Kamar-Taj and the meeting went very smoothly. After Kain arrived at Kamar-Taj, he had a conversation with the Ancient One about magic.
Almost all the mages on Earth practice the "white magic" inherited from the Vishanti. As long as they cultivate patiently, they can gradually form a connection with the Vishanti and harness the power of these godlike entities.
In Kamar-Taj, every type of magic has its origin and price. The price demanded by the Vishanti is among the lowest, which is why Kamar-Taj rarely involves itself in human conflicts. Their duty is to guard against the invasion of the Dark Dimension.
As long as one doesn't use magic recklessly, it's possible to live a long life with magical power, and there are many ways to transfer or mitigate the cost.
For most people, that's acceptable—just don't act like Doctor Strange, casting spells freely while alive and being uncertain of the cost when death comes.
Kain's magic, however, doesn't have this limitation. All his magical effects come from himself. In other words, he is the first "wizard" demon god in the universe. But he is still weak and has yet to create his own dimension. Nevertheless, after talking with the Ancient One, he learned a great deal about the magic of the Vishanti.
Before leaving, Kain exchanged five of his alchemical items and some copied knowledge from legendary mages for a collection of magic books from the Ancient One. His goal: to study how to create his own magical civilization. The connections between different types of magic are deeply meaningful.
"Then, I'll take my leave, Ancient One. I'll visit again after I've digested what I've gained today," Kain said with a smile.
He had indeed gained a lot, but in the past, he had been overly cautious. Though the Ancient One and Doctor Strange are both Sorcerer Supremes, their philosophies differ. The Ancient One has lived longer and witnessed more people and gods. As long as you don't go against her philosophy, she will not oppose you. There's a big difference between being a Sorcerer Supreme and being an Avenger.
"No need to see me off. I'll return on my own."
Seeing Mordo step forward to open a portal for him, Kain waved his hand and disappeared from Kamar-Taj using Apparition.
"No matter how many times I see it, it still feels magical. If he really manages to create his own magical dimension, then I will have witnessed the rise of a demon god," the Ancient One said with a hint of emotion.
She had sensed Kain's intentions during their talk. While she didn't approve of black magic, she tactfully steered the conversation away from it.
The power of black magic is not easily handled. She herself had dabbled in it out of necessity—to fulfill a mission that required her to draw power from the Dark Dimension to extend her life.
Mordo asked, "That kind of magic…?"
"It can't be practiced—not here at Kamar-Taj. Perhaps he is the only one who can pass it on, but we can still learn from parts of it," the Ancient One replied with a shake of her head.
The magic of the Vishanti is already very comprehensive. It's impossible to use their power to cast other types of magic. However, the alchemy that Kain demonstrated was remarkable.
She realized that these alchemical items could potentially be used to bear the cost of magic in place of Kamar-Taj's mages—a promising alternative for enhancing their strength.
S.H.I.E.L.D. – New York Secret Base
"Do you really want to do this?" Fitz asked with some hesitation. "I can improve the electromagnetic wave equipment and try to transmit the data that way. There's no need for Simmons to go, is there?"
"How long will it take you?"
Coulson asked, "According to our assessment, the so-called school is likely tied to human experimentation. If we don't investigate it now, we'll be forced to start from scratch after Pent Middle School is completed. But that will be even more difficult. Ultimately, our targets will still point back to these locations."
They had made no meaningful progress on critical intelligence for months. The Biological Research Center, Umbrella Military Security Company Headquarters Base, and Kain Pent Manor were their main leads—though the first two were notoriously difficult to infiltrate.
Those two sites never accept outsiders voluntarily. All personnel are internally vetted and only recruited after passing strict evaluations. You can't just walk in.
Infiltrating either location means first getting past hundreds of armed guards, including heavy weapons and even enhanced super soldiers. Not even Captain America or S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents could be confident about sneaking in.
The Kain Pent Manor, however, was different. Though it was one of their primary targets, the area appeared to be protected by a powerful magnetic field that disabled all forms of communication and tracking—satellites included. To S.H.I.E.L.D., it was a complete enigma.
Strangely, there were no guards—not even outside personnel. This information was unintentionally uncovered by Agent Carter. Despite Umbrella deploying super soldiers, none of them had ever managed to enter Kain Manor.
"I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent too, Fitz," Simmons reassured him. "And with Agent Carter, we'll be fine."
Before accepting the mission, Coulson had spoken with her privately. They needed someone familiar with human experimentation who could collect data quickly, especially since electronic devices would be mostly useless inside.
"Don't worry," Coulson said. "Director Fury has already secured authorization. You'll be operating under a new identity, and two department heads are personally backing this mission. Even if you're captured by the military, S.H.I.E.L.D. will secure your release."
Hearing that reassured Simmons and the team. They already knew about Pepper Potts, but Coulson's words gave them the confidence they needed to move forward.
The infiltration plan was thorough. They finalized the date, the route, and every critical detail. After extensive analysis, they chose a day when Kain would be absent—during the Pent Group's board of directors meeting.
When the day arrived, Sharonia made up an excuse to skip the meeting. After confirming that Kain Pent was present at the company headquarters, the team set the operation in motion.
But as they neared the Kain Manor, Simmons grew puzzled.
"There's nothing here… Are you sure this is the place, Agent Carter?" she asked suspiciously.
"This is it," Carter replied. "It's some kind of unknown technology—like a mirage. It makes you subconsciously ignore the location. But if you concentrate, you can sense it. I'm certain."
Before Sharon Carter could finish speaking, the barren landscape before them shimmered—and suddenly, a medieval-style manor materialized in their view.
Simmons asked in shock, "What just happened? Has this ever occurred before?"
Sharon Carter shook her head gravely. "No… I don't know what triggered it. Maybe some kind of cloaking field deactivated? Coulson—was that you?"
Coulson's voice came through their earpieces. "It wasn't us, but the signal is back online. The satellite feed is now picking up the area. Do you want to abort the mission?"
Sharon Carter thought for a moment, then made a firm decision in her heart.
"Proceed. We'll notify you immediately if anything happens," she said with resolve.
With that, the two continued their infiltration.
The contrast between the environment inside and the outside was striking—it felt like entering another world. Though hard to explain, the architecture, the layout of the gardens, and the overall design created a sense of peace and comfort.
Sharon had seen many gardens in her time, but none had ever given her such a refreshing and serene feeling.
Still, she didn't forget the mission. There were several buildings around, but the largest one by the sea seemed the most important. Judging by the road layout and the villa's size, Sharon and Simmons exchanged a glance—they both felt this had to be the heart of the manor.
To her surprise, Simmons discovered that she could transmit signals inside. She also deployed some detection devices, suspecting there might be valuable intel hidden in other villas as well.
Time was limited. After deploying the devices, the two headed straight for the large medieval-style villa by the sea.
After inspecting the gate, Simmons commented in confusion,
"There are no locks, no guards—not even an alarm system. Agent Carter, is all the security here just that illusion device we saw earlier?"
Sharon took a deep breath.
"I have a bad feeling about this… Coulson, what's the target's current location?"
"Still in the meeting. Estimated to return in an hour," came Coulson's voice through the comm.
Sharon stood at the door for a moment, thinking. A seasoned agent shouldn't hesitate during a mission—but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them, something she couldn't see. It felt like this mission was doomed before it even began.
Hiss~
A faint hissing sound drew their attention. Sharon and Simmons turned around—and froze. Their pupils dilated in shock.
A massive green snake had appeared behind them, completely silent until now. Its forked tongue alone was several meters long. The golden snake eyes were over a meter wide, and its enormous head was the size of a truck.
"Strangers? Master, can I eat them?" the snake asked in a deep, dull voice.
Sharon and Simmons nearly collapsed in fear. Was this the manor's guardian? A talking giant snake?
"Get in, Simmons!"
Biting her tongue to snap herself out of paralysis, Sharon grabbed Simmons and yanked her inside the villa, slamming the door shut behind them. But even from inside, they could see the snake's massive body slithering around the house through the windows.
The snake's body alone was over three meters thick.
Simmons, pale and trembling, was frozen in fear. If Sharon hadn't dragged her inside, she might have collapsed right there.
"Carter… Agent Carter… what do we do now?" Simmons asked, her voice shaking.
This was far beyond anything they were prepared for. No training or prior knowledge could help them now—facing a giant snake the size of a hill that could talk.
Sharon Carter took a deep breath, barely calming her pounding heart. She turned to comfort Simmons and said,
"Request support and prepare to retreat. It seems that the giant snake won't enter the house. I just hope Coulson can get reinforcements here in time.
Coulson? Coulson!?"
No response.
She pulled off her headset and checked the rest of their equipment—everything had lost signal. They were completely cut off from Coulson.
Simmons quickly checked the special communication device she carried, but it, too, was unresponsive. She looked at Sharon in despair and said,
"Agent Carter… mine's dead too."
"That's because I blocked all your signals. At first, I thought it was someone else, but so it's you—an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Sharonia… or should I say, Sharon Carter."
A voice echoed through the room.
Sharon and Simmons turned toward it simultaneously—and were stunned to see Kain descending the stairs slowly, a book in hand.
In their understanding, the target was supposed to be at the Pent Group board meeting. Something was clearly wrong.
Sharon Carter's instincts screamed danger. The atmosphere in the house, the entire setup—it all felt off.
Kain spoke again, calm and deliberate.
"I rarely use Legilimency—mind-reading magic—because most memories are messy, and some are downright disgusting. But your memories… S.H.I.E.L.D., huh? Almost gone, yet you still dare provoke me? Tsk tsk. What should I do with you two?"
By the time he finished, Kain had closed the distance between them.
Sharon immediately reached for her weapon, trying to defend herself—but before she could draw, all their equipment flew off their bodies. Simmons' monitoring devices and gadgets joined Sharon's gear, now floating midair around Kain. They didn't even have a knife left.
Boom.
The door behind them suddenly swung open.
Sharon spun around and instinctively pulled Simmons aside.
It was the giant snake from earlier—though it appeared to have shrunk slightly. Slithering inside, it lowered its massive head toward Kain and said in a low, respectful voice:
"Master…"