AN: Special thanks goes once again to Story's Shadow for writing this excellent chapter. Thank you my good friend.
-Unknown location-
Doctor Strange had gone to a remote monastery. He had felt a disturbance within the mystic energies of the world. He hadn't felt anything like it before. Whenever Dormammu attempted to breach the veil, he could sense it. This feeling was sort of similar, but not the same. For this, he felt he needed to seek out a remote place to meditate, even away from his fellow sorcerers. He just had an odd gut feeling about this as well. He placed a mat on the floor, along with some candles that he lit and incense. Then he sat down and took deep breaths, slowly. He clapped his hands together and a mystic circle of energy of a bright purple light with a strange design appeared below him. Then he took the lotus position.
'Focus, Strange. Whatever this is, your gut says it's not good,' Strange went over in his mind.
As he began his meditation, he slowly levitated in the air. For several minutes he stayed like this, deep in his meditation. The magic was unfamiliar and he was determined to understand it and its source.
'It feels otherworldly...yet...not what I thought it was at first...curious,' Strange went over in his mind.
The magic felt like it had a similar spirit to as if cast by a human sorcerer, or a being similar to a human being. Then he sensed something else. Strange frowned.
"Come out, no use hiding. I know you're there," Strange stated, eyes opening and narrowing.
He heard footsteps behind him. He turned around, still in the same position.
"Don't mess with forces you don't understand," the intruder said, voice mechanized.
The intruder was clad in cybernetic armor in a similar guise of a the Templar knights of old: a large red cross on his white breastplate, with a similarly colored kite shield strapped to his back, and a large red sash linked with a light brown belt held a scabbard for a broadsword and several daggers. In the knight's hands was a crossbow with a bolt loaded, The pack with bolts hung from his side, hidden within the white cloak and parts of the red sash that hung off the wearer's body.
"Normally I would agree, but I feel investigation is needed," Strange replied.
The white helm of the knight hid his face, but the red visor gave Strange the obvious notion that it reflected the person's mood.
"You don't know what you're doing. I will fire if necessary," the knight replied.
Strange flicked one hand. The crossbow flew out of the knight's hands and landed a few yards from him.
"How?! You can't-" The knight gasped.
But he grunted as he drew his broadsword, the fire gleamed off the iron of the blade. Strange studied him quickly, he sensed magic tied with the weapons. On top of the forearms of the knight were leather gauntlets locked onto the arms by the same kind of sashes and leather around the waist. He briefly saw the same kind of gleam from the sword within the gauntlets.
"Your weaponry cannot protect from my magic. It may work against demons, but not the Sorcerer Supreme," Strange advised.
The knight's visor seemed to narrow or the red light of it did, but he sheathed his blade. Strange nodded and slowly descended. Standing eye to eye with the stranger, he contemplated on what to do next.
"Descendant of the Knights Templar?" Strange deduced.
"That obvious, huh?" The knight asked.
"You come from a...complicated line," Strange replied.
"What does that mean?" The knight hissed.
"That the Templars have a history full of both good and bad deeds," Strange replied.
"Trust me when I say I'm of the good kind," the knight said.
Strange's eyes narrowed.
"Regardless, there are other matters that need to be tended to," Strange replied, going back to his meditate position and location.
The knight crossed his arms.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"Concentrating," the sorcerer answered, eyes closing.
The knight tapped on one arm, the metallic clinking made Strange grimace.
"Please don't do that," he said.
The knight sighed and stopped the tapping.
"Can you locate the source of this unholy magic?" The knight asked.
"I can try...and magic may not be good or evil, rather depending on the one who wields and it what for," Strange suggested.
"You're naive," the knight said.
"Never thought a teenager would tell me that," Strange chuckled.
"W-What?" The knight gasped.
"Your voice, while it's disguised it still has markers of a an older teenager's...and your aura, despite the mystic energy tied with your armor and weapons, I can still see and feel your more youthful energy," Strange explained.
The knight grumbled.
"What do you feel from this energy?" He asked.
"The magic seems to feel like a bridge...but it seems...imbalanced...and incomplete," Strange answered.
The knight walked back and forth for a few minutes.
"You're sure this isn't demonic?" The knight asked.
"I've been around demons before...this is not it...but it is certainly not a magic to underestimate...though no magic is," Strange answered.
"I'm hesitant to trust your word," the knight admitted.
"I didn't expect you to...but if my gut feeling is right about this...than whoever is wielding this may have malevolent means in using it," Strange replied.
"I am prepared to face evil...I have before," the knight said.
"Perhaps...but if my gut is right...it could be more than any of us could imagine," Strange suggested.
The mystic circle, the candles, and all the markers of Strange's preparations and links to his meditation slowly subsided.
"It will be handled," the knight replied.
"Let me guess, you're not the only one are you?" Strange deduced.
The knight sighed, confirming Strange's suspicion.
"Maybe I should meet with this...order of yours," Strange said.
"You may not be so easily welcome...and why would I lead you to them?" the knight replied.
Strange smiled and waved his hand. The loaded bolt in the crossbow floated into his hand.
"You don't have to...at least, not directly...I'll be seeing you and your order...soon enough," Strange replied.
Strange closed his eyes and his hands were surrounded by an orange energy in unique designs.
"By the power of the Vishanti!" Strange proclaimed.
Soon the room was enveloped by bright orange light, the knight looked away as he covered his field of vision. Then the light was gone, and looked where the sorcerer had been. Him and all his belongings were gone.
"Vishanti?" The knight mumbled.
He sighed as he latched his crossbow to his shield. There was then the ringing of a cell phone. The knight pulled out a white and red phone, removing his helm. A head of short brown hair of a 16 to 17 year old teenager lay beneath the helm. He looked at his phone. His smiled and answered it.
"Angela?" He said.
"Tyler! Hey! Where have you been?" The voice of a young woman came from the phone asked.
"It's uh...a bit of a strange story," Tyler replied.
-Unknown location, the next day-
Raiden appeared from lightning that struck earth below. He looked around him. A sky full of stars danced all around him. He stood on a small circle of earth in a coliseum like setting with a few large thrones of stone stood before him.
"Oh great and benevolent masters, I seek counsel with you," Raiden proclaimed.
He felt it, that surge of incredible power. Light filled the area. Raiden shielded his eyes as this light was too strong for even him. Once it disappeared, the thrones were each filled by a towering, ethereal humanoid figure. Raiden placed a closed fist into his other open hand and bowed.
"Raiden," the beings said in unison, their voices giving a feeling of echoing power.
Raiden stood up and his hands went to his sides.
"What is it that you seek?" The beings asked.
"Great elder gods, I have come to you to seek answers about the strange mystic energy that I have sensed," Raiden answered.
The Elder Gods looked to one another and were quiet for a moment before one spoke.
"A spell to cross realms is being prepared," they revealed.
"Shao Kahn," Raiden snarled, his eyes crackling with electricity.
"It is only a preparation. The emperor of Outworld knows if he invades Earthrealm without winning ten tournaments, he will face our judgment," another of the gods said.
Raiden's snarling frown slowly vanished as did the lightning that sparked from his eyes.
"But...this magic, it feels different...something about it is unfamiliar," Raiden continued.
"Hmm, in anticipation of what he believes will happen, Shao Kahn is preparing a spell to launch his army to Earthrealm. Though as he hasn't been to that realm, his sorcerers are making certain mistakes within the spell while drawing upon the power of souls and other energies Shao Kahn has gathered in Outworld," another of the deities explained.
"I am confident the warriors of Earthrealm will repel him. This may be the last tournament he needs to win to invade Earthrealm, but he will not succeed this time," Raiden proclaimed.
"Be cautious, Raiden. The magic is connecting to something we don't yet fully understand...but this spell is drawing considerable power in order to execute it," another of the guys added.
Raiden's eyes widened in surprise at what he heard. He could hardly believe it when they said they couldn't fully understand what this magic was doing. But he sensed they had some knowledge and he knew that he himself would come to know it as well.
"This magic will not come to fruition for him, he will not have the chance to invade Earthrealm. The warriors that are gathering to battle Shao Kahn's forces will not fail. I have faith in them," Raiden stated.
"As you say," another of the gods replied.
Raiden bowed to them once more before lightning struck down to where he stood and he disappeared.
"This magic he prepares...it's creating a path to somewhere...another realm?" One of the gods said.
"One beyond this dimension...this reality it seems..." Another of the gods replied.
"This magic that Shao Kahn employs may lead to his fall...or even a greater rise," another added.
"But you know...we must not meddle. We must remain neutral in this. The tournament is what we created to give each of the realms a chance," another said.
"Yes...and in time, we shall see what this magic will unveil," another finished.
Soon light engulfed the space there and when it disappeared, so did the Elder Gods.