Wong had been a sorcerer for many years now. Long enough that his composure had been tempered, folded, and reforged by routine crisis until it resembled something befitting a Master of the Mystic Arts.
He liked to think so, anyway.
Unfortunately, fate enjoyed testing that belief.
"Oh. Truly, you would track it like this," Kaecilius said, his voice smooth and faintly amused. "On foot."
"We need to ensure he doesn't flee," Mordo snapped. "A sweep is the correct method."
"If we do it your way, we'll be wandering the forest for hours."
"And if we do it your way, we alert every ward within a mile."
They continued like that as they pushed through the trees, boots crunching softly over fallen leaves. Wong kept his expression neutral and resisted the urge to sigh, though it was a near thing.
He respected both men. They were among the finest Masters Kamar-Taj had to offer, each in their own way. He had no issue working with either of them alone.
Together was another matter entirely.
"You want to cast Vishanti's Eye and scan the entire forest," Mordo said, disdain sharp in his tone, "and dawdle while our quarry leaves."
"And you would have us blunder directly into another sorcerer's sanctum," Kaecilius shot back, "by trudging along like we're deaf and dumb."
Water and oil. Mordo was tradition embodied, every rule memorized and honored. Kaecilius was curiosity given form, always probing the edge of what should not be done. Both were valuable. Both deserved respect.
Dealing with them at the same time was exhausting.
Wong nearly sighed aloud, then caught himself. He was here to mediate—especially with the strange young man trailing behind them, eyes flicking between the two Masters like he was watching an afternoon soap opera.
He cleared his throat. "Perhaps a compromise."
Both Mordo and Kaecilius turned toward him, equally reluctant. The discussion that followed was tense, clipped, and uncomfortably familiar, but Wong eventually forced something workable out of them.
Mordo would circle wide, surveilling the surrounding area for escape routes and false trails. Wong, Kaecilius, and Jack would follow the residual traces Kaecilius had identified deeper into the woods.
Once separated, the forest felt quieter.
Kaecilius moved ahead with his senses extended, posture intent. Wong kept pace beside him while Jack followed a step behind, hands in his pockets, trying very hard not to look bored.
"Is there a reason we're not just portaling around?" Jack asked after a while.
"Sling rings leave a noticeable energy signature," Wong replied.
Jack nodded. "Ah. We'd basically be a lighthouse."
"Yes," Kaecilius said without looking back. "And more than that, our quarry is skilled. This isn't the work of a panicked amateur."
He stopped abruptly and knelt, brushing aside a thick patch of moss at the base of a tree.
Dark symbols stared back at them.
Wong scowled. Eldritch carvings spiraled into the bark, pulsing faintly with power. He didn't recognize the language, but he didn't need to. The geometry alone told him enough.
A masterwork.
Even brushing it with his senses made his skin crawl.
Kaecilius leaned closer, fingers hovering as he analyzed the spell. "A potent ward."
"What does that mean for us?" Jack asked.
"That the likelihood of this being simple corruption or madness has all but vanished," Kaecilius said. "This requires intent. Skill. Knowledge."
"So maybe the necklace had some preloaded spells or something?" Jack offered.
"Half right," Kaecilius replied. With a flick of his hand, the illusion peeled back, revealing dozens—then hundreds—of similar wards layered through the forest, overlapping like a lattice. "The artifact is casting the spells. Or rather—"
"Something is casting through it," Wong finished, his jaw tightening.
"Possession," Kaecilius agreed.
Jack grimaced. "Should I get a bible?" He raised his hands theatrically. "You guys about to go full 'the power of Christ compels you'?"
There was a pause.
"What?" Jack asked.
"Wait, you've never seen The Exorcist?"
"Uh…" Wong hesitated, then stopped himself.
"It is quite a famous film. And book," Kaecilius added, sounding mildly bemused as he glanced back.
Wong felt a flicker of embarrassment creep up his spine. He coughed into his hand and straightened. "I am aware of its existence."
Kaecilius chuckled softly. "Regardless, no. We will not be banishing anything with the power of Christ. Wong and I both know several purification spells far more effective than theatrical shouting."
They moved on, Kaecilius leading them deeper into the woods. Or what should have been deeper.
After several minutes, the terrain began to feel unpleasantly familiar.
"Hm," Kaecilius murmured, slowing. "Fascinating. It seems the wards triggered without us directly interacting with them."
"We're looping," Wong said, eyes narrowing as he traced the repeating pattern in the trees and the barely visible glyphs etched into their bark. "Can you break it?"
"Perhaps," Kaecilius said thoughtfully. "But not quickly. By the time I unwind the lattice, our quarry will have fled."
Jack glanced between them. "Any other options?"
"We could brute force it," Kaecilius replied. "But breaking each ward individually would be dangerous. Excessive energy expenditure, and—" He rapped his knuckles against a nearby tree. "—they reinforce the material. These trunks are as hard as steel."
Jack's expression brightened. "So if I just smash them, we'll find the bastard."
Kaecilius blinked. "What do you mean?"
Wong felt the realization land a half second too late. "Kaecilius," he said calmly, "step back."
Jack rolled his shoulders. "Blessing."
A faint glow washed over him, subtle but dense. He drew in a deep breath, and Wong swore he heard distant thunder answer it.
Then Jack vanished.
The sound came first—a deep, resonant impact, like a struck gong. Wong turned just in time to see a fist buried in the trunk of a tree, dark magic flaring as the ward absorbed the force. The barrier held for a heartbeat.
Then another blow struck the same spot.
The ward shattered. The tree split apart.
That was all it took.
Jack became a blur of motion, lightning snapping through the forest as he tore through reinforced trunks and pulverized ward after ward with his bare hands. Each impact echoed, thunder rolling as the spell lattice collapsed in sequence.
Even for a sorcerer, it was a wild sight.
Wong allowed himself a small, private satisfaction at the shock frozen on Kaecilius's face as master-crafted wards were dismantled by brute force.
"What is he…?" Kaecilius breathed.
"What," Wong replied dryly, "you didn't know?"
The thunder faded. Jack reappeared beside them, stretching his arms. "Ah. That was fun."
The last of the wards dissolved, and both Wong and Kaecilius felt it at once. The space ahead—once obscured—snapped into clarity.
They moved forward.
The forest bent. Trees repeated at impossible angles, shadows folding over themselves. The air thinned, like stepping through a veil.
The world shifted.
They emerged into a pocket dimension that felt ancient, as though they had stepped a thousand years into the past. Dense flora and unfamiliar fauna filled the space, vibrant and untamed, preserved outside of time.
Kaecilius let out a low sound of appreciation. "Elegant construction."
"Reckless," Wong muttered. "Anchoring a space like this so close to the material world is dangerous."
That, more than anything else, unsettled him.
Kaecilius looked fascinated. Jack looked impressed.
Wong adjusted his grip on his staff and exhaled slowly.
So much for the composure of a master of the mystic arts.
—
The forest stayed quiet.
Logan stayed down a moment longer, listening. When he was sure the weirdos were gone, he pushed himself up and brushed dirt off his jacket.
"Kids couldn't have fucking gone missing on any other day," he muttered.
His eyes flicked back to the spot where they'd disappeared, that strange entryway still hanging there. He didn't like it. He could smell it—something foul wafting from that place—and it pissed him off. This was the kind of mess better left to other people.
Better to walk away.
Charles and Ororo would tell him otherwise.
Logan growled, cursed under his breath, and ran into the portal.
***
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Sorry this ones a bit short work was a bitch.