Chapter 52.
When it came to doubts, Felix truly had plenty.
After all, everything happening now had long since strayed from his expectations. The Ancient One's death had occurred far earlier than it was supposed to, and the Time Stone was now in his hands. Felix could no longer predict how the timeline would evolve from here.
He never intended to change the plot too drastically—but did anyone truly understand his burden? This was the price of the altered timeline: the premature death of the Ancient One and the responsibility of safeguarding the Time Stone.
Would Thanos learn of the Ancient One's death and arrive early to seize the Infinity Stone?
Even though Felix believed that, with his current strength, he could fend off the Mad Titan—maybe even defeat him—the threat wasn't just Thanos alone. There were also his fearsome Black Order generals, horrifying alien beasts, and massive armies of Chitauri soldiers and other alien forces.
If they all attacked Earth at once… who could truly stop them?
Of course, all this was just Felix speculating. There was no certainty that these fears would come to pass.
"Master Ancient One," Felix finally asked, "why didn't you trap Dormammu in a time loop to force him into a compromise, like in the future I know?"
"I mean… in that version of events, Doctor Strange did exactly that. He trapped Dormammu in a loop, and Dormammu was forced to leave Earth. And at that time, Strange had only been learning magic for less than a year!"
This question weighed heavily on Felix's heart. It made no sense that the Ancient One, with her centuries of wisdom and experience, wouldn't use such a tactic.
The Ancient One's expression didn't change. Instead, she asked gently, "In that future you saw—was I already dead when Dormammu arrived?"
"Um… yeah, that's right," Felix replied. "You had died by then. Kind of suddenly, too. I think you were stabbed by Kaecilius and then fell from a high place… it felt abrupt. Some people even joked that your death was rushed because of the budget for special effects."
The Ancient One smiled faintly, as though she'd heard that one before.
"That makes sense," she said. "You see, Dormammu never had a deep desire to devour Earth specifically. For him, Earth was just another nutrient source, nothing more."
"But over the years, I expelled him from Earth many times. He began to harbor a deep grudge against me. And because I relied on the Dark Dimension's energy to sustain my body, I had to frequently open gateways into his domain. Each time I did, Dormammu could sense my presence. His hatred for me grew stronger—until it reached its peak."
"That's why, as long as I'm alive, Dormammu would never give up his attempts to consume Earth. His true motivation was to destroy me."
Now it all made sense to Felix.
"So… when Dormammu could no longer feel your presence on Earth—believing you were dead—and then Doctor Strange trapped him in a time loop, he gave up and left. Is that right?"
The Ancient One nodded silently.
Felix chuckled. "No wonder Dormammu retreated so easily in the movie. Now I get it."
"But, Master Ancient One, why did you entrust the Eye of Agamotto—no, the Time Stone—to me?" Felix asked, a bit exasperated. "It's not that I don't appreciate it, but I don't even know how to use it!"
He sighed dramatically.
"It's like handing someone a stunningly beautiful woman, flawless in every way… but then telling him he's not allowed to touch her. That's just torture!"
Had it been the Space Stone, Felix would've been overjoyed. He could have absorbed its vast spatial energy and rapidly expanded the cosmic starfield inside his –consciousness. That would have accelerated his evolution exponentially.
But of course… that was just a fantasy. He would acquire the Space Stone one day—but not today. That was a matter for the future.
"There's no special reason," the Ancient One replied. "You are now the most powerful human on Earth. After my death, I believe only you are strong enough to guard the Time Stone from those who would misuse it."
Felix was momentarily speechless.
"That's… it? Just like that?" he asked skeptically.
"Just like that," she replied with calm certainty.
"But aren't you worried I'll keep it for myself and never pass it on to Doctor Strange?"
The Ancient One chuckled softly. "I said it when I gave it to you, the Time Stone is now your property. You may keep it, use it or pass it on. The choice is yours alone. No one will interfere."
Her words were without a trace of concern or suspicion, as if she truly trusted him unconditionally.
Felix didn't press the matter further. Strange's arrival at Kamar-Taj was still years away. He had time to decide what to do.
"Venerable One," Felix said more seriously now, "can you tell me some of the major events that are coming? The timeline has changed so much already that the future I knew is almost unrecognizable."
"If something huge happens and I don't know about it—especially if I'm away from this world at the time—it could be disastrous."
He hesitated, then added half-jokingly, "I really don't want to return one day only to find that half the world has vanished –into dust."
That was Felix's honest fear. While his words were exaggerated, the concern was real. After all, the timeline was no longer predictable—and though he may be nearly invincible now, he knew that power alone didn't guarantee safety.
Now that he held the Time Stone in his hands, Felix felt even less fear toward the tyrant. He no longer worried about the scenario he had previously dreaded. Whenever he traveled to other worlds, he would take the Time Stone with him.
He didn't believe that, under these circumstances, Thanos could still gather all six Infinity Stones and snap his fingers.
"The future is not set in stone. The world has become far more chaotic and unpredictable since your arrival," Ancient One's voice was calm as she spoke to Felix.
"Before you appeared, I could use the Time Stone to observe events decades into the future. But after your emergence, I can only see a few months ahead. The future timeline has become increasingly complex.
In fact, the number of branching timelines generated in the past few months since your arrival is equal to what would have been created over decades before. That's how drastically your presence is affecting fate."
Her words made Felix a little embarrassed. It was as if all the chaos had become his fault.
Afterward, Felix asked Ancient One several other questions, and she answered them without holding anything back.
"Master Ancient One, I want to ask you one last question," Felix asked seriously.
"When we were in the Dark Dimension, how were you so sure I would accept your request? What if I had refused? Would you still have sacrificed yourself to expel the Dark Dimension?"
That doubt had lingered in Felix's heart for a long time. After all, Ancient One had seemed entirely unbothered by the possibility that he might reject her.
"Because in every future I saw… you never refused me."
Ancient One gave him a serene smile as her gaze turned toward the azure Earth. There might have been a trace of reluctance in her eyes, but there was also a –sense of peace. Then, her ethereal form began to fade.
Ancient One's image vanished right before Felix's eyes. He didn't know whether she was truly dead, or if her body had perished while her soul traveled through the multiverse.
But regardless of the truth, Felix knew that he likely wouldn't see Ancient One again on this blue Earth.
"Goodbye, Master Gu Yi…"
He sighed inwardly, realizing it was time to return to his physical body.
Meanwhile, on the streets of New York, a strange scene was unfolding.
Countless ordinary people were frozen in place, unmoving. Surrounding a man who appeared to be asleep was a group of oddly dressed individuals, one of whom—a large man wielding a massive axe—paced anxiously.
"Why hasn't Felix woken up yet?" Tony Stark's voice was tinged with frustration as he stared at Felix, who remained unconscious in Annie's arms.
"We can't just let the world stay paused like this!"
It had already been nearly ten minutes since Felix fell into this state. If it weren't for Mordo's calm reassurance, they would've assumed the worst.
After all, Felix showed no signs of breathing or a heartbeat—he appeared completely lifeless.
"Mr. Stark, don't worry," Mordo said, trying to reassure the others. "Master Felix is likely communicating with the Ancient One. I believe he'll awaken soon."
Mordo's eyes occasionally flicked to the Eye of Agamotto, clenched tightly in Felix's hand, and thoughts stirred –within him.
He had no greed toward the Time Stone—but it reminded him that the artifact had always been under the Ancient One's care. Now that she was gone, and the threat of the Dark Dimension had been averted, the gem was with Felix.
The news of the Ancient One's death would soon spread across the multiverse. Without her protection, Earth would surely become a target for beings with sinister motives.
Furthermore, Karma Taj had suffered massive losses from the recent battle. With the Supreme One gone, their organization was like a beheaded dragon. Only a few capable mages remained.
Mordo couldn't help but think of Felix's power during the confrontation with Dormammu—it had left a deep impression. Even Mordo believed Felix's strength was already on par with the Ancient One.
"It seems we must invite Master Felix to take a seat at Karma Taj…"
As he looked at Wong, who met his gaze knowingly, they both nodded in unspoken agreement.
"Why are you all standing around me like that?"
Suddenly, Felix—who had been unconscious in Annie's arms—opened his eyes. He stood upright, freeing himself from her support, and looked around at the familiar faces watching him closely.
"Felix, you're finally awake! Hurry and release the time-freeze spell. I can't stand being stuck in this paused world! It's way too eerie." Tony's voice was full of relief, though laced with his usual sarcasm.
Some people might enjoy a world frozen in time to indulge their "particular interests"… but for Tony, the stillness was unbearable.
But Tony was certainly not one of those people. Seeing everyone around him frozen like statues in an unnaturally peaceful world filled him with unease. The absolute stillness of everything was disturbing. He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.
"Crap! I think I forgot to ask how to reverse this time-suspension spell!"
Hearing –Tony's complaint, Felix suddenly looked around at the deathly still world. A moment later, he smacked his forehead and exclaimed in shock. He had indeed forgotten—he never asked Ancient One how to undo the time-stopping magic!
"What did you just say? You forgot to ask?!" x5
Everyone—except Annie, who remained calm—exclaimed in disbelief.
"F*ck! Are you telling me we're stuck like this forever? I'd rather be killed by Dormammu!"
Tony was visibly distressed. The idea of being trapped in this frozen world forever was horrifying to him—death seemed like a better option.
"Alright, alright, calm down. Let me at least try something first. Maybe I can use the magic to lift the time freeze."
At that moment, Felix remembered the Eye of Agamotto that Master Ancient One had given him. It contained the Time Stone. Even though he didn't know how to use it yet, he figured he might as well give it a shot.
Felix raised his right hand and opened his palm. The Eye of Agamotto lay quietly there, pulsing with dormant energy.
Just as he tried to use his mental power to connect with it, he was stunned to see it suddenly emit a radiant green glow. A wave of tremendous energy burst forth at high speed—too fast for Felix to react. It spread in all directions.
The soft green light from the Eye swept across the area, and in the next moment, the lifeless, statue-like figures on the streets of New York began to move again. The frozen world around them started to come alive.
If someone had been watching Earth from space, they would have seen the previously still planet suddenly begin rotating again.
"Look! Everyone, the world's moving again—it's working!"
Annie's surprised voice pulled Felix from his stunned daze. He looked around curiously, and as expected, everything was coming back to life. The air was once again filled with sound and movement. The deathly silence had vanished, replaced by the lively noise of a bustling world.
"Wait a second… something's not right."
As Felix observed the revived surroundings, he sensed something was off. While everything and everyone were moving again, they weren't following their original paths.
It was as if someone had hit rewind on a movie. People were moving backward, step by step, like acrobats performing in reverse. Vehicles were reversing erratically.
Some cars that had previously crashed into trees or other obstacles—crumpled and damaged—were now moving backward, their front ends gradually restoring themselves as they retreated from the collision point.
The flow of water reversed. Flames from past explosions flickered backward into nothingness. Even the sounds seemed to play in reverse. The entire world was rewinding.
Time kept rolling backward—faster and faster—until it reached the moment when the Dark Dimension invaded Earth. And then… the reversal abruptly stopped.
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