— Late Night, Kamar-Taj Mystic Dormitory
Kagura lay alone on her simple bed, staring at the plain, unadorned ceiling. Despite the stillness of the night, sleep eluded her.
As an automaton, she possessed the ability to self-regulate and repair.
In theory, she didn't need to sleep at all—she could function continuously until her core energy was depleted.
But Kagura was still a girl with a human soul.
And with that soul came the habit, the comfort, of nightly slumber.
Only tonight, sleep was impossible—her mind too heavy with thought.
Right now, the world faced the looming threat of the Dark Dimension's invasion.
Dormammu wasn't a lifeform in the conventional sense; he existed beyond the flow of time.
Ruler of the Dark Dimension, he had the power to swallow Earth into his realm, consuming it as part of his own twisted plane.
In terms of power and existential threat, Dormammu was every bit the equal of Thanos—perhaps even more terrifying.
And against a being from another dimension, Earth's technology and even its superhero organizations were nearly powerless.
Not even Rhodes Industries or Griffin could mount a meaningful defense.
After all, even beings like the Ancient One or Kaecilius could warp reality with mystic arts—capable of disintegrating weapons, armor, vehicles, and even withstanding orbital bombardments.
Conventional tactics were laughably ineffective.
Only one thing could stand against the Dark Dimension: dimensional mysticism.
It was the only force capable of challenging sorcerers like Kaecilius—and the only hope of resisting Dormammu.
This ancient art, which drew power from other dimensions and manifested it through willpower and focus, was nothing short of miraculous.
Originally, the three Sanctum Shields protecting Earth—along with the Ancient One herself—were more than enough to deter Dormammu.
But now… everything had changed.
Kaecilius, once a disciple of the Ancient One, had betrayed her and fled Kamar-Taj with rituals that connected directly to Dormammu.
His defection created a crack in Earth's defenses, allowing Dormammu to corrupt the very energy the Ancient One had once used, and begin his invasion.
At first, Kagura had thought: 'Dormammu, huh? Just toss the Time Stone at him, lock him in a loop, problem solved.'
But according to the Ancient One, that trick wouldn't work anymore.
In this version of reality, Dormammu had already found a way around the Time Stone's infinite loop.
To defeat him now, Kagura needed a new strategy.
Worse still, the Ancient One had become Dormammu's prime target for corruption.
It was only a matter of time before her will broke and she became his puppet—a vessel for Dormammu to unleash his power upon Earth.
"This is worse than I thought," Kagura murmured. "No wonder the Ancient One's in such a rush to get Stephen Strange up to speed."
But could a rookie like Stephen, who'd barely scratched the surface of mystic arts, really defeat Kaecilius… let alone Dormammu—or even the Ancient One herself?
She turned the thought over and over in her mind.
If she wanted to save the Ancient One… she would need power—power strong enough to challenge Dormammu directly.
But where could she find that kind of strength?
Her hand drifted to her chest.
Could the Infinity Stones help?
The Reality Stone could rewrite existence itself.
The Mind Stone could control thoughts and wills.
The Soul Stone, as her core energy source, could trigger conceptual and core abilities...
Even with all that… did she truly stand a chance against Dormammu?
She shifted under the sheets, rubbing her legs together and finding a more comfortable position.
"Dormammu is the Dark Dimension's king. The dimension is him. If I could interfere with the dimension itself… maybe I could fight him on equal terms?"
The Ancient One had once explained: Mystic arts draw from other dimensions for power.
So, if she could master the mystic arts to a certain level… could she destroy the Dark Dimension entirely?
Hmm…
It might be worth a shot.
Rather than waiting until the last moment to kill the Ancient One and rely on Stephen Strange to find a way out of this mess… wouldn't a proactive strike be more effective?
Kagura raised her slender, fair hand toward the ceiling.
"Kagura… how about you start studying dimensional mysticism too?"
Her delicate fingers curled into a fist as glowing blue lines of core energy pulsed through her palm.
"Mystic arts are the source code of reality… the underlying framework of existence itself. Maybe I can apply this tech to Rhodes Industries' gear too?"
Good things should be shared, after all!
If she could create an army trained in mystic arts…
If she could have the YoRHa units—and even the Avengers—tap into dimensional mysticism...
She might not be able to drain the Dark Dimension dry, but weakening Dormammu enough to keep him from corrupting the Ancient One? That seemed doable.
This might be the solution.
"Cortana, are you there?"
Kagura activated her communicator. "There's something I want to talk to you about."
"Always at your service, master," Cortana's voice chimed through instantly. "Enjoying your vacation at Kamar-Taj?"
"Mhm. As far as vacations go, it's not bad. Beautiful sights, rich cultural heritage with classic Eastern flavor… and I get to beat up Stephen Strange whenever I feel like it. Very relaxing," Kagura said with a smile. "But I've got something more important to discuss."
"Please go on, master. If it's within my capabilities, I'll make it happen."
"Well, I want the entire Rhodes Industries arsenal—and the YoRHa units—to be able to use mystic arts."
"But mystic power is mental in nature. Is there any way to adapt it for mechanical or artificial use?"
"I've already acquired partial data on mystic arts from Kamar-Taj," Cortana replied.
"According to current theory, machines can't directly use mystic energy."
"But… if we combine Dark Elf dark energy with Asgardian tech, we might be able to build devices that simulate the effects of mental energy."
"Simulated mental energy to wield mystic arts? That might work."
Kagura thought it over. "Cortana, do you think that's technically feasible with our current Rhodes Industries tech?"
"We still lack sufficient data. A deeper understanding of mystic arts is needed before drawing any firm conclusions," Cortana replied.
"But based on what we know so far, mystic power may not be directly tied to the soul. Human souls just make it easier to channel via focused willpower."
"Well, that's good news."
Kagura nodded. "I'll keep sending you more data over the next few days. You and VEDA can handle the analysis.
Let's turn Rhodes Industries' entire fighting force into an army of mystic warriors!"
Let's do this!
The silver-haired girl let out a deep breath.
Starting today, she too would be… an apprentice in the mystic arts.