Chapter 107: Origins

"Mrs. Minoru, there are a few questions I would like to ask you. Please come with me."

Gu Chongyan opened the cell door, flicked his wand, and released her restraints.

Tina frowned, her face cold and expressionless as she followed him out without a word.

Outside the mansion, just as he had done during his conversation with Nico, Gu Chongyan waved his wand, enveloping them both in the Mirror Dimension.

Watching the space steadily become covered by reflective glass, Tina's cold expression suddenly cracked. A flicker of shock, a trace of guilt, and a hint of nostalgia flashed through her calm eyes.

These complex emotions breathed life into her otherwise expressionless face, as if she had suddenly descended from a snowy mountain peak into the mortal world.

A flash of understanding crossed Gu Chongyan's eyes. Folding his arms, he looked down at her and said, "You really are familiar with this magic. So, you indeed come from Kamar-Taj?"

Hearing this, Tina snapped out of her complex emotions, restoring her cold and indifferent demeanor.

"That has nothing to do with you. What do you want from me?"

"How could it have nothing to do with me?" Gu Chongyan shook his head. "Though I am not a sorcerer of Kamar-Taj, I have met the Ancient One once and agreed to help guard Kamar-Taj in the future. In a way, I suppose I'm half a Kamar-Taj sorcerer myself."

"But what about you, Mrs. Minoru? What is your relationship with Kamar-Taj?"

Hearing the name "Ancient One," Tina's emotions wavered noticeably once more. However, she quickly composed herself and said coldly, "I said, that is none of your business. If you only came to ask about Kamar-Taj, I am afraid I cannot answer you."

Surprised by Tina's intense resistance, Gu Chongyan raised an eyebrow but did not press further. In truth, he wasn't particularly interested in that anyway.

He steered the conversation directly toward his true objective. "Very well, since Mrs. Minoru is unwilling to speak of it, I won't ask."

"I only wanted to ask you about the Staff of One. What is the truth behind it?"

"The Staff of One?"

Tina's eyes flickered slightly at the question, but she quickly feigned ignorance. "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with the Staff of One?"

"It is just a piece of high-tech weaponry Jonah gave me. If there is a problem, you should ask him. If he isn't dead yet, he might give you a satisfactory answer."

Seeing Tina's reaction, Gu Chongyan sneered inwardly. The Staff of One was indeed not as simple as it seemed, and this so-called high-tech weapon was clearly a facade.

Letting out a cold laugh, Gu Chongyan said, "Mrs. Minoru, let's not play games. We both belong to the mystic world. Do you really think such words can fool me?"

Tina merely smiled in response, looking at Gu Chongyan as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

Seeing this, Gu Chongyan let out a soft snort. "Fine, since you refuse to speak, I won't force you. I only wonder if Nico will be able to resist the corrupting power of the Dark Dimension."

"But then again, Mrs. Minoru is her mother, so you must have prepared for this long ago. I suppose there won't be any issues."

The moment these words left his mouth, Tina could no longer maintain her cold facade. Clearly, Nico was her Achilles' heel.

"What did you say? Corruption of the Dark Dimension? What on earth do you mean by that?"

Gu Chongyan sneered, casting a playful glance at her. "What do I mean? Don't you know already?"

"There are no coincidences in the mystic world. Nico was able to use the Staff of One even though it was bound to you. Do you think that was just a coincidence?"

"Nico's magical talent is far greater than you imagine. With the right training, she could even contend for the title of Sorcerer Supreme. Her potential deeply attracts the Staff of One. Sooner or later, it will wrest itself completely from your grasp and go to her."

"You can keep the secrets of the Staff of One to yourself, but you must know that your silence will do your daughter no favors."

"Nico and the other children have already decided to join my team, and I will personally teach her magic. The more I understand the Staff of One, the better off your daughter will be."

"So, whether you want to tell me the secrets of the Staff of One is entirely up to you."

Hearing this, Tina's brow furrowed deeply, her dark, bright eyes staring intently at Gu Chongyan.

"You're lying. That can't be true."

Folding his arms across his chest, Gu Chongyan replied coldly, "Is it? You are a sorceress yourself. You already have the answer in your heart, don't you?"

Tina opened her mouth, but the words caught in her throat. Ultimately, she clenched her fists and hung her head in defeat.

"Fine. I will tell you the secret of the Staff of One. If what you say is true, I hope you will treat my daughter well and protect her. Please."

Sighing deeply, Tina began to recount the story from the beginning.

Just as Gu Chongyan had anticipated, Tina came from Kamar-Taj. Furthermore, she was no ordinary sorceress, but a disciple of the Ancient One.

During her days of training at Kamar-Taj, Kaecilius—the man who would eventually betray and kill the Ancient One—discovered that the Ancient One maintained her life using the power of the Dark Dimension. He betrayed her and turned his faith to Dormammu, the Lord of the Dark Dimension.

Amidst that chaos, Tina stole the Staff of One and fled Kamar-Taj.

When she first acquired the Staff of One, Tina felt its immense power and even harbored ambitions of using it to challenge for the position of Sorcerer Supreme.

However, she quickly discovered a major flaw in the Staff of One.

It would cast a corresponding spell based on the word spoken to the staff's head, but each word could only be used once, which severely limited the staff's power.

Furthermore, she discovered that the staff's power originated from the Dark Dimension. Repeatedly using the Staff of One would only draw her soul closer to the Dark Dimension, eventually causing her to be consumed by it.

Although she had betrayed Kamar-Taj, Tina was still a disciple of the Ancient One and a sorceress trained there. Knowing the terror of the Dark Dimension, she chose her own self-preservation over power.

Tina wanted to abandon the Staff of One, but the power of darkness was not so easily cast aside.

From the very first day she stole it, the staff had bound itself to her soul. Even when she found a way to destroy it, she realized that only its physical shell was destroyed; the true staff remained rooted deep within her soul.

Though she could not rid herself of the Staff of One, Tina devised a way to stop the dark power from further corroding her.

She split the power of the Staff of One, using non-magical materials to construct a new physical shaft, and poured the staff's power into it.

In this manner, the corrosive power of the darkness would be absorbed by the new staff body, thereby reducing the damage to her soul.

From the novel: A Hufflepuff in the Marvel World
Chapter 107: Origin