Marvel: I can summon heroes from League of Legends

"Now, I'll give you a tour of Kamar-Taj," said the Ancient One, inviting Noah to follow her.

Noah rose to his feet and followed her, leaving the ancient temple behind.

As soon as they stepped outside, majestic views of snow-capped mountains spread out before them. Kamar-Taj was nestled in a small Himalayan village, surrounded by rugged peaks. Here, alongside the masters of Kamar-Taj's mystic arts, ordinary people lived, oblivious to the existence of the magical order. This was the essence of "hiding in plain sight."

In the courtyard before the temple, the sounds of training filled the air. Numerous sorcerers of Kamar-Taj were practicing martial arts. Observing their exercises, Noah immediately realized that this was typical for Kamar-Taj — students here trained not only in spellcasting but also in close-quarters combat techniques.

From what he remembered from the movies, the students of Kamar-Taj often used combat spells to summon magical weapons like fans, shields, or whips, engaging their foes up close. It didn't surprise him to see this training in action.

Noticing the confusion in Noah's eyes, the Ancient One explained the purpose of these exercises. The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, as it turned out, did not possess innate magical power. They had to draw magic from other dimensions — in their case, from the Vishanti, the creators of white magic. Physical training was necessary to prepare their bodies to channel and sustain greater volumes of magical energy.

In the Himalayan mountains, the temperature dropped sharply at night, but even in such harsh conditions, the training continued. Noah couldn't help but admire their dedication. The students of Kamar-Taj reminded him of ascetics who had devoted their lives to a challenging art, requiring not only talent but immense perseverance and determination. Without these qualities, mastering the spells would be nearly impossible unless one possessed supernatural abilities.

Among the students training were people of diverse skin colors and origins, all of whom had come to Kamar-Taj from different corners of the world in search of knowledge and healing. Many of them bore scars and ailments; some were disabled.

Most of those who came here did so to heal from illnesses untreatable by conventional medicine. Rumors of miraculous recoveries in Kamar-Taj attracted many seekers, much like the future Doctor Strange, who at this point was still working as a talented surgeon in a hospital.

The students were being trained by a dark-skinned sorcerer. The Ancient One introduced him to Noah.

"This is Master Mordo."

Mordo, noticing the Ancient One walking with a stranger, stopped the training and turned to them, bowing respectfully.

"Sorcerer Supreme," he said reverently, his gaze shifting to Noah.

"This is..." he began, but Noah interrupted him.

"Greetings, Master Mordo. My name is Noah. I've come to Kamar-Taj to meet with the Ancient One."

"Welcome, Mr. Noah," replied Mordo, after ensuring the Ancient One had no objections to the guest's presence.

Mordo held a position in Kamar-Taj akin to that of the Ancient One's senior apprentice. He had been following his teacher for a long time, treating her words as absolute truth. However, this later led to his fall into darkness upon learning the truth about her immortality.

"I'm taking Noah to see our library. Master Mordo, please continue your work," said the Ancient One, to which Mordo bowed in respect and returned to his students.

Passing through the training grounds, Noah and the Ancient One crossed a significant portion of Kamar-Taj and approached another building. She opened the door, and Noah followed her inside.

Books. Countless books — this was the first thing he saw upon entering the building. The room was filled with shelves crammed with books. This library was one of the oldest on Earth, housing an innumerable collection of volumes. Here, one could find records of magic, strange phenomena, and ancient books containing forbidden and dangerous knowledge.

The librarian, seeing the Ancient One enter, stood and bowed respectfully. This librarian was not Wong but a middle-aged man with curly hair — the same one who, at the beginning of the Doctor Strange movie, was executed by Kaecilius.

"So, Kaecilius hasn't betrayed them yet?" thought Noah, recognizing the librarian.

"Do you know Sanskrit?" asked the Ancient One.

"What?" he responded, surprised, but quickly realized why she asked.

With a wave of her hand, several shelves shuddered slightly. A few thick books, each three to four centimeters thick, floated into her hands. Their size made Noah raise an eyebrow.

"These books, you'll need to take them with you. They are the foundational texts of Kamar-Taj's magical school. To master magic, you must first study these materials."

"Uh, sure."

Accepting the books, he glanced at the top volume. The cover bore symbols unfamiliar to him, resembling hieroglyphs. Likely Sanskrit, as the Ancient One mentioned. But it didn't matter — he could ask Lissandra to translate them later.

After a brief examination, he placed the books in his backpack. This action surprised the librarian, who seemingly assumed Noah was a novice without any magical ability.

Having retrieved the books, they returned to the temple to discuss the situation with the Eternals. Afterward, Noah returned home, as there was nothing else to do. Regarding the Double Ring, an essential tool for Kamar-Taj sorcerers, the Ancient One promised to give it to him once he had studied the materials.

Noah descended into his estate in a beam of blue light. In New York, it was still daytime, and no more than an hour had passed since his departure. Unsurprisingly, as all he had done in Kamar-Taj was talk with the Ancient One, explore the area, and pick up a few books on magic.

Without wasting time, he headed to his lab and pulled the thick volumes from his backpack. He once wouldn't have even considered reading such hefty books, but ever since acquiring Heimerdinger's talent, reading had become an effortless and even enjoyable task. Since gaining this talent, he had already read numerous books and absorbed vast amounts of knowledge.

"Let's see what we've got here. Lissandra, could you translate these books for me?"

Placing the books on the table, he asked Lissandra to translate them, as they were all written in ancient, incomprehensible languages.

"Of course, Noah."

A blue beam scanned the books, and within seconds, a holographic display of the translated text appeared on the table before him. Lissandra had completed the task in mere moments.

"Lissandra, save this data as well," said Noah. "You can also learn the magic of Kamar-Taj. And if you have time, teach Gwen too."

After all, the Ancient One hadn't said the books were off-limits to others, so he decided the two women in his circle might as well give magic a try. Though he doubted Gwen would take much interest.

"Certainly, Noah," replied Lissandra. She had experience teaching Gwen, so Noah thought her carefree life might soon take a more disciplined turn.

"Alright, let's see what we've got here."

Rather than opening the physical books, Noah touched the holographic display containing the translated text. The projection was an exact replica of the books, but with comprehensible content.

"The Book of Visions, The New Cosmogony, The Key of Solomon, The Supreme Codex, The Kabbalistic Tree of Life… Sounds familiar," he mused. These were, essentially, the same books Doctor Strange had studied during his training. Were these required materials for all Kamar-Taj novices?

"Well then, let's get started. I love learning."

Thanks to his newfound talent and photographic memory, Noah dove into reading with enthusiasm.

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