~VII~

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"Breaking the laws of nature, I know."

"Well don't stop now."

"Get up Strange, get up and fight. We can finish this."

But Stephen was gone, suddenly gone, leaving Kat, Wong and Mordo to face off against the followers of the Dark Dimension.

Kaecilius strode towards them, gazing around at his accomplishments. "Isn't it beautiful? A world beyond time - beyond death."

But nothing happened. All was still, suddenly still and silent. 

There was a flash of red and blue and Stephen floated down to rejoin them with the help of Cloak.

Kaecilius turned to him. "What have you done?"

"I made a bargain."

There was a sizzling sound. Kaecilius looked down at his hand to see that it was rapidly dissolving away. The same was happening to his followers. "What is this?"

"Well it's everything you ever wanted: eternal life as part of the One." Stephen shook his head and gave a dark chuckle, almost a scoff.  "You're not gonna like it."

The rest of their bodies were dissolving away now too, and lifting up into the sky, carried away, far away, into the dark void. 

"Yeah, you know you really should have stolen the whole book because the warnings, they come after the spells," Stephen said. 

A burst of hearty laughed filled the night. Wong was laughing away. "Oh, that's funny."

Stephen activated the Eye once more and reset things back to the peaceful Hong Kong night. The Dark Dimension faded away with it.  

"You have no place here, Dormammu. Go back to the dark depths from where you came," Kat whispered into the night sky.  

"We did it."

"Yes, yes we did it. By also violating the natural law," Mordo reminded them gravely. 

"Look around you, it's over," Stephen told him. 

"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-" Kat began to protest, but he was decided - firmly decided.

He turned and left them, and was quickly swept up in the crowd. 

-----------------------------------------

"You have a gift for the Mystic Arts," Wong told Stephen Back in Kamar Taj. "But you, Stephen Strange, sill have a lot to learn. World of the Ancient One's death will spread throughout the Multiverse. Earth has no Sorcerer Supreme to defend it - we must be ready."

"We'll be ready," Kat said.

"Yeah, we will be." Cloak snuggled itself around Stephen's shoulders. 

Wong opened the Sanctum doors and proceeded through the portal leading back to the newly reestablished Hong Kong Sanctum. 

"What about Mordo?" Stephen asked.

Kat sighed. "I don't know. I think he has a point, but I won't abandon our teachings and practices.  I also think all the Mystic Arts are rooted in something darker than we realize. But that's just me. It's how we choose to use it that matters. But, as I said, that's just me." She nodded to their respective doors. "Master of London, and Master of New York - we're neighbours." She grinned.  "We'll have tea again soon."

"Looking forward to it."

 Her smile stretched so big it crinkled the scarred skin at the corners of her eyes. She stepped through the London portal. "See you soon, Master Strange."







(And that's it - for part one! Onto Wandavision and Multiverse of Madness - less than a week left!!! :D

As always, thank you  so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you after Multiverse of Madness! :))

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