January 11, 2003
Ever since I started on this path after gaining my memories, I was making plans to save the world. However, I never really considered being a hero. I mean, think about it. If the world isn’t saved, me and people I care about will die. It’s more about self-preservation and less being a hero.
Now I know. If I don’t become a hero, people like Jane will die.
The girl I tried and failed to save. Her name was Jane Arthur Keenes. She was 15 years old. She had snuck out of her house to go to a new year’s party. Don’t know or care what compelled murder-girl to want to torture her to death, but thats what happened. The girl dragged her to the alley, tied her up, and started cutting. Somehow she broke out of her binds and hit murder-girl on the head with a pipe and started limping away, and that’s when I intervened.
She had a mom and two brothers. Her father wasn’t in the picture. She had mediocre grades in school, but she was great at every sport she participated in. There are local papers with articles about her breaking records. She also had a comic collection. She liked superheroes. I guess that’s why she smiled when I talked about becoming one.
Even in 2003 it’s pretty amazing what you can find out about a person online. Especially when you can hack into her school’s records.
I was passed out for a day after what happened. No hospital for me of course, because no untrusted doctor can look at my barbie doll body.
My dad told me I did the best I could, how it was inevitable, but I know it’s not true.
I could have gotten there faster if I didn’t try to drag my mom.
I could have studied first aid beforehand and done a better job stopping the blood. Apparently my belt trick had done nothing because I didn’t pull it tight enough.
My mom wouldn’t let me go to her funeral because she didn’t want me to feel all of her family’s emotions. I can understand why, but I’m not forgiving her for that. I should have gone. I felt her death, I should be allowed to bury her. In fact, her family doesn’t even know someone tried to save her. My parents left with me before the EMTs got there.
My parents, especially my mom, don’t know how to deal with me after what happened. It’s shitty of me, but I’m abusing that to make my push for getting to go to school and ‘learning martial arts,’ which I’m going to use to train with the sorcerers. Hopefully.
If I learned magic earlier, Jane would have lived…
We worked it out with my grandfather that I’d be testing for an accelerated dual-enrollment program at Midtown High in a few months. Assuming I pass, come fall I’ll be attending Columbia University’s computer science and quantum mechanics programs, and Midtown High for everything else.
If my AI was finished, it could have gotten help sooner…
I looked it up and Matt Murdock is currently a freshman at the law program at Columbia. Whether or not the sorcerers decide to train me, I want to learn from him. After what happened with Jane, I realize there’s a lot more to my empath abilities than what my mom described. Who better to help me train my senses than a blind ninja?
…I don’t think I’ll ever get those clear golden eyes out of my head.
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Grey is standing across the street from a peculiar looking building with a green-blue roof, a strange circular window, and architecture significantly different from the buildings nearby.
177A Bleecker Street. The New York Sanctum.
I’ll be fine. I just have to convince the Ancient One that I’m not dangerous and that she should train an 11-year-old in dangerous magic and combat. I wish I could shapeshift already. Then again, she can likely see through it.
Grey crosses the street and pauses at the door, then takes a deep breath and knocks. Almost instantly, the door opens, revealing a middle eastern man in robes with a neutral expression on his face.
A few seconds pass without the man saying anything, so Grey clears his throat. “Ahem. I’d like to meet with the Ancient One please.”
The man walks inside, leaving the door open, so Grey follows. As he passes the threshold, the door slams behind him. Grey turns to the door, then back to the sorcerer.
“So how often does that scare the crap out of people? It’s clearly on purpose so I’m guessing there’s betting involved.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The sorcerer smirks. “You’re the first as far as I know to not even flinch.”
Grey whistles, “Sweet, if that doesn’t make me good enough to be the Ancient One’s student, nothing will.”
“We shall see. Please follow me.” He starts heading up the stairs and Grey follows. He stops at a door down the hall and opens it. “Please wait inside, the Ancient One will be with you shortly.”
Grey walks into a sitting room. The decor is all ornate with a strange mix of victorian and eastern. The walls are covered with strange artifacts, some even glowing. There are two couches and a chair placed around a simple rectangular tea table. The furniture is plush, simple, and somehow looks both extremely old and brand new.
Grey walks around, looking at the artifacts. On one wall there’s a painting of what he can only assume is Kamar’Taj. An ancient temple nestled in some mountains with robed men and women all over. The weird part is he can see the people depicted moving. Right. Magic.
After around twenty minutes of looking at the artifacts, the door opens to reveal someone in a yellow robe with a hood up carrying a tray with a tea set. Looks like she’s just as mischievous as the movie depicted. The disguised sorcerer takes the tray to the table and hands him a cup.
Grey plays along and sits down. “Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome”
“So is serving tea part of the job description for Sorcerer Supreme?” Grey asks calmly. Well, outwardly. Inside there’s a good amount of mild panic. If she’s gonna kill me, it’ll be any second now.
The Ancient One pauses for a second. Then she lowers her hood with a wry smile. “It’s been quite a while since someone saw through this little ruse. Then again, not many come to me knowing what they seek.” She sits down across from Grey. “What is it you seek, Grey Griffin?”
She looks different from the movies. Still bald, still female, but asian. An asian version of the original actress.
“You know me?” He raises an eyebrow.
She sips her tea. “In a way.”
“Right.” Grey sips his tea. “Good tea.”
She gives a smile he didn’t expect. “The secret is proper brewing. And a bit of honey.”
Grey sets down his cup and looks at the Ancient One. He realizes he can sense her emotions. Calm, curiosity… disappointment? No, pity. Why does she pity me? Because she has to kill me?
“I seek to learn the mystic arts. There are things I need to prevent, and the knowledge of Kamar’Taj would be invaluable.”
She sniffs her tea for a moment. “You seem certain of the future. You also don’t talk like any eleven year old I’ve ever met. I can’t see the gift of a Seer in you. I know you’re not human, but that doesn’t explain it. Would you enlighten me?”
Grey sighs. He knows lying or avoiding will only make it worse. “You’re right, I’m not human. I don’t know if you know what a Chrys is, but that’s what I am. As for how I know the future… I have memories of my past life. A life in another world, that had knowledge of this one. I know what’s to come in the next 20 or so years. I also know that you know you won’t be there to stop it.”
Grey surprised her with that last comment. Her eyes widen, and he can feel the shock, but not from the fact she’s gonna die or that he knows, but that he knows she knows.
“How much do you know about what happens after you die?”
She composes herself and responds. “Little. Only possibilities.”
“After your death, Dormammu invades. Strange stops him with the Eye of Agamotto. Causing the Mad Titan to learn both the Time Stone’s location, and that there’s no Sorcerer Supreme to protect it. Things don’t go well after that. I seek the power to prevent that threat.”
She stares for a moment, then sighs. “I can teach you, but you may be disappointed by what you learn.”
Grey frowns. “What do you mean?”
“This artifact,” she shows him a plain brown ring on her index finger. “is an artifact capable of reading the potential someone has in the mystic arts. Quite useful for a teacher like me. It has revealed to me your potential is… extremely low. Something about your soul is different, I suspect your heritage, and it will make learning sorcery prohibitively difficult. Not impossible, but…” she trails off.
Grey almost lashes out but takes a breath. So this is why she pitied me. This isn’t great, but I was half expecting her to throw me out anyway. If I can learn at least some essential skills and theory that would at least be worth it.
He ponders for a moment longer, then asks, “Can I learn to use a sling ring?”
“Yes.”
“Mental defenses?”
“Yes. You can achieve that without magic.”
“Not against the ones I need it for.” Grey mentions, thinking of Kilgrave and Xavier. “How about astral projection?”
“...possible, but it’ll take time and dedication.”
“All I need is possible. How about using the mirror dimension?”
The Ancient One frowns. “While not the hardest spell out there, it is fairly high level. To achieve it will likely take you years. If you can do it at all, that is.”
Damn, that one’s pretty important. “Fine, I’ll take it.” Grey stands up and bows. “Please teach me what you can.”
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