"No, no, no, no, no!" Celeste Morn rushed into Kamar-Taj, her composure completely shattered, on the verge of collapse.
She was breathing heavily, tears threatening to spill.
"Celeste." Bucky Barnes, the Jedi Shadow's lover and the Winter Soldier, immediately went to her and pulled her into his arms. "Celeste, baby, shh, calm down. Breathe."
"How can I?" Morn asked, nearly hysterical, clinging to her boyfriend with desperate strength. "I thought I'd gotten rid of him. I thought the Master had him locked away where no one could ever find him. And now this?"
Bucky turned to face Wong and Mordo, who stood nearby.
"What the hell happened?" Bucky demanded, his expression fierce. "Last I checked, Muur was trapped inside that talisman. How does he have a body now?"
"He's severely disrupted the natural order," Mordo muttered, visibly shaken by what they'd witnessed minutes ago.
"What happened to him?" Robbie said, his eyes burning with hellfire. "I can feel dozens of things inside him."
"Muur has done something truly reckless and catastrophic," Wong said, shaking his head. "He must have absorbed interdimensional entities—pulled them into his own body and acted as a vessel while forcibly seizing their powers for himself."
"He must have been desperate to attempt something like that."
Wong shook his head. "I don't believe it was desperation."
"He's right," Celeste said, her voice trembling. " Karnes Muur is a Sith first and foremost. The Sith are known for one thing above all else—the pursuit of power at any cost, and maintaining that power through any means necessary."
"But to absorb the essence of interdimensional entities..." Mordo whispered, barely believing his own words. "He doesn't even comprehend what he's done. That power will either tear him apart from the inside out, drive him to complete madness, or both. There's a hunger in him—I saw it in his eyes."
The group looked at him as Wong's expression grew equally grim beside the experienced master.
"What... what does that mean?" Bucky asked slowly.
Wong responded, his tone deadly serious.
"I've warned both of you about this," Wong said, looking at Bucky and Celeste. "There is forbidden knowledge within Kamar-Taj for good reason. Though our encounter was brief, I was able to deduce that Muur absorbed not only the powers of these interdimensional beings, but their essence. He attempted to consume their life force entirely. He did not succeed completely."
"So what happens now?" Robbie asked.
"He's become a ticking time bomb," Mordo said gravely. "He doesn't realize it yet, but now that he's tasted the power that comes from forcibly taking it from beings beyond our comprehension, he'll begin craving more until it tears him apart from within. When that happens—"
"All those things inside him will be released into our world, right?" Bucky finished, and Mordo nodded confirmation. "Yeah, that's just perfect."
He scoffed, fists clenched as he stared at his lover, who chose to embrace him again.
Barnes could feel her trembling. Bucky felt helpless knowing Muur was alive and about to terrorize the world with whatever plague or hellish abilities he now commanded.
"We need to find him and take him down," Robbie said, then paused for a long moment as though listening to something—or rather, someone. "Zarathos says he can find a way to track that psychotic bastard."
"Are you certain?" Celeste asked shakily, looking at the rider, who simply shrugged.
"The guy's a walking battery of energy that can basically absorb anything," Reyes explained. "Even mystical shit like this."
"Robbie's correct," Wong said firmly. "The longer we stand here debating, the longer Muur remains unchecked in the world, causing destruction with his stolen powers."
As Bucky was about to respond, he noticed the others suddenly becoming alert.
Robbie's expression shifted to conflicted surprise and unease. Both Wong and Mordo's heads simultaneously snapped toward the library.
In an instant, they rushed past Bucky, Celeste, and Robbie. The three were briefly confused before following the two sorcerers.
They caught up in time to see them racing into the Ancient One's private collection chamber.
Inside—oddly, for the relative newcomers to Kamar-Taj—two of the sanctuary's residents were audibly alarmed.
Stephen Strange stood before a table, wearing a medallion or pendant around his neck containing a glowing green gemstone.
Both his hands were surrounded by brilliant green symbols radiating power that forced Robbie and Celeste to step back instinctively.
To Bucky, it simply looked like Stephen wore a pair of green holographic gloves, and he had no idea what they signified.
Before Strange was what could best be described as a conjoined structure of glass and diamond facets. When one looked closely enough, they could see Strange's reflection and... someone else's.
However, the glass-diamond structure appeared to be fracturing—and wouldn't last much longer.
"Stop!" Mordo shouted at the top of his lungs.
Instantly, the glass structure collapsed and vanished without a trace.
Stephen looked completely bewildered and shocked, to say the least, now surrounded by the group.
"I—I was just following the instructions in the book," Strange defended.
"What did the book say about the dangers of performing that ritual?" Wong demanded.
Strange cleared his throat slightly. "I don't know. I hadn't gotten to that part yet."
"Have you lost your mind?!" Mordo nearly yelled. "Temporal manipulation can create branches in time! Unstable dimensions! Spatial paradoxes! Time loops! Do you want to be trapped reliving the same moment over and over forever, or to cease existing entirely?"
"...They really should put the warnings before the spells."
"Your curiosity could have killed you," Wong chastised. "You weren't manipulating the space-time continuum—you were breaking it. We do not tamper with natural law. We defend it."
Mordo looked ready to explode. "We're already dealing with an ancient Sith who just absorbed a demonic encyclopedia from other dimensions. We just witnessed you disrupting time itself, and all you can do is make jokes?!"
No one doubted that Mordo was venting his earlier anxieties.
"Hey." Bucky's voice cut through the tension sharply. "Now's not the time for yelling at each other. Have you all forgotten there are two psychopaths loose in our world who need to be stopped? Standing here arguing isn't helping."
Mordo simply snorted and looked away, while the Winter Soldier's lover studied Strange intently.
Celeste then asked Stephen a question. "How did you do that?"
"Hmm?" Stephen looked at her, trying to understand what she meant.
"That spell—that magic—I've never seen anything like it," Celeste said. "What was that?"
"Temporal manipulation," Wong began. "A series of advanced spells only a handful can master, and even fewer can properly utilize."
"Where did you learn those incantations? How did you even comprehend them?" Celeste asked with genuine awe. The concept of manipulating time was fascinating yet terrifying.
"Yeah, how did this lunatic pull it off?" Robbie asked, gesturing at Strange, who gave the young man a flat look.
"I have a photographic memory."
Mordo shook his head, pointing at Strange. "What you just accomplished requires far more than excellent recall."
"While you excelled at science and medicine, you were born for the Mystic Arts," Wong said.
"But my hands are still shaking," Strange said in frustration.
"Sounds to me like you nearly broke them," Bucky said. "I can't believe I just said that sentence. You almost destroyed reality and all you care about is your hands?"
"Well, you know what, I've heard enough," Stephen said, now clearly irritated. "I thought this was some meditation retreat or general spiritual nonsense. When are you going to start telling me what we're actually dealing with?"
The atmosphere remained tense for several seconds until Mordo looked at Wong and gestured toward a circular chamber with three doorways and a holographic display of Earth above.
"Heroes like the Avengers protect the world from physical dangers," Wong explained, standing at the chamber's center surrounded by the group. "We sorcerers safeguard it from more mystical threats."
The Asian master fixed Strange with an intense stare.
"The Ancient One is the latest in a long line of Sorcerer Supremes stretching back millennia to the father of the Mystic Arts—the mighty Agamotto. That object you wear around your neck, which you so recklessly borrowed, is the Eye of Agamotto."
Stephen looked down at the pendant he wore, appearing ashamed.
"Agamotto constructed three Sanctums at places of power where great cities now stand." Wong pointed to the door behind Stephen. "That passage leads to the Hong Kong Sanctum." He gestured toward the doorway behind Bucky. "That one connects to the New York Sanctum." Finally, Wong turned toward the door behind himself. "And this leads to the London Sanctum. Together, the Sanctums generate a protective shield around our world."
"The Sanctums protect Earth, and we sorcerers protect the Sanctums," Mordo added.
"From what?" Strange looked at them all nervously.
"From interdimensional entities that covet our universe and seek to invade Earth," Wong said as though it were obvious.
"Like the ones currently trapped inside a meat sack called Muur," Robbie said bluntly.
"What?" Strange looked at him, not comprehending.
"That's exactly what we're facing now," Bucky said with a sigh.
Strange remained silent momentarily, processing the new information he'd just received.
"Is it possible... that Dormammu's involved in this somehow?"
Mordo looked slightly surprised and stunned. "Where did you learn that name?"
"I just read about him in the Book of Cagliostro. Why?" Strange said slowly.
Celeste glanced at Wong and Mordo, who exchanged looks until Wong placed his hand on the pedestal—the placeholder for the Eye of Agamotto—and rotated the runic disk within, transforming its appearance.
Instantly, Earth darkened and began transforming into a cosmos composed of dark planets and celestial bodies.
Strange found himself squinting at what he saw... he'd been there before.
The best way to describe the change of scenery was... disturbing.
"Dormammu dwells in the Dark Dimension, beyond time," Wong said. "He's the cosmic conqueror of universes, the annihilator of worlds."
"Why do villains love giving themselves so many titles?" Bucky muttered, and Wong heard him.
"Regrettably, those were earned through his own actions. He's a being of infinite power who hungers to invade every universe and drag all worlds into his Dark Dimension. The one he covets most is Earth," Wong said.
"This sounds absurd to say, but why?" Robbie said dryly.
"Earth is a nexus point in this universe," Wong revealed.
"Our planet's that special..."
"It's the home of the Sorcerer Supreme," Mordo said with reverence in his voice. "The home of our Master—the most powerful mystic in all of history."
Strange wore a thoughtful expression. "The pages Kaecilius stole... they could contact Dormammu, couldn't they?"
"While drawing power from the Dark Dimension simultaneously," Wong confirmed.
Stephen attempted a smile, trying to ease the room's tension.
"...And this Muur you mentioned?" the former surgeon asked. "What's his situation?"
"He recently absorbed dozens of entities from other dimensions and now poses no less a threat to Earth than Dormammu himself," Robbie said.
"Well... I'm leaving," Strange announced, earning confused looks from everyone. "I only came here to heal my hands. Not to join some mystical war."
"But you're already in it, whether you like it or not," Bucky pointed out dryly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't sign up for this," Strange said incredulously. "You fought in World War II—why would you throw yourself into another war like this? Especially one you barely seem to understand?"
"People's lives are at stake," Bucky said in the most matter-of-fact tone he could muster. "What other reason do you need? Besides, I'm fairly certain Celeste won't sit this out, and I'd rather not be on the sidelines while my girlfriend fights ancient Sith Lords and their zealot followers."
"...You don't get out much, do you?" Strange said with faint amusement. "Your experience doesn't really translate to the modern world."
Suddenly, the entire group froze as alarm bells began ringing throughout the sanctuary.
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