It's unknown when humans invented the first mirror. Initially, humans simply gazed into water, recognizing their own image, much like Narcissus in ancient Greece who saw his own reflection. In many ancient cultures, reflections in water were often considered the seat of the soul, and seeing one's own reflection was often considered a dangerous undertaking. Therefore, when the first mirror was created, humans naturally considered it a magical artifact.
Indeed, mirrors were the first tools humans used to peer into otherworldly realms. While the images reflected in a mirror weren't necessarily real, they could reflect the objects they mirrored—the environment, reality, and even people. Therefore, many legends hold the idea of another world within the mirror.
When Salomon was about to practice magic, the Supreme offered him a safer place: the Mirror Dimension. The easiest way to enter the Mirror Dimension was to wear the Ring of Kamar-Taj.
Salomon believed the Ring was simply a shortcut provided by the Supreme for the mages of Kamar-Taj. the Supreme carved a spell into the Hanging Ring, allowing the mages of Kamar-Taj to easily perform the profound magic of portals. The Sorcerer Supreme pegged the distance of the portals and the size of the mirror dimension to the mages' magical power, rather than their level of sorcery. This flexibility saved considerable trouble and gave Kamar-Taj's mages unparalleled mobility. Even the Sorcerer Supreme occasionally used the Hanging Ring.
The Sorcerer Supreme deliberately chose to conduct today's lesson in the mirror dimension, not only because practicing magic there wouldn't cause damage in reality, but also because the Supreme wanted to prevent the other mages of Kamar-Taj from learning something they shouldn't.
"Salomon, your stigmata are proof of wisdom, proof of your worthy attainment of true wisdom, and the stigmata bring you knowledge," the Supreme said, clad in black mystical robes, standing before Salomon. "But this universe also holds endless dangers, ones you have never experienced. You must truly experience them."
"Dangers?" Salomon glanced down at his hands. He wore the same black mystical robes as the Supreme, but overlaid with a coat of red holy shroud. This coat reached down to his calf and was fastened to Salomon with seven silver chains. After the previous holy shroud was burned, the Supreme crafted a new garment from it and infused it with protective spells.
Although Salomon had initially gained control over the power of the stigmata, the Supreme believed he needed to exercise restraint, lest the powerful stigmata endlessly refine his life force.
After undergoing treatment, Salomon had become significantly thinner, his hair had been cut short, and he looked much colder.
"Yes," the Supreme nodded. "For example, Dormammu constantly watches this planet, seeking to devour it within his dark dimension. Only a few high-ranking mages within Kamar-Taj have heard of his name, but this lesson is one they have never experienced. I have chosen you to learn."
"What?"
"Balance."
The Supreme placed his hand between Salomon's eyebrows and cast an astral journey spell. This was Salomon's first astral journey, a manifestation of his soul and spirit. His astral body manifested indistinguishably from his physical body. Immediately, the Sorcerer Supreme, without further explanation, thrust forcefully at Salomon's astral form. Salomon felt himself plummeting at an immense speed, landing in a multicolored tunnel. Everything around him, from the starlight to the landscape, was rapidly distorting. The rapid shifting colors nearly made Salomon's spirit vomit. He felt incredibly small, unable to control himself, darting through dimension after dimension.
But soon, he was freed. Passing through a pitch-black veil, he stopped falling and saw a dark, silent space. Here, countless shattered planets were stained black, sprouting grotesque limbs like disgusting tumors. Every object in the starry sky was crawling with a dark, sticky energy, and sickening streams of multicolored light spread across them. Salomon strained his eyes to see, but he couldn't remember a single thing. The bizarre colors in the darkness flooded his pupils, and he heard an incessant, maddening whisper.
Like an ant, Salomon slowly moved between the planets. He had no idea how long he had been there. Time had become meaningless here, and he was constantly being bombarded with these insane words. Just as Salomon thought he was about to lose his mind, he beheld a gigantic face. The face seemed to be composed of viscous black energy, one eye the size of a planet. Upon catching sight of Salomon, the owner of the face unleashed a deafening roar that shook his spirit and shattered the deformed planet. Even when Salomon covered his ears, the sound could not stop it from reaching his soul.
It was like curses, like curses, but Salomon could not make out a word. From the darkness, the owner of the face swung a massive hand and slammed it down towards Salomon. It felt like he was standing beneath a collapsing mountain. The hand was accompanied by gusts of wind and meteorites. When he looked up, he could only see a shadow that could cover the entire planet, pressing down upon him. The terror of this behemoth descending from the sky made him tremble.
When Salomon woke up, he found himself still in the mirror space of Kamar-Taj, and the Supreme was sitting opposite him. Salomon sat cross-legged on the ground. He was pale, covered in cold sweat, and his head was dizzy. Those chaotic whispers and dizziness were still lingering in his mind. Now he just wanted to empty his stomach and have a good sleep.
"That's..." He forced himself to ask the Supreme.
"Dormammu, Lord of the Dark Dimension." the Supreme's expression remained unchanged. "I assume you've already met Him."
Salomon, suppressing the urge to vomit, nodded.
In truth, the Sorcerer Supreme's education of Salomon and her future education of Strange were completely different. The Ancient One had merely given Strange a general understanding of the Dark Dimension to prevent him from falling into Dormammu's trap, hence Strange's initial glimpse. For Salomon, however, the Ancient One chose to confront the Dark Dimension head-on, while the Supreme intended to teach him everything she knew about it.
the Supreme's expectations for each were different, as she intended for Salomon to bear a heavier burden. The Sorcerer Supreme knew that Salomon possessed innate knowledge, and even without entering Kamar-Taj, he would have become a powerful mage in the future. Therefore, she forced this burden upon him.
In this sect, someone has to be the face, and someone else has to be the heart. The face must be free from dust and bloodshed, and the heart must be contained. Failure to contain it, and its release can lead to the destruction of the sect and its entire clan. A cigarette for the sake of face might mean the elimination of someone for the sake of heart.
If the future Strange is Kamar-Taj's face, then the Supreme intends for Salomon to be its heart. The Ancient One draws not only from Vishanti's magic, but also from the vast magical power she draws from the Dark Dimension. This power makes her far more powerful than ordinary wizards, even more powerful than many demon gods, allowing her to rival the God-King Odin in human form.
This fact is unknown to Salomon, but even if he knew, he wouldn't hold a grudge against the Sorcerer Supreme. He wasn't the protagonist of some Long Aotian novel, where everyone had to treat him favorably without paying. That was out of the question. Salomon never considered himself particularly important, let alone possessing any so-called aura of dominance. He knew how lazy he was, and would rather lie down than sit.
the Supreme had a purpose in raising a child without any relatives, and Salomon knew it all.
In reality, even if the Sorcerer Supreme didn't guide Salomon in exploring the Dark Dimension, his pursuit of knowledge and curiosity about magic would inevitably lead him to explore on his own. Having an experienced mentor was a blessing.
Therefore, Salomon nodded, expressing his strong interest in the Dark Dimension.
Even so, the Supreme felt a tinge of guilt. She knew the Dark Dimension's dangers, yet she pushed Salomon into it. Perhaps this was why the Supreme was unconsciously favoring him.
"Balance and restraint are what you need to learn, Salomon." the Supreme lowered her head and picked up her teacup, not wanting Salomon to see her expression. "This is your first lesson."
-End Chapter-
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