Thousands of pulsating strands of light twisted and weaved all around me, each one a conduit for a concept or emotion that I could not put into words. I tried to make sense of this magical landscape, but I was interrupted by a voice that spoke inside my mind.
"You think you know how the world works? You think that this material universe is all there is?"
Suddenly, I was drifting through a glittering sea of stars, each one shining brighter than the last. I felt a pull towards one star in particular, and I was helpless to resist.
"What was real? What mysteries lay beyond the reach of your senses?"
As I hurtled towards the star, my panic rose. I was sure that I would melt or die in agony as I moved impossibly close to its surface. But then, something unexpected happened—the star shattered into a million fragments.
"At the root of existence, mind and matter meet. Thoughts shape reality. This universe is only one of an infinite number. Worlds without end."
The fragments of the star began to reform into the strands of light that I had seen before. For a moment, I understood it all—the purpose and movement behind every strand of light was made clear to me, and I experienced the lights in a thousand different forms. Senses I had never known were possible before unfolded within me. I was awestruck by the magic that surrounded me.
But my wonderment was short-lived.
"Some benevolent and life-giving—"
The strands of light whisked me away to another universe. In the first, I saw life stranger than I could have ever imagined before. Everything was overgrown but gentle. There was an alien quality to everything, but paradoxically, it was also familiar. The flora, fauna, and even the space that made up the fabric was welcoming and nurturing. I was not given time to take it all in before I was made to live.
"—others filled with malice and hunger."
The second universe was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was a place of stillness, of icy silence. It was still and lifeless, but there was something there.
Something just beyond my view lurked. A palpable feeling of dread built within me, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. Of eyes on the ceiling of the universe starting at me.
"Dark places, where powers older than time lie… ravenous… and waiting. Who were you in this vast multiverse, Mr Strange?"
Mr Strange.
Those words broke me from whatever reverie I was in. With clarity, I had never had before, and knowledge that I didn't possess a second ago, I stared out into the vast nothingness I was floating in. I knew then what it was.
As if it was waiting for me to understand, the vision or visions ended. I was real again. I was Strange, Dr Stephen Strage, and I was on the floor at one of the Ancient One's monasteries.
The voice I now recognized as the Ancient One's spoke above me.
"Would you find that in a gift shop?"
[Spell Learned: Astral projection]
[Spell Learned: Minor Illusion]
—
I was soon kicked out of the monastery or whatever the hell the building was when I asked her to teach me magic. I—wasn't worried if I was being honest.
It gave me a second to catch my breath. The busy streets of Nepal weren't the best place to meditate but it would have to do. I sat in the lotus position on the dirty floor and closed my eyes. I was already dressed like a hobo why not go full hobo?
I was Dr Strange, that I knew for certain. Usually one of the strongest mages in the marvel universe and more than often the sorcerer supreme. I was at the beginning of his journey. There were a lot more to think about, about my unwieldy fingers, the two spells (?) I had learned, the state of the world, the memories I was missing of strange before this moment and what that might mean and a lot more.
Also about being put in this old body. I was in my early twenties, strange here is at least thirty-five, I want my lost years back.
I could have sat there and waited for the Ancient one to open the doors but, nah. I wasn't a patient guy.
With great difficulty, I move my fingers to the position I believed it had to be in. Then mould and shape those energies as my mind tell me I have to. It was deeply intuitive, I was able to move those strands of lights and told them to do what I wanted. No not lights, Magic.
"[Minor Illusion]"
I grin like an idiot as I look at the words I had conjured as an illusion on top of the door beyond which the Ancient One now sat.
Abelist
Not my best work but that was the most the Spell could manage to write down. Being "Minor Illusion" and all that. It was fancy, neon and it stood out like the attention lightbulb I wanted it to be. I had made it as bright and as large as the spell allowed me to, which ended up being not that brighter or larger than a normal American mom-and-pop shop window light.
I knew the risks but I really just wanted to learn what they did to normies that saw magic. And they had, the traffic around me had stopped and around ten or twenty people were gazing up at the clearly magical sign floating above the door.
It was only when someone forcefully hid my illusion by layering an illusion of a mundane wall over mine that I came to my senses. What if they mind wipe me too?
Before I could do something about my impulsive stupidity, the door swung open and someone—not the ancient one pushed me in with great force.
"Idiot, come in."
[Skill: Physical Enhancement - 12% analysed]
I came face to face with a serious-looking black guy staring through me. He was wearing a green costume faintly reminiscent of judo uniforms.
"Who are you calling an idiot? I have a doctoral degree." I spoke. I didn't remember a thing about being a doctor, but he doesn't have to know that.
"You cannot go around exposing the existence of magic. It is sacrilegious. It will lead to an imbalance in the fabric of reality."
"Wow—really?" I asked with feigned curiosity. "And only if there was some sort of an organisation or whatever the hell you guys are who could just tell me the rules of magic—by maybe, perhaps teaching me. Hmm—No, that would be a big ask wouldn't it?"
I was fairly certain that strange, just due to being strange can figure out a good portion of how magical spell all by himself. And by himself, I meant myself. I was now the Reed Richards of Magic, Even if the assholes wipe my memory I knew I can find my way back to it. Even just learning the illusion spell had given me ideas for other spells, other combinations and ways of reducing the magical expenditure.
"You were barred from this place, Strange. You asked me the same question less than an hour ago, why would you think I have changed my view? Your arrogance is unbecoming."
This comes from the Ancient One who had appeared behind me. I look back and the door was gone.
[Spell: Sanctum Intra-Teleportation - 2% analysed.]
"You want me because I can cast spells now. I can use magic and you have to at least tell me what to do and what not to."
"That you certainly did. Tell me strange, how did you cast that spell?"
"Monkey see, monkey do."
Was giving lip to such a powerful entity worth it? Now that was a question I would have asked myself if I knew how to introspect.
The Ancient One crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"You speak without deceit. Yet I find it hard to believe one could learn a spell after simply seeing it once." She was circling me as she spoke.
"It is impossible, that's what it is. An illusion spell would take a talented sorcerer around a year to learn." That came from the green shirt guy, I hope he hadn't given me his name before I took over strange.
"Come on, guys. This is an easily answerable question."
I had my hands in my hobo jeans. I didn't want to show them my shaking hands.
"And how would you propose we find out the answer, dr Strange?" Asked the Ancient One.
I scrunched my eyebrows, it really was simple.
"Show me another spell being cast once or twice. Once if it's something simple. Pretty sure I can learn it."
"Boasts of a desperate man. Tell us who taught you outside the sanctum." Asked green shirt guy.
I was counting on strange's own reputation in comics and the occasional prompts I kept hearing about spells I learned or was in the middle of learning.
"Fascinating proposal. Mordo, please be kind enough to show our guest how you conjure your platforms."
The green shirt was supposed to be Mordo before his villain reveal. News I really should have expected. He was one of Strange's villains if I remember correctly.
I was suddenly very interested in not getting skewered by whatever he did next so I faced entirely in his direction and got ready to dodge. It wasn't necessary since instead of trying to kill me, he did exactly as asked.
A glowing orange magical rune showed up in the air. My mind parsed and remembered every detail of what I was seeing in a time that would have been impossible before today. But more than remembering what I was seeing, I remembered and learned what I wasn't seeing.
Everything he had learned during his no doubt long process of learning the spell was mine. I could see how he shaped the mana, how he bought it out and how he had told it to stay aloft.
[Spell: Hard Magic Platform Conjuration - 64% analysed]
"Once more. This is more complicated than the Illusion."
I said and he obliged after looking at the ancient one.
Spell Learned: Hard Magic Platform Conjuration.
I had it but—
"Once more please."
Another look and he did it again.
I twisted my hands in the ways he had deliberately shown me the last time and I also deliberately failed it.
"I almost have it."
His eyes were filled with disbelief and so was the Ancient One's. Not because they doubted I could do it but because I could do even that much. They can see how I shape my magic, no doubt.
This time Mordo doesn't look at the Ancient one before he does it again.
"Again,"
I say and he makes another platform.
"Again!"
He did it and this time he looks at me and my mirthful face. I already had the platform created in front of me.
It was a little bit of messing with the green guy and a little bit of holding my real speed hidden.
It didn't take long before I was accepted as a practitioner. However, I didn't have to be superhuman to know that they had done it to keep the monster in plain sight more than anything else.
Notes: It's an Essence ( imgur /a/uGMND94) fic where the SI!Strange has drunk the Essence of the Archmage. This just means that he will learn magic even stupidly faster than the original Strange. The "system" is just there to quantify what he gains without showing or remarking on it every time.
This started as a test to see if I can write a compelling story with such a ridiculously strong powerset and then I cranked that power ceiling even higher. I also wanted to try writing something lewd for the first time, thus the rating. I hope you enjoy it.