard the Infinity Stones as nothing more than a trouble, an annoying headache he couldn't even be bothered to entertain.
"Nope. Nah," Noah replied simply. "I'm already satisfied with what I have." He picked up his cup, sipping his tea. "If I really wanted to, I could claim ownership of an entire planet and access its full database straight from the planet's Core System, thanks to my sacred gear. Even bringing back the dead became trivial once I gained control over a world's data."
He continued calmly, as if listing mundane facts. "Whether creating a soul, a star, a planet, or any kind of celestial body isn't that difficult either. Honestly, I know several people who can do the same."
Noah glanced at her. "And I have enough strength to casually pulverize an entire star system. Plus, if I actually put in the effort… I might even be able to erase every world connected through the Trailblaze network using the Force."
The Ancient One shuddered at Noah's casual admission. She had already sensed his power when her eyes landed on him, vast and almost boundless, but hearing him speak of it so plainly was something else entirely.
Even now, Noah was deliberately reining himself in, suppressing his presence to the level of an ordinary Pathstrider. If he were with the other Pathstriders, the difference would go unnoticed. At most, they would simply assume he was just an exceptionally strong person who was at the boundary under an Emanator.
But the Ancient One was not those other Pathstriders.
Despite her mastery over the mystic arts, she had never stood on the same level as those blessed directly by the Aeons. And in her perception, Noah existed in a realm far beyond what she and the other Masters of Kamar-Taj could hope to overcome.
Unless she uses the power sealed within her medallion… she would hold no real advantage against him.
"And besides, the Infinity Stones become useless once they leave their native reality," Noah added, waving a hand dismissively. "So no thanks. I don't need those shiny rocks."
The Ancient One slowly turned her gaze toward Nanoha. Despite everything Noah had just said, Nanoha continued sipping her tea as if it were an ordinary afternoon.
"Miss Nanoha…" the Ancient One asked carefully. "Is he… being serious?"
"Unfortunately," Nanoha replied with a tired smile, "he's completely serious. My hubby's goal is simply to make sure the Infinity Stones would never become an obstacle to the Path of Trailblaze."
The Ancient One fell silent, her fingers tightening slightly around her teacup as she searched—unsuccessfully—for a response.
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