"Not only is it possible, you've already surpassed me," the Ancient One said with quiet awe.
Malrick gave a modest wave. "I wouldn't say that. Every field has its strengths. I'm just physically stronger—your mastery of magic is still far beyond mine."
She shook her head. "Magic isn't about strength, it's about accumulation. You've already set foot on the path to understanding the fundamental rules of the universe."
She paused, then added with solemn conviction, "That path leads directly to the very foundation of magic itself."
"I can already see it… One day, you may rival the Vishanti—or even surpass them."
"Perhaps you should try reaching out to the Three at Kamar-Taj through a special ritual. It could accelerate your progress."
Malrick raised an eyebrow. "Development, huh? That won't be necessary. I've already found the best way to grow stronger. No need to bother them."
He pushed himself up to his feet. "Besides, studying magic isn't my focus right now."
"If one can understand the laws behind reality itself, then replicating the effects of magic becomes simple."
He turned to leave, nodding respectfully. "I came to say goodbye, Ancient One. Thank you for your guidance—Ancient One?"
Malrick snapped his fingers, intending to dissolve the Mirror Dimension.
But before the spell could activate, the Ancient One struck her palm forward, anchoring the space in place.
She stood, hands forming a spell seal, her expression unreadable. The chamber began to shift, its boundaries expanding, the doors on both sides morphing into endless walls.
Malrick tilted his head. "...What are you doing?"
"I'm happy to see your strength blossom," she said gently.
But then her hands lit with golden sigils—two glowing Rings of Raggadorr flared to life in her palms.
"But there is one thing I regret."
Her voice turned grave.
"You carry a world within you now, don't you?"
Malrick frowned. "Yeah, I do. So?"
"That means you've opened a new dimension inside yourself," she said softly.
"In the eyes of the Multiverse, that makes you—at least partially—a Dimensional Entity."
"And as Sorcerer Supreme, it is my duty to prevent such beings from interfering with Earth."
The rings spun rapidly in her hands, transforming into weapons.
"I have to remove you from this dimension."
"You can't be serious," Malrick said, disbelief in his voice.
But her face said everything. The serene wisdom that once guided her now gave way to unflinching resolve.
With a flick of her hand, she overturned the table between them.
"Will you leave on your own, or will I have to make you?"
"I'm from Earth, born and raised!" Malrick's tone sharpened. "I'm not going anywhere. If you really want to push this—then know this: you can't stop me."
In an instant, Malrick launched into the air.
"Out of respect for everything you've done to protect Earth, I won't fight you… this time."
But the Ancient One twisted the Mirror Dimension like a wave, hurling herself into his path.
"You will not leave!" she shouted, hurling a magical fan forged from the Oshtur incantations.
Malrick sidestepped easily. Her speed, once deadly, now seemed sluggish in his eyes.
Still, her sudden aggression rattled him. This wasn't like her.
She'd never been rigid or bound by dogma before—and he hadn't even crossed any actual lines yet.
"If you come at me again, I won't hold back!"
Malrick caught her wrist mid-attack and flung her aside—lightly, with precision.
Yet, to his shock, the Ancient One flew backwards like a ragdoll.
She soared through the air like a kite with its string cut.
That wasn't possible.
His control over strength was now refined down to the molecular level. He could pluck an ant without harming it. There was no way she should've flown like that.
As she fell, the ground beneath her twisted—folding open into a vast, bottomless chasm.
She was trying to die.
Malrick's instincts screamed.
He blurred forward, catching her in the gentlest grip just before she vanished into the abyss.
The Ancient One stared at him, momentarily stunned.
Then… she smiled.
A soft, regretful smile.
She tilted her head.
And died.
"Ancient One! What are you doing—what the hell are you doing!?"
Malrick's voice cracked. Even his enhanced neural matrix—the so-called Super Brain—froze.
He couldn't accept what had just happened.
He blinked once, and the Mirror Dimension vanished.
He was back in the real world. The lifeless body of the Ancient One lay before him.
He ran a quick scan using his Super Vision.
Cause of death: cerebral infarction.
"...A stroke? The Sorcerer Supreme died from a stroke?"
Malrick stared at her in disbelief, words clogging his throat.
He forced himself to calm down. "Wait, her astral projection—her soul—should still be around."
He sat cross-legged, entered a meditative state, and activated Star Projection.
From the center of his Original Nucleus, his soul emerged.
A moment later, he saw her.
The Ancient One's soul—the Shadow—stepped through the mirror-door into the night air outside.
He followed.
She stood quietly in the training yard, gazing at the stars.
"Ancient One," Malrick said, his voice low. "What exactly are you doing?"
She didn't turn. "Looking for Kamar-Taj's next Sorcerer Supreme."
"...You mean me?"
He hadn't even considered it. He assumed she would choose Strange, just like in the movie.
"What about Stephen Strange?"
"He can stay a doctor—or come to you for magical guidance. That choice is his."
Finally, she turned to him.
"You killed me, Malrick. As compensation, you will take up my role."
"...I what?"
He blinked. Was that how this worked?
"...You're seriously blaming me?"
She said nothing.
Malrick exhaled through his nose. "Fine. If that's how you want to play this—then I'm not letting you die."
His soul zipped back into his body.
Eyes snapping open, Malrick sprinted to the library, yanked the Eye of Agamotto from its pedestal, and rushed back to her body.
"Not today."
He formed hand signs from memory, borrowed from a spell buried deep in the ancient texts of Kamar-Taj.
The Time Stone flared green.
A wave of cosmic time energy enveloped her body.
"You wanna die? Try again."
Seconds passed.
Then...
Her body… grew colder.
Malrick's expression shifted.
"...Something's wrong."
He stopped the spell and crouched beside her, inspecting more closely.
That's when he saw it: a faint black sigil glowing on her forehead.
The Mark of the Dark Dimension.
And along her limbs—subtle traces of dimensional backlash.
"Time won't work," said a familiar voice.
Malrick turned. The Ancient One's Shadow hovered nearby, now partially manifesting in the physical realm.
"The Dark Dimension exists outside this universe. The Time Stone has no effect on its energy. My death was sealed."
Her voice was calm. Detached. As if commenting on a haircut that couldn't be saved because there was no hair left.
Malrick's jaw clenched.
He had no words.
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