Marvel Magic Case Files.

Chapter 17 First Encounter with the Dark Dimension (Seeking Investment!)

We don't know when humans invented the first mirror. Initially, humans simply looked at the surface of water, much like Narcissus in ancient Greece saw his own reflection, and thus became aware of their own image. In many ancient cultures, reflections in water were often considered the abode of the soul, and seeing one's own reflection was often seen as a very dangerous thing. Therefore, when the first mirror was created, humans naturally regarded it as an object with magical powers.

Indeed, the earliest tool humans used to peer into other worlds was the mirror. Although the image reflected in a mirror wasn't necessarily real, the mirror could correspond to the object it reflected—the environment, reality, or people. Therefore, many legends contain the idea that another world exists within a mirror.

When Salomon was about to practice his spells, His Holiness provided a safer place: the Mirror Dimension. And the simplest way to enter the Mirror Dimension was to wear the Sling Ring of Kamar-Taj.

In Salomon's view, the Sling Rings were simply a shortcut provided by the Sorcerer Supreme to the mages of Kamar-Taj. The Sorcerer Supreme inscribed spells on the rings, allowing the mages of Kamar-Taj to easily use advanced magic like portals. The Sorcerer Supreme linked the distance of the portals and the size of the mirrored dimensions to the mages' mana, not their spellcasting skills. This lazy approach indeed saved a lot of trouble and gave the mages of Kamar-Taj unparalleled mobility; even the Sorcerer Supreme sometimes used the Sling Rings.

The reason the Sorcerer Supreme chose to conduct today's lesson in the Mirror Dimension is not only because practicing spells in the Mirror Dimension will not cause damage in reality, but also because the Sorcerer Supreme does not want other Kamar-Taj sorcerers to know things they should not know.

"Salomon, your stigmata are proof of wisdom, proof that you are qualified to attain true wisdom, and the stigmata have also given you knowledge." The Venerable One, dressed in a black esoteric robe, stood before Salomon and said, "But there are endless dangers in this universe that you have never seen before, and you must truly experience them."

"Danger?" Salomon looked down at his hands. He wore the same black occult robes as the Venerable One, but over the outermost layer was a red shakuman's tunic, which reached all the way to his calves and was fastened to Salomon's body with seven silver chains. After the previous shakuman's tunic was burned, the Venerable One had taken out a new one to make robes and added protective spells to them.

Although Salomon was able to initially control the power of the Stigmata, the Venerable One still believed that he needed to exercise restraint, otherwise the powerful Stigmata would endlessly refine his life force.

After undergoing treatment, Salomon became much thinner, cut his hair short, and looked much colder.

"Yes," the Venerable One nodded. "Take Dormammu, for example. He keeps a close eye on this planet, wanting to swallow Earth into his dark dimension. Only a few high-ranking mages in Kamar-Taj have heard of this name, but this is a lesson they have never experienced, and I have chosen to let you learn it."

"What should we study?"

"Learning balance."

The Sorcerer Supreme placed his hand on Salomon's brow, activating the Astral Travel spell. This was Salomon's first time undergoing an Astral Travel, a spell that manifested the soul and spirit, making his spiritual and physical forms indistinguishable. Without further ado, the Sorcerer Supreme pushed Salomon's spirit forcefully, and Salomon felt himself plummeting at an incredible speed, falling into a vibrant, multicolored tunnel. Everything around him, from starlight to scenery, distorted rapidly; the rapid color changes almost made Salomon's spirit nauseous. He felt so small, powerless to resist, swiftly traversing dimension after dimension and space.

But he was soon freed. After passing through a black curtain, he stopped falling and saw a dark, desolate space. Here, countless shattered planets were stained black, sprouting deformed and grotesque limbs like disgusting tumors. Everything in this starry sky was covered with black, viscous energy, and nauseating streams of colored light spread across it. Salomon opened his eyes wide to look, but could not remember anything. The bizarre colors in the darkness flooded his pupils, and he heard an incessant, maddening murmur in his ears.

Salomon moved slowly between the planets like an ant, unaware of how long he had been there. Time had lost its meaning, and he was constantly subjected to the barrage of insane words. Just when Salomon thought he was about to go mad, he saw a gigantic face, an enormous face seemingly composed of viscous black energy, each eye as large as a planet. When the owner of that face saw Salomon, it unleashed a deafening roar that made Salomon's spirit tremble, shattered the deformed planets, and even when Salomon covered his ears, he couldn't stop the sound from penetrating his soul.

It sounded like a curse, like a curse, but Salomon couldn't hear anything. The enormous hand that belonged to the face swung out from the darkness and slammed down on Salomon. Salomon felt as if he were standing beneath a collapsing mountain. The hand was accompanied by a gale and meteorites. When he looked up, he could only see a shadow that could cover the entire planet pressing down on him. The terrifying feeling of this colossal thing falling from the sky made him tremble uncontrollably.

When Salomon awoke, he found himself still in the mirror space of Kamar-Taj, with His Holiness sitting opposite him. Salomon sat cross-legged on the ground, his face pale, covered in cold sweat, and his head spinning. The chaotic whispers and dizziness still lingered in his mind. All he wanted to do was empty his stomach and get a good night's sleep.

"That is..." he asked the Venerable One, forcing himself to stay alert.

"Dormammu, Lord of the Dark Dimension." The Venerable's expression remained unchanged. "I think you have already witnessed His presence."

Salomon suppressed his nausea and nodded.

In fact, the Sorcerer Supreme's education of Salomon was completely different from his future education of Strange. The Ancient One only gave Strange a general impression of the Dark Dimension to prevent him from falling into Dormammu's trap, so Strange initially only had a fleeting glimpse of the Dark Dimension. As for Salomon, the Ancient One chose to let him confront the Dark Dimension directly. The Supreme wanted to teach Salomon everything he knew about the Dark Dimension.

The High Priestess had different expectations for the two, because she intended for Salomon to bear a heavier burden. The Sorcerer Supreme knew that Salomon possessed innate knowledge and that even without entering Kamar-Taj, he could become a powerful enough sorcerer in the future. Therefore, this heavy burden was forcibly placed on Salomon's shoulders.

In this sect, someone has to be the face, and someone else has to be the substance. The face can't be tainted with even a speck of dust or bloodshed. The substance has to cover it up. If it can't be covered up and leaks out onto the face, it's a matter of destroying the sect and wiping out the entire clan. The face might offer someone a cigarette, but the substance might have to eliminate someone.

If the future Strange is the face of Kamar-Taj, then the Venerable intends to make Salomon the substance of Kamar-Taj. The Ancient One not only absorbed the magic of the Vishanti, but part of the reason for her power was that she drew enough magic from the Dark Dimension. This magic made her far more powerful than ordinary sorcerers, more powerful than many Daedric Lords, and even allowed her to contend with Odin, the King of Gods, in a human body.

Salomon was unaware of this, but even if he had known, he wouldn't harbor any resentment towards the Sorcerer Supreme. He wasn't some protagonist in a fantasy novel where everyone had to be unconditionally kind to him; that was impossible. Salomon never considered himself particularly important, and the so-called domineering aura he possessed was nonexistent. He knew how lazy he was; if he could lie down, he wouldn't sit up.

The Venerable One had his reasons for raising an orphan child, a fact Salomon was well aware of.

In fact, even if the Sorcerer Supreme hadn't guided Salomon to explore the Dark Dimension, he would have eventually done so on his own, driven by his thirst for knowledge and curiosity about magic. Having an experienced mentor now is a good thing.

Therefore, Salomon nodded, indicating that he was very interested in the Dark Dimension.

Even so, the Venerable One still felt a little guilty, because she knew how dangerous the Dark Dimension was, but she had pushed Salomon into it. Perhaps this was why the Venerable One unconsciously treated Salomon with favor.

"Balance and restraint are what you need to learn, Salomon." The Venerable One lowered his head, picked up his teacup, not wanting Salomon to see his expression. "This is your first lesson."

P.S.: I'm asking for investment and votes!

Investing is like getting extra chapters, friends!

(End of this chapter)