As Mordo passed on the news that the newly appointed Sorcerer Supreme, Yamanaka Shinno, was going to publicly explain and share his magical theories, a massive wave of excitement swept through Kamar-Taj.
In less than half an hour, the vast training ground of Kamar-Taj became packed with people.
In this era of phones, texts, and messaging apps, word spreads fast.
Not just the few dozen apprentices currently studying at Kamar-Taj showed up.
Hundreds of sorcerers, scattered all over the globe and hidden among ordinary people, returned swiftly to Kamar-Taj through Sling Rings, Sanctum portals, and various other means.
And the number was still growing by the minute.
"How many sorcerers are there in Kamar-Taj?"
Shinno glanced at the increasingly crowded plaza, turning with a bewildered expression to Mordo, Wong, Kaecilius, and the others.
All he'd planned was to casually say a few words to a small group of sorcerers.
Maybe straighten Mordo and Kaecilius out a bit.
But now? Just looking around, the number gathered had to be well over five hundred!
Damn it!
He couldn't just wing it anymore—he had to teach something real now!
"There are 813 officially registered sorcerers across the Three Sanctums," Wong said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "And plenty more who never bothered to register..."
Over the years, anyone who managed to find their way to Kamar-Taj—so long as they weren't malicious or evil, and had a gift for magic—was accepted and taught by the Ancient One.
Some studied for years, some only briefly.
Some graduated and became full-fledged Sanctum sorcerers, standing guard against interdimensional threats.
But many simply returned to ordinary lives.
Mordo had just been worried that a tiny audience would make the new Sorcerer Supreme feel slighted, so he'd shared the announcement in a few practitioner groups.
Who knew this many people would show up?!
There were faces here he hadn't seen in years.
"Well, alright then. Let them all listen."
Shinno waved a hand casually, and his Primordial Domain unfolded, enveloping everyone present.
Leaving a portal to his domain on the Kamar-Taj plaza, he slowly floated into the air as stunned and bewildered sorcerers looked on.
Within the boundless Primordial Domain, enormous stars radiated terrifying power.
The energy of the cosmos flowed beneath everyone's feet like a galactic river.
Streams of brilliant seven-colored light swirled and danced between the stars in an almost dreamlike display. The few sorcerers who recognized what they were seeing were already pale with shock.
This wasn't Mirror Dimension magic.
This was...
A real, independently existing dimensional plane!
"As you can see," Shinno began, "I've taken on the role of Sorcerer Supreme at the Ancient One's request. First off, I'm human. And second, my path is very different from hers. To many of you, I may as well be a dimensional demon god."
He snapped his fingers—using a translation spell learned from King Laufey of the Frost Giants—that converted his fluent Mandarin into a language everyone could understand.
As his voice echoed through the air, the previously silent domain exploded into an uproar.
Shock. Fear. Curiosity. Suspicion.
Expressions ranged from stunned to hostile.
But Shinno didn't respond to the crowd's emotions.
He simply pressed one hand downward.
A wide-area silence spell, one powerful enough to hush even monstrous spirits, instantly fell across the entire group.
And then he continued speaking.
"Vishanti are also dimensional demon gods. I'm sure you're more familiar with them. This is just one path of cultivation. It has nothing to do with good or evil. I assume many of you have seen Dormammu's dimension... So why don't you take a look at mine?"
...
Gradually, the crowd began to settle.
As white magic practitioners, they instinctively disliked dimensional demon gods.
But then again, much of their own magic was borrowed from such beings. Maybe the label wasn't entirely negative.
A dimension is a reflection of the demon god's soul and power.
And this dimension—bright, fantastical, and beautiful—how could it belong to something evil?
Some of the sharper sorcerers were already trembling with excitement.
A lecture from a dimensional demon god—one comparable to the Trinity of Vishanti?!
Even in their wildest dreams, they never imagined something like this.
Seeing that his words had worked, Shinno casually lifted the silence curse from the crowd.
"To me, magic is a formula," he said. "What's a formula? The equation for area, for volume, even the multiplication table—all formulas. The only difference is, magic formulas manipulate energy."
...
With that, Shinno began his lecture.
Everyone sat cross-legged on the ground, listening in absolute focus.
There was no flashy display. No divine lotus blooming beneath his feet.
He simply used the clearest, simplest language possible—something even the least experienced apprentice could grasp—to explain his understanding.
Behind him, golden magical runes hung in the air as he wrote out the Chinese characters for "formula."
He then broke down the spell structure of one of Kamar-Taj's most basic techniques—portal creation—bit by bit, drawing the symbols in mid-air.
"This rune channels your inner magic. This one defines space. This is a memory rune, and this calculates spatial coordinates—used to lock onto your target destination..."
...
From the foundations of magical theory to higher-level spell refinement and real-world applications.
Shinno peeled back the veil and laid the very essence of magic bare for all to see.
Whether or not they understood—that was on them.
He'd simplified it as much as possible. If someone still couldn't get it, then maybe they just weren't cut out for this.
After two solid hours of nonstop explanation—
He moved on from the mechanics of magic to something even deeper: how to walk the path taken by him and the Ancient One.
He, Shinno, carved out a miniature world within himself—melding his concepts and rules with that world, becoming a living embodiment of it.
The Ancient One, by contrast, deciphered the core truths behind magic and its governing rules, then merged herself into the fabric of reality itself.
Over a thousand sorcerers listened in awe.
Their passion for magic surged like never before.
Of course, knowing something and being able to do it are two very different things.
The theories could be found in books. But among this entire crowd, how many could actually touch that level?
Still, they were excited—because they'd seen someone who had done it. For real.
"Now it's time for questions," Shinno said, hovering in mid-air. He looked at the crowd—scribbling frantic notes as if they were holding sacred scripture—but his eyes flicked meaningfully to Kaecilius and Mordo.
"Supreme Sorcerer," Mordo stood up, frowning. "You just said darkness and light, yin and yang—they're all just different expressions of energy. But then... why is the Dark Dimension so evil?"
"It's like this," Shinno replied. "Water is good for fish. Soil is good for plants. Darkness is fertile ground for corrupt thoughts. But pure darkness? That's unconscious. It doesn't think."
"So... it's not the darkness itself, but Dormammu and the demons who are evil?"
"Exactly. And let me give you all some advice: high-level demons and dimensional demon gods will lace their power with twisted, malicious intent. No matter how tempting their offers sound—once you accept, you're nothing but a puppet. Every dream and goal you have will crumble to dust. They don't care about honor or deals."
He smiled, almost meaningfully, as he scanned the crowd.
The audience nodded grimly.
And then Shinno added, with a shift in tone:
"Of course, there's one exception—if you can strip away the consciousness within their power and convert that energy into chaos."
"Chaos? Supreme Sorcerer... you and the Ancient One?"
Mordo suddenly realized what that meant.
"Chaos is the origin of all things," Shinno said with a smirk. "Come on, the guy's the villain—so I'm taking his power. It's for the good of the world, weakening the darkness. If I don't take it, I'd have to slowly grind away at it for who knows how long.
Naturally, if any of you someday gain the ability to do that—both the Ancient One and I would be more than happy to keep Dormammu busy while you go in for a good old-fashioned heist. The weaker the Dark Dimension, the better it is for all of us. Right?"
His slightly shameless tone drew laughter from the crowd.
Mordo blinked in surprise—and then chuckled as well.
Of course. His teacher, the Ancient One—able to steal Dormammu's power, convert it into pure chaos, and weaken him without suffering any backlash...
Now that's the mentor he'd always revered.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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