Sebastian and the Ancient One sat on cushions on the floor, sipping tea from cups on a low table. After a moment, they got down to business.
"Ancient One, what do you need me to do?" Sebastian asked.
"The dark dimension's power has been creeping onto Earth more lately," the Ancient One said. "Kamar Taj is the main force keeping Earth's magical world safe, and we're working hard to stop any threats. For example, that girl Akanksha you met—she's a regular person affected by the dark dimension's energy, and she's one of the issues we're handling. Right now, we've found a crack between the dark dimension and Earth, guarded by followers of Dormammu, the dimension's ruler.
We need to send enough mages to deal with it, but Kamar Taj is spread thin protecting other places. So, I'm asking mages who are friends with us to help out. Would you be up for it, Sebastian?"
Sebastian is very interested in Kama Taj's magic. He knew the spells from his past life were solid, but against cosmic threats or multi-dimensional demons, they wouldn't cut it. Helping out was a chance to get closer to Kamar Taj and set himself up to learn their magic later. No way was he passing this up.
"Ancient One, count me in," he said. "Keeping the magical world safe is every mage's job, and I'm all for it."
The Ancient One smiled, raising her teacup in a toast. She took a sip and said, "Awesome. Now, for a fair trade—what do you need from Kamar Taj?"
"I need help making a potion," Sebastian explained. "It's an old recipe, but some ingredients are super rare or gone. I'd need Kamar Taj to find substitutes and lend some manpower or resources. Once it's done, I'm happy to share the recipe with you guys."
The Ancient One tilted her head. "That's not exactly a fair trade—we'd be getting the better deal. How about this? After we're done, I'll teach you one of Kamar Taj's spells to balance things out. Any magic you're curious about?"
Sebastian's mind raced. Kamar Taj had epic, large-scale spells, but he wasn't ready to master those yet—they'd take too much effort for too little payoff. What he really needed was their teleportation magic. Unlike Apparition, which could only zap you across a state or country at best (and sometimes messed up, splitting you in half), Kamar Taj's portals could cross light-years between planets. Plus, they were stable, versatile for attack or defense, and could even mimic high-speed flight if you slowed them down. For teleportation, Kamar Taj's magic was unbeatable—and way easier to use.
Grinning, Sebastian said, "If it's cool, I'd love to learn Kamar Taj's teleportation magic."
"Portals? No problem," the Ancient One replied.
"Sweet, it's a deal! When do we head out?" Sebastian asked.
"How about now? I'm guessing we're both free, right?" she said with a sly smile.
"Totally. Let's do it! Who's coming with us?" Sebastian asked, pumped.
Right after Sebastian spoke, two glowing portals hummed open. Daniel stepped through one, joined by an older woman cradling a black cat. She looked frail, maybe in her seventies or eighties, dressed in a purple robe with a dark purple shawl. But her steps were graceful, and she moved with a confidence that didn't match her age.
From the other portal came a Kamar Taj mage escorting a guy with dreadlocks, white runes painted on his forehead, and an animal-skin cape over black tights. He gripped a wooden staff topped with three tiny skulls—definitely a voodoo wizard. Sebastian guessed the Kamar Taj mage was Mordo, someone he'd heard of but never met.
The Ancient One gave a slight bow to the newcomers. "Welcome to Kamar Taj, Mage Agatha, Mage Jericho."
Agatha nodded curtly, while Jericho returned a deep, respectful bow.
The name "Agatha" clicked for Sebastian, especially since Daniel had brought her. She had to be the powerful witch tied to a mysterious spot in New York. Jericho, the voodoo wizard, was less familiar, but his vibe screamed serious magic.
The Ancient One gestured to Sebastian. "This is Mage Sebastian, a skilled wizard. He's joining us to take down the dark dimension's stronghold and seal the rift connecting it to Earth."
Jericho, who seemed super polite, bowed to Sebastian right away. Agatha, on the other hand, gave him a quick glance, then scoffed to the Ancient One. "Really, Ancient One? Is Kamar Taj so desperate you're dragging in a kid who's barely old enough to drive?"
"Sebastian's a powerful mage," the Ancient One replied calmly. "He's got wisdom and skill way beyond his years. He'll be a huge help."
The Ancient One's words shut Agatha up. She nodded and said, "Fine, let's get moving then. I've got soup simmering at home, so let's go take out Dormammu's goons already."
"Whatever you say, Agatha," the Ancient One replied with a slight smile. "Mordo, Daniel, you're with us. Let's roll!"
With a wave of her hand, the Ancient One opened a glowing portal to who-knows-where. The group—Sebastian, Agatha, Jericho, Mordo, Daniel, and the Ancient One—stepped through one by one, vanishing from Kamar Taj in a flash.
Latveria, a small country in Eastern Europe near Serbia and Hungary, was a quiet, old-school place with a monarchy. Its people lived simply, without much wealth or modern tech, and since it lacked resources like oil or minerals, bigger countries like the U.S. mostly left it alone, claiming they didn't meddle in other nations' business.
In a field outside a Latverian village, a fiery, circular portal sparked open. Led by the Ancient One, Sebastian, Agatha, Jericho, Mordo, and Daniel stepped through, landing in a pristine wilderness untouched by factories or pollution.
Sebastian looked around, taking a deep breath of the crisp air. "Man, this place is super clean. Where are we exactly?"
"Latveria, in Eastern Europe," the Ancient One said. "It's a small, rural country, pretty cut off from the world. That's why Dormammu's Dark Cult hides here—they think they can slip past us. They've done a good job so far, especially with help from some locals."
She waved her hand, opening another portal. A tall, good-looking teen about Sebastian's age stepped through, cool as a cucumber. He scanned the group, pausing on Sebastian for a moment, then gave a polite bow. "Hey, mages. Just call me Victor. I'm a mage too, but, like, a total newbie compared to you guys."
The Ancient One, Sebastian, and the others returned a quick nod.
"Victor, can you take us to the Dark Cult's hideout?" the Ancient One asked.
"Happy to help. Follow me," Victor said.
He led them to a spot in the woods just outside the village. Pointing ahead, Victor said, "Check it out. Everyone you see walking around in that village? They're Dark Cult members. When we move in, don't hold back."
Mordo frowned. "How do you know everyone there's with the cult? What if we accidentally hurt innocent people?"
Victor turned to Mordo, his face serious. "The Dark Cult doesn't mess around. If you don't join them, they sacrifice you to their creepy god, Dormammu. Any innocent folks in that village are either about to be sacrificed or already gone. No way they'd be strolling around out there."
Mordo didn't argue after Victor's explanation. He could be intense, but he wasn't reckless or unreasonable.
Agatha spoke up. "If we're sneaking into that village, we'll need some cover, Ancient One. Got anything?"
The Ancient One nodded. "Of course."
She stepped forward, striking a pose like a martial artist. With a smooth wave of her hands, she formed a glowing seal and thrust her palms toward the village. A massive gust of wind kicked up, swirling leaves and sand into a wild storm that roared toward the village, growing faster and fiercer by the second.
Wind of Watoomb!
The storm hit, forcing the villagers to scramble for cover. The flying sand and leaves blocked their view, leaving them blind to anything outside.
Agatha smirked. "Nice one, Ancient One. Your power's leveled up since last time. My turn—I'll seal this area so none of those Dark Cult creeps escape, and I'll keep the dark dimension's energy from leaking out of that rift."
She set her black cat down, knelt, and pressed one hand to the ground, muttering a low chant. The air around the village shimmered, like heat rising off pavement, but this wasn't a trick of light. Agatha's magic was twisting the space itself.
The distortion lasted only a moment before everything looked normal again. But everyone could feel the difference—the village was now cut off by a magical barrier. The stronger their magic, the more they sensed how weird the space had become.
Sebastian let out a quiet "whoa." The Ancient One's wind spell and Agatha's space trick were mind-blowing. He realized he still had a ton to learn.
"All right, you're good to go," the Ancient One said. "Stay sharp. If you run into someone you can't handle, get to me or Agatha right away."
Everyone nodded, ready to move.
The Ancient One opened a portal to the village's edge. Agatha led the way, reaching her magical barrier. With a snap of her fingers, she opened a gap, and the group slipped through, following her into the village.
Most of the Dark Cult members were still hiding from the windstorm, oblivious to the mages sneaking in.
With a quick gesture, the Ancient One darted toward the village's center. Agatha and Jericho peeled off in different directions, each taking their own path.
That left Sebastian, Victor, Daniel, and Mordo. Daniel and Mordo, both Kamar Taj mages, were used to fighting as a duo and stuck together.
As Sebastian geared up to go solo, Victor turned to him. "Hey, Sebastian, wanna team up?"
Victor seemed strong—about as skilled as Daniel, from what Sebastian could tell. No reason to say no. "Sure, let's do it," he said with a nod.
Victor gave a quick nod back, signaled for Sebastian to follow, and headed out.
Sebastian glanced at Daniel and Mordo, gave them a nod, and jogged after Victor.