"Want to leave? Too late!!"
Alaric appeared before Mordo almost out of nowhere, as if he had teleported.
"A-Alaric! Just hear me out! It's all a misunderstanding!"
Mordo was so shocked by his sudden appearance that the color drained from his face, and his words tangled together.
"Oh, of course. I'll listen carefully."
Alaric looked at him with a slight smirk, raised his hand, and tapped his fingers lightly. The space around them immediately distorted, shattered like glass, and sealed them within the dimension of reflections.
The young mage who had come to deliver the message only managed to see the two of them vanish from reality. He stood frozen, eyes wide in shock.
"Alaric is so terrifying!" he muttered to himself.
"No wonder everyone says that Master Alaric has a terrible temper. Even Master Mordo is afraid to see him!"
He shuddered and quickly turned around. He had to inform the Sorcerer Supreme immediately.
---
In the Kamar-Taj hall, Wong sat restlessly in front of the Ancient One. His hands were on his knees, and his gaze wandered around the room.
He knew that Alaric had returned, and that did not make him happy. The rumors had already flooded all of Kamar-Taj, stories that he, Mordo, and Daniel had supposedly spread lies about Alaric.
And he, poor soul, hadn't even meant to.
One evening, they had simply been sitting and talking about Alaric, about his crazy training and experiments, when someone had overheard them. Apparently, the words spread from mouth to mouth, each version worse than the last.
Someone even said that Alaric was the "reincarnation of a demon" and that the only reason he was still alive was because the Ancient One kept him under control.
When Wong and Daniel first heard that nonsense, they just stared blankly at each other.
Reincarnation of a demon? What does that even mean?!
And then they realized, they were talking about Alaric!
It probably all started the day they mentioned that Alaric was capable of summoning the power of the Vishanti. It seemed some people had interpreted that as literally summoning the deity itself.
And that's how rumors are born. Those who know the truth, laugh and walk away, while the newcomers, eager to believe in sensations, spread it as if it were the most important news.
The Ancient One, as usual, didn't explain anything.
"Sorcerer Supreme," said Wong quietly, "don't you think we should do something? If Alaric gets angry…"
"What are you afraid of?" The Ancient One calmly took a sip of tea. "He won't do anything foolish."
Wong remained silent.
Of course, as a mage of Kamar-Taj, he knew that Alaric wasn't evil, but he also knew that when darkness clouded his mind, everything became unpredictable.
If he now remembered that incident with Mordo…
There wouldn't be enough of him left for even his mother to recognize.
That's why Wong decided that the best thing he could do was stay close to the Ancient One. If Alaric did show up, at least someone would be there to stop him.
---
In the mirror dimension, where space constantly fractured and repeated itself, Mordo stood frozen, trying to keep his distance.
"Alaric!! Listen to me! Everything's been misunderstood!"
Alaric just laughed, stepping closer and closer.
"I don't want to listen! I don't want to listen!"
"Please, just not the face!"
Mordo tried to dodge, his hands flailing helplessly in the air. He, the teacher of new mages, the pride of Kamar-Taj, now running like a student caught cheating on an exam.
How could anyone respect him again if Alaric beat him up in front of everyone?!
"I'm trying to explain—"
"Try this!"
"Aaaaaaaah!!"
The sound of his scream shattered the silence of the mirror world, and the reflection of light danced across the fragments of broken reality.
---
After some time, the two of them emerged from the mirror world.
"Comfortable!"
Alaric clapped his hands.
Behind him, Mordo lowered his head, covered his face, and didn't say a word.
"First, go to the Sorcerer Supreme and wait for me there. I'll come when I'm done."
"Alright!" Mordo, barely holding himself together, nodded.
Alaric opened his all-seeing eyes and first searched for Wong. He realized that Wong was in the Ancient One's chambers, which led him to conclude that this man knew very well where to be.
The Ancient One, who had been sitting with her eyes closed, calming her mind, suddenly opened them. She felt a curious but familiar pressure. She knew immediately, it was Alaric.
She looked at Wong and realized that Alaric was searching for him.
The Ancient One merely shook her head. This young man was quite vengeful.
Wong looked confused.
Alaric had no choice but to decide to find Daniel first.
"Hm? Does the architecture of this place seem familiar to you?"
He looked around. It looked like the New York temple, but the details were different. There was only one explanation, it was one of the other temples.
"Hm, still trying to run away?"
Alaric teleported using telepathy.
When he left, Mordo slowly started toward the hall. On the way, he covered his face with his hand and hurried forward under the curious gazes of other students.
Even when someone spoke to him, he only nodded, not daring to speak or stop.
Then, in the hallway, he saw Wong.
"Why are you here!?" shouted Mordo.
"You… did you… get beaten up?" Wong asked hesitantly, glancing at Mordo's face under his hand.
"Beaten up..." Mordo sighed and lowered his hand.
Wong's jaw dropped when he saw his swollen face, which looked more like a pig's head than a human's. His body trembled from shock.
Mordo's current appearance was enough to frighten anyone.
"That's right, you can't run away." Mordo nodded, clearly resentful.
Wong immediately looked toward the Ancient One, seeking help. But he saw only the corner of her lips twitch, she was trying not to laugh.
"Sorcerer Supreme, don't be like that," said Wong bitterly.
"If you weren't so weak against punches, we wouldn't be in this situation now."
When the Ancient One looked at Mordo's face, she really had to restrain herself from bursting out laughing.
Deep down, she believed that her disciples sometimes needed a little push.
As the Sorcerer Supreme, she couldn't just punish her students without reason.
Most of the time, they competed using magic, and though they were all skilled, they had grown too comfortable and complacent in their peaceful lives.
But fortunately, Alaric had arrived.
His arrival was like a wolf entering a flock of sheep. At first, he seemed like just another student, but as soon as he began learning magic, it became clear to everyone, Alaric was out of their league.
In all of Kamar-Taj, aside from the Ancient One, no one could match his talent.
His presence had shaken the others awake. Mordo, Wong, and even Daniel, who had only recently replaced Alaric on guard duty, began training with renewed determination.
Everyone knew they would never reach Alaric's level, but at least they could strive to get closer.
Their strength grew, and Alaric, whether they admitted it or not, inspired them.
Kamar-Taj had changed, now everyone studied seriously and without slacking.
"We can take a punch…" Wong muttered, somewhat bitterly.
Mordo nodded.
"If you can handle that, then why are you afraid to face Alaric? Are you afraid of me too? Or perhaps of the Vishanti themselves?"
Wong lowered his gaze. "... I was wrong."
Mordo also sighed. "I was wrong too."
"Instead of apologizing to me," said the Ancient One calmly, "you should ask yourselves why you practice magic at all."
"Of course, to protect Earth!" Wong replied firmly.
"To defend against unknown magical threats!" added Mordo.
"In that case," said the Ancient One in a serious tone, "then don't be afraid to face Alaric. If one day he himself becomes a threat, and you don't have the courage to stand against him, then what's the point of all this?"