This Is A Nightmare

- - - - -

Baron, Stephen and Ana all ran toward the railings above the main foyer. Jumping over and landing on the ground floor, they all faced off Kaecilius who once again created a large mystical bomb that he planned to drop inside the Sanctum. Baron attacked two of his followers while Ana brought her sword up.

Stephen was hovering above her with his Cloak of Levitation around his shoulders. He was calculating his next move while Ana fought off a Zealot. Her opponent had the upper hand and grabbed Ana in a choke hold, making her helplessly stare at Kaecilius as he raised the bomb.

Just before it could touch the Sanctum, Stephen sent everybody into the Mirror Dimension, stopping Kaecilius' plans from destroying the Holy of Holies. Ana flipped the Zealot in front of her and stomped her foot on his chest, keeping him down with her sword aimed at his neck.

"The Mirror Dimension." Stephen smirked. "You can't affect the real world in here. Who's laughing now, asshole?"

"I am." Kaecilius grinned, warping the stairwell so they diverted away from each end. Baron, Stephen and Ana shared a look as the whole Sanctum warped. They bolted out onto the streets, looking at the building.

Stephen had managed to steal Kaecilius' Sling Ring. He gazed down at it in the palm of his hand, "I've got his Sling Ring. I mean, they can't escape, right?" He asked, looking at Ana.

Ana watched as Kaecilius and his Zealots continued to advance on them. They didn't seem to be at a disadvantage and she shook her head, "Run!" She pushed the men and they sped away from their enemies.

The cars on the road wouldn't move for the sorcerers as they tried to dodge them, running from side to side. Ana and Stephen stopped at the crossroads. Kaecilius had distorted everything around them so they would lose their focus. Ana saw as cars would vanish as they took a turn and other would appear, heading straight for her.

Baron pulled her back, saving her from a nasty hit a truck would have given her. She nodded at him in thanks and he looked to Stephen.

"Their connection to the Dark Dimension makes them more powerful in the Mirror Dimension." He explained, looking at the environment with uneasiness. "They can't affect the real world, but they can still kill us. This wasn't clever, no Stephen, this was suicide!"

Ana whipped her head back and forth, trying to find a route that could ensure their safety. The Zealots were closing in, using their power in the Mirror Dimension to warp everything to their desire. It pissed her off. Glancing at Stephen's Sling Ring, after realising hers was still in the Sanctum, she had an idea.

"Hello! Let's just trap them in here." Ana suggested, grinning. "They can't escape but we can."

"If we're leaving we must do it now because they're getting closer!" Baron agreed and led the two sorcerers to the side walk. They ran as Stephen created a portal out of the Mirror Dimension. Kaecilius had other plans though. With a wave of his hands, he tilted the horizon so they slid down the main road and collided onto the side of a bus. Baron, Stephen and Ana face planted on a window.

There was an old man with glasses inside, laughing at a book he was reading. Ana thought he looked familiar and narrowed her eyes.

"Hey, isn't that-"

"Come on!"

Stephen snatched Ana away from the window and dragged her along with Baron into another wild chase. Going towards a large office building, Baron leapt into the air with his Vaulting boots of Valtorr. Stephen was levitated to it by his cloak and Ana had to do a super jump, something she hadn't done since training in SHIELD for the first time.

Her legs ached when she landed, causing her to falter. Stephen created another portal as they all ran up the side of the building. Kaecilius and his Zealots weren't too far behind and he jumped, creating a ripple in the ground when he landed. The portal fizzed away and the building spilt in two, their side bending backwards, making them fall towards the ground.

Because of the distorted environment, they landed on the side of another building. They stopped at the edge of it, staring at the warped buildings, landscapes and even small groups of combined constructions. Ana bent over, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

"This was a mistake." Stephen stated, panting heavily.

Baron turned his head and gave him a 'no shit' look.

Ana went to retort but they were sent plummeting through a kaleidoscopic scenery. Kaecilius was trying to separate Stephen from Ana and Baron by creating multiple distortions. Ana was trying to get a Zealot off her tail.

She recognised him as the one she used to spar against in the Kamar-Taj. He liked to jump on his opponents and wrap his legs around their torso, squeezing them until they couldn't breathe. It reminded her of Natasha. And she was an expert at that skill. She turned so she faced him and waited. He, as planned, jumped.

"Man, you are one stupid wizard." Ana smirked.

She dropped on her back and kicked her legs out, nailing him in the chest which sent him flying toward an incoming structure of a church. She cursed loudly when her thighs pulsed with pain. The muscles were tightening, a symptom of her enhanced healing. She had to grab the railing of the runway she was on to stand up.

All of a sudden, she was taken to a levitating circle floor. The Ancient One was staring at Ana when she joined Stephen and Baron. Ana could see the symbol of the Dark Dimension on her forehead and sighed.

"It's true." Baron said quietly, "She does draw power from the Dark Dimension."

"I came to you, broken, lost, bleeding. I trusted you to be my teacher, and you fed me lies." Kaecilius spat, walking in a semi circle, glaring at the Ancient One with so much hatred.

"I tried to protect you." She said.

"From the truth?"

"From yourself." Ancient One stated softly.

"I have a new teacher now." Kaecilius replied.

"Dormammu deceives you. You have no idea of what he truly is. His eternal life is not paradise, but torment." She tried to explain, but he wasn't having it.

"Liar." He sneered before attacking her.

Baron, Stephen and Ana watched as the power traded from Kaecilius to the Ancient One, but clearly she was more powerful than all of the Zealots put together. She fought off the two Zealots, meaning she had no idea of Kaecilius next move. He had stabbed her with a Space Shard that was sent through his own follower.

He kicked her into a portal, sending her into the real world. before the portal could close, the three sorcerers jumped out after her. She had fallen several stories to her assumed death. Civilians gasped when a figure in yellow robes crash landed at their feet and backed away.

Stephen, Baron and Ana landed on the sidewalk, attending to their teacher. Too preoccupied to give a damn, Ana was unaware of the security cameras pointing her way and of the people who were watching her on the other side. They were glancing at the monitors, with two different systems running facial recognition. Aside from the robes, blood and large sword hanging around her waist, they got a match. They finally got a match.

"We have to get her to the hospital." Stephen stressed, checking her pulse. Baron closed his eyes while Ana helped Stephen with carrying the Ancient One.

"Time to do your thing, doc."

- - -

"Here, I found this."

Baron had his hand open, holding it out to Ana with her Sling Ring. They left Stephen at the hospital with the Ancient One. Unable to further aid the doctor, they both went back to the Kamar-Taj. The blast had cracked the entrances, leaving debris and rubble everywhere they stepped. Baron wouldn't speak of his thoughts towards the Ancient One, and as Ana took back her ring, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"What's on your mind?" She asked.

Baron sent a soft shake of his head her way. He wasn't ready to talk. She understood and gave him a nod along with a small smile. She had to think on it too. No matter how much life she was stealing from the Dark Dimension, the Ancient One couldn't have survived the long fall and hard hit into the ground. The only one who can survive that would be Bruce in Hulk mode. Things in Kamar-Taj won't be the same without its Sorcerer Supreme. Everyone would eventually learn of the Ancient One's secrets, making them leave and never look back. They were taught to never tap into the Dark Arts, not knowing their master was doing exactly the opposite. To keep her young at the least. Their chances at a new life, redemption and knowledge all thrown away.

Ana didn't even know what she wanted to do now. All she knew was that Kaecilius was still out their, still trying to bring Dormammu to Earth. She knew she had to stop him. That was it.

"She's dead."

Baron and Ana turned, finding Stephen who had just walk through a portal from the hospital. The news wasn't all surprising but they nodded in acknowledgment.

"You were right." Baron said, his voice rough. "She wasn't who I thought she was."

"She was complicated." Stephen stated. He stepped next to Ana offering her a small smile.

"Complicated? The Dark Dimension is volatile. Dangerous. What if it overtook her? She taught us it was forbidden, while she drew on its power to steal centuries of life." Baron retorted.

"She did what she thought was right." Ana added.

"The bill comes due. Don't you see? Her transgressions led the Zealots to Dormammu. Kaecilius was her fault. And here we are, in the consequence of her deception. A world on fire." Baron gestured to the crumbling area around them.

"Mordo, the London Sanctum has fallen. And New York has been attacked. Twice. You know where they're going next." Stephen looked at him.

"Hong Kong." Baron and Ana mused.

"You told me once to fight as if my life depended on it, because one day, it might. Well, today is that day. I can not defeat them alone." Stephen told Baron.

Ana put on her Sling Ring, raising her hand to gaze at it. This small accessory allowed her to travel through any dimension. It's a step up from a quinjet, a huge one. If anything was to go horribly wrong during their battle, she could easily escape. All she had to do was keep the damn thing on at all times.

Stephen created a portal to the Hong Kong Sanctum Sanctorum since the doorway was lost. They all ran through it the second it was complete. And they entered a land long past saving.

Ana looked at the city that was completely broken. Buildings were barely standing. The neon signs that always welcomed new customers were torn in half and in a heap on the ground. People were either dead or almost there. She raced to a young girl who was under a pile of concrete slabs that had fallen from the building above them. She was shaking uncontrollably and when Ana took her hand, she smiled before releasing her last breath.

Her unresponsive eyes stared into hers. Ana gently closed her eyelids, shutting her own from sorrow. A hand was placed on her shoulder and she looked up at Stephen. She took his open hand and stood, joining Baron.

They all looked up at the dreadful sight above the destroyed Sanctum Sanctorum. Dormammu's arrival was clear. The mystical clouds of darkly coloured spheres were infesting themselves in the atmosphere. Purple mist traveled like a tornado around it, breaking off the structures of the buildings it reached.

"The Sanctum has already fallen." Ana stated.

"The Dark Dimension. Dormammu is coming. It's too late. Nothing can stop him." Baron added, staring up at the sky miserably.

"Not necessarily." Stephen murmured.

Ana saw Kaecilius and his Zealots on the road meters away from them. He came running when he saw the sorcerers. Ana unsheathed her Sword of Light, swinging it in her palm and holding it up. Stephen unlocked the Eye of Agamotto. Ana glanced at him nervously as Kaecilius came running faster.

"Whatever you're gonna do, doc, do it faster!"

Her voice slurred when the spell took affect. Kaecilius stopped mid air with his Space Shard aimed at Stephen, inches away from his face. Stephen had his green mystical symbol pointed at him. With straining effort, he reversed time. Kaecilius glided back like rewinding a video. Ana's sword was put back into her waist band and Stephen watched as the destruction in Hong Kong healed itself gradually.

He included Baron and Ana on his side of the spell. Their forms shifted and they gasped. Ana watched, wide eyed as everything was getting better. The young girl she had seen earlier had the debris lifted off of her chest, and her eyes opened. Ana smiled, looking at Stephen.

"This is amazing."

"Spells working." Stephen said, wrapping an arm around her should briefly. "We got a second chance!"

The Sanctum was rebuilding itself and they ran towards it, passing Kaecilius and his Zealots. But because of their enhanced power from the Dark Dimension, they were able to exclude themselves from the spell, move in time instead of reversing back. They attacked each of the three sorcerers.

One of them jumped on Ana and she fell flat in a puddle, making her groan. She zapped him off with a pulse of magic. He was much stronger than her in the Mystic Arts and was able to create a larger offence attack. She grabbed her sword and harnessed all the energy from it, sending a sharp hit toward his chest. He flew back from the force and she ran for Kaecilius.

Stephen seemed to have it handled since he kicked him into a building that was repairing itself, making the dark sorcerer become trapped in-between the walls. Concrete structures were flying back up into the air and attaching themselves securely back in their rightful places. Wong was found after the debris vanished into the air, a metal bar protruding from his chest.

"Wong!" Ana called.

Time reversed itself and he came back to the land of the living, allowing Stephen to include him on their side of the spell also.

After noticing Wong's confused stare, Stephen shrugged. "Breaking the laws of nature. I know."

"Well don't stop now." Wong shook his head, joining them.

"When the Sanctums restored, they'll attack it again." Stephen stated, pointing at the large building still in the process of reconstruction.

"We've got to defend it." Ana nodded.

"Come on."

Four Masters of the Mystic Arts ran together toward their mission. The Dark Dimension was removing itself from Earth slowly, but it gave them hope. The purple mists were swirling up into space as well as the dark clouds. Though, before they could get to the Sanctum, a wave in the ground sent them off path.

Kaecilius stood behind their fallen figures. Giving a stern nod to one of his followers, the Zealot created a portal with his own Sling Ring. The portal opened in front of Ana, blocking her from getting to her friends.

She placed two fingers to her head, the large cut made from crashing to the rough pavement. She looked up at Kaecilius, before standing.

"You won't win." She said.

"What makes you say that?" He smirked, "Dormammu has come and it will all be over soon. But I need something from you. Ana, you've been a hard stain to remove and I think some time in a dark place will punish you for all the trouble you've caused." Kaecilius finished.

Ana felt her heart drop and she swallowed thickly. She saw it too late. One of the Zealots had created a Eldritch Whip, locking onto her feet and swinging her into the portal before she could do anything about it. Stephen heard her yell and scrambled to his feet, shouting her name.

The portal fizzed away and he couldn't see her anywhere. Angry, but mostly worried, he glared at Kaecilius.

"Where is she?!" He bellowed.

"Somewhere she knows all too well, Doctor Strange." Kaecilius grinned madly.

"She's in the Dream Dimension."

Ana was thrown into the portal. Into the Dream Dimension. Or more specifically, the Nightmare Realm.

The golden circle vanished and she landed on her back, skidding on rough terrain. The random spikes made of stone and hardened tar scratched her robe, drawing blood from the skin on her back. The landscape changed, moulding into a cliff when it couldn't recognise the individual that that came upon it. It wanted to end her.

More like he wanted to end her.

Ana finally came to terms she was no longer on earth and latched onto the edge of the black land, just when her body slid over it. She looked around, coughing when green mist swirled its way around her. The atmosphere was dark and cloudy, with the occasional green pulses of light. Nailing her fingers in the ground, she pulled herself up, hurrying to stand when a deep rumble shook the earth beneath her feet.

Then all of a sudden, it became pitch black. Ana blinked, reaching out with her hands. She could feel thin pockets of air around her. Two circles that resemble eyes, red and bright, appeared inches away from her own. She stumbled from surprise, tripping over a what could only be described as a boulder, and landed flat on her back. The wind escaped her lungs and her chest lowered.

"Who are you?"