The crystalline mirror barrier that surrounded Abel began to shift, and from within it stepped a bald woman wearing a yellow hooded robe. She held a folding fan in one hand and smiled as she turned to face him.
"Abel, it's nice to meet you," she said with the calm certainty of someone accustomed to being in control of every situation.
Abel bowed respectfully. "I'm also very happy to meet you, Ancient One."
The woman's smile widened slightly. "It's surprising that you know my name. I thought a young mage like yourself wouldn't be aware of me."
"As a magical practitioner exploring this world, I've naturally heard of the great Sorcerer Supreme," Abel replied carefully.
Gu Yi studied him for a moment, her ancient eyes taking in every detail. "It's curious that you know me, yet you don't know where the sorcerer of New York gather and trade. And you're still purchasing potential magical materials from eBay and Amazon. That seems like an interesting contradiction."
Abel's heart rate increased slightly, but he kept his expression calm. "These things don't actually conflict, do they?"
Gu Yi nodded slowly, still smiling. "No, they don't. Everything contains truth. Even when studying the secrets of magic, we can't fully comprehend the world's mysteries. Anything is possible." She glanced back at Amensa, whose form writhed with black energy. "But let's continue this conversation later. Right now, I need to deal with this young woman who has been invaded by the power of the Dark Dimension. If we allow that corruption to deepen, it will become far more troublesome to resolve. "
Dark Dimension.
The words struck Abel like a bell being struck. Suddenly, the reason the red mark on Amensa's forehead had seemed familiar became clear. That symbol—he'd seen it before, in a movie from his previous life. The mark represented the power of the Dark Dimension, one of the fundamental forces of magic in the multiverse.
Abel said nothing about his knowledge. He simply watched silently as Gu Yi walked slowly toward Amensa.
"Who are you?" Amensa screamed, her form becoming increasingly unstable.
"You can call me Ancient One, I'm here to save you," the Sorcerer Supreme replied calmly.
"Save me? I don't need saving! I'm fine! I've never been better!"
Amensa shrieked, and the evil thoughts radiating from her body instantly manifested as pitch-black tentacles of dark energy, writhing and striking toward Gu Yi with vicious intent.
Gu Yi waved her folding fan in response, and a perfect circle formed in the air before her—a shield made of countless lines of fire, burning with brilliant orange and gold. The tentacles crashed against this barrier and dissipated harmlessly. At the same time, Gu Yi extended her other hand toward Amensa, pressing against empty air with precise intent.
The dark dimension power that had been coursing through Amensa's body simply... vanished.
Amensa felt most of her power drain away into nothingness, and for the first time since the invasion had begun, fear replaced the manic excitement in her mind. Without the overwhelming influence of the dark dimension, some of her sanity returned. She looked at Gu Yi—at the incomprehensible power the woman wielded—and terror consumed everything else.
She flashed away, her form disappearing and reappearing more than ten meters distant.
Amensa tried the same trick again, attempting to flash away multiple times, but Gu Yi's body suddenly blazed with lava-like rays of light. These streams of brilliant red energy, radiating intense heat like molten magma, flew out from Gu Yi's hands and wrapped around Amensa's body in multiple layers, binding her completely.
The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.
Binding magic that drew power from the Crimson Dimension—a force almost equivalent to the Dark Dimension itself, filled with unimaginable power.
The Cyttorak Band slowly drew Amensa toward Gu Yi, dragging her back despite her desperate struggles and anguished roars. Gu Yi watched the captured girl with an expression of clinical detachment, and then, with her back still facing Abel, she reached out and touched the red mark on Amensa's forehead.
A duplicate of the mark appeared briefly on Gu Yi's own forehead.
All the dark dimension power within Amensa flowed directly into Gu Yi's body. Amensa went limp, unconscious, as every bit of the corrupting influence was extracted from her.
Gu Yi closed her eyes for a moment, digesting and absorbing the dark dimension power she'd taken on. Then she exhaled slowly, released Amensa from the Setorak Red Band, and concealed the temporary mark on her own forehead.
She turned and walked back to Abel.
"Master Abel, how about we find a place to talk?" she asked.
"Of course." Abel replied. "But what about Amensa?"
"Don't worry about her. When I close the Mirror World, passants will find her. They'll call the police, and she'll be taken to the hospital. As for what happened here—she won't remember. The dissipated dark dimension power took those memories with it. At best, she might have a vague impression of you and me, but nothing concrete."
"In that case, I'm relieved."
"Then, Master Abel, please," Gu Yi said, extending her hand.
She swiped the air, and a ring formed before them—a perfect circle made of countless sparks that spun at high speed. Within the swirling sparks, an sorcerer coalesced: an antique building with distinctly Eastern architectural styling, beautiful and imposing.
Abel didn't hesitate. He walked directly into the portal, and Gu Yi followed immediately after.
As they disappeared, the Mirror World that had enveloped the area dissolved away, revealing the normal street once more. A few pedestrians who had been walking nearby suddenly became aware of a girl lying unconscious on the pavement. They called for an ambulance, and Amensa was quickly transported to a hospital.
Inside the Sanctuary, Abel couldn't help but sigh slightly as he took in the sight of the ancient building surrounding him.
"This is the most sacred place in New York," Gu Yi explained, gesturing around them. "It belongs to Kamar-Taj, our order of sorcerers."
A figure appeared—a black sorcerer with a respectful demeanor. Gu Yi turned to acknowledge him with a nod.
"Daniel, please prepare two cups of hot tea for us. Thank you," she said.
"Yes, Ancient one," the sorcerer replied, and disappeared to fulfill the request.
Gu Yi turned back to Abel and made a gesture of invitation, settling into a chair beside him. "The sorcerer you just met is named Daniel Drumm. He is the guardian of this Sanctum and a trustworthy, powerful sorcerer. If you encounter problems in the future that you cannot solve on your own, you can come here and ask for his assistance."
"Thank you," Abel said carefully. "But I don't understand why you treat me with such favor. Surely you don't treat every sorcerer this way?"
"Not everyone, no," Gu Yi replied with a knowing smile. "You are relatively special because I'm very curious about the magic you cast. It's a magic system that doesn't belong to this world—one I've never encountered before. I'm very interested in learning more about it. For the right information, I'm willing to offer a fair exchange." She paused, studying him with those ancient, all-seeing eyes. "Of course, that depends on whether Master Abel is interested in such an arrangement. What do you think?"