Chapter 31: Not Only Did He Lose the Girl, He Lost the Army Too!

Chapter 31: Not Only Did He Lose the Girl, He Lost the Army Too! An Ancient Defeat!

After the phone call, Aron finally met the "bald baby," Coulson.

And yes, he was indeed bald.

"I've taken them. I'll send you the bonus as soon as I get back to base."

Coulson's team quickly took the three cultists from the garage.

As for the bonus... that wasn't really important. In his eyes, it was just an excuse to send some money.

Because, according to SHIELD's files, aside from online games, Aron had another weakness, money.

If you want to win over your target, start with what they like. Simple.

But just as Coulson was about to leave, he ran into an unexpected obstacle.

Aron and Skye, the hacker from his team, were already deep in conversation.

And not just talking.

They were laughing. Sharing glances. They'd even exchanged numbers and started texting. All that in ten minutes.

Ten.

Coulson was left confused.

He'd spent three days with Aron, playing side by side, strategies, points, battles and they were barely more than acquaintances.

Skye showed up. Ten minutes later, they acted like they'd gone on ten dates.

In silence, Coulson turned his back and led the team away.

But as they returned to the vehicle, he couldn't help but notice Skye typing on her phone, smiling to herself.

In the end, he couldn't resist.

"Skye, what were you two talking about?"

"Hm!?" Skye snapped back to attention, quickly hiding her phone behind her back.

"Nothing... just, uh... stories from my hometown... You know, I'm from Asia, so..."

Seeing the looks on everyone's faces, she realized no one believed her.

"Hey, we're trying to recruit him, right? I contacted him on purpose! Recruitment, recruitment, that's all!"

Coulson said nothing.

Watching Skye blush, trying to explain herself, and unable to hide her smile.

He finally understood.

Understood why Nick Fury never allowed women to be the main point of contact in recruitment missions.

This wasn't even a real recruitment meeting, and his best agent was already defeated.

"Damn it…"

Coulson cursed silently.

Now he understood the old saying:

Not only did you lose the girl, but the army too.

On the other side, Aron looked at the last message Skye sent him.

A smile tugged at his lips.

"You still want to recruit me, but don't like my attitude?"

His connection with Skye wasn't even close to what Coulson imagined.

She just felt familiar.

Not because of some deep bond, but because of that recognizable energy, that feeling like meeting someone from your old neighborhood.

And when you add power, confidence, and a bit of charisma, things become simple.

Skye had only recently joined SHIELD. She didn't yet have loyalty to the organization. That's why she was more open, more relaxed.

Aron looked up at the morning sky, slowly brightening.

Dawn.

He didn't plan to go back to sleep. With his current level of power, he could go without sleep for months without consequence.

And after last night's attack… chasing game points didn't seem worth it anymore. Besides, Coulson wasn't online. No "dog" to trace the line, no team synergy.

"Ah, right!"

"Didn't that wizard, Daniel, invite me to the New York Sanctum?"

Aron slapped his thigh, remembering.

In the chaos and the gaming, he'd completely forgotten the invitation from the guardian of the sanctum.

"Well, it's not too late…"

Without much thought, he opened a portal and teleported to the address: 177A Bleecker Street — New York Sanctum.

Before him stood a completely ordinary building.

Except for the window at the top, which had a pattern identical to the Eye of Agamotto, its exterior was completely unremarkable. Modest, almost invisible among the other buildings.

The doors opened.

The interior of the Sanctum was enormous, at least four times larger than anyone would guess from outside. Spatial magic had done its work.

Inside, a museum-like atmosphere. Hundreds of magical artifacts, items, weapons... all seemingly quiet and still.

"Is anyone here?" Aron called out.

Only echoes answered him. Not a trace of other sorcerers.

"Empty?"

He began exploring the Sanctum. Walking slowly, he approached glass cases containing various known magical weapons.

There was Doctor Strange's Cloak of Levitation. Sanri's Cosmic Cauldron. The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, once wielded by Kaecilius.

But none of that was what he wanted.

He was looking for something useful. Something practical. A magical item that functioned as storage, like a "storage bag" from old fantasy novels.

Because he couldn't walk around all day carrying a two-meter-long double-edged sword. Nor could he just leave it at home, it was too valuable.

His gaze fell on the red cloak - the Cloak of Levitation.

Intrigued, he approached. But the cloak didn't react.

"Already bonded with Strange, huh?"

As he considered the option of forcefully taking it, a voice spoke behind him:

"That cloak already has a master. If you want, I can find you another."

"Do you have to show up behind me every time?" Aron muttered as he turned around.

Of course, it was the Ancient One.

"Sorry, I'll try to be quieter next time."

But her expression clearly showed she didn't mean it.

"Master Daniel invited me. Where is everyone else?"

"Daniel was seriously injured. He's currently recovering in Kamar-Taj."

Then she looked at him seriously.

"You were invited three days ago. Why are you only coming now?"

Aron was silent for a moment.

You can't exactly say you forgot because you were playing games.

"The Sanctum has been unguarded for three days. That's very dangerous," the Ancient One continued, leading him deeper into the Sanctum.

As they walked through the halls, she spoke about the role of sorcerers:

"While the Avengers protect the world from physical threats, we defend the borders of reality from magical ones."

"The original Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto, built three main Sanctums: in New York, Hong Kong, and Nepal."

"They form a protective system against invasions from other dimensions."

She stopped and looked at him.

"I once told you that the barrier between dimensions is incredibly strong."

"Crossing between dimensions is no easy task."

"That's why I was interested in how someone like you, with no magical training, managed to cross the boundary."

"Because that… is not something that happens easily."