Y/N's P.O.V.
"You're awake." Mordo muttered as I opened my eyes.
"How are you feeling?"
"Awful. What happened?" I asked, wincing in pain as I sat up in the bed.
"Easy." He smiled slightly.
"You collapsed. Strange said it was the concussion. We're back in Kamar-Taj now." He reached forward and moved some hair out of my face.
"Where's Stephen? I need to talk to him-"
"He's... not here right now. He's busy." Mordo sighed and I looked at him in confusion.
"Just after you fell unconscious, Kaescilius returned. He almost destroyed the sanctum, but Strange stopped him. He didn't realise the zealots would be more powerful in the mirror dimension and we got trapped there with them."
"What?" I asked with wide eyes.
"You were already back here. The Cloak of Elevation brought you back." He explained.
"The Ancient One came into the mirror dimension and saved us, but not before she got hurt."
"No." There was a lump in my throat. I might have been angry at her, but she was still my mother.
"Mordo, tell me she's okay?"
"Kaescilius stabbed her and pushed her through a portal, which dropped her from the top of a building." Tears welled up in my eyes and I covered my mouth in shock.
"Strange is with her in the hospital-"
"I need to go and see her." I pushed the covers away from myself and Mordo tried to stop me.
"Y/N, you can't. You're hurt." He protested, taking my hand.
"I'm fine." I pulled my hand away from his, storming out of the room. The physical pain was nothing compared to the thought of the Ancient One dying. Using a spell to change into clean robes, my cloak found me and landed on my shoulders.
I made it to the doors that lead to the sanctums as a portal opened and Stephen came through with a defeated expression.
"She's dead." The words echoed in my mind and I shook my head.
"No. She can't be." I denied and without warning, Stephen's arms wrapped around me. I wanted to scream and push him away, but I felt so weak and helpless.
"I should have been there. Then, maybe-"
"Don't do that to yourself." Stephen muttered.
"If you were there, you might have died instead."
"That's why I should have been there. It should have been me-"
"No." Stephen interrupted.
"No. It was her time and she understood that. If you had died I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I need you, Y/N. If we're going to stop Kaescilius, then I need you by my side." He spoke softly and footsteps approached.
"Y/N, Strange." Mordo spoke as he came in. I let go of Stephen, wiping the tears out of my eyes.
"Is she...?"
"She's gone." Stephen muttered, barely a second before his hand connected with mine.
"You were right. She wasn't who I thought she was." Mordo spoke.
"She was complicated." Stephen muttered.
"Complicated." Mordo scoffed.
"The dark dimension is volatile, dangerous. What if it overtook her? She taught us it was forbidden, whilst she fed on its power to steal centuries of life."
"She did what she thought was right." Stephen defended.
"The bill comes due." Mordo sighed.
"Don't you see? Her transgressions led the zealots to Dormmamu. Kaescilius was her fault and here we are, in the consequence of her deception. A world on fire."
"Mordo, the London sanctum has fallen. The New York sanctum has been attacked twice. You know where they're going next."
"Hong Kong." I muttered.
"You told me, once, to fight like my life depended on it, because one day it might. Well, today is that day. Y/N and I cannot defeat them alone." Stephen looked at him and he reluctantly nodded his head. Stephen's hand slipped out of mine and he gave me a small smile, before making a portal to Hong Kong. We ran through without hesitation, but nothing could have prepared us for the destruction that was there. People screamed as buildings crumbled and I looked around in horror.
"We're too late. The sanctum has already fallen." I whispered, my eyes on the building that was surrounded by the dark dimension. It was spreading and fast.
"Dormmamu is coming." Mordo spoke as Kaescilius and his two zealots stepped forward.
"It's too late. Nothing can stop him."
"Not necessarily." Stephen mumbled, before he opened the Eye of Agamotto. Kaescilius ran towards us as a familiar green glow covered Stephen's arm. I blinked and everything around me was frozen as Stephen freed me from the spell. Kaescilius was further back too. Stephen released Mordo and began reversing some of the damage.
"That won't hold them long." I warned as Mordo looked around.
"The spell is working." Stephen sighed in relief as we ran towards the sanctum. Someone grabbed my wrist and I turned to see the female zealot that almost killed me last time we met.
The cloak covered her face and she let go of me, trying to rip it off, and I kicked her to the ground, continuing to run. Stephen and Kaescilius were fighting and as much as I wanted to take on Kaescilius myself, Mordo was losing his fight and I decided to jump in and save his ass.
"I've got this." Mordo spoke as one of the zealots got trapped in the debris.
"Help Strange." I nodded and moved through the thick cloud of smoke, the damage almost completely reversed. The smoke cleared and I watched Kaescilius knock Stephen to the ground.
"Kaescilius!" I shouted, catching his attention.
"I tried to make you see reason, I tried to show you the truth." He glared at me as he came closer.
"But it's clear which side you're on, my dear." He moved to attack me and this time, he was actually trying to hurt me.
I punched him hard and kicked him against a wall, which was repairing itself.
"I told you not to call me that." I mumbled as the wall contained him.
"Wong!" Stephen moved forward as the man was revived, before breaking him free drom the spell.
"Breaking the laws of nature, I know." Stephen muttered guiltily.
"Well don't stop now." Wong sighed, looking around.
"When the Sanctum is restored, they'll attack it, we have to defend it." Stephen explained as the four of us moved back to the building. As we were hurrying, the ground moved beneath us, sending us all to the floor. Everything around us fell silent as the spell came to a stop.
"Get up, Strange. Get up and fight." Mordo insisted as Wong helped me stand.
"We can finish this."
"You can't fight the inevitable." Kaescilius spoke, coming closer.
"Isn't it beautiful? A world beyond time? Beyond death?"
"Watch us." I glared at him as Stephen muttered something.
"Strange!" Mordo shouted as Stephen got up and flew away. My eyes widened and I quickly followed, my cloak flowing around me as I raced after him, into the dark dimension.
"What are you doing?" Stephen looked at me as I caught up to him.
"Go back."
"Not without you. Whatever you're doing, count me in." He didn't respond, he just continued flying, until he reached a planet, deep within the dark dimension. I landed next to him and he looked at me.
"Give me your hand." He spoke and I did as he instructed, linking our fingers together. He waved his free hand over our connected ones and my eyes widened.
"A time loop?" I asked in disbelief.
"Do you trust me?" He asked and I looked at him hesitantly, before nodded.
"Good. Whatever happens, don't let go."
