A desolate underground cavern lay silent in the shadows.
There, a man badly wounded knelt before a pitch-black idol.
It was none other than Kaecilius. His body still carried the gaping hole left behind by Raffi's electromagnetic cannon. His face was pale, lips drained of color, and his entire figure looked exhausted beyond measure. Even a dark sorcerer could not withstand such an attack.
"Damn that so-called Lord of Life. One day, I will find him and take my revenge!"
Kaecilius roared with twisted rage, his voice echoing through the cavern.
Even as he cursed, he raised a blood-soaked hand and traced runes onto the floor before the black idol. Strange syllables poured from his mouth, forming a chant both dreadful and ancient.
"Great Lord of Darkness, Dormammu.
Your faithful servant Kaecilius offers his blood and soul as the price of devotion.
Grant me your power of darkness!"
He was using a forbidden ritual, a summoning of Dormammu himself.
The moment his chant ended, a dark magic circle flared to life before him, glowing with black light. Streams of shadow poured out of the array and seeped into Kaecilius, feeding on him, filling him.
His broken body began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. The hole in his chest closed. His flesh regenerated. In seconds, his injuries were gone.
The dark power rivaled even the holy light of Jason Kin's healing.
Kaecilius trembled in exhilaration. He had tasted the strength of true darkness, and now he craved more.
Suddenly, a hoarse, thunderous voice echoed in his mind.
"My humble servant. You have invoked my power. From this moment, you are my agent. I shall grant you strength far greater still. Destroy the sanctums. When they fall, I shall descend."
Kaecilius shook with excitement, pressing his forehead to the cold stone floor.
"Your servant will never disappoint you, Lord Dormammu!"
Black power surged into his body. Kaecilius screamed in agony, but his form grew and thickened. His frame stretched taller until he stood a towering two meters high.
Dormammu knew the weakness of mortal sorcerers. Their bodies were fragile. So he strengthened Kaecilius' flesh, turning him into both mage and warrior. His eyes became pits of darkness, like twin black holes. His fists crackled with raw power.
Kaecilius laughed. Now he was confident even in close combat against that little girl, Raffi. With his newfound strength and boundless dark magic, he felt as if he could crush her with ease. Whether this confidence was truth or delusion would only be revealed in battle.
"Destroy the sanctums. When they fall, I shall come. Then you will receive even greater power."
Dormammu's voice dripped with temptation. He could not cross dimensions on his own. The sanctums blocked him. Only by their destruction could his descent begin. That was why he empowered Kaecilius now.
The voice faded, leaving only silence.
Far away in Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One suddenly opened her eyes. Rising from meditation, she whispered, "Such heavy darkness… Dormammu. So the storm begins."
She wove a spell with her hands. A shimmering gateway opened before her. She stepped through and emerged inside the cavern Kaecilius had just abandoned.
The cave was nearly empty, only a pool of blood and the lingering trace of black energy remained.
"Kaecilius… so it was you."
She bent down, lifting scraps of a torn sorcerer's robe, and her face hardened with certainty.
A sudden explosion ripped through the cavern. The blast shook the earth, collapsing the ceiling. Stones plummeted toward her.
The Ancient One's expression remained calm. With a simple gesture, time itself slowed. The falling rocks froze in midair, suspended above her head.
"Kaecilius. Such cheap tricks. Did you truly think this could harm me?"
Her voice was steady, but another voice rang out from the darkness, Kaecilius' mocking tone.
"Do not be so smug, Ancient One. This was only a warning. Soon this world will kneel at my feet. And you, so-called Sorcerer Supreme, will be erased. Dormammu, ruler of the Dark Dimension, is the true master of this universe!"
The Ancient One's eyes turned cold. She raised a hand, and the voice was cut off at once.
Another portal opened, swallowing her from the collapsing cavern just before it caved in completely.
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