𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄 — open your eye

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 𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 welcomed into the Kamar-Taj with open arms.

 The Ancient One — upon setting her sights on the former scientist — had simply smiled, her lips stretched upwards and radiated a warmth that Emilia hadn't felt for such a long time.

 The Ancient One knew everything about the young woman; everything from where she studies, to where she went after. She sat in silence with a face that portrayed no pity as Emilia crumbled and spoke of her wrong-doings.

 Emilia spoke of everything, from the very first explosion to the little incidents within the lab, to the second explosion... And finally, she managed to choke her way through the story of her parent's death, and when she used the word murder to describe it, the Ancient One stood and offered a hand.

 Just that mere action had filled Emilia with the slightest twinge of hope. She had expected to be turned away with a look of rage and utter disgust, to be berated for her terrible actions. The Ancient One did nothing of the sort for the Kamar-Taj was a place to heal and grow; that was exactly what Emilia needed.

 The young woman with a heavy heart and scarred hands had been taught so much. Learning came easy to her, for she always craved for new information; it had taken little time for the woman of science and fact to open her mind to magic and sorcery... how could she deny its existence if she could move things with her mind? How could she deny its existence when the Ancient One created portals and spells?

 The hardest part was not opening her mind, it was banishing her fear.

 Even after sixteen months of residence within the Kamar-Taj Emilia still had yet to throw her fears to the side and prosper with the gifts she held.

 Gifts. Emilia had scoffed at the word; how on earth could she call what she could do a gift if she killed dozens of people? It was a curse, and it was a curse she was trying to live with.

 Her... abilities had shown themselves from time to time during the first few weeks of her stay, and they always came without prompt, she couldn't control them.

 That was exactly why the Ancient One had made the decision to first teach Emilia how to master the sling ring, to conjure the mirror dimension and to have mastery over her astral form.

 The sling-ring would help Emilia with control, to beat out any former scepticism of magic, it would allow her to feel grounded.

 The mirror dimension would provide a safe space to practice with her unnamed abilities, to ensure that nobody would be harmed and no mess would be made. This alone soothed Emilia's soul far more than she could have imagined. The mere thought of using her abilities around another person filled her head with fiery images and shrill screams.

 Finally, the astral form would allow Emilia to separate her soul from her body, offering solace and peace even if just for mere moments. She could study and try to figure out what the hell was happening to her without causing a mess with her physical form.

 But that was where the 'sorcery' ended for Emilia. She had no desire to give herself more power, she had no desire to learn spells and magic; that'd only make her stronger, more likely to harm others.

 Perhaps... perhaps one day, after mastering whatever 'gifts' that were already in her veins, she'd venture further into the mystic arts. But for now, fear needed to be conquered and her abilities needed to be tamed.

 After those months passed the nightmares still came, the panic attacks that rendered her breathless came to greet her every night... and it never got better. The faces of her parents framed by golden flames taunted her, the wall of fire that had surrounded her inside of the lab still seemed to burn her flesh every single night.

 But her powers were slowly submitting to her; she could move things with a flick of her wrist, but it took concentration because the fear that permeated her flesh and bone seemed to pull her back, it seemed to whisper threatening words and pull forth the haunting images.

 Light objects, little things like stones and pencils were easy enough to raise, but the bigger the object, the more concentration she needed. If somebody spoke, if a set of footsteps sounded out, she'd jolt and everything would tumble to the ground leaving Emilia more frustrated than ever.

 But as always, the Ancient One told her to persist, and so they'd try again, and again.

 The Kamar-Taj was a warm place filled with people who wished to be better, filled with people who encouraged others to prosper and thrive. It helped, being around such people, for Emilia needed to see smiling faces after using her abilities, just to reassure her that she'd done no harm.

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 "Now, Emilia, breath." The calming voice that belonged to the Ancient One whispered; just loud enough to reach Emilia's ears.

 Emilia had her forest-green eyes firmly shut, hands hovering over her crossed legs as she tried to raise a teacup into the air. It jolted and squirmed as her face relaxed. The small barely noticeable wrinkles by her eyes softened, her tight jaw loosened and a small breath was released from pouted lips.

 "Good." Came the praise of the Ancient One as she watched on with a small smile. Though simply lifting the teacup into the air seemed like a tiny thing, it was so much more. With each lesson, with each object that floated in the air around them... Well it was a step closer to Emilia trusting herself; trusting herself to use her abilities for good, to keep people from harm. "Open your eyes."

 That was a new step for Emilia. Closed eyes, little breathing... Those things made concentration easier, she could focus every part of her attention on the power that rested within her fingertips.

 A shuddering exhale parted her lips once more. She was terrified. She could feel the power swelling in her stomach, almost begging to be used in bigger quantities. She could barely feel the weight of the teacup, it was as light as a feather.

 Her eyes cracked open, meeting the intricate carvings on the side of the cup. It was ancient, and Emilia had practically begged the Ancient One to choose something less... Beautiful. The golden edges to the little cherry blossoms, each little swipe of paint glistened as the sun burst through the window whilst the teacup spun slowly in the air.

 A light laugh left Emila, a sense of pride began to brew as she wiggled her fingers, the teacup jostling as she did so.

 The Ancient One hummed to herself as she rose the teapot that steamed by her side, "Wonderful."

 With a movement that was nothing less than graceful, the Sorcerer Supreme began to pour tea into the hovering cup. The liquid steamed as it flowed slowly out of the spout, allowing Emilia time to adjust the minuscule weight change.

 Emilia had her bottom lip pulled between her teeth, her eyes twitching ever so slightly as the Ancient One finished pouring, "There was barely any change."

 "Your concentration isn't being limited, you're looking and watching, able to measure the change you think should occur, finding the weight lighter than you believe is simple proof that you're improving."

 "Hardly." Emilia scoffed as she slowly lowered the cup to the ground, a single droplet of tea jumping from the cup and to the ground. It was hastily wiped away by the former scientist who pulled her robe over her fingers before cradling the teacup in the hands. "I've been here for sixteen months and the best I can do is hold up a mug with my eyes open."

 "Teacup." The Ancient Once corrected with a small grin as she took a sip of the tea. She let out a small sigh upon seeing Emila's face clear of a smile. It was obvious to everyone that the woman was growing frustrated with herself. "It's —"

 "My fear, yes, I know." Emilia shook her head as a humourless laugh was huffed out, "I'm terrified of myself, I don't know how to abandon my fear, because it's me that I'm afraid of."

 They fell into silence. Tea rippled in each of their cups, Emilia's hair jostled with each light breeze, and the curtains rustled away. It was calming. The Ancient One could almost sense the building frustration within the woman opposite her.

 She was a good student, she listened, opened her mind, and she did whatever she could to help others. In complete honesty, the Sorcerer Supreme had been shocked upon seeing who little effort Emilia had to put into mastering the sling-ring, her astral form, and the mirror dimension.

 It all came to her as swiftly as breathing did, no wonder she was so frustrated that it had taken months upon months to do what seemed like so little with her own, different abilities.

 Gravity. That's what they believed her abilities to be, to be able to manipulate gravity. The original conclusion had been telekinesis; the gift of moving objects with the mind... But the Ancient One had once met somebody with such a gift.

 Emilia could feel objects, she could feel their weight and use her power to lessen that. She manipulated the force that kept things grounded... That much had been made obvious when she had accidentally increased the gravitational force holding a simple wooden chair to the ground; she'd sent it beneath the floorboards.

 The mere uttering of the words 'gravity manipulation' had sent a spark of terror rippling through Emilia's body, well perhaps not a spark and more of a tidal wave. The implications that came along with such a gift were catastrophic. Being able to move people, being able to throw the heaviest of objects with ease, to manipulate the gravity that kept herself grounded... and things even beyond that.

 Her breath had left her when they had first come to the conclusion. Her knees had buckled and her head swam with terrifying thoughts from blackholes to messing with time... They were all things that could be possible; though that particular bout of fear was quelled upon realising she could barely lift a pencil.

 They had come to an agreement, Emilia and the Ancient One. A horrific agreement, but one that was needed to keep the world safe. The Sorcerer Supreme was not only her teacher and mentor... but her handler; if she were to step out of line by accident or on purpose, if Emilia was to harm again... It was down to the Ancient One to eliminate the threat.

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 Emilia had been sat on a small wooden stool sipping away at a cup of piping hot tea and reading yet another book when Mordo had finally returned from whatever had stolen him away; their physical training session should have already begun. They often sparred against one another; seeing as Emilia very much enjoyed venting her frustration in such a manner.

 What had kept Emilia from speaking up and questioning the sorcerer was the man that followed behind him.

 He was tall, very much towering above Mordo as he staggered forth with eyes alight. He had a mess of hair upon his head, many strands hanging limply by his face... He clearly hadn't showered for quite some time. A tangled beard smothered his chin and cheeks, mixtures of grey and brown intertwining.

 He met Emilia's eyes for a moment before being startled by the two students who had graciously peeled his dirty and torn coat from his body, as well as taking the small rucksack from his hands with quiet nods.

 "Thank you." The man piped up after clearing his throat and offering a fleeting awkward smile to the students who said nothing in return. He shifted on the spot once again before his eyes fell to Master Hamir who had been silently reading his book, offering a short word or two to Emilia as she waited for Mordo.

 "Oh, thank you." He uttered again as another student handed over a fresh cup of honey and lemon tea, "Thank you, Ancient One... for seeing..." He trailed off as Master Hamir stood and walked away without a word, leaving Emilia to quietly laugh into her tea.

 "You're very welcome." The Ancient One called from beside Emilia, placing a light hand to the woman's shoulder as her own lips tugged upwards at the newcomer's mistake.

 The rugged-looking man threw a wide-eyed look over his shoulder, only for Mordo to pat the man's back and breeze past him, gesturing respectfully to the Sorcerer Supreme, "The Ancient One."

 Emilia cocked her head, scanning her eyes over the stranger once more, wondering what Mordo saw within the man to bring him to the Kamar-Taj... Especially since he had already made a bit of a fool of himself by assuming who the Ancient One was.

 Despite the confused look upon the stranger's face, he moved forward and offered a tight smile to the Ancient One as she held out a hand to shake, "Mister Strange." The Ancient One greeted.

 The man blinked, the corner of his lips tipping downwards as agitation settled in his features, "Doctor, actually." He corrected before bringing the cup of tea to his dry lips, relishing in how it quenched his thirst and soothed his throat.

 "Well, no, not anymore surely. Isn't that why you're here?" The Ancient One countered as she clasped her hands behind her back, allowing a small smile to rest upon her lips, "You've undergone many procedures. Seven, correct?"

 Emilia blinked in shock before turning her attention back to Strange. Now that she looked closer, it was quite obvious why he was at the Kamar-Taj; his hands. Long pink scars ran down each of them, trailing across his fingers, and they were shaking like leaves in the wind.

 His entire profession, his life had been stolen by whatever had done the damage to his hands... he probably felt, well, angry and frustrated as all hell. Emilia did; being terrified of herself and what she could do prevented her from returning to science; it prevented her from seeing her only friend.

 The man stuttered for a second, and settled on a tight hum, "Good tea." His gaze once again drifted to Emilia as she cleared her throat and stood, making her way towards the tray that held the steaming teapot.

 Without uttering a word, she poured the liquid into two cups; one for herself and one for the Ancient One. With a lazy smile, she handed one to the Sorcerer Supreme who thanked her with a tip of the head, and Emilia looked back to Strange, waiting for whichever question he'd spout first.

 He didn't disappoint. "Did you heal a man named Pangborn?"

 "In a way." The Ancient One hummed, taking a slow sip of the tea.

 "You helped him walk again."

 "Yes."

 "How did you correct a complete C7-C8 spinal cord injury?" Strange almost yelled, his voice growing stronger as he grew closer. The mere thought of learning such information, how to reconfigure a spine and have it return to normal... he'd be able to save his hands, he'd be able to get his life back. That was all he cared about.

 "Well, I didn't correct it... He couldn't walk. I convinced him that he could."

 Emilia could almost see steam coming from the strangers head, his cheeks were obviously flustered in either anger at the lack of information or perhaps just utter irritation. His shaking fingers twitched by his side, the others tapping lightly against the teacup in his hand.

 He scoffed, shaking his head as he spoke, "You're not suggesting it was psychosomatic?"

 "When you reattach a severed nerve, is it you who heals it back together or the body?

 "It's the cells."

 "And the cells are only programmed to put themselves together in very specific ways."

 Emilia, whilst the two were having the discussion that she herself once had with the Ancient One, slowly padded her way back to her seat and silently sipped on her tea. The two continued on, back and forth with questions and answers, answers that never seemed to satisfy the man who had come in the hopes of a miracle.

 But oh when the Ancient One pulled out a book and showed the increasingly arrogant man a very specific image. An image that Strange did not enjoy. He scoffed and turned his face to the side as he shook it, utter disbelief and annoyance carving into his skin.

 The Ancient One, much like Emilia, smiled and cocked her head, "Don't like that map?"

 "Oh, no. It's... it's very good. It's just...you know," Strange began before rolling his eyes at the complete and utter lunacy, "I've seen it before. In gift shops."

 Another page was turned, "And what about this one?"

 "Acupuncture, great."

 Emilia ran her tongue over her teeth, wondering if she had once acted like the man before her, scoffing at anything that wasn't fact and science. From what she could remember, she had heaved a breath and offered an eye roll of her own... before coming to the conclusion that she was desperate. With that, she let go of ego, facts, and anything that would hinder her; it was the best decision she'd ever made.

 The Ancient One flipped to another page and pointed to the picture printed on the paper, "What about... that one?"

 Strange's nostrils flared, his jaw tight as he bit out his words, "You're showing me an MRI scan? I can not believe this."

 "Each of those maps was drawn up by someone who could see in part, but not the whole."

 "I spent my last dollar getting here on a one-way ticket, and you're talking to me about healing through belief?"

 The Ancient One flicked her gaze to Emilia, recalling just how easy it was to break through to the woman who cowered upon the sight of a mirror... This man before was the opposite. His arrogance blinded him, it kept him from looking at the whole, "You're a man who's looking at the world through a keyhole, and you spent your whole life trying to widen that keyhole. To see more, know more. And now, on hearing that it can be widened in ways you can't imagine, you reject the possibility?"

 "No, I reject it because I do not believe in fairy tales about chakras, or energy, or the power of belief. There is no such thing as spirit!" He yelled, waving his arms about like a mad man, the empty teacup threatening to jump from his grasp, "We are made of matter, and nothing more. You're just another tiny, momentary speck within an indifferent universe.

 A single glance to the side told Emilia just how Mordo was feeling about bringing the man to the Kamar-Taj. Regret tugged his lips towards the ground and kept his back straight and tense. He'd clearly believed this man to be better... why exactly, Emilia couldn't fathom.

 She understood the scepticism, she truly did, for leading a life that relied so heavily on fact, medicine and things that had been proven... it changed people, closed their minds to the unimaginable.

 She almost felt sorry for him.

 The Kamar-Taj, if the man allowed it, would teach him so much about the world, and about himself. He'd learn things he could never even dream of, he'd be able to go back to helping people, in more ways than before. And yet his ego rendered him unmovable.

 "You think too little of yourself." The Ancient One spoke, further angering the man before her.

 His face was radiating heat, a vibrant red tinging his high cheekbones, "Oh, you think you see through me, do you? Well, you don't. But I see through you!!!"

 Just as the man jabbed the Sorcerer Supreme in her shoulder, she simply grasped his hand and struck him in the chest with her palm, all with a stoic expression.

 As the man's body, separated from his soul, slowly began to fall backwards, Emilia stood. With an airy sigh and a quick wipe of her palms on robes, she made her way towards the falling body; finally catching a closer glimpse of the man's face.

 Her gentle touch cradled the back of his head and slowly moved to bring him upright as the Ancient One raised a palm and closed her fist, forcing Strange's astral form back to his physical body.

 A heavy gasp erupted from the man who stumbled forth before Emilia grabbed his arm to steady him. His eyes darted around as though he was nothing but a wild, cornered animal, "What did you do to me?"

 The Ancient One looked entirely unbothered. From the insults to the jab upon her shoulder, and now the look of utter bewilderment that swam within Strange's ocean-blue eyes. She shrugged, "I pushed your astral form out of your physical form."

 "What's in that tea? Psilocybin? LSD?"

 Emilia couldn't quite contain the small bark of laughter then slipped from her lips upon the man's words, "It's just tea... a little honey and lemon, but just tea. No... LSD."

 He scrutinised her for a moment before she sniffed and raised a brow. His mind was racing from what had happened, it was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Being able to see through his own trembling hands, to being able to see the slow-motion fall of his physical body, "What just happened?"

 "For a moment, you entered the astral dimension." The Ancient One responded, rather akin to the way one would respond to a question about the weather. "A place where the soul exists apart from the body."

 "Why are you doing this to me?"

 To Emilia, the answer to that question was glaringly obvious. The Ancient One was trying to open his mind to the possibility. She was trying to show him the whole, rather than the tiniest picture he kept his mind focused on.

 "To show you just how much you don't know." The Ancient One spoke, peering into his eyes as she placed her hand upon his temple, searing skin meeting her palm as she moved her thumb to the centre of his forehead "Open your eye."

 His eyes glazed over, and within a second his knees buckled causing Emilia to sigh and bring a chair to set him down on. She carefully propped his limp form on the chair as best she could before looking up to the Ancient One, "You think this'll work?"

 "He's not as unmovable as he might seem." She hummed in response, her hands once again behind her back as she paced back and forth, "I recall you rejecting our ways, once upon a time."

 "It's a bit... much to take in at first; magic, sorcery, healing. Though I will say, he took it far worse than I thought."

 "I believed he would be accepting." Mordo sighed, causing Emilia to frown. He noticed the look and quickly straightened up, "His heart rate is getting dangerously high."

 With a single movement from the Sorcerer Supreme, Strange was flung back into his body, almost falling to the ground if it were not for Emilia grasping his shoulders. She peered into his crazed eyes and with a rather sly grin, she looked over his shoulder and shrugged at the Ancient One, "He looks fine to me."

 And back he went. No doubt tumbling through something that truly did look like an LSD trip; Emilia could remember when the Ancient One had hurtled her through some kind of dimension filled with colours that made both her head and stomach spin.

 "You think you know how the world works? You think that this material universe is all there is? What is real? What mysteries lie beyond the reach of your senses? At the root of existence, mind and matter meet. Thoughts shape reality. This universe is only one of an infinite number. Worlds without end. Some benevolent and life-giving, others filled with malice and hunger. Dark places, where powers older than time lie... ravenous... and waiting. Who are you in this vast multiverse, Mr. Strange?" The Ancient One spoke as she continued to pace on bare feet, her white robes delicately swishing with each movement before she finally moved forth and took Emilia's place before the man.

 He toppled forward, no arms waiting to steady him. The chair he'd been slumped on fell to the side with a harsh clatter that mingled with the forceful breaths that escaped Strange's hunched form.

 The Ancient One tilted her head as she stared down at the man still panting with his face to the ground, "Have you seen that before in a gift shop?"

 Emilia stood with bated breath as he looked up at them with amazement clouding the crashing waves within his eyes, he held up his hands, each one trembling as though the coldest of winters had just blown through, "Teach me"

 "No."

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06-06-2021

so, finally chapter one has been released; i'm not sure how fast updates will come as i'm trying to pre-write a little for this, and i've not had the best health this week; but either way, this book is no longer labelled as 'coming soon'. i hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and i can't wait to share more with you.