The Ancient One turned to face the young mages gathered across the Martial Arts Ground. "The zealots who aided him have all been dealt with. Your senior brother also stopped Dormammu's descent before he could cross into our dimension."
She paused, her gaze passing over her disciples' furious faces and clenched fists.
"Kamar-Taj's laws exist to protect reality. The chief disciple has brought Kaecilius back to answer for his crimes. His guilt and his punishment will be decided in the inner hall."
Then she looked at Chen Xiao and gave him a slight nod. "Bring him inside. It's windy out here."
Inside the Meditation Chamber.
A rough clay teapot sat on a small red-clay stove, wisps of steam rising from its spout. The scent of tea filled the warm room.
Kaecilius knelt obediently on a cushion by the door, his head bowed.
Chen Xiao sat cross-legged at the low table. Without ceremony, he pulled the Soul-Sealing Warm Jade he had fashioned from thunder magic and a foundation of high-purity Mithril out of his robes and set it on the table with a tap.
Within the lustrous crystal, the faint, weakened glows of Alina's and Sophia's souls lay dormant.
"I'll skip the tea, Teacher. Just give it to me straight." Chen Xiao tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table. "I went to some trouble fishing these two remnants of souls out of Dormammu's deathly energy. You've seen more than I have, so tell me if there's a way. Can they grow new flesh-and-blood bodies here in the living world, keep their memories, and live out their lives in peace?"
Kaecilius jerked his head up. His bloodshot eyes locked on The Ancient One, and for a moment he stopped breathing.
The Ancient One lifted the clay teapot and filled the cup before