xXx

The Swordbearer clutched her chest and trembled. She knew. He was outside. She knew it. She touched the hilt of the sword that was embedded in the stone of this place, and sent a message to all her demons.

Come. Come ready for war.

She trembled.

Faint noise came from the stone pillar around Valeria. The Swordbearer relaxed the stone enough for Valeria's head to be exposed, and for her to draw more than tiny sips of breath.

"He's coming," Valeria said. "Release me. I can speak for you. You can still survive this."

"Shut up!" the Swordbearer snarled. "I will defeat him! You will watch!"

"I will watch," Valeria said.

The sky began to twitch.

"No!" shouted the Swordbearer, whipping her blade up.

The sky tore and fell.

An intolerable moment later, the ground was on fire, the sky was cracked, and Doctor Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, stood before them with mist streaming from his coat and fury smoldering in his eyes.

The Swordbearer whipped her blade up, but she could not think of anything to say.

"This is your last chance," Strange ground out, his voice tight with rage.

"Come thrust your heart on my blade, wizard! My demons will feast on you!" the Swordbearer said, but her voice was thin and she was unsteady on her feet.

No more words.

Strange's arm lashed out, and pure twisting flame tore at her, knocking her off her feet. She flew back through the air, keeping her sword between her and the flame. Armor whipped around her, sheathing her in gleaming eldritch steel.

She darted in at Strange, and he let her come. Springing into the air, she came down with a two handed slash that he easily sidestepped; two of his fingers flexed and the joints snapped; a concussive force whacked across her whole body, hurling her away as though she had been hit by a truck.

He shucked his coat and stood in his shirt sleeves, waiting.

She stood, weaving, drawing on the power of her ruptured realm to fight him. "What are you?" she gasped.

"Your biggest mistake," he said softly.

She roared, a horrible high sound, and leaped at him again. This time his coat whipped up off the ground and slithered around her sword as Strange gestured again, searing flame slashing her sword arm off. Her roar became a scream and she stumbled and fell. Strange grasped the coat.

"You cannot free your sword from my artifact until I choose to allow you to," Strange said. "I am no longer in a lenient mood."

She hissed, a deep and inhuman sound. A new arm bulged and tore out of her stump, and she crouched, ready to rise again. In a minute.

"Strange!" Valeria called weakly. He turned, and gestured. His magic tore the column of stone that bound her to gravel.

"Are you alright?" he asked, tucking the coat and sword under his arm and kneeling by her side.

"No power… here…" she managed. "I feel… so mortal…"

He quickly scanned her. "You will be fine, back on Earth," he said. "Just one more minute to attend to our host." His voice was cold.

"No, Strange," Valeria murmured, gripping his arm. "Wait. She's lost. She's lost in this world and can't find her way back on Prime. She's hiding here, ruling in Hell because she fears serving in Heaven. You can help her, Stephen. You helped me."

"You were different," he said in a low voice. "You were a hero. Still are. I fear she has given in, lost a battle to her inhuman side that she did not dare to begin to fight."
"If I'm wrong," Valeria said, her grip tightening on his arm, "you can defeat her. But what if I'm right?"

For a long, silent moment he gazed into her eyes.

"What if I'm right?" Valeria whispered.

Many factors were weighed in the Sorcerer Supreme's mind in that moment, and many weights tested on his heart and soul. Responsibility. Humanity. Foresight. Hindsight.

He sighed deeply. "It seems I must accept another responsibility," he murmured to himself. "Very well. I accept it." He lay Valeria down and stood, facing the Swordbearer.

"Valeria has pleaded your case," he said. "You first came to my domain seeking knowledge. Do you still seek it?"

A demon army ringed them in, but Strange ignored them.

"Can you teach me the power… the power you showed getting in?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yes," he nodded. "I can, on one condition."

"Condition?"

Strange nodded. "I can teach you this power, but you will then be responsible to me for how you use it."

"Do I have to give up my realm?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I'm not sure you can," Strange replied. "You may keep your realm."

The Swordbearer was quiet for a moment, thinking hard. Valeria stood unsteadily.

"Swordbearer," Valeria said, "this is the chance you have been waiting for your whole life. This is your chance to find your place in the world. You will never find… better friends… than those who stand before you."

Strange glanced at her sideways, then looked back at the Swordbearer and said nothing.

In that deeply painful moment, for the first time, the Swordbearer dared to hope.

"My name is Illyana," she said, her voice trembling. "Please… take me with you."

For a moment Strange's shoulders bowed, as though under a great weight, then he straightened. "Follow me to my Sanctum." He was silent for a moment. "You know the way, I believe."

Valeria smiled.

Then they were gone.

Illyana stood alone, shaking, unable to stop shaking…

February 21, 2002

The next morning.

Strange walked into the kitchen. Valeria and Illyana sat at the table. Illyana was bent over her knees.

Putting on shoes.

Strange noticed it was an… unfamiliar task.

"Good morning, ladies," he said.

"Morning," they said. He noticed Illyana was in her early twenties; this was the first he had seen of her when she looked human.

"We're going out today," Valeria said. "Find Illyana an apartment, set her up with the beginning of a life here."

"Excellent," Strange said. A moment alone? he thought to Valeria.

"Go on, I'll be out in a minute," Valeria said to Illyana. The young woman smiled at them and left the kitchen.

"I have my reservations," Strange said quietly to Valeria.

"Let me do this," Valeria said earnestly. "You brought me in, made me feel welcome in this world. Let me be that for her."

Strange was silent. Then he slowly nodded. Valeria flashed him a quick smile, then headed for the hallway.

She hesitated in the doorway, turning back. "Would you? Would you have killed her?"

"No," Strange said. He paused. "Did you think I would?"

"How could I be sure?" she asked softly.

Strange slowly sighed. "I guess… I guess you can't know. About anyone."

She smiled at him uncertainly, then sighed. She moved out the front door.

"Come on," she said. "Daylight's burning."

"Indeed," Strange murmured as he watched them through the window. Slowly he turned and mounted the stairs, headed for his Sanctum.

First order of business for the day. Triple protections on the Sanctum. Beef them up to where they used to be. Do some research on his guest, see what he could find out about her past. And then? He moved into his Sanctum.

He looked at the floor and saw the print of a cloven hoof. His face darkened.

And then… he would deal with "then" when it arrived.

Strange looked out at the sky through his skylight and contemplated the future.

Not far away, Illyana laughed.