American comic book: Absolute Spider-Man

In the Marvel Universe, the sources of magical power are not singular, but rather diverse.

The most fundamental element is personal energy, which originates from the spellcaster's own vitality and spiritual power.

The spellcaster directly mobilizes their own energy to cast spells through methods such as incantations and meditation.

This power is very weak, only enough to support some simple spells, such as basic defensive spells and simple energy fluctuations.

Moreover, it consumes a lot of energy, and the more you use it, the greater the burden on your body and mind. It is suitable for beginners who are just getting started with magic.

The next level up is cosmic energy.

It is derived from the primordial energy of the universe. As long as you master the corresponding incantation and hand gestures, you can mobilize this power.

For example, opening dimensional channels or constructing simple energy shields.

However, the amount of cosmic energy that ordinary humans can mobilize is often extremely limited. Even a mage who has undergone systematic training can only open a portal or something similar.

Above that lies the core power of the magical world—outer-dimensional energy, which is also a source of power frequently used by the Ancient One.

Its essence is "borrowing," borrowing power from "lenders" such as the Vishanti and the lords of the Dark Dimension.

Every incantation is a contract, and every spell cast is a "loan agreement".

Spellcasters need to pay varying degrees of price to obtain the power from the various sources of magic, namely the dimensional demons.

For example, the Vishanti (Agomot, Hoggus, and Oshitum, the three gods of white magic).

To use their white magic, one must swear an oath to protect the Earth dimension, obey the Kamar-Taj commandments, and refrain from using Vishanti magic for evil and slaughter.

Disobeying will result in the severing of divine power and the suffering of magical backlash and burns.

To use the dark magic of Dormammu, the lord of the Dark Dimension, the loan agreement usually requires submission, the offering of one's soul authority, and the regular dedication of one's life essence.

Furthermore, borrowing the magic of the Dark Dimension will also lead to erosion and assimilation, and those who violate the rules will be pulled into the Dark Dimension for eternal imprisonment.

The price to borrow the power of ancient dimensional demons such as Set and the Eye Demon is even greater.

For example, flesh and blood sacrifices, loss of lifespan, accepting heretical beliefs that distort the mind, and the borrowed power often causes irreversible distortion to the body and mind.

Of course, such lending relationships can be initiated not only by the "borrower" but also by the "lender" forcing the signing of such agreements.

Just like the relationship between the god of the underworld, Sithon, and the scarlet witch, Wanda, it was not a regular extradimensional loan agreement initiated by the sorcerer, but a special usurious contract in which Sithon unilaterally selected a vessel, forcibly imprinted a chaotic magical mark, and was passively bound.

Different versions of Scarlet Witch have different origins and sources of power.

Some are Magneto's daughters, mutants who are born with superpowers.

Some gained their abilities simply through human modification experiments.

Regardless of her origins, Scarlet Witch will ultimately gain chaos magic under Sithon's interference with fate and reality.

And she doesn't need to consider the consequences of abusing magic, because it's an extremely high amount that the lender forcibly imposed.

This contract contains no negotiable clauses and is not subject to Wanda's subjective will. It seems to grant her the power to rewrite reality free of charge, but in reality, it hides a long-term cost—slowly eroding her mind, devouring her self, and assimilating her soul.

As Wanda's control over chaos magic gradually increases, she will eventually become the living vessel for Sithon to break through the dimensional seal and descend into the mortal world.

Every time chaos magic is used, it incurs a hidden debt that can never be repaid.

This is Marvel's extremely unique and dark magic system, borrowing from dimensional demons.

Of course, loans don't necessarily have to be repaid. For example, the Supreme Deadbeat, oh no, the Supreme Sorcerer—the Ancient One.

As the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One's biggest creditor was the Vishanti. Of course, a pact of swearing allegiance, adhering to the white magic commandments, and guarding the mystical territories of Earth for life was enough to repay the price.

But her debts go far beyond that.

In order to gain immortality and the power to fight against multiple threats, the Ancient One has long drawn magic from the Dark Dimension.

During the rituals related to sealing the Beholder, the Ancient One briefly invoked the water and corruption power of Sligus, a servant of the serpentine deep-sea beholder Shuma Golas, to suppress the abyssal magic of the same kind.

She also often borrows the dream laws of the Nightmare Lord of the Dream Dimension to a limited extent for soul healing, probing subconscious threats, and sealing nightmare entities.

For example, Ishtar, the god of love and shadow in Mesopotamian mythology, was used by the Ancient One to confuse invading low-level demons with illusions and charms; Gog, the alien rock god, was occasionally used by the Ancient One to physically seal and construct magical barriers using rocks and gravity.

These are just the tip of the iceberg of the enormous debts that the Ancient One carries.

Part of it originated from the powerful dimensional daemons, an inescapable debt, which the Ancient One transferred to the nameless, unnamed group deep within Kamar-Taj.

They are ascetics whose identities have been erased, bearing the heavy price that the Ancient One had to pay to unleash powerful magic through an ancient and mysterious ritual.

However, a large portion of the debt was simply evaded by Gu Yi.

As for whether the creditors will be angry because the Ancient One defaulted on the debt, and invade Earth to find the Sorcerer Supreme to collect the debt by force?

What kind of debt collection is this? Isn't that dimensional invasion?

The mighty Sorcerer Supreme, the representative of Vishanti, can't even defeat Dormammu, yet he can't defeat those weaker dimensional demons and dimensional spirits?

Of course, while these methods of handling loans sound simple, navigating between different entities and ultimately emerging unscathed is never an easy task.

In the old saying, Peter's "thick skin" is a valuable quality for becoming a mage, which actually means that Peter has the potential to become a mage who "only enjoys magic and does not bear debts".

Peter's original intention to seek power did not actually include magic, or rather, magic that existed in the form of loans.

He was not the Sorcerer Supreme after all, and defaulting on a debt was not an easy thing for him.

But since the Sorcerer Supreme has spoken, joining Kamar-Taj to learn magic isn't out of the question.

There's no reason for the Sorcerer Supreme to try and trick him—surely not.

"Sorcerer Supreme, I join Kamar-Taj," Peter said in a deep voice.

The Ancient One wore an expression that said, "That's how it should be."

A portal opened behind her, and Peter didn't even see her use the slingshot spell.

"Follow me." The Ancient One stepped into the portal first, followed closely by Peter.

The scenery before my eyes suddenly changed.

The stone buildings built against the mountain are layered on top of each other. The gray stone walls have been stained with dark brown patterns over the years. The eaves are upturned like eagles spreading their wings, and the copper bells attached to them ring softly in the breeze.

The walls were covered with vermilion and gilded incantations, which shimmered in the air with the magical particles of Vishanti floating in the sky.

In the center of the field of vision is a main hall resembling a Tibetan Buddhist pavilion, with a roof covered with gilded tiles and colorful prayer flags hanging under the eaves fluttering in the wind.

Beneath our feet lies a path paved with bluestone slabs, with hardy moss growing in the cracks. Prayer wheels are scattered on both sides, some slowly turning under the pull of magic, emitting wisps of white magical light.

The distant mountain peaks are covered with snow that never melts, contrasting with the starry sky overhead.

The side halls on both sides of the main hall are arranged in a staggered manner, all in the style of Tibetan watchtowers, with intricate stone window carvings and warm yellow light shining through the windows.

The air is filled with the faint scents of yak butter and Tibetan incense, as well as the crisp, damp coolness of glacial meltwater and the rustic aroma of dried grass.

Unfortunately, Peter was not fortunate enough to appreciate these beautiful scenes at that time.

Because he suffered from altitude sickness.