"Sebastian, tomorrow's the start of summer break. When school kicks back in September, we'll be juniors—college apps are gonna creep up fast," Sean said.
Midtown Science and Tech High School ran on a four-year system, so Sean's comment wasn't laced with stress. His face lit up with excitement for the summer ahead, not worry.
Sebastian grinned. "Your dad went to a top university, right? With his connections, I bet applying will be a breeze for you."
They laughed and chatted as they left school, splitting up at the gate. Sean had a party to hit, while Sebastian was headed to the New York Sanctum. He'd made a breakthrough with a potion yesterday and just needed to keep tinkering to finish it.
It had been almost five months since the showdown with the Dark Cult and the dimensional rift in Latveria. Since then, Sebastian had been laser-focused on working with Kamar Taj's mages, swapping out potion ingredients to create a version that worked in this world. They'd finally found a promising lead.
At home, Sebastian showered, changed, and grabbed his sling ring. With a quick gesture, he opened a portal and stepped into Kamar Taj's magic training courtyard.
Using the sling ring was second nature now. Five months ago, fresh off the Latveria mission, Sebastian had fumbled for just two hours before opening a shaky portal. Two hours to get the hang of portal magic? The Ancient One had practically glowed with praise for his talent.
Casillas, Mordo, and Daniel were floored by his skill, though not all in a good way. Mordo, especially, had grown distant, barely nodding when they crossed paths, a hint of jealousy in his eyes. Daniel wasn't much warmer. Casillas, though, had clicked with Sebastian. They'd gotten tight, almost like buddies, which made Sebastian wonder if he had a knack for attracting future bad guys.
He waved to a few Kamar Taj mages who greeted him and headed straight to a lab inside the compound. Casillas was there, leading four other mages in an experiment—the blood poison potion Sebastian had been obsessed with for months.
This potion could flush out toxins from the body and blood, perfect for tackling Tony Stark's palladium poisoning. Sebastian was confident it could slow or even stop the poisoning's spread until Tony cooked up a new element to replace the palladium in his arc reactor.
"Casillas, how's it going?" Sebastian asked.
Casillas, not one for formalities, got straight to the point now that they were cool. "Sebastian, it's looking good. The mix we prepped should sub in for that ancient ingredient you mentioned. We just need to nail the measurements, and we can start brewing the blood poison potion."
"Sweet!" Sebastian said, pumped. "I'm jumping in. Let's get this done ASAP."
"Deal," Casillas replied.
They dove into the final experiments, working until nightfall. Sebastian eventually stepped away, saying goodbye to Casillas. He was stoked to head home for dinner with his mom, Alisha, who was rarely back early.
But as he reached the training courtyard, where portals could be opened freely, he spotted the Ancient One waiting for him.
"Master Ancient One, you here for me?" Sebastian asked, surprised.
She turned, nodding. "Yes, Mage Sebastian, I've been waiting for you."
Her serious tone made Sebastian straighten up. "What's up, Master Ancient One?"
"I've thought long and hard and made a decision," she said. "I'm offering you two paths to choose from. You can also choose neither—that's your call."
"Two paths? Lay it out for me," Sebastian said, curious but focused.
"Of course, that's why I'm here." She gestured to a nearby pavilion, and they sat down. "Mage Sebastian, here's the first option: join Kamar Taj for real, become one of us. In return, I'll open up all of Kamar Taj's magic for you to learn, no limits."
Sebastian's jaw nearly dropped. All of Kamar Taj's magic? That was the kind of offer he'd barely dare dream about, afraid he'd wake up. It was real, though, sitting right in front of him.
Before he could process, the Ancient One continued. "The second option: become Kamar Taj's eternal ally. When we need help, you'd do your best to pitch in, as long as it doesn't put your life at risk. In exchange, you can learn most of our magic—everything except the core spells in The Book of Vishanti. But you'd need to trade knowledge for knowledge, an equal exchange."
The Book of Vishanti—the ultimate magic tome, packed with the world's top white and defensive spells, the heart of Kamar Taj's power. Sebastian was dying to peek inside, but tying himself to Kamar Taj full-time? That gave him pause.
"You don't have to decide now, Mage Sebastian," the Ancient One said. "Go home, think it over."
Sebastian shook his head, his mind already made up. "No need, Master Ancient One. I know my answer."
She raised an eyebrow, her face serious but warm. "Tell me your choice, whatever it is."
"Master Ancient One, I'll be Kamar Taj's ally, as long as it doesn't mess with my freedom, safety, or goals," Sebastian said. "I love this place, but I've got my own path to follow. I'm sorry, but I can't join Kamar Taj full-time."
The Ancient One's face flickered with regret, but she quickly stood and shook Sebastian's hand. "I'm sorry Kamar Taj won't have you as a full member, Mage Sebastian, but your talent is undeniable. On behalf of Kamar Taj, I welcome you as our ally. Here's to helping each other out in the future."
Sebastian smiled. "I'm stoked to be Kamar Taj's ally. I've got amazing mentors here, plus friends and teammates I really vibe with. I'm all in for this partnership."
He wanted to make his enthusiasm clear. Showing the Ancient One he was committed would set the stage for smooth teamwork and learning.
"From now on, Mage Sebastian, Kamar Taj's library is open to you," she said. "You can trade knowledge for the books and spells inside, or take on missions for us to earn access. There's an old saying in China: even siblings settle accounts in business. Let's stick to fair trades to keep our friendship solid."
"Totally agree," Sebastian replied. "I'm all about equivalent exchange—it's my thing. I'll stick to it, and I'm sure our friendship will stay tight."
"Perfect, it's settled," the Ancient One said. "If I'm around, you know where to find me. If I'm not, Daniel will handle knowledge trades while I'm gone."
Sebastian and the Ancient One didn't haggle over what counted as "equivalent" knowledge. They weren't the type to nickel-and-dime. Deep, ongoing exchanges like this worked best when both sides played fair long-term. Being petty would only mess up their vibe, and neither was that shortsighted.
With their deal locked in, Sebastian said goodbye, slipped on his sling ring, and opened a portal. He stepped onto the roof of his New York apartment building, taking a deep breath of the crisp night air. The city sparkled below. He turned and headed downstairs to his place.
His talk with the Ancient One had eaten up some time. When he got home, Alisha was already there, and Sharon—her cousin—was with her. Since Sharon stopped snooping around Sebastian's room months ago, she'd been chill. At their place, she was just family, not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent (or whatever they were calling it now after the rebrand).
Dinner with Alisha was always awesome, and Sharon made it lively. After eating, Sharon stepped on the scale, groaning at her weight creeping up for the first time in forever. But she shrugged it off, diving into the desserts she'd brought. "I'll just double my workouts," she said, grinning. "Gotta enjoy the sweets first."
"Mom, Sharon, I'm done," Sebastian said. "Heading to my room."
"Hang on, sweetie," Alisha called. "There's a package for you on your desk. Check it out."
Sebastian paused, confused. He didn't recall ordering anything, but packages could come from anywhere. He nodded, waved goodnight to Alisha and Sharon, and went to his room.
On his desk was a thin envelope. He tore it open, finding flyers, a ticket to the Stark Industries Expo, and a slip of paper with a phone number. Flipping it over, he read a handwritten note: You didn't give me your number, so here's mine – Tony Stark.
Sebastian smirked. Tony had sniffed him out. Honestly, if Sharon and S.H.I.E.L.D. had pegged him, it wasn't a shock that Tony—smarter than most—had too. New York was crawling with cameras, and every pedestrian's phone was basically a spy cam. For S.H.I.E.L.D. or Tony, digging up his identity wasn't exactly rocket science.
From the start, Sebastian had only hidden his identity to keep random people off his trail and buy time before groups like S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra caught on. Now, with his wand, Kamar Taj's alliance, and some solid magic under his belt, he had enough juice to protect himself. No need to stress about secrecy like before—especially since hiding was pointless now.
He'd hesitated only a moment before dialing the number Tony left. The phone barely rang once before it connected, and Tony's voice crackled through.
"Oh, the speed of this courier is really bad. I feel that Stark Company can develop this easily. Also, I'm glad you called me Mr. Mysterious Mage."
"How do you know it was me?"
As soon as the words slipped out, Sebastian cringed, letting out a helpless sigh. He muttered to himself, Idiot, before continuing, "Okay, you can find my address and of course my phone number."
"Haha, of course.
However, although I can check your phone number, it would be a little disrespectful and polite to interrupt like this. If you are just an ordinary man, that's fine, but you are not an ordinary person, aren't you?
I don't want to be cursed by you or something... oh, yes, you should be able to curse, right?"
"I don't know about curse-type magic, but if you want to see it…"
Before Sebastian could finish, Tony coughed lightly and interrupted: "Okay, stop talking nonsense, let's get to the point quickly and talk about business."