Lights → Doctor Strange

{let's find out}

Strange ran a hand through his hair, pacing through his room. There had to be a way, right? The open file stared at him from his spotless desk. His red cape had appeared again, finally forgiving him for not going to Riley's comfort the other night. He wondered briefly where it had been. Probably folded in a drawer somewhere, he thought sarcastically.

The mass in Riley's brain was positioned in a place that was notoriously hard to operate on, which is probably why everyone had denied her treatment. It would've been hard for him, even at the height of his career. He rubbed the scars on his hands absentmindedly.

A knock at his door made him jump, drawing him out of his reverie. He answered the door to another surprise, not Riley, but Wong the librarian.

"You are needed in Kamar-Taj," Wong said gruffly.

Strange nodded, pausing a moment to scribble a note for Riley before following the stocky man to the door that lead to the main temple. Wong led Strange to the room where he had first met the Ancient One in so long ago. The masters of each sanctum sat around a long table. Strange took his seat on the right side of the table.

The intricate chair at the head of the table remained empty. No one had been elected as Sorcerer Supreme since the Ancient One's death. Everyone remained quiet, all eyes turned to the empty chair.

Strange was the one to break the silence, "Why was this meeting called?"

The master of the London sanctum cleared his throat, "Someone is stealing magic."

Strange tilted his head to the side, "I'm sorry, I thought you said stealing magic."

"I said just that," the man replied shortly.

"That shouldn't be possible," Strange defended.

"And yet, it's happening."

<>

Riley woke up later than usual. A lot later than usual. In fact, she should've gotten two hours of practice done already. She got up, stretching, and changed out of Strange's old blue outfit. It was ridiculously comfortable; soft, warm, and giant on her. Which was exactly why she slept in it.

A yawn escaped her as she opened her door. A note was pinned to it with a tiny magic dart:

Gone to Kamar-Taj. Practice while I'm gone. -S.S.

She rolled her eyes. What he didn't know wouldn't kill him. Riley pushed the door to her room back open.

She was about to lay back down when something on her dresser caught her eye. A golden pendant on a leather cord laid on her dresser. The pendant was a circle, with the same four swoops as the giant window on the third floor. A warm light glowed from within, and it seemed to be almost warm to the touch.

Riley slipped the long leather cord over her head, it was much heavier than it looked. She didn't much feel like sleeping now, so she moved out of her room in search of something to do.

<>

Strange's leg bounced under the table. He wanted to pace. He didn't know how these other sorcerer's sat so calmly as they heard about this new threat. Someone was stealing magic, from people. Draining them of all their magic and leaving them for dead.

The gory details of what exactly it was like to have your magical life-force ripped from you made Strange's stomach turn. There was a time when he would've given anything to be back to normal; refusing treatment to people like Riley and winning all the awards he could buy shelves for. But he wasn't the same as he had been.

He didn't want to go back. He wouldn't go back.

"Doctor Strange?" the master of the Hong Kong sanctum repeated.

Strange focused in on the conversation, "Yes?"

"We were discussing using the Orb of Agamotto to find the criminal."

"Yes," Strange said vaguely, "I'll check into it."

He stood abruptly, brushing himself off and leaving the room.  Strange made his way back to the doorway that lead to his sanctum. The Eye watched him as he walked by it. Ever since he found out it was an Infinity Stone, he had been too frightened to touch it.

But it might just be the answer to one of his problems.

With shaking hands, he pulled the Eye off of its stand. It was warm in his palm. He put it on, quickly walking through the door to the New York sanctum.

"Riley?" he called. A faint echo of a reply sounded from downstairs.

Strange made his way down to her. She was sitting in front of the open window again. This time the scene was a calm, bright blue sea. Riley munched on her sandwich as her toes barely grazed the cool, peaceful water.

"How was Kamar-Taj?" she asked.

He sat down beside her, resting his head against the window frame. "Not great. Did you practice while I was gone?"

A guilty look flashed across her face. Strange sighed, clenching his jaw. "How do you expect to get better if you never practice? You've only been here three weeks and you're already doing so well. Imagine what you could do if you put in some actual effort!"

Riley pushed herself up, walking away from the beautiful sea behind her. "I'm sorry, I've been a little worried about this," she gestured angrily to the right side of her head. Beneath the skin and bone, an intruder grew, a mass that pressed closer to her death everyday.

Strange stood as well, closing the window behind him. "I might have the answer to--" he cut off, his focus drawn to the pendant hanging from her neck.

"Where did you get that?" he asked quietly.

Her fingers self-consciously traced the pattern on the necklace, "You didn't leave it in my room?"

"Do you know what that is?"

Riley shook her head. She wondered if she had done something wrong.

"It's the Amulet of Vishanti," he explained, "the sorcerer who built the sanctums and cast the spells to join them together and form the shield of protection around the earth. He was the greatest sorcerer to have ever lived."

Riley shifted as he continued, "It was lost after his death, and assumed to have been destroyed. Where did you find it?"

"On my dresser," she laughed nervously.

Strange looked at her with wide eyes, "It must be your Relic. Like my cape chose me, the Amulet chose you. Remarkable!"

"What does it do?" Riley asked curiously, rubbing the metal against her sleeve.

"I'm not sure," Strange replied. "Let's find out."

A/N
Happy Thanksgiving!