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Stephen stepped onto the third floor of the Sanctum to meditate. As soon as he entered his favorite spot near the Seal of Vishanti, the cloak flew off and down the stairs. Stephen shook his head. He had no idea where she would go, but he hoped she'd be back sometime tomorrow. He knelt in the moonlight from the Seal's window and closed his eyes.
Stephen meditated in the darkness for almost an hour, concentrating on the energies present inside the Sanctum. So far he sensed nothing from the Dark Dimension, and the Dark Gem's energy inside the enchanted case remained silent. He reached out for Joanna's aura and found it in a state of deep sleep. Perfect.
He uncrossed his legs and drew to his feet. It was morning in Nepal, and Wong would almost certainly be in the library.
Stephen thought about going downstairs and simply crossing over the gateway into the Kamar-Taj, but where was the fun in that? Wong would expect him to come through the gateway like all Sanctum caretakers. He grinned and created a portal that led inside the library and right behind Wong's desk.
Sure enough, Wong sat with his familiar earbuds on, listening to the latest pop tunes. Stephen walked right up to him and tapped his shoulder.
Wong yelped and jumped a mile. When he turned and saw Stephen standing there, he removed his earbuds with a sigh.
"I suppose asking you to stop doing that would be a waste of breath." Wong said.
"Pretty much."
Wong turned back to the book he was reading. "How are things in New York?"
"Oh, you know, the usual. Had the Cloak of Levitation fly off to a woman named Joanna who's now possibly my first pupil in the mystic arts… Oh, and the Dark Energy Gem flared up tonight."
Wong's eyes widened. He placed his book down. "You've been busy."
"You could say that."
"Didn't have time to change your clothes?"
Stephen glanced down at his slightly damp outfit with a frown. "Slipped my mind."
"Where's the cloak now?"
"Somewhere inside the Sanctum. Possibly guarding Joanna. She seems to like Joanna."
Wong chuckled. "You're so certain the cloak is a 'she.""
"Gut feeling."
Wong grew serious. "Is the cloak protecting her?"
"I think so, yes."
"It has good instincts. Where is Joanna now?"
"Sleeping in the Shangri La room."
"Nice room."
Wong stepped away from his desk toward the section of books reserved for master sorcerers. Stephen followed. Even after all this time, Stephen never grew weary of the Kamar-Taj library. The scent of the varnish on the wood floor and shelves, the fragrance of the dusty pages from the ancient manuscripts. In all his years, the largest medical collection or underground stacks from the biggest library couldn't rival the knowledge nestled here nor the nostalgia this place brought him.
"Describe what happened with the Dark Gem," Wong said.
"Joanna and I were walking by its case, and it flashed."
"Flashed?"
"Like a pulse more than giving off true illumination, but yes."
"Was it just one flash or a pattern?"
"Just one dark flash," Stephen replied. "But it happened twice. Once when we passed the case, and the second time when we stepped closer to it."
"Has it ever done that when you were in the Chamber of Relics alone?"
"No."
Stephen expected Wong to lead him to one of the dozens of chained books in the Ancient One's collection within the master section. He'd read almost all of them over the years, but instead of turning to the ancient texts, Wong walked right into a wall.
Stephen cleared his throat. "You know, I have Google Maps if you need it."
Wong shot him an annoyed look, and swung his arms in an arc to create a spell. Golden Eldritch light filtered over the wall to form a square that looked a lot like a door. Wong finished the spell by placing his hands inside the door he'd created and turning an invisible knob.
The wall sprang open.
"I thought you said no knowledge was forbidden here," Stephen said.
"It's not my fault you didn't sense the hidden gateway."
Stephen scowled but conceded the point. He trailed Wong inside the room, which turned out to be a tiny library. A single torch flickered against the wall where a shelf stood in front of them. But instead of books on the shelf, Stephen saw scrolls.
"First editions?" Stephen lifted the nearest scroll. "I thought someone would've transcribed this inside a book by now."
Wong smacked his hand.
"Ouch."
"You can peruse later. That's not the journal we want."
"Journal?"
Wong lifted a scroll from the top shelf and walked to a small desk that had been set up against the wall underneath the torch. On the desk lay a bone-dry inkwell and several fragile quills.
Stephen smirked. "Did you used to slave away inside this room before you got promoted?"
No sign of humor from Wong. "This was the Ancient One's private space for recording spells and her experiences in different dimensions, including the Dark Dimension." Wong tapped the scroll lightly. "This is the scroll where she records being given the Dark Gem."
"Given?"
Wong nodded. "Just read."
Stephen did.
1982 A.D., December 21
I should not have traveled up to the Dark Dimension to speak with Dormammu. I know that now. But it was of the utmost importance he understand that Earth was not to be touched. We reached an understanding today –he would continue to rule over his domain without any interference from us, so long as this Earth dimension remained unmolested. It was a treaty I had to make, as he was beginning to sense my use of magic from his dimension to remain Sorcerer Supreme.
I was going to leave then, should have left in that moment, but something inside the Darkness called to me. A feminine spirit.
I followed the silent cry of her soul to find a Faltine locked inside a prison. She said her name was Umar, sister to Dormammu, and he had trapped her in human guile. She had been ruler over the Dark Dimension, keeping balance between the darkness and the light before Dormammu took power.
No woman should be imprisoned inside his domain, but I couldn't simply set her free. Releasing her would certainly nullify our agreement, risking his wrath upon Earth. I'm ashamed to say I chose to leave her.
But her spirit called back to me, and that's when I saw the child. A girl.
"Her name is Clea, and she is part Faltine, part Mhuruuk*. She is heir to this realm, and my magic cannot disguise her any longer. I know you come from a life-sustaining universe, a life-giving dimension. You can leave me here in torment, but please... please take her with you."
I stole Clea away. Perhaps I shouldn't have. The child was so small, but still I brought her to the Kamar-Taj, hoping to train her in magic. Clea's energy, however, was too unstable. And the screaming… It began the night she came. She cried for her mother, for the loss of energy she was used to feeding upon. The other students began to question my motives. Was this my child from an affair I'd had in the recent past, possibly with a pupil? Where did my loyalties and priorities truly lie?
I sent Clea away, far away across the sea, to an orphanage in a land where magic has faded but diversity is welcomed. I reasoned this was the best thing for the girl – to go to a place where she would be away from magic, away from knowledge of her past, and, most importantly, away from Dormammu. If he ever learned of her existence, he would come for her. I became certain of it. She was an heir to the Dark Dimension, a threat to his power.
All I have left of Clea is a small gem her mother told me to give to her when she came of age. Another shame that I cannot keep such a promise. An energy gem from the Dark Dimension, even a small one, could be deadly to our universe in the hands of one skilled in dark magic. So, I placed it inside the Sanctum Sanctorum, a place where much dark magic had been performed over the millennia, in hopes that the gem would be content with that contained energy. So far, it has proven successful.
Perhaps I will check on Clea someday. I have heard they changed her name, though I do not know what it is. For now, I am content to train my pupils. A new student arrived today by the name of Kaecilius, He shows great promise, but only time will tell.
Stephen rolled the scroll back up. He had no idea what Faltine or Mhuruuk were. Some kind of extra-terrestrial race? He didn't think anything, or anyone, good could live inside the Dark Dimension. Apparently, he'd been mistaken.
So, the gem was locked inside the Sanctum for a reason. Better that this Clea never came near it then. He stood up to go find Wong, and turned. Wong stood right behind him.
Stephen jumped out of his skin. "Jesus! You scared me."
Wong almost smiled. "It's Wong. But I've heard Jesus was quite talented in sorcery as well."
Stephen gestured to the lines of scrolls. "Is there anything else about the girl? The gem?"
Wong shook his head.
The two stood facing one another, but not speaking, each in their own world of thoughts. Finally, Wong spoke. "What do you know about Joanna's past?"
"Wait. You don't think she's—"
"I don't know anything about your pupil."
"Possible pupil."
"All I know is that the Dark Gem only reacts when anything from the Dark Dimension comes in contact with it." Wong replaced the scroll back on its shelf. "I would like to meet this Joanna."
Stephen nodded.
Wong pulled out an iPhone and swiped his finger across it. He touched the screen once, twice. "I can squeeze you in between 9 and 10PM later tonight."
He met Stephen's eyes and smiled.
"You made a joke," Stephen said. "I'm impressed."
They left the tiny alcove, and Stephen memorized the spell Wong performed in order to seal its contents inside.
"I do know one thing," Wong said as he made his way back to his own desk inside the library.
"Oh? What's that?"
"If that woman you found is Clea, then she should never be trained in the mystic arts."
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* A race of humanoid, extra-dimensional beings that live inside the Dark Dimension
