"Don't be so wary. I mean you no harm."
The Ancient One blew gently on the hot tea in her hand. The rising steam blurred her face, making it impossible for Renzo to see her expression clearly.
"For more than ten minutes now, I've sensed that the future has fallen into chaos. Even when I use the Eye of Agamotto to observe it, the result remains the same." As she spoke, her gaze suddenly locked onto Renzo.
"So I examined millions of possible futures and compared them to the original trajectory."
She stood up, walked slowly toward him, and lifted her head to meet his eyes. Her expression was calm, but her gaze had grown far more serious.
"I discovered that the root of all this lies in the moment you were born. From that instant, the future diverged."
"The future is inherently uncertain…" Renzo tried to argue, but she cut him off.
"Do you know why I'm so certain it's you?" she asked with a faint smile.
That smile sent a chill down Renzo's spine.
Without warning, she moved.
In an instant, she struck Renzo in the chest. The force sent him staggering backward—and something separated from him.
A nearly transparent figure was pulled out of his body.
"What…?"
Renzo lowered his head, staring in shock at his translucent hands.
Boom!
Vision's body collapsed to the ground. The Mind Stone on his forehead dimmed, while Renzo floated above in his soul form.
"So this is who you truly are… an Eastern soul?" the Ancient One said, a hint of curiosity in her tone. She circled him slowly, her eyes studying him as though examining an unfamiliar specimen.
Renzo immediately drifted toward a nearby mirror. But there was no reflection—his soul cast no image.
Left with no choice, he looked down at himself. He was still wearing the same clothes he had on when the lightning struck him.
"What do you intend to do with me? Send me back?" Renzo steadied himself and asked calmly. He already suspected the answer.
"I cannot," she said, shaking her head, regret evident on her face.
Renzo felt a flicker of disappointment—but only a small one. In his previous world, he had lived an ordinary life with few connections. A handful of distant friends, nothing more.
Compared to returning, he would rather remain here… and become a hero.
"Perhaps there is a way," she continued, "but even I cannot see it yet."
"Whenever I attempt to observe your future, an unknown force interferes. It even resists the Eye of Agamotto, pulling me back to the present."
Her tone grew more solemn.
To completely block her sight—even with the Time Stone—was something few beings could achieve. Not even the Celestials could easily do so. It reminded her of entities that existed on a far higher level.
Yet she concealed that concern.
"I cannot interfere with your future. So I ask that you remain stable—do not disrupt the original course of this universe."
Her voice was firm, her expression more serious than ever.
"If something uncontrollable occurs, it could bring irreversible damage to this universe."
"Do you understand?"
Renzo floated there silently, his head lowered.
He was thinking—about the future, about what he could change, what he could prevent.
Then he suddenly looked up.
"So you're telling me to follow Vision's original path? To wait calmly for Thanos to arrive… and then die?"
The Ancient One frowned slightly. She did not agree—but neither did she deny it.
"Everything has its purpose. To change it recklessly could lead to—"
"What if I refuse?"
"…?"
"I'm asking—what happens if I choose to live my life on my own terms, instead of following some predetermined destiny?"
Renzo drifted closer until they were nearly face to face. There was a deep sadness in his eyes—something that seemed to tremble at the level of the soul itself.
The Ancient One held his gaze in silence for a long moment.
At last, she looked away and let out a soft, helpless smile.
"Very well. The future is not something that can be fully controlled. Perhaps your arrival itself is meant to avert the coming crisis."
Even she didn't fully believe those words—but she offered them anyway.
With a gentle wave of her hand, Vision's body rose from the ground and floated toward Renzo. Their forms slowly merged.
Vision's eyes snapped open. The Mind Stone on his forehead shone once more.
"I respect your choice, traveler."
She placed a hand lightly against his chest.
"I cannot shape the future… but you can. So from here on, everything depends on you."
Her eyes were clear, her tone sincere.
It was almost unimaginable—the Sorcerer Supreme, a being of immense power, entrusting the fate of the future to someone who had only existed for minutes.
Renzo was momentarily taken aback. He placed his hand over hers and nodded solemnly.
"I will. I'll protect the future of this world."
"Good." She withdrew her hand, her expression easing. "Your companions are growing impatient. And it seems my supper time has ended as well."
With a casual gesture, a circular portal of golden light opened beside them. Through it, Renzo could see the interior of Avengers Tower.
"Do I need to say 'please'?" she asked with a faint smile.
Renzo remained serious. Perhaps he intended another expression, but his current form limited such things.
"You haven't answered my question."
He didn't move.
"What happens if I don't follow my destiny?"
The Ancient One sighed softly.
"Don't overthink it, child. There are countless parallel universes, each with infinite possibilities. Your destiny is yours to shape—not mine to dictate."
"If you encounter trouble, you may come to me."
Renzo looked at her meaningfully.
"My fate… is mine to decide."
With that, he stepped into the portal.
Standing once more before the glass, he gazed out at the brightly lit city, replaying her words in his mind.
"Was I really brought here by some higher being? If so… why? What role am I meant to play?"
The questions piled up, pushing his supercomputer-like mind to its limits.
Behind him, the Ancient One watched silently as he departed.
Then she lifted her gaze. Her dark eyes seemed to pierce through countless layers of reality, reaching into the vastness of the universe.
"No matter who you are… this universe is not your plaything."
A faint smile touched her lips.
In the countless futures she had glimpsed, there was one she could not forget—
A man in a golden cloak standing at the forefront of the Avengers, facing a colossal being that towered over everything. His body was battered, his form worn—but his resolve never wavered.
"I trust you, child," she murmured softly. "Do not betray that trust."
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