Ch. 20 Time Skip

Monday, August 31, 1992

The past eight months have been a hell of a ride.

Once the Ancient One finished guiding me through the multiverse, I immediately noticed a couple of things.

The first thing I noticed was that it was sometimes hard to distinguish where the dimensional energy ended and the celestial energy began.

The second thing I noticed was the very nature of the dimensional energies. My celestial energy felt similar to my Magicka in the sense that it was my energy. The dimensional energies reminded me of a small gateway in my body, allowing the power from other dimensions to leak through into my body.

Once I finally started to learn the ways of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, the teachings couldn't come fast enough.

Whether it was the Ancient One herself, or another master teaching a class, I seemed to grasp their lessons with ease. The more discussions I sat through, the more connections I was able to make between the teachings of various magics.

The purpose of these initial lessons wasn't to introduce me to magic but to create the foundation needed to combine energies from various dimensions.

For most practitioners, they can not pull enough energy from a single dimension to power their spells.

These classes were designed to teach the spell structure needed to combine the multiple dimensional energies into what they call Eldritch Magic. This is the golden-fiery energy that throws sparks about when used.

The color of Eldritch Magic can vary depending on if the user has a deeper connection to one dimension over another.

This is where I stood out from the other students at Kamar-Taj. Not only was I able to succeed in creating a Tao Mandalas glyph on my first try, but mine was also far different from those seen in the past.

My glyph was a smooth crisp white, lacking the fiery sparks expected with Eldritch Magic.

There was speculation that I naturally drew more energy from a specific dimension. I don't believe that to be the case. I contribute the white color to my celestial energy. I guess Ego calling it 'the light' was for a good reason.

Of course, one can attempt to follow the Ancient One's example and perform a ritual to pull a large amount of energy from a single dimension. The Dark Dimension being the dimension of choice for the Ancient One.

Though this comes with many risks, and I doubt the Ancient One would allow that to happen, given the Dr. Strange movie.

At the end of the first week at Kamar-Taj, I was placed in the group of novices and apprentices to begin my melee training.

The Masters of the Mystic Arts are taught to engage in melee combat due to most of them lacking the ability to cast ranged spells.

I wonder if their inability to use ranged magic is due to their bodies being too weak to handle the required amount of Eldritch Magic? It's also possible the Ancient One limits how many dimensions she links to some students.

If I had to guess, I would say it's due to the Ancient One limiting the amount of power the students could draw forth. She may actually be justified in her actions, given how easily power corrupts.

Regardless of the truth behind it, I accepted the training full-heartedly. This would finally allow me to fill a gap in my defenses.

There wasn't a name for the fighting style used by the Masters of the Mystic Arts. It resembles a collection of multiple martial arts combined for their ability to be used with and without the use of spells.

Watching the Ancient One shatter a stone pillar with a magic-infused fist brought up the image of Tsunade from the Naruto series doing one of her destructive punches.

With that image in mind, I wholeheartedly dedicated myself to practicing. I also began to practice directing my Magicka through my fist as well as my palm.

My first spar against an apprentice led to my first real setback. With the serums running through my body, my opponent's moves were slow and predictable. With just a glance, I could determine the type of attack and its trajectory.

I also overestimated his durability when my left hook to his side launched him a dozen feet.

I only froze for a moment, before I was by his side dual casting a healing spell.

His injuries weren't the setback. He didn't even have enough time to fully register the pain before he was being healed. The issue was all the people observing our spar.

Many of the people that found their way to Kamar-Taj came in search of a cure. A cure they just witnessed me perform.

Fearing the ripple-effect of many apprentices leaving after I heal them, I convinced them I could only speed their body's natural healing. Any previously acquired injuries would remain unaffected.

I appeased the small group surrounding me by telling them the spell to heal oneself was more powerful, and could possibly reverse previous injuries.

This led to new motivation for some and less free time for me. It took me a full two weeks of my free time to create a Heal Self spell using Eldritch Magic.

Surprisingly, the spell I was able to come up with was far weaker than my Skyrim spell, but it did slowly recover old injuries.

Once I had a general healing spell with Eldritch Magic, I was able to quickly create a Rejuvenation Spell for the Ancient One.

As I predicted, the Eldritch Rejuvenation spell appears to cease aging and rapidly heal small injuries while it's active. This will limit the Ancient One's need for using her connection to the Dark Dimension.

With some experience creating spells, I finally crafted an Illusion to change the appearance of what I was wearing. It was now possible to wear my armor and appear as if I was wearing regular clothes.

After my sparring incident, the Ancient One directed that I was to only spar with masters and to focus on my defense.

This suited me very well. My magic is far more destructive than me engaging in a fistfight, but being able to effectively dodge and evade is priceless.

When I was able to fully control my strength while sparring, I began to cast jinxes and harmless hexes to those that left openings in their attacks.

I was improving their fighting style with every passing day. The more I sparred, the faster I was able to adapt in hand-to-hand combat.

It wasn't long before no single master could stand against me. I doubt I could best Captain America in a pure fistfight, but he wouldn't stand a chance if I used magic.

I'm still not sure how magic will interact with vibranium. I've not had enough free time to begin testing the versatile metal, yet.

At the end of the third month, I took it upon myself to begin teaching the martial arts classes. I choose to do this for the teaching experience. I'll be in Hogwarts soon and don't want to be seen as another inexperienced professor bumbling my way through classes.

As a result of my skill in fighting, I quickly became the Ancient One's favorite sparring partner. She could finally face a friendly opponent without holding back, and she didn't hold back.

She didn't spar with energy-infused hands, but she did use Tao Mandalas to cover her fists. I didn't think much about it, but when a Tao Mandalas covered fist connected... I had my bell rung several times from them, and with each hit I took, the pain lessened.

I didn't want to come off as a masochist, so I told the Ancient One about my ability to adapt. That was nearly a mistake.

She took it upon herself to help increase my durability. Not only would she go all out in our sparring matches, but she would also strand me in desolate places for hours without a sling ring. I could still Apparate if needed, but I bore my burden well.

I would randomly find myself in the colds of the Arctic, the heat of the Sahara, and the breathless heights of Mt. Everest. The only place I wasn't sent was the depths of the ocean. I'm convinced she's saving that one for later. Fucking Sadist.

Each place I was sent was miserable, but my body eventually adapted and improved. The misery soon turned to contentment.

The most interesting place was the Sahara. While standing in the blistering sun of the desert, I felt the most peculiar sensation, solar energy. Instead of blistering in the scorching rays of light, my body took the solar radiation in like a sponge.

My body was adapting to absorb solar energy like Superman. Only, it wasn't nearly to the level of the Man of Steel. It was subtle, but it acted as a source to refuel my celestial energy.

With thoughts of Superman, I spent my time in the desert attempting to fly. It would be days later when I learned an Eldritch Magic spell for levitation, that I achieved my dreams of unsupported flight.

I would use my Sling Ring to travel to uninhabited areas to practice flying. Pushing the limits of my speed lead to my eyes and skin adapting to high-speed travel. I'm not sure how fast I can fly, but I was able to break the sound barrier.

While as impressive as that may be, Ironman's most advanced suit was able to reach Mach 5. A full five times faster than the speed of sound.

What was impressive was my ability to fly up to heights of extremely-low temperatures and oxygen. This made staying on Mt. Everest feel like a comfortable place to vacation.

At my current state, I would guess my durability is still a good bit below that of Thor. Thor was able to survive floating in deep space with almost zero side-effects.

I wonder if the Bubble-Head Charm could be modified for outer space?

Speaking of spells...

There wasn't a great deal of advancement there compared to my Hogwarts or Skyrim spells.

I was able to advance my Soul Magic a bit. I was able to combine what I knew with the Eldritch Soul Magics to strengthen my soul. I wouldn't challenge Other Me, but it felt like progress in the right direction.

After Soul Magic, I focused primarily on defensive spells and teleportation. Watching Dr. Strange stop energy blasts from the Infinity Gauntlet was the driving factor in deciding on defensive spells. And watching Thor get teleported around the New York Sanctum seemed like a marvelous way to mess with an opponent.

Regrettably, I wasn't able to learn many spells directly from the Ancient One. It wasn't because she wasn't willing to teach me, but due to the lack of time, she could devote to me.

I was encouraged to learn on my own and from other masters at Kamar-Taj. It wasn't like I was opposed to the idea. Most of the books were not in English, and there were people from dozens of different nationalities.

Google translate was still over a decade away, so that left the hard way of reading a foreign language. Learning it.

The Ancient One seemed to speak every language represented at Kamar-Taj, but it takes a great deal of time to learn each one. I used the Doubling Charm to make my own copies of each book in the library, but I couldn't even read half of them.

The Wakandan Kimoyo Beads proved their worth in this area.

Uploaded with the Wakanda's knowledge, was multiple language programs.

That makes a lot of sense when you think about how many countries Wakanda had spies in. They would need a way to teach their spies the local language before sending them off.

The Ancient One and various masters were kind enough to practice speaking the languages with me. Honestly, I think the Ancient One was trying to butter me up for a chance to ride on a dragon.

The one time I transformed into my dragon form, I spent the next hour trying to avoid the Ancient One leaping onto my back via portals. Truth be told, it was rather fun.

While I spend most of my time at Kamar-Taj, I would make frequent trips back to my manor in England.

Once I was proficient enough with the Sling Ring, I would return to my manor every other weekend. This allowed me to see too any issues that arose and to visit Trixie and Cody.

I was still unsure of my duties as a Lord, so I made some improvements to the village. With the majority of the village residents being muggles, I contracted muggle companies for the work.

It was simple things that slightly improved the living conditions of the village, improved roads and sidewalks, street lamps, and a sizable park.

My account manager was receiving steady work from me. I used Clan Gringotts to find and screen suitable muggle contractors for the village improvements. Ruknar was more than willing to assist after I made a few more deposits of gold bars.

With the amount I was being charged, I'm willing to bet the goblins are making more Galleons off me than any other wizard in Britain.

It was during one of my weekends at Dragonsreach that I finally changed into my werewolf form.

It took only a thought, and I can change at will. The change was painful, but the pain only lasted a moment as I seemed to adapt to that.

It also tore my clothes apart, which resulted in me being naked when I turned back into a human. I naturally have complete control over my actions in my lycan form.

I prefer that name after comparing my form to that of the werewolves found in the Harry Potter world.

The typical Harry Potter werewolf looks emaciated and weak, with thin limbs and little muscle mass. My lycan form is an even more ferocious version of the Skyrim werewolf. A hulking monster of fur and muscle.

Being in lycan form is an incredibly strange sensation. All my senses are heightened even further, and I have an intense night-vision. A negative would be my strong desire for raw meat.

I've only used my lycan form the one time, but I really don't see the need to use it again. I have the necessary items to cure myself, but I don't want to cure myself just yet. Better to be safe than sorry.

Another reason I've been returning to England so often is to see Aurora. Every few weekends, Aurora can escape Hogwarts for a day.

We are not officially dating, but we've slowly progressed from booty-calls to hanging out together and the occasional date.

I almost needed to go on those dates. It wasn't some misguided delusion of love or lust, but it was relaxing and freeing.

Being able to relax in the enjoyable company of a gorgeous woman helped me retain my sanity. As much as I enjoy magic, there comes a time when you just need an ordinary day to settle your mind.

I would take Aurora on dates to France, Sweden, and even America. Enjoying the sights and culture of another country was much more enjoyable when accompanied by someone you like.

I went so far as to purchase a Two-way mirror so we could contact each other. The handheld mirrors are much more efficient than sending a letter with an owl. They remind me of cellphones.

She wasn't comfortable accepting gifts and the trips at first, and that earned her a ton of points in my book.

It showed me she wasn't interested in material gains from our relationship. Which just caused me to put more thought and effort into our dates.

Creating a modern theater room in Dragonsreach to watch movies is probably my greatest investment. I was able to introduce Aurora to some of the greatest movies of the '80s and early '90s, and I got to re-watch some of America's greatest creations. Movie night quickly became her favorite sort of date.

To ease her mind about the amount of Galleons I was spending, I 'confessed' to owning an actual gold mine. I figured that would be easier to explain than the truth. Despite knowing I was filthy rich, she still stated extravagant trips were not necessary.

I didn't just see Aurora as someone I enjoyed hanging out with, I also saw her as a key to Hogwarts. Other Me's mission still stood, and she could help me get hired.

When Aurora and I were learning more about each other, I would often tell her of my love for books. I told her I enjoyed studying history and piecing together timelines for events.

Technically true. The Marvel movies are from my past and spend a great deal of time, creating a timeline for events to come. Reading always was a favorite past-time of mine.

To help sell the effect, I purchased a large amount of magical and muggle history books to fill a section in my library.

It finally reached the point where Aurora would refer to me as her own personal historian. I made her promise that if a position at Hogwarts ever opened up, she would let me know.

I was a bit surprised when she became excited about the idea of me teaching at Hogwarts. She immediately tried to convince me to apply for the D.A.D.A. position.

After a long discussion about a career at Hogwarts, I was not enthusiastic about the idea of becoming the new D.A.D.A. Professor. But that only convinced me of what I was about to do tonight.