"A reward?"
Noah looked at the two tense figures with mild amusement.
He had assumed they wouldn't dare ask.
That was why he hadn't planned to bring it up himself. But since they had already stepped forward, he didn't mind saying a bit more.
He could treat it as advance notice.
A chance to prepare.
One incident like Charles was more than enough.
Noah didn't blame Charles. At the time, Charles hadn't known what the future held, and Noah himself hadn't wanted to explain it clearly.
So Charles had continued focusing on the mutant issue.
Or rather, from the very beginning, even after stepping into the magical world, that mindset had never changed.
This time, Noah needed to be clearer.
First of all, simply by being his apprentices, these two were already sorcerers of Kamar-Taj.
That alone meant responsibility.
"Fine," Noah said, nodding.
His expression turned serious.
"I can tell you."
"But listen carefully. This is both a reward and a responsibility."
"Responsibility?"
Strange and Wanda exchanged a glance, then looked straight at Noah.
They understood.
In Noah's Sanctum, one lesson was repeated constantly.
Power and duty were inseparable.
This concept had already spread throughout the global magical community.
Not to glorify sacrifice.
But to prevent the rise of people who caused chaos for its own sake.
People like that tutorial boss Noah had once faced.
Voldemort was the textbook example.
"Good."
Noah nodded again.
"Then I'll be direct."
"Your reward is an Infinity Stone."
He waved his hand.
An amber stone appeared in his palm.
"The Mind Stone."
"Wanda, you should be familiar with this power."
"What you need to do now is earn my approval."
"And then gain priority to attempt to claim it."
"Priority... to attempt?"
Strange froze for a moment, then immediately understood.
"You mean... priority to seek the stone's approval?"
"And also... what exactly is this stone?"
"Yes," Noah said calmly.
"Both of you have the talent and ability to be acknowledged by it."
"Choosing between you is difficult. That's why there will be an assessment."
"As for what an Infinity Stone represents..."
He paused.
Raising his right hand, the Star of Space-Time shimmered.
Two stones of different colors appeared before them.
"These are Infinity Stones," Noah said slowly.
"One belongs to me."
"One belongs to Kamar-Taj."
"At present, both are in my possession."
Then he explained.
Carefully.
What Infinity Stones were.
What they represented.
And why they were terrifying.
These weren't things found in textbooks.
Even in Kamar-Taj, more than ninety percent of sorcerers likely had no idea what an Infinity Stone truly was.
So Noah explained in detail.
When he finished, both Strange and Wanda fell silent.
They visibly felt the pressure.
And they also understood why this choice mattered.
At the same time, a question formed in their minds.
Why them?
There were stronger sorcerers.
More experienced ones.
They knew Noah wouldn't answer that directly.
But the curiosity remained.
In the end, Strange asked from a different angle.
"Mentor," he said, bowing slightly.
"Besides you... who else holds an Infinity Stone?"
"There are six in total," Noah replied.
"Five are currently in our hands."
"I obtained the Space Stone in my teens."
"The Time Stone belongs to my Mentor. Since I will inherit the position of Sorcerer Supreme, it becomes mine."
"The Power Stone and the Reality Stone were acquired during an interstellar incident."
"One was taken by Asgard."
"So Thor holds the Power Stone."
"And Loki holds the Reality Stone."
"What about the last one?" Wanda asked quietly.
"The Soul Stone?"
"If nothing goes wrong," Noah said, tilting his head slightly, "it will be in the hands of our greatest enemy."
"A terrifying individual."
"His goal isn't fully clear."
"But he wants all six stones."
"Which means anyone holding one becomes his target."
Silence.
Strange and Wanda felt a chill.
Someone Noah described as terrifying.
Just thinking about the current holders made the pressure obvious.
Noah.
Thor.
Loki.
None of them were ordinary.
Now Noah was offering them a chance to stand among such people.
Motivation.
Pressure.
Both at once.
They didn't speak.
They simply nodded.
That was enough.
Noah smiled.
"Good. Then you know what you need to do."
"Don't be nervous."
"Whoever the stone chooses won't be treated differently by me."
"You both have immense potential."
"In my view, even without a stone, you could become extremely powerful."
"But the stone needs a Guardian."
"That's why I made this decision."
He meant it.
In Noah's memory, even after Strange lost the Time Stone, he rarely relied on it.
And in the final battle, he proved his worth without it.
As for Wanda, it was even more obvious.
She never held a stone, yet she forced Thanos to resort to indiscriminate bombardment.
Noah had never treated his apprentices differently.
And none of them had disappointed him.
Even Tony.
Though his magic was average, he had surpassed most sorcerers in other fields.
"We understand, Mentor," Strange and Wanda said together.
"Then go to Kamar-Taj."
Noah stood.
"The teleportation gate upstairs is always open."
"Find Mordo."
"Tell him I sent you for the Dreamscape assessment."
"Understood?"
"Yes."
"Then go."
After they left, Noah returned to his office alone.
The yellow stone floated quietly before him.
He stared at it for a long time.
He had possessed it for quite a while.
But only now had he brought it out.
Even after extensive analysis by the System, one thing was clear.
His compatibility with it was poor.
Their paths didn't align.
He could force control through certain methods.
But that would only bring trouble.
He already held two stones.
Even that made him cautious.
Three would be excessive.
"They left?"
Wong's voice came from behind him as he walked in.
"Wasn't that a bit sudden?"
"Sudden?" Noah sighed, gesturing toward the stone.
"If you could use it, do you think I'd go through all this trouble?"
Wong smiled and sat down, studying the stone briefly before shaking his head.
"I'm sorry. You know I'm not suited for it."
"I know," Noah said easily.
"It's just a pity."
"At least I've found two decent Guardians."
Wong nodded.
They were.
Now all that remained was the Dreamscape assessment.
Then Noah's final judgment.
And finally, the stone's choice.
"Who do you think will win?" Wong asked.
"The assessment?"
"Or the stone?"
"The same thing."
Wong leaned back.
"Strange," he said after a moment.
"I think it'll be him."
"And the stone will choose him too."