—The next morning.
As the sun peeked over the eastern horizon, Kagura was already up.
To prepare for the looming crisis from the Dark Dimension and to rescue the Ancient One from her path of near self-destruction.
Kagura had resolved to study the arcane secrets of dimensional sorcery in a short span of time.
Dimensional sorcery wasn't your typical, inexplicable "magic." Rather, it was a method of observing and interpreting the fabric of reality—a kind of science in its own right.
According to the Ancient One, dimensional sorcery had existed on Earth even before the rise of civilization.
In ancient times, the special language used to wield these powers was called "incantation."
But if that term sounds too mystical for modern minds, think of it instead as the "code" that makes up reality itself.
To deepen her understanding and explore whether this sorcery could be integrated with technological gear, Kagura made her way to the mystical library of Kamar-Taj.
This library housed nearly every book ever written on the subject of dimensional sorcery—and no text was off-limits.
Kagura was confident that somewhere in this vast collection, she would find a way to apply dimensional magic to equipment—or perhaps even a method to take down Dormammu himself.
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—Kamar-Taj, Mystical Library
The moment she stepped into the dimly lit library, Kagura was greeted by towering bookshelves that seemed to stretch endlessly into the shadows.
The air was thick with knowledge, and the shelves were meticulously organized—testament to the centuries of research and scholarship by countless sorcerers.
Their work was as rich and rigorous as any field of modern science.
"Whoa... That's a lot of books. How am I supposed to find anything in here?"
Kagura muttered to herself as she walked further in, weaving through corridors and aisles until she reached the reading area.
There, in the center of the room between neat rows of bookshelves, stood a large wooden table.
And at that table sat a plump man.
Just like any other library, the mystical library had its own full-time librarian.
From what Kagura remembered, the person currently in charge was simply named "Wong."
No surname, no title—just Wong.
At the moment, Wong was seated comfortably, wearing a pair of headphones (from Rhodes Industries, no less), deeply engrossed in a book of unknown content, nodding along as if completely absorbed.
"Uh... excuse me."
Kagura smoothed out her short clothes, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and stepped forward.
"Hello, Mr. Librarian! Could you tell me how to check out books here?"
Wong looked up—and froze.
Standing before him was a stunning silver-haired girl in a fitted cheongsam, graceful and striking in appearance.
He was momentarily speechless.
"Um... Mr. Librarian?"
Kagura tilted her head and waved her hand in front of his face. "You okay?"
"Ahem! Yes, I'm fine," Wong coughed awkwardly and straightened up. "So… you're here to borrow books?"
"That's right! I'm still a beginner, so what would you recommend I start with?"
Kagura squinted slightly and gave a sweet smile. "Do you have anything like Dimensional Sorcery: From Novice to Master?"
"A newcomer, huh? No wonder I haven't seen you around before."
Wong still seemed dazzled. "Ahem, well, nice to meet you. I'm Wong."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wong. I'm Kagura," she replied, giving a polite nod. "I'll probably be here a lot from now on, so I'll be counting on you when it comes to books!"
"No problem. Follow me."
Wong stood up and began to lead her down an aisle. "Dimensional sorcery is incredibly complex, especially for beginners."
"You'll need to unlearn everything modern society taught you and start viewing the world—and the multiverse—from a completely different perspective."
As he spoke, Wong guided her to a particular bookshelf.
"Dimensional sorcery covers a wide range of fields—weaponry, armor, combat techniques, healing arts, reality manipulation, time interference, astrology, prophecy, artifact creation..."
"Artifact creation?" Kagura's ears perked up. That was exactly what she was interested in.
"Yes," Wong said, a bit surprised by her reaction. "Are you interested in artifacts?"
Kagura nodded. "Mm-hmm. You mean turning dimensional sorcery into physical equipment, right?"
"Exactly," Wong replied. "Some spells are simply too burdensome to be wielded directly."
"When a sorcerer lacks the experience or capacity to channel such powers safely, we embed those spells into objects."
"These enchanted objects that carry the essence of dimensional sorcery—we call them artifacts."
"Oh? Sounds a lot like magical gear to me," Kagura said, with a hint of mischief. "Are there books here that teach how to make those?"
"Of course. This library contains everything we know about dimensional sorcery," Wong said proudly.
"But crafting artifacts is an extremely advanced skill. Artifacts are powerful by nature—think Staff of the Living Tribunal, Cauldron of the Cosmos, Eye of Agamotto... that level."
"In short, if you want to make artifacts, you'll need a thorough and profound understanding of dimensional theory."
"We're not some hack-job witches tossing glitter into a pot," he added with a chuckle. "Dimensional sorcery can be viewed as a whole new branch of science."
"Got it." Kagura gave a serious nod. "The way you put it, I'm even more excited to get started!"
(Kagura's thoughts: Hurry up already! I'm on a time crunch here—I need to master all this in just a few days!)
"In any case, since you're just starting out, I'll recommend some foundational theory books first."
Wong turned and began pulling several tomes from the shelves.
"The Book of False Suns, New Astronomy, The World Through the Keyhole, A Brief History of Sorcery, Codex of Dominion… Oh, and since you're interested in artifacts, I'll throw in The Soul of Objects as well."
Soon, he had stacked a tall pile of books in front of her.
"Miss Kagura, studying dimensional sorcery isn't easy. Theory is just as important as practice. I hope you'll take your time and study these thoroughly."
"I will," Kagura nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Wong."
"You're welcome. Feel free to drop by anytime," Wong waved warmly.
"Just a heads-up, though—most of these books are written in Sanskrit and other pretty obscure languages. Reading them might be a challenge."
"Mm, that's no problem," Kagura replied confidently. "I'll handle the language part myself."
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