The Magus In Marvel

177A Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, New York City.

The humble yet imposing Sanctum Sanctorum stood before me, its presence as surreal as the fact that I was about to have tea with one of the most powerful sorcerers in this world. A woman who, for all intents and purposes, was Marvel's equivalent of Zelretch—minus the trolling and the multiversal shenanigans.

Still, that wasn't exactly reassuring.

If there was anyone in this universe who could rival Zelretch in sheer, ridiculous foresight, it was the Ancient One.

The difference? One was a multiversal prankster who delighted in chaos for the sake of his own amusement. The other was a responsible guardian of reality. Well, relatively responsible.

Both had lived unnaturally long lives. Both had peered into countless timelines, witnessing possibilities beyond mortal comprehension. The key difference was that one of them had a habit of making a complete mess of things for fun.

And unfortunately, I had a working relationship with both.

I stepped through the grand doors of the Sanctum Sanctorum, only to be greeted by the calm, knowing smile of the Ancient One herself. She was already waiting for me.

Which was expected.

And, of course, she expected me to expect her expecting my arrival.

Which I, in turn, had expected.

And naturally, she had expected that expectation as well.

I sighed. "We're about to have one of those conversations, aren't we?"

The Ancient One simply smiled. "Indeed."

With a wave of her hand, a steaming cup of tea appeared on the table beside her. She gestured towards it.

"Tea?"

I eyed it suspiciously. "That isn't laced with some kind of enlightenment-inducing mystic nonsense, is it?"

She gave a small, amused nod. "Only if you wish it to be."

I sighed, taking the cup and settling into the chair across from her. The aroma was rich, calming—probably some ancient blend only monks on top of a forgotten mountain knew how to make.

Taking a sip, I had to admit—it was really good.

"Alright," I said, setting the cup down. "You obviously know why I'm here. And I have a very strong suspicion you know why that old fossil Zelretch sent me the Jeweled Sword."

The Ancient One folded her hands together. "I do."

Of course, she did.

"And?"

She took a slow sip of her own tea before answering. "Because you will need it. Sooner than you think."

I groaned. "Of course, it can't just be for emergencies. No, it has to be part of some grand cosmic chess game between time-peekers, doesn't it?"

She chuckled softly. "That does seem to be the pattern, doesn't it?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Alright. What am I dealing with?"

Her expression remained serene, but there was a glint of something deeper in her gaze. "A ripple. One that was never meant to be."

I frowned. "You're going to be cryptic about this, aren't you?"

She smiled knowingly. "Only a little. And yes, I know that answer annoys you."

I huffed. "Well, yeah. You can peek into timelines, break reality in half if you want, and Odin is literally the Allfather. So, why not just deal with it yourselves?"

She took another slow sip before answering. "Because we are both fated to die before this threat comes to pass."

I froze.

My grip on the teacup tightened as my mind raced. Fated to die? That meant whatever was coming wasn't something Odin or the Ancient One were supposed to handle. And if that was the case…

I exhaled sharply. "That means whatever's coming happens after Odin dies. Meaning it's either Hela or Thanos. But..." My brows furrowed as I processed the details. "They're both part of the timeline, right? So if you're calling it a ripple, it's not them. At least, not exactly them."

(A/N: Rin doesn't know much about the comics or the TVA, just bits and pieces she picked up from Shirou's obsessive watching and occasional rambling about their more ridiculous feats.)

A small, approving smile flickered across the Ancient One's face.

I leaned back, rubbing my temples. "Great. Fantastic. So it's probably the comic versions of them. I've heard they're a lot stronger than their movie counterparts."

Not that I knew much about the comics. That was more Shirou's thing—he absorbed an ungodly amount of knowledge from them while watching superhero flicks and explaining things out loud. Some of it stuck with me, but specifics? Yeah, not my forte.

The Ancient One didn't confirm or deny my theory. Of course, she wouldn't. That would be too easy. Instead, she gave me that same infuriatingly calm look.

"You will find out soon enough," she said.

I narrowed my eyes. "That sounds ominous."

She merely sipped her tea.

I let out a deep sigh. "Alright, fine. If you're not going to give me a straight answer, then at least tell me this—how much can I change?"

The Ancient One finally set her teacup down. "As much as you wish."

I blinked. That… was not the answer I expected.

She continued, "You stand at a crossroads, Miss Tohsaka. You have already caused ripples. You will cause more. The question is—are you prepared to bear the consequences?"

I frowned. "And what consequences are we talking about? Because let me tell you, I am very familiar with the universe making me pay for my choices."

Her gaze was steady, measuring. "Some consequences will be your own to bear. Others..." A knowing smile. "Others have already been dealt with by your teacher."

I stiffened. That was a deliberate choice of words. Dealt with.

By Zelretch.

My eyes narrowed. "What did that old fossil do?"

She only smiled.

I groaned. Great. More cryptic nonsense. But something about the way she said it... it felt different.

Had Zelretch already covered for some major consequence? But why? And what was I supposed to do with that information?

I exhaled through my nose. "So what you're saying is—I can run wild with changing things, but I better be ready to deal with the fallout."

The Ancient One nodded. "Precisely."

I clicked my tongue. "Of course. Because nothing can ever be simple."

She only chuckled softly. "That would be too easy, wouldn't it?"