Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
For every 5 Patreon memberships I receive, I'll release 15 chapters all at once. Your support means a lot to me.
*****
Kaecilius's arrival caused no ripples in Kamar-Taj for the time being. Aside from Fini, no one else held any prejudice toward him. After all, most people here had their own stories; conversely, someone like Fini, who had entered through personal connections, was practically one of a kind.
In the library.
Fini gloomily closed the ancient, heavy magic book. He had flipped through it so many times it was nearly falling apart, and he recognized most of the characters, yet he simply couldn't cast any spells related to the spiritual body.
Forget about knocking someone else's soul out; currently, he couldn't even manage to let his own soul leave his body. He even began to wonder if the author's methods were real or fake—though, of course, this was just the suspicion of someone who was flustered and exasperated.
But continuing like this was not a solution either, so he decided to go to the Ancient One to find a way.
After informing the librarian, Fini brought the magic book and found the Ancient One.
"Teacher, give me a hand!"
Fini approached the Ancient One and explained his distress while holding the book. "I really can't understand what's written in here. How about you just let me experience the feeling of the soul leaving the body directly!"
"Perhaps you are being too hasty."
The Ancient One was leisurely brewing tea, looking as if she were too lazy to lift a finger.
"I can't afford not to be hasty." Fini looked at her resentfully. "January is almost over, and I still don't have a single clue."
"That is why I told you at the beginning—the spells of Kamar-Taj might not necessarily suit you."
The Ancient One still maintained her calm and collected demeanor.
"Teacher, if I go out like this, I'll be an embarrassment to you. Just help me out." Fini looked at the Ancient One pitifully. "It's just a wave of your hand."
"You..."
Helplessly, the Ancient One stood up from her chair and walked over to Fini. She placed her left hand at her waist and held her right hand in a palm shape, striking Fini's chest.
In an instant, Fini felt the world change.
He himself became light and airy. Looking down, he found that his body was in a translucent state, but his clothes hadn't changed at all. Even the magic book he was holding in his arms had been struck into a spiritual state.
His physical body was right in front of him; after receiving that palm strike from the Ancient One, it was retreating at a very, very slow speed.
Before Fini could experience it for long, he suddenly felt a huge suction force coming from the physical body in front of him.
In the next second, he returned to his normal state, his body taking a slight step back.
Fini reminisced about the feeling just now. This was his first time undergoing astral projection, and the novel experience made him want to try it again, but the Ancient One did not agree.
"Haste makes waste; nothing can be forced!"
The Ancient One returned to her chair and sat down, took a sip of tea, and issued a guest-evicting order to Fini: "Go back. I believe you will master it sooner or later."
"How late is 'sooner or later' exactly!?"
Fini muttered helplessly under his breath. However, he also knew the Ancient One's personality; once she made a decision, it was hard to change. He could only leave with the book in his arms.
On the way back, Fini saw Kaecilius again. He was currently practicing hard by himself. His mental appearance had changed slightly; he no longer looked as sorrowful as before. The Ancient One must have spoken to him about something.
Fini watched him from a distance. After the incident with Tony, he knew the future could be changed by him. Therefore, he didn't want to come into contact with Kaecilius for the time being, worrying that it might influence him to turn to Dormammu ahead of schedule.
Afterward, Fini attempted more spiritual body cultivation. With the Ancient One's help, he was finally no longer completely clueless, but he was still a thousand miles away from actual astral projection.
After returning the book to the library, Fini opened a portal and went home. Early morning in Kamar-Taj was night for New York; the frequent reversal of jet lag didn't make him uncomfortable.
In his room, just as Fini was preparing to rest, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
"Fini, are you in the room?"
"I am, come in!"
Fini responded. Seeing Skye open the door and walk in, he asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"Fini, I want to talk to you about something."
"Mm-hmm!"
Skye's expression looked a bit hesitant, as if she didn't know how to start. However, the flash of persistence deep in her eyes made her say tentatively:
"Fini, I don't mean anything else. You know, I've lived very happily these years, and Mom and Dad are just like my biological parents... but..."
As soon as Skye spoke, Fini knew what she wanted to say. Her biological parents' abandonment of her was a lingering obsession in her heart. Although she already had a real home here, she still couldn't let go of this matter.
"You said before that Master Ancient One can know the past and the future. Can you help me ask about them..."
Fini sighed silently in his heart. More than a year ago, Skye had been investigating this matter, but back then, he was worried that investigating S.H.I.E.L.D. would lead to conflict, so he did his best to stop her.
Now another year had passed, and Skye still hadn't forgotten about it.
"Skye, I understand what you mean."
Fini beckoned Skye to sit on the edge of the bed and looked at her seriously. "Actually, I do know some things about your parents' situation. However, I must warn you—their situation might not be very good."
"You really know!?" Skye excitedly grabbed Fini's hands and asked nervously and with mixed emotions, "Who are they? Where are they now?"
"I've forgotten the names."
Fini scratched his head awkwardly and coughed slightly before quickly adding, "I'm not too clear on the location either. In short, I know part of the reason why you were abandoned."
For the sake of his family, Fini could abandon some principles—such as "spoilers."
The reason he refused to tell Skye directly back then was that he didn't have the strength to protect her, and he was also worried that Skye would act irrationally in a moment of impulse.
But during this period, Skye had seen the mages of Kamar-Taj, witnessed Iron Man's high-profile debut, and even personally experienced "Incursio." Her perception of the world had changed significantly.
And he could be considered to have a portion of strength now, so he didn't need to be quite so cautious anymore. Of course, the most important thing was that he didn't feel right letting Skye continue investigating alone like this.
Realizing it was possible to know the truth she had cared about for years, Skye's mood was more complex than imagined. Taking a deep breath, she seemed to have prepared herself fully before asking seriously:
"What was the reason?"
"Your hometown was attacked. They took your mother away. Then, another organization took you away to protect you and sent you to an orphanage."
"So, it wasn't that they voluntarily abandoned me, right?"
Skye herself didn't seem to notice that she had quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Fini nod, she followed up with more questions: "Who attacked my mother? And what about my father? Who was it that took me away? Why was I sent to an orphanage?"
Skye discovered that her life story didn't seem so simple. From just these few words of Fini's, many things could be inferred.
(End of Chapter)