Marvel: The Psychologist Who Stole Wanda and Gwen's Hearts!

After Lorien gave the order—

Zing!

In an instant, Gwen transformed, drew the Black Necrosword, and charged straight in. Hela unleashed the Nightsword, firing it forward. Wanda clasped her hands, seized a small group of enemies, and lifted them into the air.

Simply put, the enemy never stood a chance.

Within moments, the London crisis was over.

The Sanctum sorcerers stood frozen, stunned into silence. Some even rubbed their eyes, unable to believe what they’d just seen. So many dark sorcerers—wiped out in mere minutes. It was like chopping vegetables.

Was the gap between people really this huge?

A mature woman, a young girl, and a little girl... and in the blink of an eye, they had cleared the field?

Lorien simply waved a hand.

"Let’s go. The Ancient One should be in the last Sanctum."

The three women nodded and followed him to leave.

"Wait!"

The sorcerer in charge of the London Sanctum called out, then led the others in a respectful bow.

"Thank you very much for your help!"

Good. Polite. Lorien nodded, waved them off without another word, and left with the three.

...

The four stepped through the teleportation mural and arrived at the Hong Kong Sanctum.

Lorien had expected this place to be crowded. Instead, it was nearly empty. The sky above the entire world was shrouded in unnatural darkness. Something was wrong.

He looked up—

Oh, great.

The Hong Kong Sanctum was in ruins. The roof was gone, the murals barely intact. Above, an eye as large as a world stared down from the sky.

It wasn’t real—more like a massive image painted across the heavens. The enormous eyeball was nothing but darkness, glaring down with a vicious, devouring intent, as if ready to consume the earth.

"Dormammu!" Wanda blurted.

"Huh?" Lorien gave her a surprised look. "You know Dormammu?"

"Mm." Wanda nodded. "The Ancient One told me a lot when we talked—including about Dormammu. She said the Sanctums on Earth exist mainly to defend against his invasion. Those dark sorcerers use his power to bring the Dark Dimension here. I’d only heard of him before... but today I’ve seen him for real."

Truth be told, so had Lorien. He knew of Dormammu, but had never seen him in person—until now.

But something didn’t add up.

In his memory, Dormammu never managed to break through. In the end, Stephen used the Time Stone to drive him back. That was supposed to happen in the Battle of New York, with both Stephen and the Ancient One present.

He remembered clearly—people called it "The Battle of the New York Sanctum."

So why was it happening in Hong Kong now?

A thought hit him.

Did the Sacred Timeline change?

What was Kang the Conqueror doing—couldn’t even keep the timeline in check?

Then again... maybe it was Lorien’s fault. Since arriving in the Marvel universe, he hadn’t exactly made friends with the male superheroes, but he’d definitely crossed paths with plenty of the female ones... cough, cough.

But the Sacred Timeline is supposed to self-correct. Even if the process changes, the ending should return to normal one way or another.

Yet here was a giant cosmic eyeball glaring down from the sky.

This looked nothing like "returning to the timeline." This was chaos.

"This is a true evil god, Lorien," Hela said, tugging his sleeve. "Worse than me. If it descends on Midgard, that’s it—everyone and everything will become food for Dormammu’s spirit."

"So cruel?" Gwen said in surprise.

"Mm." Lorien nodded. He knew all that. He’d just been caught up thinking about the Sacred Timeline.

But reality was staring him in the face—dark skies and a massive cosmic eye. Things in Hong Kong were bad.

"Let’s go see what’s happening."

He led the three women out of the Sanctum and headed straight for the source of the Dark Dimension rift.

When they arrived, he saw Kaecilius, Stephen, Wong, and the Ancient One all there.

Dark marks were clearly visible on both Kaecilius and the Ancient One. Stephen was kneeling in pain, clutching his head as if struggling to resist something. Wong... seemed to have already collapsed nearby.

The Ancient One was locked in fierce combat with Kaecilius when Lorien arrived.

Kaecilius hovered in the air, long dark tentacles writhing from his body as he launched a frenzied assault on the Ancient One.

She held up a protective shield, forced to both defend Stephen and withstand Kaecilius’ attacks.

"Stephen! Don’t be seduced by Dormammu! Wake up and channel your magic!"

Stephen had already been "infected" by Dormammu. The dark entity’s will was attacking his own in the spiritual realm, aiming to completely possess him.

Meanwhile, Kaecilius roared, his voice filled with madness.

"It’s useless! His magic is only at the level I had as a child! Once I take over his body, Midgard will be just the first step! I’ll drag even Asgard—home of Odin, the God King—into the embrace of the Dark Dimension! And then, the entire Nine Realms will be mine!"

His body twitched violently as the dark tentacles thrashed.

From a distance, Lorien took one look and understood—this wasn’t the real Kaecilius anymore. Dormammu had fully possessed him. Somehow, Dormammu had projected part of his being—specifically, that colossal eye—over all of Hong Kong.

Every sorcerer who had ever drawn on dark magic was now vulnerable to invasion from the Dark Dimension, their most vital realm under attack: the mind itself.

The Ancient One could have held her own against a possessed Kaecilius under normal circumstances. But with the great eye’s appearance, she had been drastically weakened. Worse still, she had to protect Kamar-Taj’s future—Stephen.

Now, she was being overpowered. There was no helping it. She was only Sky Father–level, burdened with layer upon layer of debilitating effects, while Dormammu’s complete possession pushed his power close to Sky Father–level—at the very least, above Elder God–level.

Dormammu, possession, erosion, descent... None of these events had ever happened before, and now they were unfolding right before Lorien’s eyes.

While defending, the Ancient One suddenly spotted him in the distance. She closed her eyes, opened them again, and in the next instant, her astral form flew to his side.

Her voice was calm, though her brow was slightly furrowed.

"The Time Stone never foresaw this. The timeline has already been disrupted."

Now this was the real Ancient One. The other had not been faking, but the true Ancient One was always prepared and sure of herself.

"Mm." Lorien nodded. "So the timeline really is a mess."

He looked at her and asked, "What will you do now? Still going to die? Has Stephen truly awakened to the responsibility of becoming Sorcerer Supreme?"

Those two questions left her silent for a moment. She had always feared something going wrong with the timeline—and now that it had, she was faced with a hard choice. A wrong decision would make all her past efforts meaningless.

But there was one thing she was certain of.

"As long as I die, Stephen will awaken to become Sorcerer Supreme."

At her words, Gwen, Wanda, and Hela turned to her in surprise.

To use one’s own death to bring out another’s potential—how many in history could do such a thing? And yet she was absolutely certain. She had already achieved so much, but she was still willing to make this choice.

It was deeply admirable.

Lorien, however, knew what came after.

"Once you die, you’ll only be able to cultivate in the state of a Holy Spirit. Are you truly ready to walk this abstract path?"

This "abstract" was not some internet slang—it was a form of existence. Among Marvel’s Five Great Gods, all but Galactus were in this state. They had no physical forms and had never been human. Abstract was a path of spiritual cultivation, not the "ridiculous" meaning the term sometimes carried online.

The Ancient One nodded calmly.

"Yes."

Clearly, she had decided long ago. Death did not frighten her. The destruction of Earth and the loss of its future—that was what truly terrified her.

"Die!"

In the distance, Kaecilius was already in a frenzy. Stephen’s mind had resisted Dormammu’s corruption for far too long, and he still couldn’t break through the Ancient One’s light shield. Frustration was driving him mad.

Gwen glanced over, drew the Black Necrosword, and asked,

"Lorien, do you want me to go?"

Lorien shook his head.

"Not for now."

Clearly, Kaecilius wasn’t the real problem. Both Lorien and the Ancient One turned their eyes upward to the massive eye looming in the sky, then began discussing Dormammu.

"What’s your plan for this?" Lorien asked.

The Ancient One’s expression was troubled as she looked at the great eye.

"This invasion is far more severe than before. The Dark Dimension is already eating away at Earth. With Stephen’s current abilities... he may not be able to drive it back."

If Dormammu had not descended, Stephen could have used the Time Stone to try and fail endlessly. But now that Dormammu had truly arrived, there would be no second chances. Without full Sky Father–level power to wield the Time Stone, Stephen could never force that thing in the sky to retreat.

If the Ancient One took action herself, Stephen would lose the chance to grow. She was determined to let him face it himself, even if it meant her own death.

After a moment of thought, she spoke seriously.

"I will let Stephen attempt to repel Dormammu. But if he fails... I hope the Godfather will step in to help him."

Lorien nodded.

"Fine."

That was all that needed to be said.

They both fell silent, watching Kaecilius and the Ancient One’s clash from a distance, Stephen still under protection. In truth, this was their final farewell.

After a pause, the Ancient One said quietly,

"With the timeline in chaos, I’m truly worried about Earth’s future."

Lorien nodded in understanding. He had known from the start what she was holding on for—otherwise, she wouldn’t have waited for him to come before acting. She could have died before Stephen long ago if that was all she intended.

He exhaled and shook his head with a faint, helpless smile. Even on the edge of death, she worried for the planet. She had embodied the role of Sorcerer Supreme to the very end.

Looking back at Wanda, Gwen, and little Hela, he spoke lightly.

"Earth is my home too."

At that, the Ancient One finally seemed at ease. She didn’t laugh aloud, but the smile in her eyes was genuine. Seeing her, normally so composed, smile like that made Wanda and Gwen smile as well.

The Ancient One took one last look around, then turned back to Lorien and nodded.

"I should go."

Lorien nodded, saying nothing more. Words were meaningless now—everything was already understood.

She gave another small nod before glancing at Gwen, Wanda, and Hela, her gaze finally settling on Wanda. Without speaking, she gave her a look—a silent instruction to stay close to Lorien from now on.

Wanda nodded firmly.

The Ancient One drew a deep breath and closed her eyes. A moment later, her astral form vanished from sight, returning to her body.

...

In the distance, the battle shifted. The Ancient One broke free from Kaecilius’s entanglement, swept her hands outward, and pressed against a nearby stone pillar. The space around them warped instantly, and she launched into their final duel, calling to Stephen to wake.

Her sudden surge of power forced Kaecilius back, halting the Dark Dimension’s mental corruption for the moment. Stephen began to resist in earnest.

From afar, Lorien let out a low sigh.

"A play within a play..."

Wanda and Gwen, clinging to his arms, were visibly moved.

"So there really are such legendary stories in the world," Gwen murmured.

Hela bit her lip. Today had shaken her deeply. She knew Stephen and the Ancient One had no real bond before this, yet she was still willing to go so far for him. It rattled Hela’s entire worldview.

...

The Ancient One and Kaecilius exchanged several more devastating blows. Stephen was seconds from recovering fully when, in one final effort, she struck a mortal wound into Kaecilius—at the cost of taking one herself.

Both combatants froze. Kaecilius looked down at his wound, then at hers. It was a trade of lives. With Stephen so close to awakening, there was no tactical reason for her to do this.

Dormammu, speaking through Kaecilius, suddenly understood.

"Ancient One... you’re courting your own destruction!"

She only smiled. The real Kaecilius would never have understood, but Dormammu did.

She didn’t need to say a word. Stephen, opening his eyes just then, saw it all.

"Master!" Stephen cried, leaping to his feet. The Eye of Agamotto now hung around his neck.

The Ancient One was already falling. Kaecilius, badly wounded, trembled where he stood.

Pointing at her, he began to speak.

"She’s trying to—"

"Die!"

Stephen cut him off, charging forward with a conjured light blade. In his weakened state, Kaecilius was no match; within moments, he was struck down.

Stephen immediately rushed to the Ancient One’s side.

"Master!"

Her eyes were still open. She looked at the Eye of Agamotto on his chest, then used the last of her strength to point toward Dormammu’s looming eye in the sky.

Her hand then fell, limp and motionless.

...

(70 Chapters Ahead)

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