The Ancient One's Death...

Third Person P.O.V.

Despite the urgent situation, Hector calmly walks through the corridors of the hospital. He switched to a normal and inconspicuous body to have his meeting with Stephen Strange.

One can't underestimate the future Sorcerer Supreme. Yes, he can hide very well, but sometimes "hiding" is suspicious enough. For example, a telepath would pay much more attention if they found someone whose mind they can't read. In a crowd, the one with an unreadable mind would be easily singled out.

It's the same with any kind of energy that inhabits the human body, even Hector has a very hard time controlling the "leak" to make it believable, and he is still not 100% confident in that. He can "hide" very well, but allowing just that small amount, which is normal for everyone, to leak constantly is a hard task. 

It's just too minimal of an amount when compared to his huge reserves.

That's why using a completely normal clone is more convenient.

No powers, no enhancements, no cybernetics, nothing… And to put in perspective how hard it is to act like a normal person, even with this completely normal clone, he would be at risk of being figured out if he doesn't hold back even more, with his way of walking, expressions, and even bodily functions like his heartbeat and sweating.

That's how hard it is.

But now, he will not meet Black Widow or Daredevil, just a novice sorcerer. So it should be enough.

...…

Stephen Strange is leaning on a wall with difficulty, his shout leaves his mouth in a much quieter tone than he wished, but that is what would be expected from someone with perforated lungs.

"Christine-" He was trying to shout again when someone grabbed him from behind.

"Easy there… Let me take care of you- Oh, you are Dr. Strange." A young guy, a teen, grabs his arm and puts it around his shoulder and helps Strange to an empty, unused, and new Operation Room, a hall away from that spot. "I thought you retired after the accident, but seeing your clothes, the wounds, and the moving cloak, I guess you changed to the hero business."

"Very insightful of you." Strange says between groans

"Not that hard to guess. Weird things are fairly common now. Can you imagine how many people with strange wounds appear? Those villains… You are not a villain, right?" Hector pauses and gives him a look, Strange can almost see the thoughts of dropping him and letting him die crossing his mind.

"No, I'm not… But I'm in a hospital, so you should treat me nonetheless." Strange says while being helped out to the table.

"I haven't done any oath."

"Yes, I noticed by your age." Strange drawls "Can you call Dr. Palmer for me, please? She will come if you tell her that it's Strange."

For some reason, Hector chuckles a little before saying "Alright, but let me give you first aid in the meantime."

"No offense, kid. But I would prefer to be treated by someone who knows what they are doing." Strange speaks, still managing to sound condescending despite being wounded and needing help.

"And I would like to live off-grid with a lot of women and my pets, but we need to be happy with what we have." Hector answers equally sarcastically and starts poking Strange's rib cage "There's fluid on your left lung." He comments before putting on some gloves and going for the tools in the locker.

Now that made Strange pause, because he did everything right. He got the Kelly clamp and moved to Strange without hesitation.

"Wait…" Strange protests, but Hector does not wait, feeling the chest of the sorcerer, Hector creates an opening between his ribs with a scalpel and then dilates the incision before inserting the chest tube to drain the blood.

"That is some nasty wound… " Hector comments while pumping the blood out, moving his chair away to get the cultures and everything else to close the wound. "Nice resistance to pain, by the way."

"...I'm used to that." Stephen comments "Do I know you?" He frowns, his eyes squeezing while trying to remember Hector.

"You are smart, try to guess." Hector comments while cleaning the wounds.

"Your eyes…" Stephen says in realization "You are Valeria's kid. Hector, right? You have the same eyes as your mother."

"...I noticed that you are a wizard, but that is some Harry Potter recognition moment, Severus Snape." Hector deadpans

"Okay, this is much more complicated than some childish magic." Strange says offended "And I'm not Snape."

"Are you sure? Your cloak is billowing without wind…" Hector jokes while focusing on the wounds "And yes, you are right. I'm surprised that you figured it out, really. My mother told me that you can only look at your own navel."

"Ugh, that is Valeria alright… She never liked me." Strange rolls his eyes

"I don't think my mother ever disliked someone… She only used you as an example of not what became… Arrogant, self-centered, sociopath, having a god complex…" 

"Okay, okay! You can stop that." Strange interrupts "And how old are you again?" He asks to change the subject

"Sixteen."

"Very young to be able to perform a flawless thoracentesis." Strange gives a rare compliment "Your mother and father would be proud… I heard about what happened. You have my condolences."

"..." Hector stops his hands and looks at Strange "Thanks, I guess…" Then he looks down at Strange's hands. "I also heard about your accident. Sorry for your hands, it must have been despairing." He says sincerely

"...just a little." Strange says in a distant voice, flexing his trembling fingers

"I know this face… it doesn't look so bad now, huh?"

"..."

"I know how it is… Not that it is not tragic or incredibly sad, but sometimes you feel that it was a necessary thing… As much as morbid and horrible the thought is, you can't help but have this feeling… Even if you don't want to accept it…" Hector says heavily "In some twisted way, it made me a better person…"

"...."

"Prior to my parents, I was kinda the average dumb teenager wasting my life. Living my good life while thinking my small problems are big things… After that, I had to mature… That would not have happened if… Haah" Hector sighs "What I'm trying to say is that sometimes bad things happen to make us move our sorry asses from the stagnated and rotten places they are." With that, he goes back to work "My words and thoughts are all over the place, so I hope you get what I mean…"

"... I guess you are right." Strange agrees slowly

"I started taking care of the hospital, serving something bigger than me… What about you? Heroism?" Hector asks "Saving cats from trees or Avengers stuff?"

"Something like that… Apparently, I need to protect our entire plane of existence from invading forces." He shakes his head, playing it off as a joke.

"Cool." Hector laughs

"Yes, it's pretty cool." Strange admits with a smile 

When a surprisingly comfortable silence falls between the future pillars of humanity, the door of the room is open, and Christine finally walks in.

"Hector, I saw your message. What happen-Stephen!!" Her eyes widen seeing the bloodied Dr. Strange on the operating table. "What happened here?!?" She almost shrieks

"Long time no see, Christine." Strange acts extremely casual

"Look, Dr. Palmer. Your ex-boyfriend is a superhero." Hector also acts casually

"He is not- Wait, this doesn't matter now!"

"Yeah, I'm not a superhero. Are you seeing me in a spandex?" 

"Now that you are here, please pick up where I left." Hector stands up and conducts Christine to sit on his chair. "I have things to do, and you two may have things to talk about."

...

Hector P.O.V.

I leave the room to give them some privacy, not that I believe that this relationship will move forward, but closure will be a good thing for both of them.

That was the first contact that "Hector" had with a superhero, if I exclude Peter. I guess the Ancient One was hoping for that, not only would I have stayed here to save his life, but also give him that pep talk.

The words just poured out of my mouth, I think he needs to hear it, even though I didn't say it well. But that is what one would expect from a teen, so it's okay.

I look around a little, just checking if the guy dropping by didn't flag this area to the enemies. 

Yeah, it looks peaceful, but I will go back to my main body and keep myself on high alert.

I'm keeping myself off it, as the Ancient One said, so I will just trust in Strange. I will still observe from some distance, in case things go wrong. I don't trust people, because people can make mistakes, it's not only about thinking that everyone can betray me. The Ancient can miscalculate…

Twenty minutes later, I felt him going away so I walked back to the room.

"Did he already leave?" I act surprised while looking around before my eyes stop on her back. I notice her seemingly wiping away a tear or two.

"Yes, he went to save the world or something like that." She says with the voice of someone who is trying to hold back some emotions. "That is Stephen Strange, always doing big things… nothing small catches his eye." My super hearing and empathic powers detected the small amount of resentment in her last words.

I don't know what they talked about, but despite my track record, I let the two have some privacy. But I guess they broke up in some way… Maybe she noticed that he changed, but not in a way that helped their relationship. Maybe he noticed that he has other responsibilities. Maybe the two instinctively knew that it would not work.

I mean, a superhero and a normal woman, pfft… Who would try that? Right? Right???

I approach, despite thinking she doesn't need any kind of "there's still a lot of fish in the sea" talk, I can give her some comfort.

I just put a hand on her shoulder and ask "Do you wanna take the rest of the day off?" 

"No. No, no… Thank you for the offer, but I'm good." She shakes her head quickly. "Work will be good to take my mind off…" She trails off "...you know…

"I know." I nod. "Alright then, but the offer stays up at any time if you just decide to take a break."

"Thank you. You can be a nice boss when you want." She says sincerely before joking

"Please, I'm the best boss in the world." Ask my summons.

...….

Third Person P.O.V.

Dr. Strange returns more or less recovered to the New York Sanctum, but different from him, the sanctum is not even close to being in top shape. The whole place is a mess, with the formations destroyed and the most importantly, the core linked to the other sanctums is nowhere to be seen.

"This is bad…" Dr. Strange comments while looking around. He then runs to the portal room and notices that the door to the London Sanctum is destroyed.

Instead of trying to go back to Kamar-Taj, he runs to the door to the Hong Kong Sanctum, but a magic shield blocks him.

"Shit!" He can't help but curse seeing the glyphs and the dark energy emanating from the shield. "It must have been that woman. Good news, it seems the Hong Kong Sanctum is still up, bad news is probably being destroyed right now."

This whole operation is prepared meticulously. A lightning strike to stop people from sending reinforcements and then open the world for the invasion of the Dark Dimension. After that, it would be too late.

Luckily, he was able to stall the destruction of the New York Sanctum, which seems created a chain reaction that delayed the enemy plan.

Without wasting more time, Strange runs to the portal to the Kamar-Taj. Despite being a place of peace and quietness, now the buildings and courtyard of the Kamar-Taj are eerily silent.

Strange was running for a moment, looking for someone, before his newly acquired mantle took him on a flight above the place. 

"There's no one here." He flies away from the area to open a portal close to the Sanctum in Hong Kong. The sanctums have protection against portals - that he can bypass with the Eye of Agamotto - so he opens a portal only close enough to be able to help, but far enough to appear unnoticed and have some advantage.

"Oh no…" Leaving the portal, he sees small irregularities in space around the Sanctum.

The people going with their lives on the busy streets below seem completely unaware, but he notices something was off pretty fast, and he can guess that something big is going on in the Mirror Dimension. Something so big that it is bleeding into reality.

A wave of his hand later, his fears are confirmed. The apocalyptic image of a battlefield of sorcerers fighting each other, while on the horizon, a huge, dark purple vortex looms over the world.

Strange takes a moment to watch the battlefield, to try to understand the chaotic space. He can see Clea, Mordo, and Kaecilius being at the forefront of the enemy army. The said army was made up of groups of other weaker sorcerers and some otherworldly creatures.

He also saw maybe dozens of Mindless Ones. Those creatures spawn on the Dark Dimension, they are like one-eyed golems, constructs of the dark energy that is so common on the Realm of Dormammu. Not only are the numbers great, but they are also strong, very resistant to common magic, and do not fear pain or death.

Against this small army, there are many sorcerers that Strange recognizes and many that he doesn't recognize. Friends and disciples of the Ancient One are here, students of the Kamar-Taj. And even some magic users not linked to the Kamar-Taj, but who stepped forward to protect the world.

There are even one or two Sorcerer Supreme candidates.

Strange would not be able to give a name to all faces, but there are all kinds of magic users reunited. From the most reclused ones like Kaluu and his servant Misha to the ones that are out in the open in this modern world. 

Kaluu was an old friend of the Ancient One, but it seems their friendship has taken a hit for unknown reasons, and they don't talk much nowadays.

On the same level, there's Enitharmon, the Weaver, master of Rintrah, the minotaur. Enitharmon is an alien-like being specialized in manipulating threads. It seems that he was put on this path - learning woven experiences from the Norns, the Ginnunga-Ghosts, and Those Who Dream The Sun and everything related with threads - because once he met a powerful being, the one that created Strange's Cloak of Levitation and was amazed by that being skills, till this day he admits that being was greater than himself.

Hamir, the Hermit, the sorcerer who helped Strange overcome his mental blocks created by his damaged hands, is also fighting, giving his all.

There are also magic users that recently stepped forward because of the change of time… The Dawn of Superheroes affected them in some way, and now they joining the fight with the masked champions.

Like Shaman, a Canadian sorcerer, part of Canada's team, equivalent to the Avengers. Or Amanda Sefton, aka Daytripper, part of the England team. Doctor Druid makes an appearance too, despite being a reclusive sorcerer, he helped guide Doctor Strange to Kamar-Taj.

There is also Zhered-Na from Atlantis and her half-apprentice, Jeniffer Kale, who is linked with many magical plots.

Margali Szardos and her daughter Jimaine, Nightcrawler's adopted family that Eidolon met on Limbo, are also here.

Sigurd, an Asgardian reincarnated as a human in search of redemption, is also helping the group of Kamar-Taj. 

The great quantity of sorcerers makes the battlefield a chaotic amalgamation of great individual fights, interlinked with the big battle. Spatial awareness is a crucial skill to any magic user, so everyone has to pay attention to their own fight and the fight of others.

You can be fighting in closed quarters with someone, and dozens of spells of different colors and effects can be flying at you, intentionally or otherwise. And adding the fact that the Kamar-Taj side is not entirely composed of a close group, most of the top sorcerers being reinforcements, it adds another layer of confusion to the already chaotic battlefield.

But even this much help is not even 10% of all sorcerers on Earth who can help. Many are still kept in the dark because of the quick attack of Mordo, and some just decided to stay back and watch what is happening, like Selene, Dr. Doom and even the K'un Lun itself, which is close, here in China.

Strange decides to act quickly and help, because while the situation seems to be in a stalemate, the huge dark vortex is slowly increasing in size, allowing more and more Mindless Ones to drop on Earth.

When it opens totally, it will not take a second for them to flood the surface of the planet.

The Cloak of Levitation is bringing Strange down while the sorcerer is concentrating on making handsigns. The moment his feet touched the ground, a spell flowed from his body through the ground an orange light extended in all directions to attack the Mindless Ones.

Knowing that something on this level is only good enough for those enemies without critical thinking, he doesn't even bother aiming at the enemy sorcerers, but the enemy sorcerers immediately aim for him.

Clea is the first to notice him, her face morphing with fury. "You!! pest!!" She hisses while floating to him, a purple light covering her hands menacingly

"Sorry for being alive and disappointing you…" Strange says in a light tone, but his eyes are serious. "You are the second woman I disappointed today, I think I'm good on this…" He jokes to cope with what happened with Christine Palmer

"No… No, no, no…" She shakes her head slowly "Not disappointed, I'm very glad… I will have the chance to rip your body to shreds myself." Her eyes light up with a piercing light.

"Funny enough, you are also not the first woman who told me that, too." Strange deadpans, but his quipping is interrupted when she throws a ball of purple night on the ground.

When the ground absorbs the light, it shifts into spikes that try to impale the strange.

He flew to avoid it, but Clea was already waiting "Sarnio's Storm of Swords." Sword constructs fill the air and rain down on Strange from all directions.

"Shield of the Seraphim!" Doctor Strange quickly raises his hands, and two magic shields appear to defend him.

After resisting the volley of swords, he counterattacks with "Hand of Hoggoth". Flames are conjured and coalesce into a hot steel hand that flies at Clea, trying to grab her torso.

With a handsign, her body blurs and she divides herself into a dozen images to avoid the hand that passes harmlessly through the place she has been initially. "Images of Ikkon."

"Images of Ikkon." Strange answers in the same coin and then conjures "Bolts of Batharkk",  a chain lightning attack that goes through all the clones of Clea.

She defends and attacks at the same time with "Stymphalian Hurricane", all her bodies emmits strong winds that coalesce in a protective dome that reflects the lighting.

Fusing together once again, while in the eye of the hurricane, she pushes her hand back before throwing a "Dire's Scourging Ray".

The laser-like spell flies so fast, ignoring wind and lightning, and almost hits Strange. The attack would result in an instant kill, but the Cloak of Levitation saved him in the last second by pulling him to the side.

Strange starts doing what he does best and what he can do to turn this unfavorable stalemate… He starts thinking out of the box.

Out of his mind is the direct turn-based duel between sorcerers when they test each other. He conjures another spell, simple and quick, but easily avoidable by Clea. Who did just that, diverting the spell hit an acolyte of Kaecilius who was preparing a big spell.

Strange remembered the details of that spell thanks to his photographic memory. The in and outs, the handsigns, and even the consequences of disrupting that spell.

Boom Clea was distracted by her own arrogance and was half hit by the explosion, despite reacting fast enough to put a shield behind her, she was still thrown off balance, the spell she used to levitate deactivating, and she started falling.

Instead of attacking her directly, Strange uses a simple gravity spell around her, making her fall faster. She hits the ground with a thud. It worked so well because she is not used to this fighting style. She is someone from the Dark Dimension; she fights directly and overwhelms her opponent with her superior might.

Strange doesn't stop there; he already prepares another simple attraction spell, linking with a group of Mindless Ones to bury Clea.

But he was interrupted when Mordo suddenly appeared behind in a flash of green light, his hands encased in flames of the same color.

The Cloak of Levitation comes in clutch once again and pulls Strange always from danger.

"Can you just wait a minute? I was almost finished." Strange comments, annoyed.

"So you are the Ancient One's new pet…" Mordo says with vitriol in his tone. 

 Instead of acting angry at the cheap provocation, Strange tilts his head. "Are you the old one?"

It seems cheap taunts work better on Mordo, because he snarls and sends a "Maelstrom of Madness" towards Strange, a vile, wide-range spell to cast on a single target.

From his perspective, Strange saw his surroundings changing. It's like he is in the middle of a kaleidoscope, everything spinning and changing colors at such a fast pace that he is almost going epileptic.

With his medical knowledge, he calms himself just enough to be able to use his trump card.

He knows he needs to act fast because Mordo must be preparing the killing blow while he is trapped. He doesn't panic… Like when he was back, standing over an operating table, he closes off the outside world, all distractions… And simply focus on the task at hand, on what he can do.

In the future, he would have sworn that his damaged hands went steady once again, steadier than when they were healthy. They moved with a purpose, ignoring his mind and senses being corrupted…

And after the handsign and a separating gesture… He opened the Eye of Agamotto.

The green flash moves faster than light itself, it clears the Maelstrom of Madness spell, and hits both combatants with discrimination.

Not only them… it hits Clea, who was nearby… And Kaecilius, and his acolytes… And Margali, Kaluu… Everyone. Every single sorcerer on the battlefield was hit by the light. Friend and foe alike.

And every single one of the are forced out of their bodies

"Forced Mortal Astral Extraction…"

The battlefield goes still when everyone looks confused at their paralyzed astral bodies and real bodies. They can't move even in the Astral Plane, completely stun-locked.

"Strange… What are you doing?" Wong asks, his tone confused, while he is forced to stare at an enemy close by, who is also paralyzed.

"To the idiot who cast this spell, I'm gonna feed you to my pet demons…" Someone says from somewhere in the battlefield.

The situation is so strange that it is almost comical; they are literally forced into a ceasefire.

"Uh… It's too late to just talk?" Strange asks in an awkward tone, he was not immune to the effects of the spell and is also paralyzed

"Talk, is that why you did this? There's no talk. Only the delay of your death!" Mordo says hatefully, his body paralyzed just after he threw a nasty spell at Strange.

"You and your strange trick and cheap decisions." Clea spats from her awkward position, her body is bent over a little too much because she was standing up when she was hit by the omnidirectional blast.

"Being strange is in my name…" Doctor Strange jokes.

"You miscalculated, you buffon!" Clea shouts at him "Your spell could have trapped our souls, but the Mindless Ones don't have souls!!"

Like to confirm her words, the Mindless Ones start walking to the paralyzed sorcerer. The golems made of the energy of the Dark Dimension lifeless stare at their future victims

"Now you are just cattle waiting for the slaughter!" Mordo laughs

"Damn it, Strange."

"We are fucked now…"

The sorcerers started to try to break out the spell.

"Strange, I hope you have a plan!" Wong shouts

"I have one, trust me!" Strange shouts back.

"Hard to do now!" A sorcerer shouts

"You need to earn my trust first." Another one says a little more calmly

Mordo is still laughing. "Maybe I need to thank you. I wanted to be the student who would end the Ancient One's legacy, but I guess I can give you the laurels." he mocks

"You really had no idea, huh?" Strange stares at Mordo calmly, the Eye of Agamotto still shining brightly. "It's not for nothing that you are a bad student; your powers of observation are lacking terribly."

"What?"

"Look again dumbass." Strange rolls his eyes. "Where are we? What is happening?"

"..." Now Mordo narrows his eyes, second-guessing himself.

"Do I need to really explain? So cliche… Okay, let's do it. I will spell it very slowly for you." Strange makes a show of sighing and talks in a condescending tone "We are in the Mirror Dimension… The Eye of Agamotto is not shining, it's pulsating and… it does not belong to me." He ends his talk giving a look at Mordo, like a teacher waiting for a student to connect the dots and reach the answer.

"!!!" Mordo's eyes widen in disbelief… and a little fear.

He used a spell to put all the weight of the Mirror Dimension, a projection of the real world, into the Ancient One. Looking around, he can see the light of the Eye of Agamotto affecting the whole dimension, mixing with the Astral Plane… Weakening, diluting the Mirror World.

It also appears to be scanning the area, searching for something… It's shining like a beacon.

The artifact flies away from Strange, floating in the air and slowly moving in a certain direction. Morod watches while holding his breath…

CRACK Then a hand breaks through space and grabs the Eye of Agamotto.

"Oh my, I take a vacation for one day and everything goes south." A very recognizable, aged voice comes from the crack in space. Then another aged hand grabs the edges of the crack and widens it, like opening tempered glass. Crack Crack "What would you all do without me?" The Ancient One chuckles slightly while stepping on the air in the middle of the battlefield.

Strange's Spell slowly loses its effect, but everyone is still paralyzed.

 It doesn't matter who it is; in this battlefield, everyone can't help but inadvertently show respect and awe at the man. Even his enemies are like that…

In truth, at this point, Kaecilius and Clea are already considering the whole plan a failure. But Mordo is not so willing, gritting his teeth, he quickly makes some hand signs, his face grows pale, and the huge dark vortex in the sky trembles and opens more.

It's unstable, but it seems to be about to get fully open.

"HAHAHAHA! Too late, Ancient One! Even with you here, you can't stop the descent of Dormammu now! This reality will be flooded by darkness!" Mordo laughs maniacally, despite bleeding from his eyes

The Ancient One doesn't even deign him with an answer while casually putting the Eye of Agamotto around his neck, he merely sighs in disappointment and raises his hand. He casually shoots out a golden light to the vortex. The small lamp-like light is minuscule when compared to the storming vortex, but it is when the two touch that the magic happens.

To the surprise of a few people, the entire vortex is immediately bathed in a golden light, like it had been purified. The Ancient One then turns the same hand anti-clockwise.

The vortex starts spinning in the opposite direction, and the world seems to be healing. The cracks and destructing disappearing, the dark energy returning, the Mindless Ones being sucked back. Even the enemy sorcerers like Clea, Mordo and Kaecilius are also sucked on the vortex. But the Ancient One, for some reason, interrupted that at the last moment, and they escaped to some unknown place using their own magic.

The Ancient One then starts calmly walking to the vortex while it gets smaller and smaller. 

"Wait!" Strange shouts at him after seeing his intentions

The Ancient One just waved him off with a calm smile and didn't even slow down his pace, his steps full of purpose. After one last look back, he enters the diminishing vortex, just a second before it disappears.

Outside the Mirror Dimension, Eidolon is using his All Seeing Eyes of God to watch everything with a heavy and solemn gaze.

...

Dark Dimension

What greets the Ancient One is an unsurprisingly dark universe. It's not his first time, so he is not surprised. He quickly identifies that he is in a deserted part of the Dark Dimension. Different from common belief, there are inhabited planets and even civilizations here. Though they are under Dormammu's thumb

"Not gonna greet an old acquaintance?" The Ancient One keeps his calm smile while standing in the void.

Dark planets, nebulae, and stars surround him while he just stands there, his small figure unshakable.

"You are just one of many… They all stood on my path… They all died!" The planets, no… The entire universe opens, and a giant head appears in front of the Ancient One.

It looks like it is on fire, and doesn't have many discernible features, but the malevolent expression is unmistakable.

"Only a projection? That's rude…" The Ancient One shakes his head, like he is disappointed with Dormammu's lack of manners. "Let's start then by taking care of your Omnipotence." Bling

One hand sign later, a blinding golden light is emitted from the Sorcerer Supreme, piercing the dark cosmos.

"What?!!" Dormammu felt the changes instantly.

To Dimension Lords, their universes are their biggest strengths. Inside, they command the place and can do anything, their powers infinite and unlimited.

The Ancient One then immediately starts taking it from Dormammu, establishing a territory inside the Lord of Darkness' own realm. 

He doesn't want and doesn't need to try to separate Dormammu from it completely, he only needs to take a little away… There's a big difference between 99,9% and 100%. The difference between omnipotence and nigh-omnipotence. The difference that gives a fighting chance and opens the path to victory.

"How did you do that so easily??" It shows the Ancient One's great skill and difficulty to pull this move, which even Dormammu is shocked by.

The Lord of Darkness obviously retaliates with full force. Explosions of dark fire, not different from supernovas, explode at the Ancient One. Devastating attacks, a confirmation of Dormammu's power, and classification as a universal-level threat.

The Ancient waves his arm, changing stances like he is practicing tai chi, walking forward slowly but still leaving golden-shaped afterimages behind. Each after image completes one spell, seven steps later, and a seven-layered shield protects the Sorcerer Supreme.

"Heh, the plan was to go into a very long tug of war with you till my lifespan runs out while giving time to Strange." The Ancient One laughs before bringing his hands close to his chest, with some hand signs, he activates the Eye of Agamotto. "But that point in time changed a long ago."

What happens next is a short fight that would leave anyone watching so shocked that maybe they would kill themselves. The knowledge they would gain from watching this… From watching that there are being like those, it would create an existential crisis even in the tough ones.

Dormammu uses attacks so strong that the entire section of the universe is reduced to raw energy, which he uses to attack the human sorcerer, as fuel for his spells. Cosmic events of inconceivable proportions to the human mind are nothing more than simple attacks.

What the Ancient One may lack in raw power - compared to his opponent - he has in expertise. It's almost like he created magic itself, and the world has to conform to his rules. He casts spells on the past, present, and future, hitting Dormammu through all the timestream.

Natural laws are reshaped while he fuses four, eight, and even dozen spells together. He reflects and even changes Dormammu's own attacks.

That small golden light amidst this dark universe simply can't be extinguished.

Dormammu is already roaring in rage while the stream of raw power tries to drown the Sorcerer Supreme from Earth.

Still with his calm face, the Sorcerer Supreme leaves dozens of after images simultaneously casting spells to counter the next dozen moves of Dormammu, and his hands go once again to his chest, and he utilizes the Eye of Agamotto one last time.

"In moments like these, this artifact allows the bearer to call for some help from the past, from all the ones that wore it and left their hope to the future inside." The Sorcerer Supreme says solemnly, and two spectral figures appear behind him. The only thing one can identify by looking at them is that they are male humanoids.

Even those phantom images, echoes from the past, carry unimaginable power, not lower than the Ancient One himself!

Amidst the golden light, the figure on the right raises his hand silently, and golden chains appear. Those chains pierce holes in space and literally drag the real body of Dormammu to the battlefield while the lord of this dimension roars in anger.

"How… HOW CAN THIS BE?!?!?!" The Lord of Darkness shouts angrily, struggling ineffectively against the golden chains.

The Ancient One just smiles mysteriously while looking at the impassive figure. He then turns to the figure on the left "Agamotto, I'm gonna lend one of your spells… It needs three to do it."

He claps his hands together, and the two figures, one now being identified as Agamotto, do the same. Their bodies move, and light is emitted from them, creating a golden triangle.

"The Seal of Vishanti." The Sorcerer Supreme says.

The triangle leaves their bodies and starts spinning while approaching Dormammu. It approaches slowly but spins so fast that it turns into a circle with some lines in the middle… The Symbol of Vishanti that appears in all Sanctums, the asymmetric net-like pattern.

Seeing the pattern getting closer, Dormammu struggles even harder, the universe answering to his anger and desperation, but to no avail.

While the unknown previous user of the Eye of Agamotto is restricting Dormammu. The figure that represents Agamotto himself is sealing the place to limit outside help. And the actual Sorcerer Supreme creates the seal.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! THIS COULDN'T BE HAPPENING!!!!!" Dormammu shouts, but that only makes the golden chains grow in size and squeeze him tighter. "THIS IS UNNATURAL!! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!!! YOU SHOULDN'T BE THIS STRONG!!!! IT WAS NEVER LIKE THAT!!! HOW ARE YOU SO STROOOONGGG????!!!?"

While the Seal of Vishanti finally hits Dormammu, going around him like a piece of cloth, the Ancient One smiles after hearing that question.

"By cheating… and training." He laughs while the Lord of the Dark Dimension is sealed

...

After some ripples in space, the Ancient One emerges from where he entered. Being received by the impressed sorcerers, filled with admiration.

The man alone went into the Dark Dimension and came back unscathed, crisis averted, too. It doesn't matter what he did there, it will be impressive without being said.

"Oh, I worried you all. Thank you, everyone who came to help." he greets them with an easy smile. "I will not abuse your kindness, so please leave while we do the tiresome chore of restoring the Sanctums." He says amicably.

Everyone can take a hint, certain Kamar-Taj business must stay a secret, so after some pleasantries, the sorcerers that came as reinforcements left, and the forces of Kamar-Taj stayed to do as the Ancient One instructed.

It's easy enough for a sorcerer to repair a destroyed building, but restoring the intricacies of the protective net around reality will take a little more effort.

Thankfully, the Hong Kong Sanctum was never completely destroyed, and he doesn't need to build the protection from scratch.

...….

Later, the Ancient One goes back to his quarters on the Kamar-Taj.

"What a beautifully sad affliction it is to get old… It makes you look at the past more fondly." He sighs, putting his fists on his lower back and stretching his spine "Enter" he says casually without even looking at the door.

Eidolon and Raven enter the room, the hero giving the Ancient One a strange look.

"You are alive." he says, almost in an accusatory tone.

"I am?" The Ancient One recoils in surprise, he then looks at his own hands. "You are right! I'm alive!" The sarcasm is so thick that it is almost gaining form.

Despite his great self-control, Eidolon's right eyelid twitches.

Raven, on the other hand, looks surprisingly amused at Eidolon's reaction.

"He was worried about you." She says

"Was he? I don't know why…"

"You said that you would die." Eidolon says, annoyed. Holding back some pointed words.

"I never said that." The Ancient plays clueless.

"Stop with this, old bastard. You knew what I thought and let it implied with your cryptic bullshit spewed by your mysterious old master act." Eidolon says in one breath.

"Aah~ I see, I see… No. I still got it. I have some extra time to live yet." The old sorcerer smiles brightly

"..." Eidolon's eyelid twitches again, and he runs a hand through his masked face. "Maybe you dying would not be so bad. It would bring balance to the universe."

"Don't be like that… What would you do if I really die after you said such hurtful words?"

"I don't know… celebrate?"

"..." Raven watches the back and forth like a tennis match. It's like those two are long-time friends bickering with each other.

At some point, things escalate and Eidolon removes his mantle "Okay, that's it! Today I'm slapping your bald head." He declares while rolling his forearm.

"Oho~, what a bad timing… I am wearing the Eye of Agamotto now." The Ancient One also appears to get ready to throw hands, rolling his long sleeves.

"You can have Agamotto's eye, his nose, mouth… Whole face. I don't care." Eidolon starts taking them to the Mirror Dimension. "You escaped death today, but you will not escape having your bald head slapped today.

"Come then, it's long due someone teach you some humility." The Ancient One chuckles, fully amused.

"..." Raven watches them disappear to the Mirror Dimension with a shake of her head. "I guess the first ten billion years of a man's childhood are away like this."

...

Later, on the Space Station, Raven gives Hector a sideglance.

So, how did it go?" She asks, already knowing the truth.

Hector's body is full of golden marks shining in ancient words. They are on his cheek, chest, arm… They even shine through his clothes.

She can recognize some, like "future bald" or "dunce"... She thinks there are some ancient slurs in the mix too. It's obvious the Ancient One held back and never attacked him for real, only pranking him.

"What? Don't look at me like that… It was a draw!" Hector scoffs, smiling despite being cursed to have those glyphs shining on his skin "I managed to slap his head!" Then he goes and crosses something off a holographic list.

At least his mood improved.

....

Full Title: The Ancient One's Death was Greatly Exaggerated

....

A.N.:Hello there. 

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