Just as Kaecilius finished speaking, the room trembled once more. Tiles on the roof rattled against each other like they were being toyed with by an invisible hand, producing a rasping sound. Plaster shook loose from the walls, and fine cracks began to spiderweb across the surface with alarming speed.
Kaecilius and Mordo exchanged a look, realizing something was wrong.
Whose house sounds like this when hosting a guest?
It couldn't be that the Ancient One's withered heart had suddenly bloomed, and she was meeting some young lover, progressing from tea to a full-blown physical brawl with sparks flying enough to bring the house down, could it?
Mordo shook his head to dispel the bizarre thought and nodded toward Kaecilius in a silent understanding.
As the first and second disciples of the Ancient One, years of training together had made them intimately familiar with each other's habits. A single glance was enough to know exactly what the other was thinking.
Mordo moved quickly toward the door while Kaecilius retreated two steps, his hands weaving a strange gesture. A gold and red magic circle materialized in front of him. With a forceful tug of his hand, a glowing magic whip materialized.
Kaecilius had shaped a whip using advanced magic derived from dimensional deities. He intended to strike as soon as he saw an enemy.
There was no helping it; his combat style was a habit formed since childhood. The path of the melee mage was etched into his DNA and couldn't be changed—he likely would have found much in common with a certain white-bearded old man from Middle-earth.
Mordo pulled out a short staff from within his robes, coating it in powerful magical energy. A single hit would cause dizziness, burns, and mana erosion... he was, likewise, a melee mage.
The building continued to shake violently. The commotion had already attracted the rest of the Sorcerers' Hidden Order, and apprentices were beginning to gather from the front courtyard.
Time was of the essence. The two reached their combat positions, and Mordo suddenly lunged, delivering a heavy kick to the door.
The heavy strike didn't have the expected effect. Mordo was sent stumbling back by the recoil, yet the trembling door showed no sign of damage. It was as if it were anchored into the very fabric of space; though it looked ready to collapse, it was unexpectedly sturdy.
"Can you actually do this or what?" Kaecilius glanced at Mordo with disdain. As fellow disciples, the two were constantly in a subtle competition over their magical prowess.
"The door has been enchanted." Mordo ignored the jab and leaned in to observe. He detected faint, extremely obscure magical fluctuations with a composition so complex he couldn't decipher them in a short time.
Kaecilius shoved Mordo aside. "Let me try."
He pulled out his Sling Ring and put it on. Extending his left hand with two fingers pointed at the door, he began drawing a circle with his right. Golden-red sparks erupted in mid-air, spinning rapidly following his movements.
This was the spell to open a portal. By using the Sling Ring, the caster only needed to visualize a place they had been to for the portal to open.
Kaecilius was highly proficient with portals, but this time it felt exceptionally taxing. It was as if some force on the other side was resisting him, but the more it resisted, the more determined he became to open it and see for himself.
Finally, as the sparks widened, the portal expanded. A man-sized golden ring of brilliant magical sparks hung in the air, revealing the scenery on the other side.
It was a world in ruins!
The portal seemed to lead to a Mirror Dimension. Looking at the slowly collapsing mountain peaks, Kaecilius felt the landscape looked vaguely familiar.
Wait, wasn't that the very mountain peak where Kamar-Taj was located?!
A colossal flaming sword was thrust deep into the mountain. Golden flames spread across the landscape under the direction of an inexplicable force, transforming into massive hands that lunged toward the earth.
Beyond the snowy peaks, vast swathes of snow rolled down like a white deluge of a collapsing tide, kicking up a mist of powder that filled the sky.
At the section of the mountain that had been cleaved open, the rocks glowed cherry-red from the intense heat. Wisps of blue smoke rose as molten lava flowed slowly from the cracks, snaking through the low ground and intertwining with the snow mist to create a shocking, apocalyptic spectacle of ice and fire.
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed through the sky. The entire world was undergoing violent tremors, and the shockwaves propagated through space, reaching the small house.
"This is what you call an invitation for tea?" Mordo swallowed hard. The golden flames and that massive sword looked all too familiar.
The earth-shattering battle at S.H.I.E.L.D. had only happened yesterday. Even now, if Mordo turned on the television, the news channels would surely be replaying the fight between Makiya and the Abomination.
Even channels that usually had nothing to do with news were milking the battle for ratings. After all, the stations existed to make money, and the public was obsessed. Replaying the footage was a guaranteed way to get viewers.
"It's 'Chairman Man'!" Mordo muttered, his eyes scanning the sky through the portal in search of Makiya's figure.
"Chairman-what?" Kaecilius looked confused. "What kind of weird name is that? Why would anyone give themselves such a nickname?"
"Uh... it's a nickname the people on the Blue Bird platform gave to that powerhouse who uses golden flames," Mordo explained. He knew Kaecilius was so obsessed with magic research that he was oblivious to the major events happening on the other side of the globe.
"What is this Blue Bird?"
Mordo fell silent for a moment. "Um... it's a social platform. There are a lot of good things on there."
Kaecilius looked thoughtful. "Good things? Like magic?"
"No, Goddesses."
"??"
As they spoke, the battle shifted again. The entire world seemed to be activated by some spell, folding inward like a giant piece of paper being crumpled. The earth was mashed together by an invisible force, mountains rose under the influence of magic, and space began to distort.
The sparks of the portal flickered violently. The spatial energy became chaotic, and Kaecilius immediately felt the pressure increase. No matter how hard he spun his hand with the Sling Ring, he couldn't maintain the portal's stability.
"That's the Teacher's spell." Mordo immediately recognized the change. "Teacher is manipulating the entire Mirror Dimension, collapsing the world into a sphere. How will 'Chairman Man' respond? Flames won't be enough to handle this."
Makiya answered Mordo's question with action. With the release of an invisible slash, a vast, black fissure suddenly tore through the sky like a scar on the world itself.
The supreme swordsmanship shattered space itself, and along with it, the portal Kaecilius was struggling to maintain. The violent spatial fluctuation shattered the unstable portal entirely, and the resulting shockwave, mixed with snow, sent both men flying.
Thud! Thud!
Two muffled sounds rang out as they slammed into the large trees in the courtyard, their chests feeling tight from the impact.
The sound of disorganized footsteps came from behind. A group of disciples surrounded the two senior brothers, helping them up and asking what had happened.
Although Mordo and Kaecilius were equally baffled, they knew that a clash between powerhouses of Makiya and the Ancient One's level was beyond anyone else's ability to interfere with. They could only wait for the result. If Makiya defeated the Sorcerer Supreme and truly wanted to do something to them, not a single person in the Order would escape.
Thus, the two chose to hide the truth. Mordo, who was more personable, stepped forward to give the crowd a random excuse to dismiss them. Kaecilius sat back down in front of the door, quietly waiting for the outcome.
'Power... I need power!' While waiting, Kaecilius brooded. He sought power only to revive his loved one. Originally, he had placed his hopes on dark magic, believing the ruler of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu, could fulfill his wish. Now, it seemed there was another alternative.
Perhaps he could try his luck with 'Chairman Man'.
After sending everyone away, Mordo returned to the front of the small building looking exhausted. He and Kaecilius cast a spell to muffle the vibrations before sitting under the large tree, speculating on who the winner would be.
They waited for an hour. As the vibrations finally subsided, the door to the small building opened from the inside. Mordo and Kaecilius stood up abruptly as Makiya stepped out.
From the outside, Makiya's clothes showed slight signs of burning, and his cuffs bore traces of erosion from crimson magic, but otherwise, there were no physical injuries. However, his expression was quite sour.
Makiya had a look of pure frustration. Seeing the two men squatting under the tree by the door, he was tempted to ask if they were having a group bowel movement.
He quickly composed himself, switching to a beaming smile in an instant. He turned back and extended a hand to the Ancient One, who had also just walked out. "We wouldn't have become friends without a fight. Master Ancient One truly deserves her reputation as a powerhouse in the Multiverse. Your mastery of magic is profound; it was truly eye-opening!"
The Ancient One stood at the door, smiling as she shook Makiya's hand. "Mage Makiya is too kind. Your techniques were what left a deep impression on me. In time, your name will surely echo throughout the Multiverse. When that day comes, the Order will have to rely on your care."
The two engaged in a round of mutual flattery, both wearing warm smiles as if they weren't the ones who had just been tearing a world apart.
The corners of Mordo and Kaecilius's mouths twitched. They thought to themselves that these big shots truly were masters of lying through their teeth without changing their expressions. If they hadn't seen the Mirror Dimension crumbling with their own eyes, they would have genuinely believed the two had just been enjoying a pleasant tea session.
The Ancient One appeared to be around forty, with features that had Germanic characteristics. She wasn't ugly, but not conventionally beautiful either. However, she exuded a quiet, peaceful, and ethereal aura that made anyone near her feel an instinctive sense of respect.
In the Marvel world, there were many ways to extend one's lifespan. As the Sorcerer Supreme, in order to protect the Earth from dimensional deities, the Ancient One had secretly siphoned power from the Dark Dimension to sustain herself.
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