While strolling through Kamar-Taj with the Ancient One earlier, Phini had been wondering if he could bring Skye along to learn magic.
He decided to ask the Ancient One about it.
But she had simply countered with a question: “What do you think magic is?”
Phini didn’t know.
The Ancient One explained that almost everyone who came to Kamar-Taj had a story.
They had endured countless trials, their wills forged and tempered through a rigorous process of elimination.
Magic required more than just talent.
It demanded spiritual strength, for communicating with and channeling the energies of the universe was no easy feat.
Furthermore, learning magic meant shattering one’s own understanding of common sense—a daunting task.
“To convince the energy to aid you,” she had said, “you must first convince yourself.”
After hearing the Ancient One’s words, Phini realized that Skye learning magic would be incredibly difficult.
Skye’s early childhood had been tragic, but her life had become blissful after her adoption.
She was a genius hacker—a person firmly rooted in the realm of technology.
To learn magic, she would have to abandon certain scientific beliefs, which would go against her very convictions.
Magic is a power of ‘miracles,’ and the word ‘miracle’ itself is often unscientific.
Although their ultimate goals might converge, the philosophies they embrace along the way could be fundamentally opposed.
Even Doctor Strange, who would eventually max out his magical talent in the future, had to be driven to despair by the failure of all scientific medical treatments before he could break through his cognitive barriers, embrace the occult, and learn magic.
Thus, while experience and perception might not be absolute, they still wield significant influence.
Because of this, Phini felt that bringing Skye to Kamar-Taj to learn magic right now would likely be unsuccessful.
At least, the time wasn’t right yet.
Perhaps when the world changed—when aliens and mutants started appearing—her worldview would mature, and her learning would be more effective.
But thoughts were just thoughts.
At the time, the Ancient One hadn’t objected to him bringing Skye to learn, so he decided to just take her and experiment.
When he arrived at Skye’s room, she was sitting cross-legged on her bed, waiting.
Her small face was etched with seriousness and worry.
As the only person in the family who knew Phini’s secret, the more she knew, the more she worried.
“Don’t be so tense. Didn’t I tell you before that I wanted to learn magic? I found the place today,” Phini explained, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
Skye recalled Phini mentioning this a month ago.
She seemed to remember him saying he’d ask if she could learn with him.
“Does magic really exist in this world?” Skye couldn’t help but ask.
This was precisely why Phini felt Skye would struggle to learn magic right now.
“Of course it does. But what I’m learning is called the Arcane,” Phini corrected after a moment’s thought.
“Is there a difference?” Skye asked, impressed by a concept she didn’t fully understand.
“Maybe it’s just the Earthly term for it?” Phini wasn’t entirely sure of the reason himself.
“If you’re curious, I can take you to see it tomorrow. If you want to learn, we can try practicing together.”
Although the chances were practically zero, it would be fascinating if Skye turned out to be a genius with maxed-out magical talent, just like Doctor Strange.
“Really?” Skye’s face lit up with joy.
After all, who could resist the allure of magic?
“So, get some rest. We leave tomorrow!”
Phini didn’t linger over the topic.
It was better for Skye to discover the wonders of magic on her own—that way, it would more effectively reshape her worldview.
However, the next morning at breakfast, Phini couldn’t help but chuckle when Skye appeared with dark circles under her eyes.
“I told you to get some rest. Why did you stay up?”
“This is all your fault!” Skye retorted, yawning as she shot him a resentful glare.
The excitement of learning magic had driven her to a late-night internet rabbit hole, and before she knew it, the sun was already up.
Fortunately, due to the time difference, Phini hadn’t planned to leave until evening anyway.
He had already informed his parents that they would be staying at the shop tonight so they wouldn’t worry.
The two arrived at the shop first.
After sending Skye off to catch up on sleep, Phini opened for business, handled a few customers, and diligently practiced his skills.
At 7:00 PM New York time, they drove up to the Sanctum.
“Is this the place?” Skye asked nervously.
She pulled a compact mirror from her bag, touched up her makeup, and checked her reflection one last time.
“Do I look okay?”
“Alright, alright, you look fine. Let’s go in!”
Phini rolled his eyes in exasperation, took Skye’s hand, and led her through the main doors.
This time, the hall wasn’t empty.
Two young mages sat in a corner, sipping tea and reading books.
They watched the pair with wary, suspicious eyes.
“Hello. I’m looking for Wizard Daniel,” Phini said.
“One moment.”
Seeing that Phini didn’t look like an enemy looking for trouble, one of the mages nodded and went upstairs to fetch him.
Soon, Daniel descended the stairs.
After a brief introduction of Skye and a quick greeting, he led them back to the same spot from the day before and opened the portal.
Staring at the magical sight before her, Skye’s eyes widened.
She swallowed hard, her hand gripping Phini’s tightly as her heart raced with nervous excitement.
“I won’t be joining you this time,” Daniel said.
He had already shown them the way once, so he stepped aside to let them pass through.
Phini didn’t mind.
He thanked Daniel earnestly once more, then pulled the anxious Skye through the portal and into Kamar-Taj.
“Was that… magic?”
The scenery had shifted instantly.
Skye looked around in bewilderment.
From the library to the courtyard, her gaze swept over the pale, pre-dawn sky, her face a mask of pure shock.
She had assumed Phini had visited her at night because she was resting poorly and he wanted to accommodate her.
But seeing this, she finally began to understand.
“Where are we now?” Skye couldn’t help but ask.
The early morning at Kamar-Taj was already bustling with practitioners who had risen to train.
Thanks to the Ancient One’s introduction yesterday, many recognized Phini and nodded in greeting as they passed.
Phini returned the gestures as he walked, answering in the tone of a local: “This is Kamar-Taj, located in Kathmandu—the sacred ground for sorcerers.”
“The Himalayas?” Skye didn’t know where Kathmandu was, but she recalled Phini mentioning it yesterday.
Seeing Phini nod, Skye’s shock deepened.
“But we were just in New York!”
“And that,” Phini said, spreading his hands with a matter-of-fact shrug, “is why this is called magic.”
He chuckled at the sight of Skye’s jaw-dropped expression.
“Alright, don’t overthink it. I’ll take you to meet my master, the Ancient One.”
(End of Chapter)