章節 94: Gramps And Illy

Happy new year everyone!!

.....

After sleeping for four hours, Liam woke up. As he opened his eyes, he found Illyana asleep in a chair in the corner of the room, her head resting on Lockheed, who was curled up on her lap.

Liam silently moved out of bed. While he was changing his clothes, he noticed that Lockheed's eyes were wide open and watching his every move. Despite Lockheed moving slightly, Illyana remained asleep.

'She's probably exhausted from whatever she did in Limbo,' Liam thought, placing a finger to his lips to signal Lockheed to stay quiet.

Lockheed let out a soft sigh, a wisp of smoke leaving his nose before he closed his eyes again.

When Liam finished changing, he opened the door and stepped out. Walking through the corridors, he soon reached his grandfather's room. After knocking, the door opened.

"Hey, Gramps," Liam said with a smile.

"Good morning, Liam," his grandfather greeted warmly, gesturing with his arm. "Come in, come in."

Liam stepped through the door as Harold closed it behind him.

"Sit down. I'll set a cup of coffee," Harold said.

Liam nodded and sat down, watching as his grandfather prepared two cups of coffee with a bright smile and full of care. Harold seemed to act like nothing was wrong, despite having just been discharged from the hospital a few hours earlier and having to move to a new place for reasons he didn't fully understand.

"All right," Harold began, stirring his coffee as he sat across from Liam. "Why don't you start from the beginning? What's this magic business you've been hiding from me?"

Liam hesitated for a moment but then began recounting his magical journey. He explained how he'd gotten lucky with stocks from Stark Industries, how he'd wandered the streets after hearing rumors of strange happenings, and how he eventually stumbled upon the master of the sanctum, who had accepted him as a student and taught him magic.

He chose not to tell his grandfather anything about his reincarnation, his knowledge of the future, or Incursio, which came with them. He didnt want to tell him. And even if he did, he thought it wasn't the right time—his grandfather was already dealing with so much over the past few days. Liam knew he needed to ease him into this information if anything.

"So you got to do all of this for free?" Harold asked skeptically.

Liam knew the truth would come out when his grandfather read the first book, so he didn't plan on hiding that.

"No," he admitted, setting his coffee down. "It's not without cost. The sanctums protect the world from otherworldly creatures. When I learned magic, I agreed to help defend the world and go on missions when needed."

Harold leaned back in his chair, his brows furrowing. "Otherworldly creatures? Missions? What exactly have you gotten yourself into?"

"These creatures come from different dimensions," Liam explained. "They invade our world for multiple reasons, but most of the time, they're here to kill or conquer. Mages are trained to stop them."

Harold's expression darkened as he processed Liam's words. "Have you considered what I thought before you started this?" he asked. "I already lost your mother and grandmother. Did you think I would want you anywhere near something dangerous like this?"

Liam met his grandfather's gaze. "I did think about it," he said firmly. "I'm not a kid anymore, Gramps. I'm already twenty years old. I thought about this a lot before I made this choice, and even now, I still think it's the right one."

Harold sighed, his expression softening slightly. "I understand that you aren't a kid anymore," he said after a moment of thought. "But why would you want to do something like this? You could've lived a perfectly normal life."

"Multiple reasons," Liam said. "I find learning magic fascinating and fun, but that's not everything. It's also about understanding the world in ways most people can't. I always prioritize my own life, but I'll protect innocent people when I can."

After reassuring his grandfather further, Harold—though not completely happy—seemed to come to terms with Liam's decision. Liam brought him to the library, introducing him to Master Drumm. After helping his grandfather select books on the sanctum's history, Liam returned with him to his room before seeing him off.

Upon returning to his own room, Liam noticed Illyana was awake. She was wearing a dress he had bought for her while she played with Lockheed.

"Hi, Illyana," he said as he entered. "I see you finally woke up."

"And I see you've finally returned," she replied.

"Yes, I've finished dealing with my problem," Liam said. "What about you?"

"I cleaned things up in Limbo as well," she said.

"Good. Then I'll introduce you to the master of this place now," Liam said. "You'll need to show her respect. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes," Illyana nodded.

"Okay, follow me then," Liam said.

They walked through the corridors, heading toward the Ancient One's room. Illyana glanced around as they walked, her eyes wide as she saw the sight of multiple people being trained. Her own world didn't have anything like this.

When they reached the Ancient One's room, Liam knocked and was granted entry immediately.

"I see you've brought someone interesting along again, young Liam," the Ancient One said with her usual warm smile. "And you seem to have gone through some intriguing changes yourself."

"I would say so, yeah," Liam replied as Illyana followed closely behind him into the room.

After the Ancient One and Illyana introduced themselves, they all sat down.

"So, what is it that you need, young Liam?" the Ancient One asked.

"Is it possible for her to settle here and perhaps learn magic as well, if she chooses to?" Liam asked, glancing at Illyana.

"It is possible, but there is a requirement," the Ancient One said. "She must undergo my training. Otherwise, she will have to leave."

As Liam opened his mouth to speak, the Ancient One gestured for him to remain silent.

"She is a danger to those around her if she isn't in control of her powers—and you know this, Liam," the Ancient One said.

Illyana's expression darkened. "What danger am I?" she muttered.

"While it might not be intentional, I cannot risk the dark aura within you taking over and endangering my students," the Ancient One explained. "Nor can I risk what might happen to the barriers around this place should you lose control."

Liam immediately understood the Ancient One was referring to Illyana's Darkchylde form. Knowing this, he couldn't refute her statement.

"So, tell me," the Ancient One continued. "Do you wish to learn, or do you want me to return you to your dimension?"

"What do you want, Illyana?" Liam asked, looking at her.

Illyana also understood the Ancient One's concerns, though she wasn't didn't know what the barriers were or why they were so important.

"Do you think I should?" Illyana asked Liam.

"It's completely up to you," Liam said. "But I do think it could help you a lot."

Despite remembering her previous experiences with others offering to help her control her powers, Illyana chose to trust Liam's judgment.

"Alright," she said, turning to the Ancient One respectfully. "Then guide me, please."

創作者的想法
Donnuuu

Hope I did this somewhat correct, I really struggle with direct confrontations like with his grandfather haha.

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章節 95: Numbers

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The Ancient One revealed a soft smile again after Illyana accepted her offer.

"Your training will start tomorrow. Before that, read this." She handed her a book on basic energy manipulation.

"I already know how to use magic," Illyana said, reading the front of the book. "I don't need to start with the basics."

"The way you gained your magic is different from how it is learned here," the Ancient One replied. "While your magic is powerful, it is also rough, undisciplined, and wasteful."

"And how would you know it's wasteful?" Illyana challenged.

"The magic leaking from your body even now tells me that." The Ancient One's responded in a calm tone.

"And this isn't the first time I've seen your methods." She gestured gently. "Save the rest of your questions for tomorrow. Your room will be prepared shortly. You may go while I speak with Liam in private."

Illyana turned with a questioning gaze towards Liam.

"You can go ahead without me," he said.

With a nod, Illyana walked out of the room.

Liam turned his head back towards the Ancient One, with a puzzled look.

"What did you need me to stay behind for?" Liam asked.

"It's about the change you've undergone," the Ancient One said, her tone more serious. "While I couldn't witness the transformation itself, as it happened outside the bounds of this dimension, it's clear that both your armor and your body have changed—improved, in fact."

Liam nodded and explained the rough events that had led to his transformation. He described the new abilities he had gained, speaking calmly as the Ancient One listened along.

"Be careful, young Liam." She said after Liam had finished explaining. "Though I cannot fully perceive what is behind all of these changes, in my experience, everything comes with a cost. Power is no exception."

Liam took her words seriously, even though he hadn't experienced any negative effects so far.

"But your new strength comes at a good time," the Ancient One added.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"The real reason I needed you to stay here is the current state of the dimensional barriers," she explained. "As you are already aware off, the damage to the barriers grows worse by the day."

Liam nodded—this was one of the reasons he had been training so hard afterall.

"Since your return, the barrier's rate of weakening has increased," she said.

"Is that because of my armor's evolution?"

"Partially," she confirmed. "Your armor and the girl you brought back from another dimension have both contributed to the accelerated weakening, but only slightly."

Her expression changed to a somewhat somber one. "The true danger comes from the enemy dimensions. They've noticed the weakening in the barrier, and as a result, dimensional tears are appearing more and more frequently all across the world."

"That's a problem." Liam said.

"Indeed," she said. "Right now, our mages can manage the number of tears opening each month. But in a year's time? It would be difficult to say if that's still the case."

Liam nodded, he hadn't considered the increase in frequency. He'd been focusing solely on gaining the strength to handle higher-tier tears himself.

"What can I do?" he asked. " While I could definitely recruit more people with great magical talent, when it comes to large numbers of lower-level mages, I doubt I'd have more success than you."

"The people you have brought here are indeed exceptionally talented," the Ancient One said, while smiling faintly. "However, it has never been just about people, has it?"

"What do you mean?"

She chuckled softly. "That's enough for today. You'll understand with time. Keep this conversation in the back of your mind until then."

"Really?'' Liam sighed, his face changing to a bored expression.

"Alright, thank you for your advice. I'll figure the rest out myself," Liam said as he walked toward the exit of the room.

"Good luck, young Liam." The Ancient One said before he left.

After he left, she spoke once more, her voice quiet. ''The future truly is turning out quite interesting.''

Walking back to his room, Liam was deep in thought.

"It's not just about people," he muttered to himself. 'I wonder, am I supposed to tame some kind of creatures or something?'

'How would I even do that?' Liam frowned. "Can beasts learn the magic to close these rifts as well? And even if they could, I doubt just any of them would be capable. And where would I even find these beasts? I can only assume they'd come from another dimension."

The idea felt absurd. 'I wish I could just put everyone in the world under an illusion and teach them magic,' he thought with a smirk. 'That would make everything so much easier.'

As his stopped his musings, a more serious plan began to form.

'Yesterday had already set my thoughts in motion, but this just confirms it,' Liam thought. 'SHIELD can't handle something like this, and with the sanctum unable to manage in a year, I think it would be wise to start my own organization or something along those lines.'

The concept interested him. The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed.

"But how would I even start an organization?" Liam muttered. 'I'll need a lot more money... talented people... but where would I find them?'

'These dimensional tears require people who can learn magic to close them,' he continued, before arriving at his room. 'So while not everyone needs to be able to do it, some of them would need that talent.'

When he opened the door to his room, he found Illyana sitting on the bed, looking somewhat downcast.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"What the Ancient One said about my powers..." Illyana trailed off, her voice low. "She was right. I lose control sometimes."

Her eyes met his. "Do you think I'm a danger to you?"

Liam paused. He contemplated for a few seconds before he answered sincerely.

"No," he said. "You saved my life when you stopped the Tyrant from reaching me. Even in your dark form, while you might not have had had full control, you didn't hurt me. You even spoke to me."

Liam continued. "You're not a danger to me. And once the Ancient One helps you, you'll never have to worry about losing control again."

Illyana's lips curved into a small, grateful smile. "Thank you."

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