Wong suddenly remembered the Crimson Bands.
The spell was not powerful offensively, but its binding power was second to none.
Ryan listened quietly as Wong explained the spell.
Wong said it drew on Cyttorak's power from the Crimson Cosmos, so Ryan needed to be careful when borrowing it.
Inside the Sanctum, Wong walked him through the principles and incantation of the Crimson Bands. Ryan committed every word to memory.
The lesson was brief. When Wong finished, he glanced at Ryan.
From what he knew of Ryan's talent, the sorcerer would probably master the spell on his first try.
His aptitude for magic was enough to put anyone else to shame.
And Ryan proved Wong right.
Ryan raised a hand. Crimson chains shot out and wrapped around a load-bearing pillar in the Sanctum's main hall.
The burning-red chains slithered up the pillar like snakes. Wong's eyelid twitched at the sight. He had known Ryan would learn quickly.
He had not expected Ryan's control to be this good.
Wong sighed. "A sorcerer like you is hard to believe."
"Strange is pretty hard to believe too."
"Strange? The sorcerer who just joined Kamar-Taj?"
"Yeah."
"These newcomers are monsters."
Feeling thoroughly left behind, Wong fell silent. He told Ryan to practice on his own while he went outside for some air.
Ryan had no reason to stop him. Having just learned the Crimson Bands, he was busy playing with the chains in his hands.
The chains had once bound Thanos's hand, preventing him from using the Infinity Stones properly.
Now that Ryan had learned the spell, he could not wait to find new ways to use it.
Outside, Wong left the Sanctum with several other sorcerers.
They walked along the street beneath the flickering neon lights.
Wong was about to buy something to eat