"Wizard?"
Melinda asked uncertainly, "Mr. Mavis, did you just say you're a wizard?"
"That's right." Patch nodded, then looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Ms. May, is there a problem with that?"
"You mean like the kind of wizard in novels or movies, who can use magic?" Coulson couldn't help but ask.
"Yes. Though there are some fundamental differences between us wizards and what you call magicians," Patch replied calmly.
With his confirmation, Coulson and Melinda exchanged a look—what kind of question was that? This wasn't a small matter at all. Coulson's mind raced.
He could already imagine the kind of shock it would bring to the modern scientific world if something like magic were proven real. Such things defied every known principle of science. Until now, Coulson had always thought of magic as fiction—something that only existed in fairy tales, novels, and films.
But after what he had just seen from Patch, Coulson couldn't find a single explanation for his powers. Maybe, as Patch said, it really was magic.
"My god…"
Coulson ran a hand over his forehead and groaned. "Mr. Mavis, I feel like I shouldn't have come today. After hearing all this, it feels like my entire worldview has collapsed."
"Coulson," Melinda said, noticing his distress and patting him on the shoulder, "even if magic does exist, science still has its importance. And we're still in an age of technology, aren't we?"
"Besides…"
She turned her gaze toward Patch, frowning. "Mr. Mavis, don't you think what you're saying is a bit too vague? Even though you've shown incredible power, I still have deep doubts about whether magic truly exists."
"Ms. May, it seems you never believed me from the start."
Patch's expression shifted into a mysterious smile. "But that's understandable. With your limited understanding, it's hard to grasp the mysteries of heaven and the universe."
"But magic is something completely contrary to science," Melinda argued again.
"Ms. May, Mr. Coulson," Patch called their names seriously, "I think your perspective has been wrong from the very beginning."
After thinking for a moment, he continued, "Perhaps I should show you something more direct."
"Come with me."
As he spoke, Patch pushed himself up from the desk and walked toward the large floor mirror in the room.
"Mr. Mavis, be careful…" Coulson called out, thinking he was about to walk into it—but the next second, his words caught in his throat.
Patch walked straight into the mirror as if it were water. Ripples spread across its surface, and then—he was gone.
Coulson and Melinda froze, eyes wide with disbelief.
Ever since stepping into this house, everything had felt strange and mysterious. Their nerves had been tested over and over again. At this point, shock was all they had left.
After a moment, Coulson finally spoke. "Mel, should we… go in?"
Melinda lowered her head, thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Let's go. I want to see how Mr. Mavis explains the existence of magic."
With that, they stepped toward the mirror together.
As their bodies passed through, they felt a faint resistance—then the world before them changed completely.
Shock. Absolute shock.
What appeared before Coulson and Melinda was an endless cosmic void. The surroundings were like a boundless night sky, with countless stars shimmering so close it felt like they could reach out and pluck them from the air.
The two stood wide-eyed, staring in awe at the breathtaking sight.
"Ms. May, Mr. Coulson."
A familiar voice reached their ears. They turned quickly and saw Patch walking toward them, his black robe fluttering as he stepped across the dark void.
"Mr. Mavis…"
"Mr. Mavis, can you tell us where this is?" Coulson asked as soon as Patch approached.
"This is a space outside of Earth—my own personal dimensional domain. That mirror you saw is the Star Gate that marks the entrance to it."
Outside of Earth? A dimensional domain? Star Gate?
Coulson and Melinda instinctively looked down. Beneath their feet floated a blue planet—Earth.
"This… how is this possible?" Coulson stared in disbelief. "If we're really in space, there shouldn't be any oxygen. Then how are we—"
"That," Patch interrupted with a smile, "is the greatness of magic."
Looking at the two agents, he said slowly, "Though the power I wield differs slightly from what you might call magic, the ultimate goal is the same."
"The power of heaven and the vast universe is beyond imagination. We wizards draw upon that power to strengthen ourselves—to harness it—and in doing so, we uncover the deeper mysteries of existence and transcend the limits of life itself."
"That power… is magic."
"And as for this place—this is a domain I created through magic."
He turned his gaze toward Melinda. "Ms. May…"
"Yes, Mr. Mavis?" Melinda asked, still dazed by everything she was seeing.
"Now that you've seen this, do you still doubt the existence of magic?"
Do I believe it?
Melinda froze. A conflicted expression crossed her face. Not believe it? But she had no explanation for what she was seeing. Believe it? That meant abandoning everything she had ever known—her entire worldview.
"Ms. May, there's no need to be so conflicted."
Patch's voice cut through her hesitation.
"Magic and science aren't as different as you think. Science also draws on the forces of nature to strengthen humanity. The only difference is that science seeks collective advancement…"
"While magic…"
"Is the path to individual transcendence."
"Magic has simply taken a few steps ahead of science, that's all."