Quirks and magic

Chapter 16: Foreboding Aftermath

It was not until after their consolatory embrace had ended and Izuku got the last of his apologetic tears and whimpers out of his system did the boy realize the high-strung silence permeating the room. Not just the room, in fact: the silence was hanging dreadfully over the entirety of Kamar-Taj. There were no more commotions echoing in from above ground, out in the courtyard. All of the fighting had ceased by this point. Not even an occasional cry or yell reached Izuku's ears, strained as they were.

Does that mean we've won? Izuku thought hopefully. Strange's sudden arrival and triumphant takedown of Ikiji certainly made it seem so. Ikiji himself had been whisked away by the mist man—Kurogiri—presumably, driven from Kamar-Taj while the Book of Cagliostro remained within the grasp of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. Against all odds, and in spite of Izuku's reckless ploy, had victory been assured?

Rintrah meandered over to the tome, the heavy clops of his hoofed feet reverberating throughout the annihilated archives. He passed by Strange and Izuku without a word, patting his gargantuan hand on Izuku's shoulder before moving to scoop the Book of Cagliostro off the floor. Despite the force nearly causing him to collapse again, Izuku still felt somewhat relieved by the gesture; it was simply Rintrah's way of showing he cared, he supposed.

"Master," Rintrah beckoned Strange to come over as he thumbed through the tome, which definitely looked worse for wear after Izuku's stunt. The boy wondered if he'd inadvertently caused the sudden deterioration by overextending with the Eye. Rintrah had skimmed through each and every page before suddenly coming to a halt, his eyes narrowing considerably as he called for Strange. When Strange approached Rintrah's side, the sorcerer could plainly see what the issue was: a page from the book had been ripped out.

And not just any page, either: it was the page containing the ritual necessary to contact the entity Dormammu. Strange stroked his chin patch, contemplating this newest revelation. It appeared as if Ikiji and his allies were not entirely unsuccessful after all.

"Oh my gosh," Izuku said ashamedly, appearing by Strange's side and peering into the frayed interior of the book. "Did I cause that?" Strange could see that he, too, recognized which page was missing.

"No, your overuse of the Eye is not the prime reason for the page's disappearance," Strange said, turning to Izuku with a quizzical look. "Izuku...what was the last thing you remember before losing control of the Eye of Agamotto?"

"I saw the warping man reappear," Izuku said, straining his mind to remember. "I used a Time Slip to pull the book out of the reversal. I saw the book hit the floor and then..." Izuku trailed off, not feeling entirely comfortable discussing his descent through the Timeless Aether.

Strange seemed to get the gist of it and pressed no further on Izuku's memories. "What happened," Strange continued with his explanation. "Was that your spell ended the moment you fell out of this realm. The mist man, panicking as Ikiji and I resisted the spell's effects, opted to merely rip the page he sought out instead of taking the whole book again."

"Then we can still get the page back, can't we?" Izuku asked, hope in his voice. "You're much more skilled at using the Eye, right, sensei?"

Strange paused, as if pondering Izuku's request, before offering his student a gentle smile that belied a deeper sense of foreboding. "I think the Eye has been used enough for one day, Izuku."

"But—! But—!" Izuku tried protesting.

"What I said about the book moments ago also extends to that page as well," Strange quickly interjected. "We have more pressing priorities to attend to: namely, seeing to any injured within the compound."

As if on cue, the other practitioners present hastily made their way up the stairwell to carry out Strange's prerogative; Rintrah opened a portal due to his size. Only Izuku remained, clenching and unclenching his hands and stewing in what Strange could only assume was self-doubt.