𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 — the student and the master

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 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐎 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 first to throw himself into the fight, immediately swinging his fists and using his sorcery to fend off two of Kaecilius' disciples.

 Emilia, for the very first time in the face of a fight, didn't falter. She stayed atop the staircase, staring down at Kaecilius as his smile widened; grim teeth on full display. That look alone was enough to make her stomach churn — a man smiling as he sent his people into battle... All for the sake of immortality.

 Emilia rose a hand, pale blue licked at her skin, and the air around her twitching fingers distorted causing Kaecliius to tilt his head, that is, before a vase that had been settled on an oak table hurtled towards him, encased in the very same shade of blue that Emilia's hand was shrouded in.

 That was easy. 

 And those mere words floating inside of Emilia's head shocked her. It had been easy to warp the gravity around the object, feeling every little graviton and forcing them to abide by her wishes; fear had been replaced by anger, her blockade had been cleared... For now, at least.

 Kaecilius was quick to drop to the ground, dark eyes glinting as he craned his head upwards, meeting Emilia's stoic stare, "Another broken weapon of the Sorcerer Supreme?"

 Emilia blinked, the lump in her throat building; that was exactly what she was. The nail had been hit on the head. Her guarded eyes briefly looked back at Stephen, pleading with him to aid them, yet the man remained unmoving.

 Her head bobbed, her tongue poking at her cheek as she pulled her sight away from him, forest-green eyes blinking sullenly before a heavy breath escaped her lungs and parted her lips as she circled her fingers around the railing, copying Mordo and plunging herself into battle; missing the way Stephen finally stepped forth upon watching Emilia plunge herself into the line of fire.

 She could see Kaecilius readying a spell that was likely to blast them all to pieces; she didn't expect anything less from the man who had turned to the dark dimension for power, turning his back on his own world as he let his ambitions and cravings of power overtake any coherent thoughts in his wicked mind.

 She swung punches and swiftly called upon what little power she could control to send objects hurtling at her opponents, yet it was no use. Emilia — and Mordo, for that matter, could barely make their way through the group that guarded Kaecilius.

 His spell was building and a blinding light was beginning to shine before him, it'd be a matter of seconds and neither Emilia, Mordo nor Stephen would be able to continue on. They'd be swallowed by Kaecilius' copious powers.

 Kaecilius' mouth quirked, his gruesome smile filled with malice building before he finally slammed his fist onto the ground, a blinding yellow light surged forth like a shockwave, willing to eat away at any life that dared stand in its way. Yet before it could harm anyone, or distort the world they knew, cracks formed.

 The air around them became nothing more than cracked glass that shattered further, an intricate spiderweb of shattered mirrors growing before them; the mirror dimension.

 Emilia swallowed, her arms falling from before her face as she stared up at Stephen who had finally willed himself to join their fight. The scarlet cloak billowed around him, rippling as though gusts of wind were brushing by as it kept the former surgeon afloat.

 The air contorted, the constellation of shards shifted around them as Stephen slowly lowered to the ground, "The mirror dimension," He stated, his lips twisting upwards as his words echoed throughout the glistening, shattering room, "You can't affect the real world here. Who's laughing now? Asshole."

 Emilia truly wished she could laugh, or perhaps even roll her eyes at the smugness within his smile, yet she couldn't. The mirror dimension was worthless to them amidst such a fight; they were trapped with their enemies. 

 Kaecilius himself simply shrugged, "I am." 

 Intricate movements swiftly followed. The man's arms were moved to and fro, forcing the staircase split into two, the ground shifted beneath their feet, and the ceiling rippled as though it were a puddle beneath a storm.

 "Oh, God," Emilia muttered beneath her breath as she forced herself to turn her eyes away from the sight that teetered and made her stomach lurch uncomfortably. Rather than dwell, Emilia located Mordo and swiftly locked her arms around one of his attacker's neck and squeezed as tightly as she could, allowing her friend to free himself whilst the woman in her arms sank to the ground in a slump, lungs devoid of air.

 Mordo, with a few quick and precise jabs, sent his own opponent backwards, a thankful nod being directed towards Emilia as his chest heaved from the vigorous fight. Emilia looked no different to Mordo; a bead of sweat sat upon her hairline, threatening to fall and settle into her flustered skin.

 A punch thrown from one of Kaecilius' followers had reopened the wound on her chin, blood was steadily flowing and dripping down her neck, mingling with the dirt and dust that had covered her from the assault on the Kamar-Taj. Her knuckles were split, scarlet encasing them as they throbbed painfully.

 "We have to go!" Mordo yelled, his voice reaching Stephens' ears. Neither of them wasted time, for the second Mordo began to move, Emilia joined him and Stephen quickly followed, the Cloak of Levitation billowing out behind him.

 Emilia took the steps of the Sanctum two at a time, her hair fanning out around her as she turned to look at the building, waiting for Stephen to catch up with them. In all honesty, Stephen's decision to lock them all inside the mirror dimension could have worked... If they were facing anybody else.

 But Kaecilius was a sorcerer, just like them, and he harnessed the power of the Dark Dimension, making him far, far stronger than either of the three... Kaecilius wasn't trapped, they were. He could kill them without causing a shred of damage to the world around him, and then, with a single movement, he'd be able to walk free and without consequence.

 It took mere seconds for Stephen to come tumbling out of the Sanctum with his robes swishing around his calves and his cloak jostling in the breeze. He breathed a sigh of relief before he met the concerned eyes of Emilia as he procured the ring he'd stolen from Kaecilius, "They don't have sling rings... So they can't escape right?"

 Emilia opened her mouth to speak, yet quickly clamped her chapped and split lips shut upon seeing their enemies crawling to their feet, her hand snatched Stephens up, and without a word of warning, she tugged him along, pushing Mordo forth with her other, free hand.

 "Stephen, they drew their power from the Dark Dimension... Their connection with the Dark Dimension makes them stronger within the Mirror Dimension." Emilia huffed, hot breath hitting her cool cheeks as she swiftly rounded a corner, feet stumbling against the distorted pathing that Kaecilius twisted like coiling wires.

 Mordo pushed forth, eyes drifting behind him every few steps to ensure his companion's safety, "They can't affect the real world, but they can still kill us... This wasn't clever, this was suicide."

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 The city they struggled to traverse had changed in the most kaleidoscopic of ways; flattened tarmac roads with potholes littered here and there jerked and waved like the fiercest of ocean waves beneath their feet.

 Tall, towering buildings that reflected the sun split and twisted outwards like vines covering a brick wall. They tore into the sky and parted the greying clouds that floated above them.

 It was insanity. Everywhere Emilia had looked was out of place, teetering on the impossible as buildings wove within one another, as bricks of buildings gained a mind of their own and became further obstacles in their path.

 Any time Emilia, Stephen or Mordo had tried to conjure a portal, it simply wavered and fizzled out as their legs tangled and tottered against the rippling city; escaping was impossible, and all they could do was run.

 But nobody could run forever, especially when every passing second within the mirror dimension made Kaecilius and his zealots ever-stronger. Their attacks materialised swiftly, shards of what seemed like glass appeared in their hands before they launched their weapons towards the trio with nowhere to go.

 They had tumbled off buildings, they had been smacked by roads and paths. Stephen had to grab ahold of Emilia once or twice as they swiftly plummeted to what they believed to be their deaths... That is until Emilia's powers had once again awoken without her knowledge and broken her fall with a mere bubble of rippling, distorted blue air.

 It had been a shock to her system, to watch as her unruly abilities softened her fall. The pale blue that had slowly begun to grow had bubbled around her, shattering upon contact with the twisting building as though the distorted shield was nothing but a mere Christmas bauble. 

 Mordo had breathed a laugh, and Stephen's mouth had been agape once their own descent towards the building had ceased, but nonetheless, they all continued to sprint onwards in the hope of escaping Kaecilius' wrath and fury.

 They had eventually been split up. Stephen and his atrocious luck had managed to fall through a hole in a metal staircase. His body had thumped against the ground upon his landing, little to no support to soften his landing. The fall had wasted dire time, and Kaecilius had caught up to him.

 Their chase led them across metal walkways that rattled and shook with every agonising step, threatening to send them plummeting through the air once again. Emilia and Mordo kept up their chase, eyes glued to Kaecilius' back as their enemy pursued their friend.

 Emilia's heart had stuttered painfully behind its cage of bone when Kaecilius drew his space shard once again, the pointed end glinted like a knife in a beam of glistening sunlight, and just moments before it could find a home inside Stephen's neck, the platform he panted and wheezed upon dislodged and drifted him to safety.

 The piece of creaking metal that Emilia and Mordo stood upon shook before it too joined Stephen. The platforms stuttered through the air and gave a clear view of a large, floating circle within the sky.

 The Ancient One stood at its centre. 

 Her yellow robes fluttered around her like beams of dancing sunlight, but they weren't enough to blind the three she had taught and praised so often. Her hood was slack, bunching at her shoulders leaving nothing to obscure the mark that was engraved on her forehead.

 Her throat had bobbed at the look of utter disappointment on her student's faces... And the painting of pure betrayal on Mordo's.

 Emilia's knees felt weak, threatening to crumble. Stephen was right, just as she had begrudgingly believed. The entire time she'd known the Ancient One... Her teacher had been drawing power of her own from the very dimension she shunned.

 Perhaps Emilia was blinded, perhaps her heart was so desperate for someone to care for her and to stay by her side, that she couldn't find herself caring about the mark as much as she surely should have.

 The mark that sat upon the pale skin of her teacher's face was glaring at her, burning a hole into her heart, and yet her face remained the same. Her lips didn't fall down like Stephen's had, her brows didn't pull together in rage like Mordo's had, she was just... Sad, disappointed perhaps.

 But the Ancient One was her mentor. The Sorcerer Supreme had shown her the kind of kindness she didn't deserve. She welcomed Emilia into her home, her teaching grounds and put her own students at risk of her powers, just because she believed Emilia could do something more, could be something more.

 The Ancient One had cared for her; perhaps not in the way her parents had, but even so, Emilia couldn't fathom her leaving. Emilia couldn't bring herself to resent her mentor, no matter how much of a hypocrite she might have been.

 "She does draw power from the Dark Dimension," Mordo said, anger crawling into his words as he scowled at the familiar mark on the Sorcerer Supremes head. His fingers had circled into fists that shook by his side.

 The Ancient One blinked, sadness was swallowed as she faced her former student, the man who had unravelled and revealed her secret, and the man who had abandoned his teachings in order to seek further power and immortal life, "Kaecilius."

 The two circled one another like lions in a pit, tentative steps were taken on either side and Kaecilius tilted his head. His glaring eyes bored into his former teacher, the purple cracks around them shifted as he scowled, "I came to you broken, lost, in need. I trusted you to be my teacher, and you fed me lies."

 "I tried to protect you."

 His lips curled at that, as though a laugh was ready to slip from his lips at her words. "From the truth?"

 "From yourself."

 "I have a new teacher now."

 "Dormammu deceives you. You have no idea of what he truly is." She almost tutted, eyes straying from his and to his zealots for a mere second, "His eternal life is not paradise, but torment."

 Emilia couldn't bring herself to believe her mentor's words, her stomach lurched at such a fact. If her eternal life wasn't the paradise that Kaecilius believed it to be, then why wasn't she torn up? Why did she pursue it herself?  Why didn't she teach her students more about such atrocities?

 It seemed that with every passing second, her words grew weaker, less impactful, and Kaecilus swatted them away like an annoying nat, "Liar." He bit out, spittle flying from his lips.

 Complicated structures continued to move through the air, blocking and revealing the sun with every movement. Emilia — despite the glare of the sunlight that bore into her eyes whenever the structures shifted — couldn't bring her eyes from the confrontation.

 It made her fingers twitch by her side, with every slight movement on her part, the platform she stood upon shifted backwards, as though the Ancient One was keeping her students away from the fight, from her fight.

 What if she lost?

 Emilia knew her mentor's talents well, she had seen the Sorcerer Supreme fight on countless occasions, displaying her magnitude of power... and yet... Kaecilius was determined, and he was strong. It was a dangerous combination.

 Kaecilius, flanked by his two disciples, were the first to move. His followers summoned space shards in the shape of spears and immediately they swung at the woman in yellow. The Ancient One dodged their attacks, she ducked and weaved with grace as she summoned her Tao Mandalas to offer herself a shield.

 Their spears repeatedly stuck the amber shields and sparks flew from them as the Ancient one twisted and turned, knocking her opponents to the ground with swift and precise movements.

 Kaecilius almost growled as he took over. His stance was solid as he approached. He brought his hand high, clenching his fingers into a tight fist before bringing it to the ground with force causing the tiles and brick beneath him to ripple forth, towards the Ancient One.

 The Sorcerer Supreme was no stranger to such a move. The tidal wave of tiles and brick didn't faze her. The Tao Mandala's faded into wisps of golden embers, and with a look of nonchalance, the Sorcerer Supreme brought her own knuckles towards the ground, sending the shockwave back to her former student without a shred of effort on her part.

 Unlike his opponent, Kaecilius was knocked back by the force of the Ancient One's attack. He rolled towards the edge of the floating arena, hands scraping against the ground, tearing at his skin that parted to make way for the flow of crimson blood. Yet he wasn't deterred.

 In a single movement, he was on his knees with a scowl on his downturned lips.

 Emilia swallowed as she watched Kaecilius' disciples rush another attack at her mentor; nothing yet had alluded that the Sorcerer Supreme was tired, or struggling. She countered every attack and shielded herself from the forceful movements of the space shards.

 But it all crumbled when Kaecilius had deemed it necessary to sacrifice one of his own to win the fight.

 The man had rushed forth, a newfound desire gleaming inside of his dark, beady eyes. A craving was settled inside his gut, he'd win, she'd lose. It had been decided. And so, with a gleaming shred of a space shard within his palm, Kaecilius struck forward.

 The shard sliced through his follower who merely gasped at the impact, blood coating the blade before it reappeared on the other side and swiftly lodged itself into the Ancient One's skin.

 The sound of the space shard being pulled back made Emilia's stomach churn. But the sight of two toppling bodies, one being her mentor, made her heart pound. It was like a swarm of bugs had invaded her gut, buzzing and batting against her; she felt sick.

 A noise had escaped her lips, a harsh breath mingled with the beginnings of a scream; and yet it paused and died in her tight throat as Kaecilius craned his head in her direction.

 That smile.

 His smile was wicked; all teeth paired with that look in his eyes, utter insanity... His insatiable appetite was quenched, at long last. The second Emilia lifted a single boot to rush forth — no matter the drop between her and the platform — Kaecilius cocked his head and slammed his foot into the Ancient One's gut. Blood coated the sole of his boot.

 A portal had appeared, and with nothing to stop her, the Ancient One flew through like a ragdoll; a blur of yellow and red was all Emilia could make out before Stephen pulled her to his chest and his cloak carried them both through the portal, Mordo diving through mere seconds later.

 There was a single thought running through Emilia's head, repeating like a mantra; 

Please don't die. Please don't die. Please don't die.

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05-10-2021

happy spooky month!

don't forget to vote and comment for this chapter, and i hope you all enjoyed it!