Strangelove [1] Stephen Strange

07. Forbidden Spells & Sanctums

Stephen ran across the courtyard in the rain in order to reach the library. Once in there, he noticed that he was alone. He went over to the Ancient One's book set and unlocked the Book of Cagliostro. He sat down at a desk, opening the book to where the missing pages were and ate an apple.

In the book, he saw a diagram of the Eye of Agamotto. Noticing that the amulet was in front of him, he felt the need to try it out.

"Wong?" He questioned, seeing if the librarian was in the library to stop him.

Receiving no response, he made his was over. He took it off of its pedestal and placed it around his neck.

He began to read the directions aloud, "First, open the Eye of Agamotto." He was shocked when it worked, "Alright."

He started to mess with the apple, seeing how it would add back and decay. After he was satisfied and had a full apple, he tried the book. He flipped to the missing pages and added them back in.

"Dormammu. The Dark Dimension. Eternal life." He read.

All the sudden, a block had formed around him. In running came Genevieve, Wong, and Mordo.

"Stop!" Mordo yelled, "Tampering with continuum of probability is forbidden."

Genevieve came behind Stephen and pulled him away from the book, "I...I was just doing what it said in the book."

"And what did the book say about the dangers of performing that ritual?" Wong asked, anger in his voice.

"I don't know. I hadn't gotten to that part yet." Stephen replied.

Genevieve stood in front of him and shoved him back with all her might, "Temporal manipulations can create branches in time. Unstable dimensional openings. Spacious paradoxes! Time loops! You want to get stuck reliving the same moment over, and over, forever, or never having existed at all?"

Stephen looked at the hurt in her eyes. It broke him a little. Mordo came over and held the woman in his arms. Stephen watched, knowing that he again had caused her pain and couldn't fix it.

"They really should put the warnings before the spell." Stephen said quitter, trying not to make Genevieve more upset than she already was.

Wong slammed his hands down and grabbed the book, "Your curiosity could have gotten you killed. You weren't manipulating the space-time continuum, you were wrecking it." He took the book back to its place, "We do not tamper with natural law. We defend it."

"How did you even do that?" Mordo asked. Genevieve still held onto his arm as they walked around Stephen.

"Hmm?" Stephen was confused.

"Where did you learn the litany of spells required to even understand it?" Mordo rephrased him question.

"I have a photographic memory. It's how I
got my M.D. and Ph.D. at the same time." Stephen replied.

"What you just did," Mordo's stance sharpened and Genevieve stood behind him, "takes more than a good memory."

"You were born for the mystic arts." Wong added.

"Yet my hands still shake." Stephen snapped.

"Stephen, it doesn't matter." Genevieve told him.

"For now, yes." Wong commented.

"Not forever?" Stephen looked from Wong to Genevieve.

"We're not prophets, Stephen." Genevieve said.

"When are any of you going to start telling me what we are?" Stephen asked all of them.

The three Masters in the room looked at each other and nodded. Genevieve grabbed his hand and followed the other two Masters. Stephen liked holding her hand, but he could sense that she was still tense.

"I'm sorry." Stephen tried, but was ignored.

"While heroes like the Avengers protect the world from physical dangers, we sorcerers safeguard it against more mystical threats. The Ancient One is the latest in a long line of Sorcerer Supreme. Going back thousands of years to the father of mystic arts, the mighty Agamotto. Same sorcerer who created the Eye you so recklessly borrowed." Wong lectured Stephen, causing him to have some shame, "Agamotto built three Sanctums in places of power where great cities now stand. That door leads to the Hong Kong Sanctum, that door to the New York Sanctum, that one to the London Sanctum. Together, Sanctums generate a shield around our world."

"The Sanctums protect the world, and we sorcerers protect the Sanctums." Mordo said.

"From what?" Stephen asked suspiciously.

"Other-dimensional beings that threaten our universe." Wong answered.

"Like Dormammu." Stephen stated.

"Where did you learn that name?" Mordo asked.

"It was in the book." Genevieve stated, letting go of Stephen's hand.

"Why?" Stephen asked.

Mordo looked at Wong, who moved the platelets.

"Dormammu dwells in the Dark Dimension. Beyond time." Genevieve told him.

Wong added, "He is the cosmic conquer. The destroyer of worlds. A being of infinite power and endless hunger, on a quest to invade every universe and bring all worlds into the Dark Dimension."

"And he hungers for Earth most of all." Genevieve finished.

"The pages that Kaecillius stole." Stephen stated.

"The ritual to contact Dormammu and draw power from the Dark Dimension." Wong told him.

Stephen laughed and Genevieve stepped on his foot, "Uhh...okay. Okay. Umm...I-I'm out. I-I came here to heal my hands, not to fight in some mystical war."

"It's too late now." Genevieve muttered.

A bell started to ring, alarming all in the room, "London."

The door to the London Sanctum opened and it's master attempted to run out. Before he could fully make it out, he fell to the ground. Behind him stood Kaecillius, who had killed him.

Kaecillius had an energy ball and shot it through the door of the Sanctum into Kamar-Taj. In an immediate response, Stephen grabbed Genevieve and held her tightly.

The two of them were thrown back by the blast and through the door of the New York Sanctum. Rubble fell over them and Stephen hovered over Genevieve.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded and kissed his cheek, "I'll be fine."

He helped her up and saw that the door back to Kamar-Taj disappeared.

"Wong! Mordo!" Stephen tried to yell.

"It's no use. We can't get back through." Genevieve told him.

More rubble started to fall, causing Genevieve to pull Stephen out of there. When they walked out of the little hall, Stephen didn't recognize his surroundings. Genevieve had visited the Sanctum many times, seeing as it was sometimes her way of getting back to Kamar-Taj.

Stephen began to make his way to the door and Genevieve followed. He didn't seem to have his balance and she didn't need him falling down.

They went out to the sidewalk, looking around. Stephen backed up into the street a little, seeing that they were in New York City. They were along way from where they came from.