The ones who make the rules are the first to break them.
Kaecilius's words weren't aimed at just anyone—they were about the Ancient One.
In his mind, the Ancient One had drilled into every sorcerer at Kamar-Taj time and again: Don't mess with the Dark Dimension's creatures.
One touch, and the only outcome is corruption.
But after actually diving into the Dark Dimension himself, Kaecilius had a rude awakening.
The Ancient One—who'd been warning them to steer clear—had been chatting it up with the Dark Dimension all along.
And that wasn't all—she'd been siphoning its energy to stretch out her own lifespan.
That revelation shattered Kaecilius's view of her.
Of course, it also hit him: she could've saved his beloved but chose not to.
Sure, it would've meant using the Dark Dimension's power.
But, uh, didn't she use it too?
Watching Kaecilius fume, Ronan couldn't help but shake his head.
"If you see the teacher as some sneaky lowlife clinging to life with dark energy, you're dead wrong."
"Her goal was never about some flimsy, fleeting existence."
Not that Ronan was just defending her because she was his mentor.
Truth is, if you followed the storyline, she really did roll that way.
Across every parallel universe, whenever Strange—or anyone else set to take up the Sorcerer Supreme mantle—showed up, the Ancient One would check out right on cue.
She'd hand the gig over to Strange or whoever else.
Dying without a shred of hesitation? That proved she'd long had her fill of living.
Maybe as a soul, she could roam the cosmos—even hop between countless parallel universes.
She'd get way more out of that than being stuck on Earth.
Yeah, Ronan used the word "stuck."
To the Ancient One, staying on Earth was no different from being locked up.
With her power and background, did she really need the Dark Dimension to live forever?
Nah, not even close.
Her "big boss" went by the name Eternity.
That name alone tells you who she's rolling with.
If she wanted, she could waltz back to Eternity's side anytime—endless life was the bare minimum perk.
But trapped on Earth, she had a mission: wait for the next Sorcerer Supreme and keep the planet safe.
And human bodies? They all hit an expiration date eventually.
To finish her job, she had to tap the Dark Dimension to keep going.
That's it.
"Hah."
"You so-called 'good guys' and your sanctimonious faces—hilarious."
"You're the ones reaping the rewards, but you won't let anyone else near them."
"Get caught, and you cook up a pile of excuses to force everyone else to just deal with it."
"All the perks are yours, and we're just supposed to nod along, right?"
Kaecilius sneered at Ronan, like he'd already seen through his every thought.
Ronan sighed.
Fair point—if this were anyone else, Kaecilius's rant might hold water.
But pinning it on the Ancient One? That didn't quite fit.
Still, in Kaecilius's eyes, Ronan was already one of those "privileged winners."
So no matter what he said, Kaecilius wouldn't buy it.
"Alright, if there's nothing left to hash out, go ahead."
"You got any hidden aces? Play 'em."
Ronan shrugged. No point in wasting breath when they weren't on the same page.
He'd said his piece—whatever Kaecilius thought next was his own problem.
Kaecilius shot Ronan a look, wondering where that confidence came from.
Sure, Ronan had trounced him earlier with ease, but what Kaecilius had up his sleeve now? It wasn't just about hitting Ronan anymore!
"I figured a while back those two might get squeezed for info."
"And I knew, with your smarts, you wouldn't fall for it that easily."
"No matter which Sanctum, you'd have it locked down tight."
"So, before I ditched Kamar-Taj, I made some preparations."
With that, Kaecilius yanked off his shirt.
Ronan gave him a disgusted side-eye.
Talking's fine, but stripping? What's that about?
It's all dudes here—no one's watching your big shirtless reveal!!
Kaecilius ignored Ronan's look, clapping his hands together and muttering under his breath.
The markings that'd only been on his face started creeping across his upper body.
Purple light flickered faintly over the patterns, and the dark energy stashed inside him erupted all at once!
Boom!
A purple beam shot straight into the sky!
At the same time, bursts of that same purple light exploded from every direction on the street.
In an instant, Ronan's Mirror Dimension shattered under the flood of dark energy pouring in from all sides, dragging them back to the real world.
Weirdly enough, though, not a single civilian was in sight on this street.
With such a dazzling display and a massive surge of dark energy, it didn't take long for the sorcerers on duty at the nearby New York Sanctum to notice.
Led by Wong, they all lined up behind Ronan.
"Handled?"
Wong whispered on the sly.
"Relax, the street's cleared out—cameras are all jammed."
"Even with electromagnetic interference, phones, cameras—all kaput."
Ronan had prepped for everything.
It wasn't time for Kamar-Taj to go public yet. The Avengers alone had the world's nations on edge.
Toss in Kamar-Taj? Things'd get messy fast.
"I've got my end covered too."
"But that light? No hiding it from anyone else."
Wong glanced at the dark energy piercing the clouds and sighed.
Ronan just grinned, lightly tapping his chest.
He'd brought the real deal.
"Witness the power of my lord, Dormammu!"
Kaecilius bellowed, and the sky shifted—winds churned, the earth rumbled.
The ground shook hard, and the sky went pitch-black.
That purple beam seemed to rip open a gateway between the Dark Dimension and Earth. After all these years, Earth was getting reacquainted with an old "friend."
The other sorcerers? They were dumbfounded.
They'd heard tales of the Dark Dimension a million times, but seeing it up close was a first.
Even Wong was shook.
"This is the Dark Dimension?"
Feeling that bone-deep oppressive force, Wong muttered under his breath.
It was his first time facing pressure this intense.
"Wong, man, can you not embarrass me?"
"This little scene's got you this spooked?"
"Don't go calling yourself my right-hand man after this."
Ronan clapped Wong's shoulder, chuckling beside him.
The words were half-mocking, but the gesture soaked up most of the pressure for Wong.
With Ronan's hand on him, Wong instantly felt a load lift.
"Fine, since you're being nice for once, I won't argue."
"But right now, you should deal with that instead of ragging on me about looking bad."
"Looking bad's whatever—I'm more worried about losing my life."
Wong eyed the shifting sky. Between the flickers, he swore he saw a shadowy figure forming.
He'd never seen Dormammu in person—most of what he knew came from books.
Was today gonna break that streak?
"Chill, I've got this."
Ronan let go of Wong's shoulder and stepped to the front of the crew.
At the same moment, his clones finished off Kaecilius's goons, taking up spots on the left, right, and rear of the sorcerer squad.
All three clones, plus Ronan, formed hand seals in sync.
Winds of Watoomb!
Ronan and his clones unleashed the Winds of Watoomb together. Next second, a fierce gust roared up from the ground into the sky.
The mighty wind didn't seem to change much—didn't even nudge the clouds.
But every sorcerer felt it at once:
Relief!
The invisible weight from the Dark Dimension's arrival? Nearly gone.
A faint pressure lingered, but it didn't faze them anymore.
Boom!
A blinding bolt of lightning cracked across the sky.
New York's airspace was now pure darkness.
"Ronan, this is the price for not killing me!"
"It's too late now!"
"My lord's here on Earth. Even if you kill me now, he'll bring me back."
"And when that happens, I'll savor watching you all squirm in agony!"
Kaecilius was borderline unhinged now.
By this point, his mission was done.
He'd stalled Ronan and summoned Dormammu.
He looked real proud of himself.
"And then what?"
"That your last words or something?"
Ronan's face didn't twitch—calm as ever, just watching Kaecilius with mild curiosity.
Like he was genuinely waiting for a dying speech.
Seeing Ronan like that, Kaecilius didn't even get mad for once.
To him, Ronan's cool act was just a desperate flail.
Once Dormammu fully dropped in, the whole planet would get swallowed into the Dark Dimension.
And then…
Thinking of his beloved revived, plus eternal life, Kaecilius closed his eyes.
In that moment, he swore he heard Dormammu's praise.
"Well done."
"My most loyal servant, Kaecilius."
A voice echoed in his ears.
Still lost in his headspace, Kaecilius snapped his eyes open at the sound.
His face lit up with pure excitement!
And the second he opened his eyes, he saw a scene he knew all too well.
This was where he'd first met Dormammu.
The Dark Space!
"My lord, I did it!"
Kaecilius scanned around eagerly, hunting for Dormammu's trace.
"I'm behind you."
The voice came again.
But… it sounded a little off this time.
Kaecilius was too far gone to overthink it, though.
He whipped around instinctively.
Next second, his grin froze solid.
Because he saw a face way more familiar than Dormammu's!
It wasn't Dormammu—it was…
Ronan!
Ronan, decked out in full sorcerer gear, lounged on a massive throne. Leaning back, right leg crossed over left, hands resting on his thighs.
And on his face? A sly, playful smirk.
The way he tilted his head at Kaecilius? Shocking didn't even cover it.
"No, this can't be!"
"It's your illusion!"
Kaecilius's first thought was a trick.
But Ronan didn't bother answering—just kept staring, that cryptic smile still plastered on.
"Yeah, that's it—it's definitely your illusion."
"You can't save Earth anymore, so you dragged me into this fantasy to fool me."
"I see through you—I see through everything!"
Kaecilius was looking a little crazed now.
Ronan spread his hands and finally spoke. "So, if I'm fooling you, why not just turn into Dormammu?"
"Wouldn't that have a better shot?"
Ronan's question left Kaecilius speechless.
Even he didn't fully buy his own rant just now.
"Real talk, though—you almost pulled it off."
"The channel between Earth and the Dark Dimension did open. Just… a tiny hiccup."
"The spot you opened it at? Funny thing—it's my turf."
Ronan clapped lightly, and the empty darkness around them started shifting.
Kaecilius's footing went from void to an ancient stone slab, weathered by who-knows-how-many years.
Ronan stayed perched on his throne, watching quietly.
Not far off—too far for Kaecilius to see—Dormammu was raging in their direction.
Ronan hadn't just snatched his turf; he was eating into what was left of it.
Ronan glanced at his right hand. The scar on his palm? Long gone.
But he remembered clear as day the drop of blood he'd accidentally spilled.
He belonged here—and this place belonged to him.
When that blood hit the space, the "authority" he'd claimed started waking up in the Dark Dimension.
In other words…
Dormammu was about to get evicted from the Dark Dimension real soon!