No-One But You (The Mystic Consultant) - Part 2

Chapter 27: Silver Poetry (Part 7)

Doctor Stephen Strange left his brother shortly after Ezekiel Stane showed up to "talk". The older brother felt it was best, because obviously the two of them had some things to work out and discuss.

Stephen took a walk, but then he became impatient. The true Sorcerer Supreme formed a portal after a while, then he found himself glancing up a familiar set of stairs.

He made a home for himself in the Dark Dimension, so seeing the stairs at the Sanctorum Sanctum felt different. Stephen took a moment to take in everything and everyone that was around him.

Wong was toward his left, and so was his sister. Donna Strange was there in the Sanctorum, so Stephen slowly closed his eyes. His baby brother, Victor, was almost home. Stephen could see him, and he felt his baby soul. Victor was facing north and he was talking up a storm.

The next soul Stephen looked for was pointed more toward Brooklyn. Tony Stark's soul was always warm, and the sorcerer could see that he was with Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. An intrigued smirk struck Stephen's face as he contemplated what his telekinetic abilities stumbled upon.

"Didn't our mother teach you not to snoop?"

Stephen blinked four times. His younger sister's voice randomly entered his ears. The sorcerer maintained his grin, then he slowly turned in his sister's direction. She was standing two steps behind him, and her focus reached the top of the stairs. Stephen inwardly declared that he wasn't snooping, and he almost said that Stark's business wasn't actually worth his time.

"I'm wrapping everything up. I'll be gone a long while, this time." Stephen spoke the truth, and the notion felt a little bittersweet. He was preparing his family and friends for a not-so-grandiose exit. His baby brother was given the Cloak of Levitation, and Victor was learning to step in as the Sorcerer Supreme.

Donna Strange was embodying the soul of the Ancient One, but in that moment she was holding onto her own physical appearance. She appeared before her brother dressed like a prep. She always looked as if she could model clothes for Vogue or some other sort of nonsense. Stephen acknowledged her color choice. He just wanted to take the moment in.

"Stephen, you're so dramatic."

The sister smiled a little, but she had to roll her eyes at her brother. Stephen was always leaving, returning, randomly getting married or suddenly wrapped up in some shit. Donna expected it from him, so she let her comment stand as it was dished. Stephen gave a small nod of approval after she spoke. He agreed with her logic, then he glanced around the Sanctorum once again.

"Wait. Are you saying that you're finally done with all of your, distractions? Does this mean you're ready to be an actual husband to Clea, and an actual father to Sofia?"

Get out of town.

Donna spoke her piece on the matter and she meant it. It took Stephen a long time to explain himself years ago, but he eventually told her the circumstances that led to his first marriage to Clea. Agamotto took over his body, and the entity married her in the Dark Dimension. Stephen was just along for the ride, but ultimately, he wanted to be with her.

He married her again on Earth, then the story about his daughter Sofia made their marriage even more dramatic. She wasn't actually born from Clea, so Stephen randomly became a father overnight. They both were suddenly thrown into parent-hood, and the sorcerer felt as though his sister was his harshest critic. She never cut him any slack, and she always gave her opinion about his "distractions."

Tony Stark, Christine Palmer, and even Steve Rogers became a distraction for Doctor newly-wed, father and brother of the year Strange.

He kept looking at his sister in that moment, then he gently glanced down at his feet. He went to the Sanctorum to reflect on it all, and for him, things finally felt pretty final. He heard his sister's snarky comment, and it only added to his intentional inner reflection. Stephen spent a large amount of his life navigating all of those wonderful, distractions, and truthfully, it was hard to say goodbye.

"You caught me, Donna."

"I'm proud of you, Stephen."

The sister meant that, because her older brother never lied. He was always honest, even when that honestly put him in a bad light. He never lied to her or Clea about his affection for Christine, and he never hid how he felt for Tony. Sometimes, Stephen didn't say anything about it, but Donna knew he was always truthful.
"Victor is taking an eternity to focus. You're going to have to step in."

Stephen couldn't continue going back and forth between their worlds any longer. His mind was made up, and they barely made any progress with their younger brother. Victor couldn't focus in one direction to save his life, but Stephen knew it would work itself out in the long run. Back in the day, he trained with his younger brother off in Kathmandu. Victor's focus on mastering the Mystic Arts far surpassed Stephen's when they were younger, back when Victor wasn't desperate and love sick.

"Don't worry. He'll come around. Maybe, I'll use Ezekiel as some sort of incentive. I hear the Ancient One did something similar to you back in the day."

Rumor has it, the Ancient One dangled Clea like a carrot, and it pushed some progress along with Stephen. The sorcerer just smiled at his sister's comment, then he slowly formed a portal.

"Thank you Donna. I'll tell Clea and Sofia that you said hello."

The sister gave Stephen a gentle nod, then she watched her older brother head off into the Dark. Stephen had a different life to live out there in the unknown, but Donna felt optimistic about his decision.

Chapter: END

Thanks for reading.