The Chamber of Truth
Kamar-Taj's deepest hall had no name.
No students entered it unless summoned. No lanterns lit it—only ethereal light from runes older than history itself.
Tonight, the Ancient One stood there with Mark, Wong, and Strange in a silent circle.
She looked weary, older somehow—like the burden of time weighed heavier than usual.
"Dormammu," she said at last, her voice hollow, "is not a name. It is a warning."
The Truth Revealed
She raised her hand, and a swirling window to another dimension unfolded in mid-air.
A burning void.
A realm without time.
A place where thought dissolves and identity corrodes.
"Dormammu is the ruler of the Dark Dimension. He was once a being like us… curious, powerful, hungry. But he fed on dimensions until he became something else."
Stephen stared, breath caught.
Mark's brow furrowed. "You said there were rules to the multiverse. This… thing… breaks them."
Wong, pale but composed, whispered, "He exists outside of cause and effect. Time means nothing to him."
The Bargain of Old
The Ancient One continued.
"When I was young, I glimpsed Dormammu. In desperation, I took energy from his realm to extend my life. A choice I regret, though it gave me the time to prepare… for you."
She looked at Strange, then at Mark and Wong.
"All of you."
"You used his power?" Strange said, horrified.
"I used it so you wouldn't have to."
The Flaw in the Mirror
Stephen stepped forward. "Then why hide it?"
"Because if people believe a god watches them, they give up trying to be better."
Mark asked the question they were all thinking.
"Can he come here?"
The Ancient One closed her eyes.
"He is always trying. Every broken timeline, every reckless sorcerer who dares to warp time, makes a hairline fracture in the dimensional barrier."
Her gaze rested heavily on Strange.
"You didn't just look through the veil. You shouted through it."
A Warning Etched in Fire
She raised her hands again and summoned a burning vision in the air:
Earth swallowed by a churning sky.
Sorcerers burned away by black fire.
Reality melting like wax in Dormammu's wake.
"He consumes. He corrupts. He promises power, and leaves only ruin."
Mark's voice was cold. "Then we stop him."
Wong stepped forward beside him. "Before he finds another way in."
A Road Ahead
The Ancient One nodded.
"You three must walk this road now—together. If Dormammu comes, you will be the front line. And the last."
She turned to Strange.
"Control your ambition. Or you will be the key that opens the door."
The room darkened.
The vision faded.
But the weight of what they'd seen would never leave them.