Marvel: Incursio

Hey guys, I will be updating daily again from now on. I apologize for the past few days, I will try to make it up again by uploading multiple chapters where possible.

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The Ancient One revealed a soft smile again after Illyana accepted her offer.

"Your training will start tomorrow. Before that, read this." She handed her a book on basic energy manipulation.

"I already know how to use magic," Illyana said, reading the front of the book. "I don't need to start with the basics."

"The way you gained your magic is different from how it is learned here," the Ancient One replied. "While your magic is powerful, it is also rough, undisciplined, and wasteful."

"And how would you know it's wasteful?" Illyana challenged.

"The magic leaking from your body even now tells me that." The Ancient One's responded in a calm tone.

"And this isn't the first time I've seen your methods." She gestured gently. "Save the rest of your questions for tomorrow. Your room will be prepared shortly. You may go while I speak with Liam in private."

Illyana turned with a questioning gaze towards Liam.

"You can go ahead without me," he said.

With a nod, Illyana walked out of the room.

Liam turned his head back towards the Ancient One, with a puzzled look.

"What did you need me to stay behind for?" Liam asked.

"It's about the change you've undergone," the Ancient One said, her tone more serious. "While I couldn't witness the transformation itself, as it happened outside the bounds of this dimension, it's clear that both your armor and your body have changed—improved, in fact."

Liam nodded and explained the rough events that had led to his transformation. He described the new abilities he had gained, speaking calmly as the Ancient One listened along.

"Be careful, young Liam." She said after Liam had finished explaining. "Though I cannot fully perceive what is behind all of these changes, in my experience, everything comes with a cost. Power is no exception."

Liam took her words seriously, even though he hadn't experienced any negative effects so far.

"But your new strength comes at a good time," the Ancient One added.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"The real reason I needed you to stay here is the current state of the dimensional barriers," she explained. "As you are already aware off, the damage to the barriers grows worse by the day."

Liam nodded—this was one of the reasons he had been training so hard afterall.

"Since your return, the barrier's rate of weakening has increased," she said.

"Is that because of my armor's evolution?"

"Partially," she confirmed. "Your armor and the girl you brought back from another dimension have both contributed to the accelerated weakening, but only slightly."

Her expression changed to a somewhat somber one. "The true danger comes from the enemy dimensions. They've noticed the weakening in the barrier, and as a result, dimensional tears are appearing more and more frequently all across the world."

"That's a problem." Liam said.

"Indeed," she said. "Right now, our mages can manage the number of tears opening each month. But in a year's time? It would be difficult to say if that's still the case."

Liam nodded, he hadn't considered the increase in frequency. He'd been focusing solely on gaining the strength to handle higher-tier tears himself.

"What can I do?" he asked. " While I could definitely recruit more people with great magical talent, when it comes to large numbers of lower-level mages, I doubt I'd have more success than you."

"The people you have brought here are indeed exceptionally talented," the Ancient One said, while smiling faintly. "However, it has never been just about people, has it?"

"What do you mean?"

She chuckled softly. "That's enough for today. You'll understand with time. Keep this conversation in the back of your mind until then."

"Really?'' Liam sighed, his face changing to a bored expression.

"Alright, thank you for your advice. I'll figure the rest out myself," Liam said as he walked toward the exit of the room.

"Good luck, young Liam." The Ancient One said before he left.

After he left, she spoke once more, her voice quiet. ''The future truly is turning out quite interesting.''

Walking back to his room, Liam was deep in thought.

"It's not just about people," he muttered to himself. 'I wonder, am I supposed to tame some kind of creatures or something?'

'How would I even do that?' Liam frowned. "Can beasts learn the magic to close these rifts as well? And even if they could, I doubt just any of them would be capable. And where would I even find these beasts? I can only assume they'd come from another dimension."

The idea felt absurd. 'I wish I could just put everyone in the world under an illusion and teach them magic,' he thought with a smirk. 'That would make everything so much easier.'

As his stopped his musings, a more serious plan began to form. 

'Yesterday had already set my thoughts in motion, but this just confirms it,' Liam thought. 'SHIELD can't handle something like this, and with the sanctum unable to manage in a year, I think it would be wise to start my own organization or something along those lines.'

The concept interested him. The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed.

"But how would I even start an organization?" Liam muttered. 'I'll need a lot more money... talented people... but where would I find them?'

'These dimensional tears require people who can learn magic to close them,' he continued, before arriving at his room. 'So while not everyone needs to be able to do it, some of them would need that talent.'

When he opened the door to his room, he found Illyana sitting on the bed, looking somewhat downcast.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"What the Ancient One said about my powers..." Illyana trailed off, her voice low. "She was right. I lose control sometimes."

Her eyes met his. "Do you think I'm a danger to you?"

Liam paused. He contemplated for a few seconds before he answered sincerely.

"No," he said. "You saved my life when you stopped the Tyrant from reaching me. Even in your dark form, while you might not have had had full control, you didn't hurt me. You even spoke to me."

Liam continued. "You're not a danger to me. And once the Ancient One helps you, you'll never have to worry about losing control again."

Illyana's lips curved into a small, grateful smile. "Thank you."