"What was that?" Stark asked, tightening the muscles around his eyes.
"Just Dormammu."
Strange leaned back comfortably against the single sofa's backrest, his hands resting on the armrests and one leg crossed over the other. "I've also got Great Demon Shadow, the Crimson Lord, the Hell Lord... Tony, do you really think the existence of these beings is that simple?"
"Actually, just like humans, energy is a tool for them. Its importance to them is roughly the same as it is to us. We use energy to power machines and build civilization, but that isn't what we are."
"Aren't they energy beings?"
"That's merely how they manifest." With the deep darkness gone from Strange's eyes, his gaze held the wisdom of the Sorcerer Supreme. He drew his forearms inward again, interlaced his fingers before him, and said, "At the core of every Demon God is a concept or a rule, not energy."
"The Dark Dimension is Dormammu's property, and he values it greatly. To gain more property, he wants darkness to erode worlds. But that is only because of his greed, not because he needs it to survive."
"As long as darkness still exists in this universe, Dormammu will not truly die. His death is more like sleep; endless slumber replaces true extinction. Perhaps only when the universe is destroyed will he be destroyed with it."
"Over the long history of Sorcerer Supremes dealing with creatures like these, we have encountered even stranger and more terrifying beings. My teacher, The Ancient One, once told me about that twisted and dreadful history."
Strange and Stark both turned their gazes toward the black notebook. When their focus converged on the same spot, Stark heard from Strange the old tale of mages exploring the secrets beyond the stars.
"In the ancient Hyperion era,