章節 50: Chapter 50
'I guess I'll ask the Ancient One later. I still have a lot of other questions that I want answered anyway,' Liam thought.
He continued switching his training between Bolts of Balthakk and lava for the next few hours until it was lunchtime. At lunch, Liam returned to the Sanctum to eat and get some answers from the Ancient One.
'Training really helped with clearing my mind, but I still have unanswered questions for the Ancient One,' Liam thought. 'She didn't mention anything about when all these events would happen. The only clue I have is that it will be after her death, which is another thing she didn't fully explain. I can at least assume the barrier will fully break after Strange takes over in the future. Until then, I assume I'll be relatively safe.'
'She also didn't talk much about "friendly dimensions." I have no idea what I can expect from them.'
With those thoughts, Liam finished his lunch and went to find the Ancient One. She was in the courtyard, observing the training of a newer group of students.
"So, young Liam. Has your mind digested all the information?" the Ancient One asked as she noticed him approach.
Liam nodded.
"Then I assume you still have some questions, right?" she said, her tone calm but it felt like she knew everything about him.
"Yes, a lot of them actually," Liam admitted with a second nod.
"Then let us head inside," she said, opening a portal to her study and gesturing for Liam to follow.
Liam stepped through and sat down. 'I'm coming to this place way too often nowadays. Every time I'm here, something troublesome happens or has happened,' he thought with a sigh.
"So, young Liam, what questions do you have for me?" the Ancient One asked with a soft smile.
"When?" Liam began. "When will the barrier break completely?"
"After I die," she replied simply.
"You don't have a clue how long it would take after your death? Somehow, I doubt that. I find it hard to believe that in all the futures you've seen with the Time Stone, you never checked how damaged the barrier was, or that you never made a rough estimate for yourself or Strange," Liam pressed, frustrated.
"You are correct, young Liam. I have seen countless futures. All of them differ from one another. In some, the barrier could last another ten years. In others, it breaks the moment I die," she explained.
"How many of them break the minute you die?" Liam asked, his frustration growing.
"Many of them," she admitted.
Just as Liam was about to continue his questioning, the Ancient One interrupted him. "But you, young Liam, know very well that if I tell you about the future, it will change again."
Liam fell silent at her words.
"Do you have any more questions?" she asked.
Liam nodded. "Friendly dimensions. You talked about them yesterday. What exactly are they, and how would I know if they're friendly?"
"Friendly dimensions… There is no failsafe way to determine if a dimension is friendly. Often, you can feel the intentions of the other party through their energy and, sometimes, the dimensional energy itself. But trusting your gut is the most important thing," she explained.
"Some dimensions open up dimensional tears themselves, while most require a ruler to do so. For dimensions that open tears on their own, the people inside often aren't hostile. The dimension itself isn't necessarily trying to destroy this dimension either. In most cases, the inhabitants of those dimensions don't even know there's a tear leading to another world," she added.
Liam nodded, processing the information. 'In the end, most of it comes down to gut feeling. Even if the inhabitants aren't hostile at first, their attitude could change on a dime once they realize there are benefits involved,' he thought.
"I have two more questions. These aren't about yesterday but about spells," Liam said. "The Mirror Dimension spell—when do you think I'll be ready to learn it? And is there a spell that can store things out of sight and make them so only I can get the items back?"
The Ancient One smiled softly. "The Mirror Dimension, hmm? That is still outside your reach. Given your talent, you might be able to start learning it in about a year or so," she said.
"As for the other spell, it is called Dimensional Pocketing. It involves creating a separate dimension by folding a layer of space and anchoring it to yourself," she explained.
(A.N.: Yes, the actual spell is indeed called Dimensional Pocketing. I know it sounds cliché, but I'm trying to keep it as authentic as possible.)
"This spell is something you can start training on now. It's a very advanced spell because it involves folding a separate layer of space. By the time you master it, you'll have an easier time learning the Mirror Dimension," she added.
With that, she made a gesture in the air, and three books appeared, falling gently into her hands. She handed them to Liam. "This is the spell you're referring to, and these are the books you'll need to learn it from."
Liam looked at the books:
Theory and Mechanics of Dimensions
Containment
Dimensional Pocketing
'Just great. More books. Who wouldn't want to read more books?' Liam thought sarcastically. His eyes stayed on the first book. 'The book on Mechanics of Dimensions looks to be about 600 pages too.'
Liam thanked the Ancient One and returned to his room. Once there, he opened the Mechanics of Dimensions book and started reading.
After a few pages, he groaned. 'Every page is packed with words. No pictures. There better be pictures later. Reading 600 pages full of dense text is going to take weeks,' he thought bitterly.
He closed the book with a sigh. 'Great. Another thing to add to my already complicated training schedule.' He opened a portal back to the volcano.
At the volcano, Liam resumed his training routine, changing between lava training, physical exercises, and spell practice. This time Liam found himself running up mountain slopes, with a backpack filled with large rocks on his back. 'This is something I neglected quite often before, learning new spells was a great excuse for me to skip physical training.'
'But I have to keep my body in shape. While activating Incursio initially strengthened my physique, I still need to maintain it through training,' Liam thought as he pushed himself. Sweat poured down his face as he reached heights with lower oxygen levels.
Eventually, he found a perfect height that pushed his limits but could be maintained for a while and settled there. 'It's strange. My body should have long surpassed human limits, but it's still growing stronger—slowly but surely.'
After half an hour of running, Liam returned to his usual resting place near the lava and toxic smoke. He drank a bottle of water and summoned Incursio around him.
'Time for lava training again, I can rest my body while in lava. No need to waste time up here,' he thought.
Time passed as Liam stuck to his training routine over the next few days. He balanced lava training with studying new spells like Icy Tendrils of Ikthalon, reading the books for Dimensional Pocketing, improving mastery over his current spells like Bolts of Balthakk and Eldritch Constraints, and improving his physical fitness.
Finally, the day came.
'It's time to meet with S.H.I.E.L.D.,' Liam thought as he walked on the sidewalk of the New York streets.
------
Hey everyone, thank you all for the great support. Chapter 50 is a great milestone for me. At the beginning of this fanfiction I had difficulty writing over 800 words a chapter but now I easily make it past the 1000 mark, even sometimes reaching 1200-1500 words on a chapter.
I am enjoying making this fanfiction and will probably continue making fanfictions and actual novels after this one is over. Once again thank you all for the great support and please keep commenting on mistakes I make, it helps me a lot for future chapters/novels.
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章節 51: Meeting Fury
Liam walked down a familiar quiet street towards an old café on the outskirts of New York. His eyes scanned the area, noting something unusual.
'No agents... Strange. There's usually at least a few around. Did they decide not to show after that little incident with Natasha?'
He continued towards the café, his memory recalling specific spots where agents had been stationed the last time he was here. This time, however, there was no one—no surveillance, no watchers, nothing. As he neared the café, he noticed a single black SUV parked nearby. The car was slightly higher and longer than the usual SHIELD models he'd seen.
An agent stood outside the vehicle. Spotting Liam, the agent reached for his earpiece, muttered something, and opened the car's back door.
'They want me in the car?' Liam thought, puzzled. 'Not exactly Fury's style.'
Approaching the vehicle, Liam raised a brow as the agent nodded toward the open door. "They are waiting for you inside," the agent said.
Liam sighed but nodded, stepping into the car. The interior was built for business, with two forward-facing seats at the front and two pairs of two seats facing each other, arranged somewhat like a typical limousine in the back.
'Classy, though smaller than I'd have thought for Fury.' Liam thought.
Sitting opposite him were Clint Barton and Phil Coulson, their expressions unreadable.
"So, what's the deal?" Liam asked as he sat down, his tone carrying a bit of irritation. "I thought we were meeting inside the café."
Coulson offered a polite smile. "After your... interaction with Natasha, we decided this would be more appropriate."
'Somewhat expected.' Liam thought, feeling a glare lock onto him, he looked at Clint.
Liam smirked as Clint's threatening glare locked onto him. "Ah, so you brought the bowman along for backup. Where's your bow, little man?" he teased, his tone deliberately provoking.
Clint's glare intensified, his knuckles tightening.
Liam chuckled. "Careful there. If you glare like that during the entire ride, your eyebrows might just cramp up and stay like that forever."
Coulson cleared his throat, signaling the driver. The SUV began to move, smoothly pulling into traffic.
"Anyway, where exactly are we going?" Liam asked, shifting his attention to Coulson.
"We're headed to our headquarters. You'll be meeting our boss there," Coulson replied politely, ignoring the jab at Clint. "Would you care for a drink?" He gestured to a mini-fridge concealed beneath the seat.
Liam rolled his eyes internally. 'You could've just said that earlier, and I'd have saved us all some time by opening a portal. But where's the fun in that?' His lips curled into a mischievous grin. 'Especially with how easy it is to irritate Clint.'
"I'll take a drink," Liam said casually, accepting the cup Coulson handed him. "So... long drive, huh? Is Hawkeye here going to glare at me the entire way, or are we switching to awkward silence soon?"
Coulson ignored the dig again and replied calmly, "Yes, it'll take a while."
Clint finally relaxed his death glare but kept a close eye on Liam. Liam, noting his change, decided to give the archer a break, turning his attention to the passing scenery outside the window.
'I could sling-ring us there in seconds, but there's really no point in exposing my abilities already. Especially if its just to save a few hours.' Liam thought.
After a few minutes of silence, Coulson spoke up again. "Say, this is more of a personal curiosity—how do you keep disappearing and reappearing out of nowhere? We can never seem to track you for long."
Liam turned to Coulson, a sly grin forming. "You're not seriously expecting me to answer that, are you?" After a pause, he added with a touch of humor, "Actually, I'll tell you. It's simple. Magic."
Coulson chuckled, clearly unconvinced. "Magic, huh? Can I learn it?"
"Anyone can learn magic," Liam replied immediately. "But the question is, can you handle the consequences?"
Coulson leaned forward, interested. "What consequences?"
Liam's expression turned more serious as he locked eyes with Coulson. "It's not just about the learning—it's about the life that comes with it. A lifetime of fighting, training, and more fighting. And trust me, it's never-ending."
Coulson leaned back, considering his words. "Fighting what, exactly? The U.S. hasn't seen wars on its soil in a long time."
Liam shook his head. "We don't fight in surface-world wars. But wars? There are always wars. You just don't know about them."
Coulson's expression turned contemplative as he processed the response. 'Surface-world wars? Wars we don't know about? I'll need to inform Fury. Although I doubt it's real since S.H.I.E.L.D. is not the worlds largest intelligence organization for no reason afterall.'
To keep the conversation going, Coulson replied, "If that's all it takes, I think I'd be up for it."
Liam's expression changed, revealing a wide smile. "If you really mean that, I'll let you know when you're ready."
Coulson felt a chill as Liam's smile deepened. "What do you mean?"
"You'll see," Liam said, his grin widening before he turned back to the window. The rest of the drive passed in silence.
The car eventually came to a stop, the door opening to reveal SHIELD's large, modern headquarters. Liam stepped out, glancing at the large amount of agents and business related people entering and exiting the building.
"You must not be too worried about me," Liam said, noticing the amount of people walking around. "Didn't even bother to evacuate the building."
Coulson stepped out beside him. "As I've said, I trust my evaluation of your morals."
With that, Coulson gestured toward the entrance. "Please, follow me. We'll take you to see the boss."
Clint remained close as the three of them entered the building and rode the elevator to an upper floor. When the doors opened, Liam immediately recognized the figure waiting for them.
'Alexander Pierce.' Liam thought as he observed the older man in front of him. 'One of Hydra's current heads and the highest ranking infiltrator in S.H.I.E.L.D.'
"Good day, Secretary Pierce," Coulson greeted respectfully.
Pierce turned, his practiced smile in place. "Ah, Coulson, Clint. And who might this be?" He asked.
''This here is Liam Hawthorne, Secretary Pierce.'' Coulson replied.
''Ah, the man in the indestructable armor. I've heard many great things about you.'' Alexander said, extending a hand.
Liam replied to him before shaking his hand. "Yes, that's me. It's a pleasure."
"Of course. You're quite the enigma, aren't you? The man in the indestructible armor." Pierce's smile widened. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to reach out. Myself or Director Fury would be happy to assist." With a final nod, he excused himself. "Now, if you'll pardon me, I have a meeting downstairs."
Liam watched him leave, feeling disgusted. 'SHIELD's so full of liars, it's like I'm in a poorly written reality show.'
Coulson interrupted his thoughts. "Alexander Pierce. One of our top executives. Now, let's continue."
They moved deeper into the building, stopping in front of a large set of doors. Coulson opened them as he and Clint walked in. Behind the doors, a spacious meeting room with a long table inside it were revealed. Seated around the table were mostly familiar faces.
To his left, Clint and Coulson whom had just taken a seat. On his right sat three women: Natasha Romanoff, Maria Hill, and a younger brunette Liam didn't recognize.
But his attention remained on the man at the head of the table. Nick Fury.
Liam pulled out the chair prepared for him and sat down, a sly grin forming. "I'm pretty sure I asked for a private meeting, didn't I, Fury?"
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