"Hello, Mister Sorcerer."
Anton looked at the familiar stranger in surprise, curiosity flickering in his eyes. Why would Daniel Drumm come to see him?
He had never met Daniel in person before—so this was their first encounter face-to-face.
"Anton, it our first meeting, but I'm sure you're not unfamiliar with me."
Daniel stepped through the portal and came to stand before Anton, his expression calm.
"I'll be direct. I'm not here because of Thanos. I'm here for someone else—a traitor of Kamar-Taj."
"A traitor of Kamar-Taj…"
Anton brow twitched slightly. He knew exactly who Daniel was referring to.
Kaecilius.
"His name is Kaecilius. Aside from the Sorcerer Supreme, he was one of the most powerful sorcerers in Kamar-Taj.
But he betrayed Kamar-Taj, turned his back on the teachings of the Ancient One, and threw himself into the embrace of the ruler of the Dark Dimension—Dormammu."
Daniel spoke concisely, "He stole the Book of Cagliostro, intending to use the dark magic recorded within to open a gateway to the Dark Dimension, turning Earth into the domain of Dormammu, its master."
The Book of Cagliostro was completed in 1780. It recorded Cagliostro personal history, his vast knowledge, and various arcane secrets—including portions of the dark magic found in the Darkhold.
As for the Darkhold, there was no need for much introduction—it had appeared in Marvel TV universe, including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and WandaVision. In many ways, the Darkhold was even more dangerous than the Book of Cagliostro.
Fortunately, Anton hadn't come across too much information related to the TV universe in this world he was in.
He had already figured it out—this was a convergence of the cinematic universe.
So, there was no need to worry that every special entity or object from the TV universe would appear here en masse.
Even if some did show up, it wouldn't affect the bigger picture.
"What do you need me to do? Find Kaecilius?"
Anton had thought through many things. Now, coming back to himself, he looked at Daniel Drumm, vaguely guessing that the man wanted help locating someone.
"Yes."
Daniel nodded. "After Kaecilius defected, we used some tracking spells and were able to pinpoint his current location. He should be in New York…"
"The Justice League is now the world most prominent and most powerful superhero team. And New York is your turf to begin with—so I'm hoping to gain the League support."
He stopped there, waiting for Anton response.
"No problem."
Anton nodded. "I'll have Shazam assist you."
"Thank you."
Daniel nodded as well. Although Anton response didn't surprise him, he still returned the favor by saying, "Also, regarding this Thanos invasion… Kamar-Taj may not get involved."
"Why not?"
Anton immediately questioned, clearly having thought about the same issue moments before.
"Other dimensions are starting to stir. While Dormammu of the Dark Dimension is a key player in the grand scheme of fate, the Sorcerer Supreme told me—that not the real issue."
Daniel paused for a beat. "She discovered… all the timelines are in chaos… Right now, Kamar-Taj is investigating the source of that chaos.
Compared to Thanos, this matter is far more urgent. After all, with Superman power, defeating Thanos wouldn't be difficult."
"What?!"
Anton completely ignored the latter half of Daniel sentence, stunned. "All the timelines are in chaos?!"
"Yes."
Daniel nodded. He had learned from the Ancient One that Kamar-Taj and the Justice League had been in contact before.
The Sorcerer Supreme had even formed a cooperative relationship with Batman. So, even if he didn't say anything now, Batman would probably learn about this from the Sorcerer Supreme herself.
"Originally, all timelines had been consolidated—moving forward along predetermined tracks, following the ruts carved by fate.
But now, the timelines have branched off in every direction, like the veins and offshoots growing across a leaf… Everything has changed."
Daniel continued, "The Sorcerer Supreme can no longer foresee what will happen in the future. She become uncertain.
Maybe she knows more than we do—it was she who first told us that the timelines have fractured and descended into chaos."
"How many people know about this?"
Anton asked.
"Only the Sorcerer Supreme, and the guardians of the three sanctums."
Daniel replied.
"You're sure?"
Anton eyes flickered, as if he had just thought of something.
After he sent Wonder Woman clone to Asgard, the situation there—especially his meeting with Odin—gave him a strange feeling.
The way Odin looked at Wonder Woman was surprised, yes, but not especially shocked.
Could it be… Odin, like the Ancient One, had already realized the timelines were unstable and the future no longer set?
He couldn't help but ask Daniel, "Do you think others on the same level as the Sorcerer Supreme might also be aware of the timeline chaos affecting the multiverse?"
"That I don't know," Daniel answered.
"But if they're on her level, then it wouldn't make sense that she the only one who understands this truth."
"You're right."
Anton nodded. "Thanks for the heads-up. I'll have Shazam go all in on helping you locate Kaecilius as soon as possible—before the Lord of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu, stirs up trouble."
"Good. Farewell."
Having achieved his goal and exchanged the necessary information, Daniel left Anton office.
Anton stared at the now-empty room before him, once again lost in thought.
The timeline was in chaos.
He found this incredibly interesting.
Before crossing over, he knew clearly that the timeline chaos in the Marvel universe stemmed from only one cause.
The powerful man who unified all major timelines—he was called Kang the Conqueror.
In the Loki series, Marvel continued the timeline setup of its cinematic universe by introducing Kang the Conqueror.
From the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe up until Endgame, the sacred timeline had been maintained all along.
At the beginning of the series, the one who created the sacred timeline was called the Time Keepers.
But by the end of the series, the one who controlled all timelines had his true name revealed—it was Kang the Conqueror.
Over his long life, Kang grew bored and tired of a fixed, singular timeline. He handed Loki and the female version of Loki, Sylvie, a dagger and let them choose.
To end his life and let time fall into chaos—or to drop the dagger and continue the sacred timeline, thus preventing the multiverse from perishing in war.
Sylvie chose the former without hesitation.
In a sense, this was the origin of the timeline chaos.
Anton didn't know whether the timeline chaos that Daniel had told him about was related to that storyline, but after some serious thought, it was hard to believe it wasn't connected.
A crazy idea even popped into Anton mind.
Maybe his crossing over was also caused by the timeline chaos in the Marvel universe.
"Interesting…"
"If Loki and Sylvie killed Kang the Conqueror, and the sacred timeline split into countless branches, causing timeline disorder and spawning endless multiverses…"
"As the son of Odin, Loki could have traveled through various timelines and seen different versions of his father, informing him of the situation. That wouldn't be impossible."
"So, this would explain why Odin wasn't the least bit surprised when he saw Wonder Woman… He knew the timeline was in chaos, and anything happening, meeting anyone in the future, was all reasonable."
"And the Ancient One, as Earth only sorcerer capable of perceiving the multiverse and glimpsing fate, would be more sensitive to time than anyone else. So of course she would be able to sense the timeline chaos right away…"
"I see…"
Anton was starting to understand it all.
That said, the Loki of this world hadn't shown up in a long time.
It not that he was the Loki who destroyed the Sacred Timeline—but rather, it was likely that Lokis from many universes were having their own issues.
After all, in the Loki series, when Loki and Mobius were exiled to the void at the end of time, they encountered various versions of Loki.
In a way, across different timelines, Loki was always the one who gave time itself a headache—be it as a man, a woman, or even an animal.
Maybe the Loki of this world had long since appeared in some other timeline.
Anton mused.
"Interesting…"
As he thought, he gave orders to both the underground power High Table stationed in New York and the surface power, the NYPD, to search through multiple channels for the whereabouts of Kaecilius.
Even though Kaecilius wasn't the key player right now, Anton couldn't ignore Daniel request.
He had quite a bit of history with Daniel.
Even without that history, the intel Daniel had revealed about the timeline chaos was more than enough reason for Anton to give him this favor.
…
A few days later.
Anton received a status report from the High Table—they had found traces of someone suspected to be Kaecilius.
So, he split off a Shazam avatar and headed to the location in the report.
New York, Chinatown.
Disguised as Shazam, Anton was quite surprised. He hadn't expected Kaecilius to be hiding in Chinatown.
It was one of the oldest commercial districts in New York, located in Manhattan, and had over a hundred years of history.
Naturally, it was heavily populated by Chinese immigrants and their descendants.
Even though there were plenty of white and Black faces, people of those races staying in Chinatown long-term would inevitably attract attention from those who were watching closely.
Kaecilius, a white man, daring to stay in a place like this—Anton wasn't sure whether to call that bold or foolish.
With a wave of his hand, Shazam battle suit was replaced with casual clothing.
Soon after, he spotted Daniel Drumm walking out from the crowd, also in plain clothes.
"He definitely here?" Anton asked in a low voice.
Daniel lowered his tone as well.
"The Justice League cross-referenced the intel we have. We're pretty much certain—he here."
Shazam said, "He been staying in New York this whole time. Could it be he got his eye on your New York Sanctum?"
"Don't forget—it your New York Sanctum now," Daniel replied.
"…"
Shazam was speechless.
"According to the intel, he in this building," Daniel said.
"In a moment, I'll open a Mirror Dimension and trap him inside. Even if he got a Sling Ring, opening a portal out of my mirror space won't be that easy… Once I've got him locked in, you find a chance to grab him."
"Me?"
Shazam raised a curious brow. "And what are you gonna do?"
"Obviously, I'll be cheering you on," Daniel replied.
"I'm a nearly retired sorcerer now. You can't keep troubling an old man like me."
"…Fine."
Shazam nodded, not bothering to argue. "Make it quick."
Whoosh!
In the next instant, Daniel suddenly raised his hand. The Sling Ring on his fingers flared with a burst of energy, sending out ripples of intense magical power.
A transparent shimmer seemed to open the gates to another world, and in the blink of an eye, it enveloped both him and Shazam, pulling the entire building into another dimension.
"Hm?"
Inside the building, a man with heavy dark circles under his eyes, white hair, and a small braid appeared before the two of them.
"Kaecilius!"
Daniel shouted, shooting Shazam a look.
It clearly meant: Now!
Shazam sighed inwardly. He was starting to realize that whenever he teamed up with Daniel, it gave Daniel the perfect excuse to slack off.
Still, Shazam didn't hesitate. The casual clothes on his body instantly shifted into his battle suit.
His cape fluttered behind him, and the lightning bolt on his chest flared with a blinding golden light.
Whoosh!
Under Kaecilius gaze, this man—recently a rising star among superheroes and a new member of the Justice League—soared into the air and lunged at him without the slightest restraint. Sparks of electricity crackled in the air, buzzing with deadly energy.
This was Shazam signature lightning magic.
It was said that Shazam always had a way to make you feel the full pleasure (and pain) of getting electrocuted.
Boom!
Kaecilius quickly raised a hand to cast a magical shield.
A flat, hexagram-shaped shield unfolded before him. Shazam lightning struck it dead-on.
Zzzzzzt!
What Kaecilius hadn't expected was that while the shield blocked the lightning itself, it couldn't withstand the raw force behind the strike.
As a result, Kaecilius was still blasted backward, stumbling, then falling onto the ground. His body scraped across the floor before coming to a stop, muscles aching as he looked up at the man now standing before him—
Shazam.
"The follower of Dormammu, Lord of the Dark Dimension… is actually this weak?"
Shazam eyes were filled with thinly veiled surprise.
After all, in the Doctor Strange movie, Kaecilius had left a pretty strong impression on him with how powerful and aggressive he was.
So seeing such a feeble Kaecilius now, he couldn't help but think—maybe the Ancient One did have a death wish. Otherwise, why would she do something so brain-dead?
Seriously, dying to anyone else would've made more sense than dying at the hands of Kaecilius.
"Shazam, quit talking. Take him down already—we need to interrogate him," Daniel said with a frown.
"Got it," Shazam nodded.
"Damn it!"
Kaecilius gritted his teeth in fury, seeing the two treat him like a slab of meat on a cutting board. "Do you really think it going to be this easy—"
Zzzzzzt!
Shazam couldn't be bothered to listen to another word. He raised his hand and slammed another bolt of lightning down.
This time, Kaecilius didn't manage to put up a magical shield in time. His pale skin was scorched black, his hair stood on end like a hedgehog, and his body collapsed to the ground, twitching slightly before going limp—completely unconscious.