That's all for today's extra chapter. Let me take a break while I'm not too busy. I'll finish today's update later.
Bound by the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, Kaecilius knelt on the floor, looking up at Strange, but his expression showed no trace of defeat or humiliation.
"It is both a beginning and an end. The majority becomes the minority, and then the only one."
Strange frowned. His back, still throbbing from the impact, and a small bloodstain seeping from the scraped elbow, made him have no interest in listening to riddles.
"If you continue like this and don't explain yourself clearly, I'll put this back on you." He picked up the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak's gag device and waved it in front of Kaecilius.
"Listen, Mr. Doctor..."
"Listen, my name is Stephen Strange. Stephen Strange."
Kaecilius tilted his head slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "You're a Doctor? A scientist? Then you should understand the laws of nature. Everything ages and dies. The sun will eventually burn out. But darkness transcends time."
Strange couldn't take it anymore and reached out to put the gag back on Kaecilius. His fingers had barely touched Kaecilius's chin when Kaecilius urgently raised his voice, "This world doesn't have to perish, Doctor. This world has the right to be a unique part, like many other worlds. A great and beautiful uniqueness, where we can all live forever."
Strange's hand froze in mid-air. He slowly lowered the gag, looking into Kaecilius's eyes, which burned with a kind of fanatical conviction. "So what good will this new Utopia dimension do for you?"
"Like you and everyone else. Life— Eternity life." Kaecilius's voice suddenly softened, as if sharing an extremely precious secret. "People always like to think about things from the perspective of good and evil, but in reality, time is everyone's true enemy. Time can kill everything."
"And what about the people you killed?"
Those people are just tiny, fleeting specks of dust. They float in this indifferent world.
Strange's fingers tightened slightly. He looked at Kaecilius's face, which was filled with certainty and composure, and at the fanaticism in his eyes that was willing to sacrifice everything for some unattainable goal.
He recalled his past experiences in the operating room, listening to jazz, selecting patients, and striving for perfect records.
I recalled what Lynn had said to him in the hotel room in Kathmandu: "You're confident you can cure patients, but you've never had any reverence for life. You're just using those lying on the operating table as tools to show off your skills."
Tiny, fleeting specks of dust. Did he also view patients who didn't meet his admission criteria in the same way?
Was he like that back then, arrogantly categorizing other people's lives as "not important"? He finally understood what Lynn meant by what she had told him. How ridiculous he had been.
Kaecilius, seeing the change in Strange's expression, assumed he was swayed. His voice grew more fervent, "Now you understand what we're doing. The world isn't what it should be. Humanity has always yearned for Eternity, for transcending the constraints of time, because time has been enslaving us, relentlessly pushing us forward. Time is an insult to us. Death is an insult; it mocks our folly. We don't seek to rule the world; we only seek salvation! Give it to Dormammu; he is the key to purifying this world. Darkness is the reason for all life."
Strange's fingers tightened slightly. He looked at Kaecilius's resolute face, took a deep breath, and said in a solemn and determined tone, "You say they are dust... but in my eyes, every life is more precious than Mount Tai. It is about protecting life."
What brought you to Kamar-Taj? Was it enlightenment? Or power? I suspect you came here seeking healing!
Kaecilius leaned forward, the chains creaking against his body. " Kamar-Taj has absorbed all sorts of broken things. We all came here hoping for healing. But what was the result? We only learned some trivial tricks. The real magic was claimed by the Ancient One. I don't believe none of you have ever wondered how she's lived so long?"
"Those spells I saw in the Book of Cagliostro?"
Lynn leaned against the edge of the Mirror Dimension, watching Strange and Kaecilius confront each other in the corridor. He tapped his fingers lightly on his elbow, then turned to look at the Ancient One.
Shouldn't we interrupt them?
The Ancient One shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the battlefield downstairs. "No, since it's started, let him hear it all. The final choice is up to him: to bear the misunderstanding for the sake of the world, or to abandon the world for his principles." She glanced at Lynn, a faint smile playing on her lips. "If you were willing to be the Sorcerer Supreme, I wouldn't have to worry about this so much."
Lynn smiled but didn't reply.
"So you know. Those things gave me the power to defeat the Ancient One, destroy the Sanctum, and return to darkness. The Ancient One kept hidden, Dormammu will give selflessly. Life, immortality. Dormammu has never been the Destroyer of the world; darkness is the savior."
Strange looked at Kaecilius's face, cracked and ravaged by dark magic, and his instincts once again prevailed.
"Stop talking. Please look at your face first. Dormammu turned you into a murderer. How good do you think his kingdom can be?"
Kaecilius smiled.
It is a genuine, heartfelt joy.
Strange was baffled. "You think this is funny?"
No. I'm laughing because you didn't even realize you'd lost your Sling Ring.
Strange instinctively looked down at his waist; his Sling Ring was gone!
In that instant of distraction, a dark shadow suddenly crashed into him from the side.
It was Lucian, the believer who stole his Sling Ring.
He used the stolen Sling Ring to return to the Sanctum, where he had been lurking in the shadows, waiting for his chance.
The two rolled and wrestled on the floor, knocking over a nearby display case, scattering glass shards and antique ritual objects all over the place.
Strange's head hit the ground, and his fingers groped around for anything he could use as a weapon.
Kaecilius struggled on the floor, his dark magic surging wildly within him. He managed to break free with great effort and was just about to step forward.
Lynn glanced at him, then released a very subtle trace of her own aura.
That was just the slightest disturbance of magical energy in the air, but it was enough for Kaecilius to sense.
There is someone far more powerful Strange hiding nearby.
Kaecilius froze.
He glanced at the shadow at the end of the corridor and then made an extremely rational judgment.
The opportunity has passed; if we don't act now, we'll never have another chance.
He didn't greet Lucian, nor did he even glance at his companion who was still fighting Strange. Instead, he turned and walked deeper into the corridor.
Dark magic gathered, twisted, and contracted around him, and his figure disappeared into the air, leaving only a wisp of dark afterglow that had not completely dissipated.
Lynn held his breath and turned his attention back to the former surgeon who was still wrestling with Lucian.
Lucian was stronger and more experienced in combat than Strange. But Strange's cloak of levitation was always helping him; every time Lucian was about to overpower him, the cloak would suddenly yank him out from under his opponent's fists.
Lynn watched the figure being pulled erratically by the Cloak, clicked his tongue softly, and his finger twitched almost imperceptibly in the air.
He only slightly reduced the friction on the Dali floor beneath Lucian's feet.
A tiny angular deviation caused Lucian to lose his balance.
Strange seized the fleeting opportunity, flipping over and pinning his opponent with a less-than-perfect but powerful grappling hook. He panted, picked up a mask that had rolled away, and slammed it down. Lucian froze.
"That's about it."
Lynn turned his gaze away from Strange and to the Ancient One. " Master The Ancient One, shall we go? Shall we go back and get ready?"
The Ancient One looked at him, the smile on his lips still faint.
She raised her hand and drew a circle in the air, and a pale golden portal opened in front of them, leading to the quiet courtyard of Kamar-Taj.
Prayer flags fluttered gently in the breeze, and in the distance, the faint whispers of apprentice mages practicing basic runes could be heard.
Lynn followed the Ancient One through the portal, and the sparks receded behind them.
Now they just need to wait a while, until Strange catches his breath and has enough time to realize what has just happened.
They opened another portal, pretended to have just arrived, and displayed just the right amount of surprise and approval.
Lynn leaned against the stone wall, a faint smile on his lips.
About five minutes later, the Ancient One and Lynn found Mordo and Wong. Mordo was on the edge of the training ground, checking the list of trainee mages who had been injured in the earlier raid, while Wong stood beside him, holding an ancient book he had just retrieved from the ruins, his expression not good.
Lynn briefly explained the current situation of the New York Sanctum and then drew a portal.
Beyond the door lay the wreckage of the New York Sanctum Hall, a place recently devastated by a fierce battle.
The shards of glass scattered on the floor gleamed coldly in the dim light of the chandelier, the overturned display case leaned against the wall, and fragments of the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak were still scattered where Kaecilius had just knelt.
Strange stood in the center of the hall, one hand on his waist, the other still clutching the mask that had knocked Lucian unconscious. His robes were covered in dust and sawdust, the blood from his sprained elbow had congealed, and his hair was a mess. But the Cloak of Levitation draped steadily over his shoulders, its collar slightly raised, as if guarding his surroundings.
"Are you alright?" Mordo asked first, his gaze sweeping over the mess on the ground before finally settling on Strange.
"Relatively speaking, yes, I'm fine." Strange's voice was a little hoarse.
Mordo's gaze lingered on Strange for a moment, then was suddenly drawn to the crimson Cloak behind him. His expression shifted from surprise to a deeper, almost incredulous, approval. " The Cloak of Levitation? It chose you!"
The Ancient One stood beside Lynn, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Although he's a womanizer, you're truly remarkable to have been chosen by him."
Strange didn't respond to the compliment. He placed the mask on the stone slab beside him and looked up at the Ancient One. "He's escaped."
" Kaecilius?" the king asked.
"Yes. They can fold space and matter at will."
Mordo frowned. "He can fold matter outside of the Mirror Dimension? In the real world?"
"Right."
The Ancient One's voice remained calm. "Besides Kaecilius, how many others are there?"
"Two. I left one in the desert."
Strange paused. "The other body is downstairs."
A brief silence followed. The Ancient One nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the shattered display cases and scattered fragments of magical artifacts in the hall.
" The London Sanctum has been destroyed, leaving only the New York and Hong Kong Sanctum to defend against external invasion. You defended the attacked New York Sanctum; the mages there have gone back to recuperate, and a new one is needed."
She looked at Strange, her tone calm and solemn, " Master Strange?"
Strange didn't answer immediately. He first turned to look at Lynn, who was standing to the side. Lynn leaned against a pillar, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression no different from usual—relaxed, casual, with a barely perceptible smile. He didn't give Strange any hints, simply standing there quietly, letting him choose for himself.
Strange turned back to look at the Ancient One. "No. I am Doctor Strange. Not the Master Strange, nor Doctor Strange. Doctor Strange!" His voice was not loud, but firm.
"When I became a doctor, I swore an oath never to hurt anyone. And just now, I killed someone. He was downstairs. I will never do it again!"
Lynn subtly raised an eyebrow at the Ancient One.
Strange continued, "While I had personal motives for becoming a doctor, I've always been saving lives, not killing them."
The Ancient One looked at Strange. Her gaze held scrutiny, satisfaction, and a very subtle, almost imperceptible hint of relief.
You used to be a doctor, just to save one person! That person was yourself.
Strange looked at Lynn again. Lynn remained leaning against the pillar, motionless and silent. Strange turned back to the Ancient One. "You can still read my mind, can't you?"
"What I'm saying is based on what I've always seen. Your inflated ego. What you told me before, that you wanted to see different versions of yourself, is essentially a delusion of controlling different lives, even controlling death!"
The Ancient One gently shook her head. "However, no one can control death. Not even the great Doctor Strange."