Something had indeed gone wrong.
When Wong returned to the Kamar-Taj library, his face darkened instantly.
Mordo was also in the library.
Because right now, lying on the central table was a corpse.
The librarian, Joseph, had been brutally murdered—and within the heavily guarded Kamar-Taj, no less—his death utterly gruesome.
Even in his final moments, he'd still been protecting the books on the table.
"Who did this?"
Wong's expression was beyond grim.
As one of Kamar-Taj's librarians, Joseph had been a close friend of his.
Though they didn't see each other often, their bond had always been strong.
"Don't know."
"The warning array didn't trigger."
Mordo shook his head, a sorrowful look crossing his face.
He and Joseph weren't exactly bosom buddies, but after all these years, they weren't just friends—they were more like family.
"So, it was an inside job?"
Wong could hardly believe it.
The warning array was an alarm for outsider intrusions into Kamar-Taj—once triggered, the whole place would shift into battle mode.
But it hadn't gone off.
That left one possibility.
Someone from within.
"Can't say for sure—after all, if someone bypassed the warning array, they could still show up here."
Mordo shook his head, offering another theory.
The odds were slim, but not zero—just a matter of probability.
"Master Hamir, notify everyone in Kamar-Taj."
"Assemble!"
On the other side, when Ronan and the Ancient One returned to Earth from the Dark Dimension, a faint sense of rejection suddenly welled up in Ronan's chest.
Instinctively, he moved to resist it with dark energy.
But the Ancient One placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"Don't rush—it's Earth's will rejecting Dark Dimension beings."
"The first time I went to the Dark Dimension, I experienced the same thing."
The Ancient One's voice rang out.
"Alright, Teacher—what should I do then?"
Ronan immediately reined in the dark energy in his body.
Right now, he could feel that all the mana he'd once had was fully converted into dark energy.
In other words, aside from his consciousness still being human—and maybe his body too—in every other way, he was pretty much a Dark Dimension creature.
No doubt the Ancient One, who'd sustained herself with dark energy for years, was the same.
"No need to do anything—just let time pass, and the dark energy on your surface will fade."
"Of course, I'll still cast a purification spell on you."
"After all, the dark energy in you is way more than I've got."
The Ancient One smiled, a wave of energy flowing from her hand, traveling from Ronan's shoulder through his entire body.
That faint rejection vanished in an instant.
"See, Teacher—you're the best. I wouldn't even know about this stuff otherwise."
"So, don't think about retiring so soon—wait for me a bit longer."
Ronan twisted his neck—he felt amazing right now.
Way better than before.
The Ancient One just smiled, saying nothing.
But in her eyes, a rare flicker of reluctance appeared.
Ronan—maybe the time really had come.
The Ancient One glanced at the cave wall, though her gaze seemed to pierce through it, through the barriers of time itself.
She'd seen her own end more than once, but it always seemed different.
Life, death, or something else—she could accept any outcome calmly.
"Teacher? Teacher?"
Ronan called out twice.
He rarely saw the Ancient One zone out like this.
She turned her face, glanced at Ronan, then opened a Sling Ring portal.
"Let's go—we're heading back."
With that, she stepped through first, leaving Ronan with just her back.
Ronan blinked, then shrugged.
Maybe women of any age just had these random little mood swings?
So, he could only follow behind the Ancient One through the portal.
When he emerged again, he was back at Kamar-Taj.
Right now, Kamar-Taj was a total mess.
The plaza was already packed with people, but more were still rushing in from all directions.
It looked like… a revolt?
Cough, cough, cough.
"Master Ancient One, Master Ronan—you're finally back."
When the running sorcerers spotted the Ancient One and Ronan, relief washed over their faces.
A few even let out long breaths, like they'd been freed.
"What's… going on with you all?"
"Did Wong and Mordo put you through some hellish training or something?"
Ronan scanned the chaotic scene, curiosity piqued.
Kamar-Taj hadn't been like this in years.
"Librarian Master Joseph died in the library."
One of the sorcerers dropped a bombshell that left Ronan reeling.
Joseph was dead?
And in Kamar-Taj's library, no less?
Had Kamar-Taj been infiltrated by someone targeting the library?
Or…
Wait!
Suddenly, Ronan thought of something.
No way…
He glanced at the Ancient One, only to find her looking back at him.
Her meaning was clear—you're right.
"Master Mordo, we've confirmed—Master Kaecilius and the few sorcerers following him aren't at Kamar-Taj."
"But someone claims they saw them this morning."
Just then, a voice called out from nearby.
That news cemented what Ronan suspected.
Kaecilius had defected, killed the librarian, and torn out pages from a book.
That book? The Book of Cagliostro—a tome about time, the Dark Dimension, and more.
"Supreme One."
Wong and Mordo hurried over.
"Kaecilius?"
The Ancient One nodded, as if she already knew the culprit.
"Exactly—Kaecilius and his followers killed Joseph, ripped pages from the Book of Cagliostro, and took them."
"He's betrayed Kamar-Taj!"
Wong's face was grim—Joseph had been a dear friend for years.
Their bond stretched back longer than Ronan had even been alive.
"I see. Inform the three Sanctums to stay on high alert."
"Kaecilius knows some insider details—our top priority is protecting the Sanctums to fend off a Dark Dimension invasion."
The Ancient One issued her first order.
Wong nodded and left to carry it out.
"No one else leaves lately—avoid running into Kaecilius and his group. Your strength doesn't match his."
"Mordo, send someone to double-check the library's books—see if anything else is missing."
The Ancient One turned to Mordo.
Mordo nodded, bowed to her, and led a few others back into the library.
"I'll handle tracking him down. Ronan, you take care of Master Joseph's body and notify his daughter."
"I recall he has a daughter in college—help arrange his affairs."
Ronan got his task too.
But he hesitated, then spoke up: "Teacher, let me go after Kaecilius."
"After all, I'm more familiar—"
He'd meant to say with the Dark Dimension, but the Ancient One shook her head, cutting him off.
"No, he's my disciple. Retrieving those pages and killing him is my responsibility."
"As his teacher and the Sorcerer Supreme, it's my duty."
Without waiting for Ronan to argue, she opened a Sling Ring portal and vanished from Kamar-Taj again.
Watching her fade away, Ronan couldn't help but shake his head.
Not overthinking it, he grabbed two sorcerers and headed into the library.
When he stepped inside, Mordo was standing off to the side, staring blankly at Joseph's body.
Joseph had just one wound—a single stab through the back to the heart.
Though Kamar-Taj sorcerers had tougher bodies than regular folks, fatal spots didn't change.
One strike, and Joseph hadn't had time to react.
"Joseph was a good man."
"Maybe he never imagined that in a place full of good people like Kamar-Taj, someone would stab him in the back."
Looking at Joseph's body, Mordo seemed to be talking to himself.
"No organization is full of just people—even in Kamar-Taj's history, plenty of sorcerers couldn't resist Mephisto or Dormammu's temptations, turning from Earth's protectors into their puppets."
"All you can say is—people change."
Ronan sighed—he'd once jokingly warned Wong and Joseph.
Told them to watch out for danger from behind.
But clearly, Joseph hadn't taken it to heart.
Maybe, like Mordo said, he never thought he'd get backstabbed?
"Even the Supreme One can't see through human nature's shifts?"
Mordo looked up at Ronan.
There seemed to be a point behind his words.
But Ronan gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"The Sorcerer Supreme is just human—not a god."
"Gods can see through someone's nature, but mortals can't."
"Maybe some start off kind, but after certain experiences, their hearts twist—there's plenty of cases like that."
"That's why humans are so hard to figure out."
Maybe it was Ronan's words that convinced him—Mordo's angry glare softened.
It slowly calmed down.
"Yeah, ever since you showed your talent, Kaecilius has been in a really unbalanced state."
"I know what he's thinking—maybe he felt he was more gifted than you."
"But Master Ancient One picked you as her successor."
Mordo looked at Ronan again, no blame in his eyes.
Because he knew this had nothing to do with Ronan.
Ronan was exceptional—crazy talented—even Mordo had been jealous once.
But Mordo quickly realized he couldn't measure up, so he adjusted his mindset.
Kaecilius couldn't.
"Maybe it's that pride of his that made Teacher hesitant to hand Kamar-Taj over to him."
"Kamar-Taj's duty is to stay hidden on Earth, protecting its safety."
"If Kaecilius became Sorcerer Supreme, it might not take long for Kamar-Taj to turn into a terrorist group."
"And an unbeatable one at that."
Ronan sighed—not out of pity for Kaecilius, just that Joseph shouldn't have died like this.
Mordo nodded—he agreed with Ronan on that.
He knew what kind of guy Kaecilius was.
Even if the Ancient One wanted to groom him as Kamar-Taj's next leader, Mordo probably wouldn't have followed him.
"Help me check on Joseph's daughter."
"Try to frame Joseph's death…"
"A little more heroically."
"His daughter really looks up to him as a father."
Mordo met Ronan's eyes, a plea shimmering in his gaze.
Ronan's heart felt a jumble of emotions.
"I got it—don't worry."
With that, Ronan patted Mordo's shoulder, signaling him not to dwell too much.
Right now, Wong probably needed the most comfort, but the Ancient One had given him the busiest job.
Maybe she figured only heavy work could distract Wong from his grief for now.
"Oh, and if you're done checking, try tracking Kaecilius."
"If you can't find him, look for his followers."
Ronan seemed to remember something.
"Didn't Master Ancient One go after him?"
"You don't think—"
Mordo looked at Ronan, surprised.
Did Ronan think she'd let Kaecilius off?
But Ronan shook his head.
"They're a group—they might not all stick together, so I'm worried they'll split up and run."
"And their goal's clear—summoning the Dark Dimension's power to invade Earth."
"If even one slips away, it's a huge risk for Earth."
"So, we should prep ahead."
Ronan thought it over—he didn't think the Ancient One would let Kaecilius go this time.
The reason was simple.
In the 616 universe, that happened because she wanted to train Strange and find a chance to retire.
But in this universe, Ronan didn't need training, and the Ancient One couldn't retire yet.
Not until Ronan finished that plan, at least.
That's why he had this hunch.
Still, just to be safe, Ronan decided to investigate.
If Dormammu really made it to Earth, it'd pretty much be game over.
More importantly, deep down, Ronan's real hope was that the Ancient One wouldn't catch Kaecilius.
Then he could step in.
Wong was his best friend—his friend's friend got killed. If Ronan didn't act, he'd be letting Wong down.
So…
Kaecilius's fate was already sealed.