Symbiote 0328: Potential Investment (1/2)

As Laura decided to participate in the resistance force against Agatha Harkness and her murderous ways, Alex's copy of hers was teleported to the mirror dimension alongside all of the other candidates. Immediately, Agatha manipulated the terrain with fluid efficiency as the entire slanted area turned into a flat area while the people were all spread apart, away from each other, by an unseen force.

Looking down, Alex noticed that everyone was standing within small cells within a massive grid, and each cell was inscribed with an unfamiliar magic circle. As Alex examined it, he observed that the dialect of the circle's runes was entirely unfamiliar to him. He wouldn't call himself a master in the ways of the Mystic Arts, but having spent a long time with Wanda as she trained in Kamar-Taj, he was confident that he would at least be able to recognize the rough purpose of a magic circle by identifying some of the runes within it. This circle, however, was far too different from anything he had seen yet.

"I don't have the patience for many words," Agatha spoke. "Just know that the circle under you is designed to test your mettle and whether you are worthy of the Mystic Arts or not. If you are, good for you. If not … you die. Let's start." With a snap of her fingers, every single magic circle within the massive grid flashed with a purple light that engulfed their respective testee within a pillar of light.

Alex experienced the same sensation as the magic circle seemed to scan his entire being and engulfed him within a pillar of solidified purple. Fortunately, it wasn't able to break through his Chaos Magic defense. To the circle, this candidate was a simple woman with a moderate to high affinity toward the mystic arts.

A few seconds passed as the light faded away, revealing the rest of the candidates on the grid, or lack thereof. As far as Alex could see, he was the only one left alive.

"Hm?" Agatha looked thoughtful as she continued floating on her cloud of intoxicating fumes. "Only two? The newer batches are getting worse … Even worse, one of them is a mutant derivative. These guys are useless on this planet …"

Despite her mumbling those words to herself, Alex was able to clearly hear them due to his sensitive senses. He frowned inwardly as he processed the words and turned his attention behind himself to locate the other survivor.

'That's … Storm. Young, probably in her mid-twenties. Wait … She doesn't have the X-gene, but I can sense a latent mystical power within her … What's going on?'

Alex was familiar enough with Laura's biology that he could instantly identify the existence of the mutant gene within a person at first glance without even requiring a touch. What confused him was that this reality's version of Storm didn't seem to be a mutant, but his magic affinity allowed him to sense some kind of mystical power within her.

"Good work on surviving the ordeal," Agatha clapped her hands, and reality shifted to bring both candidates closer to each other. Alex sensed that despite his position in space moving, the circle under him was still the same, which meant that each cell within the board was part of a larger formation. "You two get to join Kamar Taj."

"But I didn't do anything …" The dark-skinned woman spoke.

"Precisely," Agatha said with a wide smile. "Mystic arts are all about talent and latent potential. You two have it, which means you are worthy of joining our ranks."

"What about the others?" Alex was a little curious about what Agatha did with all those people and not even the slightest hints of their corpses remained.

"Dead," Agatha said. "You will learn how I did it sooner or later. For now, I will lead you to Kamar Taj where the steward will lead you to your room. You don't mind sharing, do you? We have two-person dorms."

Her polite words and tone were clearly just for show, considering that immediately after finishing, she didn't even wait for a response and created a red magic circle under the two of them, teleporting them away.

"Man, the mirror dimension is convenient to use these days," Agatha laughed as all of the magic circles on the grid started glowing, except for the two right in front of Agatha that belonged to Laura and Ororo.

…

Alex sighed as he was teleported to a familiar environment — Kamar Taj. The two passing candidates appeared in a pavilion that possessed an air of serenity that calmed them the moment they appeared.

"Everything okay?" Alex's companion asked as she heard her compatriot's sigh.

"Yeah …" Alex trailed off, annoyed that he would have to pretend to be Laura for the time being. The initial plan was to let Laura do her thing while he accompanied her. But suddenly, he was thrust into the limelight. Not to mention, having to pretend to be Laura. "Since we'll be staying together, I should introduce myself. I'm Laura. Laura Kinney. What's your name?"

"Ororo. Ororo Monroe," the dark-skinned woman with silvery-white hair spoke, extending her hand forward as Laura shook it.

"Are you familiar with this place?" Alex asked her, hoping to get an idea of what exactly brought her here.

"I'm clueless." She shook her head. "Were you brought in from one of the other zones? They told me there were three recruitment zones."

"New York," Alex responded. "What about you?"

"Oh? They picked me up in New York as well," she responded. "I must've missed you."

"It's understandable," Alex smiled lightly, not bothered by the woman's little test.

"Apprentices!" A stern voice drew both of their attention. "Only you two were sent back by the Sorceress Supreme?"

"Mhm," Alex nodded at the bald monk who was speaking to them. "The others all disappeared."

"Hm," the monk grunted. "You may address me as Master Windu. I will be responsible for both of your training until you are ready to play a part in the grand scheme of reality. Your names?"

"Laura." "Ororo Monroe."

"Laura, Ororo," the man nodded. "Follow me. I shall lead you to the dorms."

Laura and Ororo shared a look as the red-robed monk turned around, gesturing for them to follow him.

"This is Kamar Taj," Master Windu spoke. "The most prominent bastion of sorcerers and magicians in the world. Anyone even closely related to magic has gone through here. Be it the producers of magical appliances, Chaos chips, runemasters, and more, everyone has learned what they learned in Kamar Taj. They are sorcerers— men and women with massive powers and responsibilities. They are the most influential people in the world."

Alex grew thoughtful at the mention of runemasters. Having explored the surroundings, he had seen magical appliances and Chaos chips, for sure. But he hadn't seen any traces of runemasters or any artifacts affected by their work that would give them a separate distinction from magical appliance creators.

"As for Kamar Taj," the monk continued. "The room we just left is the only zone where teleportation is permitted. You cannot teleport anywhere else within Kamar Taj. Now, on our right is the mess hall. Meals are served at all times of the day for no charge, so you may eat according to your schedule."

The mess hall looked like the inside of a large restaurant with different seating arrangements that could accommodate any group of people from two to ten at different tables.

"Next up, we have the training grounds to our left," Master Windu continued moving while the sounds of people exclaiming resounded in unison as they trained in martial arts. "You are to report here at sharp six tomorrow morning. I will explain your training regimen at that time. Lastly, these are your quarters."

"Is our room inside?" Ororo asked with confusion, looking for more doors. "This can't be the only dorm room here, right?"

"In response to our recent increased capacity of applicants and apprentices, we have made some modifications to the dorm system. This door is an artifact that leads you to a separate dimension. That's where your dorm room is present. Any questions?"

"What happens if we inadvertently damage the room?" Ororo asked, making Laura raise a brow.

"Do you have certain episodes, Miss Ororo?" the Master asked.

"Yes," she nodded, glancing at Laura and pushing her hair behind her ear. Her gesture seemed to either go over the man's head, or he simply didn't care. She sighed in defeat. "I have occasional episodes at night … I've made lightning strike my house on multiple occasions."

"No need to worry," the man said with a light smile. "The rooms are durable enough to withstand a cyclone. And even if you end up destroying it inadvertently, we have Sorcerers stationed to rescue any drifters before they die. You can rest assured."

"All right."

"And you don't need to hide your innate principalities from anyone here," he said. "Especially not your teammate. You two will be training together until you are proficient enough for self-study."

"Understood," Ororo's face said that she took his words with a grain of salt.

"Any other questions?" he glanced at both his apprentices as they shook their heads.

"All right, then. You may explore Kamar Taj today. If you wish to explore the village outside, the exit is just beyond the pavilion we came from."

"We are free to leave?" Ororo asked in surprise.

"Naturally," Windu nodded. "Of course, I hope that you understand what a massive opportunity you will be missing out on if you do decide to leave permanently."

***

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