"Christine!" Strange and several medical staff pushed Ancient One, who was still barely clinging to life, toward the operating room. "It's not atrial fibrillation. She has myocardial stunning."
"Neurogenic shock?" Christine asked.
"Yes."
Strange put on sterile latex gloves for the first time in a long while and picked up a scalpel, preparing to reduce Ancient One's intracranial pressure.
But before he could make the incision, Ancient One's heart stopped.
"She's fading."
"She needs oxygen."
"Bring over the crash cart. Her pupils are dilated."
"No reflexes. No detectable brain activity either."
Strange was at a loss for what to do. Then he suddenly noticed a strange flickering on the ECG monitor and immediately realized that Ancient One's soul had left her body.
He instantly jolted his own soul out of his body and, sure enough, saw Ancient One's soul fly out of the operating room.
"What are you doing?"
"Don't do this. You're dying."
Ancient One flew to the balcony and stopped, quietly watching the nightscape beyond the window.
Strange chased after her. "You need to return to your body immediately. You don't have time."
"Time is relative. Your body hasn't even fallen over yet!" There wasn't a trace of fear of death on Ancient One's face, only a calm smile.
A muffled thunderclap sounded in the distance. Lightning slowly tore through the night sky in the souls' vision, illuminating the river below.
"I spent too many years peering into the future, watching this moment, yet unable to see beyond it.
"I stopped countless terrible futures, again and again, without end.
"They all led me to this moment, and they all ended at this moment."
"You think you die at this moment?" Strange asked.
Ancient One smiled. Instead of answering, she asked, "Want to know what I saw in your