In the great library of Kamar-Taj, Celeste found her mind once again drawn to the rich mystical knowledge surrounding her. The sheer scope of learning available here was overwhelming in the best possible way.
This place was teaching her to tap into a far more powerful force, one that perhaps the ancient Jedi ancestors of her galaxy had possessed when they first established their order.
With the revelation about the Kwa and their connection to the Force, Celeste wanted to learn everything she could about these ancient beings.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much information available about this Force-sensitive species.
One might expect that records of them would have been lost to time due to poor preservation or record-keeping. However, given that the Kwa had been part of the mystical order here for years, information about them had either been deliberately removed or requested to be sealed by the Kwa themselves.
Considering what happened to her own Jedi Order, such secrecy was understandable.
She glanced over at Bucky, who was with her today, sitting across from an unlikely friend he'd made here at Kamar-Taj.
Master Wong.
The two had struck up an oddly fast friendship when they first met, bonded by their mutual love of Tolkien's works.
For Bucky, he was simply happy to meet another avid reader who wasn't Steve. Not that he didn't appreciate the Lord of the Rings movies, he genuinely enjoyed them. But there was something special about discussing the books with someone who'd actually read them cover to cover.
"So The Silmarillion contains everything Tolkien never published during his lifetime?" Bucky asked with barely contained excitement.
"Essentially, yes. Tolkien continuously added to and refined his mythology over the years, expanding the world he created for the Fellowship trilogy," Wong explained.
"Magic truly does have its wonders," Bucky muttered to himself, carefully turning pages.
"I would guard this book with my life," Wong said proudly. "Look at how it ends."
Bucky flipped to the final page and his eyes widened in amazement.
Though he was still learning the Elvish language Tolkien had created, he could roughly translate the inscription.
"'To all who journey to Middle-earth, may they find friendship until the last star fades,'" Bucky read with wonder. "Signed, J.R.R. Tolkien."
"His final signature before he passed away," Wong said with obvious pride.
"Holy shit."
Celeste chuckled and rolled her eyes at their current obsession.
Still, it was heartwarming to see how passionate someone could become about the things they loved.
"You two," she said, drawing their attention, "are absolutely hopeless."
Both men looked at her for a moment before immediately returning to their discussion.
"When the Lord of the Rings films were released, were there actually rings made with inscriptions?" Bucky asked eagerly.
"There's more to it than that, my friend," Wong said, glancing around almost conspiratorially before leaning closer. "The Ancient One acquired one of the promotional rings and enchanted it with actual invisibility magic."
Bucky's jaw dropped. "No way."
Wong's smile threatened to break his composed facade as he reached into his robes and produced a simple gold band.
"Behold," the mystical librarian said, placing the ring in Bucky's palm.
"You're pulling his leg now," Celeste said skeptically, though Bucky stared at the ring with fascination, noting the black script of Mordor etched into the metal.
Wong simply crossed his arms with smug satisfaction and waited as the Winter Soldier hesitated for just a moment before sliding the ring onto his finger...
He vanished completely.
It took only seconds for him to remove the ring and reappear, his expression somewhere between amazement and pure joy.
"Wong!" he exclaimed happily.
"Oh, for the Force's sake," Celeste muttered.
Great. Now she'd have to deal with this excitement for days.
Before the two could continue gushing over Tolkien's creations, all three heard someone clear their throat pointedly.
They turned to see a man who appeared to be in his thirties, with a small tuft of white hair tied in a topknot and wearing a light brown vest. Beside him stood two other students in dark maroon robes.
"Kaecilius," Wong said respectfully.
"Wong," the man replied with a slight bow.
His gaze then moved to the two people sitting with the librarian, studying them both intently.
"New friends?" Kaecilius asked. "I've heard about these newcomers but haven't had the opportunity to meet them."
The sorcerer's eyes lingered on Bucky with particular interest.
"Can we help you?" Bucky asked simply.
"You look familiar," the stranger said thoughtfully. "I believe I've seen your face before. In historical texts."
"Maybe you have."
Kaecilius hummed to himself before turning his attention to Celeste.
"And you are?"
Something about this man set Celeste on edge. The Force might not exist here exactly as she'd known it, but she'd been learning to adapt her abilities over the past few weeks.
She'd begun to harness powers she'd only dreamed of while also enhancing the abilities she'd developed during her Jedi training. And right now, every instinct was telling her that Kaecilius carried darkness within him.
"Just a new student," she replied politely.
"Ah, then welcome to our order," Kaecilius said with apparent friendliness.
Celeste nodded carefully as Wong spoke up.
"What can I help you with, Kaecilius?" he asked.
"I need a book," Kaecilius said slowly. "The Codex of the Mirror Dimension. One of my students is ready to advance to more complex studies."
Wong simply nodded and led them to where the requested tome might be found, and they departed.
"Who was that?" Bucky asked suspiciously, watching the man and his followers walk away.
"Kaecilius," Wong replied neutrally. "A master here. Gifted student. He's been with us for over twenty years."
"What about his entourage?"
"Private students."
"There's something wrong with him," Celeste said quietly.
Bucky nodded. "I got the same feeling."
"What do you mean?" Wong asked.
Celeste shook her head slowly. "In the Jedi Order, when we sensed something unusual or dark about a person, we attributed it to disturbances in the Force. Kaecilius... there's a darkness around him that I can't quite define."
Wong didn't respond immediately, clearly wrestling with the subject for several moments.
"Kamar-Taj tends to attract three types of people," he finally said. "Those seeking to understand higher powers, those looking for purpose, and those who are... broken, damaged, or lost in some fundamental way."
Bucky and Celeste exchanged glances.
"I can understand that kind of pain," Celeste said, "but what I sensed from him... it feels like it's been festering for years. Like nothing will ever be enough to heal it."
Wong looked at her, then sighed heavily.
"Kaecilius came here seeking solace after losing everything he held dear," Wong revealed. "If you want to know more, I'd suggest not asking him directly."
"Understood. I just think we should keep an eye on him," Celeste suggested.
Wong said nothing, simply nodding to both of them before departing to continue his duties.
Bucky twirled the enchanted ring between his fingers and sighed.
"And here I was hoping we'd found a place of peace and quiet," he muttered.