Ancient One 2

"At first, I was confused, embarrassed and even a little afraid. Why did the future change? I, who was supposed to be the guardian of Earth which protected it from supernatural enemies and mystical forces had been caught flat footed. And so, I peered through time once more to see what exactly had changed."

The Ancient One stared into my eyes, the intent behind those pupils unreadable.

"Imagine my surprise when I saw someone I did not recognise suddenly dominating more than half of every possible future timeline. Needless to say, I had to investigate his identity. And that was when I found you. Lee Jae Sung. Born June 16, 1995."

"I had still been at a loss of what to do when I found myself next to your crib two days after you were born. You looked so fragile and innocent, it was hard to believe you would become the person I had seen in so many possible futures."

"…What did you see in those possible futures?" I asked, curious but also slightly dreading the answer.

She smiled faintly, "I don't think we would have enough time in the world for me to describe everything that I had seen when I peered through time… but there were three main patterns which I had observed."

The Ancient One brought up her hand and gestured with three fingers, "I saw that you, Lee Jae Sung, will either save the world, rule it or destroy it."

Her words stunned me, but at the same time it made a lot of sense. The Gamer System was all about infinite potential and endless growth. Regardless of the outcomes, saving the world, destroying it or ruling it, they were all within the realm of possibilities afforded to 'The Gamer'.

"…The Time Stone does not allow you to see past your death. How would you know those are the only three possibilities?"

"I never said those are the only three possibilities, just that they are the largest patterns of outcome. There are plenty of futures I saw where you did not care for saving the world, ruling it or destroying it, though they were miniscule in proportion to those that you did."

Hah, I could kind of see myself deciding to just retire somewhere on Xandar and just live a life of contented luxury…

"You didn't answer my question." I pressed.

She quietened for a moment before continuing, "Indeed. The time stone does not allow for its user to see beyond the time of their death. I always knew when I would die. More accurately speaking, I had chosen when my death would be the most beneficial for the greater good of the world. However, that future no longer exists, or rather; my death in that particular manner is no longer the most beneficial for the greater good of the world. You seem to know of when that moment is, though we can discuss that at another time."

"In many realities where you have decided to destroy the world, I was one of your enemies. And you understood that I was one of the greatest obstacles to your ambitions. Thus, I was killed in many of those realities. However, there were also a significant number where you managed to forcibly bend me to your will, enslave me or simply imprison me while you rampaged throughout the multiverse. Those are the times I had witnessed in its entirety what Lee Jae Sung is capable of."

I exhaled lightly, "That is one hell of a load to drop on a 4 year old kid."

The Sorcerer Supreme laughed, "I'm sure you will manage somehow."

She continued, "And then of course there were many futures where you decided to rule the universe instead of destroying it. You ascended the throne to become God Emperor of the universe, ruling benevolently or malevolently as you desired. The universe would either be better for it or worse off."

"In certain timelines you would spread your self-created religion to every corner of the universe, branding yourself as an immortal God Emperor, worshipped by trillions of followers. In others, you ruled as the eminence within the shadows, secretly manipulating and controlling the political leaders of thousands of planets behind a shadowy cabal."

"However, in just as many realities, if not more, you were a champion of justice, a paragon for good and defender of the innocent. In so many realities you ushered in an era of unprecedented universal peace and prosperity. As vast as the universe is, wider was your altruistic influence and your charitable arm."

She smiled to herself, a kind of mystifying, bitter smile that I could not see through.

"Do you see my conflict now? Before you were born, I have seen the path this world would take - the good, the bad, and certainly the ugly. It was where I had also seen when my death would have the greatest, most positive impact on the world. And as I stood next to your crib four years ago, arm poised ready to take your life, I realised that I could not do so. Though you had the potential to destroy the universe or rule it with tyranny, you were also just as likely to turn it into paradise, an utopia!"

"Your death would have erased the possibility of the destruction of Earth and the universe, true. But at the same time, it would also have erased the possibility of an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity. Hell, even the Mad Titan had become your most loyal and fervent disciple in some realities when you showed him the error in his ways."

Seriously? Thanos as my most loyal and fervent disciple? Well, I supposed anything was possible in the infinite multiverse.

"So, I flipped a coin. I chose to let fate decide. On one side, malevolent destruction. The other side, saviour of the universe."

"And what was the result?" I quirked my eyebrow though given that I was still breathing the answer was clear.

She chuckled to herself, "I'm afraid I am still waiting for it to fall. It has, admittedly, been the longest coin toss in my long life."

"Hah… And so, the purpose of this meeting is, what, to warn me? That you are always watching me?" I narrowed my eyes slightly. Huh, it seemed I did not react well to threats. I was learning a lot about myself in just one day.

She shook her head, "Of course not. I am merely here to inform you that from this point onwards I will no longer be interfering in how you live your life."

I nodded in assent until I sharply turned to look at her, "No longer interfering? Does that not imply that you have been interfering and will only be stopping from now on?"

She looked bemused at my words, "Well, in many futures where you, let's call it turned to the dark side, the first incident that led you to that path was the murder of your parents by the robbers. They aren't always the same individuals, or even from the same gang. But in many realities, on this night, your parents would die."

Wow, were my parents destiny so strong that even across infinite realities, they died on the same night in so many of them? What a shitty destiny to have…

"And as a result of their death, you would either retreat in to your own shell and obsess over strength to the point of not caring about anything else, or you would descend on to New York City like a biblical swarm of locusts, determined to slaughter all that you judged as evil."

That… kinda tracks, honestly speaking. Even now, though my parents had not been hurt, I intended to kill 21 others who were unrelated to the act simply due to guilt by association. I didn't know what I would be capable of if they really had been murdered. This time I had spent with them may have been short, but their love for me was not a lie and it was something I had experienced every day.

No matter how tired mother was, she would still cook a delicious meal with a smile. No matter how troubled father was over money, he would still rather eat plain slices of bread for meals than let me have anything but the best.

Just thinking about it made the spark of anger in me return, so The Ancient One's words were not unbelievable.