Her name was Lisbeth Swan.
"I am a secret-keeper and I will forever keep your secret."
She was used to being alone. Until she met the Avengers. She made a choice. She wanted to change destiny. But she didn't remember. Didn't remember the bargain sh...
"Some days I feel I'd make a good sunset Some days I just don't wanna give up yet"
~Some Days - Brent Morgan
*
The hallucinations had been occurring quite frequently. More often than not, Beth would find herself in places she had never been before, observing people whom she had never met in real life. When she was pulled into these hallucinations, she found her body to be like a ghost.
Invisible. And incorporeal. No one saw her and no one heard her. That was the nature of these hallucinations. And Beth was fine with that. It was disconcerting enough to be randomly pulled into places and it would be even worse if the person actually saw her because one, they would freak out, and two, she was wearing pajamas more than half the time.
So when she was pulled into another hallucination, Beth was not alarmed. The setting was a somewhat dim and creepy library filled with shelves of books. What was strange about the library was the presence of chains that locked the books in place.
She wandered around the library, looking for people. She heard a noise further away and moved towards it, spying a portly figure of an Asian man. As she moved towards him, intrigued by the book he held in his hands, she heard a voice behind her.
"Who are you?"
Beth turned around instinctively. Then, she forced herself to turn back because she knew the figure behind her was not speaking to her. After all, no one could see her.
"I would like to think that I can see you." The bald lady commented dryly.
Beth whirled around. "Are you talking to me?"
The lady looked confused. "Of course I am. Who else would I be talking to?"
"You can see me? Should I be asking for the password?"
"My dear, I have spent several decades of my life dedicated to exploring the limits of an Astral Form. I should be able to see and identify one easily." The lady chuckled, her brown robes swishing as she strode closer. "Why are you asking for a password?"
"So I know who's real and who's not." Beth furrowed her brow. This lady seemed familiar. As a matter of fact, this whole place felt familiar. "You're a sorcerer. The one in charge."
"I'm known as the Ancient One but yes, I am the one in charge of the three sorcerer sanctums." The Ancient One said. "Are you aware that you are currently projecting an Astral Form?"
"No." Beth said, puzzled. "I never had any sorcery training before. Besides, isn't this an alternative to memories?"
The Ancient One exhaled. "I see now. You're the secret-keeper."
Beth eyed the lady critically. "How do you know that?"
"I think you know the answer to that." She replied with a smile. "I am well aware that several of my entities have sought you out in hopes of relief."
"And?" Beth asked hopefully. "Does it really work? Does it take some of the pain away?"
"Science might classify it as your brain burying painful emotions, but magically speaking, it works." The Ancient One smiled. "You have been a great contribution to this world, Lisbeth Swan."
"Hardly a contribution, considering I'm sane one moment, senile the next." Beth said with a snort. "Now, can you please explain why you can see me while I'm floating here in pajamas?"
"It appears you have managed to push your soul into the Astral Dimension, forming an Astral Form." The Ancient One replied. "Without any training, it's rare that it occurs but it is quite possible."
"So I'm basically just floating around because I managed to make my soul leave my body." Beth said somewhat sarcastically. "Why am I doing it?"
"Perhaps you're searching for something. A purpose in life, perhaps?"
"I have a purpose in life." Beth replied tartly. "Writer by day, secret-keeper by night. Not that entities only seek me out at night, but you get what I mean."
"Perhaps you need more." The Ancient One hesitated a little before continuing. "You have great potential. You could become a great sorcerer, perhaps even greater than the new student I will have."
Beth raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Stephan Strange? The doctor?"
"You are well updated." The Ancient One said dryly.
"What you know, I know. Don't worry, I won't reveal it to anyone else."
The Ancient One nodded. "I understand. You make a great secret-keeper and that's why I believe you can become a great sorcerer too. You can have the power to change many lives."
"I don't want that power!" Beth exclaimed.
There was a moment of silence before Beth whispered "I don't want that power." mournfully.
The Ancient One nodded in sympathy and understanding. "With great power comes great responsibility. Even now, I still hate having to draw power from the Dark Dimension. That's my price for having the power to defend the world."
"What if I can't pay the price?" Beth asked quietly. "Do you even know where my power comes from?"
The Ancient One paused, her expression becoming guarded. "I have an inkling. And I think you know it yourself. There is nothing wrong with it."
The pain in Beth's eyes shook the Ancient One. "It will evolve. If I'm trained and it evolves, I could become the equivalent of an unstable nuclear ICBM!"
(ICBM stands for Intercontinental Ballistic Missile)
"If that's what you want." The Ancient One sighed. "You can't hide forever. Sooner or later, you'll be forced to play a role in destiny."
Beth's eyes welled with unshed tears. "Then I'll deal with it when it comes. Not now."
"Goodbye then." The Ancient One said softly. "You are welcome to seek me out whenever you wish, whether physically at Kamar-Taj or in your Astral Form."
And with that, the library faded back into Beth's room. Clutching her blanket, Beth sat on her soft bed and struggled to hold in tears. She didn't dare let her powers continue to get stronger. She knew what would happen if she did. And she knew, the rest of the world definitely wouldn't like it if she did.
*
A/N
So she knows everything the Ancient One knows. Including something very very important that will happen. She already knows about Doctor Strange becoming a sorcerer, so what else can she know? Take a guess :)
Happy reading!
Bookworm out.
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