Thank you very much for all of the reviews, follows, and favorites! I've taken some of your advice into account in this chapter, especially with Maddy's training. I want to make sure that she does not become an overpowered OC.
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Chapter Four: A Sudden Introduction
"W-what?" I stammered, feeling suddenly light headed. "Now? You want to start training now?"
"Only if you're ready," Strange said. "I know you didn't exactly plan to end up here."
I took a deep breath, organizing my thoughts. Did I want to train? Learning how to use magic would be cool, but that would mean committing to Kamar-Taj. It would mean cementing my life here in Nepal and relying on complete strangers that I certainly did not trust. But then again, the alternative was going home to a mother that could care less about me.
I could feel Aidan and Strange's stares as I thought. I looked up slowly, nodding once.
"I would like to begin training."
"Excellent." Strange waved me forward. "We'll begin privately. Thank you for your time this morning, Aidan."
Aidan bowed and shot me one last look before leaving. I felt a twinge of nervousness at the word privately. What was he going to do?
Strange didn't speak as he led me down the hallway and to a big open room. The old wooden floor creaked under our feet. Thin rays of sunshine slanted through windows all around the room. I stopped in the middle, unsure what to do.
"First, let's get you in something a little more traditional," Strange said. He strode over to a table, picking up a stack of dark purple clothes. He handed them to me.
"Robes give you more flexibility, both physically and mentally," Strange explained.
How does a piece of fabric extend your mind? I thought, scoffing. Strange showed me to a small room, leaving me to change. The different layers were hard to figure out at first, but soon enough I had changed from my jeans and shirt and into the thick, but soft tunic. I looked at myself in the small mirror hanging on the wall. I looked small in the robes; small and weak. I looked nothing like the other trainees that moved with a certain smoothness, wearing their robes with a degree of pride. I adjusted the neckline fastidiously, frowning. Would I ever be comfortable in these?
"Good, they fit," Strange said as I exited the room. He was still standing next to the small table, though this time a small metal pot stood by his elbow with two cups. He picked up the pot, pouring it into a cup. He handed it to me, steam rising from the drink in delicate curls.
"More tea?" I asked, taking a small sip. This time, it tasted of honey and mint.
"It helps center the mind," Strange said. He held out a hand, guiding me to the middle of the room. He stood across from me with a stern expression. I finished the tea in one big gulp, setting the cup down carefully.
"The mystic arts," Strange began, "is a world that you should not take lightly. It can be freeing, but dangerous. Too much freedom or too much hunger can lead you very, very astray. I do not begin your training lightly, and I hope you do not either."
My stomach tightened at his serious words. I had never heard him speak in a tone like this.
"I don't," I answered softly.
Strange held up his hands. I looked at them nervously, wondering what he was doing."Good. I will introduce just how I was," he said. "Suddenly."
With a swift motion, he thrust one hand forward, just brushing my chest. The movement seemed to bend the air around his hand, the pressure in the room doubling. I was flung back, but my body felt weirdly light. I held up my hands, noticing with a shock that I could see right through them. I looked down, my stomach heaving when I saw my body falling in slow motion toward the floor. Doctor Strange still stood with his hands extended, his eyes narrowed. I began to panic, flailing my arms to try and get a grip on anything. I felt like I could just float away and be lost forever.
Then, just as quickly as I had exited my body, I was brought back in. Strange was moving at a normal speed again. I put a hand to my face. I was solid.
"What was that?" I asked breathlessly.
"Your astral form," Strange explained. "You can access another layer next to our world; one where time runs much slower and injuries are not as harmful. But I advise you to only enter it when you have a dire need, or you have practiced for many months."
"But you just flung me into my astral form," I protested.
"Yes, but I had a good hold on you," Strange said. He moved on quickly. "Our world is only one of many. There are countless dimensions, and each and every one are different in some way. They contain horrors and beauty not seen on this Earth. But they are also dangerous to explore."
"This is…" I struggled to get the words out, but it was like my throat had suddenly closed off. I didn't know what to say.
"It can be quite overwhelming at first," Strange said. "The first time I was here, the Ancient One taught me a very valuable lesson. I must admit, I was rather arrogant back then." He glanced down at his scarred, trembling hands for a moment. "But I have grown a lot. And I expect you will too."
The stubborn part of me refused to change at all. Though, maybe it was more out of fear than stubbornness that had kept me the way I was all these years. But I was not ready to change now.
"Who is the Ancient One?" I asked.
"Someone who expanded my mind," Strange said. "She healed me."
"I don't need healing," I scoffed.
"Then why are you here?"
"Because I was dropped through a portal that I did not create," I hissed, growing angry. "I did not ask to be here. I didn't even know that any of this existed."
"You landed here for a reason. And even if we do not know the reason right at this moment, we can use the time we have now to help you."
I shook my head, stepping back. "I don't need help."
"No? Then why do you have nightmares at night?" Strange had lost his normal cool demeanor, spitting back a reply to my own harsh voice.
I felt suddenly sick. I narrowed my eyes. "How do you know that?" I growled, curling my fingers into a fist. "How the hell do you know that?"
"You don't think I have nightmares too? I can recognize it on a person!" Strange yelled. He then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Emotional walls seemed to appear around him, his face becoming unreadable. "I'm sorry. I've let my temper get the best of me."
"Yeah, you did," I spat. I felt my heart begin to slow down. I had only been here for a few days, but I could already see how Strange kept careful walls around him, just like I did. I put my guard back up, retreating back into the quiet, isolated place I normally resided within myself.
"Let's move on," Strange offered. I nodded, relieved to leave behind the argument between us.
"Harnessing the power within you is one of the most difficult things to learn. Some grasp it easier than others. It took me a long time to learn, and even now I am still not even close to being perfect." Strange held out his arms, beginning to move them in a strange pattern. Glowing orange lines appeared in midair, throwing off sparks. I widened my eyes. I hadn't seen the actual magic until now. He finished off the complicated-looking pattern with a small flourish, pushing it outward into a 3D shape. It sputtered for a bit, expanding then disappearing as if it had never existed at all.
"Runes can do many different things. The first one most newcomers learn is how to make a portal." Strange took a strange golden ring from his pocket. He held it out to me. I took it carefully, the metal cool in my palm.
"That is a sling ring. It allows you to travel from place to place almost instantaneously. I advise you to never lose it, especially when you're in another dimension."
I slipped it onto my right hand, the ring settling comfortably in between my fingers.
"Now, hold your hand like this." Strange demonstrated the movement, holding his left arm out while he moved his right in a circular motion. I copied him, unsure what was going to happen.
"Access the energy residing in yourself. Let it fill you and flow through your whole body."
Strange's calm words relaxed my tense muscles. I closed my eyes, trying to draw forth a power that I had never knew existed within me before. With a gasp, I saw a couple orange sparks appear in front of my finger. I stopped moving, staring at the air before me surprised.
"That's quite good for a first effort," Doctor Strange said. I thought I could detect a note of pride in his voice. "Now, try again. A successful portal takes a long time."
I tried again, this time a thin line appearing. But no matter how much I struggled, I could not get much more than that. Doctor Strange ended up showing me a real portal, the glowing circle hovering in midair. Through it, I could see the dunes of a desert, sand blowing through a deep blue sky. It was breathtaking, and quite frightening if I was being honest.
"That should be enough for today," Strange said. I dropped my hand, relieved. I was getting very tired, though I didn't want to admit it.
The sorcerer went over to the table, picking up a rather big stack of books. He deposited them in my arms.
"Here is some light reading on the basics of sorcery," Strange said, patting the cover of the topmost book. "They should give you a nice introduction to the mystic world."
"Light reading?" I said, breathless.
"Yes. We'll continue your basic training tomorrow. You're free for the rest of the day." Strange bowed to me. I tried to reciprocate the gesture, although I ended up just making a fool of myself and dropping a couple of the heavy novels on the floor. I picked them up, embarrassed, before scuttling out of the room and back to my own.
Aidan met me right outside my door. "How was training?"
"It was insane," I said, shoving open my door with one foot. He followed me in, sitting in a chair while I dropped the books on my nightstand.
"There is so much to learn." I took the top book, flipping it open. The pages were all inked by hand, thankfully in English. "And all of the magic, it's just… it's hard."
"You'll get it eventually," Aidan promised. I hoped he was right.
When night fell that day, I was tossing and turning in my bed. No matter what I did, I could not fall asleep. With a frustrated groan, I kicked my blankets off and changed into old jeans and a sweatshirt. Maybe a walk would help clear my head.
Kamar-Taj was much different at night. The halls were transformed by the shining moonlight. Everything seemed softer draped in shadow. I didn't have a fixed destination in mind, but my feet guided themselves. Soon, I found myself following the path I had taken with Aidan much earlier to the library. To my surprise, I found the front doors unlocked.
I pushed on them slowly, the hinges squeaking. I held my breath, waiting for Strange or Wong to come up behind me. No one appeared.
The shelves of books stood silently as before. Dust swirled in a stream of moonlight that entered through a small window. I breathed in deep, relaxing at the smell of leather and old pages. Though I couldn't read most of the titles, I walked among the shelves, trailing my fingers along their spines. It was amazing to think that some of these books were hundreds of years old and contained the secrets of an art little known to the rest of the world.
Come over here.
A whispery voice made my eyes snap open. I whirled around, but no one was there. I frowned. Maybe I had imagined it.
And then it came again.
Come to me.
The voice was soft and enticing. It seemed to pull at me, forcing my feet to move toward the back of the library. A shelf shrouded in shadow was tucked behind all the other novels. The books looked older than any other. Chains crossed their fronts, holding them firmly into place. Some of the covers glowed with a mysterious light.
My eyes drifting over to the one on the end. A circle looking as if it were made of pure gold flowed around ancient runes etched into the very leather. The voice was coming from it, promising knowledge and secrets that no one else could tell me.
I reached out a hand, my fingertips just grazing the cover. The chain fell away as if an invisible hand had moved it, clinking against the wooden shelf. I closed my eyes, completely lost in the voice that had faded to a dull chanting.
"Maddy."
I snatched my hand back. This voice was real. I turned around to see Strange standing there, his face unreadable. Though his eyes were dark and turbulent.
"I- I'm sorry," I said. "I don't know what came over me."
"That is a very dangerous book." Strange strode forward, fixing the chain back into place around the book. I swallowed, preparing another apology. Strange spoke before I could.
"These books are very old, and not to be read. Especially not by a brand new trainee." Strange glared at me sternly. "Understand?"
I nodded, but a part of me was urging me to ask what the book was. I summoned up any ounce of courage I had left.
"What's in it?" The question came out as a soft whisper, as if I could hardly breathe.
"That is the Book of Cagliostro. It contains words that could end a person's life in a heartbeat. It is the most dangerous thing in this library, and it has tempted many sorcerers away onto a dark path."
I stepped away, giving the book a frightened look. "It spoke to me."
Strange narrowed his eyes. "It did what?"
I shook my head quickly. "I must've imagined it. I am very tired." I forced my mouth into a wide yawn just to emphasize my point.
Strange looked like he wanted to press my further, but he just dismissed me with a wave of his hand. I scurried away, half-jogging through the books and back to the entrance. Whatever that voice was, it had almost convinced me to do whatever it wanted, and that scared me more than anything.