Marvel: My Eyes Defies Fate.

"The only future... how could something like that even be possible?"

Kurogai narrowed his eyes, deeply considering the Ancient One's words. The implications were far from simple. Whatever she had seen in his fate wasn't ordinary. But he didn't have the time to unravel destiny—not yet.

"Alright. Never mind the future," Kurogai said calmly, looking directly at her. "What I want right now is to learn magic. That's the reason I came."

The Ancient One remained silent for a while, her gaze fixed on him, as if calculating something far beyond the present. After a long pause, she finally spoke.

"I will not teach you magic, nor will I take you as my student. But Kamar-Taj is a sacred place for those who seek the mystic arts. No one has the right to deny a person the path if they truly desire to walk it."

With those cryptic words, she raised her hand, conjured a glowing golden portal, and disappeared through it without another glance. The shimmering ring vanished behind her, leaving behind a silence that hung heavy in the Sanctum.

Mordo remained.

Draped in his monk's robe, Mordo stood across from Kurogai, his expression unreadable, though frustration flickered in his eyes.

"So the Sorcerer Supreme refused you," Mordo said coldly. "Not surprising. Your intentions are too clouded. I could sense that much."

The Geass effect may have been lifted, but the sting of humiliation still clung to Mordo's pride. He had been controlled—by a child, no less—and what's worse, it had happened right in front of the Ancient One.

"You manipulated me. If that's your idea of earning trust, you failed."

Kurogai didn't react. Instead, he offered a faint, knowing smile.

"You're mistaken. She didn't reject me out of fear or mistrust. She simply chose not to involve herself."

To anyone else, the Ancient One's response might have sounded like a firm refusal. But Kurogai had seen something deeper in her words. She didn't want to be tied to him by fate—didn't want the karma. Whatever she'd seen in his future, it was enough for her to keep her distance. But she hadn't closed the door.

Her final sentence said it all.

Kamar-Taj is open. Anyone who seeks magic can walk its halls.

She wasn't going to stop him.

"She may not have accepted me, but she didn't stand in my way either," Kurogai thought. "That's more than enough."

He chuckled quietly to himself, already plotting his next steps. The Ancient One had made a choice. She was giving him a path without obligations, without allegiance.

Hearing Kurogai laugh to himself only fueled Mordo's annoyance.

"Whatever game you think you're playing, this is the New York Sanctum. And I guard it. Get out."

Kurogai nodded casually. He had no interest in staying here any longer anyway.

"Perhaps we'll meet again."

With that, he turned and walked away, not sparing another glance at Mordo.

Watching his figure disappear, Mordo muttered under his breath.

"Strange kid. At least now I don't have to see him again."

Of course, Mordo would be seeing him again. And that next meeting would be far more complicated.

---

Meanwhile, at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters

Inside Nick Fury's office, Natasha Romanoff entered with a thick folder in hand.

"Director, we've completed the analysis on the explosion," she reported.

Fury took the report and began flipping through it, his eye sharp as ever.

"Let's hear it," he said.

"The location was confirmed as a Hydra base. Based on our findings, it looks like they detonated the place themselves."

Fury grunted. "No. They didn't choose to destroy it. They were forced."

"You're right," Natasha replied. "And that's not all. We found traces of someone... significant."

Fury raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Whitehall."

The name hit the room like a punch.

Even Fury paused, blinking in surprise before letting out a long, low sigh.

"That bastard? We've been chasing him for years."

He set the report down.

"He finally slips up, and it's a damn kid that takes him out. I don't know whether to laugh or be furious."

"He didn't just take him out," Natasha added. "He erased the entire base."

Fury leaned back in his chair, hands steepled, eyes distant.

"We've been in this game for decades, and somehow a kid manages what we couldn't. Either we've failed... or he's far more dangerous than we thought."

---

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