Chen Xiao stepped out of the portal, the faint gust he stirred up scattering the snow piled before the steps.
Kaecilius followed behind him and drew a deep breath. The familiar cold mountain air flooded his lungs, bringing a knife-like sting. He looked up ahead, where Kamar-Taj's ancient bluestone archway loomed through the swirling snow, its sweeping eaves buried beneath a thick white layer.
On the spacious Martial Arts Ground, a dozen or so young protégés in gray sorcerer robes were practicing in formation amid the snowstorm. Brilliant orange-red Rings of Raggadorr interwove in midair, their surging magic vaporizing the falling snowflakes.
But as the portal's glow faded completely, Dormammu's Dark Mark, branded deep within Kaecilius's flesh, finally clashed violently with the defensive array that had repelled otherworldly evils from this sacred refuge for centuries.
The defensive array sprang into action, and the deep pealing of the ancient alarm bell instantly rang through the skies.
The instructor at the head of the group spun around, flipping his wrist to bring a searing magical shield before his chest. But when he recognized the man in front, wearing a thin jacket, his hands tucked into his pockets as he yawned, the shield in his hand dissolved into a shower of light.
"Chief!"
The instructor hurriedly dismissed his stance, crossed his hands before his chest, and bowed deeply.
The young protégés around him dispelled their magic circles and bowed in perfect unison. Undisguised fervor and reverence shone on every face. Even the newest novices had heard that their senior brother had recently visited Hell and torn up those higher-dimensional demons' ancestral graves. Even the arrogant Dormammu had suffered a crushing loss at his hands.
Chen Xiao casually stamped his feet. A flash of mixed-color magic instantly silenced the mountain's protective barrier alarm. He