Guardian of the Soul: Infinity Saga

12th September 2004

Manhattan, New York

The honks of cars and the roar of motor bikes drifted through the tall buildings of steel and glass, as people bustled across the streets. Lights shone from the windows above, the boards atop shops alit with all sorts of colors.

Harry whistled merrily as he walked out of Walmart, a bag held in his hands. The fruits and vegetables swayed as he walked, the broccoli at the top threatening to fall off.

While he could've just apparated to his house or opened a sling ring portal, he didn't feel the harm walking a few blocks back home. It was good exercise and most importantly, it prevented unwarranted attention from being called to him.

In addition, late evening time New York was always a sight to see.

His eyes fell on a big billboard that was showing the face of a middle-aged man in a suit with fighter planes in the background.

A NEW REVOLUTION IN THE WEAPON INDUSTRY

STARK'S RS-19 ADVANCED FIGHTER AIRCRAFT TO POWER THE U.S. AIR FORCE!

'Stark.' Harry stared at the man for a moment. 'He is about as big and famous as I was in my world. But he loves the attention and has the media eating out of his palm. And all he does is make weapons.'

Harry shook his head and continued walking back home, eyeing the New York Sanctum on his way as he turned to enter the gate of his building.

A huddle of people stood by the elevator and Harry rolled his eyes, walking past them to the stairs.

'Thank Merlin I don't have neighbors.' The visage of Aunt Petunia standing by the window, gossiping about people as she craned her neck flashed in his mind and he shuddered. 'Death did a good thing by buying me the whole floor.'

With a wave of his hand, the door swung open with a click. Immediately, the sound of the television assaulted his ears and his eyes narrowed.

'Constant Vigilance!' Alastor Moody's voice echoed in his mind.

Harry placed his bags on the floor before slowly closing the door. He silently crept through his own house, his eyes scanning for any movement. Taking a measured breath, Harry gathered dimensional energy in the palm of his hand, molding it to form a disc of crisscrossing lines, the size of his palm behind his back.

He walked as silently as possible to the living room where the sound of the T.V. was coming from.

"—expect me to talk?"

Harry recognized the voice almost immediately.

"No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die!"

Noiselessly walking into the room, Harry first looked around to see who the intruder was, only to find himself looking at a familiar face, who was propped over his couch watching his Tele.

Glancing at the T.V. he saw that the speaker of the dialogue was an old, balding man who reminded Harry strongly of Slughorn for a moment. The camera moved to show a man clad in black clothes who was tied to a table that was being cut through.

'That's Bond. And he looks in trouble.'

A little further and the man would've been the one being cut by the laser. Through his crotch first, leading to a painful death.

"There is nothing to talk to me about that I don't already know!" The other man scoffed, before walking out of the room.

'This is stupid. If he wants Bond dead, just twist his neck. Why even bother to do the whole laser thing? And, at least he should've made sure that the man died. Stupid villains. Anyhow—'

"Anna, what the hell are you doing in my house?" Harry asked loudly and the lady jumped, her purse clattering to the floor.

Golden sparks sparked from her fingers as she breathed heavily, her eyes resting on Harry's hand where the energy disc was posed, ready to strike. Realizing it, Harry let the energy dissipate into golden sparks as Anna regained her breath, a hand clutching her chest.

"Harry, you scared me, you fucking idiot!" the brunette breathed, her pale cheeks flushed.

"You are the one in my house." He glanced at the tele. "Watching James Bond."

"Yeah, whatever," She waved off, picking up the remote and shut the tele off. "But on a more important note, I see you're progressing fast with the Sorcery. An energy disc already?"

"I learn practicals faster than I do by reading," Harry shrugged. "Why are you here, if I may ask?"

"Oh, bad news for you," Anna snickered, gesturing to two thick tomes on the coffee table that were not previously there, and Harry groaned.

"Don't tell me she sent more books."

Anna grinned. "That's exactly what she did."

"You are enjoying my torment way too much," Harry said dryly. "What are these about?"

"One is about beginner spells and the other is about different dimensions that can be accessed with the sling ring which you have to learn in detail before your next visit." Anna snickered at my horrified expression. "Don't worry, I am just kidding. The Ancient One has only told you to read about the Mirror Dimension and the Astral Plane from the latter… for now."

"And from the first one?"

"Those are the most basic itinerary of spells. You got to learn all of them." She replied dryly. "Dimensional Energy weapons are limited to whips, discs, and shields. You cannot fully rely on them if you ever expect to fight. Oh, and do not try spells on your own at your home. Well, you can try shields but try not to destroy your own house. A rather good one you've got here."

"Thank you. Both for the completely unnecessary advice and the compliment."

Anna just grinned cheerfully. "The Ancient One expects you on Wednesday, having read on the mirror dimension, the astral plane, and having learned the theoretical content of at least a score of spells."

"What?"

"That's what I was told," Anna shrugged. "Be glad it is not all of it. Remember, the Ancient One sees great potential in you. To be honest, all of us masters do. Especially after you got the sling ring portal on your first try."

"Ah," Harry muttered.

He had just applied the principles of apparition into a dimensional portal, having theorized it to be the same thing from the instructions Anna had been giving as he alongside about half a dozen disciples had picked up the sling rings.

Destination, Determination, Deliberation.

It was rather simple in Harry's opinion. But it had impressed the hell out of the masters of Kamar Taj. So much so that the word had reached the Ancient One in less than two minutes, summoning her into the courtyard, with a beaming smile on her face.

"If that's all, I will take my leave," Anna said, carelessly throwing the remote onto the couch before moving her fingers in a circular motion, opening a portal.

"You can stay for dinner," Harry offered.

"Uh-huh. I gotta go back to the Hong Kong Sanctum in order to do work there. Cannot be slacking on my duties. I am not even one month into being a master. Can't have that taken away, can I?" Anna grinned just as she stepped through the portal before vanishing on the other side.

Harry rolled his eyes as the portal collapsed into a shower of sparks, raining across the carpet in his living room.

Anna seemed to be enjoying the master privilege way too much. If the Ancient One caught wind of such statements, Anna would be in for a humbling. The master title was not given lightly and neither was it to be taken as such.

While the only ones who truly held power amongst the ranks of the Sorcerers were only the Sorcerer Supreme and the Masters of the Sanctums, the other masters of the mystic arts often had various other responsibilities and privileges.

Dangerous privileges like access to the Master's section of the library that held knowledge of things that would make most run in terror by just reading about it.

Or so Perez had told Harry.

The mystic arts were varied and dangerous, even more so than magic. The most dangerous magic Harry knew were the unforgivable curses and a couple of dark spells that he had read about. Like Fiendfyre. Sorcery, on the other hand, had spells that could summon demons and turn cities inside out a hundred different types of energies and access to God-type beings.

Most of whom Harry had read about so far were benevolent and gave access to their energies just in exchange for saying their name aloud. Names, and most importantly, remembrance gave them powers. It ensured they didn't fade away, dissolving into the energies of the cosmos, their existence turning to dust.

But Harry had a gut feeling that they were barely the surface of what lay beneath. Things and beings as old as time that controlled the universe in ages gone by.

With a sigh, Harry glanced at the books on the table before slumping on the couch next to it and picking the first one up.

He was in for a long bout of theory.

15th September 2004

Courtyard, Kamar Taj

"Morning, Master Daniel," Harry greeted and the man turned.

"Potter. I thought you were going to be with the Ancient One herself."

"Yeah, I was." Harry inclined his head. "But she is busy with something and told me to come to you for a sparring lesson."

His thick eyebrows rose before he just nodded, picking a short, thick staff from a rack and using it to gesture to Harry to go to the center.

"Do you think you're ready to begin sparring?" Daniel questioned, as he threw the staff up in the air before catching it from the other end.

"I do not know. Never will until I try." Harry replied, getting into a dueling stance.

Master Daniel looked over his stance with a critical eye. "Potter, you do know that we do not just spar using sorcery but we also use physical contact."

"You mean like mug— physical fighting? Karate and stuff?" A frown flitted across Harry's face.

"Yes. While Sorcery is a very powerful weapon, it can only do little when your opponent gets close to you." Daniel walked around him, twirling the staff in his hand. "Most spells need a little range to work. Shields, too, can't be formed so close to one's body, and for good reason."

"What about energy manipulation?" Harry asked, as he rapidly constructed a shield of dimensional energy between his palms.

"Really? You took a few seconds to make that shield. Excellent for a beginner, no doubt, but not fast enough to stop a punch. It would take years of practice for you to form a proper energy shield on reflex, that too one quick enough to block a punch at a close range. Believe me, a punch can be very painful and a well-placed one can incapacitate you."

Harry grimaced.

"So, for now, it is best if you learn to fight both ways." Daniel gave him a piercing look. "Besides, knowing physical fighting skills never goes to waste, does it?"

"Err— but I don't know karate or anything," Harry shifted..

"Just fight like it is a street fight then." Daniel shrugged. "Throw a punch. A kick. Anything you can. That's how I learned. That's how everyone learns. Now, conjure a weapon."

"What?"

"Energy weapon, Potter," Daniel flipped the staff in his hand. "As I said, we use both Sorcery and physical contact instead of just one. You can use anything you have to attack me."

'If I use everything I have, he's a goner.' Harry's lips twitched. 'But well, I will only use Sorcery for both our sakes.'

"Right." Harry posed his hands, gathering energy in his palms before molding them into two energy discs, the size of a basketball.

Small sparks flew off the golden constructs, as the throbbing sound punctuated them.

"Not a bad choice of weapon," Master Daniel commented as he walked nearer. "And not bad speed—"

Suddenly he swung his staff straight at Harry who barely had time to raise his hand on reflex. The staff clanged against his energy disc and the construct shattered like glass. Air whistled in his ears as he was flung back. Pain flared in his back for a brief moment before vanishing as fast as it had come.

Harry felt the Amulet's warm heat against his chest.

'The Soul Stone healed me.' Harry realized before looking at Daniel.

His eyes widened again as he saw Daniel charging at him, his staff raised high. Harry swiftly rolled out of the way as Daniel brought down the staff, which left a trail of sparks as it screeched against the ground..

"At least give me a wa—" Harry stopped short as he had to scamper out of the staff's strike again.

"Stand and fight, Potter! Fight like your life depends on it!" Daniel shouted as Harry twisted on the ground, avoiding the staff by less than an inch.

'I need to get the staff off him. Unfortunately, I cannot use Expelliarmus.'

Taking a risk, Harry directly threw his remaining energy disc at Daniel like a frisbee. The master of the Mystic arts only had time to raise his staff to intercept the disc.

The disc hit the staff and shattered, sending Daniel sprawling onto the floor. Harry jumped to his feet, immediately conjuring strands of dimensional energy between his fingers.

'This is my window.'

As Daniel went to sit up, Harry threw his hand out. The strands between his fingers leaped towards his opponent, lengthening and twisting into a rope which wrapped around the center of the staff. A smile curled on Harry's lips.

Unfortunately, Daniel understood what he was about to do and grabbed his staff with both hands just as Harry yanked the whip. The man was dragged forward, but he refused to leave his staff. Before Harry could try again, Daniel's staff lit up with golden runes, and he twisted the staff.

Harry stumbled backward, losing his balance. Before he could hit the hard ground, a force threw him sideways like a rag-doll. Pain flared all over his body as he landed on his face before rolling over. Not even a moment later, he felt the amulet warm up again as energy rushed through his body, and the pain vanished.

Harry could feel his nose being popped back into place and healing.

Quickly getting back to his feet, Harry wiped a small drop of blood before looking at Daniel, who was once again charging at him.

Suppressing a groan of frustration, Harry formed another energy disc and threw it at his opponent. Instead of meeting the attack with his staff, Daniel ducked under it without breaking his charge.

Harry went to conjure another disc. But Daniel was faster.

Moving in, he punched Harry in his gut, making him bowl over. A moment later, he felt the staff hit his chin hard, sending him sprawling on his butt.

The slight taste of copper assaulted his taste buds as he felt the pain vanish.

"This is bad, Potter," Daniel declared, lowering his staff. "I expected more fr—"

Daniel bowled over with a squeak of pain and dropped his staff to clutch his privates as Harry nailed him in the balls with a punch. Wasting no time, he got to his feet, levelling another punch, this time at Daniel's jaw before kicking him in the knee. Daniel fell to the ground with a grunt of pain and before he could recover, Harry conjured a whip of dimensional energy and threw it at him trying to tie him up.

Trying being the keyword as his whip was stopped by a Shield of energy, forming out of nowhere.

Daniel hadn't even moved his hands.

"Stop!" The man panted, still clutching his privates. "That was one helluva bastard move there."

Harry, too, caught his breath, his arms still posed, ready to defend himself. "It— well, it got the job done."

Daniel didn't answer as he slowly got to his feet and caught his bearings.

"I wouldn't— I wouldn't argue with that," Daniel said. "Street fighting. It has no rules. No honor. But I think this should be a male thing. Sick move, boy."

Harry just grinned. "Come on. I didn't hit it that hard."

"An attack there is still an attack," Daniel snorted. "Threatening my future generations? Not cool, dude."

"I am sorry for all it is worth."

"Nah," He waved off. "But I must say, you have rather good instincts. Few would've gone with the move to disarm me with a whip of all things. Had it not been for this staff in my hands, you would've succeeded."

"What are its powers? It seemed pretty powerful." Harry asked, picking the staff from the ground and examining it.

"Can you guess?" Daniel's eyes sparkled.

"Err— breaking constructs made of dimensional energy?" Harry's forehead creased. "Because it broke both my disc and whip."

"Indeed. This staff can penetrate and break through most energy constructs by converting the energy forming the construct into a shockwave. That is why you were flung back when I broke your disc."

"Nice. What do you call it?"

"It goes by many names." Daniel bowed his head. "But the most famous of them is the Scepter of Sulfindum."

"Interesting. I've never heard of Sulfindum."

Daniel shrugged. "You will read about him somewhere or the other. Sulfindum is not important in the greater scheme of things. He's a minor deity at best, even if he truly exists."

"What do you mean if?" Harry blinked.

"Well, we are not sure if Sulfindum is real or not. He only has two things. One is this staff, and the other is a claw. Both do the same thing. But those are relics. There is no mention of him in invocations or spells. For all we know, he was a sorcerer of old who enchanted these items."

"Oh."

"Now, as for your sparring, you really need to learn some physical fighting." Daniel plucked the relic from Harry's hands. "You're good at magic. And you're learning fast. You think on your feet and have great instincts. Your physique is decent. But you don't know how to throw a decent punch."

"I will work on it, Master Daniel," Harry promised.

"Good. You stay in New York, right?"

"Yes. Right opposite the New York Sanctum."

"Oh, excellent. I know a few classes in Manhattan. They teach Karate, Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, and stuff. If you wanna join, I will give you their number." Daniel offered.

"What do you think I should learn? Which fighting style, I mean?"

"Well, I personally learned Judo." Master Daniel said as he sheathed his staff. "Jiu-Jitsu is similar… but more recommended for what we do here. You should go for Jiu-Jitsu, I suggest."

"Well, Jiu-Jitsu it is then," Harry said, suppressing a sigh.

Learning muggle fighting could not hurt, could it?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

18th September 2004

Kamar Taj, Kathmandu, Nepal

"Good morning, Ancient One. Master Daniel. Mordo." Harry greeted as the portal behind him dissolved into golden sparks.

"A very good morning to you too, Mr. Potter," The Ancient One reverted, turning back to the two other men.

"Don't worry, Mr. Mordo. The Boots of Valtorr have chosen you. It is seldom that someone so young into Sorcery as you is chosen by a relic. Use it well."

Harry's eyebrows rose.

Mordo had gotten a relic. Now, that was something.

It was seldom that a relic truly chose its wielder and even more seldom for them to choose in normal conditions. It was often in the heat of battle that a relic came to a sorcerer to help them protect reality and the earth from threats across the Universe.

"Yes, Ancient One," Mordo croaked, his voice almost fragile. "But I— I do not know how to use them."

"Of course, you don't. You will though. The Vaulting boots of Valtorr are a rather simple relic to use. Imbibed with the power of Valtorr, it allows one to form a temporary platform beneath their feet, allowing them to perform high leaps and run on the air without performing any spell." The Ancient One replied simply before smiling mischievously. "Try to remain close to the ground until you master its use though."

Mordo frowned briefly before nodding.

"Master Daniel, please help Mr. Mordo to use the relic. I need to have a chat with Mr. Potter."

"Yes, Ancient One," Master Daniel said before turning to Harry. "I hope you enrolled in the class I suggested."

"I have visited the place. But I am yet to enroll." Harry shifted.

"You should. It will give you a good edge while fighting. You are good at the Mystic Arts. But your physical side needs work." Master Daniel advised before leading Mordo out of the room, leaving Harry and the Ancient One alone.

"Tea, Mr. Potter?" She questioned as the door closed.

"Is it the one with honey?"

The Ancient One smiled. "Indeed."

"Then I will gladly take it," Harry said as the Ancient One picked up the kettle and poured the steaming tea into two small ceramic pots before handing one to Harry.

"I am sorry that we couldn't do this on the determined date due to unforeseen circumstances." The Ancient One apologized sincerely, and Harry raised his eyebrows.

"You missed something?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I do not see everything, Mister Potter." She stared straight into his eyes. "Viewing through millions of possibilities every week does have its side effects, including missing a few small details at times. Also, I do not see everything unless I concentrate on an instance that catches my attention. So, I don't see everything and things tend to go amiss from my notice. But nothing damning, I assure you.

"What was it that you missed that day?"

"It was just a minor thing." She waved her hand. "A BilgeSnipe got through a rift between worlds. Thankfully, it wasn't in a populated area. I put it back through and sealed the rift before it could do any damage."

"BilgeSnipe? "

"It— To put it simply, it is a rather huge, wild creature with antlers and scales, native to the lands of Alfheim." The Ancient One wrinkled her nose. "Rather repulsive and mindless. They tend to trample things in their path. Not something you would keep as a pet."

Harry just nodded in acceptance. A magical creature then… or more precisely perhaps, an alien animal. There would be something about it in the library if he needed it.

"So, tell me what you know of the Mirror Dimension." The Ancient One asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"The Mirror Dimension is a parallel dimension that mimics Earth's plane of existence," Harry replied, verbatim from the book Anna had given him. "What happens there doesn't affect the real world in any way or form. A sling ring is essential to travel out of it but the dimension can be entered without a sling ring. It is also an idle place to contain and battle threats."

"Indeed. We, Sorcerers, use the Mirror Dimension to train, surveil and sometimes contain threats. Even if the last one is seldom done. And as you're advancing quickly with your sorcery skills. You need a safe space to practice your spells." The Ancient One rose to her feet. "Open the mirror dimension, Mr. Potter."

Harry blinked. "I have never done it before."

"No better time than now, is there?" The Ancient One's eyes twinkled. "Go on. Do it. You know the movements. You know the theory."

Harry nodded reluctantly, joining his hands, forming a mudra with his fingers. Maintaining the mudra, he crossed his before throwing his right hand forward, throwing energy into thin air, willing to break the boundary between the two dimensions.

The air cracked like glass a few meters from where Harry stood, and glass began to form in the air as if conjured. Barely had it begun to form, the cracks healed, and the glass vanished in front of Harry's eyes.

The Ancient One sighed. "It is not exactly a spell, Mr. Potter. Well, I suppose technically it is but—"

"I need to hold it. Like I do for conjuring energy shields." Harry completed, remaking the mudra and crossing his arms.

This time, he channeled energy continuously, feeding it his intent to enter the mirror dimension. The air cracked again and glass began to form all over the room, covering the windows and walls.

A few moments later, energy stopped on itself, breaking abruptly.

Harry breathed heavily, the length of his arm tingling as he looked around the room. Planes of glass seemed to cover the whole room. Bands of light gleamed dimly, refracting the sunlight from outside. And they were rapidly merging with the background, barely being visible.

"Impressive," The Ancient One commented, drawing Harry's attention to her. "But you took us directly into the mirror dimension instead of opening a gateway."

"Umm—"

"Oh, not to worry. It is also something we Sorcerers frequently do. We usually prefer to take fights into the mirror dimension, away from the real world." She said, "But this method, the one that you just used to travel into the mirror dimension, is only useful when fighting indoors."

'And most fights would happen in the open.'

"But when fighting outside, you need to have control of conjuring the gateway. If not, you risk taking common people into the mirror dimension. Something to avoid." The Ancient One added.

"What did you exactly want me to do?" Harry questioned.

She smiled. "I cannot show that to you in here, I am afraid. We need to get back to the real world first. Now, this part is a little tricky. You can only exit the mirror dimension at only the place you are actually in as per the mirror dimension. Or in simple words, if you are at your home in the mirror dimension, you can only come out at your home in the real world."

"Okay. Simple enough." Harry nodded.

"In order to exit the mirror dimension, you need to will to get into the real world while conjuring the portal."

"Does everything in Mystic Arts depend on will? Just curious."

"In a way, yes." She inclined her head. "Our thoughts shape reality which we bend to our will. Even while performing incantation-based spells, you need to know what the spell does and will it happen. It is a part of the reason why I stress so much about reading theory. Even if practicals come naturally to you."

"Like non-verbal magic," Harry nodded again. "Got it."

"You mean to say that your magic can work only based on an incantation?" The Ancient One questioned with interest.

"And wand movement, yes," Harry said. "Though it is dangerous to try unknown spells as you don't know what they might result in. Or so my friend told me."

"Hermione Granger, I assume."

Harry felt a pang go through his heart like a sharp knife twisting beneath his ribs. He missed Ron and Hermione most of all in his old world. His best friends and the closest thing he had to a family.

The amulet thrummed against his chest as if comforting him.

"Y-yeah. She was the one." Harry confirmed.

"She was an intelligent girl." The Ancient One stated.

Harry chuckled wryly. "Oh, you would've loved her. She would've probably gone through half the library by now."

"You miss them." The Ancient One smiled sadly. "Your friends, Ronald and Hermione."

"Very much so, yes," Harry admitted, closing his eyes.

Memories of his friends passed in front of his eyes like reflections on the water.

"It doesn't do well to dwell on your past and forget to live in the present." The Ancient One said. "They would've wanted you happy if they knew you were here."

"I guess."

"So be happy. Live your life to the fullest."

"I am trying to do so, yes," Harry replied with a grimace. "But I find myself missing my friends and my old world."

"And you just try to continue with your life, submerging yourself in some work or the other to distract yourself from remembering them." The Ancient One pursed her lips. "That is why you joined a job in addition to learning Sorcery, something which you do all day despite your reluctance to read books."

Harry shrugged. "I won't say that the books aren't interesting. They are but I like to learn by doing things and not reading about them. And the job… well, it pays good enough for me to buy groceries and stuff."

The Ancient One smiled humorlessly. "Perhaps. But you do not exactly need money, do you?"

"My parent's money isn't going to last me forever, is it?" Harry retorted. "And wizards live relatively long as compared to muggles."

The Ancient One raised an eyebrow. "If you say so."

"I do."

Her lips thinned. "Perhaps we should get back to exiting the Mirror Dimension and learning Sorcery. For now."

Harry closed his eyes before nodding.

'For now.'

"Yes, so I just will a portal to the other side, in order to exit the mirror dimension?" Harry asked and she just gestured to him to go ahead.

With a deep breath, Harry thought of his destination. 'The other side of the mirror dimension. The real world.'

Holding two fingers out, Harry quickly channeled dimensional energy through them to form a portal. Golden sparks before turning into a familiar circular ring. But the scenery in the middle didn't distort or change. Just the glass that Harry could see on the walls disappeared through the middle of the portal.

"Good jo— Where's your sling ring?" The Ancient One asked suddenly, startling Harry.

"What?" Harry raised his fingers in front of his face.

He was indeed not wearing his sling ring. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he immediately found the sling ring and took it out.

"Here it is," Harry breathed.

"That is not the point," The Ancient One said slowly. "The point is, you made a sling-ring portal without a sling-ring."

Harry stared at her for a moment before looking at the portal.

"Um— maybe it is because I had the sling-ring on my person and as we are in the mirror dimension where reality is more bendable to a sorcerer's will, I could make the portal without needing to wear the sling-ring."

"That's not how it works even if the theory sounds plausible at the first glance," The Ancient One said, taking the sling ring from his palm and examining it. "Come, let us get back to the real world."

Harry stepped through the portal, walking into the same room he had just exited, only into the real world.

The Ancient One turned to him just as Harry let the portal dissolve into golden sparks with a flick of his fingers.

"I want you to conjure a portal to your home," She ordered.

"You, um— you have my sling ring." Harry frowned.

"Just do it as you do. Don't think about not having the sling ring. Just make a portal."

Taking a deep breath, Harry pictured his living room in his head before rotating his fingers in a circular motion. Golden sparks sparked out of thin air in front of him, forming a circular ring. A moment later, the scene within its circumference changed to reveal Harry's home.

"How very curious," The Ancient One said, stepping through the portal and looking around.

"You didn't see that coming either, did you? What's going on with you this week? First the BilgeSnipe. Now—"

Harry stopped short as she turned to him with a slight frown before walking out of the portal, closer to him.

There was an authority in her walk. A power.

This was the Sorcerer Supreme. The most powerful Sorceress in the Universe.

"I think you are mistaking my… experience and skills with the time stone for omniscience." She said slowly, her voice calm.

'A calm, which had the potential to devolve into a storm.' Harry gulped.

"I see through time, Mr. Potter. Through its multiple possibilities. I do not see through every moment or every happening. Just the important ones. I do not live through every moment. I do not evaluate every possibility. I just see the major events. Events that might lead to grave consequences. And I prevent them. My duty is to protect the Earth as a whole and guard it against dimensional beings."

"Yes, I understand. I was just kidding," Harry said hastily, his voice posed in surrender.

She smiled sardonically.

"I am not scolding you, Mr. Potter. I am trying to tell you to not depend too much on the cosmic powers of the Infinity Stones, especially with one as volatile as time. Do not depend on my ability to see through time. Because it is giving you a very wrong sense of security. I haven't become omniscient due to the stone. And that must be remembered"

"I— I understand ma'am. I just thought—"

"I am not saying that it was an unreasonable assumption, Mr. Potter," She said, a kindness lacing her voice. "And to some level, I understand where that came from. But it is important to remember that I am but a mortal. Along with the fact that I am not infallible because I can see through time."

"What's it like though?" Harry asked, desperate to channel the topic away from himself. "Seeing through—"

"Time? Its endless possibilities? Maddening. Think of it like watching tens of thousands of television screens at once, each playing a different movie, at ten times normal speed. Then, you might come close to how it feels like looking through time. Of course, with experience, I've learned to sort through them to view only key events or specific futures. Like a search algorithm. That is how I knew of you."

"Oh."

She chuckled. "It is a part of the job, Mr. Potter. Such power doesn't come without consequences or responsibility, as you are aware."

"And… I have the Soul Stone," Harry voiced worriedly. "Will it be bad? As you said, the Time Stone, when used to see the future, is maddening. What about the Soul Stone?"

The Ancient One pondered for a moment, walking around the room. "I am afraid I do not know. Each Infinity Stone controls a vital aspect of existence. And of them, the most mysterious has always been the Soul Stone. The only surety about it is that it exists."

"That's it? Because I can tell more from its name." Harry said dryly.

This time, she gave a hearty laugh.

"What I meant, Mr. Potter, is that it hasn't been studied or used. Ever. But as far as ingenious guesswork goes, I would say that the Soul Stone would have the power to manipulate the Astral plane to an unimaginable degree. Also, perhaps the power to sense souls like a RADAR. Perhaps not. The possibilities are endless."

Harry hummed in response. That was amongst the things he too had theorized. Alongside a few crazy ones that even by insanely imaginary standards wasn't possible. But he certainly had a few more that he would try when he deemed himself ready.

"Ancient One?" He asked suddenly, looking up. "The portal I just conjured without the sling ring. Is it possible that it is because of the Soul Stone?"

"No, but the amulet certainly might hold the answer," She replied.

"The Amulet?" Harry asked, his fingertips ghosting on the warm metal of the amulet. The power of the Soul Stone thrummed within.

"You said yourself that it acts like a focus for your magic. Why not sorcery? It acted as a focus, rendering your need for a sling ring to conjure a portal invalid."

"Is it possible that I would be capable of… using the powers of the other relics without needing the relic? Like the boots of Valtorr?"

"To be honest, the Boots of Valtorr is a relic imbibed with a spell, channeling the powers of Valtorr. The difference is, when you use the spell physically, it is rather difficult to achieve and maintain. Constant concentration and incantations would be required to do it, rendering it useless in a fight. But the Boots of Valtorr will make it a cakewalk. They are rather useful in battle."

"So can I or can I not?"

The Ancient One gave him an amused look. "That, I am afraid, is something to explore yourself. Read up about relics. Read up about how they channel energy and spells. We have everything you need in our library."

Harry just groaned in response.

"For now, let me teach you to summon a gateway to the mirror dimension."

Harry nodded, just as the air in front of him cracked like glass again.

Time to learn some magic properly.

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