Chapter 57: This Is Compromise

"Mei Mumu!" A shout rang out, and his friend, Mordo, appeared. "Are you... alright?"

He pulled open his shirt, revealing bandages around his chest. "Well, aside from having my heart pierced by a magical blade and being forced to call in a favor for emergency heart surgery, everything's just fine."

Mei's self-mockery left Mordo at a loss for words.

This time, the losses had been devastating.

Perhaps it was precisely because Mei Mumu had been gravely wounded that it all felt so real. Otherwise, if a mere apprentice mage had swept through his enemies with ease, anyone would have suspected him of cheating.

"At least you're faring better than Daniel," Mordo said with a sigh. In the next moment, the Ancient One appeared.

"Daniel? He..."

"He's badly injured, but his life isn't in danger. The other mages of the New York Sanctum, however..." The Ancient One shook her head heavily.

The moment she finished speaking, the Balance System popped up a message: "Congratulations, Host! You have successfully altered fate, saving the destiny of Daniel, guardian of the New York Sanctum. You have gained 1 Fate Shift Point!"

One point—not much, but not insignificant. Mei wasn't picky; the more, the better.

It might seem minor, but Daniel was at least a guardian-level powerhouse. A strong organization is never built on the shoulders of a single strongest individual; it's always supported and managed by a host of capable ones in the middle who keep things running smoothly.

Consider Asgard, lauded as the Norse pantheon in the Marvel world. It was the loss of its many excellent mid-level warriors, until only Thor remained, that led to the pantheon's decline.

To save one is to save what little vitality remains; sometimes, that's enough.

Mei Mumu turned his gaze to the Ancient One. According to the original plot, she would become the key figure from here on. With her strength, sitting guard over Earth, Thanos would never have stood a chance.

Frankly, in the films, Kaecilius killing the Ancient One had always struck Mei as completely ridiculous. That she had suffered many wounds over her years defending Earth, weakening her powers, was one thing, but to be felled by a puppet-like second-rate villain was absurd.

Sensing his gaze, the Ancient One spoke. "Master Mei Mumu, is there something you wish to discuss?"

Mei pursed his lips. "The darkness is formidable. Please, Master, take care of yourself. As long as you live, Earth remains safe."

The Ancient One could feel the sincere concern in Mei's heart, and for once, she smiled. "Thank you for your concern, Master Mei Mumu."

It was only then that Mei noticed. "Wait—you called me 'Master'? But I’m only..."

"No apprentice mage could have confronted so many corrupted sorcerers. If I still labeled you as a mere apprentice, then everyone at Kamar-Taj must be blind. Besides, you gravely wounded Kaecilius," the Ancient One said, and Mordo, standing beside them, smiled as well.

They had watched Mei grow, from a clueless rookie to a mage with formidable power.

They were proud of him.

But Mei’s thoughts were elsewhere, and he felt a pang of frustration. "Seriously? I shredded Kaecilius’s heart, and he’s only ‘gravely wounded’?"

The Ancient One gazed at the bloodstain on the ground and shook her head. "Kaecilius has fully fallen. Dark power floods his body—he no longer fits the boundaries of humanity. We cannot measure him by the standards of ordinary human anatomy or vitality."

Mei grimaced. It almost sounded as if he was the one at fault.

Sigh! If he’d known, he would have just taken the man’s head off—no loose ends.

What he hadn’t expected was that the Ancient One didn’t blame him for failing to kill Kaecilius. Instead, she brought up another subject. "You used the Shadow Web, didn’t you?"

Mei froze, surprise flickering across his face. He hadn’t expected that the faint trace of shadow energy, so distinct from the cultists’ dark power, would be enough for the Ancient One to detect.

There was no point in denial or arguing.

Mei nodded.

A gentle look came over the Ancient One’s face. "I do not intend to blame or punish you. You always have your own perspective. I will only remind you—all powers from the dark side come with negative consequences. Using such forces always carries a price."

The most shocked of all was Mordo, who couldn’t help interjecting, "Master, haven’t you always taught us to uphold the rules, exercise self-discipline, and never, ever wield dark powers? Why do you only ‘remind’ Mei Mumu?"

The Ancient One glanced at Mei, as if making a decision. "The times have changed, Mordo. London’s Sanctum has been destroyed, and New York’s was almost lost as well. You know well what it would mean if the three Sanctums fell."

At this, Mordo was stunned, his expression turning somber.

"Compared to the survival of humanity and the Earth, the use of dark power by one individual is no great sin. As long as he can ensure he doesn’t fall to darkness, for all mankind, this is a kind of compromise."

"Compromise, is it?" Mordo’s eyes were lost, but also thoughtful. "I understand. In the face of humanity’s survival, some matters are not worth quibbling over."

"Good. Since you understand, I hereby declare Mei Mumu the temporary Guardian of the New York Sanctum," the Ancient One announced, turning to Mei. "Mei Mumu, can you shoulder the duty of defending humanity’s front line?"

"Uh, me?" Mei’s first instinct was to refuse; only months ago, he’d been an ordinary college student. Perhaps he lacked the courage, but people always have a strong will to survive. Remembering that Thanos would arrive in two years, a different light shone in Mei’s eyes. "I’ll do my best."

"Excellent. Mordo, you’ll stay here as well. I’ll return to Kamar-Taj to arrange reinforcements for you."

"Understood."

Mei hesitated, wanting to say more. His instinct was to ask the Ancient One to stay, but something felt off about that.

In the original story, Kaecilius escaped, rallied his followers, and then struck back quickly.

But this time, Kaecilius’s heart had been shattered and he was badly wounded. He shouldn’t be able to return any time soon.

The Ancient One gave him a glance, then turned and departed.

Only Mei and Mordo remained.

Suddenly, Mordo said, "Say, how did I never realize you were so powerful before? These fallen sorcerers... they were all once my fellow disciples. I know their strength."

Mei came up with an excuse. "Dormammu’s power made them stronger, but dulled their minds. Rather than spellcasting, the fallen sorcerers prefer close combat. That’s their weakness. If you master the rhythm of switching between melee and casting, you can toy with them to death."

For the first time, Mordo looked at him with awe.

Not every mage can defeat so many opponents of equal rank—let alone an apprentice mage killing full-fledged sorcerers.

"Alright, you’ll have to tell me more later. Right now, I need to check the Sanctum’s magical defenses. Without that, anyone outside could teleport straight into our stronghold."