"Crack!"
With a flick of her hand, the air before the Ancient One fractured like glass.
As usual, she opened a Mirror Dimension, intending to check what Qin Xiao was up to.
But the moment she summoned the spell, an overwhelming sensation coursed through her body—
a surge so foreign, so profound, that even she froze in astonishment.
The power she once drew from Dormammu's Dark Dimension
had flowed entirely into the Mirror Dimension on its own.
As if…
her body no longer needed the dark energy to sustain itself.
That realization sent shockwaves through her heart.
"How can this be…?"
Instead of seeking out Qin Xiao, she stepped deeper into the fractured space and quietly sat cross-legged.
There were things she had to think through — questions she once believed she already understood.
The Age-Age Fruit, in raw power, didn't truly enhance her strength.
Her mastery of magic already far exceeded what any Fruit could offer.
Yet the change it brought… was far beyond anything she expected.
For centuries, the Ancient One had used dark magic to nourish her body —
just as Pangborn used his magic to walk.
Pangborn wasn't cured; his life was merely a constant act of magical upkeep.
He once said there were deeper secrets waiting to be learned —
but he no longer had the strength to pursue them,
for all his energy was spent simply on living.
The Ancient One was no different.
For hundreds of years, she had continuously drawn from the Dark Dimension,
letting that alien energy preserve her youth and life.
Whenever she stopped, even for a moment, time would resume its march upon her flesh.
That was why, despite her agelessness, she sometimes looked faintly worn —
the mark of centuries pressing faintly upon her face.
She had tried, more than once, to abandon Dormammu's gift,
but each attempt ended in weakness and decline.
Without a successor to the title of Sorcerer Supreme, she couldn't allow herself to falter.
Since then, she had never gone a moment without the dark power's touch.
Until now.
Now, after consuming the Age-Age Fruit, she felt something entirely new.
She had thought the reflection she saw yesterday —
that fleeting sense of being alive again — was the Fruit's greatest gift.
But only upon casting magic did she realize the truth.
Her body… was alive.
Healthy, vibrant, no longer dependent on Dormammu's corruption.
The dark energy that once sustained her had become merely a tool —
a part of her magic, not her lifeline.
She looked up.
The Mirror Dimension around her shimmered vast and crystalline,
larger than it had ever been before —
because this time, even more dark power had flowed into it freely.
"The Age-Age Fruit… has changed me completely."
"What if… I no longer draw on the Dark Dimension at all?"
She acted the moment the thought formed.
The faint black aura that had always lingered around her dissipated instantly.
"Crack… crack…"
The vast Mirror Dimension began to contract, folding in on itself as the dark energy faded.
Within seconds, it had shrunk to half its former size.
Yet the Ancient One's face showed not concern — but joy.
"Hundreds of years… and I've never felt this light."
Her body was free.
The whispers of Dormammu, that ceaseless voice at the edge of her mind,
were gone.
No more corruption.
No more fear of being consumed.
Only silence — and peace.
Emptying her mind completely, she meditated once more,
her spirit soaring beyond the confines of the Mirror Dimension,
beyond the Earth, beyond even the stars.
And there, in the silent sea of the cosmos,
a vast and unfathomable gaze turned toward her.
Eternity was watching.
When at last her consciousness returned to her body,
she whispered softly, almost in awe:
"Time… Eternity… The future still holds so many possibilities."
Rising to her feet, she waved a hand — a golden portal opened before her.
She stepped through,
and soon after, a gentle knock echoed at Qin Xiao's door.
When he opened it, he frowned slightly.
Something about her was different.
She looked the same —
but the feeling she radiated… had changed completely.
Yesterday, the Ancient One had exuded serene majesty, calm, and the faint stillness of death.
Now, that same calmness shimmered with something new —
Vitality.
Life.
Even Qin Xiao was taken aback.
Can the Age-Age Fruit… really grant this kind of power?
The Ancient One met his gaze and spoke first.
"I've eaten the Age-Age Fruit."
Qin Xiao nodded, unsurprised — the system had already confirmed it.
But curiosity burned in his eyes.
"Did it… make you stronger?"
The Ancient One's lips curved slightly as she shook her head.
"No. It didn't increase my power —
but it has completely changed who I am."
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