Of course not. On the contrary, I've never been clearer in my thoughts than I am now, my friend. Open your mind, don't be limited by your common sense. Think carefully: in the Dark Dimension, there are no concepts of life or death, no time to erode your consciousness or torment your body. The Dark Dimension transcends time. There, we can live in peace, study knowledge, learn magic, forever. We will never be separated from our loved ones. Isn't that paradise?" Kaecilius's eyes gleamed as he spoke with emotion.
"If you anger Dormammu, he can torment you forever, too. Just imagine the feeling of being roasted over hellfire for all eternity," Li Kang thought to himself, but didn't say it aloud, because a fanatic only believes what they want to believe; anything else is useless.
"So, just because your family was in a car accident, you resent this world? Just because your mind isn't working right and you can't remember what your family looked like, you blame it all on time? If the Dark Dimension is so great, why don't you go there yourself? Although real life has many imperfections, it's still more comfortable than the Dark Dimension, that hellish place where you can neither live nor die. When I get tired of living, and the Goddess of Death comes for me, I will accept her calmly. I'm not like you; you're just a coward." Li Kang was surprisingly calm; he knew a bit about Kaecilius's past.
Veins bulged on Kaecilius's forehead. He was usually expressionless, like someone with facial paralysis, but at this moment, he was truly enraged.
Because Li Kang's words truly hit a raw nerve. Kaecilius was originally a high school football coach who once had a happy family. But later, on Christmas Eve, after they watched a football game and he had a few beers.
On the way home, the road was icy, and he lost control of the car, causing a horrific accident. Besides Kaecilius, his wife and two children all died in that car crash.
Since then, Kaecilius had been like a madman, searching for a way to undo the accident. He went to Haiti seeking help from voodoo, to the Middle East to find the magic of the Old Man of the Mountain, and to the legendary Lost City of Sand, searching for the contents of the mad Arab poet Abdul Alhazred's insane "Necronomicon."
But each attempt brought more painful despair than the last.
Kaecilius was persistent. He searched all over the world and finally found the legendary Sanctum Sanctorum deep within the Himalayan mountains of XC.
The Ancient One sensed astonishing talent in Kaecilius. She made an exception and personally welcomed him, promising to teach him all the knowledge he desired.
In the following days, Kaecilius studied desperately, especially knowledge related to necromancy. As long as he found it, no matter how difficult, he had to master it.
However, the more knowledge he acquired, the further he realized he was from his family. Even the vivid images of his family that were once fresh in his memory began to blur. This made Kaecilius incredibly angry, and this anger became his endless motivation to seek power that transcended time.
It wasn't until he met Li Kang that Kaecilius learned, through Li Kang, that there was indeed a dimension that transcended time—the Dark Dimension where Dormammu resided.
Kaecilius on one hand asked Li Kang to bring him the forbidden book, and on the other, he shamelessly accused Li Kang of trying to steal it. Not only did he eliminate a formidable opponent, but he also gained the Ancient One's trust, allowing him free access to her private collection of forbidden books from then on.
But after years of effort, he still couldn't decipher the most crucial content. Later, he realized that the Ancient One must have set up a magical array within the Sanctum Sanctorum to prevent overly dangerous content from being deciphered.
From then on,
Kaecilius continuously developed followers of the Dark Dimension in secret. After accumulating enough power, Kaecilius stormed into the Sanctum Sanctorum library, killed the librarian, and stole the chapters about the Dark Dimension from the forbidden book.
However, that operation came at a considerable cost. The Ancient One personally pursued Kaecilius, and if it weren't for two disciples desperately protecting him, he would have had difficulty escaping. But all the sacrifice was worth it; once outside the Sanctum Sanctorum's range, that page of scripture indeed became legible.
But Kaecilius was dismayed to find that, with his knowledge, he still couldn't fully comprehend its meaning.
The ritual for summoning a demon god of Dormammu's caliber is extremely complex. Even a small mistake, such as a symbol not being drawn precisely enough, could lead to catastrophic consequences. If he summoned some other monster from another dimension instead of Dormammu, the outcome would be disastrous.
After much deliberation, Kaecilius set his sights on Li Kang. During their time as apprentices, he knew that Li Kang possessed an extraordinary talent for dark magic, beyond what ordinary people could even imagine. Even within the Sanctum Sanctorum, with the Ancient One's array interfering, Li Kang was still able to translate the scripture's content. So, as long as he could capture Li Kang, he wouldn't have to worry about anything.
Over the years, Kaecilius had been secretly observing Li Kang, knowing his situation inside and out. That's why he personally orchestrated this surprise attack and successfully ambushed Li Kang.
"Li Kang, I know our philosophies might differ slightly. You've always been someone who doesn't respect authority, so I won't force you to serve Dormammu with me. My request is very simple: as long as you translate this scripture, we will never bother you again. I swear on the souls of my deceased family." Kaecilius respectfully pulled out the page of scripture and handed it to Li Kang.
Li Kang took the scripture, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it back to Kaecilius.
"I can't do it, my old friend," Li Kang said, grimacing with difficulty.
Kaecilius was stunned. He knew Li Kang to be selfish, a thorough pragmatist and egoist. The fact that Li Kang would risk his life to prevent Dormammu's arrival was completely unexpected.
"Then, old friend, what happens next isn't my problem. You will be tortured. If you still choose to defy us to the death, you will be killed, and your soul will be imprisoned in a small bottle, forever. Old friend, is this merciless world truly worth all this sacrifice and torment?" Kaecilius spoke the terrible truth in a detached voice.
Everyone present knew this wasn't an empty threat. If Li Kang refused this offer, his fate would indeed be miserable. Jill, holding her sister's corpse, watched Li Kang with a sinister grin, ready to gladly accept the task of torturing him.
"I think you've misunderstood, my dearest old friend. You don't need to threaten me like this. If I could translate this scripture, I would gladly do it for you. But I can't right now. My grimoire was stolen, and without it, I can't translate. You know me; since Dormammu's arrival is inevitable, your victory is a foregone conclusion. Don't forget, I, Li Kang, always stand with the victors! If Dormammu comes, I'll be the first to kneel before him and shout, 'Long live Dormammu!'" To emphasize the effect, Li Kang even raised a fist and waved it in the air.
"Grimoire? What is that?" Kaecilius frowned; he had never heard of such a thing.
"The grimoire is a very ancient dictionary that can translate all magical texts in this world. Otherwise, why do you think my progress was always ahead of everyone else when I was cultivating? It was all thanks to the grimoire. It's a pity it's no longer with me." Mentioning the grimoire, Li Kang painfully slammed his fist against the wall.
Because of the force, the skin on his hand was severely abraded, but he seemed to feel nothing, still clenching his fist tightly, letting blood flow down between his fingers.
"So that's it, you actually have such a divine artifact. No wonder, even I, who started cultivating a few years before you, and the powerful Mordo, were no match for you back then." Kaecilius suddenly understood. It wasn't that Li Kang was exceptionally talented; it was just that he had the grimoire, this divine artifact. "So, who stole this grimoire? Do you know?"
"Of course I know!" Li Kang's eyes blazed with volcanic fury, as if his eyeballs were burning. "It was those damned vampires! They were ordered by the Vampire Lord Dracula to steal my grimoire! They also plundered all the treasures I painstakingly accumulated, and all the money and gold bars I saved over the years! Unfortunately, they don't know who I, Li Kang, am. All my things are branded, and I've long known their whereabouts. It's just that there are too many of them, and I can't take them on alone, otherwise I would have annihilated this whole group of vampires!"
"Vampires? They are indeed a bit tricky. Is it a family? How many of them are there?" Kaecilius nodded. Vampires are products of dark magic and inherently possess dark magic attributes, making them very difficult to deal with in the dark.
Especially if they are a family unit, there must be ancient vampires as elders, making them even harder to deal with. But Kaecilius didn't care. He had nearly thirty fanatics under him, all qualified sorcerers. Such strength would be more than enough, even if Dracula himself came.
"There are about thirty-something vampires. Their leader is an idiot named Marshall. Their lair is in a failing opera house near the outskirts of Hell's Kitchen, in the Queens area. As long as we get the grimoire back, translating this mere scripture will be incredibly easy," Li Kang said, his eyes gleaming.
Kaecilius smiled gently, "Of course, I'll help you get your grimoire back, as compensation for falsely accusing you back then. How does that sound?"
"If you can really help me get my grimoire back, all our past grievances will be wiped clean!" Li Kang showed an ecstatic expression and extended his right hand.
Kaecilius reached out and grasped Li Kang's right hand. He tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, "Deal!"
"Deal!" Li Kang said triumphantly.
Suddenly, from Kaecilius's hand, a pair of almost transparent magical shackles bound Li Kang's hands.