Wong walked down the street towards Kaecilius and his two henchmen.
"Kaecilius." Wong nodded.
"You're on the wrong side of history, Wong."
Kaecilius and his soldier summoned their weapons.
.
Mordo walks through the rubble of Kamar-Taj. A portal materialized and Stephen stepped down next him.
"She's dead." Stephen mumbles.
"You were right. She wasn't who I thought she was." Mordo says sadly.
"She was complicated."
"Complicated?" Mordo laughs humorlessly. "The Dark Dimension is volatile. Dangerous. What if it overtook her? She taught us it was forbidden, while she drew on its power to steal centuries of life."
"She did what she thought was right."
"The bill comes due." Mordo turned to Stephen. "Don't you see? Her transgressions led the zealots to Dormammu. Kaecilius was her fault. And here we are, in the consequence of her deception. A world on fire."
"Mordo, London Sanctum has fallen. And New York has been attacked. Twice. You know where they're going next."
"Hong Kong."
"You told me once to fight as if my life depended on it, because one day, it might. Well, today is that day. I can not defeat them alone."
Mordo nodded slowly. Stephen opened up a portal with his sling ring and they slept through.
"Yeah! Now it's gonna get good." Tony grinned and rubbed his hands together. "Time to kick some zealot a-"
"Language!" Steve yelled.
'Come on capsicle, I was just gonna say-"
"Language…" Steve said warningly.
"Language Mr. Stark." Peter said teasingly.
"Oh, be quiet." Tony groaned.
When they stepped out onto the street, they were greeted by destruction. Everything was on fire, people are screaming and running through debris and smoke as firefighters tried to fix it.
"The Sanctum has already fallen." Stephen looked up at the sky. A violent dark purple substance is writhing in the sky. Its spreading out, toppling sky scrapers and crushing everything in its path.
"Uh, question." Clint said. "Why dont any of us remember this? Wouldn't it have been all over the news?"
"Yeah, I mean theres news reporters right there." Natasha said and pointed at the background of the screen. "What happened?"
"You'll see." Stephen said. "We kinda covered it up… in a way..."
"How?" T'Challa asked.
"You'll see." Stephen replied.
"The Dark Dimension." Mordo whispered. "Dormammu is coming." Kaecilius and his henchmen walked toward them. "It's too late. Nothing can stop him."
"...Not necessarily." Stephen whispers. He closes his eyes and makes a diamond shape with his hands; when he pulls it apart the Eye of Agamotto opens, revealing the Time Stone.
"No." Kaecilius whispers and runs towards them.
Kaecilius lunges for Stephen with a knife in his hand. Stephen quickly twists the green disk in his hand and time stops; Kaecilius is frozen in the air with his knife centimeters from Stephens face.
"Awesome!" Peter cheered.
"That was close." Wanda said.
Stephen twists the disk and time reverses. Fires are extinguished. Shattered glass is put back together. People get up off the ground and ran backwards like someone hit the rewind button on an old movie. Kaecilius went flying backwards.
Stephen quickly turns and does something to Mordo so he won't go back in time.
"Spells working." Mordo says
"We got a second chance." Stephen yells as the ran past Kaecilius and his henchmen, who are slowly walking backwards
Kaecilius and his henchmen make a quick twitching motion with their heads and unfreeze themselves. Kaecilius turns and attacks Stephen; sending him flying back from a kick to the chest. Kaecilius and Stephen fight while Mordor takes care of the henchmen.
The violent purple substance starts to disappear as time reverses.
Stephen kicks Kaecilius in the chest and pins him against a pile of debris. Time reverses, causing a wall to be made in its place, trapping him inside of it.
A pile of rubble lifts up and forms a building, releasing Wong, who was trapped under it.
"Wong!" Stephen shouts and runs over to his friend. He pulls Wong out of the rubble and dusted him off. Wong takes a look around to see time reversing all around them.
"The doctor saved your life, Mr. Wong!" Peter said.
"No…" Wong said and shook his head.
"Yes he did!" Peter said.
"Saving my life is an exaggeration." Wong said. "He didn't save my life."
"Yes I did." Stephen said smugly.
"No, you didn't." Wong growled.
"Guys, lets watch the movie, then you can argue over who saved who." Shuri said.
"I'm breaking the laws of nature, I know." Stephen grumbles.
"Well, don't stop now." Wong says.
They look up to see the sanctum rebuilding itself.
"When the Sanctum is restored, they will attack again. We have to defend it." Stephen ran towards it with Mordo and Wong beside him. None of them noticed Kaecilius force himself out of where he was trapped. None of them noticed when he ran after them.
What they did notice, however, was the blast he sent in their direction. The one that tossed Stephen off his feet and made him smack his head on the pavement hard. He fell unconscious. As he laid there, time stopped as the time stone flickered and darkened. Time was frozen. Nothing moved.
Mordo and Wong pulled themselves to their feet and saw Stephen laying on the ground behind them.
"Get up, Strange. Get up and fight!" Wong gasped for air.
"We will finish this." Mordo strikes a battle stance.
"You can't fight the inevitable." Kaecilius says as he walks towards Stephen. Stephen groaned and tried to get to his feet, but collapsed.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Kaecilius smiled. Stephen desperately tried to crawl away from him.
"A world beyond time. Beyond death." Kaecilius growls. Stephen freezes and sits up.
"Beyond time…" Stephen whispers. His eyes light up with an idea. "Beyond time! Time!" He shouts.
"Strange!" Mordo shouts.
Stephen leaps up and flies away. He flies straight into the dark purple substance. Strait into the Dark Dimension.
"He's.. he's gone." Mordo states in disbelief.
"Stephen Strange has left to surrender to his power." Kaecilius smirks.
"Oh, no…" Stephen groaned. "It's gonna show it, isn't it?"
"Show what?" Wanda asked.
"Maybe we should not watch this." Stephen suggested.
"We can't leave until we finish the movie." Shuri said.
"Have we tried everything?" Stephen asked.
"Why dont you want us to see what happens next?" Tony asked, suspicious.
"Because I dont." Stephen said. "Come on, Wong. Back me up here."
"Actually, Stephen, I myself am curious about what happened in the dark dimension. You refuse to talk about it." Wong said.
"Maybe there's a reason that I dont talk about it, Wong." Stephen growled. "Maybe I want to forget some things."
"Did you do something bad?" Peter asked.
"No, I didn't do something bad." Stephen sighed.
"Just sit down." Christine said and pulled him back into his seat.
"I really dont want to watch this." Stephen whispered.
"Shhhhh." Christine said.
In the Dark Dimension Stephen floats around for a moment before finding what he was looking for. He lands on the ground and makes a quick motion with his hands, activating the time stone once again.
Stephen walks up to what appeared to be a large floating head. It was dark purple with sharp ridges going down its face. Its light purple eyes seemed to be made of fire.
"Dormammu! I've come to bargain." Stephen shouted.
"You've come to die." Dormammu growls in a deep, rough voice. "Your world is now my world, like all worlds."
Hundreds of spikes shoot at him. Stephen tried to defend himself with his shield, but isn't fast enough for all of them. One of the spikes impale his chest, followed by many others. The force of it tosses his dead body off the side of the cliff.
Everyone in the room screamed. Stephen grew paled and rested his head in his hands, anxiously looking at everyones reactions.
"What just happened?" Wanda gasped.
"Did you just… die?" Peter asked. Stephen nodded his head stiffly.
"How many… what did… what?" Clint stumbled over his words. Peter leaned over and pinched Stephen arm.
"Ow! Why?" Stephen asked.
"To make sure you're really here." Peter asked. "Zombies can't feel pain. I need to make sure you're not a zombie."
"Those dont exist." Shuri grumbled.
"Just… how Stephen? How?" Tony asked.
"You'll see." Stephen mumbled.
Suddenly, Stephen comes flying in from where he came in the first place, There's not a scratch on him.
"Dormammu! I've come to bargain." He shouted.
"You've come to die. Your world is now my world… What is this? Illusion?"
"No, this is real."
"Good."
Two large spikes shot out and impaled Stephen, hoisting him in the air. Stephen gives one small, pained whimper before dying. Again.
Everyone in the room cried out again.
"How!?" Tony jumped up and pointed at the screen. "How!? How!?"
"You'll see." Stephen snapped. "Can we just get this over with? Please?"
Suddenly Stephen came flying from where he start from again. Once more, there's not a scratch on him.
"Dormammu! I've come to bargain." He shouts again.
"You... what is happening?"
"Just as you gave Kaecilius powers from your dimension, I've brought a little power from mine." Stephen gestured at the eye of Agamotto and the bracelets surrounding his wrists. "This is time. An...endless...looped...time."
"You dare!" Dormammu shrieks.
Dormammu raised his fist and crushed Stephen.
Everyone whimpered. Stephen took a shaky breath in and tried to not look at the screen.
"Dormammu! I've come to bargain." He said as he walked up.
"You cannot do this forever."
"Actually, I can. This is how things are now. You and me, trapped in this moment, endlessly."
"Then you will spend eternity dying."
"Yeah. But everyone on Earth will live."
"That's… thats really noble of you doctor." Peter said and smiled weakly.
"Yeah, great." Stephen said quietly.
"But you will suffer."
"Pain is an old friend."
Dormammu sent a ray of fire that disintegrated Stephen.
"Dormammu!" Two more spike impaled him.
"I've come to bargain." A planet crushed him.
"Dormammu!..." Spikes again.
"Dormammu!..." Fire disintegrated him.
Everyone winced at every death. Stephen trembled slightly as the memories were brought back.
"This is horrible." Wanda whimpered as she brought a hand to her mouth.
"I dont know what I was expecting… but it certainly wasn't that…" Wong said.
"How many times did you die?" Tony asked slowly.
"I lost track after twelve…" Stephen said.
"Twelve deaths?! That's awful!" Peter said.
"...Thousand…" Stephen mumbled.
"TWELVE THOUSAND?!" Peter cried.
"More or less." Stephen forced a weak smile.
"Thats… that… oh my gosh." Nat moaned.
"Do you... you know… remember each death?" Steve asked.
"Vividly." Stephen sighed. "I tried a hundred memory erasing techniques, but none worked."
"That awful." Sam said.
"If you dont mind me asking," Rhodey said. "Were they all quick, or were some of them… less so?"
"I'd prefer not to answer." Stephen said bitterly.
"Dormammu!..." Green, twisting spikes came up from the ground, killing him slowly and painfully.
"I've come to bargain!" Purple lasers shoot out and killed him.
"Dormammu!" Fire rains down and burns him.
"You will never win." Dormammu growled as Stephen came back.
"No… But I can lose. Again, and again, and again, and again, forever. And that makes you my prisoner." He smirked weakly..
"No!"
Hundreds of spikes rains down, impaling and killing him instantly.
"Stop! Make this stop!" Dormammu shouted as Stephen came back again. "Set me free!"
"No." Stephen smiled and flew up to Dormammu. "I've come to bargain."
"Oh, what do you want?"
"Take your zealots from the Earth. End your assault on my world. Never come back. Do it, and I'll break the loop."
"I think that the entire world owes you a thank you… at the very least…" T'Challa said.
"I didn't do it for recognition." Stephen said. Without another word Peter got up from his seat and wrapped Stephen in a tight hug. "What are you doing?" Stephen asked with an eyebrow raised.
"I'm hugging all your sad out." Peter said. His voice was muffled because his face was pressed into Stephens shoulder.
"Uh… thanks…" Stephen said slowly and awkwardly patted Peter on the shoulder.
"Is it working?" Peter asked with a muffled voice.
"Um, yep… totally." Stephen said and rolled his eyes. He tried to keep up a serious look on his face, but deep down Peters hug actually helped. Just a little.
"You're a hero, doctor." Peter said before he went back to his seat.
"Yeah…" Tony said. "I guess you really do more than make balloon animals."
"Thats Tony talk for "you're amazing"." Nat said.
Stephen smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
Back on Earth, Mordo and Wong get up to see Stephen laying a few feet away, unconscious.
"Get up, Strange. Get up and fight!" Wong yells.
"We will finish this." Mordo growls and makes a fighting stance.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Kaecilius smirks. "A world beyond time. Beyond death."
Suddenly Stephen floated down and lands behind Kaecilius. Wong and Mordo stare with their mouths agape.
"What have you done?" Kaecilius growls as he turns to face Stephen.
"I made a bargain." Stephen smiled.
Kaecilius and his henchmen looked down at their hands; they've started to disintegrate.
"What is this?" Kaecilius asks.
"Well, it's, uh… it's everything you ever wanted. Eternal life as part of the One. You're not going to like it." Stephen said.
Kaecilius and there henchmen cried out in pain as their bodys started to disintegrate. The twisted and writhed as they were pulled up towards the Dark Dimension. Once they were sucked in, the portal to the Dark Dimension closed, and it was no more.
Stephen smiled and stepped up next to Wong and Mordo.
"I think he really should have stolen the whole book, because the warnings… the warnings come after the spells." Stephen said quietly.
A laugh rings out, and Mordo and Stephen turn in shock to see Wong laughing his head off.
"Oh, so you do have a sense of humor." Bucky said.
"What? It was funny." Wong shrugged. "I'll laugh is someone tells a funny joke."
"I have told you so many funny jokes, and you have laughed twice. Maybe three times." Stephen rolled his eyes.
"O-Oh, that's f-funny." Wong gets out between chuckles.
Stephen unfreezes time and everything starts moving again.
"We did it." Wong smiled.
"Yes. Yes, we did it." Mordo say. He glares at Stephen and Wong with his arms crossed over his chest. "By also violating the natural laws."
"Aw, come on!" Peter groaned. "Why is he so upset? You just saved the world."
"Mordo is a bit subborn." Stephen sighed.
"Look around you. It's over." Stephen sighed and gestured with his hand.
"You still think there will be no consequences, Strange? No price to pay? We broke our rules, just like her. The bill comes due. Always! A reckoning. I will follow this path no longer." Mordo gives them one more glare before turning and leaving.
"What happened to him?" Shuri asked.
"I dont know, we lost contact after that." Stephen said. Wong shifted nervously in his seat and avoided eye contact.
Back in Kamar-Taj Stephen takes of the Eye of Agamotto and set it upon its pedestal.
"Wise choice." Wong nodded. "You'll wear the eye of Agamotto once you've mastered its powers. Until then, best not to walk the streets wearing an infinity stone."
"A what?" Stephen looks up, confused.
"You have a gift for the mystic arts, but you still have much to learn. Word of the Ancient One's death will spread through the multiverse. The Earth has no Sorcerer Supreme to defend it. We must be ready."
"We'll be ready." Stephen says confidently.
.
Stephen walked up the steps to the top of the New York Sanctum and slipped on his watch. It was still cracked; he rubbed his thumb lovingly over the engraving.
Stephen rested his shaking hands and gazed out of the window of the Sanctum.
.
Note from Author:
I want to thank you all again for the tremendous support this story has gained. I'm glad so many of you like it. It makes me feel like a good author.