Kaecilius

In his magical vision, the two figures before him burned as bright as the scorching sun—it was almost painful to look at them.

"Who are you?"

Kaecilius asked cautiously, his eyes locked on Isaac as he conjured two glowing magical circles with his hands, ready for defense.

As a sorcerer, what he hated most was going up against enemies with overwhelmingly strong physical bodies.

Isaac eyed Kaecilius with interest, speaking in a mocking tone:

"Kaecilius? The Ancient One's disciple? I heard you betrayed Kamar-Taj."

"You know me? Are you two followers of that old hypocrite?" Kaecilius asked, visibly tense.

Isaac answered calmly:

"No need to panic. We have no ties to that old woman. If anything, we might be considered his enemies."

Kaecilius relaxed slightly at that, though his wariness didn't fade entirely.

"So, what do you want?"

Clearly, he had no desire to fight these terrifying individuals unless absolutely necessary.

Isaac smiled and said frankly:

"I'm here to invite you to join the Celestial Dome."

"The Celestial Dome? Never heard of it. And I'm not interested. You can leave now,"

Kaecilius replied indifferently, trying to end the conversation as smoothly as possible.

He had more pressing matters—especially after establishing communication with Dormammu from another dimension through the newly appeared Marvel Chat Interface. After a surprisingly friendly first exchange, their collaboration had already begun.

Dormammu had promised him power beyond the confines of life, death, and time. Why waste energy on some unknown organization?

But upon hearing his refusal, Fiona narrowed her eyes coldly and said:

"So... you're declining?"

Before Kaecilius could even think of a response, Faora blurred into motion like a living shadow, moving at a speed that defied reality.

In the blink of an eye, before Kaecilius could raise a single defense spell, her hand clamped around his throat, lifting him off the ground.

"No one refuses my master's invitation! It is an honor to be chosen by him! How dare you decline?"

Her eyes blazed with red energy, power condensing in her pupils as if she was moments away from firing deadly beams.

Kaecilius thrashed, desperate to break free, but the chokehold cut off both his breath and magical flow. He was helpless—like an ordinary man—against an enraged Kryptonian.

This is insane! Aren't negotiations supposed to be part of recruitment? A threat would've been fine—but this?

Isaac, meanwhile, watched the scene unfold with a sarcastic smirk, clearly amused by the sorcerer's helplessness.

He held no respect for the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, save for the Ancient One. After all, true domination came through spiritual magic, and only the Sorcerer Supreme had ever mastered it.

Without a spiritual wielder of that caliber, Faora alone could likely wipe out all the Earth's sorcerers in under an hour.

Kaecilius clawed at Faora's wrist, trying to break her grip, but compared to her, it was like trying to bend steel with fingernails.

Isaac spoke calmly:

"Faora... let him go. I think he's starting to reconsider."

She obeyed, dropping Kaecilius to the ground, though her glowing eyes never left him.

Kaecilius gasped for air like a drowning man dragged from the depths.

Though he'd survived, the threat was far from over—Fiona's eyes still burned with crimson light, ready to strike again at the slightest hint of disobedience.

He stared at her coldly. He understood now: saying no again would mean his death.

He was used to being in control—but this situation was utterly different.

Even teleporting away through a magical portal wouldn't help; her speed eclipsed human reaction time, let alone his spellcasting.

Finally, after a long hesitation, Kaecilius spoke in a defeated tone:

"I… I wish to join you."

Isaac nodded in approval.

"Very good. A wise choice."

But then he stepped closer with a sly smile and added:

"Still… I don't fully trust your loyalty. So, to begin this alliance on the right foot, I think you'll need to make a small sacrifice…"