Love is For Fools // Loki Laufeyson

Part 23 - Sanctum

"Where are we?" I question as I turn to the Ancient One, looking around the elaborately decorated building we are in. We are standing in front of a grand staircase adorned by dark and detailed woodwork.

She turns to me and holds her arms out, motioning to the building around us. "This is the New York Sanctum. It is where I will teach you to become a Master of the Mystic Arts."

She begins walking up the stairs and I quickly follow her. "Sanctum? Master of the Mystic Arts?" I question.

As she turns to me, our surroundings shift to a library. I look around, obviously shocked, but she continues with her explanation as if nothing happened. "The Sanctum is a safe place for the masters to practice and perfect their abilities. We have three sanctums; New York, London, and Hong Kong. Masters of the Mystic Arts are people who have powers similar to mine."

"So, you're all witches or something?"

"Sorcerors," she corrects. "I am the Sorceror Supreme, the leader of all of the other Masters of the Mystic Arts."

I shake my head. "I'm sorry, but why am I here? I'm not a sorcerer, or a Master of the Mystic Arts, or any of these crazy things."

"Yet," the Ancient One adds on. "You see, you house the potential to be one of the greatest sorcerors I've ever taught. Your father, Stephen Strange, is in fact the future Master of the New York Sanctum."

"But... he's not a sorcerer."

"Yet. In about five years, he will have a terrible accident and come seeking my guidance. I will turn him away, but he will refuse to leave until I see him. I will take him in and teach him over the next few months after that, and he will rise to the level of defending this sanctum against harmful forces."

I scoff. "I'm sorry, but my father is not one to believe in magic."

She sends me a small smile. "Yes, but this changes his mind." She jerks her hand towards me and I gasp as I start falling backward. But then... my body keeps falling backwards while I remain floating in front of the Ancient One.

My eyes widen as I look up at the Ancient One. "I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be down there with my body."

She chuckles to herself. "You are currently in the astral dimension. Nobody else can see you except for others in the astral dimension."

"So you can see people in different dimensions?" I question.

She nods as she brings her hand back into herself, and I feel myself return to my body as it rises from the ground. "And now you're back in our dimension."

She begins walking to a cabinet and I run up alongside her. "How do you go about switching dimensions?"

"I'm glad you asked," she replies as she opens a drawer. She pulls a strange gold object out of it with two loops in it. "This is a sling ring." She slips it onto her fingers and points behind me, using her hand without the sling ring on it to make a circle-like motion.

The same sparkling yellow circle appears that she used to transport us here. She turns back to me as she closes the circle and removes the sling ring from her fingers. "However, if you get trapped in another dimension without your sling ring, you will be unable to return to ours."

"So, basically, try to always have one with me?"

She nods. "Exactly. You can never be too careful." She sighs as she hands the sling ring to me. "I would usually tell you more information and give you more time to adjust before letting you try this, but we are in a rush. I need to teach you months of knowledge in days in order for you to get back to Loki in time."