The Ancient One, the mysterious guardian of this world, stood before John Wick. She was the Supreme Sorcerer.
Information flashed through John's mind. Many considered her a being with the highest ceiling in combat power. He looked at her, and the Ancient One was also observing the man who had changed the magical world.
In this world, magic existed, but it was divided into two forms.
One was the magic of sorcerers, like those at Kamar-Taj, where the Ancient One resided. They absorbed energy and channeled it through rituals and spiritual practice, drawing on higher environmental energies and even dimensions beyond this world. Their magic was a kind of exchange, receiving energy from gods such as the Vishanti. This allowed for feats like teleportation and summoning attacks from outer dimensions.
The other form was wizard magic. Unlike sorcerers, wizards relied more on spiritual power. Their magic followed fixed rules and always came at a cost. Wizards' spells were often strange and wondrous, cast through wands that acted as mediums for stable spellcasting, much like a sorcerer's sling ring.
Wizards could cast spells that made people vomit slugs or even spells that could instantly take a life. Sorcerers' teleportation was more stable, while a wizard's Apparition was more flexible. Wizards had spells like Expelliarmus to disarm, Legilimency to read minds, and Transfiguration to change forms. Some feats that required great magical power from sorcerers could be achieved by wizards as well.
Despite their differences, there were similarities. What made sorcerers more powerful was likely the strength of heart forged on snowy mountains. Wizards, on the other hand, experienced emotions more intensely than ordinary people, and their magic grew stronger with emotional fluctuation.
Long ago, the dark emotions of a young wizard, unable to release his power, could turn into a terrifying monster. Those possessed by such monsters were called Obscurials. That kind of dark power was much like the Dark Dimension.
Both sorcerers and wizards were mysterious beings in the magical world. Sorcerers were tasked with resisting the invasion of the Dark Dimension, as wizards were more easily assimilated by it. This was both protection and defense. Wizards could generate dark energy on their own, and their sensitive emotions made them more susceptible to being bewitched and transformed.
There was a tacit understanding between sorcerers and wizards, a mutual avoidance. Except for a few, not many remembered those other mysterious magic users. This understanding lasted for a long time, until the twenty-first century, when the Ancient One began to lose some control. New variables appeared in the magical world, and some changes made it difficult for her to be sure her plans would succeed.
There were five years left until the next Supreme Sorcerer would appear. She needed a strong presence to help her through this period, and such power was hard to find at Kamar-Taj. Although the sorcerers there were strong, they did not meet her requirements. She needed someone with great strength and a firm mind to resist beings from beyond this world.
The Ancient One decided to visit the magical world she had not seen in a long time, seeking the most powerful wizard she knew—Albus Dumbledore, the former headmaster of Hogwarts, wise and loving, with a strong heart and the one who had the most powerful wand among wizards.
Yet the results were unexpected.
"My friend Dumbledore recommended you to me," the Ancient One said with a mysterious smile, as if holding many secrets. "The young Witch King, John Wick."
Her gaze was searching. The powerful and wise wizard had been exiled, and the one who defeated him was now standing before her. Witch King—a title as noble as Supreme Sorcerer, the leader of all wizards. His youth was surprising. The Ancient One noticed something within John that was difficult to discern.
"Dumbledore?" John's expression became more guarded at the mention of his former headmaster.
But the corners of his lips curled up, and he said meaningfully, "Tell me your reason for coming, Supreme Sorcerer, Ancient One."
Reciprocity. If she wanted to be mysterious, he would match her.
John's gaze lingered on the eye-shaped necklace she wore—the Eye of Agamotto, a treasure that could see the future and control time. But the future was not so mysterious to him. Among the titles of Witch King, "prophet" was just one, and he had defeated another prophet before.
"I am here to ask for your help," the Ancient One said with a slight smile. She knew it would be foolish to confront the ruler of the magical world and wisely chose to show him respect. "Witch King, this world is coveted."
"Coveted?" John recalled some of his school adventures, when he had mastered the taboos of time and soul and had glimpsed places unknown to ordinary wizards. The Ancient One's attitude surprised him. He had thought her title would make her react differently, but these beings who had lived for centuries could not be underestimated.
"Yes," she replied, stretching out her arms, which were almost unnaturally pale. Magic unfolded in her hands, and darkness appeared first. Her voice was full of mystery.
"At the beginning of this universe, there was chaos."
Suddenly, a dazzling white light burst into the darkness. Infinite light and stars erupted, extending without boundaries.
"The Big Bang gave birth to six infinity stones."
In the explosion, six bright gems of different colors slowly fell across the universe. John's feet shifted from darkness to a blue planet, which was connected to many other places—a desolate, cold world, a place like a fairyland, and more. One of the green gems slowly settled on the treasure at the Ancient One's chest.
She paced in the living room, gesturing at the universe, and a black space appeared. "Kamar-Taj's duty is to protect the Earth from external threats. There are dimensions in this universe that covet our world. They are eager to invade and devour it. To resist, Kamar-Taj established three temples on Earth."
She raised her hand, and the blue planet floated from John's feet. "Hong Kong, London, New York." Three points on the planet lit up, forming interconnected golden circles that wrapped the globe.
"As Supreme Sorcerer, the leader of the sorcerers, I must have the strength to protect all of this." She crossed her hands, and the Eye of Agamotto on her chest slowly opened. A gem emitting a mysterious green light appeared inside, overlapping with the image of the Infinity Stone.
John stared at it, feeling a resonance with the time magic within him. "Time," he said aloud.
The Ancient One was a little surprised that he knew this, since wizards had few records of the Infinity Stones. She nodded. "The Time Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones. It is a treasure used by the Supreme Sorcerer to protect this world."
The universe and darkness faded, leaving only the beautiful, gem-like planet slowly rotating between them.
"The crises of the future are approaching, and this gem and the next Supreme Sorcerer will face them," she said sincerely. "I need your help, Witch King."
"Me?" John raised his hand carelessly, touching the magical image she had created. His fingers passed through it. "You are more powerful, aren't you?" He had finally found some free time away from the throne of the Magic Kingdom and government affairs.
"The world has become chaotic. It is a crisis," the Ancient One said solemnly. "No one can escape."
Crisis? John raised his eyebrows. Since Tony Stark existed in this world, he guessed the Avengers would appear as well. That was a superhero organization made up entirely of extraordinary beings. Shouldn't they be the ones to handle a crisis?
"The Supreme Sorcerer cannot solve it?" John asked, skeptical.
"As I said, the world has become chaotic, and some of the trajectories that were supposed to be set have deviated," the Ancient One replied. "Even I cannot fully know. I am not sure whether the Supreme Sorcerer who was meant to be will remain unchanged."
For someone who had always been in control of the future, this was difficult. She watched John and said in a deep voice, "The world has been chaotic since the two worlds overlapped ten years ago. A force is pulling at reality, making it difficult to observe."
John's hand paused, his expression growing strange. Worlds overlapping, celestial spheres converging—could it be something he had encountered before?
He withdrew his hand from the planet, and a black substance flickered at his fingertips. The planet exploded and faded into nothingness.
It seemed that magic could interfere with other magic.
After reaching this conclusion, John turned to the Ancient One, suppressing the strangeness he felt.
"Do you need my help?" he asked calmly. "Is it a request or an exchange?"
Even though his astonishment was brief, the Ancient One noticed it.
He smiled and said, "The law of alchemy is that there is no gold without a price. You want insurance for the future, Supreme Sorcerer. Fair trade, equal exchange, right?"