Chapter 586: Offer
Edward looked in the direction of the voice and saw a beautiful woman behind a glass. He immediately felt she looked familiar, but his mind and memory were still a little chaotic, making it harder for him to recognize.
'If I remember correctly, she's Aisha, the great-grandmother of Kamala Khan, who became Ms. Marvels. How did I get in contact with her?' thought Edward.
"Who are you?" asked Edward, slowly rising. His body was fine, but he had a slight headache.
"So, you can speak English? And your accent, that's British," said Aisha Aisha.
"You haven't answered my question."
"You can call me Alisha."
"That's a lie."
"And how would you know?"
"I just do."
"So, you have the ability to detect lies? Can you read my heartbeat, or is it something else?" asked Aisha.
"You're a weird person. You obviously know I'm dangerous, and any effort to restrain or deal with me is useless, yet you cannot resist your curiosity. Why is that?" asked Edward.
Aisha was silent for a few minutes, "My name is Aisha."
"Now, we're getting somewhere," said Edward with a smile. He walked out of the room to where Aisha was outside of the glass door of this laboratory/abandoned warehouse.
"What year is it? Is it still the 1940s?"
"No, it's 2002."
After hearing this news, Edward frowned, "Then, how did you and I meet?"
Aisha hesitated briefly before telling the truth, "It was the year 1947 during the Indian Partition. I was dying on the floor due to a stabbed wound when your body suddenly crashed near me. Oddly, though, no one except me could see you."
Edward listened tentatively.
"Your body released an energy that healed me, and I have been caring for your body since then."
"Just caring?"
"Alright, I admit I tried to understand what you were, but your skin was impregnable, and a shield would appear to protect you every time you were in danger."
"Danger?"
"Some people came to know of your existence and wished to acquire you."
"Who are those people?"
"The Clandestine," replied Aisha with a sigh.
"Do they think my body was the key to unlocking their powers and returning to the Noor Dimension?"
"How do you know?"
"I just do."
"You're...right?"
"Are they wrong?"
"I don't know about the returning home part, but the energy released from your body did activate my Noor." Aisha constructed a fist made of light as a demonstration.
"Interesting power," commented Edward, observing this strange power/energy known as Noor. "You said some people were after me, meaning more than one?"
"Yes. A few organizations, including SHIELD, have been on my tail over the years."
"Is that why you never met your family?" asked Edward, making Aisha pause.
"Yes. I wanted them to live a happy and peaceful life, and my presence would not allow that.' She had to watch her husband die, and her daughter turned into an old woman while she remained the same due to the activation of her power. However, she did not regret her actions as long as they lived a long and fulfilling life.
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you," Edward sighed. He guessed this was Morgana's doing to ensure nothing happened to him; she probably used a powerful Spiritual Hint Spell on the woman to ensure she never abandoned him.
"And I promise to repay you once I've calmed down."
"It's fine," said Aisha. "I only want two things: to know who or what you are and whether you can return me home."
"I'm like you—someone from another dimension," replied Edward, looking her in the eyes. "And yes, I can return you home."
"Really?"
"I do not need to lie to you."
"True," nodded Aisha, feeling relief, joy, sadness, and regret at the thought of returning home.
"Do you have a place I can rest?"
"Come with me."
Edward followed her to a car, and they drove silently to a secure location. During the drive, he tried to contact Morgana.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm...fine...just...injured," she replied weakly.
"Don't worry. I will heal you as fast as possible." It pained him to see her so feeble, especially since he was to blame. After arriving at their destination, Aisha told him he could use the guest room, and Edward thanked him. Then, he was finally alone, and he looked in the room's corner:
"I believe you've seen enough."
The space broke like a mirror, and a bald woman in a yellow robe with a necklace walked out. "I have tried to overestimate your ability, but you still surprise me."
"Hello, Sorcerer Supreme," said Edward, looking her up and down and assessing her strength. As a Sorcerer, the only energy in her body was her Life Energy, meaning she looked like an ordinary person. However, from the [What If Show], she once made a Tier 10 feat by splitting an entire timeline in the fourth episode. In other words, her strength fluctuated between Tier 0 and Tier 10.
According to Edward's analysis, she was not the only one experiencing such a large fluctuation. A knife or bullet could probably kill the Scarlet Witch, but she destroyed the Mind Soul—a tier 10 item. She successfully destroyed the Darkhold across every timeline, which is a Tier 11 feat.
Thor's strength fluctuates between Tier 3 and Tier 5, but he tanked a blast from a neutron star, a Tier 7 feat. Because of this fluctuation, it was difficult to determine certain individuals' strengths in this world.
"You know me?" asked the Ancient One.
"I think you should be famous in the world of magic and mysticism."
"Is that so?" she muttered.
"Something tells me you've been watching me since I landed on Earth in 1947."
"I have," she replied directly.
"So, why have you not acted?" asked Edward, interested in the answer.
"Earth is protected from any dimensional invaders, yet there are people, like your friend Aisha, who successfully enter. Do you know why?"
"Cause and effect," replied Edward. "These people will eventually have a positive effect on Earth, so their presence is allowed."
"Yes; that's the brilliance of the protection Agomotto left Earth," nodded the Ancient One. "Since you can enter, the Earth must need you in some capacity."
Edward grunted under his breath, deciding not to comment on these words. "So, to what do I owe this visit? Something tells me you did not come just to observe me."
"I have an offer for you," said the Ancient One.
"Which is?"
"Become the Sorcerer Supreme."
Edward looked at her, his mouth slightly opened, "I have to admit I did not expect this." He thought of many possibilities, but this. "Why?"
"You are the perfect fit."
"That's not a good reason, especially since I am a foreigner, and you do not know anything about me."
The Ancient One paused briefly, "I have never been able to see past the year 2016, which is my death, until you showed up." She sighed deeply. "I saw the future, and it's bleak. After trying countless possibilities, the only way I found to protect this earth and this timeline is by making you the Sorcerer Supreme."
"What exactly did you see?" asked Edward with a frown; he did not think the events of Endgame or any variants of it would scare her.
"You'll know if you accept my offer."
Edward wanted to roll his eyes, "What happens if I refuse?"
"I'll banish you from entering Earth."
"Isn't that a little harsh?"
"The amount of energy inside your body is so immense that even if a small portion leaks, the planet will be destroyed. Now that you're conscious, I cannot take the risk."
"You don't trust me, but you want me to become the Sorcerer Supreme," said Edward. "How does that work?"
"You must take a binding oath to become the Sorcerer Supreme," the Ancient One explained. "By then, I will be reassured."
Edward grunted. He had come to this place to learn Karma Taj Magic and even get his hands on the Time Stone, but he had to weigh the gains and losses.
"Do you understand what it means for me to be the Sorcerer Supreme? I'm the kind of person that does whatever is necessary to achieve the goal?"
"That's why I chose you," replied the Ancient One. "We need this kind of ruthlessness and cruelty to survive what's coming."
"You seem to know me?" said Edward.
"I talked to a potential future of yourself." For the first time in her life, the Ancient One encountered an anomaly while trying to see a person's future as that person noticed her actions and talked with her across time.
"I see," said Edward, guessing what had happened. He was tempted by the offer, mostly because of the Akashic Record Title of [Sorcerer Supreme] and since it was the fastest way to get his hands on the Time Stone. Lastly, this world was his training ground for the upcoming war, so he's prepared to challenge himself.
"Tell me the binding oath I must make."
"No problem," the Ancient One told him the oath she prepared. It was nothing harsh, mostly about taking his position seriously, not succumbing to foreign dimensional beings, and not abandoning his positions when things get difficult.
"Give me three days, and I'll give you an answer," said Edward.
"As you wish."