Chapter 25
"The Olympians," she said after a small pause, her tone flattening slightly as if discussing a sour topic. "They exist, but I find them... tiresome," she said, her lips twitching. Ash chuckled under his breath, finding her distaste amusing. The Ancient One's expression softened again as she spoke with fondness. "Bao, the god of dumplings, a delightful entity of joy and comfort," she said, her smile almost mischievous. "And Bast, the panther goddess worshiped in Wakanda. She is associated with the Black Panther lineage, revered as a protector and guide," she said, respect clear in her tone. "Wakanda itself is an advanced kingdom, hidden and secretive, a secrecy I deeply respect," she added, glancing briefly toward the dense horizon beyond the courtyard before looking back up at the sky.
She grew more solemn as she lifted her gaze higher to the stars. "And then, there are the true gods of our world," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The Celestials, beings beyond comprehension, creators and judges of entire civilizations. And abstract entities like Eternity, representing existence itself," she explained, her words heavy with reverence. Ash leaned forward, intrigued, his fingers absently tracing the rim of his tea cup. He asked questions, his voice tinged with curiosity. Some questions were thoughtful, but most, unsurprisingly, were about how to kill an Aesir god, which made the Ancient One chuckle into her cup. "Ash, not every problem is solved by punching a god," she said teasingly. Ash smirked, unbothered, and continued asking, while the night deepened around them, and the stars above bore silent witness to their conversation.
-scene change-
in Kamar-Taj library, Ash, who had just finished an intense workout where he carried boulders weighing a ton up and down the mountain, and then sparred immediately with Mordo while holding back his superhuman strength, could be seen after he had taken a shower. He was carrying books talking about the Astra Dimension. in the library, Stephen Strange was surrounded by a mountain of books, eating an apple, as Ash said, "I thought an apple a day kept the doctor away," just for Strange, who didn't look up from his book, to retort, "I am no longer a doctor, so I can eat as much apple as I want," before he noticed Ash sitting down. "Did you finish carrying that one-ton boulder down the mountain?" to which Ash nodded, "The cold is getting worse and worse," as Strange replied, "I thought you were immune to cold, with you know, your superhuman body."
As Ash replied, "I am not immune, just resistant," to which Strange said, "Just like your body is resisting the eldritch energy, it must be aggravating?" he noted as Ash sighed, "Tell me about it, I lost the chance to gain free superpowers. Imagine conjuring shields, and eldritch weapons, and summoning Winds of Watoom," just for a shield to conjure up an unstable shield, since his hands were still troubling him. Ash groaned before he smiled as he pointed his hand. His eyes then glowed, signaling the activation of his mana, as his beach ball-sized core spun, and then his finger glowed before a thin beam of white mana was shot out from his finger and straight into Strange's shield which dispersed the shield as Ash chuckled, "I might not be able to use eldritch energy, but I still have some tricks up my sleeve," he chuckled much to the annoyance of Strange.
As Wong said, "No magic in the library," he said as both Strange and Ash behaved and went back to reading, before Ash looked at Strange and said, "Damn that photographic memory," to which Strange replied, "At least you can punch through an iron wall, or run around naked in Mount Everest," before the two chuckled and went back to reading.
As the three of them spent their time reading, the Ancient One suddenly entered the room. Wong greeted her and so did Strange as he smiled and said, "So, is it finally time?" he asked. The Ancient One replied, "Yes, get ready, this one is a big one," she said as Ash smiled and quickly left the library. But as he was about to leave, Strange asked, "Where are you going?" to which Ash replied, "Destiny calls." The sound of pages turning faded as Ash disappeared from sight, leaving Strange and Wong in a silent library filled only with the scratching of pens and the occasional flutter of candle flames.
It took about a couple of minutes to get ready, and once he was ready, Ash was standing in the courtyard where students were trained. The courtyard was mostly empty, save for the Ancient One, Mordo, and Ash himself, with the stone floors dusted lightly with falling snow. Ash wore a new set of clothes, more like an armor made out of magically curated leather and metal. The armor consisted of a long, dark trench coat with red accents lining the inside and tracing the edges, giving it a sharp, distinguished appearance. The front of the coat featured multiple buckled straps across the torso and upper legs, suggesting a secure fit and added protection.
The shoulders were covered with metallic, silver-toned pauldrons that provided defense without restricting movement. Underneath the coat, Ash sported black pants reinforced with armor plating around the knees, and sturdy black combat boots that were tightly laced and buckled. The sleeves of the coat were layered with segmented armor pieces on the forearms, blending into fingerless gloves. The back of the coat was tailored with a fitted design, bearing a subtle insignia at the center of the upper back. The high collar and scarf-like upper section completed the armor's practical yet commanding design, offering both mobility and a degree of defense. The Ancient One smiled as she said, "Do you like the armor?" to which Ash nodded as he strapped the Dragonfang on his back.
"Yes, I love it," he said as the Ancient One added, "It's unfortunate that you are incompatible with eldritch energy or any other forms of energy aside from your own, otherwise I would have equipped you with better armor with a lot more functions," she said as Ash shrugged. "Thanks anyway, now I am itching for a fight," he said as he smiled, to which the Ancient One chuckled as she said, "This time, you won't be needing that sword as you are not going to be the one to fight," while conjuring up a portal which she stepped through. "Wait, what do you mean?" he asked as he also stepped through, the crackling energy of the portal fading behind him, and the courtyard once again becoming silent under the falling snow.
When he arrived, he arrived in an area where desolation and destruction reigned. The sky was an endless grey, heavy snow continued to fall, blanketing ruins and twisted remnants of buildings. Waves of palpable mana hit him, so thick and strong that it nearly became tangible, brushing against his skin like a heavy fog. "A phenomenon, an old phenomenon," this was what Ash thought as he looked around. Immediately, he could sense it—a crack was about to form. The ruins whispered of a once lively place, now swallowed by the endless storm and the howling wind that carried faint echoes of laughter and life that once was.
The Ancient One stood beside him, her expression somber as she spoke, "There was once a thriving community of people living in harmony here, despite the harsh weather," she said, her voice almost lost in the wind. "But as if that wasn't enough, an anomaly appeared, a beast, small one, which the sorcerers took care of once we sensed it," she paused, her gaze distant as if reliving the memory. "That was four months ago," she said finally, her voice heavy with regret. The ruins around them stood as silent witnesses to the tragedy, and the snow continued to fall, erasing the remnants of what had once been a living, breathing town.
The Ancient One glanced at Ash, her eyes narrowing slightly as she caught him staring at the empty space ahead. The cracked ground around them trembled faintly, small pebbles bouncing on the uneven surface as the mana in the air spun faster, creating heavy pressure that neither could ignore. "You sensed it?" she asked quietly, her voice calm but alert. Ash only nodded, his gaze still locked onto the unseen fissure, feeling the way the very fabric of reality grew thinner and thinner until with a final shudder, the swirling mana collapsed inward, shattering the world like fragile glass. A gaping wound in the air itself tore open, and from it emerged something that forced Ash to take a cautious step back.
The world around them warped, trees leaning unnaturally toward the rupture as cold mist rolled outward from the crack, frost instantly coating the ground. What emerged was a massive beast, towering above them like a moving fortress, its thick, bluish fur clinging to its mountainous frame, highlighted by blood-red and snowy-white streaks. Brown plates, like the shells of ancient creatures, shielded its face and legs, while its trunk—scaly and armored with cruel spikes—swayed heavily as it let out a deep, rumbling breath. From the Ancient One's perspective, it had simply materialized from nothing, a nightmarish monument of muscle, fur, and plated armor, its tiny eyes gleaming with primal intelligence and predatory hunger. Ash muttered under his breath, "What the fuck," unable to hide his awe and the deep-rooted warning bells that screamed in his mind.
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A/N Well guys, its another guess the monster game?
ps: like i told you, the mana beast would have consequences and their presence wont just be ash stepping and this one is minor,