"You're Strange."
I stared at Wong, not comprehending what he meant. He simply stood over me, staring almost through me with his equally critical gaze. I looked back to Dan who had finally climbed to his feet, bracing himself wearily against the railing of the grand staircase. When I turned around again Wong had somehow removed the Sling Ring from my left hand and was holding it in his palm before me.
"I don't recall ever teaching you how to use this in any of our lessons and I doubt you got far enough in your reading to learn the proper technique." He said accusingly. I stared at the oddly shaped ring in his hand and tried to form some sort of response.
"I saw –"
"And the same happened when I tried to show you how to activate the Time Stone. Before I could show you, you somehow were able to figure it out on your own." He scratched lightly at his stubbly chin and I refrained from smirking at the memory of a young Wong.
"Don't forget the weird fire weapon he made down in the tunnel today…" Dan added softly. I turned back to throw a stressed out glance his way which he returned sheepishly.
"Okay…" I started to say as I looked back up at Wong's knowing glance. "So what exactly are you saying? That I'm a fast learner and that basically being a sorcerer is my destiny and I'm already fully equipped with knowledge of spells and whatnot before I'm even taught?"
"No." Wong said simply. "I think Strange chose you yesterday because you were the nearest human being that he could latch a part of himself onto in order to ensure that he would know the true whereabouts of the Time Stone while he physically was away."
"Are you trying to say…" I said, holding my pained right arm out in front of me as I stammered. "…Doctor Strange is possessing me?!"
Wong was silent as he studied me and I shifted uncomfortably under his seemingly 'all-seeing' expression. Dan moved away from the stair railing and looked me up and down as well, stopping his gaze on the Time Stone.
"Can you try to do anything else to see if Wong is right? Something so random and magically advanced that even Wong can't copy it?" Dan dared me lightheartedly. I looked up at Wong who still eyed me thoughtfully and shook my sopping wet sleeves out, scattering drops of water all over the floor.
"Um…I really doubt it…" I said slowly, then shrugged as I glanced down at the Time Stone. "But I think I might be able to help with the mess we just made."
I clasped my left hand onto a fist and then hesitated as I tried to do the same with my right one. I winced painfully at the damage I had done to my fist when I had attempted to bust the upstairs library window out. Wong gently stepped forward and motioned for me to offer him my injured fist. He examined it briefly before patting the top of it lightly.
"It's not broken, just bruised." He assured me. I raised my eyebrows in mock understanding, still not forgiving him for the deadly pop quiz he had put both me and Dan through just a few moments ago. When Wong nodded for me to continue what I had been about to do, I slowly moved my right hand into a loose fist and then opened both hands into the shape of the Eye hanging around my neck. I carefully twitched my fingers and exhaled in relief as the Time Stone was revealed through the bronze pendant with a soft click.
"I don't want a beard this time Alex, so be careful." Dan warned me lightly as he turned to face me fully. I studied the glowing green band revolving around my wrist and slowly waved my hand to the left, watching in awe as Dan's 'karate' robes dried off instantly. The water that had been splashed all throughout the hall also dissipated into the air and I then twisted my hand around to see if I could perform the magic on myself. The heavy weight of my robes instantly lifted as I was proven correct and my clothes dried. With a smug smirk on my face I glanced back over at Wong who was nodding with approval.
"Alright…guess I'll close this up for now before I get in trouble again." I said before I repeated the motion in front of me. The green glow vanished as the Eye closed and I stood triumphantly in the hallway, surveying the wooden floors to see if I had missed a spot.
"Nice job Alex!" Dan congratulated me, breaking the silence that had fallen over the three of us. I flashed him a grateful smirk.
"Thanks, man." I muttered with embarrassment. My demeanor fell as I suddenly remembered the ruined library upstairs. I thumbed over my shoulder, staring at Wong with dismay. "Hey, do we need to clean up the library too? It was kinda under –"
"No. I have already taken care of that." Wong smiled knowingly. I eyed him suspiciously before he continued. "What I would like you both to do is follow me to the rec room where you will spend the next few hours practicing with your Sling Rings. Conjuring portals will need to become second nature to you if you are to become full – fledged sorcerers once this threat is defeated."
I took the ring back from Wong's outstretched hand and watched with amusement as he produced another identical one from his sleeve to give to Dan. When Wong turned his back to lead us down the hall toward the room we had practiced in before, Dan's face was an instant grin of excitement. I shook my head with a smirk and followed Wong, knowing how elated Dan was that we were finally able to be trained together.
I gritted my teeth against the soreness running up and down my right arm from my knuckles to my bandaged bicep. The repetitive motions of swirling portals into and out of existence for an hour and a half straight had long since dulled my excitement for the magical lesson.
"Now Alex, show me the street corner where you and Daniel hid yesterday." Wong said quickly. He had been quizzing us randomly, naming off places and demanding we procure a portal to the said place. So far I had been called to open portals into the Midtown School of Science and Technology – which had been dark and dormant at the late hour – and also places I had never been to before like Paris, France – where I conjured up a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower since that was the quickest vision that had popped into my head. Dan had fared only slightly better, having showed me and Wong his aunt's beach house that he had mentioned before, and the New York Zoo where he had volunteered some of his time over the past two summers.
"Sure thing…" I said, masking my weariness as I forced my sore arm into a wide arcing motion, visualizing the street corner where I had met Doctor Strange the day before. I concentrated as hard as I could then faltered when the portal didn't appear as quickly as I hoped. I then sighed in relief as a swirl of golden sparks appeared, expanding into a circle wide enough for a person to walk through.
The corner of the alley where Dan and I had hidden yesterday was in perfect view, as was the small piece of sidewalk where I had seen Strange fall from the side of the building. One of the street signs had been broken in the battle from yesterday and all that was left of it was the bottom half of the metal pole sticking out of the concrete. The debris from the building above us had already been cleared away as had the numerous wrecked vehicles that had previously lined the street. The street lights that hadn't been damaged lit the street where only a few pedestrians lingered, and cars whizzed by in a surprisingly calm manner for a night in New York.
"They've already cleaned up the damage from yesterday…" Dan commented slowly, stating the obvious and breaking the silence that had fallen over the three of us. Wong nodded knowingly and motioned for me to dissolve my conjured portal.
"Yes, Tony Stark supplies a cleanup team for situations such as this. They're usually the very first on the scene after a situation." The sorcerer explained casually. I raised my eyebrows in wonder at the new information.
"Oh. So why didn't they come and fix the holes in the roof here?" I asked, knowing the answer.
"Because we sorcerers value our privacy." Wong replied, catching my challenging glance. "And Strange has never wanted to get involved with the famed Stark's antics and arrogance, so he's prohibited entrance to any of those even associated with the man."
"Wow, that's pretty cold." Dan said, eyebrows raised in amusement. Wong nodded dismissively.
"The less that is known of our presence, the better. It's always been that way." Wong said deeply.
"I don't blame powerful wizards for wanting to keep their business secretive. That's how it always goes in Harry Potter." Dan said lightly. I pinched the bridge of my nose in embarrassment as Wong frowned in further annoyance.
"Harry Potter is fiction. This is real. Get it together." I said under my breath before Wong could comment. Dan shrugged apologetically and turned to see what Wong would order him to conjure up next.
"I think that's enough for one night. You boys won't be worth any help at all with no rest. I'll proceed to check over the wards and update the other Sanctums on what's going on. They'll help me monitor the whereabouts of the Black Order if they decide to come near this vicinity again." Wong explained, being eerily calm despite the terrifying situation ahead.
"Well…thanks Wong. You're not gonna surprise us with another pop quiz or anything in the middle of the night, are you?" I said only slightly jokingly as I slipped my Sling Ring off of my left hand and handed it back to Wong who immediately shook his head.
"Keep your Sling Rings. You may need them at a moment's notice." He said sternly. Dan offered me a reluctant glance.
"Guess that means we should stay on our toes. Next pop quiz might involve fire and brimstone." He quipped sarcastically as he led the way down the hallway to our rooms.
"Oh no. There are more terrible trials that I could put you through than that." Wong called darkly after us. I exchanged a terrified glance with Dan, not enjoying Wong's version of joking at all.