Ancient One -1
In the aftermath of Erik adventure, Phil and Melina led the teams to start exploring the vibranium mountains in advance. After finding the small habitat where the fruits, plants and fishes were residing, it was sealed for outsiders except the research team.
"Why did you call me Phil? You know Hope has planned us to train Erik in combat training today!" asked Rogers who was invited by Phil in the morning to his lab. Rogers thought it was just a friendly meeting but looking at the faces of Melina and Phil, it seems his guess was wrong.
"Steve, you know the fruits we found at that mountain, they contain immense energy and power that can basically rewrite the DNA structure of a man. Your Super Serum did something similar. So every single fruit has the power of one serum. And Erik ate them like candies. We found there are still 7 fruits remaining but Erik himself ate more than ten before he stopped counting." Phil replied in a serious tone. Steve was horrified to learn this.
One super serum turned him from a skinny chicken to a captain America and his adopted son ate more than 10 such serum fruits?!
"Is he alright? I mean there is hardly any change in his body. Should he not grow tall or grow muscles or something?" Steve was confused. This made no sense. No one should be able to stay the same after going through such an experience.
"Well, this is what I am confused about. His cells contain massive energy but it seems somehow they are able to contain it and leak very tiny minuscule strands of that energy. If all that energy is released, it will instantly kill Erik and everyone around him in a 10km radius. He is a walking bomb but somehow he is fine." Melina pitched her views.
While they were talking, Phil suddenly felt something strange and punched behind him strongly. His punch hit a glass crystal wall but nothing happened. This crystal barrier covered the entire research lab and Phil, Melina and Steve were alarmed.
"I think I do have the answer to that question. But I have a few questions of mine. Hello, I am the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth and I do apologise for this sudden interruption," came a voice from a woman who suddenly appeared out of a thin air.
"The ancient one?" Phil blurted out stupidly.
"Oh yes, it seems Mr Ryan Phillip is aware of me. Would you mind if we take this conversation to somewhere else?" She offered and a golden loop started forming in the middle of the lab. She walked inside and gestured for them to follow.
"Who is the woman Phil?" Melina asked worryingly. This was the first time she had seen someone so strange and eccentric. A woman appeared out of thin air and then used some sort of magic power to create a space portal of some sort. This was like breaking the limits of all her knowledge she ever had.
"Not an enemy and someone who has protected this earth for centuries. Let's go. I was waiting for her to appear for a long time but it is still a surprise." Phil said and he took Melina and followed inside the loop. Steve also followed them.
He can trust someone who Phil said has been protecting the earth for centuries.
------Phil POV-----
'The ancient one!" Ever since I was born, I was afraid to meet her. I knew I was not supposed to be present in this MCU and yet here I was. How will she treat me? Will she treat me as an anomaly to be destroyed or accept me as a fundamental part of this MCU? There were many times I have woken up in the middle of the night thinking if what I am doing will make her intervene and banish my soul or something.'
We followed her inside a hall which I believe is her personal chamber in Kamar-Taj.
"Tea?" She offered and we sit down on the chairs that were placed in front of her table.
Melina is wary of her. But me and Steve picked up the "Kullahad" (the mud cup) filled with tea. It was nice but not perfect for my taste.
"You want something else Mr Phil?" she asked me in a very friendly tone and even though I was scared and confused about my purpose or our purpose being here, I decided to play nicely.
"More honey would be nice," I replied normally and she made a small honey jar float in front of us and showed her small tricks.
"The tea is great Ms Ancient One. But you said you had answers to what happened with Erik. You know he is just a boy and I am not sure why someone like you, who Phil mentioned, has been protecting the earth for centuries, would care about him?" Steve asked like a worried parent.
"Oh Yes. Erik son of steve. Surprising but as I said I do know about his condition." She said while looking intently at me. She gets up and waved her hand and we saw a black galaxy forming in the air and she tell us the story
"Centuries ago, many animals from Dragons to Deer or Cats, came to this earth as visitors from their dimension. They looked like normal animals but they had immense primordial energy. They had the power to bring catastrophic destruction to immense protection for our planet.
A treaty was signed in which the sorcerer supreme of that era convinced them to not intervene in the ways of this planet or people but they could offer their blessings to certain individuals. These individuals or champions of god had the right to select their regions and become the leaders of these regions. We know that era as the battle of gods."
The ancient one kept speaking while we could see clips or glances of such time. How a huge dragon blessed a human whose fist glowed or how an eagle blessed a man who could fly.
'These were like mythical stories but I knew they were true. Ta lo and Kun Lun had dragons. I have read comics and MCU info about those. But eagles?' I was thinking these things when she looked at me and smiled noticing my confusion.
"Yes, the war of gods. Many fell, Many chose to move to another dimension away from the war and become the guardians or gods for those places and many simply chose to move in astral plane while keeping their champions alive that would provide them with a constant source of faith. A Beast God who called herself 'BAST' was one such animal."
The Ancient one suddenly showed us an image of statues of cats being worshipped in Egypt to a huge glowing cat in Wakanda.
"Wakanda, a place filled with energy from something called Vibranium, was her chosen ground. She chose the warriors there who became kings and she offered them her blessings in exchange for their worship. I believe your Son Erik, has gained the favour of 'BAST'.
He had become her new chosen one. The last such person was his great-great-grandfather." She explained patiently to Steve. Showing us images of Wakanda and statues of Panther Gods; people worshipping her and she blessing a man who turns into a black panther.
"You mean a man could turn into a panther- like a werewolf thing?" Steve asked looking at those images.
"Ah! You can't believe Black Panther was just a man into a suit. Would you?" She asked laughingly before continuing her explanation.
"Black Panther was their guardian they believed in and before BAST stopped giving them her blessings they could morph into that shape normally. However, in the last few decades, she has decided not to offer her blessings for reasons unknown and Wakandans chose to wear costumes or skins of Black Panther to make up for that."
"Is this safe for Erik? Will he turn into this Panther when he grows up?" Steve asked the troubling question which was on everyone's mind.
"Safe? Well, yes considering that is the only reason his human body is still intact and I am not sure which beast he will change himself once he fully accepts the gifts he had been given. But be warned, gifts from the being from those of higher dimensions always carry certain rules and principles. In the case of 'BAST', she hates abuse of her gifts and considers herself a fair and just being.
If in future, Erik decides to abuse these gifts, I am afraid 'BAST' would take her blessings away and his physical form might collapse." The ancient one replied.
"Now, may I invite Mr Phil for a personal talk. There are questions that are troubling me and I hope to find my answers." Ancient one asked while making a portal. She basically meant for Melina and Steve to leave me alone with her for a chat.
I nodded to Melina and she took Steve and they went inside the portal and it closed.
Oh boy! The Ancient one talk that I have been thinking and praying to avoid forever. It seems I can't avoid it anymore.