Solomon did not continue probing the secret that the Ancient One refused to reveal.
This wasn't entirely because he had been an obedient child since youth who blindly followed the Ancient One's commands, but rather because he knew the Ancient One would never harm him. Since her opposition and warnings were so intense, it meant that the secret carried enormous danger—possibly capable of triggering catastrophic disaster. Like those seers in ancient Greek stories who, by trying to avoid the prophecy, instead caused it to come true, Solomon maintained the cautious attitude of the Kamar-Taj mystics toward prophecy. Knowledge is a dangerous weapon that must be tightly controlled and distributed—for magical knowledge, this statement was absolute truth.
But knowing whether or not one knows is itself a form of knowledge, and that too can become a weapon.
Solomon gladly accepted the Ancient One's arrangements for him.
As he slowly stepped out of the meditation chamber, the First Confidential Division, named Fimbulvetr, along with strike teams from the Sisterhood Convent, were bringing in construction equipment. Under the disapproving gaze of Baron Mordo, the mystics of Kamar-Taj began enchanting the heavy machinery. The goal was to reduce its weight, making it easier to carry down into the dungeon and to lessen the damage to the training courtyard's flooring. The stone tiles, worn smooth over centuries of use, had already cracked under the drop-ship's weight; adding engineering machinery on top of that had shattered them completely. While Mordo had initially opposed Solomon's proposal to reinforce the dungeon's defenses and carve out new caverns, he had begrudgingly agreed after Solomon's repeated insistence and persuasion. After all, the threats to the dungeon didn't only come from beyond the Veil—Kamar-Taj had plenty of enemies in the real world as well.
Ten strike squads of artificial humans from the Sisterhood were assigned to monitor the construction. Some areas in the dungeon were absolutely off-limits, and their job was to shepherd any lost members of Fimbulvetr away from danger. If they wandered into the wrong place, they could trigger deadly traps—or worse, die for stumbling across something forbidden.
If not for Mordo's objections, Solomon would've installed auto-turret sentry towers in the Kamar-Taj library to monitor the students' mental states. Although Mordo had voiced his opposition, several finely crafted constructs had already been placed in the library, backed by the Ancient One's approval of Solomon's idea.
The cores of these constructs were refined spirits summoned from beyond the Veil. After being shattered, reassembled, and reforged, they were bound to the land itself through an arcane contract. This was not only to prevent betrayal, but to ensure the constructs remained neutral and couldn't be turned into tools by any fallen mystic. Of course, Solomon still held ultimate control, since these constructs were his own creations—as perhaps the most skilled alchemical master in Kamar-Taj, building such war machines wasn't difficult for him. He had even combined Martian Forge technology, equipping the constructs with terrifying experimental weapons to ensure that any anomaly in the library could be swiftly neutralized.
Solomon's mistrust of his fellow mystics didn't escape Mordo's notice—and that was what displeased him most.
Even by Mordo's exacting standards, Solomon's distrust of the other mystics seemed excessive. Yet Mordo also knew that Solomon's decisions were entirely logical and correct. That, in turn, made Mordo even more frustrated with himself—he felt his own moral cultivation wasn't up to par. Of course, he couldn't voice that to Solomon. He had watched the boy grow up. Words like that simply wouldn't come out of his mouth. But if he knew that Solomon was already working on ways to counteract spellcasters and fully block the influence of extradimensional forces on individuals, Mordo might've fainted from rage on the spot.
The next person summoned to the meditation chamber was Mordo himself.
The Ancient One intended to ensure a smooth transfer of power at Kamar-Taj, and Mordo's support was crucial to that effort.
Baron Mordo could be considered both part of the mystic lineage and a convert from another path. His loyalty to the Ancient One was absolute. After he conveyed her position to the mystic order, he too would need to accept her arrangements. Although incursions from beyond the Veil had occurred in the past, such events were expected to grow far more frequent and powerful in the future. Solomon's harsh measures and strict oversight were among the best ways to counteract this. Without them, Kamar-Taj itself would be at serious risk of corruption.
For a group like Kamar-Taj, which harbored vast knowledge of the outer dimensions, the corruption of even a single mystic would be disastrous. Tools meant to defend against the Veil's invasion could easily be turned into weapons for the fallen.
"You always think Solomon hasn't done well enough," the Ancient One pointed out bluntly. "To you, he's still that mischievous little rascal—not someone ready to take on responsibility."
"That's not true, Master," Mordo defended. "I just think he's being a little excessive."
"I know that doing what's right isn't enough. Solomon knows that too—he understands that simply being right won't win him love or admiration, but he does it anyway," the Ancient One sighed. "I need you to support him. If even Kamar-Taj, even you, won't stand with him, then his ideals will be utterly alone. I can't allow that, Mordo. His ideals matter."
Regardless of what Mordo thought or how this conversation ended, the future Master of Kamar-Taj would be Solomon. And that meant the institution would adopt a far harsher style to survive the trials to come. At the same time, the Ancient One wanted to prevent her chief disciple from developing any psychological trauma. She instructed Mordo to adjust his mindset and take Solomon's requests seriously—not from a place of seniority, but as a peer—so that emotional disparity wouldn't fracture their bond. The Sorcerer Supreme had lived over a thousand years and had seen this kind of schism too often, including the betrayal that led to the fall of Camelot. This talk with Mordo was essential. She needed to ensure he would become Solomon's strong ally—not his future betrayer.
Not just because Solomon was her chosen successor, but because his methods could guide their entire species out of despair and into a future of light.
In truth, the Ancient One had already made up her mind before this conversation: if the problem couldn't be solved, then the source of the problem must be eliminated. It was better to act decisively now than to leave this issue for the next generation.
She had originally intended to summon Kaecilius as well, because she had read his dream records.
However, after observing Kaecilius's current lifestyle, the Ancient One decided to wait. It appeared those dreams hadn't affected his mental state. In fact, his life now seemed better than it had been while teaching students at Kamar-Taj headquarters. The Ancient One planned to observe him a bit longer and require additional dream records to investigate the impact of Ragnarök, an event that could ripple across the entire galaxy.
Mystics do not dream easily—if one does, it means something is influencing them.
And in Kaecilius's case, that something was Odin, Allfather of the Gods.
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