章節 7: Deal

Once again his mother's body loomed over him, this time he can make out her deranged face.

"Mom?" He asked her, pretending the gun barrel wasn't pointing right at him.

"Shh baby it'll be real quick, just close your eyes ok? I'll be with you real quick." She positioned her body, her finger starting to tighten on the trigger.

Allen grabbed the barrel and pointed it at the door. In her panic, Lauren pressed the trigger only for the bullets to slowly escape from the gun. Lauren watched the gun in horror then at Allen whose eyes were glowing green. The gun barrel crumbled to rusty pieces starting from where Allen was touching and slowly infecting the whole gun.

"It's ok Mother." Allen put his hands up in a non-threatening manner.

Lauren looked at her empty hands and at the bullets, still slowly cruising in the air.

"You're not my son. You're a monster."

Allen's heart clenched. He tried pushing himself up only for the bed to buckle and form wooden panels and cotton balls. He lifted his hands in horror. He blames the Andrew in him the innocent naive boy that wanted his mama because when he reached out to his mother she flinched.

'I can't control it,' he panicked, 'I need to go- I need-." He took a step. Lauren yanked her body backwards, far from him.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Tears dropped from her eyes and she ran. He heard clattering and his head pulsed, blood dripping from his nose.

She's going to kill herself, he saw. He pushed himself up and rushed to the kitchen.

Bright moonlight leaked through the kitchen window, lighting the place up in hues of blue and purple. His mother's silhouette sat right next to the sink in front of the window. He can't see her face just the reflection of moonlight on her tears and the knife.

"Dear father who art in heaven," she began, "forgive your sinner daughter for giving birth to this monster of a child." She embraced the knife into her throat. Allen rushed to stop her but it was too late. His power encased her, and the blood seeping out of her throat slowed down. It just dripped more slowly and slowly. There's a slow gurgling sound coming from her, her blue eyes staring right at him. He touched the knife and pulled it, it fell as a slab of rock. The blood still gushing out slowly. Maybe just maybe he could it will work. He placed his hands on her throat and begged. Please revert this. Please.

He can feel the blood from his nose seeping into his shirt. He can feel the burning of his hands. He can also feel Lauren's wound healing, but instead of disappearing the wound hardened like a scar and before Allen could pull his hand out, a painful screech escaped Lauren's throat, she placed her hand onto his arm, and he can see it begin to wrinkle and quickly like all the blood in her body disappeared, her skin drooped showing her bones. He managed to pull away and Lauren fell into a heap. She looked so ancient now. Gone was the youthful face, now she had sunken eyes, her face riddled with wrinkles and aging spots. She took one last shuddering breath and her body stiffened, eyes still staring right at him.

The Andrew in him was horrified. But within Allen, a big chunk of him blamed her. It's all her fault. He didn't do anything wrong. She would've died no matter what. He just prolonged it by a tiny bit.

As he was considering how to hide her body a small orange spark coloured the kitchen. Then it formed a large circular portal. A woman in robes entered first followed by a few other people. She looked at him and then at the aged body of Lauren. She knelt at his level.

"Are you ok?" Her voice was so calm, so gentle compared to the raging emotions within him.

"No." he is not ok.

"Can I touch you?" She asked. She looked at the chair she wanted to move him to.

"No… you'll turn into her." He pointed at the corpse. The people behind the woman shifted uncomfortably.

The woman conjured up some warm tea and floated it to him. "Drink, it will make you feel better." She lifted her cup and took a sip.

He hesitated, one finger touching the cup and when nothing happened he relaxed, placing all 5 fingers on the handle only for it to clatter and form a small clump of clay.

The people tensed even more. The woman looked thoughtful. "Is it just your hands?"

He shrugged. "Think so…" he tried tapping his feet and nothing happened.

"Can you put out your palms like this?" She held out both her hands and spread her fingers out. He mimicked her. She flicked her hands and gloves covered his fingers it had holes for the thumb, pointer and middle finger. She floated another cup to him.

He tested it out again and when nothing happened he breathed out in relief, sipping on the warm tea. Immediately his emotions toned down and his beating heart slowed.

The woman's eyes gleamed. Her fingers pushed and her cup fell forwards. Before it could spill out onto the floor, time paused for the cup and it just lay midair, the contents also paused. The woman smiled, she took the cup and scooped the floating tea. She swished it and the tea leaves swirled around at a normal pace.

"Fascinating. Are you aware who we are Allen White?" She looked at him.

Andrew's memories flickered in his head, this woman and a man in a red cloak, orange sparks forming weapons and portals. He frowned, "The Masters of the Mystic Arts." And she's the-

"Correct. I am The Ancient One. Allen White, would you like to follow me and learn how to control your power?"

Of course, he does but- "what's in it for you? You can easily kill me and take the stone back."

"True. However, if we kill the stone's chosen master, it would not be happy with us who forcibly took it from us. We would love to have the stone back of course as it is safest with me. But if it has chosen you, we will train you to protect the stone."

"Why do you care so much about the stone?" As he said those words he felt something within him rattle with displeasure.

"We have protected the stone for a very long time Mr White and we want to keep it that way, away from bad people."

"And by taking me in, you'll be protecting the stone?"

"Correct." The Ancient One smiled.

"And if the stone chooses to return to you? What will happen to me?"

"I will stay true to my words and you will remain as a disciple of the Mystic Arts."

"So to sum this all up, I would stay with you, get to train my Mystic Arts and the power stone, and in return, I get protected?" it sounded too good to be true.

"Well, we will protect the time stone and in extension, you. Your movements when possessing the time stone will be severely restricted until you get strong enough and we trust you enough."

Allen pretended to think about it. He knew that running away isn't possible. The Ancient One had given a false sense of choice. He looked up and glanced over the people behind The Ancient One, as his green eyes landed on each person, they shifted nervously. He's still young and has enough time to build trust until the events of the MCU.

"I agree to your conditions," he held out his hands. Green eyes staring intently.

"We are happy to have you," she took it with no hesitation, maintaining eye contact.

He smiled, green turning back into chocolate brown and tiredness washed over his body, before his head can connect to the ground, a hand caught it and he knew no more.