Chương 74: Ch.74 You Are the One
No matter how you look at it, all of this was far too distant for Ronan.
He didn't even fully grasp high school physics yet, and here he was, expected to study cosmic-level topics.
It was a bit much for him.
So, he forced his wandering thoughts to return to the present.
After all, he hadn't forgotten the real reason he came here today.
"Master, about this Space Stone..."
Ronan raised his left hand.
On his Infinity Gauntlet, the Space Stone was faintly glowing.
The Ancient One nodded and led Ronan to a deeper part of the cave.
There, instead of murals, they found stone slabs inscribed with words.
The words were in Sanskrit—an ancient language rarely seen, even in the East.
"Is this..."
Ronan began to slowly read through the inscriptions on the stone.
Of course, he understood Sanskrit.
In Kamar-Taj, many of the ancient texts were written in Sanskrit, and if you didn't understand it, you'd be forced to rely on Google Translate.
But translations often fail to capture the deeper meanings.
So, from a young age, the Ancient One had made Sanskrit one of Ronan's core studies.
"This is..."
The Ancient One pointed at the slab.
"It records how the first Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto, harnessed the power of the six Infinity Stones."
"These stories were passed down orally for many years until one Sorcerer Supreme decided to carve them into stone."
"For future Sorcerer Supremes to study."
The Ancient One glanced at the ancient writing. The last time she read it had been hundreds of years ago.
But for Ronan, this was an entirely new experience.
Most of the stone recounted Agamotto's quest to find the Infinity Stones and his contributions to saving humanity.
But the final part revealed the most crucial detail.
In the end, after saving humanity from a crisis, Agamotto decided to return the six Infinity Stones to the universe.
Except for the Time Stone, which he kept.
According to his rules, the duty of the Sorcerer Supreme was to protect Earth.
Having the Time Stone allowed him to foresee future threats.
But when Agamotto tried to return the remaining five stones, he realized something remarkable—each Infinity Stone seemed to possess a faint consciousness.
In simpler terms, when they were in danger, the stones could instinctively protect themselves.
But that was the extent of their awareness.
Although these "minds" were weak and mostly based on instinct, Agamotto speculated that, in the future, these stones might fully develop a consciousness.
Because of this, Agamotto established a rule:
Kamar-Taj would only keep the Time Stone. They would not store any other Infinity Stones.
The risk was too great—no one could predict what would happen if one stone developed awareness and affected the others.
So, for safety's sake, Kamar-Taj would only safeguard the Time Stone.
At this point, Ronan was stunned.
If Agamotto made such a rule, why hadn't the Ancient One told him about it?
Was she bringing him here today just to reveal this?
"Although Agamotto established this rule, there's something that wasn't carved into the stone."
The Ancient One smiled and pointed at the slab.
Ronan didn't quite understand what she meant, so he re-read the inscriptions carefully from top to bottom.
What was missing?
The slab was filled with tales of Agamotto's deeds.
Could it be that...
They ran out of space on the slab and didn't finish?
Ronan looked up at the Ancient One, hoping to see her deny his assumption.
But he was disappointed.
"You're not wrong, but that's only part of the reason."
"The missing sentence is this: 'Except when encountering the One.'"
The Ancient One finally revealed the truth.
The One?
Ronan blinked in confusion. He'd heard this term before.
The Ancient One had mentioned it to him previously, and she had used it to describe him.
Back then, Ronan thought she was just flattering him, but now she was bringing it up again.
"There was once a Sorcerer Supreme whose strength and abilities rivaled those of Agamotto himself."
"But something happened that made him believe he was the One."
"He started searching the universe for the remaining five Infinity Stones."
"And because of this, Earth faced an unprecedented crisis."
"At the very end of his life, he realized he had been wrong all along."
"So, he used the power of the Infinity Stones to repel the enemies, but he also died from that same power."
"And that Sorcerer..."
"...was the teacher of the Sorcerer Supreme who carved this slab."
The Ancient One stared at the old stone slab, telling a vague story.
What had made that Sorcerer Supreme believe he was the One?
And why did he need the six Infinity Stones?
What led to his final realization?
The Ancient One left those questions unanswered.
Ronan didn't ask, either.
He knew the Ancient One well enough to know that when the time was right, she would tell him what he needed to know.
If she wasn't telling him now, there must be a reason.
"So, Master, are you saying that I'm the One?"
"But that seems..."
Ronan wanted to say it seemed too abstract, but the words didn't quite capture what he felt.
He still didn't understand what being the One really meant.
"There are many things you don't know yet, and that's fine."
"But eventually, the truth will come to light."
"For now, you just need to remember this—you are the most special among us."
The Ancient One patted Ronan on the shoulder and, seeing his puzzled expression, opened a portal.
It seemed Ronan wouldn't be getting any answers today.
Ronan sighed. He should have expected this.
After sixteen years under the Ancient One's guidance, he had already encountered her cryptic nature more than once.
It felt like she was becoming more and more like a riddle master lately.
But no matter how curious Ronan was, he couldn't force the issue.
He couldn't outfight her, so what else could he do?
It was infuriating!
She had stirred up his curiosity but refused to satisfy it.
What kind of situation was this?!
"There's one more thing you should remember, Ronan."
"The path of the One is something only you can walk. No one else can help you."
"At least, I cannot..."
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