Lights → Doctor Strange

{we're gonna be okay}

"Go ahead," Strange called. The Eye was open, its glowing power making him look otherworldly. The green bands of magic wound their way up his arm in intricate designs.

"Are you sure?" Riley asked nervously.

"Of course!" Strange yelled.

He was standing on the second floor, at the head of the stairs. Riley was below, in the foyer. She knelt, splaying her hands on the black and white marble floor. Almost immediately, the ground began to shake. The crystal chandelier tinkled high above the both of them.

"Go on," Strange encouraged her, "Let go!"

So Riley did. The earthquake got worse, shaking the ground so hard that Strange was having a hard time standing up. A crack split through the marble floor, pausing before spreading up the wall. The windows shattered, spewing shards of glass everywhere.

The chandelier's chord snapped, and it fell towards the ground. Riley looked up in time to see it crashing down. Strange threw his hands up, and the world stopped. The chandelier hung in the air, halfway down. Riley was looking up at it, her moth agape. The grandfather clock's second hand was still, the pendulum hovering mid swing.

Strange moved his hand counter-clockwise, and the scene reversed. The chandelier sped back up to the ceiling and the glass shot back into the window frames, whole again. The crack in the floor pulled back together. Riley reversed, standing up and turning back towards Strange. He dropped his hands, looking at the scene in front of him. They had been doing this, Strange had lost count how many times.

It was the same, every time. And Mordo hadn't showed up yet.

"How many times have I done this?" Riley asked Strange, nervously fidgeting.

"I lost count," Strange admitted, "Once more."

Riley nodded, all though this felt like the first time she had done this, she knew Strange had seen it innumerable times. She knelt, splaying her hands on the floor. The ground shook, harder than it had any of the other times. The crack snaked it's way across the floor, wider than it had ever been. The chandelier above shook, and the cord snapped. Riley looked up,  mouth agape as the ton of crystal fell towards her.

Strange lifted his hands to use the Eye, but something tackled him from behind. Mordo slammed Strange's head into the floor, making his vision go blurry. In slow motion, the chandelier crashed to the floor with Riley underneath it. Her scream tore the air as the crystal shattered across the floor.

Mordo and Strange wrestled. Strange gained the upper hand, slamming his palm into Mordo's nose. He felt the bones crunch under his palm and grimaced. Strange stood, stumbling down the stairs towards what was left of Riley. The broken crystal glittered in the pool of blood coming from the middle of the chandelier.

"Riley," Strange whimpered.

Mordo jumped off the balcony, his boots catching his fall. The soft swish of magic made Strange turn. His mind shifted into gear as he raised his hands. Once again, the scene around him stopped, frozen in time.

Strange reversed it, watching as the pool of blood went back into Riley. The chandelier rose to the ceiling once again, and Mordo crept backwards down the hallway. Strange took his place back at the head of the stairs. He let go, and time began again.

Strange summoned two shields, getting into his fighting stance. The floor began to shake again. "Riley!" Strange yelled, "Stop! Mordo is here!"

Too late, the cord snapped. And for the last time, the chandelier fell. Mordo jumped from his hiding spot in the hallway, but this time, Strange was ready. With a flick of his hand, Strange summoned a shield to protect Riley. The chandelier shattered on the golden sphere of protection, with Riley safely inside.

Strange blocked the attack from Mordo, shoving him back. Undaunted, Mordo summoned his own shield. In the foyer, Riley stood, leaving the safety of the shield. The crystal crunched under her feet as she ran upstairs to join the fight.

She caught up to Strange, blue fire blazing in her hands. Strange saw her and a grin spread across his face, "Let's get him."

Riley smirked, and the two of them attacked. Strange fought Mordo, their shields clashing together in a shower of sparks. Riley summoned the air and pushed Mordo to the side. He slammed against the wall, and Strange attacked again with his two shields. Mordo deflected the attack, jumping over Strange. His boots let him hover in the air above the ruined foyer.

Riley jumped, and the air caught her. She walked on the air like it was sturdy ground, straight to Mordo. Strange's cape took him to the two others, where he hovered mid-air, waiting for the next move.

The three sorcerer's watched each other. They all floated, hovered, or simply stood in mid-air. Riley surged forward, a shield of water in one hand and a ball of flame in the other. Strange followed right behind her. Mordo deflected Riley's ball of flame, sending a spear of light her way. It sizzled against her shield of water, but didn't touch her.

Strange and Riley fought Mordo, who seemed more than capable of keeping the two of them at bay. Riley caught Mordo's punch aimed at her jaw, and twisted his arm. Strange summoned a rope of magic and wrapped it around Mordo's other arm.

Mordo growled and broke out of Strange's rope of magic. Strange's eyes widened in shock as he saw Mordo lash out with a dagger of magic. Riley jerked back and barely missed having her stomach sliced open. The dagger caught something else, though.

The leather cord her Amulet hung from snapped. Riley watched as the Amulet tumbled towards the ground. Strange reached forward to catch her, but it was too late. Strange couldn't tear his eyes away as she fell.

She hit the ground hard, with a sort of resounding thud that Strange had heard once before, when the Ancient One had fell to her death. Strange was frozen, staring at Riley's body lying still on the ground.

Mordo reached out and sliced the Eye from Strange's neck, taking the artifact with greedy hands. Strange snapped, turning to Mordo and summoning his shields again.

Strange tackled Mordo mid-air, both of them falling to the foyer far below. Strange slammed Mordo into the ground, like Riley had just moments ago. Mordo smiled as Strange punched him over and over again. His scarred hands burning with pain as he punched Mordo repeatedly.

Mordo just laughed; a sick, low-pitched gurgle. Strange paused mid-punch, staring down at Mordo's bloody face as he cackled. Suddenly, Mordo summoned a shield and hit Strange on the side of the head. He fell, for the second time that day receiving a nasty blow to the head.

Strange toppled over and laid on his side. Mordo walked over to Riley, who was laying still and curled up. Mordo said something, but Strange couldn't hear it. Mordo's voice sounded far away and muffled, like he was underwater.

Blood dripped from the side of Strange's head. He tried to move, but his vision dimmed dangerously. He turned and watched helplessly as Mordo leaned over Riley. Mordo's hand stretched out and Riley's golden magic leeched from her body and into Mordo's.

"Stop," Strange cried out, but his voice was weak as he watched the magic leave her body.

Mordo ignored him, bleeding Riley dry of her magical life force. The Eye opened, and the green bands wound their way up Mordo's arm. Strange struggled to get up, realizing what Mordo was about to do.

Mordo held the green circle of magic over the right side of Riley's head. He moved his hands in a clockwise motion. Strange managed to get to his feet and stumble towards Riley. Mordo watched for a moment before backing away from the two of them.

"One less sorcerer in the world," Mordo jeered, "One less person to ignore natural law, one less person to drain all the magic from this world."

Strange's blue eyes never left Riley's pale form. Her skin was sickly pale, trickles of blood leaking from her ears and nose. "Do you think you can save her, Doctor Strange?" Mordo mocked, opening a portal and stepping through it.

With Mordo gone, Strange knelt next to Riley. His head swam as he looked down at her. Her Amulet was laying only feet away from her, amidst the shattered glass and debris on the floor. Strange reached over and picked the Amulet up, tucking it into Riley's palm. He gathered her in his arms, rocking her gently back and forth.

"You're going to be okay," he whispered.

"We're gonna be okay."