"That was the Dark Dimension..."
Strange hurried to the window. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, his vision filled with utter darkness. Staring at the inky vortex above the New York Sanctum, he said in disbelief, "How is this possible? The Dark Dimension invaded Earth's dimension so easily. This... makes no sense!"
"It's simple. Someone led the way, and they happened to be an expert in Dark Dimension magic. Connecting the two dimensions was easy."
Russell spoke calmly. "Stop guessing. That guide was a mage from Kamar-Taj."
"What? A mage from Kamar-Taj!"
Strange's eyes widened. He was even more shocked than he had been upon seeing the Dark Dimension's passage open. "Who was it? Who would sell Earth out to Dormammu, lord of the Dark Dimension? Was that person insane?"
"Kaecilius!"
"?"
"After observing the heavens last night, I examined the future timeline. Kaecilius used the immense Magic Power of the New York Sanctum as a catalyst, reinforced the Dark Dimension energy within his body, and summoned Dormammu to Earth."
"Then why didn't you stop him?" Strange asked, confused.
"In the destined future, even without Kaecilius, someone else would have done it. Besides, if I stopped Dormammu from descending upon New York, then his next descent would be at Kamar-Taj. Countless dimensional spaces would become tangled in chaos, and time and space would become unpredictable. The result would only be worse."
Russell said words that filled Strange with worry, yet remained utterly unhurried himself. "There is no need to worry. This future is quite interesting. It is worth looking forward to!"
"But, Sorcerer Supreme, I remember you said that a star would fall once more..."
Concern filled Strange's face as he stared into Russell's eyes, his expression incomparably complicated. "Did that star refer to you, or me?"
"Your